The Chronicles Of New Havens

The two sides faced off with the leaders staring down. Looking at Emperor Lianghu, Elizabeth only felt hatred for the man. His actions brought chaos to the world. The fact he was manipulated by Minister Linshi was irrelevant. No matter the outside interferences, the ultimate blame was on him. He could have reasoned things out and sought explanations to seek the truth. Even if the Alzar Kingdom was at fault, the citizens were not. They were blissfully unaware yet faced the full brunt of the Xingyuu Empire's fury. The devastation left behind the emperor's cruelty was not something that could easily be mended. In fact, with Lord Korogin's capture and his subsequent torture, it was already enough to bring her rage to a boil. It only came second to her family's slaughter on New Havens.

Her eyes were red with such immense rage that she had to restrain herself from bursting out, cursing a storm or physically charging forward to pummel the man. If she were more coolheaded, she would have noticed a strange peculiarity around Emperor Lianghu. A wispy aura lingered around the man and him alone. No one else seemed to notice anything, even the Alzar Arcanists, but it was actually the presence of magic! Back when she first encountered this phenomenon, she learned from Tengon and Nassandra that this was an effect of Magical Perception! Strangely enough, it emerged here of all places!

One had to know that the Xingyuu Empire, much less the Imperial Family, lacked a true heritage for magic. This was one of the pivotal reasons why the empire could not produce Arcanists on the level of the Ten Dawns even now. The Conquestian, the ruler of the Zino Kingdom, had singlehandedly ushered in a new era of prosperity for the Alzar Kingdom. Therefore, the mere presence of magic about the emperor would be jaw-droppingly shocking.

Yet that was not the strangest thing. That spot was firmly held by Elizabeth's bow! The beautiful and ill.u.s.trious white bow emitted a light glow, as if responding to something. It appeared for the briefest of moments, so instantaneous that even Perception Realm experts noticed nothing, before it abruptly vanished. Not even Elizabeth realized what was happening. Incredibly enough, for the armies of ten thousand, none was the wiser, despite Emperor Lianghu and Princess Elizabeth taking the spotlight!

Emperor Lianghu casted a cold condescending glance over the crowd before him. The Alzar soldiers who met his gaze felt ice grasp their hearts. The coldness of winter was clearly no comparison. His gaze was so devoid of emotion that it was almost inhuman. People were petrified and scared witless. He was a man who could sentence millions to death without a single missed night of sleep. He was a natural monster! Combined with the daunting aura of the Four Cardinals and the entire Xingyuu army, they completely dominated suppressed the Alzar side.

As the emperor's eyes passed his daughters, there was a slight change in his expression for the briefest of moments. However, it did not go unnoticed by three people. Naturally, the first two were Princess Xiuying and Ming. He was their father, a figure who raised them every step of the way. For an instant, his unapproachable and cruel side disappeared, replaced with a kind and benevolent figure. Xiuying and Ming dared not believe their eyes. Their father, prior to the Second Great Kingdom War, prior to their mother dying, had returned! But it vanished in the next instant with eyes as dark as night itself. Cardinal Hui was the third person to see this. In addition to being famed for his sharp senses, he was the closest to Emperor Lianghu. Fortunately, his face was stern and unreadable, so no one learned anything from him.

The emperor's sweep finally landed on Elizabeth, who stood next to General Illion. His lips curled into a sneer, "You must be King Harth's daughter, Princess Elizabeth. I never would have thought that the famed heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom would actually come."

"Cut the pleasantries, Emperor Lianghu. We're here to exchange prisoners," General Illion said with a wave of his hand. He did not want Elizabeth getting them into more trouble. "As you can see, Princess Xiuying and Ming are here. Where is Lord Korogin and Sir Winstin?"

"Bring forth the prisoners," the emperor ordered.

It took a few seconds for Korogin and Winstin to appear before the Alzar army and when they did, everyone instinctively s.u.c.k.e.d in a cold breath of air and dared not say anything. It was deathly quiet. They almost rejected the scene before them! Although Lord Korogin amassed a fair bit of controversy over his actions through the Golden Nightmare, he was still well-regarded in the army. If it not for his power, the realm would have long since fallen to internal strife, much less to external enemies. Many saw him as a hero! Nothing needed to be said about Sir Winstin. The Leader of the Royal Guards was practically worshipped as a god of war, invincible and untouchable. He was the ultimate symbol of strength!

However, the two figures that appeared were the antithesis of such fame and glory. They were skinny and pale, like a pair of skeletons. Their cheeks were sunken in and their hair was a mess. Their raggedy and bedraggled display was enough for everyone to question their identity. People even thought they were corpses instead. The only signs of life were from their sharp eyes which were filled with a strong spirit. The senior officers and commanders were frozen stiff in shock though. The higher the position, the more likely they would see Lord Korogin. Of course, General Illion recognized the two immediately, as did Elizabeth.

General Illion emanated an icy cold fury, instantly causing his officers to flinch. He was basically trembling with anger! "Good, good… Very good!" he said slowly.

"You animal!" Elizabeth shouted. "I swear I'll make you regret what you've done today!"

"Regret?" Emperor Lianghu laughed. "I'm sorry, but that day will never come. All forces, advance!"