***
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Golden waves, symbolizing supernatural powers, fluttered in Gillotti’s eyes.
But just before that golden power reached Perso’s eyes, two small, soft hands hurriedly covered his eyes.
“You can’t look at it.”
A small, anxious, trembling voice embraced him from behind.
In an unexpected touch, Perso hardened his shoulders and as if he had turned into a stone.
“If you don’t look directly into his eyes, you’re not going to take a direct hit right now.”
For a short Anna, to cover the eyes of the big tall man, she almost had to cling to him and lift her toes.
That funny posture and pitiful effort required a lot of daring courage.
Now, this place was the banquet hall of the imperial palace that had become a chaos, and in front of them was the wrathful emperor.
“……Anna.”
Complex emotions lingered in Perso’s voice.
He grabbed the little hands that were covering his eyes and brought them down.
Tens of thousands of emotions flashed in his eyes as he turned slightly to look at Anna.
Unknowingly, he was holding Anna’s hands tightly, but he quickly let go of her hands as he saw a painful expression on her face.
“Anna Puglish! No, it’s Rotrega now?”
Gillotti’s angry voice called out Anna’s name like a stab. Perso came to his senses quickly and hid Anna behind his back.
“I don’t die so easily.” (Perso)
“But……………!” (Anna)
She had something to say, but Anna bit her lip to hold back.
Because Gillotti was yelling at the hesitating soldiers to capture Perso Gertium.
She stared with her anxious eyes at Perso’s broad back and the soldiers running from beyond.
Perso who glanced back at her, added quickly as if in whisper.
“If today ends safely.”
What the hell is he trying to say in this frenzy?
Anna came close to him with restless eyes and looked at the line soldiers.
“Would you like to have a formal dinner with me again?” (Perso)
“….”
… Don’t lie to each other this time.
“What are you doing? Are the Emperor’s orders a joke? Catch the traitors! Hurry!”
The angry Gillotti’s voice resounded loudly.
The soldiers, who could not easily rush to the Duke of Gertium, the highest power in the military, even though it was the order of the emperor, faltered.
Perso looked at Anna as if he needed an answer.
“These idiots!” (Gillotti)
The emperor drew his sword and stabbed one of the soldiers who was hesitating from behind.
“Ack, ack!”
They could hear his blood splatter and the sound of his flesh breaking. At the same time, a scream erupted in the banquet hall, which was suppressed by heavy tension.
“From now on, if you disobey orders, you will be executed!”
Terrified and startled by Gillotti’s shout, the soldiers rushed to Perso.
Frightened, Anna quickly answered.
“Alright! Okay! Look ahead!” (*Perso got a date!)
Cheng!
As soon as Anna finished speaking, Perso’s sword struck out the long spear of the soldier. As if the sound was a signal, Perso’s knights who were waiting also poured out all at once and covered their master.
Suddenly, the sound of the music suddenly stopped, and the vacancy was filled with people’s screams.
The nobles who took a deep breath stood close to the wall of the banquet hall.
The words treason, betrayal, lies, and madness ran around in the air.
The moment Gillotti drew his blood-stained sword and ran through his men and rushed towards Perso.
“The traitor is not him!”
A heavy voice that overwhelmed the crowd resounded.The power of his voice was so strong that he immediately captured the attention of people.
Going through the aristocracy who were terrified of anxiety, Hans Helio came to the fore with about 30 nobles. (*If you don’t remember who Hans was, he was the one Asha wanted him to be the new emperor)
“Marquis Helio…?”
At the sudden appearance of Hans, Gillotti frowned and looked at him.
Hans, dressed in a dignified uniform with his imposing appearance, slowly walked forward.
“From now on, I announce that the 28 nobles, including me, Hans Helio, will be at war with the Tanatos imperial family.”
When he let go, a long piece of paper with the names of the 28 nobles unfolded.
A firm will shone on the faces of the nobles who came to the front without hiding.
… Treason, it was true treason!
The murmur disappeared, and the voices of the people dwindled.
The nobles of Tanatos were busy rolling their eyes quickly to grasp the situation in which the water was rushing, and the envoys from other countries were also busy figuring out how to behave while keeping their breaths low.
“haha……! Ha ha ha ha ha!”
Suddenly, Gillotti burst into laughter.
He held onto his stomach and laughed for a while longer, then raised his eerie eyes to stare at Hans.
“The emperor of Tanatos is the one chosen by God!”
A darker gold shimmered in his eyes than when he was facing Perso.
He intended to show these foolish and lowly ones that this was the power of God.
Gillotti clenched his teeth, and he raised the greatest force he could pull.
However,
Cheng!
As soon as a colorless, odorless, and intangible force reached out to Hans, a huge spark erupted.
Although it was invisible, an air of gentle power surrounded and protected Hans.
Surprised, Gillotti’s eyes widened. Hans lowered his still eyes and pulled out the necklace that was hanging around his neck.
“That, that!”
It was the heirloom of the Sunset family, and the necklace that the deceased Empress hid. (*It was Asha’s protection chain)
“How could that be in your hands……!”
The necklace that Gillotti couldn’t find no matter how much he searched.
Could it be that the Empress gave it to Hans before she died?
At that moment, a small voice whispered like a song was heard from the quietly sunken banquet hall.
[Pure white winter, be the blessing of this country.
Flesh-slicing cold, be the weapon of this country.
We are your eternal followers, your small and fragile bloodline.
Cold, protect us.
God, take us away.]
Goosebumps stood on the nape of Gillotti’s neck at the familiar voice.
That voice that he couldn’t forget no matter how much he tried.
It was that voice that tormented him so many nights.
[The peace of Tanatos is a song of snow and ice and gods.
We will rest according to your will. We will be punished according to your will.
So when we’re all strong]
As if struck by lightning, they cleared the way for one who sang.
Those who recognized the voice at first glance looked at the owner of the voice as if possessed.
[…God, cold. Winter.
Bless us so that we may rise in our own strength.]
Finally, the road was completely opened, and the one standing at the end was revealed.
A figure wearing an opaque veil from head to toe.
The very unidentified fortune teller who was holding the hand of Tamon Krasis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Amor.
She slowly pulled her veil down.
The veil that slid down from the head fell completely to the ground.
Vibrant purple eyes stared directly at Gillotti under her soft silver hair that reflected the light.
Some of the people opened their eyes as if fainting at her appearance.
“No, that’s absurd.”
Gillotti Tanatos was also trembling with his hands and feet.
He was so startled that he took a step back, dropping the sword he was holding.Gillotti’s distorted face turned white as if he was facing a ghost in front of him.
“You’re dead. You’re dead! Obviously I, myself, with my own hands…!”
Guillotti took turns looking at his trembling hands and Asha, who was approaching step by step.
“Yeah, you tried to kill me with those dirty hands. But the God you’re talking about didn’t want me to die.”
Asha muttered coldly in an emotionless voice.
Fear and confusion lingered in Gillotti’s wide open eyes.
“No, you can’t be alive…can it?”
He personally tortured Roselyn.
He pulled out her fingernails and toenails, demanding her to tell him the whereabouts of the Sunset’s heirloom, and even wielded a water-soaked whip on her fragile back.
He broke her legs, scratched her cheeks, and even mocked her by holding her brother’s head.
He tried to annihilate both her body and mind.
He poured out the ugly and dirty destructive instincts that he had hidden inside him to the Empress.
The more he poured out the dirt, the more he became cruel, and he threw her into the cold snow of the snowy mountains when the will to live was completely lost in the empress’s bright purple eyes.
Not even her corpse was left behind, and he left her pale corpse on the mountain, where many of the snow wolves were said to be.
She could not have survived.
She was a corpse that shouldn’t have been alive.
But, why?
How could she be alive?
“No, die! Die! Die!”
The emperor poured out his supernatural power in anger and confusion.
If that woman were really the former Empress, Gillotti’s death power would be able to defeat her.
“Haaa!”
Was it because he forcibly raised his power?
Veins burst in Gillotti’s eyes and started bleeding.
Yet he didn’t stop.
Gillotti’s luscious golden hair was drenched in white, and his eyes were half-rounded.
Taking advantage of his carelessness, Perso picked up Anna and quickly retreated from Gillotti.
To Anna’s surprise, they hid behind the pole farthest from Gillotti.
“Ahhhh!!”
The power of death, which Gillotti poured out relentlessly, erupted throughout the banquet hall.
The disturbing force stretched out toward Hannah, Mana, and Hartz.
Hartz quickly whispered, hiding the children behind him.
“The Emperor has finally gone completely insane. The power of death is running rampant.”
Mana hugged Hannah tightly from behind Hartz.
Hannah also hugged her sister tightly and slowly closed her eyes and opened them.
Was it because everyone was distracted?
No one noticed the strange power swirling around the little girl.
Even Mana, who was holding the child, was distracted to protect her younger sister from the power of death that ran rampant by hiding behind Hartz.
“Ahhhhhh!”
Someone suddenly rolled their eyes and fainted.
Someone fell to their knees, bleeding suddenly.
There were also people who were lying around clutching their stomachs. It was because the power of death was raging.
“Stop the rampage!”
“Your Majesty, calm down…!”
“Evacuate everyone! Evacuation…… !”
Confusion, chaos engulfed the banquet hall.
Some of them, who were still in good condition, raced ahead and tried to run away, but even then, half of them were tripped over by the people in front of them who suddenly collapsed.
It was then.
“Only life can stop death.” (Tamon)
Tamon came closer to Asha, took a deep breath and muttered.
Asha and Tamon looked into each other’s eyes. The only thing that stood in their eyes as they looked at each other was their kindness and trust.
“Can I go?” (Tamon)
As Asha slowly nodded her head as if asking for a favor, Tamon smiled brightly and walked towards Gillotti. (*Tamon has the power of life.)
(*Such a heart pumping chapter! More to come!)
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