Sterl felt a chill in his heart.
The rewards for this mission primarily depended on what he did and the impact he caused.
The survival of the princes and princesses was evidently not that important.
Moreover, based on the information he obtained through Star Insight, the Emperor Octavius had an extremely high evaluation score—
This score came from Sterl's second class ceremony evaluation.
Octavius's score was very high, almost perfect.
And on Sterl's side, he noticed that after the Emperor devoured several of his blood relatives, the evaluation score rose again! The Emperor's aura also grew more intense.
So, Sterl figured that since things had already progressed this far, he might as well let the Emperor devour a few more princes and princesses to max out the score.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be easy to encounter a strong enemy with just the right score next time!
On one hand, high-scoring enemies are hard to find. On the other hand, facing enemies with too high scores poses great risks. When he tested with Flowing Water Law earlier, Sterl realized that the higher the enemy's level, the higher their various talent and profession levels would be.
His combat advantage would be smaller, and the risk of failure would be greater!
His main goal was to become stronger, not to challenge his limits, right?
If Sterl could steadily advance to his second class and third class, he wouldn't need to frequently challenge higher levels.
"Finding an enemy with just the right score isn't easy."
"Let the blood of the Emperor of the Divine Mountain Empire help me ascend!"
His eyes flashed with a mysterious light.
Therefore, Sterl intentionally waited an extra second to recover his energy.
And in that brief second, the princes and princesses met a bloody fate.
Octavius completely abandoned any familial affection and mercilessly slaughtered his descendants.
His actions became increasingly ruthless: a palm through the heart, a foot smashing the skull, a fist ripping out internal organs.
The princes and princesses died in extremely gruesome ways.
This bloody scene was enough to make anyone with a weak heart vomit in terror!
A few princes and princesses managed to run a few dozen meters due to their advantageous positions.
Octavius extended his hand, releasing a blood-red light, forcibly dragging them back. In the process, the bloody light displayed extremely terrifying corrosive and tearing power.
Several princes and princesses were cut in half like bamboo poles and torn into strips like rags.
They didn't even have time to die before being refined into elixirs, becoming the means for Octavius to break through his power.
Finally, the strongest among them, the Fourth Prince, the former crown prince of the Divine Mountain Empire, with second class combat power and the best talent among the princes, was also caught by that blood-red gravitational force after trying his best to evade.
His physical attributes were quite good. He wasn't torn apart, but he was still suppressed by the gravitational force, kneeling in front of Octavius.
"Father! You... you..."
"Haha, don't worry, you are my most favored child."
"Why would I hurt you?"
Huh??
The Fourth Prince was instantly stunned.
At this moment, only four princes and princesses remained on the field, all looking bewildered, not knowing what was happening.
Only Sterl watched coldly, seeing everything clearly. Octavius's score had maxed out!
Sterl also had some guesses as to why Octavius stopped absorbing bloodline power exactly when he reached the scoring limit.
It might be because the scoring limit required for his second class ceremony is likely the upper limit of the legendary realm.
But an SS-ranked class—how does one ascend to that?
A perfect legend is too difficult to achieve!
And this Octavius, unbelievably, had somehow forcefully elevated his authority heart to SS rank through some nefarious ritual!
"However, Octavius's sacrifice of his descendants can only elevate his authority heart's rank, not his innate talent."
"He can't naturally ascend to a demigod, even as a perfect legend." Felicia said calmly.
Spells to elevate the authority heart are not uncommon, but they often involve entities above the divine level, beyond the reach of ordinary players and NPCs.
As for enhancing innate talent...
Sorry, in [Transcendence], although there are related records, they all involve players or NPCs obtaining extraordinary fortune and opportunity.
Such opportunities aren't gained through luck, power, or competition.
In a way, those who can elevate their talent level are chosen by destiny!
"Amazing!" Faye, unaware of her teacher's thoughts, simply marveled.
However, she had another question in her mind.
Since it's said to be a perfect legend, why is an SS-ranked authority heart sufficient?
Shouldn't the strongest be the legendary SSS rank??
Before Faye could ask, the battlefield situation changed abruptly, instantly capturing her attention.
At this moment, Octavius's imposing aura gradually subsided, and the energy around him became restrained, making him appear like an ordinary middle-aged man. Yet, this only heightened the sense of unease and terror.
The NPCs of the Divine Mountain Empire, who had initially intended to flee, now realized what had happened.
His Majesty had made another breakthrough!
Moreover...
NPCs aren't fools. Seeing the Fourth Prince and others being spared easily, they knew that His Majesty had perfected the technique of refining the descendants' bloodlines!
His power must far exceed before!
The commoners and nobles regained their initial fervor.
"Divine Mountain Empire will prevail!"
"His Majesty will prevail!"
"Divine Mountain Empire will prevail!"
"His Majesty will prevail!"
"Divine Mountain..."
...
Their roars were like landslides!
The whole ground shook with the sound waves, rumbling loudly.
Even the soldiers, despite heavy casualties, looked at their Emperor's figure with immense excitement!
Morale was instantly restored.
Several generals took out the banners of the Black Armor Army and waved them vigorously. With the howling wind, the black banners with mountain images surged...
For a moment, the terrifying damage Nathan had inflicted earlier, which pressured the soldiers and NPCs of the Divine Mountain Empire, had entirely dissipated.
Sterl stood quietly, with soldiers around still intending to surround him.
But the Emperor spoke up, "Soldiers, step aside."
"This formidable enemy from the other nation is not for you to handle."
"His Majesty is merciful." several Black Armor Army generals murmured as they stepped aside, eyes filled with anticipation for what was about to unfold. They could naturally see the change in their Emperor.