The sudden change caught everyone off guard, leaving them no time to react.By the time they regained their senses, Mond's body was already rapidly swelling, his skin cracking in every direction.
It looked like a balloon about to burst.
"Quick, protect His Majesty!" The sight sent the crowd into a panic.
At once, guards drew their weapons and formed a human shield, standing in front of Fratis and the others.
The powerful individuals also reacted immediately, setting up defenses to shield the princes and dukes within.
However, due to the haste, they couldn't protect everyone.
"Protect me! Hurry, protect me!" A group of nobles, their faces full of fear, tried to force their way into the protection of the guards.
But the guards didn't even glance at them.
Their duty was to protect Fratis—whether these nobles lived or died had nothing to do with them.
Moreover, they had long been annoyed by these arrogant, self-important figures, and this was a perfect opportunity to teach them a lesson.
Seeing this, the nobles, though furious, could do nothing to stop the guards.
They could only scatter in a panic, desperately seeking cover and fleeing in all directions.
Luca shielded Fratis's view with his body.
Turning around, he waved at the grotesquely mutated form of Mond, now unrecognizable.
He smiled and said, "Goodbye, Duke Mond."
"Ugh, ugh, ugh!!!" Mond, now no longer human, seemed to realize something.
His body trembled violently, as if begging for mercy.
But the moment Luca snapped his fingers, with a sharp snap,
Mond's struggling, writhing body suddenly stiffened.
Purple cracks spread across his body, growing larger and more numerous, like a shattered porcelain vase.
When these cracks reached a certain threshold, a terrifying force suddenly exploded!
Boom!!
A deafening roar echoed! Blood, chunks of flesh, and broken organs flew everywhere, falling to the ground like raindrops and splattering on the walls!
The entire hall was instantly drenched in a rain of blood.
Those who hadn't been quick enough to move were immediately drenched in filthy blood, looking utterly disheveled.
As the chaos settled, a trembling figure slowly stood up, gathering the courage to look around the hall.
Their face turned ghostly pale in an instant.
"Ah—!" Ear-piercing screams erupted one after another.
A noblewoman, horrified beyond belief, turned pale, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.
When the others saw the scene inside the hall, their eyes widened in shock.
What was once a brilliantly decorated royal palace hall had now turned into a hellish slaughterhouse!
Body parts and organs littered the floor, food and wine stained with blood.
Muscle fibers hung in the corners of the hall like spider webs.
The thick, acrid smell of blood constantly assaulted their senses, with blood and flesh scattered everywhere.
The pampered nobles, who had been accustomed to a life of luxury and ease, had never seen anything so horrific.
One by one, their faces turned from white to green as they couldn't help but vomit uncontrollably.
"Madman! He's a madman! Someone, capture him!" Prince Runne, terrified to the core, screamed in panic and stumbled backward in fear.
However, he didn't know what he stepped on and, in his panic, tripped and fell onto the blood-soaked floor. At the same time, he felt a slippery sensation under his hand.
Looking down, he saw that his palm had landed on a large, white piece of intestine, the stench overpowering!
Runne's face turned an ashen gray in an instant.
"Ugh!" Unable to hold it in any longer, he collapsed to the ground, joining the others as they all vomited uncontrollably.
It wasn't just him. The eyes of everyone else on Luca were filled with sheer terror. No one had expected Luca to suddenly strike down a duke, especially in front of hundreds of nobles and royals!
This was the royal palace, after all!!
Milo and Ike exchanged glances, both seeing the shock reflected in each other's eyes.
Damn, this kid is insane!
Even Winston and Augustine, along with the others, hadn't anticipated Luca's actions. Now, they looked at him as if he were some sort of monster.
"I had a feeling this kid was going to make a name for himself one day..." Augustine muttered, pressing his hand to his chest.
But he never imagined that his prediction would be so right—though sadly, only half of it was true.
As they processed the chaos, an angry minister trembled with fury.
His face red with rage, he glared at Luca and shouted, "You fool! Do you even know what you're doing? Do you want to start a rebellion?!"
This wasn't just disrespecting the law—this was showing utter contempt for the entire empire!
The other nobles, feeling their lives were now at risk, turned their furious glares toward Luca.
One of the nobles ground his teeth and spat, "Luca! No matter what great deeds you've accomplished, that's no excuse for murder!"
A nearby noblewoman wiped the blood off her face, forcing herself to suppress the nausea. She seethed, "Why even bother talking to someone like this Marauder? Get the palace guards here, now!"
Another noble added fiercely, "A dangerous man like this must be locked away for the rest of his life!"
Seeing this, Crown Prince Leonie, who had initially been terrified, suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of joy.
Finally, the chance for revenge had come!
He had once been at a loss about how to deal with Luca, but now it seemed the boy had handed him the perfect opportunity.
Today, no matter how powerful Luca might be, there was no way he would leave the palace alive!
With this thought in mind, Leonie immediately shouted at the palace guards, "Luca has defied the laws of the Empire! He killed Duke Mond in the royal hall, and he's trying to rebel!"
"Everyone, listen up!"
"Take action immediately! Capture this Marauder!"
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The guards exchanged uncertain glances, hesitating for a moment. After all, Fratis was present—this was not the time for the crown prince to issue orders. seaʀᴄh thё NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Seeing this hesitation, the Fourth Prince, Isaacs, snapped angrily, "What are you waiting for? Can't you see His Majesty is being held hostage by this madman?"
"Get moving, kill him, and save the Emperor!"
"Luca... what's going on?" Fratis, hearing the commotion, was curious, but her view was obstructed by a pair of large hands, preventing her from seeing clearly.
Luca glanced around at the blood-drenched hall and nonchalantly said, "Nothing much. Just a dead fly."
Then, turning to the trembling Lawson, he said, "Take the Emperor out of the palace. I'll handle things here."
Lucia, upon hearing this, looked at Luca with curiosity, wondering how he planned to deal with the situation.
Sophia, on the other hand, seemed to realize something, her gaze growing complex.
In truth, Luca's approach was simple—just kill everyone who was plotting rebellion.
Dawn City had fallen, the King had passed away, several princes were fighting for the throne, the noble system was rotten to the core, monsters were rising within the country, and the two great empires outside the borders were eyeing the throne.
Alfred, that dog of a man, had left Fratis only a crown and this mess to clean up. What else could be done but to kill?
Was there time to outwit and reason with these nobles?
Luca had no such patience.
The solution was simple—kill!
Kill the nobles until rivers of blood flowed! Kill until their hearts were trembling with fear!
Kill until no one dared to rise up and cause trouble ever again!
"I understand..." Looking into Luca's cold, steel-like eyes, Lawson couldn't help but swallow nervously.
Though he had witnessed Luca's deadly efficiency in the palace before, his heart still struggled to keep up with the horror.
However, what Luca and the others didn't expect was that Fratis had no intention of leaving.
"I'm staying here," she said, breaking free from Lawson's grip, her gaze firm as she stared at Luca. "Before my father passed, he told me that I am Clinton's queen. A king may die, but a king should never flee."
Her voice was young, but it rang with unshakable resolve.
Looking into her clear, unclouded eyes, Luca found the words he had been about to speak catch in his throat. He didn't say anything further; he simply released his grip and said, "I respect your decision, Your Majesty."
As others were about to urge Fratis to leave, fearing the danger of the situation,
Winston shook his head. "Dawn City is not that large. It might be safer for Her Majesty to stay here."
He paused before adding, "At least, before I die, nothing will happen to Her Majesty."
As his words ended, blood light flickered in his hand, and a blood-red spear materialized.
In an instant, Winston seemed to be enveloped in a dense, murderous aura!
It was the presence of someone who had carved a path through mountains of corpses and seas of blood!
"If I don't make it out alive, don't forget to pass on my message to the teacher," he said, his bloodlust swirling around him like a raging sea, his gaze calm as he looked out towards the palace hall.
There, soldiers and powerful individuals, dense as a swarm of hornets, were rushing toward the hall!
These were Clinton's elite soldiers—the royal city guards!
"Isn't it a bit too early to be entrusting the regency?" Ziegfried joked lightly. Then he turned his gaze toward the protected Leonie and the others, sneering, "What's this? After all this time, you finally can't hold it in any longer and are going to rebel?"
Leonie's face turned red with humiliation at the words. Anger surged within him as he shouted, "The ones who are rebelling are you treacherous ministers! How dare you try to pin it on us?"
"Release Her Majesty right now, and I might spare your lives!"
Upon hearing this, Fratis' eyes flashed with disappointment and sadness.
She never expected that her own brother would be so shameless.
At that moment, a middle-aged man in golden armor walked out from the royal city guards. Seeing the scene inside the hall, his expression shifted, and he asked in surprise, "What is going on here?"
"General Keld, you've come just in time!" Leonie raised his hand, pointing at Luca, and angrily said, "We were discussing Her Majesty's ascension, when this beast, Luca, suddenly attacked and killed someone!"
"Duke Mond was caught off guard and was killed in a sneak attack, and now even Her Majesty has been kidnapped by this Marauder!"
"I implore you all to capture him at once!"
At these words, General Keld turned his cold, icy gaze toward Luca and said, "To think you dare kill someone in the royal palace hall and kidnap Her Majesty... You have a lot of nerve!"
Luca sneered, too disinterested to respond.
"This is not what they say!" Fratis tried to explain, her voice rising. "I wasn't kidnapped by Luca! It's Leonie and the others who are framing him!"
However, what happened next was completely different from what she had imagined.
The man named General Keld drew his sword and said sternly, "Her Majesty is too young and naive to discern right from wrong. She must have been influenced by these treacherous ministers, which is why she is speaking in their favor!"
"Do not worry, Your Majesty."
"No matter the cost, we will rescue you from the hands of these traitors!"