The Kingdom's "Traitor"
Jiang Bai's devastating attack not only wiped out the latter half of the royal palace, but also completely shattered all of Jiang Bai Warren's pride and fighting spirit.
He knelt blankly on the ground, his eyes lifeless, like a statue that had lost its soul.
Just then, deafening shouts and orderly footsteps came from outside the palace.
Most of those Jiang Bai eliminated earlier were elite guards protecting the inner palace.
At this moment, the main force of the Royal Army stationed in various parts of the capital finally arrived.
They rushed into the dilapidated throne room, and the first thing they saw was their supreme commander, whom they considered as powerful as a god, kneeling on both knees, looking utterly dejected.
Standing before the general was a man who looked exactly like him, yet exuded a terrifying aura.
This scene deeply pierced the hearts of every soldier.
They were no longer afraid of Jiang Bai's unpredictable strength.
Fear was replaced by anger.
"General! We're here!"
"We will protect the general!"
"If you want to harm the general, you'll have to step over our dead bodies first!"
The soldiers roared and spontaneously surged forward, forming wall after wall of men in front of Warren, using their own flesh and blood to create a battle formation to defend him to the death.
Their spears and swords were all pointed at Jiang Bai.
That tragic and fearless spirit made it seem as if Jiang Bai was the demon king who had invaded the kingdom.
Jiang Bai looked at the scene, which resembled an epic movie, and touched his nose.
Why do I feel like I've become the villain?
At that moment, an officer, clearly a close confidant of Warren, rushed to Warren's side, knelt on one knee, and urgently reported, "General! News just came from the square that someone has personally witnessed that the enormous Magic Crystal... shattered and transformed into a human! Your guess was correct!"
These words, like the last straw, completely broke Warren.
His tense body trembled violently, and the last glimmer of light in his eyes went out completely.
It turns out that the king he served and the kingdom he protected were indeed plundering the lives of another world in such a cruel way.
Then what about everything I did before?
You could say Warren is a stubborn man; he can be ruthless and heartless for the sake of the kingdom.
He could even tell himself that those people weren't from his world anyway, so their deaths were no big deal.
But Warren couldn't do it.
His deceased family members, the pain of suddenly losing loved ones, is a thorn in his heart forever.
He joined the army to gain strength, so that no one else would ever experience the same despair he had.
But what am I doing now?
He had become the executioner who brought pain and despair to countless families.
This realization completely shattered Warren's beliefs.
At the same time, the other battles in the main hall also came to a halt.
Natsu and the others had already defeated their respective opponents, and the battle between Erza Scarlet and Erza Knightwalker ended with Jiang Bai's earth-shattering attack.
The defeated Knightwalker fell from mid-air and landed right next to Warren.
But she didn't pay attention to her own injuries at first; instead, she struggled to crawl toward Warren, wanting to comfort him.
But when she saw the utterly despondent look on Warren's face, all the words stuck in her throat, and she couldn't utter a single one.
For the first time, she saw this perpetually cold and powerful man display such an expression.
Jiang Bai frowned deeply as he looked at Warren's posture.
What kind of expression is that?
A cold voice rang out, filled with undisguised anger.
"Do you think that by putting on a dead face you can atone for the evil deeds you've committed?"
Upon hearing this, Knightwalker was about to speak in rebuttal.
But she saw that, after Jiang Bai's rebuke, Warren's originally lifeless eyes began to shift slightly.
She thought about it for a moment, but ultimately didn't stop Jiang Bai from continuing.
"Now that it's already happened, go and atone for your sins!"
Jiang Bai's voice struck Warren's heart like a heavy hammer.
However, Warren remained kneeling there, as if he had lost the strength to stand up.
Jiang Bai finally couldn't take it anymore.
He made a grabbing motion in the air, pointing towards Warren.
Space Magic activated!
Warren's body was uncontrollably pulled up from the ground by an invisible force and dragged to Jiang Bai's side in an instant.
Then, Jiang Bai raised his fist.
Without any mercy, he slammed a punch into Warren's face, which looked exactly like his own!
"Bang!"
A dull thud.
Warren staggered from the blow, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but his empty eyes finally refocused.
"Don't you understand?"
Jiang Bai grabbed his collar, pulled him in front of her, and stared at him with icy eyes.
"The first step to atonement is to release all my companions!"
"Do you intend to continue plundering?!"
Jiang Bai's cold and oppressive words, along with the merciless punch to his face, finally pulled Warren back from the abyss of collapsing faith.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and slowly stood up from the ground.
Those eyes, now refocused, glanced at Jiang Bai with a complex expression before turning to the soldiers who were protecting him from behind.
These soldiers were trained by him personally and were his most loyal subordinates.
They were willing to launch a suicidal charge against this god-like man without hesitation in order to protect themselves.
But what exactly are they protecting?
A kingdom that steals lives and creates tragedies?
Warren's heart had never struggled as much as it had now.
He recalled his original intention for joining the army, and the painful days and nights he had spent losing loved ones.
He cannot, and absolutely will not, become the kind of person he hates most.
Should we ask the king?
No need.
Warren knew that anyone might not know that the Magic Crystals were transformed from living humans, but only King Faust, who approved and spearheaded the "Anima" project, would know.
But he did it anyway.
The man who sat high on the throne, his mind filled only with thoughts of eternal magic, had long been blinded by greed.
So, there's only one thing I need to do.
Warren took a deep breath and made a decision that would shake the entire Kingdom of Edolas.
He addressed the loyal yet furious faces before him in a hoarse and heavy voice, unlike anything he had ever heard before.
"Everyone, lay down your weapons!"
One sentence silenced the entire hall instantly.
The soldiers looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief.
"General?"
"General, what are you saying?"
They couldn't understand why their most respected general would issue such an order.
"I said, put down your weapons." Warren's voice rose a few decibels, carrying an undeniable authority.
"Then, step back."
This time, no one dared to question it.
Despite their confusion and resentment, obeying Warren's orders had become an instinct ingrained in their very bones.
The soldiers slowly lowered their spears and swords.
The metal struck the ground, producing a series of crisp, chaotic sounds, like a death knell tolling for this kingdom.
They receded like the tide, clearing a path to the throne.
King Faust, who witnessed the entire event, had already turned from shock and anger to ashen-faced, and was now trembling with rage.
"Warren!"
He pointed at Warren's nose and roared in exasperation.
"You... what do you want to do?! Are you trying to betray the kingdom?!"
Betray?
Warren chuckled to himself with a self-deprecating smile.
Yes, from the moment I made this decision, I became a traitor to the kingdom.
But he doesn't regret it.
Warren ignored Faust's Roar; he simply turned around and calmly looked at Jiang Bai.
"Tell me, what do you need me to do?"
He has made up his mind.
Help Jiang Bai and the others reverse "Anima" and send all the lives that were plundered back to their original world.
As for what happens after this incident...
A general who has betrayed his country and his beliefs no longer deserves to remain in this army.
Retirement may be his only option.
Looking at the "self" before him who had finally made a decision, Jiang Bai's icy expression softened slightly.
"It's very simple."
Jiang Bai pointed to the old king who was still jumping up and down on the throne.
"Control him, then reverse Anima."