The Kingdom and Empire Are in Big Trouble: Zesshi Zetsumei's Day of Suffering

The air grew increasingly oppressive.

Lol-.!

Ramposa III's expression stiffened slightly, and his withered fingers unconsciously tightened, rubbing against the scepter in his hand and making a slight "creaking" sound.

The expensive, heavy brown and white sheepskin cloak he wore, which possessed a faint magical effect and could provide warmth in winter, seemed to have lost its insulating properties at this moment.

Ramposa III felt a chill run through his body.

The fact that the Dragon Lords, who loves glittering treasures, ignores those priceless magical gems is a dangerous sign in itself!

The Blue Sky Dragon Lord remained silent, calmly gazing down at the group of weak and inferior humans below. He took in their emotions, and the arrogance and Taunt in his dragon eyes intensified.

"King of Mankind."

"You... you didn't understand what I meant." The Blue Sky Dragon Lord raised his head slightly, his majestic yet emotionless voice ringing out coldly:

"Launch a war of annihilation against the Empire!"

The tone was no longer one of inquiry; it echoed in the air, creating an invisible tremor that caused everyone's expression to change drastically.

This is no longer a matter of "discussion" or "inquiry"!

It was a blatant command!

"..-Hahaha."

Ramposa III looked up, her aged face still maintaining a relaxed expression. She chuckled awkwardly a few times and patiently explained:

"Your Excellency, Dragon Lords's Envoy," the matter of "war" is not simple and involves many aspects. Our "alliance" with your Council State is merely to prevent the empire's aggression.

Boom!

The enormous dragon claw, covered in blue scales, suddenly fell from the sky.

Swoosh--swoosh-

-

In the crowd behind, Gazef and Lakyus's expressions changed, and they instantly disappeared from their original positions, rushing out and arriving at Ramposa III's side almost simultaneously.

Long!!

The terrifying force smashed a deep crater into the lawn, sending mud and grass flying into the air, creating a cloud of dust.

The group of nobles standing at the back, who had been trembling for a long time, could no longer control their fear and couldn't help but scream.

call--

The dragon flapped its wings.

The strong wind swept away the lingering smoke and dust.

All I saw was...

Gazef and Lakyus had already supported Ramposa III's arms and retreated to a position more than ten meters away.

The atmosphere froze at that moment!

"A pact?"

The Blue Sky Dragon Lord's enormous dragon eyes stared at Ramposa III, and his majestic and arrogant voice rang out:

"I have come in accordance with the covenant."

"The Baharuth Empire is invading; the Kingdom may seek assistance from the Council State. This is part of the agreement."

"Ha~" He let out a cold laugh.

"Gold coins won't magically spring from the dragon's lair, and this protection won't last forever!"

"You weak humans should thank me for my generosity. Instead of taking precautions, you should destroy the Baharuth Empire."

In conclusion...

The Blue Sky Dragon Lord's voice turned greedy. "You take the land, and I take the treasure!"

"But..." Ramposa III could no longer remain calm, leaning forward like a wolf, and spoke loudly.

I'm only giving you one month to prepare!

"Otherwise--.-

!

The Blue Sky Dragon Lord flapped its wings and soared into the air, casting a massive shadow over the crowd below, like a sword hanging over everyone's heads.

Boom!

The clouds in the clear sky seemed to be drawn down by some force, and gathered into a vortex-shaped cloud above the head of the Blue Sky Dragon Lord.

A dark mass enveloped the area of the lawn plaza!

"Fourth-Tier Magic: Cloud Operation"

Hearing the panicked cries from below, the Blue Sky Dragon Lord turned and left, satisfied.

"Platinum Dragon Lord.

After the Blue Sky Dragon Lord left the Royal City area, the greed and coldness in his eyes disappeared, and wisdom appeared in his dragon eyes:

Destroying either the Kingdom of Ri Yestize or the Baharuth Empire would be easy; simply provoking a war between the two nations would suffice.

"Huh?"

The Blue Sky Dragon Lord paused his thoughts, turned his head, and looked down at a certain area in the Royal Capital below. He stared at it briefly for a while before turning his gaze away and leaving.

The enormous dragon shadow vanished straight away!

Below.

A figure appeared out of nowhere on the rooftop of the spire.

"Non-visualization" removed.

"The Kingdom, the empire, is in big trouble."

Evileye's crimson pupils flashed through the gaps in the white mask as he murmured to himself:

"That one, Princess Renner —no!"

"It has nothing to do with that princess. Such an important matter as the founding of the Council State must be decided jointly by the king and the nobles."

"These stupid bastards!"

With her current strength, she should be able to fight against this Dragon Lords, but if she does, the Kingdom and the Council State will be completely broken.

That afternoon.

Tang Zheng already knew the whole story.

Instead of taking any action, he continued to focus on training to acquire the [Zesshi Zetsumei Cursed Knight] class.

The influence of the legendary dragon's appearance in the Kingdom did not gradually fade with the departure of the Blue Sky Dragon Lord; on the contrary, it intensified!

Panic gripped the populace, forcing the Royal Family to intervene and declare an alliance between the Kingdom and the Council State.

The initial panic instantly turned into cheers!

Even a child who is only a few years old knows the power and terror of dragons, so having such a powerful ally is naturally something to celebrate.

only-

The sentiments of the upper and lower classes were completely opposite at this moment.

One by Earth Month.

December 25th.

Deep in the Great Marsh, in the eastern part of the Baharuth Empire.

Lai!

At the edge of the bottomless valley, snow-covered branches collided, making a crisp "crunching" sound.

Two figures appeared out of thin air, standing on the broken cliff.

"It's so deep~"

Zesshi Zetsumei leaned forward, looking down into the dark valley, observing it curiously:

"Teleportation magic is so convenient. Where is this place?"

"Within the Baharuth Empire," Tang Zheng said with a touch of melancholy, breathing in the air, which still carried the lingering, rotten smell of a curse. "This used to belong to the Rockbruise Family."

The Rockbruise Family?

Zesshi Zetsumei knew nothing about the Empire, let alone its nobles, but the name felt strangely familiar.

"I think I've heard that name recently." (Zesshi Zetsumei)

"Lainas's family," Tang Zheng began, "The power of the [Cursed Knight] within her originates from this place."

"However, the curse was not a good thing for her at the time."

Tang Zheng paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I did promise her that I would make the surname ' Rokubols ' even more renowned and prestigious."

Zesshi Zetsumei raised an eyebrow and looked at Tang Zheng's profile. The obvious look of nostalgia made a hint of curiosity flash in his heterochromatic eyes.

The Kingdom Ri Yesteje.

The Baharuth Empire.

Abelion Hills.

Perhaps there are other places as well; Blackie seems familiar with every place. I'm rather curious about Blackie's experiences.

"Ara~"

Zesshi Zetsumei, hands on her hips, asked, "So what are we doing here?"

"Of course, it's still because of [the Cursed Knight]."

Tang Zheng took a step back and chanted softly, "Fifth-Tier Magic: Sand Field (Individual)!"

Wow!

A blue magic circle emerged from beneath Zesshi Zetsumei's feet, suddenly spewing out a large amount of quicksand that quickly enveloped the area.

"What are you doing!"

It struggled and screamed Zesshi Zetsumei. It hadn't resisted before, but now that it wanted to break free, things had become complicated.

"I'll lend you a hand."

Tang Zheng walked to Zesshi Zetsumei's side, raised his foot, and, to Zesshi Zetsumei Jueshi's astonishment, placed his foot on Zesshi Zetsumei's body.

Bang!

Bound by the sand, Zesshi Zetsumei's body plummeted uncontrollably downwards into the valley, his roar echoing through the valley, "Bastard!"

"I'm going to kill you!"...!

Tang Zheng calmly raised his palm again, aiming it at the falling figure below. "Fourth-Tier Magic - Hurricane Knight Spear!"

Whoosh!

A rapidly spinning hurricane, visible to the naked eye, condensed into the shape of Lancer in mid-air and shot towards the falling Zesshi Zetsumei at an extremely fast speed!

The impact of gravitational acceleration and magic.

Under the influence of the two forces, the speed at which Zesshi Zetsumei fell increased dramatically, and even their angry roars instantly disappeared into the depths of the valley.

After doing all that.

Tang Zheng leisurely activated his "Flight" spell and slowly flew down into the valley.

Several days of trials within the Kingdom.

Even with the cursed injuries on his body, Zesshi Zetsumei showed no signs of triggering the [Cursed Knight] ability.

See next.

Tang Zheng could only resort to the second method.

Bringing Zesshi Zetsumei, this is the place where Lainas obtained this profession, possibly one of the Thirteen Heroes, the Dark Knight of the Land of Death.

A valley called "The Abyss" that has been corrupted by the Curse Power.

Strange scales imbued with the Curse Power.

It had already been devoured by the "Body Armament," but that scale had stayed deep in the valley for hundreds of years, and the pollution of the Curse Power had long since infected this land.

The scales have been absorbed!

The Curse Power contained within the land remains quite strong.

Pain!

The bones throughout the body have shifted!

"Cough, cough."

He lay Zesshi Zetsumei in the deep crater created by the impact at the bottom of the valley, coughing up blood. The pain surging through his body contorted his face.

".-. asshole-."

Cursed groans of pain echoed through the dark valley.

She really wants to beat Tang Zheng up right now, if she can beat him!

suddenly.

A bright ray of fire illuminated the bottom of this Jet Black valley.

The Flame Archangel, radiating a faint, shimmering white light, wielded a greatsword engulfed in flames, and swiftly descended from the sky.

It stopped in the air above the Zesshi Zetsumei.

Then came the sound of her wanting to beat that guy up.

"I went a little too far. Is he still alive?"

Tang Zheng slowly descended from mid-air, speaking apologetically, but his tone contained absolutely no hint of remorse:

"You always have to pay a price to become stronger, don't you?"

Tread!

Tang Zheng's feet were firmly planted on the uneven, rocky ground at the bottom of the valley, and he could clearly feel the strong aura of curse within the valley.

With the passive ability "Night Vision" from [Dragonic Overlord], Tang Zheng can still see everything around him clearly even in the depths of a valley where there is no light at all.

but.

Zesshi Zetsumei didn't have that ability, so she summoned a Flame Archangel to use as a light source.

"You bastard!"

With each word Zesshi Zetsumei spoke, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His body, lying on the ground, was completely immobile. His lips twitched in pain as he spoke viciously:

"Ideally, ideally, it could really make me stronger!"

The "Sand Field" not only has the ability to bind, but also has the effects of silencing, Blindness, and distracting.

This results in the Zesshi Zetsumei being unable to use Martial Arts or skills to defend themselves while falling from mid-air.

It's equivalent to fully absorbing the damage from a heavy fall.

Don't worry.

Tang Zheng stared at the injuries on Zesshi Zetsumei's body, but instead of treating them, he carefully observed them and comforted her:

"Even if you were dead, I could resurrect you, let alone not be."

"Cough!" Zesshi Zetsumei's lips twitched again, and he couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood.

He's probably angry!

If she hadn't known clearly that Tang Zheng truly harbored no hostility, she would have most likely suspected that the so-called "becoming stronger" was merely an excuse to lure her into lowering her guard.

"The injuries are serious!" Tang Zheng's eyes lit up.

Before that.

Tang Zheng did not heal the curse wounds that Lainas had inflicted on Zesshi Zetsumei.

Now!

Having suffered severe Zesshi Zetsumei's resistance and physical strength had dropped to a dangerous level, leaving him in a weakened state.

The curse wounds that were previously unable to affect Zesshi Zetsumei have become noticeably active, and the injuries have begun to slowly spread outwards.

"This place also has an influence."

Tang Zheng's heart stirred slightly.

He also possesses the [Cursed Knight] class, and can sense the trace amounts of cursed energy flowing in the air, converging towards the location of Zesshi Zetsumei.

"The injuries appear serious."

A hoarse voice, Zesshi Zetsumei, echoed in the darkness, "Heal."

"With me here, nothing will happen to you."

"But now is not the time for treatment. Focus your attention on the curse on your wounds."

Tang Zheng rejected the treatment proposal, his tone serious and earnest:

"The moment you can sense the Curse Power within your wounds is the moment you acquire the [Cursed Knight] class."

"I know you don't have a clear understanding of this profession right now, and you even doubt that even if you master it, your strength will only improve to a limited extent."

"However! Once you truly master this profession, you'll realize that the 'improvement in strength' I'm referring to isn't the ordinary improvement you're imagining."

This time, Zesshi Zetsumei did not respond, remaining lying in the pit in long silence.

Are you here?

"Always."

"Hehe, okay."

In the time that follows.

Zesshi Zetsumei lay in the pit, severely injured. The cursed wounds on his body, which were originally only the size of a finger, gradually expanded to the size of a palm.

The smell of decay and stench!

It emanates from these wounds.

To Tang Zheng's surprise, despite his Zesshi Zetsumei nature, he did not go mad or become depressed; on the contrary, he remained quite excited.

A crimson light emanated from it!

The Flame Archangel, like a lamp that continuously emits light and heat, always hovers quietly in the sky.

The Dispel Magic periodically.

Tang Zheng then summoned it again, since it didn't consume much magic power anyway.

"This is disgusting! What have you been feeding me these past few days?"

Zesshi Zetsumei, cheeks puffed out, chewed the food in his mouth that was a little hard to swallow, and muttered loudly in dissatisfaction:

"Could you please change to some normal food?"

"No."

Tang Zheng sat beside the pit, picked up a piece of lizard meat—cooked but still smelling rotten—and stuffed it into the mouth of the character "Zesshi Zetsumei," saying calmly:

"These cursed and corrupted lizard monsters are becoming increasingly rare in the valley."

After all, when Tang Zheng first came to this valley, he killed a large portion of them, and now there are very few left.

Zesshi Zetsumei could only protest loudly while eating the disgusting flesh of the lizard monster.

Her situation these past few days has been nothing short of a day of suffering.

Not only was he severely injured all over his body and unable to move while lying on the ground, but his wounds were also rotting due to the curse. Even the food he ate was contaminated with the Curse Power!

However.

Although Zesshi Zetsumei outwardly expresses his dissatisfaction loudly, he is not actually that resistant; on the contrary, he feels a strange sense of peace deep down.

Jet Black environment.

The mother's humiliation and the relentless beatings during training.

It seemed to gradually blend into the scene before them, yet it also had a distinct difference.

"Open your mouth." Tang Zheng picked up some meat and spoke calmly.

"It tastes awful!"

Zesshi Zetsumei turned his head away and opened his mouth.