On the Brink of Eruption

The coming-of-age ceremony proceeded as scheduled. Once the words of thanks were finished, Bai Sheng on the stage walked to the center of the square.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

The thunderous roar of five hundred ceremonial cannons shook the heavens and earth, as though cheering for this grand moment.

The Prince stood behind the Emperor. He wore a smile, yet his eyes held an indescribable meaning.

"Prince Bai Sheng has come of age today. Therefore, I formally bestow upon you Pandora, the Sacred Artifact of Kasantiya. In recognition of your illustrious military achievements and long service on the battlefield, you are hereby granted the title of King of Expedition, with treatment equal to that of a Prince..."

On the stage, the Emperor handed Pandora to Bai Sheng. Just as Bai Sheng was about to accept it, an angry roar came from the sky.

"F*ck you, old b**ch! Watch me ** you up today!"

Along with the voice came an enormous dark crimson greatsword.

It struck the center of the platform, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. The surrounding spectators panicked and hurriedly backed away.

The heart on the greatsword throbbed powerfully before suddenly releasing a dark crimson energy wave. The Path Energy of [Destruction] demolished all the surrounding buildings, reducing the once-towering structures to heaps of rubble.

"AAAAAH!"

No one cared about watching the spectacle anymore. Chaos erupted as everyone scattered like frightened birds and beasts, fleeing into the distance.

Of course, there were also those reckless enough to risk their lives for a story. Several reporters, covered in dust and dirt, quietly recorded everything beneath the ruins with a small camera.

As the dust settled, three figures stood atop the platform, now reduced to rubble.

The figure in the center wore white armor, and the golden visor radiated an endless killing intent. Two red ribbons fluttered in the wind.

They were none other than Bai Sheng and the other two, who had just emerged from the treasury.

Aatrox looked at the fleeing crowd and the slowly approaching soldiers, a contemptuous smile curling his lips. With a raised hand, the enormous greatsword flew back into his grasp. Beside him, Beleria curiously surveyed the surroundings.

Notably, the Bai Sheng who had just been receiving honors on the stage had been impaled through the body by Aatrox's sword, exposing the intricate machinery inside. As for the fake Pandora, Bai Sheng mercilessly kicked it away and incinerated it into ashes with molten fire.

"Who are you? How dare you attempt to assassinate the Emperor in broad daylight! Soldiers! Seize them!"

The Emperor was furious. He had originally planned to return and find a way to kill Bai Sheng once this was over.

That brought up the Spirit Puppet Talent the Emperor had long coveted.

Spirit Puppet was a growth-type talent. Its power grew stronger as its holder aged. Upon reaching adulthood, a holder of the Spirit Puppet Talent could choose to pass the ability on to a single person, directly inheriting the previous holder's complete Spirit Puppet Talent. It was like a low-level account receiving max-level equipment.

But by an unfortunate coincidence, the Spirit Puppet Talent that had been passed down through Kasantiya for generations suddenly vanished during the previous generation. In other words, the previous holder had died, interrupting the inheritance of the Spirit Puppet Talent.

The Emperor wanted Spirit Puppet's powerful and inheritable strength, which was why he had allowed the neglected Bai Sheng to live until adulthood.

Otherwise, the moment the Emperor learned that Bai Sheng had acquired the Spirit Puppet Talent, he would likely have seized it directly. Incidentally, after passing on the talent, the previous holder would enter a period of decline and die seven days later. Bai Sheng did not know all of this.

As the surrounding soldiers rapidly closed in, a glint of battle intent flashed through Aatrox's eyes. He turned to Bai Sheng and asked, "Is it my time to take the stage?"

Bai Sheng nodded. "Mm. Leave that Prince to you. You have a way to deal with these soldiers, right?"

"Don't worry. My kin haven't seen blood in a very long time..."

Aatrox gave a cold laugh before drawing out all the Darkin weapons. In a flash, he killed several soldiers. Then, the Darkin weapons swiftly took over the soldiers' bodies one after another. Before long, every Darkin weapon had found a host, and under Aatrox's command, they charged into battle against the Kasantiya soldiers.

Though these human bodies were fragile, there was no shortage of people on this battlefield. Whenever one Darkin fell, another soon rose to take its place.

"Go on, go on. Tear apart every enemy you lay your eyes upon!"

The Cataclysm Vanguard of old had returned. Aatrox's eyes held an extreme thirst for battle.

Locking onto the Prince's aura, Aatrox beat his bat-like wings and charged toward him.

Seeing Aatrox go after the Prince, Beleria glanced at Bai Sheng and prepared to help. After all, that bastard had imprisoned her for so long. It was time to collect some debts.

She tapped Bai Sheng's armor, her big watery eyes blinking at him.

"Go on, go on. Be careful not to lose control. Your condition is special, so prioritize keeping yourself safe. Aatrox can take a beating—let him stand in front. Just hold out for a while and don't let him interfere with my revenge."

(Aatrox: So?)

Bai Sheng nodded. He knew about Beleria's special nature, but the [Path of Abundance] flesh she had eaten in the laboratory should sustain her for quite a while.

That suited him perfectly. They could deal with the trouble while he went straight for that ** Emperor's head!

Bat-like wings beat through the air as the greatsword tore through the sky, its sharp tip slashing toward the Prince's neck.

The Prince unhurriedly condensed a thick layer of frost around himself, catching Aatrox's greatsword. Though the frost shattered completely in the next second, it had still bought the Prince some time.

"A Darkin of [Destruction] is actually helping others?"

Aatrox did not answer. Instead, he intensified his assault.

Yet the Prince still deflected his attacks with ease.

However, he failed to notice that, after dodging Aatrox's greatsword once again, he was suddenly attacked from behind.

Turning around, he condensed a mass of ice spikes to force his opponent back. It was Beleria.

Beleria was already in her combat form. Her white hair streamed behind her, the teeth in her mouth had become sharp fangs, her pupils had turned pale, and her entire body was wrapped in the Path Energy of [Path of the Hunt].

"You're not him! Who are you?"

Beleria shouted at Prince. She had a special ability that let her smell a person's scent—a scent emitted by the soul.

She recognized Prince's scent, but the person before her did not carry the same bloody smell. Instead, there was the stench of rotting plant roots.

Prince smiled. As he unleashed ice spikes to fend off the attacks, he said, "I never thought someone would be able to tell that this body isn't the original owner. Hehe, no matter. Then let me show you. Oh, and you, Darkin—take a good look. I—am—who?"

Prince's voice turned into a woman's, and Aatrox was utterly shocked when he heard it.

"You..."