Victory Palace in Berely, shrouded by night.
The Berely imperial palace of old was now a complete wreck. The riot several hours ago had turned more than half of this magnificent palace, once watched by the entire continent, into ruins. Dozens of Demonic Beasts and one Hydra had rampaged through it, leveling dozens of palaces and towers, smashing through three sections of the surrounding wall, slaughtering over twenty thousand elite soldiers of the Royal Guard Legion, and inflicting grievous casualties upon the court officials and nobles gathered within the palace.
Clad in the imperial ceremonial robes of the Dragon Mountain Empire, Lin Qi walked slowly down the corridor leading to the Golden Hall, surrounded by a group of Gallic Empire civil and military ministers who had yet to recover from their terror. Few of Lin Qi's old acquaintances remained, and scarcely any of the great nobles who had once held immense power in the Gallic Empire had survived. The noble officials who had lived through it were of low rank, most holding titles no higher than count.
Had his old acquaintance Tixiang not been following beside him, Lin Qi truly would not have recognized a single one of these Gallic Empire officials. Yet Tixiang, once elegant, noble, and debonair, now looked like a Rabbit that had been savagely beaten by a bear for three days and three nights. His entire body was crumpled and disheveled, while his handsome face had been struck by flying bricks and tiles. With his nose bruised and his face swollen, he looked pitiful beyond words.
The Golden Hall of Victory Palace was where the Gallic Empire's emperor and civil and military officials discussed matters of state. Even during the Hundred-Year Land-Island War, the Gallic Empire's imperial palace had not suffered much damage. But now, this