Emperor's Awakening

"Roar!" A Zergling opened its massive maw, its sharp teeth akin to daggers, yet Warwick struck its head with a single sword slash, instantly decapitating it.

With his broadsword in hand, Warwick's combat prowess surged. With horizontal slashes to the left and right, a large number of surrounding Zerglings perished.

Yet, those two or three seconds of obstruction were enough; by the time he turned back, Ye Meng and the other two had vanished without a trace!

Warwick looked sharply toward Barrit in the distance, only to see him struggling to dodge and weave amidst the constant eruptions of Lurkers from the ground!

Warwick bent his knees and then, with a violent burst of strength, launched himself into the air, clearing the encirclement of Zerglings! He could not fly, but he had successfully leaped out of the Zergling perimeter!

"Mage Barrit, where is Ye Luo?" Warwick asked anxiously, his face etched with unease.

Barrit swung his staff fiercely toward the ground twenty meters ahead, and a massive fireball slammed into the earth like a missile! The hollowed-out ground collapsed instantly, exposing the Zerg fleeing within!

Warwick rushed to the vicinity of the cavern, only to see a few massive beasts with broadsword-like spines on their backs!

"Where is Ye Luo?" Warwick's eyes widened.

Barrit's face turned ashen. After a long moment, he spat out bitterly, "I was tricked. I let him escape!"

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Warwick slashed wildly at the bodies of the Lurkers in the pit, hacking them into pieces. Large amounts of blood seeped into the soil, creating a gruesome scene.

"How am I supposed to answer to His Majesty the King?" With the cooked duck having flown away, Warwick felt a suffocating tightness in his chest.

Barrit was even more furious. This plan had been his idea, and Ye Luo had escaped right under his nose. As a mage—a proud mage—to fail repeatedly made him feel as though he had lost all face in front of Warwick.

The Zerglings that crawled from the ground were quickly slaughtered, and the one thousand Iron-Clad Soldiers dug three feet deep but found no trace of Ye Luo, eventually forced to retreat in frustration...

Yet, just one hour after they departed, a Flying Ant the size of a grain of sand flew out from the mouth of the Lurker that Warwick had dismembered. The Flying Ant flew out of the Lurker's maw, collapsed limply on the ground, and transformed into human form...

That's right, Ye Luo had not fled! Under the mage's mental lock, escape was nearly impossible. So, he gritted his teeth and pulled off a deception right in front of Warwick and Barrit. As his body transformed into a Flying Ant and instantly shrank, Barrit's mental lock vanished. He then flew into the mouth of the Lurker, refusing to use any power or even observe his surroundings, terrified that if he looked at Barrit through Ye Wang, he would be tracked down again by his mental energy... Mental energy was miraculous, but it was not omnipotent. Barrit could sense if someone in a vast crowd glanced at him from a certain angle, but he could not peer through the void from several meters away to sense the internal organs of a target... Thus, Ye Luo succeeded...

Keren Kingdom Royal Palace.

Inside the massive golden palace, Cleveland Keren sat high upon his throne, watching the real-time magical missive in his hand, his face gradually replaced by indignation!

"Hmph!" He let out an angry cold snort, and the ministers seated on both sides of the hall immediately became cautious.

"Robert! I once thought he inherited his father's loyalty to the kingdom and the bravery of a warrior, so I allowed him to inherit his father's title and territory. But facts have proven that I was wrong—wrong to a ridiculous degree! A dignified lord, actually colluding with magical beasts!!!" Cleveland roared, his imperial authority on full display.

Glancing at the terrified ministers, Cleveland continued, "This is the battle report from Warwick. He set a net to capture the magical beasts harassing our borders, but Robert provided false intelligence, deliberately concealing the beasts' flight and tunneling capabilities, causing the encirclement to fail! Tell me, how should we deal with a traitor to the kingdom?"

"Your Majesty!" As soon as Cleveland finished speaking, the Minister of Finance, Isli, stood up. "Loyalty is a quality required of every subject, and a lord stationed abroad must ensure absolute fidelity. Robert's actions not only violated our laws but also crossed the bottom line of being a lord. I suggest he be executed on the spot in Morton Province!"

Cleveland Keren was an impulsive king; his temper was well known to the nobles present. Robert was a lord of high status and power. If he had colluded with an empire, it might have made sense, but colluding with a magical beast of mediocre strength was suspicious... A lord held significant actual power, and treason was a grave crime; according to the kingdom's laws, it should be handled with careful deliberation.

Several ministers who were on good terms with Robert wanted to speak for him, but seeing the furious king and the added pressure from Isli, they decided to remain silent.

"Very well. Only the death penalty can quell my rage. Pass the order: ten days from now, in the main square of Morton, hang Robert!"

Northwest coastline of the Keren Kingdom. Ye Luo slowly awoke from his coma, the excruciating pain in his body having vanished...

"My Emperor, you are awake?" Ye Ya looked at him with pleasant surprise.

Ye Luo sat up, remaining silent.

"My Emperor..."

"How much did we lose in this war?" Ye Luo climbed off the makeshift bed and asked softly.

"We lost a total of one thousand three hundred and twenty-six Zerglings and five Lurkers..."

Ye Luo nodded. "You may leave first..."

"My Emperor!"

"Carry out my order!"

"Yes!" Ye Ya sighed and slowly retreated.

This appeared to be a hut left behind by local fishermen. Its narrowness and darkness mirrored the guilt and pain in Ye Luo's heart, making him feel as if he were falling into an endless abyss...

Outside the hut, Ye Wang and the others looked at Ye Ya with concern. "Is the Emperor alright..."

Ye Ya smiled bitterly. "I can heal the wounds on the Emperor's body, but I cannot heal the pain in his soul..."

Ye Luo stayed in the hut for a long time! And Ye Meng, Ye Yi, Ye You, and the others stood around the hut like statues, guarding their Emperor without moving!

Days rose and set. When the sun shone on the roof of the hut for the fourth time, the crude wooden door was pushed open with a creak...

Three consecutive days without food, drink, speech, or sleep had left Ye Luo's face deathly pale. He raised his head, gazing at the sun slowly rising on the horizon. Golden sunlight hit the sea, dancing and shimmering in a rippling display...

Ye Luo's gaze swept over Ye Meng and the others. Looking at those who guarded him so loyally, a warmth flowed through his heart!

"My Emperor!" Ye Meng and the others all knelt before Ye Luo.

Ye Luo looked at them and spoke slowly, "Ye Meng, lead the team. Gather all our forces and slaughter the Iron-Pincer Green-Spine Shrimp Sea Clan. Within one day, I want all their territorial waters under my control!"

"As you command, My Emperor. When tonight's moonlight touches the sea, I will personally present the twin pincers of the Iron-Pincer Green-Spine Shrimp Sea Clan leader!" A sharp glint erupted in Ye Meng's eyes.

"Within three days, I want my Zerg nests to cover every metal vein in the Iron-Pincer Green-Spine Shrimp territory. Seven days from now, I will personally lead the army to attack Morton! Within a month, I will be sitting on the throne of the Keren Kingdom drinking wine!" Ye Luo's voice was soft, yet filled with endless determination, endless chill, and for the first time, the true authority of an Emperor!