"Who are you?"
Oleg felt a chill run through his body.
Although he remained outwardly calm, staring at the mysterious man in black who had suddenly appeared before him, he was actually extremely nervous inside. He glanced at the large gate in the distance out of the corner of his eye, calculating possible escape routes, while slowly Teleport his feet, his hands hidden behind his back, quietly reaching for the long sword hanging next to the narrow bronze mirror behind him.
With his longsword in hand, Oleg's fighting prowess would increase significantly. He was confident that he could withstand a few blows from the powerful man in black before him, and once the guards outside the stone hall heard the commotion and came to his aid, he would have a chance to escape this deadly trap.
Time seemed to stand still.
His fingers touched the hilt, feeling a slight chill. The next second, Oleg let out a soft sigh of relief, for he had finally grasped the longsword.
With his sword held horizontally at his chest, its cold gleam reflecting on the stone hall floor, Oleg's aura surged. His gaze towards the cloaked figure before him finally held a hint of confidence, and he was about to shout for his guards to arrive...
but--
"Take me to the summit of East Mountain, and I'll spare your life!"
The cloaked figure in black simply raised his hand and uttered an obscure incantation. A tremendous surge of magical power erupted from his body, and then he pressed his five fingers into the void. Five ropes of flame, glowing with a dark red light, extended from his fingers like five agile fire serpents, instantly entangling Oleg's longsword and arm. Then, the flames spread upwards and tightly coiled around Oleg's entire body.
Despite having the Dou Qi of One-Star Warrior and the physical strength of Two-Star Warrior, Oleg was completely powerless against these seemingly fragile flames and was easily subdued.
Then, the man in the black cloak trembled slightly with his fingers.
This simple action contains immense power.
Suddenly, the dark flame ropes wrapped around the longsword shone brightly. In that instant, with a soft "whoosh," the steel longsword transformed into a pile of molten, red-hot iron that dripped onto the ground...
"Dare to resist again, and your bones will become like this longsword!"
"You... who exactly are you?" At this point, Oleg had completely lost the courage to Resist. The two sides were not even in the same league. This cloaked man in black was at least a Four-Star Class fire mage.
Oleg had only Earth Inquiry this question out of reluctance before giving Resist, but to his surprise, the cloaked figure in black hesitated for a moment before actually lifting his cloak. A face was silhouetted against the flickering flames, but Oleg could see it clearly.
"This can't be... How could it be you?" Oleg stared wide-eyed, as if he'd seen a ghost in the dead of night. "This can't be... This can't be..."
"Now you're willing to take me to the summit of East Mountain?" The man in the black cloak put his cloak back on, concealing himself in the darkness. His voice remained calm, yet it couldn't hide the intense hatred within. "Even if you don't take me, I still have a way to get there; it'll just take a bit more effort. But you, you will die!"
I'll take you there!
Oleg's legs went weak, and he gave in.
Chambord City is surrounded by mountains on three sides and a river on one side, making it a strategically important location.
The precipitous summit of East Mountain holds great significance for the entire nation, for it is the final resting place of the King of Chambord City throughout history, as well as all the Chambord City family members, nobles, soldiers, and commoner heroes who sacrificed themselves to defend the country since its founding. Their spirits continue to guard Chambord City in the sunlight atop East Mountain.
East Mountain is extremely steep, and there are only two paths to climb from the bottom of the mountain. One path consists of twelve spirals and three thousand one hundred stone steps, resembling a ladder to heaven. The other path is even more dangerous, consisting of an iron chain made of nails driven into the mountainside, forming a Sky-Hanging Chain. People with superb skills can use this chain to reach the top of East Mountain in a short time.
Sun Fei and the others climbed the stone steps, and it took them more than an hour to finally reach the summit.
Unbeknownst to them, just before they reached the summit, two dark figures, enveloped in crimson flames, sped upwards from the Sky-Hanging Chain —more precisely, one figure dressed in close-fitting clothing grabbed another bald, chubby figure, using the chains as leverage to ascend into the sky.
There was less than half an hour left until dawn.
When Sun Fei, Angela, and the others arrived at the mountain peak in their magical hovercar, almost everyone had already arrived. Envoys and Prince from more than twenty countries, including the Kingdom of Shenhua of Kingdom of Lake, the Kingdom of Chanba, the Kingdom of Chanba, and the Kingdom of Kingdom of Luneng, as well as the Chambord City Guards who had been preparing for the grand ceremony, monks and their entourage from the Holy Church, and of course, the members of the investiture delegation from the monarchical Zenit Empire.
Princess Tanasha's magical carriage had been parked in front of the altar on the mountaintop for a long time. She had arrived much earlier than Sun Fei, but she had not yet shown herself inside the carriage. The female warrior Susan and the knight commander Roman Pavlyuchenko, one on each side, led more than a hundred knights in bright armor and full armor to guard the magical carriage.
Although East Mountain is incredibly steep, its summit resembles a smooth stone platform, roughly four or five thousand square meters in size. In the very center of the platform stands an altar, over ten meters in diameter and about six meters high. This is the King altar shared by all 250 vassal states of Zenit, the place where each King receives investiture from the monarchy and formally ascends the throne. In due time, when the first rays of sunlight shine from the east, Sun Fei will receive investiture from Princess Tanasha at this King altar and be crowned with the true crown of King.
Around the King's Altar, on the edge of the platform's cliff, stand sixty-six colossal stone warrior statues, each thirty to forty meters tall, with lifelike expressions and imposing stature. They symbolize justice and Glory, and the countless heroic souls that have protected Chambord City for over two hundred years.
Envoys, Prince, and their guards and servants from various countries were placed around the altar.
The ten Stone Bridge warriors, including Drogba and Ballack, who had followed Sun Fei to the mountaintop, along with Frank Lampard and others who had arrived earlier, guarded the four sides of the King's Altar with more than twenty soldiers.
"Your Alexander!"
Warden Oleg's legs trembled slightly as he quickly approached Sun Fei and saluted.
Behind him, a middle-aged attendant followed closely. Everyone knew that this was Oleg's personal attendant. Although it was strange that this fat man had brought his attendant to the top of East Mountain today, it was not a matter of overstepping his bounds, so no one cared.
"Begin preparations!"
Sun Fei nodded expressionlessly, signaling Oleg, the First Order Officer for the day, to begin preparations for the upcoming coronation ceremony. Because the messenger Best had been deliberately left below the mountain peak by Sun Fei, Oleg was unexpectedly appointed as the Order Officer, which surprised many people.
Large quantities of offerings were carried onto the King's altar, and preparations for the ceremony proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Sun Fei stood atop the magic chariot, his gaze sweeping across the faces of everyone present. Apart from the Kingdom of Xerez delegation, which had been wiped out by a mysterious expert, all the other envoys from various countries had arrived. Among the crowd, Sun Fei spotted Prince Modrić of the Kingdom of Lake. This handsome, blond-haired young man was elegant, refined, and possessed a commanding presence; he was always the center of attention.
Sensing Sun Fei's gaze, Modrić nodded and responded with an elegant smile.
Sun Fei nodded, then continued to observe.
At this moment, there were over five hundred people on the platform atop East Mountain. Apart from the two hundred-plus Zenit Empire knights protecting Princess Tanasha and the two hundred-plus envoys from various countries, fewer than sixty people truly belonged to Chambord City, and most of them were servants with little combat ability. Sun Fei's gaze mainly swept across the faces of the envoys and Zenit cavalry. Under [ Barbarian Mode ], he had already vaguely sensed a great danger, but he had no idea where the danger came from or from which person.
Finally, the sky was beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
The golden sun was about to shine its first rays of light through the sea of clouds in the east.
Princess Tanasha, escorted by the female swordsman Susan, ascended the King altar step by step. Behind her, guards carried a silver tray covered with red silk, on which rested a simple crown made of pure gold, resembling curved vines and branches. This was the King crown bestowed upon Sun Fei by the Zenit Empire.
Sun Fei waved his hand.
To many people's surprise, the servants and attendants, who were completely incapable of fighting, all stepped down from the altar and slowly walked down the platform, heading straight down the mountain.
At this moment, fewer than twenty people from Chambord City remained on the entire platform atop East Mountain.
Beneath the King's altar, envoys from various countries discussed amongst themselves. Even Princess Tanasha's captivating blue eyes revealed a strange glint. However, for Sun Fei, there was nothing he could do. Although he could foresee the great danger that would occur today, he did not know where it would come from. Therefore, he could only try to minimize the number of his men to avoid unnecessary casualties when danger actually occurred.
The first golden rays of sunlight in the east finally illuminated the clouds.
Time is up.
Right now...
The eldest princess raised the King's crown from the silver platter. Following imperial custom, after a ray of light pierced through the clouds and struck the King, after the ancient vows and the blessing of the God of War were recited, it was formally placed on Sun Fei's head...
All eyes and attention were focused on that ray of golden light.
Of course, some people were immediately impressed.
Right now...
No one noticed that behind the Order Officer Oleg, the middle-aged man who hadn't uttered a single word since his arrival suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with hatred.
First update.
It's a bit late, but there will definitely be a second update tonight.