At such a moment, publicizing everything that happened atop Martial Saint Mountain would be tantamount to the Zenit Empire declaring war on both Eindhoven and Ajax simultaneously.
From the moment Huntelaar and Costacuta chose to assassinate Zenit's Martial Saint Krasich, it signified the arrival of war. Even knowing that the war might result in the complete destruction of the empire, Zenit had no choice but to declare war on the two great empires!
This is an ironclad rule in the Azeroth Continent: attacking Guardian Martial Saint means that the other party has declared war on you.
If we swallow our anger, we will become a disgrace to the entire continent!
Sun Fei originally thought that with the shrewdness of the Princess and others, the imperial family would keep this news a secret for the time being, and wait until the war in the south subsided and the chaos was settled before they could turn their attention to Eindhoven and Ajax. After all, it was really difficult for the Zenit Empire to fight against the three great empires at the same time with the strength of a single country... Who knew that things would turn out this way!
Is chaos truly on the horizon?
What are the empire's high command really thinking?
Sun Fei was gradually starting to not understand the situation.
But his guess was correct.
Sure enough, less than an hour later, the somewhat agitated yet strangely calm situation was broken.
Tap tap tap tap!!
The alarm bells rang loudly atop the four gates of the imperial capital, St. Saint Petersburg. Fast horses carrying hurried messengers galloped towards the various provinces of the empire, under the fierce command of over twenty waves of knights in black armor. Simultaneously, the Imperial Military Department and the Royal Family announced to the people of the capital and the twenty-mile-long vassal state camp that the Zenit Empire had declared war on the two great empires of Eindhoven and Ajax!
War has broken out!
Everywhere you look, you see indignant Zenit warriors. Even the ordinary people have expressions of excitement mixed with a little hesitation. Krasic's death has completely ignited the fighting spirit of the Zenit people.
On this continent of jungles and marshes, even the weakest rabbit dares to defy a lion when faced with danger. Even the smallest nation has the courage to resist in critical moments. Moreover, everyone feels the weight of Krasic's achievements during his twenty-six years as the guardian of Martial Saint Mountain. The reverence for this legendary Guardian Martial Saint of the empire has transformed into a torrent of anger. Whether in the streets and alleys of the capital or along the wooden fenced streets of the twenty-mile-long subordinate state-run district, some devotees of the Martial Saint have even donned black headbands in remembrance, clamoring for the empire to unleash its iron hooves and march straight to the imperial capitals of Eindhoven and Ajax!
Fighting spirit and passion are surging!
Sun Fei saw a dangerous yet fanatical madness in the expressions on these people's faces.
The entire empire seems to be gradually heading down a path out of control.
Perhaps it all started when Emperor Yassin decided to conscript soldiers nationwide. Sun Fei sensed madness in everything that happened during this period.
At noon, Sun Fei received a summons from the royal family to enter the capital and receive a meeting with high-ranking officials.
The capital city.
In the Official Courier Station District, in the small courtyard where the Spartak Empire's Martial Saint Envoy had been stationed the day before.
Three disheveled figures sat in the ransacked living room of the stone hall, exchanging bitter smiles. Their faces showed utter dejection and even a hint of lingering fear. Who could have imagined that just last night, they were all powerful and influential martial arts masters, but now they were like stray dogs, living in constant fear and trembling?
These three are none other than Eindhoven's top player Costacurta, Ajax's One Sword Huntelaar, and Spartak's Moon Class powerhouse Amauri.
Last night, the three of them rode on a griffin, which should have allowed them to escape the magical defenses of the Zenit capital and soar away, leaving the Zenit territory. However, they were unexpectedly blasted down from the sky by a punch from the man in the palace. They were already seriously injured, and the fall to the ground only exacerbated their injuries. If the three of them hadn't been alert, they would probably have already been found by the experts of the Zenit capital.
"I didn't expect that person to still have the strength to fight back. Could it be that the news about his old injury flaring up and becoming incurable was false?" Huntelaar thought of the golden Dragon Fist that filled the sky last night and couldn't help but feel a chill of fear.
At this moment, Ajax's One Sword was covered in blood, his burly chest and back were covered with dense wounds. His right arm, which had been broken in the fall from the sky, had already recovered. Fall injuries were nothing to Moon Class expert. However, the wounds caused by Krasic's blue Dou Qi contained terrifying remnants of blue Dou Qi, which were difficult to completely expel and heal in a short time, leaving him in a sorry state.
"If that person is truly unharmed, then all our plans over the years will likely be in vain." Amauri was also seriously injured, with a shockingly large wound extending from his shoulder to his abdomen, from which blood was still flowing. Blue flames continuously emanated from the wound, clearly indicating that he too had been injured by Krasic's Heaven Sword.
"Things aren't that bad," Eindhoven's star player Costacurta, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up. "If that person were truly unharmed, we probably wouldn't have survived last night. Under the Dragon Fist, who can escape with their life? The fact that he didn't kill us just means that he might really be nearing his end."
"That's right!" Huntelaar and Amauri's eyes lit up at the same time as they realized this.
Both of them were outstanding individuals of their time, possessing extraordinary wisdom and resourcefulness. Normally, such a simple matter would not have troubled them at all. However, that person's reputation had become so immense over the years, like the sun shining brightly in the sky. Any genius in front of that person was as vulnerable as a clay chicken or a clay dog. The two men were extremely afraid of that person. When they saw the [ Dragon Fist ] appear last night, they were immediately filled with fear and failed to see through this matter.
"We've prepared for so many years, expending countless manpower and resources. Tens of thousands of lives from dozens of empires have been sacrificed. For over a decade, tens of thousands of messages have flowed from the Zenit Imperial Palace. We've conducted over a thousand operations and tens of thousands of probes, and the conclusion is clear: that person is indeed nearing his end. There's no doubt about that. He's now merely at his last gasp, a toothless dragon, nothing to worry about. This operation failed because we didn't expect the Saint-Germain Empire to dare betray the Qi alliance." Costacurta composed himself and slowly said, "Moreover, in a sense, this operation can't be considered a failure. Although I don't know why Krasic suddenly unleashed terrifying combat power, he must have paid a heavy price. Moreover, he was already severely injured before this. Even if he doesn't die, it will take him four or five years to recover to top combat strength!"
"That's true." Huntelaar's face regained its light. "Such a serious injury, even with the help of Moon Class Divine Master from the Church, it would be difficult to recover in a short time. Besides, the relationship between the Zenit and the Holy Church is so tense right now. Haha, with Krasic removed, the Zenit are like a hyena whose claws have finally been chopped off, no longer a threat."
Amauri nodded, his confidence returning considerably.
Costacurta secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The reason he said so much was to prevent Huntelaar and Amauri from losing their composure due to their fear of that person. Now that the three of them were stranded in the capital of Zenit and had lost more than half of their fighting strength, with the Zenit people conducting a frantic search throughout the city, if they were to be discovered by the Zenit people in any carelessness, they would probably be severely injured even if they were not killed. Therefore, the more this was the case, the more calm and confident they needed to be.
This is the difference between a true master general and an ordinary martial arts expert.
After thinking for a moment, Costacurta added, "However, among Zenit's rising stars, that young man tonight who wielded the blue and red swords is worth noting. He managed to hold his own against me for over ten minutes without showing any weakness, which is astonishing. I think he's only around twenty years old, yet he possesses such strength; his potential is terrifying. I see in him that person's monstrous talent. We must eliminate him as soon as possible, otherwise, in ten years or so, he might become another menace!"
"You mean King of Chambord Alexander?" Amauri nodded solemnly. "This King is indeed worth taking seriously. He once killed Spartak's first executioner. I saw his terrifying potential long ago, so I once lowered myself to assassinate him. Unfortunately, he managed to escape that time, which even led to Krasic hunting me down!"
Amauri and Costacurta had both faced Sun Fei before and knew him best, so they dared not underestimate the formidable talent of this Zenit newcomer.
But Huntelaar didn't see it that way. This One Sword of Ajax possessed the arrogance typical of a strongman, and he scoffed, "What's so great about a mere vassal King? Once I recover, I can take his head with One Sword!"
Amauri and Costacurta exchanged a glance, but did not argue with Huntelaar. There would be no point in arguing with such an arrogant swordsman, and besides, all three of them were in danger, so arguing would be useless.
Just then, the sound of rustling clothes came from the courtyard outside the stone hall.
The three men's expressions changed.
"Don't be nervous, it's Lan Ji back." Costacurta listened intently, relieved.
Soon, footsteps approached, and a graceful figure, as beautiful as a rainbow, entered the stone hall. This young woman wore a very ordinary Zenit women's robe, her black hair was wrapped in a red and white floral headscarf, her skin was an extremely healthy wheat color, and her body was powerful and full of explosive energy. She carried a thorny, depreciated food box in her hand, and her exposed forearms had some muscle, but it did not detract from the woman's beauty in the slightest!
If Sun Fei were here, he would definitely recognize this woman as the beautiful guard who stood behind Costacurta last night. She was the one who was pulled Costacurta from Sun Fei's twin swords at the critical moment and saved his life, but it turns out she's here now.
"Father." The young woman bowed to Costacurta, then looked at the other two powerful figures. "My lords, I've bought some food. Please have some!"
The food box was opened, releasing a wonderful aroma of food.
"How's the intelligence gathering going?" Costacurta asked, swallowing his food to replenish his strength.
"Everything has been investigated. The Zenit Empire's royal family and military have not concealed anything. The events of last night at Martial Saint Mountain have already spread. Moreover, there's some good news you'd never expect," the woman paused, as if building suspense, then smiled and said, "It turns out that shortly after we left last night, Zenit Martial Saint Krasich succumbed to his grievous wounds and died!"
Third update.
I'll still be up at 3 AM tomorrow.
Need help!