As soon as the impeachment proceedings began, the political circles of the Modo Civilization became lively, with all factions being drawn in and forced to take sides.
The Three Kings of Modo had no choice but to shift their focus back to the country and deal with the impeachment by the opposition. To deal with external threats, they had to first secure their own internal stability. They could only mobilize their forces to engage in political maneuvering. Fortunately, they had cultivated their power for many years and their positions were deeply entrenched, so they were not so easy to overthrow.
Advanced civilizations with autocratic rule are extremely rare. Ascending to the position of supreme leader does not mean immediately acquiring supreme power. Politics is the art of compromise, and power comes from obedience. Even the leaders of a civilization who want to consolidate their position still need to win the support of various factions and cultivate loyal confidants in order to increase the value of their power.
Otherwise, any order issued will be obstructed openly or covertly by political enemies. Becoming the supreme leader does not guarantee unconditional obedience from others; there are also many people eyeing this position.
In the days that followed, the public witnessed the dramatic changes in the political landscape. The Three Kings of Modo and the opposition led by Maruko each displayed their unique talents. The day before yesterday, someone resigned to take responsibility; yesterday, someone was summoned; today, someone submitted a new letter of accusation; and tomorrow, perhaps some bigwig will make a statement. The frequent news kept the public on their toes.
The hearings initiated by the General Assembly of the Three Races came one after another, with the opposition presenting a great deal of evidence, making some secrets that were not originally known to the public into evidence in court, causing public uproar time and time again.
The Kunde Race incident was one such example. The opposition summoned a key witness, obtaining his signature indicating that the Three Kings of Modo had agreed to the battle plan. They presented evidence that the Black Star's targeting of Modo stemmed from the Kunde Race incident, concluding that "the Three Kings of Modo brought Black Star upon civilization and were the culprits behind Modo's predicament." Using this evidence, the opposition criticized the Three Kings of Modo for their flawed decisions, arguing that the current generation of Three Kings of Modo was incapable of continuing to lead civilization.
There is much similar evidence. The opposition has been spreading rumors and blaming everything on the Three Kings of Modo. They are inferring the cause from the effect and emphasizing to the General Assembly of the Three Races that the Three Kings of Modo are incompetent, and are proposing to replace them.
This isn't entirely unfair. As the supreme leader, even if the plan wasn't conceived by the three kings, it still required their signatures to be implemented. So, they had to take the blame.
The endless accusations and smears made the situation increasingly unfavorable for the Three Kings of Modo. However, their positions were not so easily shaken. Their relationships were deeply intertwined, and multiple factions, including the military, were strong supporters. These factions all had their own members in the General Assembly of the Three Races. When they united, they obstructed the impeachment process, and the effect was remarkable.
The military was a staunch advocate for the war, which rallied more high-ranking officials. Compared to the supporters of the Three Kings of Modo, the opposition led by Maruko was no match, and the investigation quickly encountered obstacles. So the opposition turned their attention to the next candidates for the Three Kings of Modo, hoping to gain the support of these so-called "princelings," but ultimately failed as expected.
As the impeachment controversy escalated, the matter gradually evolved into a political infighting. The Three Kings of Modo had already been delayed for too long and did not want to waste any more energy on this, so they held nothing back.
Therefore, this farce did not last long before it came to an end. In the end, the General Assembly of the Three Races rejected the opposition's impeachment proceedings, and the impeachment ended in failure, which was basically a lose-lose situation.
With their political enemies dealt with, and in an effort to salvage their reputations, the Three Kings of Modo decided to give a public speech, offering a summary response to the impeachment proceedings.
Hundred Nid Square, one of the landmark buildings in the capital of the Modo Civilization, is a popular tourist destination with a large flow of visitors on weekdays. On this day, it was requisitioned by the government to serve as the venue for the speeches of the Three Kings of Modo, and the site has already been set up.
Due to unfavorable public opinion, the Three Kings of Modo did not speak in the government building this time, but chose to give a speech in front of the public. They were accompanied by many officials, and the selected audience filled the square, creating the impression that the high-ranking officials were very close to the people.
Police tape was set up around the square, and a large number of security personnel were deployed, standing guard with expressionless faces. By this time, a vast crowd of onlookers had gathered outside.
Many people held banners, most of which read slogans such as "The Three Kings Resign." These were all demonstrators, and the crowd was in a state of high spirits. Although the opposition lost, it caused irreparable damage to the reputation of this term of the Three Kings of Modo.
The officials were seated around the podium, while the opposition was relegated to the periphery, clearly neglected. Others didn't even want to look in that direction, unwilling to have any connection with the defeated opposition.
"I never expected the three kings to invite us to attend..." an opposition member muttered to himself.
"They want to humiliate us in public to enhance the effect of their speech."
Maruko looked unwell.
He knew perfectly well that, given the current situation, the Three Kings of Modo had deliberately invited them, the opposition, not to ease tensions, but to criticize their actions from the perspective of the victors.
The opposition was confident of victory when they impeached the Three Kings of Modo, but they ultimately failed. Their trump cards were neutralized one by one, and some witnesses changed their testimonies. Maruko could only say that he was outmatched.
In fact, there were still some opposition figures who didn't step forward, too afraid to take the risk together. Maruko was willing to gamble to change the course of civilization's development, but these hidden opposition figures, in order to maintain their positions, dared not take action even if they opposed the decisions of the Three Kings of Modo, and watched the army suffer meaningless sacrifices. Although he lost, he still despised these cowards.
After a while, the Three Kings of Modo appeared together and came to the stage, with the spotlight following them.
The square immediately erupted in enthusiastic applause, as if it had been rehearsed, drowning out the shouts and curses of countless onlookers outside the square. The three of them waved their arms at the same time, looked around at the audience inside, and smiled in greeting.
As the Three Kings of Modo scanned the area, their gazes deliberately lingered briefly on the location of Maruko and the other opposition figures before turning away. The camera then panned to the opposition members, capturing their expressionless or forced smiles.
"Snort..."
Maruko clapped lightly while muttering a snort to himself.
He naturally understood the look the Three Kings of Modo had just given him; with the air of a victor, they were preparing to settle scores later.
As the applause gradually subsided, one of the Three Kings of Modo finally spoke up:
"Fellow countrymen, Modo is a great civilization. From our explorations to the present day, generations of kings have led us to create one miracle of development after another..."
After finishing their opening remarks, the three began reading from their prepared speeches. They got straight to the point, mentioning the recent social unrest and impeachment proceedings, acknowledging that these were the consequences of their own decisions, but emphasizing that they were the enemy's conspiracy, stating that "because Modo is on the right path, the enemy wants us to back down, so they use various conspiracies to try to make us afraid."
The three kings also explained their reasons for continuously sending troops to the Shattered World, stating that such decisions were made for the future of civilization. In their lengthy speeches, the three kings refuted and explained each of the impeachment charges brought by the opposition, trying their best to salvage their own and their government's reputation.
The Three Kings of Modo's arguments were reasonable and well-founded, and applause frequently broke out in the arena. Some onlookers were gradually persuaded, and the number of demonstrators gradually decreased.
Besides reporters, countless onlookers were recording the speech.
Outside the police cordon in the square, a tall, thin man was holding up a multi-functional communication terminal to record. He looked like an ordinary citizen, but in reality, he was one of the secret informants of the Federation of Light, responsible for gathering intelligence. Today, he was sent here to record firsthand footage.
"The opposition has failed, but the Three Kings of Modo have also suffered heavy losses, which is good news..."
The intelligence officer muttered to himself as he worked.
The gossip has been scrambled, the outcome is settled, and there's nothing more to dig up. Now it's just a matter of watching the victor's declaration. This intelligence officer didn't think he could find anything of value; he was just joining in the fun out of duty.
However, at that moment, a glint of light suddenly flashed in his peripheral vision, and the intelligence officer subconsciously turned his head to look.
His gaze pierced through the dense crowd, and he saw Glimmer on the back of a hooded man's hand, as if some mark was shining.
The next moment, a sharp golden light suddenly flashed across their field of vision, shooting out like lightning.
The intelligence officer turned his head sharply and saw that the beam of light had instantly shot in front of one of the Three Kings of Modo who was giving a speech.
Clang!
A ring of azure magical shield suddenly appeared, blocking the light. The Beyond Grade A defensive enchantment on the Three Kings of Modo was activated, capable of withstanding attacks of various types.
The speech was suddenly interrupted. The Three Kings of Modo belatedly realized what was happening and looked in astonishment at the incoming object, which turned out to be a golden spear, the very weapon of Rotel, the Godstabber.
"An assassin!" The surrounding security personnel were terrified.
The several Calamity Grade bodyguards who had been standing behind the three kings were startled and immediately tried to use their abilities to protect them.
Although they reacted quickly, it was too late. The Beyond Grade A defensive enchantment only withstood the Godstabber once before being instantly pierced. The spear swished and pinned one of the Three Kings of Modo to the ground, their faces still showing astonishment.
The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.
Someone attempted to assassinate the three kings?!
After the brains analyzed this information, countless faces simultaneously showed expressions of terror.
"Run!"
"Murder!"
"Call a doctor immediately!"
"Immediately seal off the plaza... no, seal off the entire planet!"
The next moment, chaos erupted. Audiences, both inside and outside the venue, fled in panic. Security personnel shouted as they escorted the remaining two kings away from the scene while frantically searching the entire area. Many officials were horrified and hurriedly fled under the protection of bodyguards. The once bustling speech venue was instantly transformed into chaos and a scene of utter devastation.
"Who sent this assassin? They're insane!"
Maruko fled in a panic, his face filled with horror.
Assassinating the supreme leader of a supercluster civilization on its home planet is utterly suicidal!
This kind of thing hasn't happened in years; even the Three Universal Civilizations wouldn't do it. Who could have imagined it would suddenly happen? The Three Kings of Modo usually stay in the central government building, but today's long-awaited public speech became an opportunity for them.
The most unbelievable thing is that the assassin actually succeeded; the Beyond Grade A defensive enchantments on the three kings seemed to be made of paper just now.
Amidst the commotion on the outskirts of the crowd, the intelligence agents of the Federation of Light stared wide-eyed, turning to search for the hooded man, but he had vanished without a trace.
"Where did this incredible guy come from...? This is a complete suicide attack! There's no way he could have escaped from Modo Mother Planet!"
The intelligence officer's face twitched, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He never expected that what was supposed to be a routine matter would lead him to witness such a bombshell.
Almost instantly, his professional instincts allowed him to keenly perceive the opportunity to exploit the situation.