English Novel
Chapter 674 The Owl Masked Man Proposal
674 The Owl Masked Man Proposal
"Arrrrrrrrrrrrggghhhhhhhhh!" The Crown Prince's agonized cries echoed throughout the hall, startling General Wang Dahui and the royal guards.
"What are you doing to His Majesty!?" General Wang shouted in alarm as the royal guards quickly aimed their rifles at the man in the owl mask.
"Arghh... Ugh… sob… please… please make it stop!" The Crown Prince's cries turned into desperate sobbing as he thrashed on the ground. Meanwhile, the man in the owl mask watched the scene unfold with a twisted sense of amusement, as though entertained by the spectacle.
Seeing this, General Wang's voice grew sterner. "I'll ask you again… what are you doing to His Majesty?" he demanded, pointing his gun at the man in the owl mask.
"I didn't do anything to him… really," the man replied nonchalantly.
"Are you expecting me to believe that!?" General Wang snarled, pressing the muzzle of his gun against the man's head at point-blank range. But then—
Slash!
"Arghhhh!"
The instant General Wang raised his weapon, his arm was severed at the elbow. A crimson, chakram-like blade, formed from blood magic, had sliced through his arm with surgical precision. The blade quickly returned to Garret Vance's hand, dissolving into liquid blood before flowing back into his body.
"Don't test us, General Wang," the man in the owl mask warned, his voice cold and unyielding. He nudged the thrashing Crown Prince on the ground with the sole of his boot, almost mockingly. "You should understand… the contract that bound us in cooperation has already been broken… thanks to your dear Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince had been reduced to a sobbing mess, writhing in agony as his weak mind failed to endure the overwhelming pain. Yet, he couldn't slip into unconsciousness… the pain wasn't physical but came directly from his soul. The body, unable to recognize such torment, couldn't activate its natural defense mechanisms to shut down and make him unconscious.
General Wang was both startled and confused. Contract? What kind of contract? He distinctly remembered the Crown Prince never making any official agreement with these mages. They approached the Qing Empire, offering their help, and that's it.
"Judging by your expression, it seems you're unaware of the contract we had with the Crown Prince," the man in the owl mask remarked, pausing for a moment before continuing. "You see, upon Zhuge Liang's insistence, when we came to offer our assistance, he proposed an alliance contract. Both we and the Hightower agreed to this contract with the Crown Prince."
"The contract itself was straightforward…. nothing elaborate, like all the alliance and cooperation contract. But one of its clauses stated that any malicious act, even a provoked one, against the contractors or contractees would result in the offender suffering soul torture until they died a slow, agonizing death," the man explained calmly.
He then added with a hint of mockery, "If you want someone to blame, then blame his stupidity. He even forgot the clause that was explicitly there to protect him from us—just in case his foolishness provoked something like this."
As he spoke, the Crown Prince's agonized cries continued, but they grew quieter and quieter as time passed. The unbearable pain had begun to break his mind, stripping away his will to live.
"If you do this… the Qing Dynasty will fall!" General Wang exclaimed. His words, however, were not born of loyalty but of self-preservation. If the Qing Dynasty crumbled, chaos would inevitably ensue, threatening his lucrative position as a general.
Of course, it wasn't as though he had never entertained the thought of donning the imperial robes himself. But he was far from prepared for such an ascension. His support was limited, especially among the civil officials. While he had some allies within the military, he couldn't afford to neglect the civil administration… the backbone and the money making machine of the empire.
He wanted to rule and enjoy the rewards of power and wealth athat's come wit hteh position, not waste his time and energy dragging the chaotic country out of a quagmire.
Seeing General Wang's reluctance and the glint of treachery mixed with hesitation in his eyes, the owl-masked man knew exactly what the general was thinking. This man harbored thoughts of rebellion and usurping the throne but lacked the courage to act on them.
The reasoning was clear and, in a way, understandable. General Wang wanted to enjoy wealth and power without overexerting himself with the governance sentiment shared by many rebellious generals throughout history.
"We'll support your reign, on one condition. As ruler, you must agree to a contract allowing us unrestricted access to the souls of any of your loyal subjects for our purposes. Agree to that, and I can promise you the Cult of Lucifer will support your reign with all its power," the owl-masked man offered.
"I… I…" General Wang hesitated. Not because he just suddenly grew conscious, but because he feared the terms of the contract. If the cult gained control over all his subjects' souls and they suddenly sacrificed all of them, there would be no one left for him to rule over.
The economic problem of lack of populations and workforce. Especially for a nation as vast as the Qing Empire is no joking matter. Besides, if that were to happen, he would be unable to enjoy his rule.
"Change the terms to only 50% of my loyal subjects, and I'll agree," the general countered.
"Smart… That's acceptable for us as well. We have a deal, General. And with the deal concluded, we have a gift for you…" the owl-masked man said, clapping his hands a few times. Moments later, several of his subordinates emerged, carrying a coffin from the storage area.
The owl-masked man opened the coffin's lid, revealing a fierce-looking, muscular figure within. "This is the homunculus I promised the Crown Prince. But since he seems unable to receive this gift… I'll give it to you instead… Your Majesty," he said, emphasizing the words Your Majesty to stoke the ego of the ambitious general.
— Elpis - Command Center —
The situation on the battlefield had escalated beyond control. The Qing Empire army was utterly destroyed by the demons pouring out of Hell's Gate.
News of the demonic catastrophe spread like wildfire, creating panic and chaos across the world.
In the southern coastal region of the Qing Empire, the surviving populace scrambled to escape the devastation. Some went into hiding, while others desperately begged boat owners, such as fishermen, to ferry them to New Atlantis.
Daniel and Envy watched the chaos unfold on a massive screen in the command center aboard Elpis.
"Yes, my lord," Cao Cao responded promptly before carrying out the orders.
The orbital bombardment begins, with powerful explosives raining fire from the sky. The power of the explosive blasts vaporized the demons emerging from Hell's Gate. Yet, the assault continued non-stop, as did the relentless flow of demons pouring from the gate like a breached dam.
The killer robots adjusted their formation, creating a defensive barrier around the gate and systematically eliminating any demons that survived the bombardment.
As the progressed of the gate forming continued, now that it's more than 50% progressed until it's finish forming. The demons emerging grew progressively stronger. Some began withstanding the bombardment, sustaining only injuries instead of being obliterated.
Seeing this, Daniel reopened the command channel. "Has the Godslayer Cannon reached its position yet?" he inquired of the communications officer stationed near the nearest cannon in South Korea, which was originally positioned to defend against ICBMs.
"Not yet, sir. ETA is two hours before we're in position," the officer replied from the other side.
"Damn it…" Daniel muttered under his breath.
Type: Artifact - Vehicle
14:48
Mana Cost: 8 Non-Element
He couldn't rely solely on the Menis Battle Cruiser to handle the situation. He knew the Menis had limited energy, as explicitly stated in its description card.
—
Card Name: Menis - God Slaying Battle Cruiser
Illustration: A formidable, futuristic battle cruiser soaring through the cosmic void, brimming with powerful energy.
Rarity: Legendary
Type: Artifact - Vehicle
Mana Cost: 8 Non-Element
Description:
Indestructible, Camouflage
When Menis enters the battlefield, place 3 Strengthen counters on 'Menis - God Slaying Battle Cruiser'. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Pay 1 Non-Elemental mana: Remove any number of Strengthened counters from 'Menis - God Slaying Battle Cruiser'. 'Menis - God Slaying Battle Cruiser' deals 5 damage to target creature or player for each counter removed this way.
Pay 2 Non-Elemental mana: Add 1 Strengthen counter to 'Menis - God Slaying Battle Cruiser'.
Power: 5
Toughness: 5
Flavor Text: The secret weapon of the Atlanteans, a space-worthy battle cruiser capable of slaying gods
—
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