Chapter 290: Breakdown
The vast plaza could accommodate tens of thousands of people. Countless gazes converged on the altar in the center.
Five people knelt on the altar, their hands and feet bound with special ropes, their mouths gagged with cloth.
They were also covered with sacks, obscuring their faces. They could only see the outside world through two irregular holes in the sacks.
Paul and Harry were among them. They had been knocked unconscious after being brought to the Royal City and only woke up when they were kneeling on the altar.
Paul, receiving “special treatment,” was positioned in the center of the five. From his position, he could clearly see Kailun in the distant building.
Just one glance was enough to make Paul’s blood boil. Kailun was surrounded by beautiful women, even having his sister massage his shoulders. His carefree demeanor was like a knife twisting in Paul’s heart.
How hateful! Truly hateful!
He was about to be executed, while Kailun was enjoying himself. Paul’s anger reached its boiling point.
“Grrr…”
He wanted to curse Kailun, but the cloth gag prevented him from speaking.
Perhaps because of the “special treatment,” he noticed a peculiar smell coming from the cloth, a mixture of foot odor and herbs.
Unable to unleash his verbal fury, he could only watch helplessly as Kailun reveled in his victory.
He would curse Kailun, curse him with everything he had. He was willing to pay any price.
[Paul wishes to curse you. Goodwill -5, Total Goodwill -182]
It was because of this goodwill notification that Kailun shifted his attention from the Pope to Paul.
Seeing those hate-filled eyes, he grinned mischievously and mouthed a message to Paul.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your sister and aunt.’
Understanding Kailun’s lip movements, Paul became even more furious. He howled, venting his anger.
“Shut up!”
“Bang!”
An iron rod struck Paul’s head, drawing blood.
“Ugh…” Paul tasted blood in his mouth, his vision blurring. He almost fainted.
He fought through the dizziness and turned to glare at the old man who had hit him, his eyes bloodshot. He hated Kailun, and he hated Kailun’s lackeys.
“A mere prisoner dares to glare at Lord Kailun? It seems you want to experience true suffering.” Bruce, Queen Rose’s grandfather, snorted coldly.
He had a special task: to announce the crimes of Paul and the others.
Glancing at the sky, Bruce felt it was time. He cleared his throat and began, “The long months of war are finally over, and the Xiya Kingdom has welcomed a long-awaited peace. Under the leadership of King Kailun, the warriors of the Xiya Kingdom have been victorious in every battle. The powerful Temple has been repelled, the ambitious Malaga Kingdom has surrendered, and even the Rose Kingdom has willingly become a vassal state. Moreover…”
He first recounted Kailun’s achievements, marking the end of the conflict and announcing to the world that the war was over. This was the beginning of the celebration.
Then, he shifted his focus to the people on the altar, beginning the “purge.” “This is a great victory, a glorious moment for everyone in the Xiya Kingdom. But amidst this victory, we cannot forget those who instigated the war and endangered the kingdom with their schemes. The five people kneeling on the altar are the biggest war criminals. Not only did they incite the war, but they also used treacherous plots to threaten the kingdom’s safety.”
Bruce pointed dramatically at Paul. “Some of them are masters of manipulation. The previous civil war in the kingdom was their doing. However, the wise King Kailun saw through their plan and prevented the kingdom’s internal strife. Seeing their plan fail, they contacted the Temple, betraying the kingdom in exchange for their support…”
“Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!”
Hearing his words, Paul howled again. No, that wasn’t the truth!
The one who manipulated people was Kailun, the one who orchestrated schemes was Kailun, the one who threatened others was still Kailun!
They weren’t the demons. Kailun was, the one sitting on the throne was the true demon! Don’t be fooled by his facade!
He roared desperately, wanting to tell everyone the truth. He was the innocent one, the one who had been played and left with nothing. And now, he had to take the blame for that demon.
He was unwilling!
The oppressive gazes from the plaza tore at his defenses, causing him immense pain.
He had thought he no longer cared about these things, but at this moment, he was still filled with anger.
That demon had shifted all the blame onto him. From now on, they could embrace a new era and live a good life, while he and Harry would become sacrifices for this new era, scorned by countless people, their names forever stained in history.
But even with this infamy, no one would know their names. Their heads were covered with sacks. Even in death, they would remain nameless. The history books would only record their actions, with no mention of their identities.
Killing them and crushing their spirits. This was a complete erasure of their existence.
“Roar!”
Paul roared at Kailun in the building, his eyes bloodshot. His mana converged in a peculiar way.
What made Paul even more frustrated was that Kailun wasn’t even looking at him. He was holding Anna’s hand and laughing.
“It’s time.”
Bruce, feeling a sudden chill down his spine, glanced at the sun. It was time. He jumped off the altar and announced loudly, “Let the celebration begin!”
Bruce didn’t know the identities of these five people. He only knew that he had to activate the magic formation on the altar at eight o’clock, as per Kailun’s instructions.
Using the lives of sinners to commence the celebration was a long-standing tradition of the Xiya Kingdom.
He glanced at Kailun in the building and saw him nod slightly. Bruce immediately activated the magic formation. A terrifying surge of mana poured into the five people, rampaging through their magic circuits.
“Boom!”
The next second, four of the five people on the altar exploded like overinflated balloons.
Exploding from mana overload was a painful death. Except for Paul, who was a ninth-rank mage and still struggling to hold on, the others couldn’t even last a breath.
“Ugh…” Paul, seeing Harry, who had been kneeling beside him, explode like a bomb, was momentarily stunned.
The person he cared about the most was dead, his death meaningless, too easy, like an ant being casually crushed.
He stood there for a while, letting the mana rampage through his magic circuits, his body soon covered in blood.
Memories of the past flashed through his mind, and Paul’s spirit finally broke.
With a desperate roar, he abandoned all reason. Empowered by the terrifying mana surge, he broke through the unstable magic seal.
