1468 Surprise
The expressions of the dukes turned sour for a moment and they appeared worried. But the duchesses seemed to not care at all.
Serenthia in particular, was looking at Enigma since a while.
'One more minute? What can I talk? Fuck.' Varian suppressed his bubbling anxiety and tried to think of a topic.
Unfortunately, interesting topics weren't relevant and relevant topics weren't interesting. The misery.
As his thoughts spun and tried to think of a solution, a violent breeze blew and a silhouette appeared in the sky out of nowhere.
"Phew, I wasn't late, was I?" Duke Micheal looked left and right with a big smile. His body was drenched in blood and he looked like a butcher who jumped into the remains of the slaughtered animals.
The smell of death around him was so heavy that the Death Giant path felt overwhelmed for a moment.
"Oh boy, you exited already? How's Cradle?" He landed down next to the duke trio and asked with an excited smile.
"Have you killed that worthless spirit? I wish I could tear her apart with my own hands. How dare a parasite like her try to destroy the racial treasure even after getting killed every single time?! Leeches like that deserve a special torture treatment."
The more he spoke, the more bloodthirsty he got and his eyes showed a hint of madness.
The the only one who supported Varian in the court against everyone else turned out to be a psychopathic killer.
"Since it has come to this, let's stop pretending." Duke Kriad stepped forward and pointed to Varian. "I want him dead."
Corinthian pointed to Enigma. "And I want her alive."
"Are you out of your minds? They are related to Princess Isadora!" Micheal snorted and stood against them.
A powerful killing intent exploded out of the three dukes and the air turned heavy. A suffocating atmosphere enveloped the young people and their bodies started to break down under the pressure, bleeding little by little.
"I will take her for questioning." The old woman in black dress stepped forward, the strongest aura out of all emanating out of her and locking onto Sarah. "If Xeola is fine, you wouldn't face anything more than a death. If not…"
Her voice was slow and gentle, almost like she's whispering to a child but it sent chills down Sarah's spine.
Varian grabbed her hand to calm her down and also to prepare for the teleportation.
As for Sonya, as despicable as it sounded, he decided to take her only if the circumstances permitted.
If not, he'd rather sacrifice her to increase their odds of survival than try take her and kill them all.
Moreover, even if Sonya was left here, she might not die.
Because—
"And I…" Serenthia turned to Sonya with a complicated expression.
Duke Micheal's forehead began to sweat and he gnashed his teeth in frustration.
"Give up, you can't save them." Kriad shook his head.
"You bastards! You even sent away the king for this purpose! How dare you?!" Micheal exploded with anger.
"Chill out, stubborn guy. Would the king sacrifice a duke for a few younglings? We're going to be alright." Corinthian stepped forward and aura began to coagulate in his palms.
"I don't care." Duke Micheal unsheathed his sword and pointed it at his four equals. "As long as I'm here, you're not touching anyone."
His words seemed to have had an impact and the four looked at each other. But only for a moment before they turned to their targets with a determined gaze.
The tension reached a simmering and a battle, no, a massacre was eminent.
'Fuck my luck.' Varian lost count of the times he used that curse.
But if this old guy could help, they might have a chance.
'Yes, just a bit and we'll have a real cha—'
Swiish!
A phantom appeared out of nowhere. It had no strength of its own but the presence it commanded was terrible, giving off a feeling akin to the king himself!
'Martial Saint Kong!'
The name rang in Varian's mind almost instantly.
The phantom wasted no time. Pointing to Varian, he said. "I want him dead."
And then it dissolved instantly, erasing all traces of it ever appearing here.
There was no change in Kriad's or Corinthian's expression. The old duchess didn't seem much surprised. Only Serenthia looked a bit disoriented.
"Oh, I see."
Duke Micheal sighed and his shoulders drooped.
Then, under Varian's incredulous gaze, he turned around and pointed the sword at the group.
"If it's what the Martial Saint says, it must be for the kingdom. Boy, surrender now for a merciful death. It's for the good of the kingdom."
There was no hesitation in his words and he didn't even show a hint of remorse.
'Insane! This guy is insane!'
Varian gripped Enigma's and Sarah's hands tighter, the power of slivers circulating and preparing for the emergency.
"Give up."
The Duke's sword split open the space between him and Varian in a blink, reaching the brother-in-law before he could even react.
Clang!
The sound of a metal scratching against a metal rang before the sword broke.
A flying sword and shield stood between Varian's group and Micheal.
"What is the meaning of this, Duchess Serenthia?"
In response to the sharp question raised by the old woman, the noble woman sighed and stood in front of Varian's group, facing four of her equals, no, four of her superiors.
She was a peak rank 8 after all.
"I wish to protect them." She stated in a calm tone.
"Even though you were okay with killing them all inside?" A mocking laughter broke out from Kriad and his face quickly showed a chilling expression. "Stop your acting and fuck off. I have a head to take."
"If it's the mission or them, it's indeed the mission." The duchess said without any sugar coating.
Clang!
With a flick of her wrist, dozens of weapons crafted out of the finest materials and blessed by the blood and essence of rank 9 beasts faced off against the dukes.
"But if there is no mission, my children are everything for me."
Bang!
The weapons shot forward like missiles.
