Seeing the way the situation was unfolding, the other nobles quickly joined in, redirecting their ire toward Luca, the Empire’s celebrated hero.
In no time, the entire hall—save for Fratis’s supporters—was filled with the sound of nobles shouting accusations and condemning Luca.
Not only did they embellish the charges against him, but some even claimed that Luca had overthrown the Dawn God Sect to destabilize the Empire and seize the throne for himself, painting him as a traitor whose very existence was an affront to justice. To hear them tell it, Luca’s death was the only way to restore balance to the heavens.
Witnessing this spectacle, even Fratis’s allies—Ziegfried, Augustine, Winston, and Evelyn—felt a chill run down their spines. These bastards must have been planning to use this opportunity to eliminate Luca all along!
“Damn it!” Raphael gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with sorrow and rage.
No matter what Luca might have done, the fact remained that he had saved Dawn City and was personally honored by Alfred as a hero of the Empire. And yet, mere moments after the king’s death, these people were already branding him as a criminal?
Moreover, if Fratis were to yield to their demands now, even if she managed to ascend the throne, her reputation would suffer irreparable damage.
It would only be a matter of time before she became nothing more than a puppet emperor.
Everyone in her camp felt a mix of anger and deep despair.
With such parasitic nobles holding power, how could the Clinton Empire avoid collapse?
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Fratis pressed her lips together tightly, her expression heavy with sadness. She had always been proud of her country, but now she realized that those in power were nothing more than morally bankrupt scoundrels who twisted truth and falsehood without shame.
Luca, in contrast, appeared calm. He understood that merits and honors only held value to those who acknowledged them; to others, they were nothing but a joke. Arguing with such people was a waste of breath.
Fortunately, he had prepared for an outcome like this.
At that moment, Fratis suddenly straightened and, with a rare resolve, addressed the crowd: “Count Luca’s achievements are evident to all. The Dawn God Sect and the Phillips family were steeped in evil, their crimes unforgivable. I see no fault in his actions.
“If any of you have an issue with that, then take it up with me.”
Her words left everyone, including Luca, momentarily stunned. No one had expected Fratis to speak up for him so firmly. In the eyes of most present, Fratis was little more than a naive child.
Augustine and the others, who had been seething with frustration for a long time, finally spoke up in defense of Luca. Evelyn spoke in a deep voice: “What Her Majesty says is correct. The Phillips family and the Dawn God Sect colluded with monsters, massacring the Human Race. Their crimes are heinous.”
“Moreover, Luca did not indiscriminately kill innocents—this is not his crime!”
Winston also stood up and said, “If Her Majesty has already given her approval, are you going to defy her will? Or have you all been disregarding Her Majesty from the very beginning?”
True to form as a teacher, Winston wasted no time in leveling a major accusation. For a moment, the First Prince Leonie and others were at a loss for words. They hadn’t expected Fratis’s supporters to come at them with such force.
However, if they let go of this opportunity to suppress Luca, they wouldn’t know when the next one would come. They certainly couldn’t afford to let him off so easily.
The Duke Mond’s face darkened as he spoke: “General Winston, you are overstating things. Of course, we have always placed Her Majesty in our hearts. But Luca’s merits are undeniable, and his crimes are also a fact. If we don’t punish him, how can we maintain order?”
Another Duke added, “What Duke Mond says is right. While death may be forgiven, lesser crimes cannot. Given Luca’s merits, I suggest we cancel his title, revoke his lands in Haillan County, and reduce him to commoner status.”
It was clear these people were like mad dogs, seizing the chance to take a bite out of Luca. Just as Augustine was rolling up his sleeves, ready for a fierce verbal battle with these nobles…
Luca suddenly let out a cold laugh and taunted, “Reduce me to a commoner? Who do you think you are to decide that?”
The crowd’s anger flared at his words.
“You little brat, watch your words!” Mond’s eyes glinted with cold fury, and in an instant, the pressure of a Superclass peak expert descended on the hall.
The atmosphere immediately shifted as everyone’s faces turned grim. It was only now that they remembered: Mond wasn’t just a Duke—he was a top-tier Superclass powerhouse.
“Mond, this is the royal palace. What exactly do you think you’re doing?” Augustine immediately stepped in front of Luca, speaking in a dark tone.
Winston and Ziegfried’s expressions also soured. “If you intend to take action, you’d better consider the consequences,” they warned.
“I don’t need you to worry about that!” Mond sneered dismissively. He wasn’t even fazed by their threats. Since they had come here today, they had clearly prepared for the worst.
He then turned his gaze back to Luca, his eyes narrowing. “You seem so confident. Is it because you’re counting on us being afraid of your hidden trump card, afraid to take action against you?”
“So what if I do?” Luca smiled lightly, raising his gaze to meet the eyes of the top aristocrat in all of Clinton, showing no fear whatsoever. Instead, his eyes gleamed with pure defiance.
These nobles had come here today with one goal: to pressure Fratis into abdicating the throne. Yet they acted all high and mighty, putting on a false righteous front that made Luca want to gag.
If that was the case, then why not rip the mask off and face reality?
“This kid… does he really have no fear of death, or is he just that confident?” Ike asked. Milo, on the other hand, shook his head, his expression full of complexity. “I can’t tell if he’s bluffing or if he really has the guts to back it up.”
Originally, in his mind, with the help of those nobles he had bought off, it would have been easy for Isaacs to seize the throne. But Luca, this sudden wildcard, had completely thrown his plans off course.
Now the situation was slipping beyond his control.
At the center of the hall, Leonie and Runne’s expressions fluctuated rapidly.
They weren’t afraid of rebellion; they’d long been prepared for that possibility.
But what they feared was this boy suddenly ascending to godhood again.
If that happened, even if they all teamed up, they wouldn’t be able to defeat him.
Though they knew the chances of that happening were slim, none of them were willing to gamble with their lives.
The nobles exchanged glances, hesitating over whether or not to turn on Luca right then.
Winston and Ziegfried had already placed their hands on their weapons, their eyes cold as they watched the scene unfold. If anyone dared to make a move, no matter who it was, they would make sure the price was paid.
Lucia voiced her concern. “Luca is really pushing it. If they tear the mask off and turn hostile, he might not make it out of the palace alive.”
Sophia remained silent, her eyes flashing as memories of Zenobia’s words echoed in her mind.
The entire atmosphere in the hall had become tense.
Some of the confused nobles and ladies, who still didn’t fully understand what was going on, had gone pale.
Just as the tension reached its peak, and the silence was nearly unbearable—
Clink.
Luca placed the wine glass in his hand down on the table, then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, stood up.
“A bunch of cowards,” he sneered as he looked at Runne, Leonie, and the other hesitant nobles. His lips curled into a cold smile. “Since you’re too afraid to act… then I’ll step in!”
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, a pitch-black gleam flickered in Luca’s hand.
The next instant, everyone in the room’s pupils shrank in shock.
In Luca’s hand, there appeared an eerie, bizarre eye—an eye unlike any seen before.
The pitch-black pupil reflected the faces of everyone in the room, with a faint purple glow swirling within it. Behind the pupil, long, blood-red veins twisted like grotesque nerves, creating a scene that was both eerie and unsettling.
Distorted Eye!
A terrifying, malevolent force suddenly descended upon the entire hall, causing everyone’s expressions to change at once.
Transcendent-level aura? This guy actually possesses a Transcendent-level artifact!
“Not good!” Seeing this, Mond, who had been confident of his victory, suddenly turned pale.
Without a second thought, he shot into the air, intending to flee.
“Thinking of leaving now? Too late!” Luca sneered, without a hint of hesitation.
With a thought, the Distorted Eye in his hand seemed to come alive, blinking slightly.
Then, the pupil of the eye suddenly fixed on Mond!
A rippling wave of power expanded rapidly from the pupil’s center.
Buzz! A purple beam shot out like lightning.
Striking with a terrifying speed toward Mond, who was trying to escape the hall.
In the face of the Distorted Eye, Mond’s speed was as slow as a snail.
In the blink of an eye, the purple beam was already behind him.
It struck his body directly.
In that instant!
Time seemed to freeze!
Mond’s body froze in midair, his face turning deathly pale, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Then, in front of the horrified eyes of everyone present, his body began to undergo a strange transformation. His skin quickly turned a sickly gray, festering sores appeared all over him, and his hair started falling out.
Next, his body began to swell irregularly, as if some invisible pump was inflating him from within.
“Ahhhh!” A chilling, anguished scream echoed throughout the hall. The excruciating pain caused Mond’s neck veins to bulge, his face contorting in agony, his eyes bulging, nearly popping out of their sockets!
Under the terrified gaze of all present, the once imposing Duke Mond quickly transformed into a grotesque, bloated monster, his entire body covered in green liquid. His voice, too, became a horrifying, guttural growl.
“Looks like it worked pretty well,” Luca said, tossing the Distorted Eye in his hand, clearly pleased with his handiwork.
“You… What… have you… done to me…” Mond, now a monstrosity with tentacles for hands, clutched his own throat. His face twisted in pain and fear, his voice a rasping, unpleasant sound.
“As you can see,” Luca shrugged, chuckling lightly. “I didn’t think you were fit to stay human, so I gave you a new body.”
“Seems like it fits you quite well now, doesn’t it?”