Chapter 364 The Mastermind Behind the Mass Rebellions
"What did you say!? Rebellions are happening in other cities?" Velix's eyes widened, and his fists clenched.
*Boom!*
His hands slammed into the armrests of the throne, and a terrifying pressure erupted from his body, thickening the air in the throne room with a heavy tension.
The soldier trembled in fear at the sight of Velix's fury. His legs shook uncontrollably, as if he might collapse at any moment.
Still, he managed to compose himself. With a pale face and eyes filled with panic, he stammered, "Yes, Your Majesty. Our intelligence has confirmed the situation. Chaos has swept through the cities, and the people are overwhelmed with fear."
The soldier's words were like a spark of gasoline that ignited a raging fire, pushing Velix's anger to its peak.
His usually calm and composed face turned red in an instant, his body trembling violently. The pressure radiating from him grew overwhelming, shaking the throne room as if it might collapse at any moment.
Under the mounting pressure from Velix, the soldier was overwhelmed. With a 'thud,' he collapsed to the floor, unable to move a finger.
After ten minutes, Velix finally regained his composure, retracting the powerful aura he had been emitting. The soldier, though still weak, began to regain control of his body. His face was deathly pale, as if he had lost a significant amount of blood. His body felt crushed, with his muscles and bones aching as if they had been torn apart.
"Go back and summon all the ministers in charge," Velix ordered coldly. "I want them here in less than five minutes. If they're late, don't blame me for acting ruthlessly."
"As you command, Your Majesty," the soldier replied, his voice trembling.
Frightened by Velix's menacing presence, he was eager to leave the throne room as quickly as possible.
Velix nodded briefly, dismissing him with a wave. "You may go."
The soldier bowed again before stumbling out of the room.
Velix watched the soldier leave, then shook his head, taking a deep breath to calm the simmering anger inside him. He stared up at the ceiling of the throne room, his gaze thoughtful, muttering, "How did this happen? Where did the nobles find the courage to rebel against me, and how did they raise an army?"
When he first ascended to the throne as Holy Emperor, his first decree had been to strip the nobles of their power and control over their armies. His goal was clear: to solidify his position as emperor and eliminate any threat of rebellion.
He had been confident that this measure was flawless, leaving no room for them to rise against him. So, how had they gathered the strength to launch such rebellions?
Even more puzzling, the rebellions seemed to have erupted simultaneously, as though they had been meticulously planned in advance—deepening his confusion further.
Velix's expression darkened, his teeth gritting in anger.
"No matter the cause, this rebellion is a declaration of war, and they will feel the consequences of their actions," Velix said, his voice dripping with murderous intent.
If matters like this had occurred in the past, he wouldn't have been too worried, as Jim, Rain, and Natasya were by his side. However, after humanity's forces were defeated in the Desert of Chaos, their whereabouts remained a mystery—whether alive or dead. As a result, he was compelled to intervene directly to resolve the issue.
"Tsk, tsk! Why does your face look so grim and angry, Velix Larrison? Is the rebellion giving you a headache?"
At that moment, a wisp of black smoke suddenly appeared beneath the stairs leading to the throne, followed by a man's playful voice.
Velix flinched slightly, his eyes narrowing with caution as he focused on the black smoke.
"Are you from the Temple of Twilight?" Velix asked coldly.
Since agreeing to cooperate with the Temple of Twilight, they had not contacted him again, which led him to suspect they had been deceiving him. But now, one of them had shown up out of the blue, leaving him both shocked and wary.
The black smoke swirled and expanded before dissipating, revealing a mysterious man in a black cloak.
Sensing the wariness in Velix's gaze, the man chuckled softly and shook his head.
"You don't need to be wary of me. After all, you and our Temple of Twilight have already agreed to cooperate, right?" The man said casually.
Velix snorted coldly, a majestic aura radiating from him.
"Tell me, what is the purpose of your visit?" Velix asked flatly.
The mysterious man wasn't bothered by Velix's arrogance. Instead, he smiled faintly, crossing his arms.
"I'm here to help you resolve the rebellions plaguing the Empire," he replied calmly.
Velix's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't expected the man—and the Temple of Twilight behind him—to have learned of the rebellion so quickly. After all, he had only received word about the rebellions in Ardonia and Therondia a few hours ago.
"This Temple of Twilight is stronger than I thought," Velix muttered, his grip tightening on the throne's armrests.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed aside his thoughts and focused his gaze on the mysterious man.
"Then how do you plan to help me deal with these rebellions?" Velix inquired, his tone heavy as he leaned back in the throne.
The mysterious man shook his head, casually waving his hand.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
"You don't need to worry about that," he replied with confidence, then turned and added, "In three days, everything will be resolved. I guarantee it."
With that, his figure gradually dissolved into smoke, vanishing under Velix's cold, suspicious gaze.
...
Two thousand kilometers from the capital, a vast and stunning grassland stretched endlessly. The combined light of Miranda and Sylvia's moons, along with the stars in the sky, bathed the entire expanse, creating a stunning landscape.
In the center of the grassland, white tents were arranged in a long vertical formation. These tents belonged to humanity's army, which had been marching non-stop for the past few days.
"Have the nobles started moving?"
Sitting gracefully on the grass in front of a tent, several meters away from the army's tents, Luna sipped her tea while glancing at Albert, who sat opposite her.
Albert chuckled softly and nodded. "According to our agreement, they should be on the move by tonight."
"Very good," Luna replied with a small sigh. However, a hint of doubt crossed her beautiful face as she added, "But are you sure our plan will go smoothly with the nobles involved?" Experience tales at empire
In the plan to overthrow Velix's power, devised with Leon a few days ago, Albert had proposed involving the entire noble family. While it was a brilliant idea, Luna couldn't help but feel it was a risky move.
After all, the noble families harbored hidden ambitions, and they should always be wary of potential betrayal.
Albert sensed Luna's concern and smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Bow Hero Luna. Our plan will go smoothly," Albert said with confidence. "Those noble families hold no real power. The only reason they can move to launch a rebellion is because of our troops' support, and I'm certain they won't be foolish enough to betray us."
His gaze shifted to the tented ranks of humanity's army, now reduced by more than half.
On their way back to the Capital, Albert and Luna had made several stops at cities along the route, seeking to secure cooperation with the nobles residing there.
Fueled by their deep hatred for Velix, the nobles eagerly accepted their offers without hesitation.
As a result, Albert left behind much of humanity's army to assist the nobles in sparking the rebellion, leaving his own forces reduced to only a quarter of their original size.
If Velix ever learned of this, he would surely vomit blood and curse Albert and his descendants.
Luna sighed softly and gave a small nod, saying nothing more.
As long as the noble families didn't betray them, Luna could feel at ease. Of course, if they faltered, she wouldn't hesitate to send arrows capable of destroying them in an instant.
They continued their conversation, discussing the next steps after arriving at the capital.
However, just a few minutes into their discussion, a soldier hurriedly approached them.
"Bow Hero Luna, Supreme Leader Albert! I have important news to report!" The soldier reported, bowing respectfully.
Albert and Luna paused their conversation and turned toward the soldier, their expressions growing serious.
"What's the news?" Albert asked calmly.
The soldier raised his head and answered respectfully, "There has been a mass rebellion in several of the Empire's cities, led by noble families."
The two exchanged surprised looks before a slow smile crept onto their faces.
Turning back to the soldier, Albert nodded slowly and waved his hand. "Alright, you may return now."
In response to his order, the soldier said nothing more, bowed again, and left.
Albert picked up his already cold coffee cup and took a sip.
"Since they've already started, we should return to the capital soon," Albert said, setting his cup back into the saucer.
Luna nodded softly, about to reply, when the sound of footsteps behind her was followed by a deep voice, interrupting her.
"I've heard there's been a rebellion in several of the Empire's cities. Some soldiers say it's connected to you two. Is that true?"
The two were startled and instinctively turned toward the voice, only to find a tall, burly man in white robes walking toward them with an indifferent expression.
"Valen?"