City Lord Zane, finally losing patience, personally activated one of his fire-related S-Rank skills to blast open the door.
Whoosh!
Just as Zane’s attack launched forward in a destructive wave toward the door, Aengus calmly opened it… And “gulp” instantly devoured the fiery attack as it reached his face.
Aengus then began to approach City Lord Zane, step by step.
To Zane’s horror, each step struck his heart with a dreadful weight, as if silently telling him that he had made a grave mistake.
His heart trembled, pain coursed through him, and his veins bulged visibly beneath his skin.
Quin finally looked frightened after witnessing the mighty S-Rank City Lord’s condition.
The aura of the unfamiliar young man began to intensify with each passing moment.
“Argh…”
Quin was quickly forced to kneel, his knees buckling and cracking under the stranger’s sheer pressure.
A few moments later, his strength completely gave out, and he collapsed face-first, feeling as though he were choking as his blood circulation nearly stopped.
He realized he had directed his frustration at the wrong person. This stranger, who appeared similar in age, wielded an unfathomable power.
In comparison, he was nothing more than a speck before this formidable presence.
Laying flat on the ground, Quin looked up at Aengus with helplessness.
“I knew this day would come, and I still did it. Why are the gods doing this to me? They were never fair to me… I hate the gods, I hate everything,” Quin roared in his mind.
Meanwhile, Zane, still suppressed, pleaded through gritted teeth.
“Your Imperial Highness, please forgive us… I didn’t recognize our Emperor had come in person.”
Aengus paused and retracted his aura, having sensed their true thoughts. That was why he stopped.
One was a frustrated fool, and the other was at least somewhat decent.
Quin was injured but alive.
Both he and Zane slowly rose to their feet, while most of their lackeys and guards lay unconscious on the ground.
Thud!
The City Lord stepped forward, then knelt before Aengus, gazing up at him with deep reverence.
He knew now that their coup had succeeded—and it was all thanks to this one young man, their new Emperor, the force behind the newly risen banner of the Liberation Empire.
Aengus ignored the City Lord for now and approached Quin.
Quin was stunned as he realized the stranger’s identity. This was Emperor Zero, whose recent ascension had only just reached him at his clan estate. He couldn’t believe he had been venting his frustrations on their new Emperor.
As the Emperor drew closer, Quin fidgeted nervously, dreading the punishment he might face for the disturbance.
Aengus stopped just before him, standing a little taller and more muscular than Quin. In every way, they couldn’t even be compared, and this stark difference intensified Quin’s sense of inferiority, causing him to lower his head instinctively.
“Quin AxelCrest, why look so afraid now? Weren’t you busy flaunting your clan’s influence just a moment ago?” Aengus asked with an indifferent expression.
Quin’s heart skipped a beat. The Emperor knew his name. This man was even more mysterious and powerful than he’d imagined.
Still staring at the ground, he stammered, “No, no… Your Imperial Highness, I was just… just…” He fumbled for the right words.
“Just being a useless nuisance to others. Isn’t that it?” Aengus finished for him.
“Ah… yes… Your Imperial Highness is right…” Quin agreed, not daring to object.
“Lift your head,” Aengus commanded.
“Ah, okay…” Quin lifted his head but didn’t dare meet Aengus’s gaze.
“So, tell me… Do you hate the gods?” Aengus’s tone was as chilling as a devil’s whisper.
“Answer honestly. I know you do… just speak your mind. I won’t be offended by your thoughts on them.”
Quin hesitated, then spoke, his voice rising with pent-up bitterness.
“Yes, I do… They’ve been unfair to me… they’re unfair to this world. They treat us like ants… and these fools worship them like blind sheep!”
His words echoed, drawing the attention of nearby citizens who stopped to watch the scene unfold.
Some peopl in the crowd already started muttering angrily at Quin’s blasphemy.
“How dare this useless young master speak ill of our gods? He deserves execution!” a noble-looking man scoffed with righteous indignation.
“Yeah, he should just die already. A good-for-nothing loser, blaming the mighty gods for his own failures… what a waste,” another mocked.
“And who is this young man that dares to spread hate against the gods? He should be punished too!”
“Enough!” an older voice snapped. “Did you not see the City Lord himself kneeling before that young man? Don’t speak so carelessly—your heads might not remain on your shoulders if you do.”
“Yes,” another old man whispered, shivering. “I heard he is our new Emperor. Even the King bowed to him. Don’t drag us all to our deaths, you fools.”
A tense silence fell over the crowd as the weight of the old man’s words sank in. The onlookers now watched Aengus with wary respect, each wondering at the power and mystery behind this new Emperor who could command such reverence.
“We greet Your Imperial Highness! Please give us your blessing and protection for eternity!”
Some in the crowd had already knelt, showing respect to their Emperor. He was now their Emperor, whether they liked it or not. Only heads would roll for those who disagreed—that much, they had learned.
Aengus acknowledged their presence with a nod, feeling a new sensation—a sense of responsibility, perhaps, or satisfaction in his newfound dominance.
He turned to Quin, pleased with his response.
“Very well. I like your reply, Quin. Now, tell me, do you have the determination to kill them if given the power?”
“Thud!”
Quin knelt instantly, without a second thought.
“I will do anything for power, Your Imperial Highness! That includes killing the Gods,” he declared, bowing resolutely.
“Very good…”
Aengus replied with a pleased expression as he smoothly took out a few human corpses from his pocket space.
The corpses fell to the ground, their decaying aura spreading everywhere.
City Lord Zane squinted, realizing all the corpses were at least B-Rank or above.
“Just what is the new Emperor trying to do?” he wondered to himself.
The onlookers were already shaken by the death aura radiating from the high-ranking corpses.
They chose not to interrupt their new Emperor’s task.
