“The opportunity of fate... it is not time yet.” Li Yue suppressed the surges of power within her, stifling the almost frenzied energy of her ascension. In the sky, a crimson moon was slowly taking shape.
“How is this possible... Who exactly are you? Why is the crown in your hands?” Camillian’s lips trembled slightly. He had considered many possibilities, but he had never imagined this one.
“The first time he met me, he placed the crown in my hands. It was a very... all or nothing choice.” Li Yue smiled faintly. She felt the throne beneath her; this seat made of blood crystals was far too hard, nowhere near as comfortable as a sofa.
“As for who I am, haven't you all already guessed half of it?” Li Yue stood up and looked down at the people below. They knelt one by one until only Camillian remained, his heart filled with unwilling defiance as he struggled to look her in the eye.
“I originally wanted to wait for Mordred to die with dignity... The rumors of wisdom and cowardice were all an act, weren't they, Prince Dmitry?” Li Yue paused briefly. “Prince Dmitry.”
“You...”
“Dying in my servant’s room was a ruse to divert attention. In reality, you had already destroyed Camillian’s body long ago and used your soul to usurp his place.” Li Yue slowly mentally replayed the prince’s actions over the past period. “Vicious indeed. How long were you planning this? You even managed to get those Soul Hall members who supported you killed in the process.”
“Finally, you stabbed your father to death and took that crown.” Li Yue pondered for a moment. “If you had shown such resolve earlier, perhaps you could have taken this seat legitimately.”
“From the moment I failed to inherit that damned magic, I was destined for this...” Camillian—or rather, Dmitry—shook his wrists, still seemingly unwilling to accept his fate.
“If it weren't for the sake of the coming era, perhaps you really could have become the new master of the Royal Court...” Li Yue waved her hand, and the gates of the Underworld opened behind her. Eerie blue seawater flowed beside pale white sand, emitting a tranquil aura.
“It’s over.” Li Yue gestured. From the moment that gate appeared, everyone knew what it meant. From the beginning, there has only ever been one deity capable of opening the gates of the Underworld.
“Have some dignity and walk in yourself.” Li Yue looked at the man before her. Only with his death would the influential members of the royal family truly be gone. As for the remaining minors or those without real power, they posed no threat to her.
“How can this be... Why... Why did you have to return at this exact moment... Countless times in the past, countless times! You could have come back to take over this nation... But why now? Why at this moment?”
“Countless times in the past, huh.” Li Yue smiled thinly. A withered hand reached out from the gates of the Underworld, piercing through his body in an instant and forcibly dragging his soul out of a shell that never belonged to it.
Just as Li Yue had seen a few times before, it was a soul twisted beyond recognition. If it hadn't been forced into a body not its own, how could it have become so distorted?
I thought I would be able to play against you in this state for a while longer, but unfortunately, it seems you lost your patience far too early. If Mordred hadn't discovered the secrets of the world and seen you like this, perhaps he would have chosen to give the crown to you when he faced me.
Unfortunately, there are no 'ifs'. The story of the glorious chapter you just opened has come to an abrupt end right here.
“Do you have anything else to say?” Li Yue looked at the people below who were staring at each other in shock. The sheer volume of information made it almost impossible for them to stay conscious. The deity who had not shown her face for ten thousand years had appeared before them in an invincible state.
“Long live the King! Long live the Divine Lord!”
“Very good.”
Li Yue nodded slightly. She was somewhat glad she hadn't become a god so early; in a scene like this, she actually still had the mind to muse cynically.
Long live... I think I’ve already lived for more than ten thousand years. Isn’t that basically wishing for my death any day now? Forget it, I wouldn’t have had the chance to live another ten thousand years anyway. That cheer... should be shouted for my successor instead.
Li Yue felt the power between the three authorities slowly attracting each other. This crown, half of which she had already absorbed, gave her a sense of the sublimation that came with ascension. However, she suppressed that restless power, repeatedly telling herself that it was not yet time. She still had too many things left unfinished.
The most urgent task now was to clean up all the blood demons that fellow had released.
Li Yue stood up and lightly squeezed a blood crystal in her hand. A blood storm erupted with her as the center, raging outward. Outside the castle, the blood demons seemed to sense something. They forced themselves up from their kneeling positions; it seemed their fear of death had overcome their reverence for the Blood Lord. They howled and ran frantically toward the perimeter, but before they could take two steps, their flesh began to melt, turning into puddles of blood.
Faint cries seemed to echo in the sky, breaking through the boundary of life and death to reach the ears of every confused person.
“What... what is happening...”
The guarding soldiers were completely dumbfounded. They looked at the blood moon in the sky, and although they didn't know what had happened, they knelt down devoutly. Such a spectacle could only be a miracle.
...
“What exactly... is happening...” Clo stood by the window, watching everything. An inexplicable sense of unease filled her heart.
She rubbed her forehead as the physical discomfort slowly receded. She stared at the rising moon, speechless.
“A Yue... what... what are you trying to do?” she murmured. “In the future you’ve envisioned, where exactly do I fit in?”
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