The Suzerain State

The shadows of blood demons wandered across the increasingly withered continent, while Li Yue's consciousness drifted through the land. Any irrational death caught her attention—those lonely, hollow ends that not only spread an irrepressible wave of sorrow but were also tainted with a distinct aura of madness.

She could feel that this was only the beginning. More deaths would follow in their wake. These souls, nearly torn to shreds, did not even possess the right to step onto the Stygian Beach; they were destined to be swept away by the tides, becoming nothing more than foam upon the River of the Dead.

The world... was becoming more insane by the day, edging closer to destruction.

“Dying from the fear of breathing... smashing their own heads into a pulp from excessive joy... flaying their own flesh out of overwhelming sorrow...” Li Yue murmured. Her shadow walked past one lonely, tragic corpse of a believer after another. She scanned the cold bodies; there wasn't even a trace of a soul left behind.

With deaths on such a massive scale... how would this be handled in the future?

She frowned, though her irritation did not stem from the potential public outcry that might be directed at her. After all, these bizarre death scenes could easily be interpreted as her hounding so many devout believers to their ends.

She felt that such things were trivial; those believers were meant to be purged anyway.

What truly annoyed her was the lingering aura of madness. These powers, which had been tormenting her from within her own body, had become active once again after she had suppressed them.

The environment seemed to have been imbued with a strange, artistic quality. The lighting in the sorrowful scenes felt colder, while the light in the more absurd scenes had turned a grayish-yellow, resembling the color of something eroded by time.

“Almost all of them chose suicide due to extreme fear, joy, or sorrow. I don't even need to lift a finger...” Li Yue looked up at the sky. On the ground, countless blood shadows looked up in unison. Strangely, she felt that after she gazed at the sky, the entire expanse seemed much cleaner and clearer.

As expected... even without choosing to ascend... they still noticed me. Have they remembered the fear of death? Is the instinct for survival driving them to frantically search for vessels to descend into once more?

Ah... thousands of years have passed. After being tormented by madness for so long... have they turned into animals driven by instinct? If not for that indifference and that bone-deep hatred... what would I have become? A paranoid madman? Perhaps. I am already a paranoid tyrant.

Li Yue smiled self-deprecatingly as she slowly withdrew her consciousness. Inside the pool in the Great Hall, Li Yue slowly opened her eyes. Ripples of power gradually dissipated from her. She rose from the water, shaking the droplets from her feet, and changed her clothes before the guards and nobles at the door entered.

Today: Cloudy. Irritable. Reason: Too many trivial matters.

Li Yue casually wrote a few words in her diary. Tucked inside were letters Clo had written to her in the past. Her early diary entries were detailed, covering every aspect of her life. But lately, especially in the past month, her daily entries—including descriptions of the weather and her mood—rarely exceeded twenty words.

Perhaps her memory had improved, as those unforgettable recollections grew clearer by the day. She looked at the words in the diary, feeling as if she were seeing the person through the writing—except the person was now just a collection of images in her mind.

“Divine Lord, the next document is a joint statement signed by our neighboring nations to the north, as well as the nations of the northern continent...” A noble clad in silver armor presented a document. It was covered in numerous signatures, the ink pressed so hard it nearly tore through the paper. It seemed as though the people behind those names had reached a grim resolution.

“To the most honorable ‘Death’...”

“Enough, enough. Don't bother reading it. It's annoying.” Li Yue waved her hand, having no patience to listen further. As soon as she spoke, many people bowed their heads in fear, terrified of adding to her irritation.

She glanced at Clo, who was observing from the back of the hall. Their eyes met. Clo was listening intently, as if she truly wanted to be of help in the future. She also understood Li Yue's personality and habits; Li Yue was not the type to govern a nation during an era of peace.

“Among the signatures on this document, are there any magic users from Karl Romon Academy?” Li Yue propped her head on her hand, her blood-red eyes fixed on the silver-armored marquis. Judging by the patterns on his armor, he was likely a noble whose territory lay in the northern reaches of the Royal Court.

“I mean magic users whose strength has reached the Calamity class or higher. There's no need to mention those insignificant Great Mages.” Li Yue waved her hand dismissively, her tone returning to a cold indifference devoid of emotion.

“This... well...”

Beads of sweat began to form on the marquis's forehead. He stammered, looking at the dense list of names. He had no idea which one belonged to a powerful Calamity Warlock who surpassed human understanding.

The next moment, the document appeared in Li Yue's hand.

“Hmm... none.” Li Yue tossed it aside carelessly. The document, which recorded the names of the world's most prominent politicians, fell to the floor. A flicker of black flames appeared, turning the priceless paper into a pile of worthless ash.

“Everyone, I have a proposal.” Li Yue rose slowly, a smile that was both indifferent and murderous playing on her lips. “Since our allies are unclear about their own situation and so slow to recognize the dangers of the outside world...”

“The heretics within their borders are suffering from the corruption of fallen gods. Most of the weak believers have been driven by madness to seek liberation through suicide.” Li Yue spoke at a steady pace. At this moment, she was unwilling to refer to her former ‘family’ as evil gods. “Soon, under their influence, the situation will escalate.”

“As their suzerain state, we should defend every inch of our territory in this world.” Li Yue paused. Everyone in the hall held their breath, as if waiting for a pane of glass to suddenly shatter into pieces.

“Our soldiers, accompanied by Great Mages, should move into their countries.” Li Yue smiled. “As for the Royal Capital—our Royal Capital shall never fall!”

Silence filled the room for a moment, followed by a wave of intense cheering and shouts of support. Li Yue's gaze swept over the crowd and rested on Clo's surprised face. She gave a faint smile.