"Father…" Xiuying squeaked with red eyes.
"Father, please stop! Everything Minister Linshi told you was a lie. Our mother wasn't killed by the Alzar Kingdom!" Ming explained.
"You've been tricked by them since you were captured, my daughter. Did they force you to say those words to me?" the emperor said chillily.
"No! This is what we've uncovered over the past two years!"
Emperor Lianghu snorted, "And what of involving your uncle, Uncle Qiang? Because of his actions, the Li Family is beginning a revolt against the Imperial Council. We're already planning to suppress the Li Family alongside the three other Great Nobility Families. We're on the precipice of a civil war!"
"This…"
"Enough," the emperor unquestionably ordered. "I'll deal with you two later."
"No! I won't let you lay a hand on her," Xiuying said, standing between the two. "We can still change things, father. We can still achieve peace! But if you follow through with this, it will truly be the doom of our empire!"
"Stand down! This is an order from your father, the emperor of the Xingyuu Empire!"
"No, father, I will not!"
Emperor Lianghu's sabre trembled and his face softened. Seeing the faces of his precious daughters so distraught made him hesitate. Some might say he was cruel and ruthless for starting the war, but it was not out of personal ambition, it was out of love! He treasured his family deeply and when his wife died, a bit of him died as well. Although he might be able to cut anyone else down, he could never hold a blade to his daughters. They were the last symbol of his beloved wife! Princess Xiuying and Ming were ecstatic to see their persuasion making ground. Once again, they saw the emergence of his old, benevolent self!
However, it was destined to fall on deaf ears. When Emperor Lianghu saw Elizabeth again, his eyes turned crimson. His killing intent immediately erupted with immense fury. All other emotions were washed away like the receding tide. He practically did a complete reversal in personality. It was like another person stood before them! It was so jarring that Xiuying and Ming were stunned silent. Everyone else was equally surprised at how volatile the emperor was. Only Cardinal Hui remained unperturbed.
Facing the unbridled killing intent, Elizabeth gritted her teeth and stood strong! She had a thousand things to say! Her family was an obvious one. The slaughter of New Havens was as fresh in her mind as if it was yesterday. Her memory was so vivid and colorful that she still remembered her family's last regretful faces. She had so much she wanted to say. She had so much she wanted to do! She wanted to grow up alongside her family! But alas, her wishes were brutally snatched from her. She failed to even say goodbye… And what for? For what reason did the Xingyuu Empire murder everyone? It was all because of Emperor Lianghu and the Second Great Kingdom War he started!
Now that the truth was revealed, that the Alzar Kingdom had no hand in Empress Mei's death, she felt particularly crossed. Think about it… If her family died for a reason, although she would not accept it, at least she could understand. If New Havens had done something to the world below, anything less than morally acceptable, then she could accept what happened. Of course, whether she forgave the Xingyuu Empire was an entirely different question. She was someone who sought out to repay her grievances back a thousand times. She would not meekly take this injustice lying down!
And after everything, her bottom line had been truly crossed. She was captured and imprisoned by the empire because of nothing more than the medallion hanging on her neck and the blood flowing through her veins. She had never even seen King Harth before, but she was judged all the same! Less than ten people in the known world knew her identity as a princess. What damage could she possibly do? What threat could she possibly pose? Her friends bled for her cause! People died for her! The trail of misfortunes never seemed to let her go. Although Emperor Lianghu exuded a terrifying aura, Elizabeth could not timidly bow down!
"You say you want to kill me because of my bloodline, but did I ever do anything to you? Did I, Elizabeth Silvera, ever do anything? Anything at all?" she snarled. "I'm sick and tired of you saying what you like. Just because you're the emperor, you think you can bully everyone around you? What a joke!"
"You certainly are King Harth's daughter. You have courage," Emperor Lianghu hissed. "You're right, I say what I want because I am the emperor!"
"That gives you the right to kill anyone you like? That gives you the right to slaughter innocent people? What do you take lives for? Do you think peoples' lives are like weeds on the roadside that you can just stomp on whenever you like? Don't kid yourself!"
"You talk as if the Alzar Kingdom is innocent. You're the one that's kidding yourself. The Alzar Kingdom has a rich history in killing its citizens, such as the Golden Nightmare. Much like how Lord Korogin destroyed that provincial capital, King Harth killed my wife. What's wrong with demanding justice?"
"Then where's your proof? What evidence do you have? Show me it now!" Elizabeth shouted. "If you can show any proof, I'll willingly hand over my head! If you don't have any, then shut your mouth!" Seeing Emperor Lianghu quiet, she felt vindicated. "So, I am right! The great emperor doesn't have any proof!"
"You dare talk to the emperor with that foul mouth?" Loujin roared.
To a Cardinal, insulting the emperor was taboo! To him, there was no greater crime! He dug his feet into the ground and propelled himself forward at a hair-raising speed. Enemies unaware of his true abilities might be killed before they knew it. Moreover, the force behind his shield was enough to flatten anyone into paste! Not even Sir Winstin dared to face Cardinal Loujin's charge head-on, which spoke volumes of the latter's physical prowess. This time, Elizabeth and her friends really could not react at all. The worse part was that the Royal Guards were also stupefied. The two guards did have their guard raised, but Loujin had concealed his abilities well. It was enough for Loujin to advance quickly towards Elizabeth!
Just then, two figures charged in! The first was the equally hotheaded, Sentinel Tai, while the second was the calm-headed, Sentinel Chang. The former already had his gauntlets ready and the latter drew his straight swords with their auras were roaring to life! The two parties collided practically instantly and the scene that Elizabeth was expecting did not happen. Chang's technique was one of assimilation, of transforming the enemy's strength into his own. It was the natural enemy of Loujin's simple charge. The tremendous momentum bore down on Chang's swords and they strained horribly. Chang groaned and mustered all his strength to consume Loujin's attack, negating a portion and sending it right back.
Tai was not one to fall behind either. His muscles bulged to three times their size and he dug his feet into the snow. He was fighting force with force! He pulled his punch, took a deep breath, and concentrated all his power for one strike. Cardinal Shaolong was amazed. If Sir Winstin was here, he would recognize that Tai's form had an uncanny resemblance to Shaolong's flying strike! Indeed, it was a crude imitation, but the foundation was there! Tai took a mere split second and punched out with baffling speed and power!
Both Chang and Tai attacked at the same time, and together, they managed to negate Loujin's charge! The force of their clash unleashed a visible shockwave and a thunderous sound, blasting the snow away from the epicenter. That was how powerful it was! The three combatants were thrown backwards before catching their balance. Chang's swords were vibrating from the impact while Tai's hand was numb from pain. A small streak of blood flowed out of Loujin's mouth. Wiping it away, the cardinal felt the desire for battle growing!