A heavy blanket of silence descended upon the area, so profound it seemed to swallow the sound of breathing and rustling leaves.
"What did you just say?" Varis asked in a daze. He stood in a state of shock and disbelief, unable to believe the words the emperor had just spoken to him.
"If you seek proof of sarcasm or deceit, you will find none." Kaze responded frigidly, "Mary Emerson ordered her soldiers to kill my non-hostile people and nearly killed my partner. In response, I killed her and her soldiers."
"How could you?" The cultivator asked with a strained voice, his heart wrapped in piano wire. "Mary was a kind woman and a loyal soldier. She represented the pinnacle of strength and virtue and inspired countless—how could you take her away from us?"
