The Palace Guard immediately arrived and started to make room for us to have our match, so that the other guests wouldn't get hurt in anyway. While this was going on, I turned my head and said "Kira take my sister to my mother's room. And make sure to assure my mother that I will be fine, I don't want her to get needlessly worried."
"Of course your majesty." She replied frettingly, and who would blame her, this was a match to the death after all.
"Nizam you will..." Before I could even finish speaking Nizam interrupted me saying "Brother I refuse to leave while you put your life at risk! I know that I am of little use to you here, but like you said yesterday 'We only have each other now!' So please allow me to silently support you in this moment."
I was momentarily shocked by the resoluteness of my brother's words, but I quickly shook my surprise off and said while smiling warmly at him "You didn't have to say that, after all I wanted you to stay."
This time it was Nizam's turn to be shocked, since he believed I would tell him to leave. Seeing his expression I say "I was just going to tell you to watch and learn. I want you observe everything that happens today and tell me what you thought of it tomorrow."
Again he was surprised by my answer, but he quickly shook it off and nodded resolutely. Taking advantage of the momentary silence that fell between us Cyrus quickly jumped in and said loudly "I also don't want to leave!"
But I quickly shook my head and said "No way, you're going to go with Kira as well."
Cyrus's enthusiasm deflated like an old balloon, but Nizam showed his quick wit and care for his family by kneeling down and whispering to Cyrus "We have a very special mission for you. While me and brother stay here you need to go and protect our mother and Alisar! You are the only one who can help us do this, can we leave it to you?"
Cyrus was overjoyed, as he swiftly ran to the table he was sitting on and grabbed his toy sword that never left his side, before then performing an adorable knight's salute by slamming his right hand on his left shoulder. Which earned him a few chuckles from the surrounding Palace Guard, while Nizam and I returned the gesture and he left with a proud expression on his face.
Shortly after he left, the stage for the duel was completed. And my half brother was already standing confidently in the middle of the stage, while leaning on his weapon of choice, a curved saber.
As I was walked to the stage, Isaac started to debrief me on my opponent "My liege, your adversary is named Xatherus, your 27th brother, born from your 15th mother Julia. He is nineteen years of age this year, and has already reached the second level of saber martial arts."
My eyes widen at hearing that last piece of information. Similarly to how demigods can unlock nine gates to grow stronger and also increase their life span, normal people also had a similar ability. But instead of relying on their blood they rely on their talent and hard work.
Their are eleven stages to any martial arts, the higher the number the stronger you are. And those who reach the eleventh level can even kill a demigod who has reached the fifth or even the sixth gate. But it is almost impossible to reach that level, even in my past life I only reached the tenth level in halberd arts. And the strongest person in the empire, Grand Martial Hamilcar Seth is at the tenth level of axe arts. While both Isaac and Abraham have reached the ninth level in dagger and glaive arts respectively.
Even though I only unlocked my first gate, I was confident in winning. Even though my body was still young and weak, and I couldn't fight for long with my powers activated, I only needed a moment and I was sure that my overconfident half brother would give it to me.
As I calmly walked to the opposite side of my half brother he smugly said "You're more foolish than I thought. I fully expected you to refuse my offer while hiding behind your new dogs!" His words astonished many people, and brought a scowl on the faces of both Abraham and Isaac.
'This idiot actually insulted two of the strongest and most influential figures in all of the empire in front of all these people?!' I thought in disbelief. After all, this can no longer be called rash or thoughtlessness, this was suicide!
Looking to the side I saw the rest of my half siblings and their mothers looking aghast at this scene, which greatly amused me. But I was not going stand there and allow myself and my subordinates to be insulted by a rabid dog, who knew not his place in the pecking order.
"If I am a fool then you must be mentally retarded, my dear brother. How dare you call men who have served the empire, and our family faithfully for hundreds of years as dogs! Has your over inflated ego already spoiled your brain rotten!?"
The hall went so quiet you could hear a flies wing flap. But suddenly the silence was broken.
"pffftt... HAHAHAHAHA" Nizam could no longer hold it in and he filled the hall with the sound of his amused laughter.
Although it was shocking to hear, many of the high ranking officials in the empire started looking at me with a bit more appreciation and respect than before, after all I had defended the honor of two of the most respected people in the empire.
"SHUT UP! If you laugh anymore I will cut off your tongue and feed it to the pigs." Xatherus yelled loudly at Nizam.
"XATHERUS!" His mother Julia yelled while glaring at him. She was enraged by her son's pathetic attitude and could no longer hold herself back! A sentiment shared by all my other half siblings and stepmothers.
'How could you threaten a child that is almost half your age?!' Everyone thought.
It was at this moment that Darius the one who would be the judge of this challenge stepped up to end this embarrassment, but before he could, I asked menacingly "Did you just threaten MY little brother?"
Xatherus seeing that for the first time my calm demeanor had been broken smirked and said with visible delight, completely ignoring the gazes of others "That's right, I said that!"
And then he pointed his saber at me ferociously "And after I'm done with you, I'll make sure to not only cut off the tongues of all your family members, but I'll make them feel the humiliation you made us feel today! I will make sure that no guards or servants will respect or even look at your family! I'll make them be treated like they were the plague itself! They will be exiles in their own home! HAHAHAHA!"
Barely containing my rage I darkly say "In less than one minute you will beg me to end your miserable existence."
And before anything else I turn to Darius and nod to him. Understanding my signal he quickly said "I, Grand Vizier Darius Khan announce that the law of strength has been called and in accordance with that same law I will be the judge of this challenge. And I here by declare the battle to... BEGIN!"
As soon as Darius finished Xatherus charged with his Etherus steal saber coated in his second rank martial artist aura. Etherus steal is the only material in the world that can conduct the aura of a martial artist.
Due to his wrath he charged blindly and within a second he was only three meters away from me and that's when I used my divine power. My eyes changed, black tattoos appeared all over my fair skin, my hair grew longer and my strength skyrocketed. Seeing me use the divine power of the royal family everyone was astonished, including Xatherus who froze upon seeing this scene. Using this to my advantage I dash forward at lightning speed and I smashed my fist into his solar plexus. But that wasn't the end of it.
For the first time in this life I used the hell fire within me. As soon as my fist struck him I ordered the spark within me to use my arm as a bridge and enter the body of Xatherus! And enter his body it did.
He stumbled back a bit before he collapsed on the ground screaming in agony. This shocked everyone since from their perspective a fourteen year old boy simply threw one punch and a fully grown adult, who was even armed, fell while screaming in pain?!
But slowly when Xatherus's skin began to show signs of second and third degree burns they understood what happened. But being burned alive from the inside out was not all that he was suffering. He was also experiencing severe psychological torture as well! After all, hell fire's primary job is to punish people for their sins, and what better way to make people suffer than to show them their worst nightmare, or to continuously have them live the mistake they regretted most for all of eternity. This was a big reason why my family was so feared.
After twenty seconds of screaming and vomiting blood he lifted his pale head that was covered in snot, tears and viscera, as he said in a pitiful voice "Make it... stop." His prior demeanor of a proud prince no where to be seen.
I picked up his saber and I showed it to him while saying "You want it to stop? Then you know what to do."
He didn't even hesitate. He immediately began to beg "Please... please... just make it.... stop.... please, just kill me... please, kill me!"
And without any further ado I slashed his neck with his own saber. After which his mother fainted on the spot, but no one dared to help her. No one wanted to be on the future emperor's bad side.
Immediately afterward Abraham, Isaac, Horus, almost a hundred Palace Guard, and surprisingly even Darius all came up and stood beside me, as Abraham shouted loudly while releasing his nineth rank aura" Is their anyone here who is still unsatisfied with his majesty?"
As soon as he finished Isaac silently released his bloodlust, while Horus and Darius released their sixth rank aura and then the Palace Guard followed by releasing their fifth rank aura!
Under such an enormous pressure from so many experts who in their right mind would dare to object!? Everyone without exception bowed and saluted loudly "All hail! All hail! All hail!..."