From this chapter onward, the content may include mature themes. Some scenes and events may not be suitable for all audiences. Please remember, this is purely a work of fantasy and not based on real-life events or people
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As soon as the Holy Beast emerged, everything stopped.
Both humans and monsters inside the barrier froze in place, their eyes locked on the colossal creature above them.
According to legend, Holy Beasts were created from the Celestial Solmara's own blood.
They were said to be the wisest of beings.
Yet, this one was different.
The moment it awakened, it lost control, lashing out with feral aggression.
It attacked both monsters and humans indiscriminately, its massive serpentine body tearing through the battlefield.
It tried to fly higher, but the barrier caged it in, trapping it like a wild beast in a pen.
Legion clenched his fists, willing himself to teleport into the camp, but nothing happened.
Even his Armor Knights, whom he had left inside his tent, were unresponsive.
It was as if his connection to them had been severed.
He could only sense one, the one he had left behind in the Empress's palace.
The Empress.
If he couldn't break the barrier, could she?
But she was unwell.
Legion swallowed hard.
He couldn't do anything.
And the people around him, they wouldn't do anything.
This was their plan from the beginning.
Had they not seen his abilities, he would have been in that camp too.
Legion made a decision.
He teleported.
The moment Legion appeared inside the Empress's bedroom, he was met with a startled voice.
"Legion?!"
Delphine gasped in shock, nearly dropping the Empress's robes that she had been preparing.
The bath chamber doors were slightly open, Ceres was bathing, and Grandma Morgana was helping her.
Legion ignored all sense of propriety and walked straight inside.
"Your Highness, there is a problem."
Ceres, still submerged in the warm water, raised a brow when she saw Legion's disheveled and distressed appearance.
"What problem?" she asked, her voice calm.
"It's a slaughter." Legion's words were fast, urgent.
"The Duke, the Saintess, and the knights… they've created a barrier, caging the commoners inside. A portal opened inside the camp, and monsters poured out... "
Ceres's eyes darkened.
"... and then, the Holy Beast appeared."
Legion's jaw clenched.
"I cannot teleport inside the barrier." His voice was low, filled with restrained fury. "And my connection to my Armor Knights inside it has been cut off."
Ceres was already standing before he could finish.
Soap suds clung to her skin, water dripping from her body.
"Delphine, my robe!"
Without hesitation, Delphine rushed inside, draping the Empress in a satin robe.
Ceres turned to Grandma Morgana, her expression unwavering.
"Morgana, take care of the palace while I'm gone."
The old woman nodded, her face tense with worry.
"Let's go." Ceres grabbed Delphine's hand, then looked at Legion.
Legion didn't waste a second.
With one command, he teleported all three of them to the islet where the Duke stood.
As soon as they arrived, Ceres swayed slightly, dizziness taking over her body.
Her HP was down to 39 already.
But she forced herself to remain steady.
They stood on an elevated position, allowing Ceres to see the Frozen Sea below.
Her golden eyes immediately locked onto the barrier, and the devastation happening within.
Inside, a massive dragon-like beast, its body reminiscent of the Chinese dragons from Earth's myths, was rampaging.
It attacked everything in sight, tearing through monsters and humans alike.
There was no reason behind its destruction.
It was simply lashing out, like a blind animal caught in a trap.
Ceres clenched her fists.
'Ori, what's happening?'
'It is the Holy Beast of the North, Your Highness.'
'Why does it look like it doesn't know what it's doing? Do they attack humans?'
'It is under a curse. It has forgotten what and who it is. It smells blood, a trigger for a spell that could unbind its curse.'
Ceres's breath hitched.
Her eyes darted back to the carnage below.
People were dying.
Some were fighting off the monsters, others were desperately trying to escape the dragon's attacks, but the beast had no control.
"Oh my god…"
Delphine covered her mouth, horror evident in her eyes.
Then, Ceres turned to Duke Aurelian, fury burning in her gaze.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Her voice boomed through the air, echoing across the islet.
"YOU'RE SLAUGHTERING YOUR OWN PEOPLE!"
The Duke did not flinch.
"This is a small sacrifice for the kingdom," Saintess Xul answered instead.
Her voice was soft, gentle, but her narrowed eyes betrayed her irritation at the mysterious woman who had suddenly appeared with the Celestial Knight.
More than anything, she hated the way Legion held her, as if she was something precious.
"An outsider like you," Xul said with disdain, "would never understand."
Ceres's lips curled into a smirk.
"Outsider?"
Her tone was deadly.
"You call me an OUTSIDER, you bitch?"
Then, she stepped forward.
Saintess Xul, who was a foot shorter than her, was forced to look up.
Ceres's aura burned like wildfire.
"I am the Empress."
A hush fell over the group.
Even Duke Aurelian stiffened, his eyes widening slightly.
"My influence in court may be weak, but I am still the Empress."
Ceres's voice was low, dripping with power and authority.
"And I outrank every single one of you."
She turned her gaze toward the mages who continued their chanting.
They held their staffs high, reinforcing the barrier.
Ceres's eyes burned with an undeniable authority.
"Bring down the barrier."
Her voice was calm, yet absolute.
"Or I will break it myself."
Yet none of the mages obeyed.
They continued chanting, their voices unwavering. The knights, on the other hand, stared in disbelief at the woman before them.
This beautiful, commanding stranger, was their Empress?
Even Duke Aurelian could not believe it.
The woman before him now, radiant, powerful, standing tall and unyielding, was nothing like the Empress he had rejected two years ago.
Back then, he had taken one look at her and found her too fat, too unworthy, and cast aside their engagement without a second thought.
His father had taken her instead, making her his stepmother, despite her being ten years younger than him.
And yet, his True Hearing ability recognized her words as truth.
This woman, this ethereal woman, was Ceres Evadne Valeria, Empress of Aquilonis.
Aurelian's chest tightened.
"I said, bring down the barrier!" Ceres shouted again.
"You cannot do anything about the barrier!" Saintess Xul snapped, her face contorted in anger.
"Even if the mages here stop chanting, the barrier will not fall as long as one mage on the other islets continues."
She turned to Legion with mocking confidence.
"And the Celestial Knight cannot possibly teleport to the other islets, since he has never been there before."
Ceres's gaze turned icy, sweeping over the knights, especially the Holy Knights.
"And you call yourselves holy?" Her voice was cold, cutting like a blade.
"You, who should be protecting the weak?"
Her gaze snapped back to Aurelian.
"It's a good thing your father is dead."
Aurelian stiffened, his jaw tightening.
"What a disappointment you are."
Her words carried pure, seething disgust.
Aurelian stiffened.
For some reason, those words stung more than they should have.
He wasn't angry at her, no, he should be furious.
But instead, there was a sinking feeling in his chest.
The Empress was disappointed in him.
And for some reason, he could not accept that.
Ceres turned back to the camp below, her mind racing.
'Ori, can I kill the Holy Beast?'
'No, Your Highness.'
'Can I kill the monsters instantly?'
'No, Your Highness. Instant kill and instant rebirth is forbidden using any of your gifts.'
'But I can still kill, right?'
'Yes. As long as it's not instant.'
Ceres's eyes narrowed before turning to Legion.
"You have fifty minutes. Make it count."
Legion nodded, his face unreadable.
Then, without hesitation, Ceres spoke again.
"Barrier, break."
Her Silver Tongue activated.
The barrier shattered instantly.
Gasps rippled through the mages.
Even Celion, the High Court Magician, froze in shock.
Not even the Holy Beast could break that barrier.
And yet, this woman, claiming to be the Empress, had torn it apart with a single command.
Ceres staggered slightly, her breath hitching.
That had cost her five HP.
"Your Highness!" Delphine called out in alarm, reaching for her.
But Ceres shook off her concern.
"Now!" she commanded.
The moment the barrier fell, Legion teleported immediately to the camp below.
And in his place, an Armor Knight materialized, standing at the Empress's side, protecting her and Delphine.
But the monsters far outnumbered the humans.
Even with Legion in the fight, the casualties were too high.
Ceres had no choice.
She activated her ability again.
"Monsters, freeze."
Her Silver Tongue activated once more.
From their vantage point, everyone on the islet saw it.
The monsters suddenly stopped, as if they had been suspended in time.
A moment of shocked silence followed.
Then, a battle cry erupted from the humans below.
Seizing the chance, they launched a counterattack, striking down the frozen monsters with ease.
The camp exploded into action, foot soldiers, adventurers, and commoners took up weapons, cutting down the motionless beasts.
Blood splattered across the ice.
On the islet, Aurelian and his people stared in stunned disbelief.