Alongside Astarte, Konrad stepped into the room where the harem members he handpicked to follow him into the tower awaited with Yvonne's other Pure Self.
There, Jasmine, Iliana, Daphne, Faidra, Aliki, Freya, Zamira and Lena sat crossed legged in silent cultivation. Having seen the countless beauties that filled Konrad's halls, Astarte was unalarmed and now understood why her makeover was necessary.
Still, she was forced to admit that those who gathered within this room were a step above the rest.
Yvonne, especially stood out, with an oppressive aura that enforced obedience and commanded respect. As soon as the two stepped in, the ladies' eyes opened and fell onto them.
"Ladies, Astarte, Astarte, ladies. She is the last member of our congregation."
Having already been briefed on their next destination by the avatars. None were startled and knew precisely why they gathered.
"Greetings, mistresses!"
Astarte said with a polite bow.
But hearing that greeting, most of the ladies frowned. Usually, the women Konrad bothered introducing were bound to hold significant status within the harem. None would call them "mistresses."
And indeed…
"Wrong. I am your master, yes, but they're your sisters. You only need to bow to the head consort and me. The rest, you treat like equals.
Understood?"
Though surprised, Astarte quickly adjusted.
"As you wish, master."
She replied with a vigorous nod. Konrad then motioned for her to sit, and she executed.
More experienced, in matters of warfare, Zamira could see that although the girl seemed mild and obedient, a strange battle-intent was slowly building within her.
Konrad then waved his hand, and in a purple haze, five of his harem avatars appeared beside him.
Seeing the five identical versions of her master, Astarte was startled. But as she recalled all his supernatural abilities, her surprise lessened.
"Let's repeat the script."
"I will keep the Serkar bodyguards for unexpected occurrences and carry on with our grand preceptor work."
Said the first one.
"I will get the imperial duke insignias back from Krann and have him maim the tenth elder to give the appearance of an arduous escape. Alongside the wounded tenth elder, we will then return to the Holy Flame Empire to carry on with our quest.
We will have the Holy Flame spies we subdued coordinate with our version of the story. Of course, I will also be using the Transformation Skill to fake a Grand Priest cultivation."
The second one continued.
"I will use the Transformation Skill to disguise myself into a eunuch and infiltrate the Earth Kingdom Alliance's royal palace to repeat the old scheme, silently taking over the harem."
"I will do the same in Great Void."
"And I in Prosperous Wind."
"When we successfully take control of the harems, we poison the monarchs and problematic heirs, then make queen and empresses dowagers to control the Earth Alliance, Prosperous Wind and Great Void's political scenes from the shadows!
Deadline, one month!"
Konrad nodded.
"Good, all required resources will be set aside. As for the Holy Flame Empire, after my return from the tower, I will personally deal with the final assault."
With that said, he stepped forward, then turned to sweep the gathered avatars.
"Failure is…"
"…not in our vocabulary."
Alongside his five avatars, Konrad declared. They then vanished in purple hazes, preparing to tackle their tasks.
Witnessing this scene, even the likes of Jasmine and Iliana who were used to the Avatars' strange connection couldn't help but feel perplexed.
"Now girls, it's time to cultivate. Those who need bloodline upgrades will have their bloodlines upgraded.
Those who need better physiques will receive better physiques.
For the next month, we'll have to work extra deep and hard. Emphasis on the deep and hard parts. Things may get messy, but you'll have to persevere!"
Konrad seriously said.
"Shameless!"
"Scoundrel!"
"Immoral!"
"Unredeemable!"
"Villain!"
"Rogue!"
They all cursed one after the other. However, when it came to Daphne's turn…
"Well-said! No matter how wet and sloppy things get, we should persevere!"
Instantly, all curses stopped, and several pairs of eyes shifted toward her.
"What?"
She innocently asked, as if she'd said nothing to justify those stares. But then, all recalled that it was Daphne, and immediately stopped caring.
…
Meanwhile, within the Holy Flame Empire's imperial palace, the seventh, the eighth, and the eleventh von Jurgen elders were having their blood essence siphoned by Adelar.
Within his room, they hovered in the air with blood chains going straight from their hearts to his.
All had fallen into a comatose state that prevented any scream from bypassing their lips.
In silence, Adelar sat crossed-legged and refined their blood essence, using it to polish the imperfections within his cultivation.
The intensity of his aura incessantly rose, and following three days of refining, the three elders were sucked dry, turning into mummy-like corpses.
The blood chains left their chests, and they tumbled onto the ground before vanishing in dust. Laurens, who bore witness to this scene, couldn't stop shivering.
"You say our ninth brother returned?"
"Y-yes. Using the token bestowed by father, the tenth elder desperately fought to secure their escape and successfully brought him back."
Laurens replied to Adelar's question. Hearing this, he sneered.
"Rubbish. I'm afraid our tenth elder no longer serves the von Jurgen banner. But it's fine."
Gathering the blood fog surrounding him, Adelar stood up.
Closing his eyes, he connected his soul to both his mind slaves and willing retainers.
"Dear servants, loyal retainers, the time has come for us to emerge from the shadows.
On this day, I, Adelar von Jurgen, make my bid for the imperial throne!
All those who answer to my will, gather, and alongside me, overthrow the fatuous ruler named Olrich von Jurgen!"
The mental message spread through the minds of all Adelar's followers within the imperial palace.
And instantaneously, hundreds of light beams flew from various corners of the imperial palace to drop before Adelar's chambers.
Emotionlessly, he stepped out, and all dropped on their knees.
"Master, please lead us to free the country of Olrich von Jurgen's tyranny!"
The head of the imperial guard exclaimed, and all others repeated after him.
"To the emperor's palace!"
Adelar roared, and alongside all his Semi-Saints and Saint retainers, turned into a beam of light to shoot toward Olrich's palace where he currently was holding court with Konrad's avatar by his side.
"The Profound Sea Dynasty's silent involvement has been causing us many issues. Should we…"
An official began but at that time…
*BOOM*
A massive, grey lightning bolt descended from the sky and slammed the throne hall from above!
The bolt struck the middle of the road separating the two rows of officials, triggering an explosion that sent them all flying against nearby walls.
"AAARGH!"
They wailed in agony.
Both Konrad and Olrich were startled.
"Bold! Who dares?"
Olrich snapped and turned into a grey beam of light to shoot toward the sky.
"I!"
A voice thundered from the clouds. Immediately, the sky was corrupted by the appearance of grey and blood clouds.
Alongside his troops, Adelar descended from the heavens, stopping before Olrich with the hundreds of Semi-Saints and Saints slaves and turncoats by his side.
Among them, Olrich could name many elders and even his imperial guard commander.
His face contorted into a frown.
"Adelar, Adelar, you finally can't hold back?
Are you trying to force your father into abdication?"
Olrich asked in a scornful yet level tone. His words seemed to cause no ripple on Adelar who just eyed him with indifference.
"Abdication? No father, I don't want your abdication. I loathe you too much for that.
Today, I want two things.
A) Your throne.
B) Your Life!"
But as he spoke, Adelar's indifference was quickly cast aside to reveal soaring rage and hatred.
"However, unlike you, I don't want to seize my throne with an underhanded scheme. I must seize it in a flagrant, glaring, and flamboyant manner.
Olrich von Jurgen, dare you fight me?!
One against one, man against man!
If you have the gals, unsheathe your sword and allow me to vent centuries of resentment!"
Adelar roared, and his vast holy force erupted alongside the words that resounded throughout the Holy Flame City!
And in a flash, all knew that the second von Jurgen prince rebelled!
The rumbling of Adelar's voice alarmed the Holy Flame City's denizens, and all forces' attention fell onto the imperial palace.
Saint-level experts locked their holy sense on the palace, eager to witness the events unfold. But strangely, as Adelar's blood aura exploded alongside his holy force, though they could feel its tyrannical intensity, none could spot the demonic energy signature concealed within.
…
Within the Holy Flame Church, the dowager, Amalia Kvass and the head exarch, Gerhard Herberger observed the scene from afar.
"Interesting. Never did I expect that the second prince concealed such formidable strength. I'm afraid that without the Holy Flame Seal's assistance, Olrich is simply not his match.
And even then, since he dares rebel, he must have some trump cards. We may very well welcome a new holy emperor today. Amalia, your descendants are truly outstanding."
Gerhard appraised with an inexpressive look that gave no insight into his emotions. His eyes then turned toward Amalia who stood silent at his left, her gaze cold, and unfeeling.
"One is your son, the other is your grandson. Don't you wish to intervene? After all, only one can live to see the morrow."
Gerhard asked. However, his voice seemed to provoke no reaction within Amalia's chilling face.
"Filial piety is the first virtue.
Being unfilial, the first vice.
He who aims his sword at his progenitor's neck, should not exist in this world."
Amalia coldly replied, then with a sweep of her sleeve, she turned heels and vanished in a grey haze to return to secluded cultivation.
From her words, Gerhard clearly understood that as far as she was concerned, the victor mattered not.
Perhaps deep down, she even hoped they could both kill one another or at the very least, that Olrich perished at his son's hand.
…
In the deepest recesses of the imperial palace, the top von Jurgen expert, Adalwin, sat crossed-legged with his eyes shut close. Dazzling light swirled around his form while faint star force brewed within his energy center.
But as Adelar's words echoed, Adalwin's ancient eyes opened, and his holy sense swept the scene. Seeing the contenders, no ripple flashed on his face, and ignoring the scene, he returned to the pursuit of Star Connection.
…
"Clearly, the previous emperor must be cursing his descendants from the netherworld. Or could this be…the will of karma?"
Hubert wondered while observing the scene from afar.
"Adelar von Jurgen, please do the world a favor, and remove that shit stain father of yours from the face of the Ancient Crystal World."
…
But while many were starting to bet on Adelar's imminent victory, others remained skeptical.
With her cultivation chambers, Else sat crossed-legged with her holy sense locked on the scene.
Before her, another woman sat, legs crossed within an armchair. Konrad could effortlessly recognize her as Gulistan, his mother.
'Won't you intervene? After all, he's his grandson."
Else asked Gulistan who observed the distant scene with a smile.
"So what if he is? The daughter was crippled and expelled by her own father. Does such a grandfather still care about his grandson? Whether he even knows of his existence is a matter of debate."
Gulistan replied with an amused smile. However, Else disagreed.
"But he's different from his mother, with the talent he shows. Should the news reach him, he's bound to care."
"True, but it has nothing to do with me. If our dear Infernal Cult leader wishes to save his grandson, even from the Infernal Cult's headquarters, he can still save him.
Alas, the most defining traits of a perfect blood fiend are pride and callousness.
Those who cannot showcase such traits will always be seen as defects."
…
Facing Adelar's tyrannical aura, Olrich sighed and closed his eyes.
"Must it really come to this? For the sake of the throne, must the son rebel against the father? Is it always the way it has to be?"
Olrich asked, and for some reason, feeling the profound sorrow in his words, Konrad who observed the scene from the ground felt his words genuine.
But how could it be?
Stretching out his hand, Olrich summoned his holy energy sword. His eyes then returned onto Adelar who sneered at his words.
"Did the fear of death make you muddled? How laughable, don't you recall what you've taught me?"
Adelar stretched out his hand, causing vast blood fog to gather within his palm.
"Since you don't remember, allow me to remind you. Incomplete Armament!"
The blood fog morphed into a crimson longsword within which faint cracks could be seen.
Still, wielding it, Adelar's aura rose to a new level. The sky turned red, and in a crimson beam, he shot toward Olrich.
With his eyes full of pain and sorrow, Olrich turned into a grey light beam to meet his son's offensive.
*Clang*
In a ringing sound, their swords collided. Alas, the might behind Adelar's blow was too hard for Olrich to bear, and with one move, he flew backward.
"From the moment I could read and write, you've taken care of my education, arguably giving it more priority than to Elmar, your crown prince. However, what you imparted onto us was completely different.
And this what you taught me:
Rule number one: It's better for an emperor to be crooked than straight!"
Adelar roared, and not giving Olrich any time to breathe, he raised his sword, causing blood clouds to merge into a twenty-meters tall blood wolf that barreled into Olrich's dropping form!
"Rule number two: Your officials are either your pawns or your enemies!"
Before the blood wolf could smash into him, Olrich summoned six grey circles, casting a sixth circle spell that filled the cloud with a grey thunderstorm.
One massive lightning bolt descended, splitting the blood wolf in a resounding boom. Undisturbed, Adelar lowered his sword, and the mist formed by the wolf's destruction turned into dozens of larger wolves that bit Olrich from all sides!
"AAAARGH!"
He groaned in pain while blood gushed from his mangled flesh.
"Rule number three: Love is a felony. If you must love, love the weak. Love the helpless. Never love the mighty, or they shall be your doom!"
A massive conflagration erupted from Olrich's bloodied form, returning the wolves to mist. But before he could steady himself, Adelar's sword drew a perfect arc, firing a thirty-meters tall half-blood moon onto him.
"Rule number four: Friendship is a cardinal sin!
Number Five: Do not cherish your brothers, for one day you might find their swords at your back!"
Adelar roared in succession while firing dozens upon dozens of half-moons.
At first, Olrich could barely shoulder it. But soon, he became overwhelmed, and his body was torn by the myriad of sword slashes. Blood drenched his imperial robe.
And as it dripped, his sorrow deepened.
"Last, but not the least, number six: Greatness is defined by might and not righteousness. No one dares criticize the mighty, but all will trample on the feeble!
Therefore, son, to become the greatest, you don't have to be good. You just have to be unrivaled!
Those are all your words! Let's not even mention the enmity of slaying my helpless mother. Having raised me in such a manner, it would be strange if I didn't strive to butcher you!
Your hypocrisy sickens me!
Sixth Circle Spell: Incarnadine Sea!"
Horizontally holding his sword, Adelar conjured six red circles from which a gargantuan blood sea erupted to flood all that lied below.
Outmatched, Olrich knew that should he fail to turn the tide, this move would be the last.
With a wave of his hand, he summoned the Holy Flame Seal. Wielding it, his aura rose to a new level, and a sea of white flames formed above his head to meet Adelar's blood sea.
*BOOM*
The two forces canceled out, causing a massive explosion to propel the two parties backward.
Stabilizing himself mid-flight, Olrich again closed his eyes.
"Indeed. Those are all my words, and you really are…my good son."
And Konrad who witnessed this scene couldn't help but frown while a great sense of foreboding welled up within his chest.
…
Within the imperial palace's cold quarter, recalling Konrad's words, Nils was currently rushing toward her brothers who sat crossed-legged in confinement.
With the chaos overtaking the imperial palace, no one cared to bare her path. Unblocked, she barged in, rapidly reached the area where the two remained and slammed the door to gain attention.
"Elder brother, I know you've reached the ninth step of the Semi-Holy Rank! Since father doesn't restrict your cultivation, nothing can stop you from escaping!
So, escape, fast! Break-out and lead Holger out of the imperial palace! Otherwise, we are all doomed to destruction!"
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