Chapitre 23: My Godmother's Love is Unrivaled

"My lady, please don't!"

"HALT!" The moment Cassandra returned, triggering that succession of atmospheric disasters, the higher-ups of house Astalon set out, bolting towards their matriarch. The sight of Cassandra about to stomp the Chief Court Attendant's skull into a mess of burning blood and bone debris scared them out of their wits. And from Duke Luther to the elder nobles, all rushed towards Cassandra, casting force fields of raw Sid in a desperate attempt to stop their leader from causing a disaster.

At the same time, ten templars with scarlet armor and black capes dropped from the sky, surrounding Cassandra in another force field. The aura force field was a common ability among strong templars. But the difference between the Astalon higher-ups' forcefield and these 10 armored men's was like the gap between a dwarf and a redwood tree.

And how else could it be when these were vice-commanders of the Royal Guards? Ranking only under the commanders that led the king's strongest army.

This was the day the 3,000 royal guards, including their officers, were supposed to join the Astalon for the Springtime City assignment. Their leaders had arrived early, hoping to clarify the expectations and power balance with the Astalon higher-ups.

But never did they expect that before they'd get a chance to straighten things up, Cassandra would light her house on fire, about to crush the head of the Chief Court Attendant for all to see.

These vice-commanders didn't care about why or how Honoria had offended Cassandra. But there was no way in hell they could allow the Queen Mother's favorite to get killed under their nose—to say nothing that several of these men were Honoria's admirers, hoping to marry her since the Crown Prince couldn't.

The forcefield cast by the ten high-ranking officers overshadowed the Astalon's efforts, crashing into Cassandra's shoulders like rolling boulders, and stopping her dead in her tracks.

"Lady Cassandra, please restrain your anger. No matter how Lady Honoria has offended you, she is, after all, the Chief Court Attendant of the royal palace and the Queen Mother's most beloved attendant. What you're doing right now is no different from smacking your king in the face and humiliating his mother.

Can House Astalon…face the consequences of such offenses?" The leading officer asked in a rhetorical tone. But here, Cassandra bit her lower lip, causing a burst of orange and purple flames to blast throughout the courtyard, lighting plants on fire as walls of heat smashed into the vice-commanders, sending them crashing towards the ground.

With another burst of elemental energies, Cassandra hurtled into the air, riding trails of fire as she kicked at the leading officer's skull—it cracked instantly, bursting into blood and gore.

Cassandra whirled to the side, unsheathing her flaming greatsword and hacking at another officer's neck, beheading him with no effort.

"Cassandra, are you insane?!"

"My lady…stop! Stop!" The Astalon higher ups broke into tears. The eight remaining vice commanders couldn't believe it. And yet this was the truth. In broad daylight, Cassandra was murdering officers of the royal guard!

She had committed high treason!

But Cassandra refused to stop the madness, and with a shrill cry, turned into a hurricane of blinding flames, rotating like a twister as she tore through the vice commanders and ripped them all to shreds!

The ten vice commanders sent by the king himself to act as Astalon backup in Springtime City…all murdered by Cassandra!

"Dead…we're all dead. House Astalon's thousands of years of glory will end today!

Cassandra…you hateful wife! What was the crime? What was it that made you forget common sense and doom my house to extermination? Why…why couldn't you compromise?!" Luther snapped, falling on his knees, and banging his fists on the floor.

None could blame him. The royal guard was an extension of the king, and its officers all men treated by Gaiseric like blood brothers. It was no exaggeration to say that the royal guard's vice-commanders and commanders were closer to Gaiseric than his own brothers and children.

But ten of them had been brutally murdered by the Astalon matriarch.

This was high treason. All out rebellion!

Gaiseric's rage would soon sweep through the Astalon doors, bringing that ancient ducal house to complete annihilation!

"If they want to come at me, they can come at me! But how dare they…touch my Mithras."

"I can't accept! Can't forgive it! But you want me to compromise? Is that a joke?!" Here, Cassandra paused, summoning another flaming sword in her left hand, and looking towards the sky.

"You think this is the end? I am only getting started and will not stop before the bitch that sent Honoria to my house has been reduced into a burning pile of bones!

YOU HEAR ME GAISERIC?! HAVE YOUR MOTHER WASH HER NECK AND PREPARE HER COFFIN! BECAUSE I'M COMING…TO SLICE THAT WHORE INTO TEN THOUSAND PIECES!" As tides of blinding flames erupted from her form, Cassandra screamed at the sky, her voice booming...throughout Flameheart City.

All templars of the royal capital looked towards the sky, watching a blazing bolt shoot out of House Astalon and smash into the royal palace!

Cassandra didn't just execute vice-commanders or threaten the country's leaders. Under the horrified eyes of all across the capital, the matriarch broke into the palace, beheading all in her way as she carved open a bloody road towards Gaiseric and Vel'Asha.

"Prepare the strict minimum. We will flee Flameheart City and take Arian to the Red Cloud Theocracy." Duke Luther ordered, and realizing they'd have to abandon the weakest members of the house to move as quickly as possible, the elder nobles lowered their heads—sighing in a mix of shame and frustration.

Still, they didn't waste a second, for just like their duke, these nobles were convinced that House Astalon no longer had a future in the Blood Smelting Kingdom.

After all, King Gaiseric…was the number one templar of the Blood Smelting Kingdom: at the 12th level of Great Expansion!

Only one man on the scene didn't lose confidence: Mithras. But as he watched Cassandra flip the nation upside down for his sake, the Human Aphrodisiac's heart skipped a beat.

"Damn…she really does love me."

<Reward...reward!>