For the first time since his arrival, Ube’s face contorted into a frown, and his pulse quickened. He could ignore everything…beside those four words.
Alas, he couldn’t form a retort. And as he floundered within his mind, a peal of laughter rang from Helmut’s lips.
“Hahahaha! Well said.”
Helmut guffawed, and at Ube’s astonishment, rose from his knees to stand straight like an arrow. Blood still trickled from his lips, but the purple veins covering his snow-white flesh no longer pulsed, and his eyes shone with battle will!
“But Elia, rebels and other treacherous creatures will always find the means to justify their insurgence. Arguing with them is pointless.
Like father said, if you want something, snatch it! Whatever stands in your way, smack it! You need no reason but Will and Ability!”
*BOOOM!*
Alongside Helmut’s proclamation, his devil force erupted, sending Ube, his familiar, and the four treacherous eunuchs spiraling backward to crash against the wall!
But even the pain of the impact couldn’t grab Ube’s attention, for he was startled to see Helmut’s cultivation not merely back, but breaking through to the late-stage of the Heart Devil Realm!
“How…how can this be?”
He stammered, unable to believe his eyes. Why could Helmut whose Devil Heart’s control lay in his hands, break his influence and instantaneously break through? What sorcery was this?
“Foolish creature. Have you learned nothing from father?”
Helmut began while taking casual steps toward his befuddled brother.
“The Heart is the Dao, and the foundation of the Devil Road. If the heart doesn’t flinch, doesn’t bend, doesn’t crackle, and remains as inflexible as a mountain, none can pervert it! A Devil tames and rules his demons but is never ruled by them! With your paltry Devil Will, how could you possibly assume control of my unwavering Devil Heart?!”
Helmut snapped, and threw a casual palm strike!
*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*
Devil force erupted and shockwaves unfurled as six black light palms flew at the rebels, directly turning the four traitors into blood fog! The familiar burst into light particle!
Alarmed by the blow’s might, and before it could reach him, Helmut released the power of his Epoch Writing Quill upon the two but was startled to see it drop from the sky and land without a sliver of Devil Force! His jaw almost dropped on the ground…
*BOOM*
…And a massive black palm slammed right into him, encasing his form deeper into the wall!
At that time, in a twister of silver light, a man appearing in his early twenties with shoulder-length silver hairs and eyes of Paragon Spirits landed.
Seeing him, Ube surged with hope while Elia and Helmut’s eyebrows rose in consternation.
“Adoptive brother?”
Helmut uttered, for indeed, that man was Yvonne’s adoptive son and chief of staff, Wenzel von Jurgen. Although in the moments before Olrich executed him, Wenzel’s Dao Heart was sublimated, and now fully apt to complete Devil Conversion, Konrad never gave him the chance.
The reason? Vindictiveness. For Yvonne’s sake and his own 180-degree turn, Konrad could resurrect and have him serve in the Dynasty. But to give a Devil Seed to a former male enemy was out of question. If he did, then the Kvass, the von Jurgen, von Gradl and all those former and future enemy houses related to his consorts were qualified for such treatment.
That just wasn’t feasible. Not keeping them six feet under was mercy enough. Still, having eaten his fill of God-Fruits, Wenzel now stood at the early-stage of the Nihility God Rank as a high ranking official.
“You’ve come at the right time! Let’s join hands to dispose of Helmut, and from now on, the empress will only have you as her son! As planned, from then on, becoming a Devil will be a matter of a few words!”
Ube exclaimed, revealing the connection between the two. For indeed, it was thanks to Wenzel’s assistance that he could so easily gain access to Helmut. And from their words, Helmut understood the how and why?
However, his eyes showed no ripple.
“With what will you rewrite the Truth of today?”
Wenzel simply asked while ignoring Ube to keep his eyes locked on the quill. Returned to that reality, Ube trembled in distress.
“Why, why isn’t it working? Is it because of my cultivation base? But my seal should…”
“…should allow you to control a substantial portion of its might. However, there is one prerequisite.”
Wenzel began, cutting Ube mid-talk.
“You can’t target another Devil Seal bearer. Not just them. In fact, you can’t target anyone your heart recognizes as a member of the imperial family, unless of course, they’re threatening you. His majesty is the only able to use the Devil Artifacts he crafted against imperial kin.
This is a secret known only by high-ranking officials. A secret his majesty kept suppressed to lure you into action.”
Wenzel clarified, causing Ube’s and Elia’s eyes to widen in disbelief. Helmut, however, remained impassible. Such development stood within his expectations. And after some thinking Elia also realized the problem where it lay. There was no way Verena would have given Ube the Epoch Writing Quill without their father’s consent, and there was no way Konrad, a master-schemer and Realm Ruler, couldn’t see the truth of his second son’s heart.
From the moment that artifact landed in Ube’s hands, he was doomed to fail. And indeed, they were right. Now understanding the ploy, Ube cackled like a fool.
“Played, he played me from the start.”
He realized with soaring indignation.
“His majesty is the talent of an era and the founder of a dynasty. You mock his strength at your age, but he started cultivating at seventeen. When his cultivation still lay in the Arch Rank, he was successfully plotting against Saints.
At the Saint Rank and the mere age of eighteen, he conned the leading Sages and unified half this world in one dynasty. At the Star Taming Stage, he trampled Higher Realm elites and thirty years later, built his own cultivation path, crushed the Mortal Realm Will and established our Chthonian Realm.
That, is a hegemon, a peerless conqueror with legendary achievements. How could you possibly compare? You are nothing but a boy, inflated by the might of his blood, with more ambitions than abilities. Who across the Chthonian Realm would possibly side with you to go against the Profane Prince?”
Wenzel appraised, and as if echoing his words the piles of carcasses and remains of the seven eunuchs rose to return to flawless bodies – whose eyes opened with renewed life. Instantaneously, without needing any info, they all knelt toward Helmut.
“Eldest prince, please forgive our play, we were merely acting on his majesty’s orders!”
They exclaimed and kowtowed for forgiveness. Now, even Helmut’s eyes widened. But before he could reply, the scenery changed, and Wenzel, Elia and Helmut all reappeared within a room they knew all too well.
A gargantuan marble hall at the end of which stood a massive golden throne seized their vision. And on that throne, a man dressed in a golden robe embroidered with a nine-headed nightmarish jade reptile sat with his hands resting on his thigh:
The emperor, the Profane Prince, Konrad. And as his closed eyes opened to nail the four, they felt the tyrannical pressure of ten thousand worlds and the burgeoning might of an awakening dragon oppress them where they stood!
Instantaneously, they dropped on their knees to proclaim:
“Greetings, your august majesty!”
“Greetings, imperial father!”
