The time is gradually approaching the end of June.
The annual Holy Sacrifice Ceremony is about to begin. Pulpits have been set up at the entrances of many churches and monasteries, potted Holy Light roses have been placed, and props required for the Holy Communion ceremony have been prepared.
The streets of the Holy City also seemed more lively, with many more outsiders.
Most of these outsiders are ascetic monks, priests and nuns, a few are civilians, and there are also some foreign nobles who wear the sacred emblem of the goddess on their chests.
Some of these people come from other cities in the St. Joan Empire, and some come from other countries.
They are relatively devout believers who travel thousands of miles and travel across mountains and rivers just to participate in the church's most solemn annual holy ceremony.
The large influx of foreigners has inevitably brought about some chaos in public security management.
However, the citizens of the Holy City did not take this little commotion to heart. Firstly, they are also believers and are relatively friendly to believers from other places. Secondly, as citizens of the imperial capital, they all firmly believe that no one can do anything in the church. Something is happening at the base camp!
It was not that there weren’t bold devils and careerists who came here to make trouble in the past, but they all quickly turned into a handful of ashes under the stake...
However, contrary to everyone's expectations, today, in the early morning of June 29, a major event occurred that shocked the entire empire.
"Open the city gate, open the door quickly!"
Outside the west city gate, a paladin looked panicked and rushed to the city on horseback. Before he could get off his horse, he raised his head and shouted at the city wall, "Emergency, emergency!!
In the Duke’s Dominion of the Western Region of the Empire, Duke Samaresh’s family has been exterminated. Go and inform His Majesty the King..."
"What?!"
"Such a thing can happen!"
The soldiers and generals guarding the city were shocked.
Duke Samares, the brother of Emperor Ugo, is nicknamed "Storm Hammer". He is also a king-level powerhouse. He is a powerful and prestigious figure in the entire Saint Joan Empire.
It is really unbelievable that such a big shot was killed in his own territory, and it was a murderous crime.
The news soon spread throughout the Holy City at an alarming speed, triggering an eight-magnitude earthquake that filled the sky.
"Hey, have you heard? The emperor's brother, Duke Samaresh, was killed last night. There is no one left alive in the entire Duke's castle!"
"Oh my God, how is this possible? Duke Samaresh is a king-level man!"
"I heard that there was no movement at all from the Duke's Castle last night. It was only this morning that something unusual was discovered. The Duke's family and the servants were all dead. Their bodies were placed outside the castle. Duke Samaresh's head was cut off. Coming down..."
"Who can do such a thing? Even those demigods may not have such ability!"
"It's a bit outrageous. With the strength of Duke Samaresh and the formation in the castle, who can kill him so easily? Is there a demon giant taking action?"
"The sky is going to change..."
There was a hustle and bustle in the city. From the princes and nobles to the traffickers and footmen, they were all discussing this matter. Even the top leaders of the church were alarmed.
Renne, who lived in seclusion in the monastery, soon learned the news from Miss Mireille.
Ren sat on the sofa, picked up the tea cup, rubbed the slightly warm porcelain cup with his palm, and frowned:
"Duke Samares? The Emperor's younger brother?"
"Yes."
Mireyou put on a military uniform, wearing silver armor and a feathered helmet. She stood in the living room with a serious expression on her pretty face. "This is very strange. A king died like this. Yesterday There wasn't even any movement at night.
Even if a demon giant takes action, it may not be able to kill Duke Samaresh silently, leaving him unable to even struggle or call for help, unless——"
"Unless the murderer is far more powerful than Duke Samaresh, and has strong means, or even a surprise, without giving him time to react."
Renn said seriously.
If it were a demon giant like the Blood God Meredith, Lord Wolf, or the Great Demon King, they would certainly be able to kill him easily.
It's a bit difficult to kill a high-level legendary strongman without making any noise.
If it were him, if he sneaked over, he would be able to kill him with one blow.
In other words, the person who killed the Duke may be no less powerful than him.
This is a bit scary.
Ren was thinking about the impact and significance of this incident and said:
"What do the church and the Singer family think?"
"The church believes that a demon giant has entered the territory of the empire, and must send strong men to the west. The royal family's actions are even bigger. Your Majesty is very angry. He has summoned the ministers and the legendary strong men in the holy city. Do you want to go?"
Miss Mireyu asked.
"Let's go and take a look."
Ren picked up the windbreaker jacket on the table, put it on, boarded the four-wheeled carriage driven by Mireyou himself, and headed towards the Storm Palace.
This matter has caused such a big fuss, and given his strength and position, it would be unjustifiable for him to go there, and he had to say a few words and express his stance.
…………
The Storm Palace, the political hall.
The hall is paved with smooth marble floors inlaid with complex golden patterns, symbolizing the nobility and glory of the royal power. Huge chandeliers hang from the high ceilings, and the light shines through the exquisite crystal glass, illuminating the The whole hall.
Portraits of kings from past dynasties hang on the walls. Each painting depicts the king's bravery and wisdom. The picture frame is inlaid with precious gems and gold, adding to the luxury and solemnity of the palace.
At the end of the hall is a tall throne, inlaid with various gems and metals, shining brightly.
This is the throne that belongs to the king and symbolizes his power and status.
At this time, Emperor Ugo was sitting on the throne plated with holy silver, holding the armrests of the seat with his big hands. His face was extremely gloomy, and his eyes were filled with anger.
This made all the ministers remain silent.
The emperor's brother died and his family was wiped out. There was no one left alive in the entire Duke's castle.
There is no doubt that this is a provocation to His Majesty the Emperor, the Singer family, and even the entire empire!
The graceful Queen Isabel was sitting on the queen's throne at the lower side of the hall. Her snow-white Hao wrists tightened the mink on her tight body, and she looked at her husband with a worried look on her face.
She was well aware of the close relationship her husband had with his brother.
Duke Samares has always been his brother's most die-hard supporter. Only by working together sincerely can the two brothers subdue other strong men in the family.
The death of his younger brother was definitely a blow to the emperor.
"You're all talking, why aren't you talking anymore!?"
The anger in Emperor Ugo's tone was uncontrollable, and the armrests of the metal throne he held in his big hands were whining and shaking. His sharp, lightning-like eyes swept across the ministers, and almost no one dared to look at him.
"My brother, Duke Samares, was probably killed early last night and his body was separated. Who do you think did it? And how should we deal with it?"
An important minister of the empire, the Duke of Giant Shields, took a step forward. He looked a bit ordinary. He was wearing heavy armor and had a heavy aura that was as immovable as a mountain.
He was very calm, his eyes were bright, and he said:
"Your Majesty, although there are still two kings in the western region of the empire, their strength is far inferior to that of Duke Samaresh. It is impossible to kill him silently.
Numerous top experts in the empire are all in the Holy City, and there are no suspicious ones. Therefore, we must first rule out the possibility of internal fighting within the empire. "
Emperor Ugo had no expression on his face and nodded. Although he was very angry at the moment, he also understood that the murderer did not come from within the empire.
Because there are only a few strong men who can kill his brother, and there is no suspicion.
The Duke of Giant Shield looked calm and continued: "Then there are top experts from other countries, and this possibility is also very small.
The only powerful country that has a bad relationship with the empire is Falorand, but on the eve of the national war, we have eased the relationship with Falorand, and they have no reason to take action.
And in the context of the current camp war, it is very unlikely that the other strongest human beings will take action.
The potential is minimal.
Therefore, the murderer must be someone from the dark camp! "
Everyone can think of these things, but they still need to be mentioned, as a matter of procedure.
"The murderer is undoubtedly from the dark camp!"
Emperor Ugo was not a fatuous and incompetent monarch. First he affirmed Duke Giant Shield's judgment, and then his face turned cold and he said in a cold voice, "Tell me, how should we deal with this matter next?"
"this……"
The Duke of Giant Shield hesitated for a moment and did not answer for the time being.
A general from the empire immediately stepped forward, looked serious, and said loudly:
"Killing the Duke of the Empire, a direct bloodline of the royal family, is a provocation to the entire empire. It must not be tolerated and must be responded to with the strongest possible means!
I suggest dispatching the Storm Legion and the Templar Knights, and organizing a group of high-level legends and demigods to surround and kill the murderer! "
This man was a hawkish general and one of the emperor's die-hard supporters. He was keenly aware that His Majesty planned to establish his authority this time, so he was the first to jump out and make iron-blooded remarks.
"No, I don't know if the murderer has left yet. This may be a trap or a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain."
Immediately a minister jumped out to refute.
"Moreover, tomorrow is the church's holy ceremony. If something like this happens, the security in and around the Holy City must be strengthened. The murder of Duke Samares by the murderer may be just the beginning."
There were also smart people among the ministers present, and some realized that the Duke's death might just be a precursor.
Maybe the dark camp will make other moves next, maybe even targeting the Holy City.
"You can refuse or cancel the Holy Sacrifice Ceremony, and first gather the strong men from the Holy City to go to the Western Region to surround and kill the demon giant." Someone suggested.
"No, this is absolutely not okay!"
A gray-haired cardinal stood up, with a trace of anger on his old face, and said resolutely, "The Holy Sacrifice Ceremony must not be canceled! No matter what happens, it must be held as scheduled!"
In the St. Joan Empire, divine power was still higher than royal power.
Don't say it's just a Duke who dies, it's the Emperor... ahem.
In short, the annual sacred ceremony to worship the goddess and pray for all people must be held as scheduled and cannot be canceled just because of this matter.
"Absurd! We must not postpone or cancel the Holy Sacrifice Ceremony. If this news spreads, won't it make people from all over the mainland think that we are afraid?"
"Yes, the enemy's methods are bloody and cruel, but the empire and the church are not easy to mess with!"
"Count Love, as a believer of the goddess, you actually made such a suggestion. Are you depraved?"
The suggestion to postpone or cancel the Holy Sacrifice was immediately met with fierce opposition from many ministers, and even those who proposed the opinion were attacked.
In the St. Joan Empire, the influence of the church was too great and there were many supporters.
Even if someone hates the church in his heart and does not believe in the goddess, he still has to show off on the surface.
Emperor Ugo listened to the quarrels and discussions of the ministers, his expression remained unchanged, but he felt even more unhappy in his heart.
Others thought that he, the emperor of the empire, was very majestic, but only he knew the aggrievedness in his heart. In the St. Joan Empire, the church was the sky, and the status and authority of the pope was far higher than that of the king.
In the eyes of these people, his brother's death was far less important than the festival to worship the goddess.
"Uncle, you must make the decision for our father!"
Seeing that many ministers were opposed to an immediate attack, several princes and princesses from the empire could not sit still and stood up to speak out for their father, Duke Samaresh.
They are not Ugo's biological children, but they are also serious princes and princesses.
This is also a characteristic of Saigon Continent. The children of the emperor himself and his brothers, as long as they are good enough and talented in cultivation, can obtain the status of princes and princesses, and even inherit the throne.
Just like Irene is only the cousin of Charles VI, but she is still the royal sister and the eldest princess, and she is still qualified to be the queen of Falorland, as long as she wants to.
The opinions of several imperial princes and princesses made the dispute more intense.
It's intense.
"How about we wait until the Holy Sacrifice Ceremony is over tomorrow, and then organize the strong men and troops to go to the Western Region, so that the people in the Holy See can have their hands free."
"By that time, the murderer will have already escaped!"
"Then attack immediately?"
"This is too reckless. What happened last night, maybe the murderer has escaped now."
"you……"
The ministers all had their own opinions, and no one could convince anyone.
"Quiet!"
Emperor Ugo looked at the noisy hall and slapped his hand on the armrest of the throne. With a "clang", the hall immediately became quiet.
He said in a cold tone:
"The Holy Sacrifice Ceremony cannot be cancelled, but the death of my brother, Duke Samaresh, cannot be left to this. Strong men must be dispatched to attack immediately!"
"this……"
A cardinal frowned and wanted to say something else.
But at this time, Emperor Ugo stood up from the throne with a loud sound. His face was cold, his eyes were flashing with green divine fire, and a majestic and domineering aura, comparable to the power of heaven and earth, poured out!
The divine power is mighty, like an abyss or a prison, sweeping across all directions!
Boom! !
Above the Storm Palace, in the clear blue sky, thunder suddenly broke out on a sunny day, and the sound shook for hundreds of miles. The howling force storm tore through the sky, stirred up the broken sea of white clouds, and turned into a huge storm vortex that slowly overturned. Down!
The whirlpool of the storm rotated, sparkling lightning, and the scene was like the sky falling.
The people in the holy city, especially the extraordinary ones, looked at the top of the palace in surprise.
What a powerful storm field!
Ren just arrived outside the palace at this time, got off the carriage, looked up at the storm vortex in the sky, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said in surprise:
"This kind of power is almost comparable to that of a giant. It seems that Ugo is usually quite tolerant."
Although Ugo is the emperor of the empire, he is not known for his strength. In the eyes of many people, he is at the level of an ordinary king or slightly stronger.
But at this moment, the power shown by this emperor was almost the same as that of Charlemagne before the national war, far beyond the expectations of outsiders.
"Your Majesty actually lit the divine fire a long time ago..."
Mireyu, the daughter of the Duke of Giant Shield and a native-born noble of the empire, was even more surprised. She opened her mouth slightly and looked at the powerful storm field above the palace in surprise, which contained immortal divine power.
As far as she knew, the soldier's father-in-law, Emperor Fitz II of the Nokman Empire, had not yet been promoted to demigod, at least not according to public information.
I didn't expect His Majesty Ugo to have such a talent. He is younger than Fitz II, only over a hundred years old, and he has already reached this point.
"Let's go."
Ren was very calm, quickly looked away, and strode into the Storm Palace.
Just a small scene.
Even if the emperor is stronger than the world thinks, this move may be to show off his muscles to scare someone, but to him now, it is just a trivial matter.
Ugo was definitely not targeting him anyway.
On the other hand, Miss Mireyou's expression was a little subtle, and she was constantly thinking about what political goals His Majesty wanted to achieve by showing off his strength, and who would gain power and who would be unlucky...
It can only be said that the ideas will be very different depending on the level and rank.
It is normal for strong men not to use their brains. For them, most troubles can be solved by force without calculation.
This wave of emperor flexing his muscles is obviously aimed at the church.
In the political hall, after Ugo stood up, the cardinal was under the greatest pressure. It was a bit difficult for him to straighten his back, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Ugo looked down at the ministers with bright eyes, and said in a steady voice:
"We can't just let this matter go. The royal family will invite a demigod to lead the Storm Legion. Duke of Shields and Duke Mars (Savage Duke), you two are traveling together. Is there any problem?"
"As you wish."
"Then I'll take a trip!"
Duke Giant Shield and Duke Savage were both a little surprised by the emperor's strength, but they quickly came to their senses and responded in unison.
"So, Bishop Stern, what does the church mean?"
Ugo's eyes were focused on the cardinal. Although his face was as usual and his tone was calm, in this scene, he was somewhat aggressive.
After a hundred years of forbearance, today he finally showed his edge.
Some ministers were secretly surprised.
The struggle between divine power and royal power has never stopped, but most of the time, the Holy See can firmly suppress the Singer family.
Even now, the emperor did not dare to go too far and took this opportunity to put some pressure on the church and force them to express their stance.
The wrinkles on Cardinal Stern's old face were wrinkled, his forehead was sweating, and his expression was a lot stiffer. Although he was also a mid-level legendary powerhouse, he was still prepared to face an emperor who had almost reached the level of a demigod giant. Hard work.
He forced a smile and said in a dry voice:
"Your Majesty, this is a serious matter. Please allow me to retire first and discuss it with the higher-ups of the Holy See."
"Then Bishop, please hurry up and inform Captain Richard and the Pope. I can't wait long here. I hope there will be a result before noon."
"I understand."
Cardinal Stern bowed slightly, saluted, and left in a hurry.
Everyone watched him leave with different expressions.
The Holy See usually doesn't pay much attention to the emperor, so even if it is a major meeting, the Holy See will send at most a cardinal who is about to retire to participate. When encountering major events, the bishop himself can hardly make a decision and has to inform the real senior officials.
Not long after, Ren, accompanied by Mireyou, arrived at the political hall.
"His Majesty!"
Miss Mireyou immediately took off her helmet, revealing her beautiful blond hair, and performed a knight's salute.
Ren was unmoved.
As the king of a country and the most powerful person in the human race, he does not need to salute anyone except in some diplomatic situations where he expresses politeness and friendship.
On the contrary, the ministers immediately put their hands on their chests, bowed slightly and said:
"Salute to you, great Star King!"
Ren waved his hand to say you're welcome, looked at the emperor, and said:
"Does your Majesty have any orders?"
"Don't dare."
Emperor Ugo immediately got down from the throne, forced a smile on his face, took his hand, and went to the side hall for talks.
But you can't show off in front of an immortal true god, the supreme human race.
There are still B numbers for this.
Perhaps when this young war leader secures his position as the commander of the Holy Alliance and is crowned the Human Emperor, he will salute in turn.
Some important ministers also followed him to the side hall.
"Your Highness Ren, will you take action?"
Ugo sat at the round table, picked up the hot water kettle, and personally made Lei a cup of black tea.
His attitude was obviously much more polite than last time, mainly because he was asking for help this time.
Ren picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said:
"I know what Your Majesty means. If the murderer has not left the empire after the Holy Sacrifice Ceremony, I will go and have a look."
"That's great."
The smile on Ugo's face became even more enthusiastic. He picked up the teapot and poured another cup of tea for Lei.
All the ministers were also happy and flattering.
"The military leader is righteous!"
"He is worthy of being the most powerful genius in the history of our human race. He is indeed broad-minded and full of responsibility!"
…
In fact, the death of Duke Samaresh really frightened many nobles in the empire.
They may stay in the Holy City for a long time, but their fiefdoms, family castles, wives and children are distributed in various cities in the empire.
The duke's family was wiped out with blood, and they couldn't stop the murderer, let alone their family.
It is precisely because they are afraid that the next person to suffer may be their own family, they just
To a certain extent, he sat back and watched the emperor put pressure on the Holy See.
Because they also hope that the royal family and church bosses will take action to expel or solve the murderer as soon as possible.
The soldier leader's words also made them breathe a sigh of relief and feel a lot more at ease.
This big boss had led Farrowland to win the national war and had just killed Palmer, the ancestor of the blood clan. They didn't believe it. When the leader of the army rushed over, the murderer still dared to stay in the empire.
After talking for a while, the guests and hosts were enjoying themselves. Emperor Ugo was very enthusiastic and finally sent Ren out of the palace himself.
Outside the palace gate, when the soldier leader got into the carriage, the heroic female knight Mireyou flicked the reins and drove the carriage away.
Ren's expression was neither happy nor worried. He opened the car curtain, looked at the slightly gloomy sky outside the city, and murmured to himself:
"A storm is coming."
He had a bad feeling in his heart.
This incident may be just the beginning.
(Remember to bookmark it for next time reading!)
