Hero of Darkness

Chapter 1273: One Enemy Down

Right in the middle of the Imperial Palace, the monumental site that housed the current imperial family for centuries, a brutal murder happened.

For the first time, an Emperor was killed right in the middle of the delegation by none other than the guest himself.

Valius Nox Luvian was killed by the Cult Leader of the Darkborne. A predicament that was enough to shake the core of the power structure of the entire Abyss Empire.

However, there was no sudden outcry or even resistance as everyone from the imperial faction could only watch.

And outside of the perimeter of the Imperial Palace, no one had even seen the ginormous deity floating in the sky, as they were currently surrounded by an Ancient Rank formation, one of the three ones taught to Kahn by Vildred Mortelix.

To the outside world, the Imperial Palace still looked majestic and in one piece. But within its confines, the atmosphere was filled with terror and disbelief.

“Alright then, let’s get to work.” said Kahn, and out of his space ring, he summoned a massive and giant artifact that was familiar to the regular readers.

The Following Day…

An Imperial Decree was made, which shook the Abyss Empire again.

Suddenly, Alcina Nox Luvian was declared the new Empress of the Imperial Faction.

A plethora of news started coming out via rumors and official announcements.

The official statements revealed that Valius was found guilty of killing Emperor Oedipus after he awoke from the coma.

That even his succession as the Crown Prince was faked using Necromancy.

During the investigation, they found that Valius also wanted to start another war, just like his grandfather did 50 years ago.

When the fate of the world and the existence of the entire Abyss Empire were at stake, they could not let a renegade factor like him rule the imperial faction.

So he had been stripped of his title and imprisoned in the deepest dungeons below the Imperial Palace.

However, the statement did not reveal anything about the captain of the Royal Guard.

It was a strategic maneuver just to keep the Senate in check.

As for the 5th and 7th princes, along with both the princesses, they all agree with Alcina becoming the Empress, obviously under Kahn’s ‘encouragement’.

And the noble houses and the loyal retainers of Valius and all the other heirs, Kahn simply used the Stigmata of Bloodlines, the ancient rank artifact, to avoid anyone defecting and starting another coup d’état.

However, Kahn bound them to his own bloodline instead of Alcina.

He even made sure to tell her that as long as she was loyal towards their cause and did not seek to betray or wage war against the Cult of Darkborne, she and her future generations could keep ruling the Imperial Faction.

Kahn tying them to his bloodline was only a failsafe because even if the nobles somehow found a way to have Alcina killed, they would not get their bloodline free out of the pact from the artifact.

And no one would obviously be able to kill Kahn, who was also the Cult Leader of the Darkborne.

That way, Kahn made sure that neither Alcina nor the Imperial Faction would dare to betray him.

As for Alcina Deux Luvian, she had no other choice but to accept this arrangement.

One could say that she was the empress in name only. And to a degree, that was the truth.

But the alternative was Valius marrying her off to someone who served him and treated her whole life as a mere exchange, as if she were some property or goods for his own political gains.

What Kahn offered was her total freedom and made her the Empress, the position which was rightfully hers to begin with. The only condition was that Alcina lead the faction properly and did not harbor the intention of betrayal, especially during the Great War.

And since she didn’t even have to lift a finger and become the Empress… Alcina accepted the deal wholeheartedly, even if she was considered a mere puppet ruler.

It was a far better situation than being sold to some old noble and bearing his children against her will.

******************

Next day, in the main headquarters of the Cult of Darkborne…

Argos had returned from Vantrea and attended a meeting held by Kahn.

During the meeting, with everyone except Ronin present, Rudra asked…

“Why didn’t you take over and become the ruler of the imperial faction itself?

Wasn’t our main intention to unify the Abyss Empire before the Great War?”

Sigh!

Kahn sighed and responded…

“There are many ways to control an empire or a country. Not every way has to have a monarch or a dictator sitting on the throne.

We are different forces in name only, but in the end, I control their future actions.” he revealed his reasoning.

“Besides, what would the subjects of the imperial faction think?

That the so-called savior is no different than a tyrant who first promised to lead them to a better future but was actually just another power-hungry maniac?

If I took over the imperial faction, then there would be a lot of opposition and disdain from the people who are already convinced and want to genuinely fight in my name.

We can neither afford dissatisfaction among the followers nor can we risk a rebellion among our forces.” he elaborated.

“How long do we have?” asked Vildred, the Lightning Dragon Emperor.

“About a month and a half now. At this rate, all I need to do is take control of the Senate of the Republic.” replied Kahn.

“But the problem is that they are all chosen by the people and don’t have a hereditary system.

Their election is 2 years away already, and I don’t think the same method as using the Stigmata of Bloodlines will be useful for us since there’s no clan system and all individual positions are held by people of different descent.” he spoke with a thoughtful expression.

“So there’s no other way around for us to take over?” asked Kassandra with a puzzled countenance.

“Actually… We already have two methods that have worked for us before.” said Kahn.

“What are they?” asked Kassandra again.

Soon, they laid out their whole plan and the possible outcomes given their current circumstances.

Argos, who had returned just today, also spoke up…

“Was this your idea or from Rathnaar Whittlock?”

“Both are mine. The first one was before I even met the old man as the ruler of Verlassen Fiefdom.

The second one was when I roamed the Elven Empire.” revealed Kahn.

“Why not use something that has already worked for us and provides us the quickest and most efficient results?” said Kahn with a charming smile.

“Kid, I may not have said it before… but you’re far good of a strategist than you’re a warrior.” said Argos.

Kahn lay down against his throne.

“It’s not my fault that my enemies are full of openings. Besides, I already discussed with you months ago that I was going to use this system among the three factions against themselves to unite everyone under my banner.” iterated Kahn.

“Still, it is just as surprising as it was that day.” spoke Argos with an approving smirk.

“Alright then… let’s get started.”

******************

The new stratagem to take over the Senate of the Republic began.

The move was already made over during the late Emperor’s funeral.

Similar to how Kahn once sent his assassin squad under Ronin’s lead to gather intel from the Nobles, Business Tycoons, and Government Officials in Verlassen Fiefdom on the very day of his inauguration as its Sovereign…

A week ago, he sent them all during the funeral march.

All the important figures of the Senate had also attended the funeral and marched behind the Emperor’s coffin in their own group behind the Cult of Darkborne.

And all those people offered a great number of shadows, which allowed Kahn’s subordinates to target and merge with all the important ministers and leaders of the senate.

For the past 1 week, other than Ronin, everyone had made their appearances known as the leader of the intel gathering squad was actually doing his job in secret.

The following day… he finally returned.

“I have gathered everything, my lord.” said Ronin, and out of his space ring, appeared hundreds of legends, bank notes, paper bonds, and keys to specific properties such as warehouses and safes.

“I guess it should be enough to shake the core of the Senate. The problem is… do we have qualified people to replace them?” asked Kahn.

“Yes, my lord. I have been gathering people who are not only qualified and talented but also have a strong sense of justice and morality.

If we back them up and help them stand up for the re-elections, there is a chance that those people might not only win with public support but also aid us greatly during the Great War.” explained Ronin.

“How many of them are the believers of the God of Darkness? How many actively follow the cult and actually support my ascension as the Supreme Commander?” asked Kahn.

“Nearly 51% are believers, 23% are active members of the cult, and 72% actually believe that you are the one who will lead Abyss Empire to greatness even after the Great War is finished.” reiterated Ronin.

“Wow, that’s an overwhelming support.” said Kahn with a content tone.

“You left quite an impression during the coronation ceremony, I assume.” said Ronin, jokingly.

“Alright then, by evening, start the operation.” said Kahn as he raised his hand to give his decree.

“The unification of the Abyss Empire.”