Imperial Crown.

Chapter 586 Stud
啾啾
Time rewinds from dawn to midnight. A strange bird call suddenly rang out from afar. Donkey Face, who was crouching low as he headed towards Venice, nearly wet himself in fright. He immediately prostrated himself on the ground, and after a long while, he pinched his lower lip with his thumb and forefinger and blew a few bird calls.

"chirp"

The response came quickly; Freckles jumped out from the side, grinning, "Look at you, you coward!"

"Damn it!" Donkey Face felt his face burning; after all, his behavior just now was indeed a bit embarrassing. But honestly, when faced with imminent death, how many people in this world could truly be fearless?

"Griffith will die, no surrender"... Slogans or brainwashing, whatever. Shouting this at a life-or-death moment always sends a jolt of adrenaline through you, a jolt of adrenaline. But times have changed. Now it's a clear suicide mission, and the mindset is different. It's like being slowly but surely cut with a dull knife. A sense of unease and uncertainty is inevitable. Looking back and forth.

"Brother, how about we have one last little show before we die?" Freckled suggested, his voice trembling with suppressed excitement. One had sided with Thor's local faction, the other with Hoaz's out-of-town faction. Yet, their relationship was the closest they could be. To put it bluntly, it was even closer than that of their teammates in the same faction. They were true comrades-in-arms, bound by life and death. So, long before they set off, they had agreed that no matter what happened, they would act together. There's a saying—oh right, not necessarily born on the same day, month, and year, but destined to die on the same day, month, and year.

To die together—that was their last wish.

"What do you mean?" The donkey-faced man didn't understand for a moment.

The freckled man's lips curled into a smile. "Let's take a gamble."

"Still gambling?" "Have you forgotten your past achievements?" Donkey Face was furious. "How many gold coins could you get for those merit points if you sold them to Boss Thor?" "You've squandered them all." In all the time he'd known Freckles, they'd almost never won a bet. The most ridiculous time was in Changxia Province. Freckles spent a full 5 gold coins on a Wizard's Blessed Lucky Charm. The result was just a piece of monstrous fish bone!
Freckles laughed heartily, "This time I'm going for the big one." "All in!"

"You have money?" the donkey-faced man asked instinctively.

"You're fucking stupid!" Freckled laughed. "What are we here for? To give them money?"

Donkey Face finally realized what was happening. He'd lost so much in the past that he had developed a stress response. Only now did he belatedly realize, "Right, why would I need money this time?" "Hey, you know what," Donkey Face laughed, "once you don't have to spend money on gambling, you actually feel much more at ease. No more anxiety."

"That's right." "Let's go."

Taking advantage of the chaos, the two quickly arrived at the largest casino in Venice—the Temple of the Dice. It was decorated in a lavish, opulent style. Due to the large number of merchants from the north and south, the casino's scale wasn't much smaller than the Paramount in Eagle City. It just didn't look as professional or visually appealing as the Paramount. After all, the Paramount's dealers and waiters were all handsome men and beautiful women. The allure of their uniforms alone far surpassed that of many other casinos. Moreover, the Paramount, after so many years of operation, had meticulously refined every detail. But this place, on the other hand, exuded an atmosphere and a murky, shady atmosphere.

Using their skills, the two quickly stole some small chips and began to work together at the gambling table, cheating without restraint. Whether it was due to their relaxed mindset or Lady Luck finally smiling on them… in any case, they soon won tens of thousands of gold coins. This was the only time in their gambling careers they had ever won! And by such a large sum! It was unbelievable. They had cheated before; what gambler doesn't cheat? But even when they did, they always ended up losing everything.

"Holy crap!" "So this is what it feels like to win big!"

The two men, clutching a thick wad of chips, laughed heartily with their donkey-like faces.

"See, you were right to listen to me," Freckles said, eager to take credit for himself.

"Tch," the donkey-faced man scoffed. He felt that their victory this time was mainly due to their own efforts. After all, Freckles' luck had been incredibly bad.

what--

Just as the two were arguing, a shrill scream suddenly came from the center of the casino hall.

Freckles and Donkey Face exchanged a glance and simultaneously squeezed towards the center.

"Fuck your mother!!"

"You won so much money from me, and I didn't utter a sound!" "Now that I've won it all back, you're telling me I have no money?!" A burly man in soft armor, clearly an officer, roared repeatedly, "No money is one thing! I clearly won! And you still dare to accuse me of cheating!" "Fuck your mother!"

"Sir, sir!" "I was wrong!" "I'll never do it again!" "Please, sir, have mercy on me!"

On the ground knelt a thin, pale-lipped man, a clear gambler in appearance. He was clutching his bleeding right hand, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy while weeping and wailing.

His right index finger was still on the gambling table, clearly chopped off by the officer with a long knife. He could forget about gambling for the rest of his life. Betting on dice, though, would be alright.

Many gamblers around were terrified by the scene, their faces filled with fear. Those further back watched the officer with a hint of anger and barely concealed resentment. They had all seen it: this man, desperate after losing, had cheated openly in public to win the bet. But when accused of cheating, he became enraged and swiftly chopped off the officer's finger. Despite this fact, seeing the officer's obvious superhuman abilities and the presence of heavily armored soldiers around him, these gamblers could only watch helplessly, their anger barely contained.

"Hmph." "Now you know you were wrong?" The burly officer slammed his longsword onto the gambling table with a thud, then sat back down and slowly said, "Since it was a misunderstanding, that's easy to handle." "I, Montmarley, am not an unreasonable person." "The bet was 3000 gold coins, right?" "Like this." "You insulted me for cheating, so just give me a little something in return for my emotional distress." "Give me 6000 gold coins." "That'll be the end of it." "How about it?"

"……ah??"

Gambling addict Teddy was dumbfounded. He had gambled his entire life; his parents died of grief, his wife jumped into the Goddess Sea, his daughter was sold into a brothel, and his son was sold into hard labor… He had gambled away everything. Today was supposed to be his last gamble, a time to end his life. But to his utter surprise, his luck was exceptionally good tonight, winning back everything he had lost in the first half of his life! Of course, this was mainly due to the soldiers from the capital. In the unfamiliar environment and atmosphere, these local veteran gamblers won nine out of ten times. Before Teddy sat down at the gambling table, he had already won 672 gold coins. With that money, he could redeem his daughter and son. But his gambling addiction was too strong, and he couldn't control himself, winning over 1700 gold coins from over 600. He knew he couldn't afford to take any more chances! He had originally planned to go all in and stop immediately after winning this round. Not only could he redeem his daughter and son, but he was also guaranteed a life of wealth and luxury! Little did he know that the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; Montmarley had been waiting for him to go all in. He cheated openly in front of everyone, taking all of Montmarley's winnings!

He's completely out of copper coins now, let alone his 6000 gold coins.

"No money?" "If you have no money, use your hand as a shield!" "Arrest him!"

Montmarley, of course, saw through Teddy's predicament; he was simply using his power to double-cross others. At his command, the surrounding soldiers immediately rushed forward, grabbing Teddy by the hair and slamming him onto the gambling table. Despite Teddy's constant crying and pleas for mercy, he clearly couldn't escape his fate. "Punch your mother!" "Punch your mother!" "Punch your mother!" "Punch your mother!"

As Montmarley cursed four times, swish, swish, swish, swish, Teddy's remaining four fingers on his right hand were all chopped off at the root!
Intense pain and regret surged into Teddy's heart and mind. After wailing for a while, he fainted.

"Take him out and feed him to the gryphons!" Montmarley said coldly, throwing his longsword beside the gambling table.

"Yes, sir!" the two soldiers shouted immediately, dragging the dog-like Teddy towards the casino exit.

For a moment, the entire casino was filled with a strong smell of blood.

"Still want to gamble, boss?"

Just as Montmarley was gathering all the chips on the table, intending to exchange them for coins and leave, a cheerful voice suddenly rang out. Montmarley looked up and saw a man with a face full of freckles. Montmarley disliked this man intensely. Because after what had just happened, the man hadn't shown a trace of fear on his face. Instead, he was grinning, looking at him with a nonchalant, cynical expression.

Montmarley frowned, intending to ignore the guy. But a quick glance revealed that the guy and his companion with the long, narrow face were holding thick stacks of chips, at least ten thousand gold coins! This immediately stirred a sense of greed within him.

"Don't go, sir." "How about we make a bet?"

The other person deliberately dragged out their words, sounding nonchalant, and invited again. Their tone carried both a sincere plea and a hint of casual provocation.

“Fine.” “Since you’ve begged me so desperately,” Montmarley smiled sinisterly. “Why wouldn’t I take this opportunity?” The other party had witnessed what had just happened and still dared to gamble with him; what did he have to fear?

Freckles and Donkey Face threw all their chips onto the table. "All in." "One round to decide the winner." Then they turned to the dealer and said, "Deal the cards."

The dealer was already terrified, trembling as he stared at Montmarley on the other side of the table. Montmarley tilted his head, squinting as he sized up the freckled man. He couldn't fathom what gave the man such confidence. Even if the man was extraordinary, so what? In this barren borderland, he'd be at most a first-tier cultivator. He, on the other hand, was a second-tier, nine-star cultivator. He was the deputy executive officer of an entire legion! A legion of 5000 men might not be able to wipe out Raven, but they could certainly level a casino. Thinking this, Montmarley silently nodded.

The dealer then dealt the cards in the same order as before.

This gambling table is basically playing a game similar to comparing card values. To put it simply, it's like Texas Hold'em, but simpler. After all, in the continent of Middels, literate and educated people are few and far between. Three of a kind is the highest hand. Next are pairs, then random hands.

As the cards were dealt, both Freckles and Montmarley immediately revealed their cards. After all, it was only a one-round bet, with no follow-up, so there was no need to bluff.

The results were quickly revealed: Freckles had three mismatched cards, while Montmarley had a pair. "Hahahaha!" Montmarley laughed heartily. He gave a wink, signaling his men to take Freckles' chips.

Sizzle
Just then, something unexpected happened!
A flash of light appeared on the ring on Freckles' hand, and a sharp axe appeared in his hand. He chopped off the soldier's forearm! Ignoring the soldier's screams, Freckles then roared and leaped over the long gambling table, wielding the axe with both hands, and brought it down on Montmarley's head!
All these changes happened too fast; everyone felt it was only the blink of an eye. Freckles had transformed into a ferocious beast, as agile as a tiger or leopard. First, he curled up into a ball, becoming an indistinct black shadow under the magical lights of the ceiling. When they opened their eyes again, Freckles was already above Montmarley's head. At this moment, Freckles stretched out his body, and the giant axe dripping with scarlet blood, like the scythe of death, descended from the sky, fiercely slashing at Montmarley! Montmarley, who was already on guard, reacted quickly. He grabbed the longsword on the gambling table, and at the same time, a dazzling aura of battle qi erupted from his body. He held the longsword high with both hands to block Freckles' giant axe.

Clang—

A deafening clang of weapons clashing erupted within the casino. A giant axe swung down, cleaving the longsword into a concave crescent shape!

Bang

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Freckles kicked out and slammed his leg into Montmarley's mouth. Montmarley was sent flying, blood splattering and white teeth flying everywhere.

"Ahhh!" Montmarley wailed, his mouth agape, but he didn't dare delay. He scrambled to his feet and ran towards the casino exit. The opponent wasn't a Tier 1! But a Tier 2! This was definitely not some chance encounter with a local superhuman, but a premeditated conspiracy targeting him! "Stop him! Stop him now!" Montmarley didn't forget to order his soldiers. He himself scrambled towards the door.

"Where are you running to, sir?"

However, before anyone knew it, the donkey-faced man who had been standing next to Freckles had appeared in the doorway. A flash of light appeared in his hand, and a strange weapon appeared. It was neither a gun nor a halberd! The donkey-faced man's weapon was none other than the Black Blade! Montmarley, who had been kneeling on the ground, looked up and was met with the donkey-faced man's grinning face. He immediately let out a desperate scream.

bass!
With a whirling motion, Sohei's Blade sent Montmarley's head flying off.

Chaos erupted inside the casino as everyone panicked and began to flee. But when they reached the exit, they realized something was wrong. All the doors and windows were blocked! There was no way out!
"kill!"

Freckles and Donkey Face began their killing spree. Both had received secret enhancements from Raven and were second-tier transcendents, having personally fought orcs in the Orc Empire for several years. Therefore, although the casino had many soldiers, they were no match for them. With sweeping, powerful strikes, whether ordinary soldiers or first and second-tier transcendents, a mere graze resulted in injury or death! Their hacking and slashing movements looked incredibly cool and stylish, like those of war gods! Hundreds of soldiers, along with the enemy troops constantly pouring down from upstairs, were slaughtered, screaming and begging for their lives.

It wasn't until an hour or two later that reinforcements arrived from outside the casino. However, as soon as they forced their way through the door, they were disgusted by the scene inside and began to vomit.

The entire casino had become a veritable "slaughterhouse," littered with severed limbs, mangled flesh, and blood.

The two murderers, exhausted, sat calmly at the gambling table, accepting their fate.

……

(End of this chapter)