Imperial Crown.

Chapter 602 Clash of Gods
"Brothers in the city!" "You all saw it with your own eyes!" "You all heard it with your own ears!"

"I, Raven," am willing to surrender to Ferdinand. "But he won't allow it!"

"I, Raven," proposed a duel to settle the matter. "But he refused!"

"Brothers!" "This battle was unavoidable, and brothers turned against each other; it is not Raven's fault!"

"Any brave warrior willing to lead an uprising!" "Raven promises a reward of one hundred gold coins!"

"If any soldier is unwilling to fight among themselves," "simply lay down your weapons." "Raven promises a reward of fifty gold coins!"

After shouting these words, Raven's tone suddenly changed, and he roared with murderous intent and ruthlessness, "Ferdinand! You really are asking for trouble!" "Bring him up here!"

As Raven spoke, the ten hostages, whose heads were covered with sacks, were led out by Hyena and his men. These people were not only bound by heavy, demon-sealing steel chains on their hands and feet, but also had ropes tied around their waists, stringing them together like grasshoppers. Furthermore, there was a rope around their necks to ensure the sacks over their heads wouldn't easily slip off. Hyena and his men led these hostages as if they were leading a pack of dogs.

“Ferdinand!” “Did you really think I, Raven, had done nothing all this time?!” “These are your family in the capital!” “They are your dearest and most beloved people!” “I now order you!” “Surrender the city immediately!” “Otherwise, I will slit their throats and hang them alive!” “If you have any doubts, you can ask your bastard son, Akery.” “I believe you.” “He will give you a satisfactory answer!”

Raven glanced at the hostages and coldly shouted towards the city wall, "Of course! If you know what's good for you and are willing to open the city gates and surrender, then not only will you save the lives of these families, but also the lives of your soldiers and generals! Even your own life!" Then, a smirk appeared on Raven's lips as he returned Ferdinand's words verbatim: "I swear on the souls of my family, I will plead for your life before His Majesty!"

"Raven!!!"

Upon hearing this, Ferdinand roared, his voice booming like a tiger's cry or a dragon's roar across the starry sky. Then, his gaze dark and his face frosty, he turned to Akery beside him, asking, "What's going on?"

"Uh..." "This..."

There was no need for an answer, as Akori's evasive tone had already proven everything. "That's right, Marshal. The men I sent back earlier indeed failed to enter the capital."

Ferdinand grabbed Akori's armor, choked him, and roared with a ferocious expression, "Didn't you tell me everything was normal in the capital?!"

"This... I only learned of this a few days ago!" "Marshal!" "I swear on my heart!" "This place is far from the capital; even using a teleportation array, it would take them a very long time to travel back and forth!" "When I learned of this, Raven had already dispatched troops and was almost at the border of the North Sea Province!" "To maintain morale, I didn't say it outright!" Akori immediately retorted. He spoke rapidly, his forehead covered in a dense layer of sweat, clearly showing his inner turmoil!
Ferdinand gave Akori a deep look, then shoved him away. "You've disappointed me greatly!" Ferdinand said in a low voice. The coldness in his tone was enough to instill despair in everyone! Ferdinand could guess Akori's scheme with a grain of salt. He was simply waiting for all the direct descendants to die so he could take over! This ugly side of humanity had ultimately been used on himself. A bastard is a bastard, his nature utterly despicable!
"Raven!" "If you had even a shred of noble honor and humanity left, you would immediately release my family!"

Ferdinand roared.

"laugh"

Raven flicked his fingernails. He didn't know what was wrong with them; every time he washed them clean and did nothing, dirt would still accumulate in them after a short while. Hearing this, Raven smiled contemptuously. "Ferdinand." "You really think I'll fall for your tricks?" "Either you surrender the city, or you sacrifice your family."

"Despicable!!!!!" "Shameless!!!!!"

Ferdinand cursed with all his might! The veins on his neck bulged, as thick as a little finger.

“Oh, oh, oh!” “Don’t get excited, Marshal.” “I’m just repeating what you said just now.” The angrier Ferdinand got, the more Raven took control. At this moment, Raven clearly had the upper hand in the negotiation.

“Raven,” I’ll ask you one last time, “Will you release my family or not?!” Pei Dinan’s voice suddenly became calm again, and he asked, word by word.

Raven frowned. A sense of foreboding rose within him. "Marshal Ferdinand." "I'll say it again." "There's no personal grudge or enmity between us." "The misunderstanding between me and the Emperor can be resolved." "I hope you..."

However, before Raven could finish speaking, Ferdinand on the city wall suddenly roared, "Bring me my bow!"

His words not only stunned Raven, but also clearly terrified Akery behind him. Akery stammered, trembling, "Marshal!" "Think it over!"

"Bring me my bow!!!" Ferdinand turned around abruptly, roaring like a terrifying demon with grotesque features!
"Ferdinand!" "What are you doing?!" Raven immediately shouted.

But instead of a reply, Raven was met with a flurry of cold arrows from Ferdinand, who had taken the bow! The longbow, held in Ferdinand's hand, gleamed with a dazzling light, clearly an enchanted bow! Even the arrows gleamed with a chilling light in the night!
"Puff puff puff puff"

Before Raven could react, the hostages around him collapsed one by one with muffled thuds like being struck by rotten leather. Some hostages fared even worse, struck by enchanted explosive arrows, instantly blown to pieces! Ferdinand fired five arrows with a single bow! And every arrow hit its mark! In just two shots, he had killed all the hostages around Raven!

"Ferdinand! You!" Raven was truly shocked by this scene. He never expected Ferdinand to be so ruthless and vicious! Completely heartless!

The soldiers on the city wall were in an uproar! The fourth-tier transcendent Akori became weak-kneed, and if he hadn't been holding onto the city wall, he would have fallen to the ground, his face pale!
"Raven!!"

Ferdinand's voice was noticeably colder, and anyone could hear the intense sorrow he was suppressing. "Did you really think I was one of those useless trash like the Eivors?!" "This is my answer to you, Ferdinand! This is the very spirit of me as Marshal of the Keynes Empire!!!" "Now, are you satisfied?!"

"Raven," "I don't know why, but you always seem to think you're the only smart person in the world!" "As if everyone else is a fool, an idiot, a moron!" "Nobody could guess that you have a secret you're hiding!" "Just because of that little secret, you've risen through the ranks so quickly, invincible!" "Becoming the only powerful nobleman in the empire's 400-year history to be promoted and ennobled!" "Becoming the only nobleman in the Keynes Empire to date whose rise in rank is faster than an arrow!"

"So you become arrogant and unruly!" "With that inexplicable sense of superiority, you always think you're better than everyone else." "What?" "Do you really think you're some kind of destined protagonist? A chosen one???" "Always looking down on this and that." "But in reality," "you're just a piece of trash from a thug background." "You're just a lowly, filthy commoner!"

"You are a complete loser."
Ferdinand seemed to have gone completely mad, recklessly venting his hatred for Raven. Even though he had personally shot and killed his family, he directed all this twisted resentment and malice at Raven.

"Ferdinand!" "Fuck your mother!!!"

Raven let out a long cry and immediately leaped into the air.

"Haha!" "This kid's broken down!" Akery gripped the city wall tightly, unable to resist turning his head and bursting into laughter. "Lies don't hurt. Only the truth is the sharpest blade!"

However, his smile quickly vanished. He turned around and saw Ferdinand's gloomy, murderous face. His smile froze, etched on Akery's face. A chill ran down his spine; he sensed that the surging, flowing killing intent wasn't solely directed at Raven outside the city.

"kill!"

Ferdinand's long hair fluttered behind his head, and the next moment, his fighting spirit soared into the sky. He flew off the city wall and charged towards Raven!

Now that things have come to this, the two are locked in a life-or-death struggle!

Rumble

A deafening roar echoed through the night sky as a ship formed from condensed battle aura appeared beneath Ferdinand's feet. The ship was a colossal behemoth. Ordinary people, let alone fight it, would tremble at the mere sight of it! This was a fear ingrained in humanity, a fear of enormous objects, much like the innate fear of snakes. If there was any flaw in Ferdinand's martial spirit, it was perhaps that its condensation time was longer than that of ordinary extraordinary beings. At the same time, he waved his right hand, and the world-suppressing divine weapon, the 'Boundary Wedge Fang,' gleaming with the unique golden light of a divine artifact's enchantment, flew into his finger. It was the enchanted creation inscribed with the laws—the brass knuckle duster! "Raven!" "Die!!" A hysterical scream erupted from Ferdinand's throat! Fueled by the deep-seated blood feud of his family's deaths, he unleashed a powerful punch at Raven!

"Come!"

Raven was equally enraged. Those words, like sharp arrows raining down on banana leaves, shot towards him, igniting the fire of fury within him! He roared, and without dodging, flew straight through the air towards Ferdinand! Even in mid-air, his index finger glowed crimson. This 'Ring of Blood and Curse,' engraved not only with the laws of bloodshed but also with the name of his ancestor Don Quixote, unleashed unprecedented terrifying power under the frenzied enhancement of all the demonic energy within Raven's body, hurtling towards Ferdinand's fist.

At this moment, the world in the eyes of everyone present seemed to have been split in two!
Half of it was a golden fist formed from Ferdinand's entire body's fighting spirit. The other half was a scarlet fist formed from Raven's internal fighting spirit!

The only difference was that Ferdinand not only possessed a fist with four diamond-shaped spikes, aided by the World-Suppressing Divine Weapon, but also the immense power provided by the three-masted sailing ship beneath him, resembling the "Black Pearl," formed from his martial spirit! If Ferdinand hadn't looked so different from the pirate Jack Sparrow, Raven would have almost thought Captain Jack Sparrow had transmigrated here! This terrifying power was enough to crush the void. Therefore, every time the golden fist flew forward a short distance, the dark night sky shattered like glass, emitting a series of cracking and groaning sounds!

Compared to Ferdinand's fist, Raven's fist, though slightly less imposing, was far more terrifying and awe-inspiring! The entire fist was a dazzling, iridescent glass, a shimmering, star-like hue that initially obscured any sense of danger, prompting immediate admiration for its beauty and magnificence! However, it was encased in a thin, blood-red "shell." To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy—it was like pale skin wearing a thin, transparent stocking. While obstructing vision, it didn't hinder the release of its core essence! Moreover, Raven's fist, formed from his battle aura, was clearly larger than Ferdinand's! This is why it appeared even more breathtaking. The overall impression was one of eeriness—"gold within, rotten without." Wherever it passed, the void screamed in anguish, constantly collapsing and caved in!
boom!
boom! !

boom!!!
Two fists collided instantly, unleashing a series of explosive sounds, like a dozen magic crystal cannons firing in unison! In a mere instant, the void shattered, and battle energy surged! The massive energy wave generated by the clash of fists descended from the heavens like an enraged, ferocious god wielding a sword! This sword shattered chaos! This sword destroyed heaven and earth! This sword shook the universe! A terrifying rumble, like an earth dragon turning over, appeared on the ground, creating a long trench three zhang wide and half a zhang deep, no less than a moat! In an instant, everyone, whether on the city wall or below, hurriedly dropped to the ground, crawling on the ground as far as they could to avoid being swept away by this terrifying shockwave.

A shocking thought, which everyone could not suppress, arose in their minds: a clash between gods!
The most shocking thing was Raven! Including Akori, Bai Yue, Chuchu Linga, Igni… even Hyena, Eric, and others, they all knew Raven was strong. But they never expected Raven's strength to be this great!! That was a sixth-tier transcendent who had activated a world-suppressing divine weapon! A punch that even Zolzaen's incomparably hard dragon body couldn't withstand! In other words, even an ordinary seventh-tier powerhouse, without a world-suppressing divine weapon, would be crushed by that punch! Raven actually withstood… …it??
boom! ! boom! !
Raven and Ferdinand, at the epicenter of the energy explosion, were propelled backward at a speed a hundred times faster than they had arrived! Rumble... Rumble! Raven crashed straight to the ground, raising dust and severing ancient trees! Like a giant meteorite falling from the sky, he bounced and tumbled on the ground after impact, rolling endlessly until his energy was completely dissipated. Beneath Raven's body, a huge circular crater formed. The ground within the crater was covered in terrifying cracks resembling a tortoise shell. The entire crater was approximately ten feet in diameter. From a high altitude, it resembled a sand trap created by an antlion hunting, only magnified tens of thousands of times! Raven lay silently in the center of the crater, his body spread out in a starfish shape. His fate was unknown.

But Ferdinand fared no better. With a thunderous roar, he too plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily into the city wall. The wall, firmly constructed of solid stone, now resembled a toy fortress on the beach, its surface ripped open by Ferdinand's impact, creating a massive crack over two zhang wide and one zhang deep! Thud! The next moment, Ferdinand plunged directly into the moat, immersing himself deeply in the oil, splashing up huge slicks of oil.

"uh"

Pei Dinan nearly choked, hastily leaping out of the slippery, viscous oil in the moat. Before the oil on his body could fall into the moat, he screamed and spat out a mouthful of blood! At this moment, no words could describe Pei Dinan's feelings. His expression was horrified, staring in disbelief at the night sky. Using a seventh-tier divine weapon, while costly, wouldn't cause immediate backlash and blood loss. It would take at least half an hour. Therefore, Pei Dinan was absolutely certain that the blood he had just vomited was from being injured by Raven. "How is this possible???" Pei Dinan was filled with astonishment and doubt! When did this thug's strength become so formidable?!
飕

Pei Dinan didn't have time to think much, hurriedly searching for Raven's body. But no matter what, the ending was good! Raven was definitely dead! There was no chance of survival! "I was careless after all!" "He actually broke through to become a fifth-tier transcendent." "No wonder he dared to challenge me." Pei Dinan flew through the air searching, his thoughts racing. Just now, he had sensed Raven's level through the battle qi within Raven's body. That was indeed fifth-tier transcendent battle qi!

Light!
Golden light!

Two golden beams!

Ferdinand finally saw Raven in the crater. And there were two dazzling golden beams shooting out from Raven's eyes! "Impossible!" "Absolutely impossible!" Looking at Raven, who was clearly still alive in the crater, Ferdinand roared in disbelief.

……

(End of this chapter)