Imperial Crown.

Chapter 606 The Bloodshed of the Second Generation
Many thanks to Qidian user [Book Friend 20250915150301977] for the 100 reward!

……

The moonlight was deep and dark.

After a busy day, Venice gradually fell asleep. Influenced by the yurts of the steppes, most of the buildings in Venice, especially the iconic castle, adopted a circular design, making it look like a larger tent made of bricks and stones.

However, at this moment, a cacophony of roars echoed through the castle's hall.

Those desperate words, even the soldiers guarding the gate could clearly sense the anger and hatred contained within them! That gnashing hatred could burn mountains and seas, could sweep across the eight wastelands...

"Traitor Turo!!!!!!!!!" "Traitor Heyaz!!!!!!!!!" "Father!" "Kill them for me!!" "No!" "I'll do it myself!" "I'll kill their entire families!"

Thor, already emaciated from starvation, roared madly in the hall. He appeared to have been driven insane by torture. Disheveled and filthy, his clothes tattered, he circled the hall like a madman, emitting a foul stench. So much so that the soldiers who found him in the dungeon dared not recognize him. This was why he had only been brought here now.

"enough!!"

Seeing Thor alive with his own eyes was probably the happiest moment of Eric's life. Without a doubt. However, in front of everyone, Eric couldn't say much, only giving a reprimand with a furrowed brow.

"Father!!" Thor cried out, tears streaming down his face, his voice filled with utter grievance. "It was me! I risked my life to save them! But these two traitors betrayed me! They've definitely gone to Ferdinand!" "I knew all along that Hoaz, that orphan without parents, was unreliable! He's an ungrateful wretch!"

"Ha ha ha ha"

As he spoke, Thor burst into maniacal laughter again. "I knew the patriarch would come to save me!" "I won't die!" "Those people whipped me!" "They fed me shit!" "They forced me to drink urine!" "It was all Horaz's order!" "They wanted to force me to submit!" "I..." "I...I..."

As he roared, he suddenly couldn't breathe, coughing violently as if he were about to cough up his lungs. Eric rushed forward with the medicine, intending to feed it to him. But Thor pushed him away, shouting, "I'd rather die than surrender!" Like a cuckoo weeping blood, he burned his life to uphold his oath.

After a long pause, Thor suddenly ran up to Hu Xia, pointed at his nose, and said, "Speak!" "Did you let He Yaz escape?! You're on good terms with him!! You're a traitor too!" "It's definitely you!" "You dog!" "You betrayed the head of the family!" "Bring He Yaz and Turo up here right now, I want to tear them to pieces with my own hands!"

Looking at Thor, who was no longer human, Hu Xia was already weeping uncontrollably. Only now did Hu Xia realize the enormity of his mistake. He truly shouldn't have been so loyal, shouldn't have concealed the truth, shouldn't have entertained such fantasies… Especially Thor's words, "betrayed the head of the family," felt like an invisible dagger stabbing deep into his heart! It made Hu Xia realize his sins even more acutely. But it was too late; there was no going back. Hu Xia wiped his face and whispered, "Thor…" "Hoyaz and Turo are dead."

These words struck Thor like a thunderbolt. He stood there, stunned, as if his spine and will to live had been ripped out.

Hu Xia took out two memory stones and had Eric activate them. "See for yourself." "These were found inside Akori's ring."

The first photo stone:

"Time rewinds to that night."

A thud.

Hoaz and Turo slammed the door shut.

Facing them was a densely packed enemy force, nearly a thousand strong, waiting for them to walk right into their trap. Most importantly, there was also a woman wielding a glowing magic wand—the commander guarding the desolate town.

Without a doubt, the outcome was already predetermined. Turo was killed in battle, and Hoyaz was captured.

Looking at the already engulfed and irretrievably burnt supply train, the woman's face darkened. She coldly ordered, "Take this man and immediately proceed to Venice to report."

The second photo stone:

""Shhhhhhhhhhh"

A whistling sound grew louder as Akery strolled closer, a weapon resembling a baseball bat slung behind his neck, his left and right hands resting on either end. Whistling leisurely, he approached.

When he stopped, there was another person in the picture.

A person with their hands and feet bound is kneeling on the ground. Weeds grow all around, and there is a constant rustling sound.

Akori walked closer, used the wooden stick in his hand to lift the head of the kneeling man, shook his head and said, "Hoyaz, I admire your courage so much." "Seriously." "I really don't understand what kind of spell Raven has cast on you, making you so willing to go through fire and water for him, even to the point of death." "For the sake of your admirable courage, I can spare your life."

As he spoke, Akery squatted down, pinched Hoyaz's cheek, and pointed to the recording stone in front of them, saying, "See that? As long as you say 'Little Bee Raven deserves to die' and 'Griffith will perish' to the recording stone, I'll let you live and let you join us, how about it?"

"Pooh"

However, Hoyaz spat in Akori's face. Staring at the memory stone, Hoyaz roared with unwavering determination, "Long live Griffith! Good job, brothers! We'll be brothers again in the next life!"

After saying that, he turned his head and glanced at Akery, saying provocatively, "You can kill me now."

boom! ! !
After Heyaz finished speaking, an enraged Akori raised a wooden stick and smashed it down on Heyaz's head, knocking one of his eyeballs out of its socket.

But Hoyaz did not fall. He struggled to straighten his body, repeatedly muttering, "Brothers, do a good job."

Bang bang bang...

Hu Xia put away the recording stone and looked at Thor, saying, "Thor, those two didn't betray you. They were trying to save you." "It was because of their delay, coupled with the spread of the fire on the logistics supplies, that Erosin had to rush back to Venice to report immediately." "It also saved you from disaster outside the door." "Now Erosin has escaped. However, the patriarch has issued a manhunt order for these fourth-tier transcendents."

"no no"

Clearly, the images within the recording stone had a tremendous impact on Thor, making it difficult for him to process them immediately. He denied them while backing away. Suddenly, Thor screamed, spitting out a mouthful of blood before his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

Eric quickly had Thor taken back to his room to begin treatment.

Hu Xia initially wanted to chase after him, but for some reason, he stopped and sighed softly. There were many more such recording stones in Akery's ring. Hu Xia had spent the entire day watching them. Perhaps due to Akery's twisted psychology, or perhaps driven by a desire for fame… Akery had recorded almost all of his "famous moments" using these recording stones. The most shocking of all was undoubtedly the process of killing Hoyaz and the young dragon Smaug.

Of course, there are also many stones that bear the marks of sexual activity.

Hu Xia pondered that this Akori was likely suffering from the constant pressure and resentment of being an "illegitimate child," leading to extreme inferiority and gradually evolving into a psychologically abnormal and twisted individual. However, one thing puzzled Hu Xia: Ferdinand had personally stated before his death that the martial souls of the direct descendants of the Vandorian family were all the Annihilation Ark. But Akori's martial soul was not. Could it be... that the child Akori's mother was carrying... wasn't Ferdinand's biological offspring? But Ferdinand had indeed had a relationship with Akori's mother, leaving no room for denial. There was no other way but to accept it. It seemed to be the only explanation.

Apart from the photo stone of Hoyaz.

There were also Pindle, Beta, Moas… Pindle was wounded, and his companion, the boarman Paige, shielded him with his body, only to be hacked to death. Paige himself didn't survive either. Moas, trying to protect Beta, also died from a stray arrow. After Beta was captured, he was similarly killed by Akori.

Besides Thor, Baido also survived, though he had lost both legs and was now crippled. Grand and Henchton also survived. Apart from these four, everyone else had perished. This was the first time Hu Xia truly experienced the cruelty of war. After all, those who had died before were not closely related to him. But now, every single one of them was Hu Xia's closest comrade.

Waves of dizziness and nausea washed over Hu Xia, making him feel increasingly unwell. He desperately wanted to escape... no, to escape the war. Those photographic stones recording the last moments of his best friend were like sharp daggers, constantly ripping at Hu Xia's heart, tearing his soul to pieces. He was truly on the verge of collapse. Guilt, self-blame, regret... like mites, relentlessly gnawed at every pore of his body.

If the death of old Gordon was the embers of the first generation of the Griffith family, then the deaths of Hoyaz and others marked the bloodshed of the second generation.

War is cruel.

History, however, is equally ruthless.

Hu Xia desperately wanted to do something, to make amends or atone for his sins… but he could do nothing. This feeling of helplessness was like being cut by a dull knife, making him wish he were dead. Only when the night was deep and quiet, and he was engrossed in writing at his desk, could he find a moment of peace for his soul.

……

North Sea Province. Daphne County.

Daphneshire borders Foothillshire. Both are under the jurisdiction of the Marquess of Huber.

Late at night.

"Back."

The words came out of Simon's mouth in a cold, detached tone. Looking at the group of people before him, his gaze was icy and indifferent. Like a tree, like a stone sculpture, like a dried corpse… completely devoid of any human presence.

Ailuoqin and the others exchanged glances, somewhat shocked but not too afraid. After all, they had three fourth-tier transcendents and one fourth-tier mage among them. "I told you not to bring these burdens along!" Ailuoqin complained unhappily.

Besides Alochin, a fourth-tier mage, there were three other fourth-tier transcendent commanders: Monsarton, Maple, and Bugadin. But there were more than just the four of them; there were also about a dozen people with terrified expressions. Most of these people were just ordinary people, with a very few being first or second-tier transcendents. Upon seeing Simon appear, some collapsed to the ground, some lost control of their bladders, and some burst into tears…

The reason why Eros and the others were caught up with by Simon so quickly and discovered so easily was because of this group of people.

Ferdinand's massive army attack on Raven seemed like a sure thing to everyone. It was more like a political show tailor-made for Ferdinand. While Raven had risen to prominence in the empire over the past two decades, showing early promise, he was still far inferior to the formidable reputation of Ferdinand, a sixth-rank marshal. Moreover, Ferdinand represented the will of Emperor Habsburg. Therefore, countless nobles in the capital were desperately trying to squeeze their sons into the army, hoping to gain some military merit and a share of the spoils after Raven's defeat.

Clearly, this group of people were the descendants of nobles from the capital.

This was also the reason Monssard decided to take them with him on his escape. After all, for Monssard and his ilk, war was all about profit. Now that they had lost the war, they were lucky to escape punishment, let alone any profit. Since there was no profit to be made, they could only try to earn some money from these people. To survive, these noble descendants were incredibly generous, willing to spend not only tens of thousands of gold coins, but even hundreds of thousands.

"Damn it!" "What are you afraid of?" "It's not like Raven is coming!"

Monssardon spat out a mouthful of saliva and let out a cold shout. He was tall and muscular, as fierce as an orc. In his hand he held a strangely shaped giant axe. The axe head was wider than the upper body of an average adult, and the handle was even more exaggerated, taller than an average adult.

"Exactly!" "A fool wouldn't make money like that!" "Sister Qin!" "When the fight starts, stay away. I'm afraid the blood on this kid will splatter on you and dirty your robes!"

Bugadin spoke up as well. He was the smallest, with a high-pitched voice, and his entire body surged with electrical pulses. He was actually a transcendent specializing in lightning combat techniques!
"on!"

Maple was unremarkable and unremarkable. He was the most ordinary of the four. So he didn't waste any words, shouted a clean and crisp command, and immediately raised his longsword and pounced.

"I come--"

The most muscular of them all, Monsardon, leaped forward, a giant axe-like martial spirit appearing behind him, and swung it down at Simon, who stood rooted to the spot. This axe strike, even if his opponent was a fourth-tier transcendent being of the same level, would be cleaved in two! "Heh," Monsardon chuckled inwardly, watching Simon, who remained motionless, his martial spirit and even battle aura completely concealed. He was clearly terrified by Monsardon's powerful and imposing aura! "Die!!" As the giant axe fell, Monsardon roared again, his voice like thunder!

Keng!
"I rely on"

However, the next moment, not only was Monsard stunned, but everyone behind him was completely dumbfounded! Staring at the scene before them, their minds went blank, and only words instinctively popped into their heads from muscle memory!
Because when Monssard's massive, terrifying axe, larger than an adult's upper body, struck Simon's shoulder, it didn't budge an inch!

That's not the most crucial point! Because as long as the opponent's level is far superior to Monsardon's, it's naturally possible to accomplish this!
But the scariest thing is...

The opponent still had no martial spirit, nor any trace of battle aura. He... he... he actually withstood Monsard's full-force attack after he activated his martial spirit, relying solely on his physical body?! Keep in mind, Monsard is a fourth-tier, five-star powerhouse! Not some nobody! His giant axe is a third-tier enchanted artifact! Enchanted with properties like [Heavy], [Sharp], and [Sturdy]! One strike of this axe, to exaggerate, could split the heavens and earth! To put it mildly, it could shatter stone and break gold! Yet this strike felt like hitting an indestructible wall of bronze and iron! Even the sound was off.

Physical ascension to sainthood?
A strange and terrifying thought popped into Monssault's mind. Then, he saw Simon's gaze. There was no color, no emotion, no fluctuation in that gaze... like a millennia-old glacier, exuding a chill that penetrated to the very marrow of his bones.

"call"

Monssardon shivered inexplicably. Like a wolf in a pack encountering its alpha, he froze, too afraid to move. Staring at Simon, who was coldly staring at him, Monssardon swallowed hard, his prominent Adam's apple bobbing noticeably. Beads of sweat began to bead on his forehead. At that moment, he had a strong and clear intuition—that if he dared to move, he would surely die!
Simon remained standing, offering no resistance. He stood there, the giant axe resting on his shoulder, his gaze shifting slightly to look behind Monssault.

He remained silent, as if he were mute, but his meaning was all too clear.

"I"

"Holy crap...???"

The opponent is waiting—waiting for Bugadin, Maple… and! the fourth-tier mage Erochen to attack together. Only then will the opponent retaliate.

Upon understanding this meaning, a profound sense of powerlessness—a feeling of being utterly shocked, subjected to extreme friction, and deeply humiliated—enveloped in the hearts of everyone present.

……

(End of this chapter)