Imperial Crown.

Chapter 607 The Baron Slaps the Marquis
"Fuck you!" "I refuse to believe it!"

Even if he were just an ordinary person, what man could tolerate such provocation and contempt? Let alone them, who were fourth-tier transcendents! Maple roared and thrust his longsword at Simon! At the same time, a ball of flame appeared behind him, which was Maple's martial soul! The longsword in his hand also emitted fierce flames.

If it's not afraid of sharp blades, is it not afraid of fire?

咔嗤
Simon finally moved, extending his left hand and grasping the blade of Maple's greatsword.

"..."

Maipley.

"Great, he really isn't afraid of fire!" Maple thought to herself.

He then found himself in the same predicament as Monsardon: standing before Simon like a schoolchild, too afraid to move. This was an extremely strong impulse. The higher one's realm, the more precise this impulse became. It was also a kind of "seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune" perception that came with advancing to the extraordinary realm.

“Anaher…Xethemis…Epis…”

Immediately afterward, Elochen finally finished reciting the long and complex incantation. With a flick of her staff, a nearly 5-zhang-long fiery serpent emerged from it and swept towards Simon! "Ha—" The giant fiery serpent opened its mouth and roared threateningly! Then it directly spewed out a long pillar of fire, blasting towards Simon.

Simon moved a second time.

Not only did it move, but it also used its battle aura for the first time. Raising its right hand, a pink light exploded from its palm, accompanied by three consecutive booming sounds, forming a circular shield of battle aura. This shield directly blocked the fiery pillar spewed by the fire serpent! While the shield appeared simple in structure—from a distance, it looked like three O-shaped rings nested together in a "small," "medium," and "large" configuration—a closer look revealed intricate and mysterious patterns on each ring. Furthermore, the three rings were connected in an extremely strange way and slowly rotated. No matter how furious and violent the fire serpent became, increasing the power of its flames, it could not break through the shield's defenses. Not even a step beyond its bounds!
This is enough to prove how terrifying Elochen is and how powerful a magician can be. She is the only one who has forced Simon to use his battle aura! It was she who killed Herve and Lamb from miles away.

Sizzle~ Sizzle~ Sizzle~
A sudden, subtle flicker of electricity filled the air, and the most mysterious Bugadin appeared. He transformed almost entirely into a streak of lightning imperceptible to the naked eye, hurtling towards Simon.

"Watch out!" "He's a fifth-tier cultivator!"

As Simon unleashed his battle aura, his cultivation level was revealed! No wonder he was so strong! Raven actually had such terrifying extraordinary combat power under his command! Ai Luoqin hurriedly reminded him.

But it's too late!
Bugadin, a bolt of lightning, had already reached Simon. In the usual four-person team, Monsardon was the main tank, drawing fire. Maple supported him, finishing him off. Elochen provided ranged magic, providing disruption. And he—Bugadi—acted as the assassin, responsible for the kill. The reason was simple: he had mastered not only lightning combat techniques but also void combat techniques. Or rather, shadow combat techniques. Therefore, his speed was extremely fast, making him ideally suited for and best at assassination! His weakness… was his defense. As a fellow fourth-tier transcendent, once he was caught, his fate would be no different from that of a mage.

Fortunately, after years of practice, the four of them had become increasingly coordinated. Even when facing fourth-tier magical beasts, they were always victorious. Facing other extraordinary beings of the same tier was even easier, like cutting through butter. Therefore, even knowing that Simon might be fifth-tier, the four didn't believe he was invincible. Because their greatest trump card—Bugadi!

Just now, Maple deliberately yelled and cursed, rushing forward to stab Simon with his sword. While it seemed reckless and mindless, his real purpose was to cover Bugadin behind him. He wanted Bugadin to quickly reach Simon's back and deliver the fatal blow to this monster!
This tactic has always worked when they faced difficulties in the past.

but,
This time, however, Bugadin's face showed immense terror. Because in the instant Elochen warned him, what did Bugadin see? He actually saw Simon, who was enduring two attacks from fourth-tier extraordinary beings and one from a fourth-tier mage, his eyes slightly shifting, his gaze fixed intently on Bugadin's figure the entire time.

How can this be? ? ?

When did fifth-tier transcendent beings become this ridiculously powerful?

This is almost as impressive as an average person being able to track and pinpoint the hopping trajectory of a flea with the naked eye!

"Fight!"

Bugadin's body crackled with electricity, his eyes wide with terror, but he gritted his teeth and decided to take the plunge. A forearm-length dagger appeared in his hand, gleaming with a dark green light. Clearly, it was coated with deadly poison. This was his enchanted weapon—a special dagger forged from Valery steel, a fourth-tier weapon, enchanted with four properties: [Sharpness], [Piercing (Continuous Bleeding)], [Corrosive Poison], and [Star Escape (Space Travel)]... Even Simon, a fifth-tier warrior, would be severely injured, if not killed, by a single blow.

However, just as Bugadin's thought arose, and he appeared behind Simon, preparing to thrust his dagger and activate his Star Escape technique, Simon moved again. His left foot shot up suddenly, and with a deafening bang, it pierced Bugadin's heart. The next instant, Bugadin shot out like an arrow. Everything in his path exploded, and he collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound. His fate was unknown.

This wasn't the end. After kicking Bugadin away, Simon turned back, truly like a fighting machine devoid of any emotion. No expression, no emotion whatsoever. Only absolute, crushing, killing rationality. With a flick of his left hand, Maple's longsword twisted like a pretzel, emitting the metallic, fatigued sound of fine iron. Extremely piercing. The next moment, a loud clang rang out, and the longsword instantly shattered into palm-sized fragments, scattering everywhere! Maple, caught completely off guard, was also spun around, his entire body spinning in mid-air.

Boom——

Simon clenched his left fist, then swiftly retracted it before violently swinging it out again. The punch sent Maiple flying, following in Bugatti's footsteps.

Immediately, his left fist swung back, delivering another incredibly smooth punch, slamming heavily into the giant axe that had struck his shoulder. With a deafening crash, the third-tier enchanted weapon, which had reaped countless lives, was reduced to pixelated dust right before its master's eyes! "..." Monsardon's face was filled with terror. His features were contorted in a grimace, as if he had just eaten something disgusting. Before the first syllable of a scream could escape his throat, Simon grabbed his throat.

hum-

A tremor resounded, and suddenly a huge pink light illuminated the pitch-black night. A pair of pink wings slowly unfurled from Simon's back. Then, with one hand supporting the rolled-up Monsardon and the other holding a qi shield to block the fire serpent's attack, he took to the air.

"No"

"wrong!"

"You're not under Raven's command!" "You... You're from the Church of Light?!"

Upon witnessing Simon, who was clearly only at the fifth rank yet could fly, Elochen finally broke down, her face drained of color, and she screamed in a shrill voice, "Run!" This was the only thought that could conjure up in her mind at that moment. No longer daring to linger in battle, and disregarding the lives of her companions, she turned and fled into the distance. At the same time, a flash of light appeared in her hand, and a vial of potion materialized. A flicker of pain crossed her beautiful eyes as she swallowed it. A short while later, a pair of wings sprouted from her back, and she soared into the sky, escaping into the distance like lightning.

It turned out to be a wing potion! Also known as a flight potion. No wonder Alokin was so pained. This one potion, even for a level 2 mage, would cost at least 100,000 gold coins. This is an essential and best escape potion for mages below level 5.

The reason she said Simon was from the Church of Light was because, as Simon used his battle aura extensively, she clearly sensed the aura of light within it—or rather, the aura of holiness. On the continent of Miders, practically only members of the Church of Light could cultivate such combat techniques or magic! This aura of light possessed a natural, almost nemesis-like, restraining power against the Hand of Death and orcs!
"Could it be that the Holy See of Light is two-faced and has already reached some kind of cooperation with Raven?" Alokin's mind was a jumble of wild guesses. She was terrified. In truth, she already knew her fate.

boom! ! !
When Monssardon's body slammed into Alokin like a stone, Alokin immediately coughed up blood and fell from the sky. "Don't kill me! Please don't kill me!" "I'm willing to surrender!" Alokin knelt on the ground, weeping and begging for her life.

"back"

Simon spoke a second word. The exact same word he had said when they first met.

With a whistle, the roar of a dragon echoed through the clouds. The third brother, Vasien, descended from the sky, his golden dragon eyes reflecting a chilling killing intent.

……

"Oh dear!" "That Ferdinand!" "What a useless piece of trash!" "He actually got killed by a little bee!" "My lord, what should we do next!"

Cairns Empire, North Sea Province, Daphne County.

Inside the Marquis Huber's castle, Count Novichault paced back and forth in the hall like a cat on hot bricks, his hands clasped behind his back, constantly sighing in despair. He appeared utterly grief-stricken.

"Right now, the only option is to go see Raven together tomorrow."

Uncle Hu picked up a slice of dried apple, put it in his mouth, squinted his eyes, and said thoughtfully as he chewed.

"See him??" Novichau looked incredulous. "It's true that Little Bee is a marquis, but you are also a marquis!" "And he's only been a marquis for a few days!" "If anyone should see someone, it should be him coming to pay his respects to you." "How can you possibly go to see him??" "Besides," "This North Sea Province is our territory!" "As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake!" "You're giving this Little Bee too much credit!" "Who does he think he is!" "Pah!"

Novihau was a large, burly man with a thick braid down the center of his head. A thin ribbon adorned his forehead, from which hung a small, round, gold ornament. It was clearly pure gold, intricately carved with the Novihau family crest, resembling a woman's forehead decoration. He was filled with resentment, jumping up and spitting on the ground. "If it weren't for the dragon, how could Venice have fallen into the hands of that little bee so quickly!" "What on earth happened to Ferdinand? Huh? Did he indulge in too much wine and women? Did he ruin him?"

"A sixth-tier transcendent being, even if he doesn't absolutely suppress Raven, should at least be evenly matched with him!"

"Now look what's happened! He's kicked the bucket, leaving us with this huge mess." "And now Raven has taken over Venice." "We're stuck in the middle. If we help Raven, we'll offend the Emperor. If we don't help Raven, we'll be in trouble immediately." "This...this...this..." "This is a real hot potato!" Novichau kept grumbling, as if it were the end of the world.

Even if it wasn't the end of the world, it was pretty much the same for him.

He didn't care whether Ferdinand was dead or alive, or whether the royal army had been defeated or not! What he truly feared was being forced to choose sides when facing Raven. Clearly, he hadn't chosen Raven's side. He had only brought up the "nameless ones constantly slaughtering nobles" argument to gain more leverage in negotiations with Ferdinand.

And
No matter what, he had helped Ferdinand, and if Raven were to investigate... Novichau dared not think about it any further.

"Why are you panicking?"

A flicker of disgust crossed Hu Bo's eyes. "Haven't you heard that saying? 'Border troops have always been elite.' 'This contest between Raven and the Emperor.' 'Without a doubt,' 'it's a typical war between the border troops and the Imperial Guard.' 'Trust me, Raven won't make things too difficult for us.'"

Hearing this, Novichau barely managed to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Uncle Huber's words were far more eloquent than any performance. Raven, of course, wouldn't make things difficult for him. After all, he was a marquis, or at least of equal rank to Raven. But Novichau was just an earl! Who didn't know the saying "a new broom sweeps clean"? Who didn't understand the principle of "killing the chicken to scare the monkey"? Ah—if it were as simple and easy as Uncle Huber made it sound, why was he so annoyed? Damn it, he doesn't know the pain until he's in trouble. Even a three-year-old understands this, and this old fox is starting to laugh it off.

Perhaps sensing Novichau's strong dissatisfaction, or perhaps Huber was genuinely annoyed by him, he stood up and coldly snorted, "I also have a question." "Count Novichau," he said, "on one hand, you call Raven 'useless,' belittling him to the point of utter worthlessness, all show and no substance. On the other hand, you appear so terrified and anxious." "How do you manage that?" he asked. "Could the rumors be true? Do you truly suffer from schizophrenia? Different personalities?"

Huber was relatively thin, and of course, he was also older. Most striking were his long beard and half-shaved mustache. Yes, he only had a long beard on the left side; the right side of his head was completely shaved.

"..."

Novichau fell silent. He was like a mute who had swallowed a bitter pill.

The two parted on bad terms. Novihaus spent the night in Huber's castle, and early the next morning, they boarded a carriage and sped towards Venice.

It wasn't until dusk that the two arrived at the gates of Venice. "Wow!" What they saw was astonishing; the city walls were densely packed with carriages of all sizes. It felt as if the entire Foothills County, including all the nobles from the surrounding area, had come, queuing up to enter the city and lick Raven's ass. The collapsed city walls only faced the Nord Province; the walls facing Daphne County remained intact. The city was guarded by the Eagle Legion and many towering orcs. This was the first time the two had encountered orc soldiers so closely. The terrifying sense of oppression made the two nobles tense. After verifying their identities, an eagle-man swiftly flew away, clearly to report.

Taking advantage of the lull, Novichau climbed into Huber's carriage and said, "Look! We haven't even entered the city yet! They're already trying to intimidate us!" "I'm afraid their intentions are not good."

Huber looked up at Novichau, hesitated for a moment but couldn't hold back any longer, and said, "You are the one who came here."

Novichau: ...

After waiting for almost an hour, the two finally saw a man riding a blood-eyed warhorse and wearing armor slowly emerge from within the city walls. The man had a resolute face and hawk-like eyes, with only his uneven eyes being particularly noticeable.

“Lord Eric, I did not expect you to come out to greet me in person.” “This Marquis is very honored.”

Upon seeing Eric, Huber hurriedly climbed out of the carriage, unperturbed by the mud and filth on the ground, and unconcerned about the strange looks from the other minor nobles… He strode forward, beaming, and said… showing no sign of the impatience of the long wait.

Novichau naturally followed suit.

Eric dismounted and removed his gloves, giving the impression that he was in a hurry to bow. But then he simply held the gloves in his hands, crossed them in front of him, and said calmly, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, my esteemed lords. Please come with me on foot into the city."

"You!" "What did you say?!"

Novahau was already furious from waiting so long. Seeing Eric's dismissive attitude towards the two only fueled his rage. But he could let it go. He figured it was all Raven's deliberate attempt to intimidate them. He could tolerate these minor inconveniences, as long as Raven was pleased and the outcome wasn't too bad. But now, hearing Eric's words, Novahau could no longer contain himself! He roared in fury.

It's at least 6-10 miles from here to the castle, wouldn't that take about an hour on foot?
Raven, that little bee, is going too far!!!

"Say that again if you dare!!" Novichau roared. He, a dignified count, had never suffered such humiliation, especially not in front of a group of minor nobles from the North Sea Province! This insult was no different from death. His blood boiled, and he charged towards Eric without regard for anything else.

Uncle Hu, who was standing in front of him, tried to stop him, but he was pushed so hard that he stumbled and almost fell.

Approaching Eric, Novichau's eyes widened, staring intently into Eric's gaze. He roared through gritted teeth, "Immediately! Right now! Kneel down! Kneel before me and Marquis Huber! Apologize! Admit your mistake!!!!!"

Snapped! ! !
A resounding slap echoed through the air like a whip cracking. Eric retaliated with a backhand slap, sending Novichau flying.

"what--"

Novichau screamed in agony, blood streaming from his mouth. Covered in mud and filth, he clutched his cheek, staring at Eric in terror. The slap had left him unable to feel half his face. He instantly realized that Eric truly dared to kill him! And in front of so many North Sea nobles!
"Eric!" "You've gone too far!"

Seeing this, Huber hurriedly stepped forward. "You're just a baron!" "And merely a vassal of Raven!" "Novihaus and I..." "Those are nobles of the Empire!" "This is overstepping your bounds!" "A capital offense!"

Snapped--

Another loud slap rang out. Just like before, Uncle Hu tumbled out.

Eric's gaze swept back and forth between the two men, his eyes filled with sarcasm as he sneered, "I was so busy beating him that I forgot to beat you up."

……

(End of this chapter)