In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes as he stepped forward and asked in a deep voice.

Meeting his hawk-like gaze, the little empress trembled subconsciously. Clearly, years of oppression under his rule had instilled a deep-seated fear in her.

But then she thought about it and decided it didn't matter. She said, "I'm going to die anyway. Whether I stick my neck out or not, I'll still get stabbed. What's there to be afraid of?"

"Otherwise what? Should I treat you, a traitorous minister, with utmost respect?!"

So, unusually, she straightened her back and retorted without hesitation, "Aren't you disgusting to be so hypocritical at a time like this?"

Although one could still detect a hint of bravado, at this moment she exuded an aura of imperial power, far more so than before.

"...Then Your Majesty, please accept your fate."

Cheng Gujian frowned, drew the spear from behind him, and walked slowly toward her with a gloomy face.

The tip of the gun scraped against the ground, making a piercing sound.

"You don't need to lift a finger, I'll do it myself!"

Dongfang Xiao's throat tightened, but he still shakily raised his sword and pressed it against his neck, looking as if he were ready to die.

To be honest, she was terrified of death. Who faces death without fear?

But she didn't want to live in Cheng Gujian's shadow for the rest of her life; at least she didn't want him to decide her death!

Of course, to be honest, I feel a bit embarrassed here. I made a lot of grand pronouncements and used a lot of foul language earlier, so I can't just cry and beg him to spare my life now.

If that were the case, she would be nailed to the pillar of shame whether she lived or died, and she didn't want to be so undignified.

The little queen closed her eyes, her trembling hands exerting a slight force.

In the final moments of her life, she still felt mostly resentful.

Even though everything was on the right track, she still didn't have the chance to fully display her talents and realize her ambitions.

What's most infuriating is that Xu Shi, that bastard, got to play for so long for nothing!

Huh? Why did I think of him?

He's the one who abandoned me! He promised to help me wipe out Cheng Gujian, but now that Cheng Gujian has rebelled, I haven't seen a trace of Xu Shi.

She didn't care whether Xu Shi was busy or not; she only felt wronged. If she couldn't keep her promise to me, she shouldn't have said it in the first place!

It was my own stupidity that I foolishly believed it.

Woo woo woo.

however.

at this time.

She suddenly felt as if she were being clamped, and no matter how hard she tried, the longsword in her hand could not penetrate even a fraction of an inch.

Ok?

Just as they were wondering what was going on, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

"You are... Xia Wuyou?"

Dongfang Xiao blinked, her mind a jumble, and it took her a while to remember her name.

"It's me. You must have seen me before, right?"

Xia Wuyou rolled her eyes at her, "Xu Shi had long anticipated that the palace would not be peaceful tonight, so he specifically asked me to protect you."

That's true.

Xu Shi sent her, his strongest fighter, not to guard against the Vatican's underhanded tactics; his target from the beginning was Cheng Gujian.

The Vatican is determined to obliterate him and will not spare much effort for the royal family until then.

Both Xu Shi and the royal family are formidable opponents. Even if they gather manpower from other regions, the result of this two-pronged approach will be nothing more than a futile effort.

Therefore, she had already infiltrated the palace, and she had overheard the entire conversation between Dongfang Xiao and Cheng Gujian.

"Actually, you're not bad. I always thought you were a good-for-nothing, but I didn't expect you to have some backbone."

Xia Xiaomao nodded gently in approval of the little queen's attitude.

"Then... I thank my master's wife for the compliment?"

Being praised at this crucial moment, Dongfang Xiao didn't know how she felt, but she wasn't particularly happy.

The main problem is that this teacher's wife is incredibly sharp-tongued, okay? When did I become a fool?!

Sure enough, it was the norm for the women around Xu Shi to be just as annoying as he was, while a good teacher's wife like Sister Xie was an exception.

She was convinced that Xie Qingyan was a good woman.

It must be so hard for Sister Xie, living under the same roof with these people every day.

"Miss Xia, are you going to protect her?"

Cheng Gujian frowned. "I know Xu Shi sent you, but I also advise you to think carefully about whether it's worth it."

The subtext of these words is quite clear: the Papacy is now in dire straits, and he is only one step away from the throne, so Dongfang Xiao is obviously not a good choice.

What she could promise Xu Shi, I could also give, and perhaps even better.

Why should we side with her at this time?

As for the subtle actions between Xu Shi and Dongfang Xiao... one can only say that he must have known about them for a long time. He wouldn't dare say he knew every detail, but it's impossible that he didn't notice anything at all.

"This isn't a question of whether it's worth it or not."

Xia Wuyou stood firm, his sword already drawn. "Xu Shi asked me to guarantee her safety, and I must do so."

"Besides... I've disliked you for a long time, you didn't know that, did you?"

That's true. Last time when they were fighting the Sea God, Cheng Gujian changed his mind at the last minute, abandoning Xu Shi's safety and leaving her to fight alone. She has been holding a grudge ever since, and she is still angry about it now.

"So what? I admit you're strong, but you're no match for me."

Cheng Gujian sneered. She knew Xia Wuyou's level very well. She was indeed strong, but not enough to threaten her.

"How will you know if you don't try?"

Xia Xiaomao didn't waste any words. Before she could finish speaking, she had already launched an attack, shouting, "Die!"

Facing an SS-level opponent like Cheng Gujian, she certainly wouldn't be careless. She immediately pushed her gravity field to its limit, her battle blade aimed directly at his vital points!

Cheng Gujian remained calm and unhurried, raising his spear to meet the attack, a wisp of gray aura emanating from his body.

Destructive power!

Xia Wuyou's eyes narrowed, and she deftly dodged to the side.

Having witnessed the other party's abilities, she naturally knew the domineering nature of destructive powers. A head-on confrontation was obviously inappropriate, tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

If you touch even a little bit, you will wither away in an instant, just like the sea god back then, and then turn into ashes!

The only thing to be thankful for is that this ability has not been domained; otherwise, it would be no exaggeration to say that he is invincible, turning into a human-shaped natural disaster, and any attack that falls on him will be like a stone sinking into the sea.

Even so, Xia Wuyou knew that his strength was inferior to his opponent's. S+ might be able to get infinitely close to SS, but there was still a gap in hard power.

But she wasn't afraid. Opportunities to fight SS were few and far between, so how could she give up so easily?

What she didn't know was that Cheng Gujian's shock was probably far greater than hers.

Because the level of combat skill he displayed greatly exceeded his expectations!

You see, although he knew that his opponent was not as strong as him, his years of habit did not make him underestimate any opponent. Facing Xia Wuyou's attack, he would not only go all out, but he would at least take it seriously.

His combat skills were by no means inferior—as a Grand Duke skilled in both literature and martial arts, he never relied solely on his abilities to contend with enemies, but rather combined his abilities with combat techniques, striving for a single, decisive blow.

But now, he can't do that.

His movements were agile, but his opponent was just as nimble, even a little unpredictable, like a ghost that was hard to catch, causing him to miss his target repeatedly!

The opponent's domain was also quite troublesome; the feeling of twisting and squeezing space almost solidified into a tangible form.

This is something his destructive power cannot destroy—isn't the collapse caused by gravitational distortion also a form of destruction?

If we had to put it bluntly, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this was a head-on collision.

Cheng Gujian even felt a rare sense of crisis. Compared to when he was fighting the Sea God, Xia Wuyou in front of him had obviously made considerable progress.

He also keenly noticed the "Suwei" outfit the other person was wearing.

At his level, he could easily tell that Xia Wuyou, relying solely on his own abilities, would never be able to pose a threat to him.

Her ability to go toe-to-toe with herself is largely due to her equipment.

But that's what's truly terrifying.

It's important to understand that for them, the "Chosen Ones," the higher their level, the less improvement they can gain from external objects.

For example, the Hualan Empire had many methods to enhance the abilities of "Chosen Ones," but none of them had much effect on him.

Is it that you don't want to? Of course not.

It's just that his strength is far beyond that of others. Rather than relying on those things, it's better to rely on his own insights, or rather, he needs a catalyst to possibly enter the "realm of gods" that only exists in legends.

But Xia Wuyou's equipment can do that; both her battle suit and the sharp blade in her hand can bring her a significant boost.

Even if she is a level below him, it is still shocking, at least with the technological level of the Hualan Empire, it is impossible to do this.

If the other items Xu Shi brought earlier were merely icing on the cake for him, this method was definitely an eye-opener for him.

"It's amazing."

He expressed his sincere admiration and decided to give his opponent the utmost respect.

Dongfang Xiao, who was standing to the side, was equally dumbfounded.

As the saying goes, laymen watch the show. With the Little Queen's level of supernatural abilities, it's impossible for her to have considered so many intricacies in such a short time.

But simply watching the two clash up close was enough to deeply shock her.

Despite her dislike for Cheng Gujian, she had to acknowledge his strength. The reason she didn't choose to resist and instead went straight for suicide was largely due to this.

In her memory, it was almost entirely scenes of Cheng Gujian slaughtering everyone.

Xia Wuyou is probably the first person who can go toe-to-toe with him.

She hadn't participated in the campaign against the Sea God, and Xia Wuyou was a complete stranger to her. This was the first time she had seen him take action, and for a moment, she was a bit stunned.

Are the people around Xu Shi... really that capable?