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Chapter 199, 198: The Emperor's Death, A New Era; Demons Taller Than Wheels Must Die.

In the Demon King's castle hall, the cold air seemed to freeze.

"What—what did you just say?"

One of the Seven Sages of Collapse, "Glaosam," spoke in a hoarse voice, as if trying to confirm he had misheard, "His Majesty the Demon King—has passed away?"

His question echoed in the empty hall, unanswered.

All the demons, including the remaining Seven Sages and several powerful demons, turned their gaze to the petite figure beside the throne—"The Last Saintess" Todd.

Her wheat-colored skin appeared dull in the dim light, and her snow-white hair looked like frost.

Todd slowly raised his eyelids, his cold voice reaching the ears of every demon: "Indeed, I have confirmed it through the cursed network that covers the entire northern continent."

"Above the Land of Swords, His Majesty's immense magical power and the aura of Shurahat have completely vanished."

She paused, letting the truth strike hard in the hearts of each demon, before continuing, "I summoned you not to discuss truth or falsehood, but to ask: how are we supposed to survive?"

You could hear a pin drop inside the main hall.

To survive?

The word sounded so absurd and pathetic coming from Todd's mouth.

"—The being capable of killing both His Majesty and Shurahart simultaneously is far beyond our ability to defeat."

Todd's words were cold and realistic: "Resistance means pointless destruction. We must make a choice before he finds this place."

"Escape, or—hide."

"Escape? Where can we escape to?" a young demon couldn't help but exclaim. "The entire continent is under human control!"

"Hiding is even more ridiculous!" another voice retorted. "Who can guarantee they won't be discovered? If they are found, who will stay behind to stop the monster?"

This crucial question plunged the hall into a deathly silence once more, even heavier than before.

Who is willing to stay?

That's tantamount to suicide.

Each demon instinctively avoided the gaze of their companions, either looking down at the ground or gazing into the void, as if the answer lay there.

Todd watched all of this without showing any expression.

She had anticipated this would happen.

She said no more, but silently took out two bone divination sticks.

Let's draw lots.

She said, "Let fate decide who will preserve the lineage and the females separate from the males—"

pat.

The sound of the divination tube being set down was so loud it could be heard a pin drop; in the deathly silent hall, it sounded like a death knell tolling.

Meanwhile, on the vast snow-covered plains of the North, an efficient cleanup is underway.

The dragon descended and swept over a destroyed demon camp.

The tattered tents and frozen black bloodstains scattered on the snow silently told the story of what had happened not long ago.

"How many outposts are there now?"

On the dragon's back, Celia looked down at the scene below and couldn't help but ask.

After several days of continuous fighting, even though she was just observing, she felt a kind of mental numbness.

Gu Yuan sat at the base of the dragon's neck, carefully wiping the blade with a piece of velvet cloth.

"The forty-first," he replied.

Celia looked at him and couldn't help but speak again, "How long are we going to keep cleaning like this? How long are you going to keep killing?"

Gu Yuan sheathed his sword, making a crisp sound.

"Until the Demon King's castle is razed to the ground, until there are no more demons in the North."

He gazed at the faint outline of the black city in the distance. "Do you think it's too fast? Or too cruel?"

"No, not at all." Celia crossed her arms, her brows furrowing slightly. "I just don't understand why you would go to such lengths for the sake of humanity?"

"We've both witnessed their internal strife and cowardice. Was it worth it?"

"Whether it's worth it or not is not important." Gu Yuan turned around and answered simply and directly, "I want to do it, that's all."

He needed this war sweeping across the North to hone the power that had surged from traversing the world.

The blood of demons is the best litmus test.

"————" Celie fell silent.

At this moment, Milield, who had been watching from the sidelines, gently pulled her hood tighter, as if trying to ward off the pervasive chill.

She looked at Gu Yuan, timely ending the previous topic, and asked softly, "Gu Yuan, what do you plan to do after all this is over? Will you go back to the capital and continue your old life?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuan paused slightly.

What happens after it's over? He really hadn't thought about it carefully.

As initially planned, once the demonic threat in this world is eliminated, the passage to the next world may open.

He looked up and met Milie Alde's curious eyes.

"I'll probably still stay with you guys." He gave an answer that wasn't really an answer.

Milie Alde gave a soft "hmm" and stopped asking questions. She simply turned her gaze back to the vast snowfield and stroked the empty wine flask hanging at her waist.

As if to break the delicate silence, Gu Yuan took out a small booklet from his pocket.

He turned to a page where some scattered thoughts were already recorded.

"Alright, let's talk about something practical."

His tone returned to its usual calm, bringing the two back to their senses. "Once we've finished eliminating the adult demons, what do you think we should do with any remaining young demons?"

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Celia and Miliald's faces, questioning but more decisive: "My opinion is that they should all be eliminated, using the height of a wheel as the standard. Anyone exceeding this line should be executed."

"Regardless of whether they were directly involved in the killings, and regardless of whether they are threatening at this moment."

"————"

There was a two-second silence after he said that.

Celia snorted coldly, her face showing undisguised indifference: "Whatever."

She had no pity for the demons, and eliminating future threats was the most natural choice; she didn't even bother to think about it.

Milie Alder frowned slightly.

But when she looked into Gu Yuan's unwavering eyes, and thinking of the threat the demons posed to humans and elves, she finally nodded: "I'll listen to you."

Gu Yuan snapped the booklet shut with a soft "snap," a sound that seemed to seal the deal: "In that case, I will have the Emperor issue a formal order upon our return to the capital."

"Search and eliminate all eligible demons nationwide, leaving none alive."

At the same time that Gu Yuan was located on the northern continent, deciding the fate of the remaining demons.

A magnificent steed carrying the earth-shattering news of victory finally charged through the majestic city gates of the unified empire's capital.

The messenger raced towards the palace, disregarding etiquette, holding aloft the battle report and shouting hoarsely, "Great victory! Great victory in the North! The Demon King has been slain!"

The news spread like wildfire throughout the city and eventually reached the emperor's bedroom.

Herbert II, lying on his sickbed, was emaciated and had just drunk a bitter medicine.

When he heard the eunuch reading the battle report in a trembling voice, his cloudy eyes suddenly burst forth with an astonishing light.

"Good! Good! Good! God bless the Empire!!"

He exclaimed in surprise, struggling to stand up, but forgot that his body was already exhausted and could not withstand such intense emotional fluctuations.

After the ultimate joy comes utter exhaustion.

The flush on Herbert II's face quickly faded, turning ashen.

"puff--"

He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, the dark red liquid splattering all over the bright yellow brocade quilt, a shocking sight.

"His Majesty!"

"The imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician immediately!"

The eunuch's scream shattered the tranquility of the palace, throwing the ministers who rushed to the scene into chaos.

However, by the time the imperial physician arrived, it was already too late.

That mouthful of blood seemed to have taken away his last bit of life force.

Despite all efforts to save him, Herbert II, the monarch of the unified empire, passed away peacefully amidst the joyous news of his victory, filled with boundless satisfaction.

Thus, with the simultaneous departure of the Demon King and the Emperor, an era quietly came to an end.

The era of Gu Yuan had just begun.

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