I really didn't want to burn it.

Li Ang shrugged with a wry smile.

"Of course, I want to know what the Tang Empire means to you! It is my duty as the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty."

Her Majesty the Empress narrowed her alluring yet sharp eyes, scrutinizing the man with amusement.

Although the Tang Empire at this time was no longer the invincible monster that had once swept across the world and expanded wildly throughout Eurasia, it was still an empire that was abnormally powerful.

As the very nation he created, Leon, its creator, inexplicably instigated chaos and even led to its division. Those in the know would naturally question the motives and purposes behind his bizarre behavior.

"Your Majesty, what is your purpose in doing this?"

The Empress asked with a smile.

"Shouldn't we be trying to take back our country?" Li Ang asked pointedly.

"Let's forget about jokes. If Your Majesty really wanted to reclaim the empire, taking the upper-level route would be much easier than it is now. If you wanted to take the lower-level route, Your Majesty, with your abilities, you could easily raise an army all by yourself, without needing to borrow the power of another country. Although the current situation is partly due to Kirshtalia Wodim's meddling, it wouldn't have happened if Your Majesty hadn't wanted it to."

So, you see...

The Empress revealed her noblewomanly charm as she leaned close to Li Ang and said softly and teasingly, "I suspect Your Majesty has other intentions."

To bridge the gap between the two, the empress deliberately changed her self-reference from "朕" (zhen, meaning "I") to "我" (wo, meaning "I").

But Li Ang seemed completely oblivious to this subtle change. He maintained his original posture and continued, "After all, you are the successor of my family's Meiniang. Your political acumen is still commendable."

"Meiniang..."

Upon hearing this familiar address, Her Majesty the Empress sighed softly, and her gaze towards the man deepened with tenderness.

"It's been a long time since I've heard that title."

Chapter 318 Empress: I may not be human, but you really are a dog.

"Mei Niang?"

Upon hearing Her Majesty the Empress's words, Li Ang's expression changed slightly.

"Um... I just think Your Majesty sounds a lot like the previous Empress." The Empress quickly corrected herself.

“She definitely didn’t say anything nice about me,” Li Ang said in a muffled voice, pinching his nose. “You know what? When we first met, I could tell that woman had a lot of ambition, so I was on guard against her for a long time. Back then, our relationship wasn’t very harmonious.”

"Is...is that so?"

Her Majesty the Queen's lips twitched slightly.

"No wonder you made things so difficult for her when she first entered the palace! Tsk, that was a miscalculation. No wonder I had such a bad start; I should have chosen someone else!"

In order to attract Li Ang's attention, the Empress deliberately gave herself a nickname that was famous in history. She really did not expect that the nickname "Wu Zhao" would have the opposite effect.

"However... I heard from the modern empress that although Your Majesty is somewhat dissatisfied with her, you visit her palace quite frequently."

"What can I do? She's so beautiful. Even if I just use her as bedding, she's top-notch in both looks and feel, so why not take advantage of her?"

Li Ang rubbed his chin, a nostalgic look on his face.

Click.

Her Majesty the Queen secretly broke a writing brush.

Fortunately, the room was dimly lit, so her little trick went unnoticed.

"You rutting monkey! Maybe I'm not human, but you're definitely a dog!"

Her Majesty's eyebrows twitched; she felt she was about to reveal her true form.

Fortunately, Li Ang also felt that it was not appropriate to talk about these things in front of others, so he quickly moved on to the next topic.

"I never expected that in the end, it would be Mei Niang who inherited my throne. I can only say that fate is cruel."

"After all, this empire is the result of Your Majesty's hard work, and the previous Empress naturally wanted to protect your legacy."

The Empress's voice was alluring, as gentle as a spring breeze in March.

Clap, clap.

The man slowly began to applaud.

"As expected of someone favored by Meiniang, his words are always so pleasing to the ear. Did you flatter Meiniang like this back then?"

"Flattery?"

The Empress was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized what was going on.

"That damn monkey actually mistook me for that kind of despicable person."

The Empress was not the type to swallow her anger; she immediately launched a counterattack: "I didn't expect Your Majesty to have such a strong prejudice against me. But that's not surprising, given Your Majesty's suspicious nature."

"You're really glib, aren't you? You're never willing to suffer a loss." Li Ang retorted directly.

To everyone's surprise, the Empress didn't respond. She poured herself a cup of fragrant tea and took a small sip.

"If Your Majesty has come here to argue with me, then I'll have to call someone in."

“I think so too. However, before answering your question, I have a question I'd like to ask you in return.”

Li Ang looked directly into the Empress's eyes, his expression very serious.

"What does the Empress's throne mean to you? Is it a responsibility entrusted to you by Wu Zetian, or your own duty?"

"I am the Empress, that is beyond question."

The Queen answered matter-of-factly.

"And what about you, Your Majesty? What does this country mean to you?"

The Empress raised her head and met Li Ang's gaze.

"It's something I can't part with."

Li Ang chuckled and stood up from his chair, walked to the window, and looked up at the bright moon in the night sky.

“I once ruled this country with my own preconceived notions, but the result was that this country became so lifeless. I will not stay in this country for long, but I hope that I can create a future for the people of this country that they can fight for and strive for.”

"future?"

The Empress looked surprised.

"That's right, it's the future. I want the people on this land to be happy forever. That's my little dream."

Li Ang turned around and smiled slightly at the Empress.

"Although I'd love to chat with you a little longer, it sounds like some outsiders are coming. Let's call it a day."

After saying that, Li Ang leaped off the tall building.

"No, this is simply a grand vision. Even Buddha wouldn't make such a grand vow."

Looking at the window where Li Ang stood before her, Her Majesty the Empress sighed once more.

"As expected, this is always your thought. I can understand your desire to protect the people of this land. But, do these filthy humans really have that kind of value?"

Bah!

The door to the private room was forcefully flung open, and one of Bai Mao's clones rushed in.

"what's going on?"

Her Majesty the Queen immediately snapped out of her sentimental state and regained her imperial dignity.

"Servants have invaded!" Hyakuma reported urgently. "They are Servants from Kirshtalia Wodem's side! They launched an attack in the East Street!"

"An attack was launched, but against whom?"

Bai Mao hesitated for a moment before revealing, "It's Li Ang and Ryougi Shiki."

"His Majesty?"

The Empress instinctively looked towards the window.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Bah!

With a whooshing sound as the long sword cut through the wind, Ryougi Shiki thrust the long sword in her hand forward.

"Oh!"

Almost simultaneously, the wall facing Ryougi Shiki suddenly exploded, and a beam of red light shot towards her along with the wall's collapse.

"Humph."

Ryougi Shiki smiled slightly, raised the hand holding the sword, and gently waved it—

With just one strike, the world seemed to fall silent.

But the next second, Ryougi Shiki felt the lights in front of her dim!

A dark figure was approaching her at an extremely fast speed.

"A great hero from Norse mythology... Let me see him today! I happen to have a problem with the Norsemen!"

Just as Ryougi Shiki raised her hand, the tall figure attacking her descended from the sky like a hawk hunting its prey. The opponent unleashed a red lightsaber with his fist, aiming straight for Ryougi Shiki's heart!

The person who arrived was none other than Sigurd!

chapped.

Despite Sigurd's incredibly fast attack, Ryougi Shiki's superhuman dynamic vision still managed to catch it.

Ryougi Shiki cleaved the red lightsaber that was attacking her in two with a single stroke, then stepped onto the wall and leaped high into the air towards Sigurd's face.

With a single move, Ryougi Shiki not only neutralized Sigurd's offensive but also forced Sigurd to launch his own attack.

If Sigurd continues like this, he will surely be pierced through by Ryougi Shiki's longsword!

Sigurd, who was the target of the attack, was also slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting his opponent to react so quickly.

"As expected, she is a being comparable to a Heroic Spirit in human form... Ryougi Shiki."

Even though his current position was extremely dangerous, Sigurd remained calm.

"So you were recognized after all. I knew you shouldn't have attacked us for no reason."

Ryougi Shiki smiled confidently and brought her long sword toward Sigurd's brow.

M78 Nebula 756365104

P.S.: Sorry for the late update.

I got my second vaccination today, but I didn't expect the side effects to be so much worse than the first one. My head felt swollen and painful, and I felt dizzy.

Mimi took a nap before she had the energy to write.

I've finally managed to finish writing the update, albeit with some difficulty. _(:з」∠)_

I'll check the typos tomorrow morning, sorry. (＞人＜)

Chapter 319 Young man, where are you going?

In the blink of an eye, Ryougi Shiki and Sigurd were less than two meters from the ground.

"Tsk!"

The pupils behind the black-rimmed glasses contracted sharply. The next moment, several lightsabers flew out from Sigurd's body and slashed at Ryougi Shiki.

The sudden appearance of the lightsaber made Sigurd look like he had grown wings, as if the difference in their physical size had suddenly increased.

The sudden counterattack surprised Ryougi Shiki. She hadn't expected that Sigurd, the hero of Norse mythology, would have such a strong science fiction style in his fighting.

Previously, when Sigurd used a lightsaber, Ryougi Shiki thought that he was just used to using weapons made of magical energy!

Taking advantage of Ryougi Shiki's momentary distraction, Sigurd quickly evaded her attack and, in mid-air, turned around and punched a lightsaber at her!

Ryougi Shiki reacted swiftly, flipping in the air as she rapidly swung her katana.

Kaka!

Several teeth-grinding metallic cracking sounds rang out, and Sigurd and Ryougi Shiki's mid-air duel ended in a draw, with them reaching the ground almost simultaneously.

"cut!"