The Villain Saint is my secondary account

Just as Raymond was about to place the jewel-encrusted crown on his head, four green fluorescent lights suddenly burst forth from the stone pillars at the four corners of the hall, meandering along the outer perimeter of the hall like water snakes across the glittering gold-plated floor tiles.

A pale green, thin, translucent wall slowly rises from the path of the fluorescence.

"What's this!?"

The nobles who noticed this scene cried out in alarm, and the crowd began to stir. The royal guards and royal knights guarding the main hall immediately gripped their sword hilts and stood ready for battle.

But the next moment, the palace guards never expected that their fellow knights would suddenly draw their swords and, without hesitation, behead them.

In an instant, countless drops of blood splattered, splashing onto the nobles who were still unaware of what was happening.

"what!!!"

Some pampered young noblemen and ladies had never seen such a bloody scene before, and their cries echoed throughout the hall, filling the ears of everyone present.

Fear quickly spread throughout the entire hall.

Amidst the panicked crowd, Ella observed the knights who had suddenly launched their attack. The violence and madness in their bloodshot eyes were exactly the same as those believers she had seen in the Samuel Order when she was Ye Xiao.

It wouldn't be easy for the Samuel Order to secretly corrupt the powerful nobles, who were protected by numerous bodyguards and various magical artifacts, to tamper with the votes, but it would be much simpler to corrupt the knights who were originally from the same faction as them.

"Assassins! Protect the King!" The guards standing beside Prince Raymond immediately formed a strong defensive circle around him.

However, after the fierce attack, the defecting knights did not immediately attack Raymond. Instead, after killing the palace guards around them who could fight, they gathered on the right side of the throne like wolves returning to their den.

That was the place where the Third Princess Erika resided.

The air was thick with the scent of blood and death, yet the youngest princess, Erica, wore a strange smile amidst this hellish scene. Turning to her brother Raymond, her innocent tone betrayed her disregard for life: "Forgive me for this, Raymond. Fate has decreed that I cannot win the favor of nobles simply by my age, forcing me to choose this thorny path."

“Utterly absurd.” Prince Raymond stared at her, his eyes cold. He and his youngest sister didn’t have a deep relationship, and the fragile bond between them had now completely vanished. “You don’t actually think that you can achieve your childish dream of royal power by playing with evil magic and manipulating a group of knights?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Archbishop Holmes and Chief Mage Bazel beside him raised their gleaming staffs.

First, holy light shone, and a golden energy barrier, like a divine shield, instantly enveloped Raymond; then, the raging torrent of wind emitted a sharp roar and rushed straight towards the knight in front of Erica.

But the extraordinary power contained within the wind was cleaved in two by a sharp sword beam halfway through. As the dust settled, Soren Albert, the commander of the Royal Knights, resolutely stood before the Third Princess, Erica.

"Sauron!?"

Before Prince Raymond could speak, Duke Pesoli Albert, who was being guarded by his personal guards, exclaimed incredulously, "Are you insane, Soren?! The family has already decided to pledge allegiance to His Majesty Raymond, what are you doing?!"

"This is your choice, not my belief, brother." Soren's eyes were as resolute as iron. "You are free to follow the puppet king supported by that saint, but I prefer to follow a true leader who can greatly enhance the strength of my brothers on the battlefield."

"Utterly absurd! That guy used forbidden evil magic!" Even the usually gentle and refined Grand Duke Pesoli could not contain his anger and uttered a rude curse.

"While you're enjoying the warmth of the fireplace in Frostwind Keep, you can naturally scoff at those so-called evil arts. But do you know how many soldiers die every day at the hands of monsters and barbarians in the Northern Abyss, where those pampered priests, wrapped in fur coats, dare not even step a step? You good-for-nothing nobles have never been on the battlefield; what right do you have to judge whether the methods relied upon by the frontline warriors are evil arts..."

Ella was somewhat surprised to hear the argument between the two. She had always thought that the Albert family was a united front, so she had only contacted Grand Duke Pesoli before and had not visited Commander Soren.

No wonder I never saw the Knight Commander when I visited the Albert family's mansion before; it turns out the two of them were arguing about whether or not to use some kind of "evil magic" provided by the Samuel Order.

It can only be said that missing side quests will inevitably make the development of the main storyline less than satisfactory.

Ella was helpless. If she had known this would happen, she could have let the two great superhumans of the Empire and the Samuel Order meet first if the Knight Commander was also on their side. But now they had to fight each other internally first.

The palace hall was teeming with people, and unless she was completely wiped out later, she really couldn't make a move.

At the same moment, the chaotic fleeing crowd on the periphery discovered that the initially rising emerald green membrane was actually an unbreakable magical barrier. Everyone in the main hall was now trapped inside the palace, their fate uncertain.

Chapter 171 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

“Your Majesty Raymond, Your Grace, on behalf of the Albert family, I offer my sincerest apologies for Soren’s actions and the trouble they have caused you.”

Duke Pesoli took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and turned to Ella with a slightly apologetic tone, saying, "I didn't notice; he has been corrupted too deeply."

“It’s alright, Your Grace. The most urgent thing is to find a way to break this deadlock.” Ella responded calmly, waving her hand gently. “After showing their intentions, the other side didn’t seize the opportunity to assassinate but instead stayed in the rear. I’m afraid they have other plans.”

Just as Ella said, the little princess Erica and the knights who participated in the betrayal simply stood still a distance away from the crowd on the right side of the throne, leaving Commander Sauron and Archmage Bazel to confront each other.

Just as chaos reigned inside and outside the palace, Ella suddenly saw through the crow familiars she had set up outside that an army was slowly gathering on the outskirts of the capital.

It appears to be a private army of nobles who were corrupted in the earlier Samuel Order.

With many of the imperial guards transferred into the city to handle the security of the coronation ceremony, coupled with the corruption of the Samuel Order, it was only a matter of time before the city walls were breached.

Ella now roughly understood that Princess Erica did not expect to quickly defeat Prince Raymond, but only to use a magical barrier to trap the decision-making level in the palace. The key was the rebel army that was attacking the capital.

The royal guards and knights stationed outside the barrier were also locked in battle, with people scattering and fleeing amidst the smoke and dust.

Soldiers corrupted by the evil magic of the Samuel Order have worms lurking within them that act like an invisible pact, allowing them to recognize each other in the chaos of battle, while the uncorrupted garrison is caught in a dilemma, unable to distinguish friend from foe.

Despite their numerical advantage, the chaotic situation and the constant deadly attacks from behind made their fighting strength as fragile as quicksand.

With the help of the eyes of the raven familiars scattered throughout the imperial city, Ella quickly gained a comprehensive understanding of the overall situation.

Fortunately, there weren't many rebels in the city, and their goal wasn't to massacre innocent civilians. They mainly focused on weakening the city's defenses and hindering the support from the garrison to the palace.

But Ella couldn't rush things. The Cult of Life hadn't revealed their hand yet. Since they had replaced the elders at the Samuel Hermitage's stronghold in the city, they must have been prepared for this internal strife.

However, she had made arrangements beforehand. The Knights and Priests of the Loren Sanctuary had already engaged the rebels at the foot of Mount Valond and evacuated the distressed people to the sanctuary.

After all, it was the capital of Loren, and the Holy Church couldn't possibly station too many troops in the imperial city, but it wasn't difficult to protect the citizens of that area during times of chaos.

Linked to the raven familiar's vision, Ella's gaze swept across every corner of the imperial city, and she quickly discovered some more clues.

Figures clad in black robes appeared in various parts of the East and South districts, stirring up trouble in the streets and bustling markets, shouting things like "Civil war is coming" and "We are doomed," which made the crowds in other places, who were already far from the palace but were already anxious because of the commotion in the palace and outside the city, even more chaotic.

Taking advantage of the situation, some rioters began to vandalize and smash things, throwing torches and oil lamps to burn houses. In an instant, smoke and fire spread throughout the city like twinkling stars in the night sky.

It is unknown how many were secretly arranged cult members and how many were mobs deliberately taking advantage of the chaos to loot, but the chaos they stirred up quickly began to spread.

Beset by internal and external troubles, the imperial city's garrison was stretched thin and could only prioritize ensuring the stability of the western district, where nobles congregated, while other areas were left to descend into chaos for the time being.

The terrified crowd scattered like a swarm of bees, fleeing in all directions, their sight filled with nothing but raging thugs and raging flames.

At that very moment, those who had previously spread panic and were dressed in black robes reappeared and began guiding the people to seek refuge at the Adventurers' Guild's headquarters.

These guild strongholds are mostly sturdy, and there are adventurers with considerable combat skills stationed there, so it's understandable that they would flee here.

Although the adventurers were ruthless and brave, most of them were not bad-hearted. The local residents and neighbors were quite familiar with them, so they opened their doors to help them in this time of crisis.

But no one noticed that in the dense crowd, a woman with unsteady movements was clutching her abdomen, sweat pouring down her face like raindrops, her expression contorted in pain.

The surrounding clamor seemed to transform into a surging, relentless wave of sound, assaulting her eardrums, and a dizzying chaos gradually took over her thoughts.

"Can you walk faster ahead!" "Don't push me!" "Hurry up!" The shouts and urging voices intertwined, forming an irresistible torrent that bombarded her head.

"Madam, how are you feeling now?" A deep and magnetic voice rang out.

The woman barely opened her eyes and looked at the young man beside her, who was wearing a hood and had a youthful face, but had a scar on his nose that didn't match his appearance. "I still feel a little dizzy... but thank you for the water, Mr. Su."

If Ye Xiao were present, he would definitely recognize this person as his old classmate Zhu Jun at a glance.

"No need to be polite, it's just a small matter." Zhu Jun replied with a smile, while subtly glancing at the crow on the eaves that was turning its head and looking around. Then he quietly pulled down the brim of his hat and his figure instantly blended into the surging crowd.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the mansion of a mid-sized player guild, the guild leader held a tree branch-like object in his hand, looking gratefully at the black-haired girl before him, "Divine Envoy... do I... do I really deserve this!?"

"You should be glad I found you because there was an opening," the girl said expressionlessly. "But indeed, this spot is yours now."

"Thank you, Divine Envoy! Thank you, Divine Envoy!!" The player guild leader knelt on the ground, as if he had received a tremendous blessing.

"No need to thank me, just collect more refugees and don't disappoint my Lord."

"As ordered!"

……

Ella was unaware of what was happening in these inconspicuous corners, and now, after taking a general look at the overall situation inside the city, she had turned her attention to the outside of the city.

There, on the boundless wilderness beyond the majestic walls of the imperial city, the rebel army had already arrived.

Banners adorned with family emblems of glory fluttered in the cold wind, densely packed among the procession.

Like a thick black curtain swallowing the earth, the uniformly armed soldiers, their shoulders clad in cold armor, focused their gazes on the distant outline of the imperial city shrouded in smoke, and on the palace that stood atop the Valond Mountains, enveloped in the verdant twilight.

Standing behind the army's ranks, at the steep cliff where Ella and Marilyn once gazed upon the royal city from Liangqiu Village on their way back, a striking tent now stands, its roof adorned with the war flag symbolizing the glory of House York.

There, a middle-aged man with a resolute face stood with his hands behind his back in front of the tent.

A messenger trotted over, his boot heels lightly tapping the solid ground: "Your Excellency General, the army has assembled."

Eli Furman, the Marquis of York, on the western frontier of the Empire, finally withdrew his gaze from the distant imperial city and looked down at the army below the cliff:

"When I left the academy, I vowed to protect the western border of the empire until the end of my life, but I never thought that one day I would have to point my blade at this mountain... This is probably fate."

"Give the entire army a command to attack the imperial city for the glory of the Mother Goddess."

Chapter 172 Collapse at the slightest touch

The mountain passes along the border of the Valund province are mostly easy to defend and difficult to attack, and are full of strong fortresses and passes. In the past, an army of this size would not have been able to get close to the imperial city at all.

If there had been no internal strife, the Royal Knights, together with the Imperial City garrison, aided by the holy blessings of the priests and the arcane power of the court mages, relying on the strong high walls and fortifications, would not have been able to defeat the rebels even if they had dozens of times more troops than they do now.

This is also the source of the Loren royal power that has been able to stand firm for thousands of years. There have been rebellions in the past, but the flames of rebellion were often extinguished before they even reached the banks of the Blue Dragon River.

However, the long period of stability allowed this most prosperous city of the empire to succumb to extravagance for far too long, with constant internal strife within the royal family and nobles and high-ranking officials indulging in a life of debauchery.

Rather than saying that the corruption of the Samuel Order eroded its defenses, it's more accurate to say that the once-solid defenses were gradually eroded by the passage of time, with holes slowly forming.

The vanguard of 30,000 Iron Guards was, in fact, no different from an ant in the eyes of Loren, one of the three great human empires.

But it is this very ant that has now managed to bite through the seemingly thick skin of the giant.

The imperial guards atop the high walls were already engaged in battle with the rebel forces. Amidst the chaos, they saw the large army slowly approaching from the distant plains from their battlements. Having never experienced a major battle before, they instantly lost their will to fight, abandoned their armor and weapons, and fled in all directions.

Fighting a small number of rebels is manageable, but facing a large army, with high-ranking officers trapped in the palace and lower-ranking officers all having fled, no one would be willing to risk their lives just to delay the enemy's entry into the city.

As Captain Ralf often said, "Why should I work so hard when I only get that little bit of silver coins a month?"

Loren was not without people who possessed childlike innocence, were loyal to their duties, and were willing to sacrifice themselves. But just like the guard who had his leg broken and was thrown into the settlement to beg for daring to rebuke Ella, the former daughter of the duke, most of them disappeared in the jokes of the market.

And so now, the high walls of the imperial city have become a joke.

The arrows that were scattered from the battlements were not as sharp as the hail. The solid city gate collapsed instantly in the face of a siege arcane spell that spanned the plain, cast by the mage army. The cannons and crossbows on the city walls did not even show any signs of use.

The army collapsed like a house of cards, and the imperial guards, fleeing in panic, even outran the fleeing civilians.

Ella, watching all this from the crow's perspective, was speechless. She had expected that the guards on the outer wall would have a hard time resisting the rebels' attack amidst the internal strife, but the fact that they were as fragile as paper and could be easily pierced made it hard to believe.

This is just the vanguard of the rebels; a large contingent is slowly advancing across the plains behind them.

The army that entered the city did not focus on burning, killing, and looting civilians, but instead marched forward under the blessing of the wind element, heading straight for the royal palace in the Valond Mountains.

After all, this was just a coup, not an invasion, and as fellow citizens of Loren, there was no need for them to harm their innocent compatriots.

Moreover, after taking over the palace and installing a new king, the support of the people will be needed. Those buildings are also property, and if they are destroyed now, they will have to be repaired.

The Templars of the Loren Sanctuary in the West District, under Ella's orders, did not intercept the rebels but instead guarded the surrounding civilians inside the sanctuary walls and remained in place.

Thus, the rebel vanguard marched unimpeded to the summit of Mount Valund.

Turning her gaze back, Ella saw that the Third Princess Erica, who was guarding one side of the hall with the Knights, also had a contented smile on her face, as if she already felt that victory was in her grasp.

Only a small number of garrison troops remained outside the palace, stubbornly resisting the rebel offensive in the gardens. However, having been almost completely wiped out, they could not hold out for long, and soon some surrendered.

The nobles inside the hall were somewhat bewildered when they saw the fully armed soldiers outside the emerald green screen.

They didn't have the vision of Ella the Raven's familiar, so they could only wonder where this army had suddenly appeared from.

From the start of the palace coup to the arrival of the rebels, it took less than two hours. Even if no one stopped them, it would take forty or fifty minutes to run up the central avenue from the city gate. Therefore, it is hard for a normal person to believe that the defenses of such a large imperial city were breached in just two hours.

But it doesn't matter, or rather, it's fine to say.

The nobles had been watching the standoff between the knights and the royal guards for a long time, neither fighting nor engaging in combat, like two old tortoises staring at each other. They would symbolically unleash some skills, with the person in front going up to poke at them a couple of times before retreating.

The ceremony to raise the foundation stone began in the morning, and it's already noon. Everyone is still waiting for the outcome of the power struggle so they can have lunch.

In any case, either Princess Erica or Prince Raymond will become king. The difference for them is simply whether they can obtain the benefits they received in the previous royal election proposal.

Resolving it sooner rather than later may not be a bad thing.

The rebel soldiers arrived at the magical barrier. The emerald green barrier did not disappear, but the leader and his guards entered the barrier easily without any hindrance.

Ella raised an eyebrow at the sight. Although the barrier certainly couldn't hold her back—she had a portal to go wherever she wanted—the little bit of information revealed here might be useful later.

The royal guards turned pale as they saw a large number of soldiers enter the hall from outside the screen. Prince Raymond shared the same expression. "You have committed treason by colluding with outsiders!"

"Pfft, I think letting a good-for-nothing like my brother become king is truly a disservice to our ancestors."

Erica couldn't help but laugh as she looked at Prince Raymond's face, which had turned a deep purplish-red. The commander beside her glanced at the Third Princess indifferently, then pointed his sword at the royal guards. "We are all citizens of Loren. The situation is settled. Lay down your weapons, and I will not make things difficult for you."

"You're talking nonsense! They're royal guards who swear to serve the royal family to the death... What are you doing?! Hey?! Hey!!?! I'm the king!!! How could you abandon your king?!"

Prince Raymond was about to burst into tears. The sound of weapons clattering to the ground around him was like a clear symphony.