The villain's way to tame the protagonist

"emperor……"

The man lazily leaned back into the maid's arms. "No, it's an Old God. It's really scary."

"As long as that scorching sun is still burning in the empire for even one day, no one dares to really reach out to that position."

Duke Qingjin leaned lazily against the two tall and soft breasts. Although his tone was full of emotion, his expression was still relaxed.

As a pure businessman, he had no desire for the throne. He came here to attend an absurd meeting only out of consideration for the subsequent situation.

"Master, we're here."

Duke Qingjin hummed lightly, stepped down from the carriage with the help of his maid, and came to the steps leading to the palace at the highest point of Tianxin City.

He looked up at the long steps leading to the supreme power, then looked at the silent but scorching blood-red sun, and then showed a humble expression of respect and submission. Even though the throne was vacant, he still climbed the steps slowly, step by step, like a subject meeting the emperor.

By the time Grand Duke Qingjin arrived at the magnificent palace he had not visited for a long time, the other nine grand dukes had already arrived early.

"Oh, it's so early."

He greeted the other dukes standing at the top of the empire without any grand duke's dignity: "Is it necessary to be so anxious?"

"Namo, even if the imperial throne is vacant, you are not allowed to be so careless and unruly in front of His Majesty's throne."

The speaker was Grand Duke Deep Blue, one of the three Grand Dukes of Donggang. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and his tone was a bit questioning and scolding: "Your Majesty's return will only take time!"

"Don't make it sound like I'm disrespecting your majesty's authority... Haven't I always been like this?"

Grand Duke Qingjin spread his hands with an innocent look on his face: "Of course I respect your Majesty, but never to you."

As the most outstanding businessman in the Western Kingdom, Grand Duke Qingjin had thought of marching into East Port countless times. He had long coveted the largest port area in the empire, and the only route to the other side of the continent made Namo Qingjin so worried that he couldn't sleep at night.

The two sides had been harboring grudges for a long time. If they had the chance to meet, they would definitely ridicule and mock each other, or even directly test the professor. However, in this palace, their verbal sparring only went back and forth for one or two rounds before stopping.

All the Grand Dukes, whether they came to this palace frequently or had hardly been here since they took over the throne, stood in silence at their proper positions.

It was as if the tyrannical monarch who looked down upon the world was not entangled by the source flame and disappeared, but was still sitting on the throne.

When they all returned to their seats, they still didn't speak. This strange silence continued until -

Until, the crisp sound of a cane tapping the ground was heard outside the temple.

All the grand dukes turned their eyes towards the place where the sunlight came in from the entrance of the hall, and there was a blond boy with a demonic charm and impeccable manners and appearance.

After not seeing him for a while, his temperament and body shape have changed a little. The youthful immaturity that is unique to teenagers is almost gone. Young Hydra is heading towards his own brilliant and unrivaled adulthood.

He walked calmly out of the light, like a great savior descending from heaven.

"Long time no see, my Lords."

Anser stood at the entrance of the hall and said to the ten archdukes with a smile: "I didn't expect that I would have the opportunity to meet all of you again. It's really rare."

He just said this with a gentle look on his face, without bowing slightly as he did before, nor did he say any simple polite words.

Before any of the Grand Dukes had a chance to speak, Grand Duke Qingjin bowed and said with great respect, "It is my honor to meet you."

"Lord Hydra."

Hydra, Hydra.

No longer Anther, no longer young Hydra, just Hydra.

After the other grand dukes realized what was happening, they also saluted Anser one after another, addressing this young man who was not even eighteen years old as "Your Excellency". Although a few of them seemed to have other ideas, they still showed superficial respect in the end.

Anser did not respond, but walked towards the throne at the deepest part of the center of the hall under the gaze of the grand dukes.

As he got closer and closer to the throne, the looks of the grand dukes gradually began to change: curiosity, solemnity, thought... Some people hid their speculations in their eyes, while others did not conceal their emotions.

When Anser arrived at the last step leading to the throne, all the grand dukes fixed their eyes on Anser's legs - if he took one more step up, he would step on the step that only the emperor could step on.

Benedict.

The cane tapped the ground lightly, and his footsteps stopped just in front of the steps.

Hydra turned around, put his hands on his cane, still with a gentle smile on his face, but this young body exuded an aura that was extremely familiar to the grand dukes.

A dark and dangerous aura.

"My fellow Dukes, you all gathered here because of the announcement made by Duke Shi Yan."

He spoke calmly and in a leading tone: "Then you should all agree with Grand Duke Shi Yan's views, right?"

There were no pre-opening pleasantries or extra remarks. Hydra, who immediately seized the right to speak, smiled and said:

"The current empire needs a manager."

"..."

No one dared to respond.

Even when Anser swept his gentle gaze over the grand dukes, most of them almost subconsciously looked away.

Of course the empire needs a manager, but this has nothing to do with whether the empire is good or what the empire is like now.

Because the grand dukes gathered here, except for extremely rare exceptions like Qing Jin, do not want to put the empire back on track, but... to seize power.

However, when the opportunity came, none of these ambitious guys took even a single step towards it.

After a brief silence, Anser shook his head and sighed:

"What's going on, my Lords? Why... don't you answer my questions?"

He stared at the ten grand dukes, and the gentleness on his face gradually disappeared.

This was not a distressed question, but a cold command.

——You should answer my question.

"Yes."

This time, it was still Grand Duke Qingjin who answered first: "I agree with Grand Duke Shiyan's declaration. I think the current empire does need to be controlled."

As he recovered from the unfamiliar majesty of the young man before him, a strange feeling arose in the heart of the Grand Duke Qingjin.

What Anser asked was not "What do you think of that declaration?" but "Do you agree with that declaration?"

Naturally, everyone agrees 100% in their hearts, so isn't it unnecessary for Lord Hydra to force us to admit it?

What is he trying to tell us? Is he going to get involved, too?

While Grand Duke Qingjin was thinking this, the other grand dukes also gradually acknowledged their own ideas.

All the people in this hall are outstanding talents who are concerned about the situation of the empire. If His Majesty the Emperor knew about this in the sea, he would definitely be very pleased.

Ansher watched the grand dukes speaking either deeply and calmly or passionately about lofty words such as "the empire cannot continue like this". While the corners of his mouth rose slightly, he was also sighing about something.

I feel deeply moved...by the extraordinary greatness of the founding emperor of the empire.

From the very beginning, the existence of the empire was not simply a tool for the emperor to anchor humanity. It was fundamentally to protect the humans on this continent and provide them with a stable life.

Not only that, the structure of the empire not only successfully provided the emperor with a stable anchor point in the endless torture that the Gods had to endure, but also perfectly incorporated all other extraordinary people into it.

The extraordinary people were put into strange worldly shackles, and the emperor who was eternally above them made it impossible for these shackles to be removed.

Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps it was planned in advance, but in this twisted empire, the social attributes and values ​​of an individual actually surpassed the power held by the individual due to the absolute suppression of the emperor, and an alternative yet normal order was thus reached between the extraordinary and ordinary people.

After thousands of years of evolution, the grand dukes are all fifth-order transcendents standing at the top, powerful enough to split mountains and crack the earth with a wave of their hands. However, after the death of the emperor, no one frantically pursued power, but instead pursued the authority that was eternal and above them.

To some extent, the existence of the Empire is of absolute importance, because its existence temporarily solves the unsolvable problems between the extraordinary and mortals.

—It replaces one cruel and cold inequality with another, an inequality so exaggerated that the two can hardly be called the same species. It can even be absurdly called a kind of progress.

"Sir Hydra, I have a question."

A voice interrupted Anser's thoughts. The speaker happened to be the Deep Blue Grand Duke of Donggang.

He stared at the Hydra in front of him, who was no longer the gentle boy he used to be, and said slowly:

"We all know that you have a talent for governing the territory that no other politician in the empire can match."

"I'll explain in advance." The man smiled slightly, "I don't regard you as a rebellious person. I just want to ask... Since you care about the empire, have you ever considered taking over the affairs of the empire yourself?"

"How could Hydra interfere in the affairs of the Empire?"

Anser laughed and said, "You are joking, Grand Duke Deep Blue. The only one who can handle the affairs of the empire and temporarily replace His Majesty is a royal family with the blood of the Feasting Flame, right?"

The Empire is the Emperor's tool and the property of the Flame Clan. This is a fact that everyone accepts.

Grand Duke Shenlan continued very humbly, "So, the candidate for the regent can only be between Grand Duke Shiyan and... His Royal Highness Susilun, right?"

"I didn't say that."

Anser stroked his cane and said in a leisurely tone: "If the Grand Duke of Deep Blue can find a descendant of the Feast of Flames who can be compared with these two, he will certainly be qualified to run for the election."

Why, after Diana made the announcement, many princes and princesses came out, but in the end, only Diana and Susilen were the ones who received attention?

Because they are the only two people who can show off their talents among all the remaining descendants of the Feast of Flames. One of them is at least a Grand Duke, and the other is the only princess who "stayed" in the imperial capital after the emperor disappeared.

Although the Grand Dukes knew each other's true thoughts, if they used other descendants of the Flame Feast as pawns or puppets, then their thoughts and goals would be laid out in the open; and if they supported these two people who were more or less qualified, then it could barely be considered "maintaining the balance of the empire."

Who is this legitimacy for? Do the Grand Dukes care about the opinions of the common people? If they want to control the empire, do they need to use legitimacy to maintain their rule? Will anyone take advantage of this legitimacy to cause trouble? No, they won't.

All of this, in the final analysis... is nothing more than weakness.

If, if the emperor really returns one day, or if he disappears as well, the eldest princess, whose life or death is unknown, successfully ascends to the sixth level and breaks through the door to the world of confusion. The dukes who maintain orthodoxy and righteousness will also have a chance to protect themselves.

In this regard, these grand dukes are far less resolute and decisive than the Gray Tower and Iron Blade in the North.

And Anser was also very clear that they were not afraid of the emperor, nor of Ivora, nor of the Feast Flame family, but were just afraid of that... divine power that could burn everything and control everything.

So, conversely -

"I see... Lord Hydra, could you please answer my last question?"

"Go ahead."

The Duke of Deep Blue stared into Anser's ocean-blue eyes and asked with a smile:

"I don't doubt your integrity, but will you really not interfere in the affairs of the empire?"

"..."

The hall fell into a subtle silence.

This seemingly gentle and polite inquiry is actually a provocation.

- He once again raised self-righteous questions about what Hydra had already said, and with such an almost condescending attitude. If it had been in the past, Grand Duke Deep Blue would have been crushed into a pulp by Hydra in the palace, and the emperor would not have said anything.

But now there is no emperor, and no... Hydra, who was equally irresistible in the previous generation.

What the Grand Dukes revere is the divine power that can hardly be interrupted and is passed on infinitely, not the family or the individual.

So...will they still have awe for Hydra, who has also lost his divine power?

Yes, he was indeed very powerful, powerful enough to briefly contend with the emperor. But all the Grand Dukes had reviewed the Day of the Catastrophe countless times, and similarly, almost all of them could conclude that Anser must have used some unknown means during that great battle to temporarily limit Effisand's power.

Otherwise, the intensity of the battle... would at least increase by hundreds of times, and Tianxin City would not be able to float into the sky, but would be burned to ashes in an instant.

Young Hydra was powerful, but not invincible. They didn't need to revere him as much as they revere the Emperor.

Even more, should they really fear him?

As long as they can get rid of Hydra, the empire will truly fall into their hands.

Therefore, this meeting was not just about the regent issue. How could the grand dukes who ruled over vast territories forget that there was a demon beast from the abyss, entrenched at the top of the empire, overlooking everything?

If it weren't for the fact that the image that Anser had created before was too perfect and impeccable, causing the grand dukes to always waver between winning over Anser and destroying Anser, this temptation would never have been delayed until now.

So... facing ten fifth-level transcendents, facing the grand dukes who must have brought other fifth-level transcendent subordinates with them, facing this group of beings who are at the top in terms of both power and worldliness, what is Anser's choice?

For Ansir Hydra, who once asked the previous generation of leaders "Can you kill all the fifth-level transcendents in the empire?", the answer could not be simpler.

He smiled, raised one hand, and called out his friend's other name.

"Mechanical, divine."

Then the next moment, a giant sword that could cut through the fire and the earth slashed into the palace that symbolized Xiangyan's authority.

Chapter 6: The Artist and the Monster (k)

Amid the deafening roar of collapse, the dark, majestic and cold face of the Iron Demon appeared on the shattered dome of the palace.

Outside the palace, the residents of the imperial capital looked at the steel giant floating in the air in horror. The destruction and despair of the day of fire seemed to strike again at this moment, causing them to kneel and kowtow uncontrollably.

After the extremely violent sound gradually faded away, Hydra, standing under the throne, smiled gently:

"What did you want to ask, Lord Deep Blue?"