In Queen Samanthie's edict, more people from the Alzar Kingdom were appointed to the Imperial Council. This move further diminished the independence the Xingyuu Empire would have. It was clear that the queen wanted absolute control. She would have a tight rein on everything! Conversely, Elizabeth's name never came up. This surprised some people, since she had arguably accomplished the most in the war. She should have been rewarded accordingly. Elizabeth did not find this strange though. It was the same reason why she was not appointed the Imperial Preceptor. Queen Samanthie must have thought she had grown too unbridled, so she needed to be reined in. Cutting her off from everything was one step towards that.
Elizabeth found it funny. The queen must have been worried, because she had the support of the Featherwind Sect, Sword King, and Protector Avin. A group of former Half-Rank 3 Kings, and two full-fledged Rank 3 Kings… Their combined power could put any army to shame. Since Elizabeth lost the inheritance race, there must have been fears that she would retaliate against the Alzar Kingdom. However, it was a baseless fear. She could not order any of them around. To be honest, she was not even sure if she could consider them 'friends'. They were barely acquaintances. Queen Samanthie was worried for nothing. And besides, the smarter approach would have been to nurture a friendly relationship with her. That way, she would have been more incentivized to help the new queen, should something happen. The current method of antagonizing her would have the opposite effect. She could not understand. It was too shortsighted.
The enthronement ceremony concluded with Queen Samanthie's edict. Xiuying and Ming never got to say their speech. The kingdom had completely defiled this ceremony and trampled over their traditions! The empresses felt their cheeks turn red, while the ministers and nobles clenched their fists. This was an extreme humiliation, an attack on the empire! Under normal circumstances, this was enough to declare war! Nobody from the kingdom would leave with their heads attached! It would evolve into a bloodbath! Yet, everyone needed to hold themselves back. It was the most infuriating thing. Their anger naturally concentrated on the new Imperial Empresses, who created this situation. Xiuying and Ming felt ashamed. This was an insult to their parents, their grandparents, and every generation of monarchs before them. They wanted to find a hole and crawl into it.
Finally, news that Xiuying and Ming became the new Imperial Empresses was announced to the entire empire. Alongside it was news about the Imperial Preceptor and the appointments by Queen Samanthie. That was already enough to make people angry, but a detailed account of the enthronement ceremony, and how the kingdom humiliated everyone began to circulate too. Someone leaked it! This sparked a fire that rapidly grew. As the saying goes: you may kill a person, but you must never humiliate them. What the Alzar Kingdom had done to the Xingyuu Empire was a fate worse than death! The pride of the Xingyuu Empire was thoroughly trampled on! Nobody could accept this! Protests, riots, and rebellions started in every corner of the empire. People cursed and spat on Queen Samanthie's name. They marched through the streets and chanted to overthrow the dynasty and destroy the kingdom! The fire had grown to engulf the entire empire!
North of the capital, Quiton Gates. The Li Family had been steadily building their forces here, ever since Yongtein fell. They currently had more than three hundred thousand soldiers. Likewise, south of the capital, Anqin Line. The Jian and Jun Families had been reorganizing after their failures in Yongtein. Although the Jun Family ceded most of their territory to the Alzar Kingdom, they retained their core fighting strength due to Minister Keigon. Now, the two families had two hundred thousand soldiers waiting. Together with the Li Family, that was an excess of five hundred thousand… half a million soldiers! And unlike the siege on Yongtein, these five hundred thousand were professional trained soldiers, fully equipped with armor and weapons. They were a far bigger threat than random people taken from the street. The Alzar Kingdom could not carelessly move against them, which gave rise to the unofficial ceasefire for the last few months.
However, the Jian and Jun Families finally started to move again. One of the most important elements in war was momentum. With enough momentum, one could overcome impossible odds! Minister Keigon and General Fuwu could sense the tides had shifted in their favor. This was the ideal moment to strike! Even the Li Family, which was originally content with watching, began to mobilize their armies. Another chapter of war was beginning! Or… at least, everyone expected that.
Elizabeth closed her eyes and exhaled. Who could have leaked what happened in the enthronement ceremony? Prime Minister Pon-Wai? Minister Daiyuu? Or maybe the Imperial Empresses themselves? No… it was most likely Queen Samanthie herself! She was the only one who could have done it. She intentionally created this situation to spur her enemies into action. As for why… the reason would reveal itself soon enough.
The Quiton Gates were drawn open, and the Li Family's army prepared to march through. Their morale had never been higher! As they funneled through the narrow gates, they noticed something unusual. There was someone standing in the middle of the road! Normally, people would flee upon seeing such a large army, yet this person was bafflingly calm. It was like an army of three hundred thousand was nothing in their eyes. If these soldiers were present on the final day of siege on Yongtein, then they might have recognized some similarities. Fortunately, it was not the Sword King. He would be unable to recreate those scenes today. Unfortunately though, it was another Rank 3 King, Protector Avin Arcellius!
The man sighed to himself. Truthfully, he did not want to help the Alzar Kingdom at all. His main goal was the revival of the Arcellius Family. As long as the war did not impact him directly, he was content with ignoring it. There was nothing the Conquestian or the Zino Kingdom could do to change that. That was until Queen Samanthie issued a summons. The Zino Kingdom was one thing, but the Alzar Kingdom was an entirely different animal. He could not afford to antagonize the new queen, otherwise there would be endless trouble. So, he had to come. Regardless… he looked at the Li Family's army with a glint in his eye. After speaking with the Sword King, and learning more about Martial Energy, he gained some newfound insights. This was a good chance to test them out. The Li Family's army would become his proving ground!
He focused on his Core. Boom! A humongous, supreme aura descended on the Quiton Gates, generating unimaginable pressure on the soldiers! It felt like the sky turned solid! Everyone found it hard to breath. Many staggered back out of fear, as they soiled themselves. Other weaker-willed soldiers fell unconscious, frothing at the mouth. It was chaos! Of course, Protector Avin could not affect all three hundred thousand soldiers. His aura could only impact those nearby, which, to a Rank 3 King, meant tens of thousands of people. That was enough, since the Quiton Gates limited their movement. He could prepare all he wanted.
Liquid World Energy swirled around him, wreathing him in a majestic coat of rainbow colors. It looked like an emperor had arrived! He stretched his arms out and conjured three large Magic Circles: one in each hand, and one in front. Triple-casting! Moreover, he was casting without any tools. This was one of the perks of Blue Depth Core. His mastery over Magic Energy had reached a sublime level! Lightning crackled in his left hand, fire burned in his right, while a wind barrier manifested around him. Typically, a person would focus on a single field. Elizabeth focused on energy, Benedict the sword, Shirley the halberd, and Freon fire. It formed the basis for their spells or techniques. People had finite talents and lifespan after all. It was better to master one thing, than be mediocre at many. Protector Avin did not have that problem though. He, like the Sword King, was an exceptionally talented individual, overflowing with potential. Furthermore, when he reached Rank 3 King, his lifespan increased dramatically, almost to the point of doubling. Coupled with his perfect mastery of Magic Energy, he could branch into multiple fields.
The lightning cracked wildly, sending whips of energy in every direction. Similarly, the fire burned white hot, raising the temperature in the area by several degrees. Their destructive power was evident to anyone! Protector Avin concentrated. While he might be the strongest Arcanist in the human world now, he never had an opportunity to use large-scale strategic spells. This was the first time he was casting this spell. It was unknown if he could fully control it. That was why he conjured a barrier around himself in the event of a backlash. With the lightning in his left hand, and the fire in his right, he began to push them together in the center. Rumble! The spells violently resisted, releasing thunderous noises and powerful shockwaves in the process. The ground around him was being ripped apart, while strange howls could be heard. Protector Avin roared and slammed the spells together. Silence! He opened his hands, where a very delicate balance of lightning and fire was born.