We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 401 [The King Will Take Responsibility! The King Will Bear the Burden!]

at the same time.

Another battlefield in the far north.

The Great Yan Royal Palace, engulfed in flames.

In the main hall.

The once sturdy and magnificent palace walls are collapsing under the raging flames.

Its magnificent decorations melt away bit by bit.

Like a crimson candle.

It's like the blood and tears that flowed from this palace.

The king, wearing a crown and a cloak, sat alone on the throne in the center of the hall.

The throne, forged from cold steel, still reflected a stark metallic luster even amidst the raging flames.

The chair back is carved with intricate patterns, their claws and fangs seemingly guarding the now lonely king.

King Cinder sat upright on his throne, his arm resting slightly on the armrest, his gaze calmly fixed on the scene before him.

No one could decipher the emotions emanating from his deep-set eyes at that moment.

This is the situation.

Just like the scene that appeared in the light screen before Mo Yan.

It was like the illusion Shaen witnessed when he first obtained the [Proof of the Lord of Cinder].

Obvious.

That was not an illusion, but a scene that actually happened in history, projected into Shaun's mind at that time through the power of the [Proof of the Lord of Cinder].

Tread...tread...

at this time.

A slow, labored sound of footsteps suddenly echoed through the burning palace.

A man wreathed in black flames and covered in burns staggered into the hall.

"king……"

The man looked up, revealing a face that was half burned off by the flames.

It was none other than Mo Yan, the highly respected figure among the Black Flame Walkers!
But at this moment, he was no longer as calm and composed as usual. Instead, he looked dazed, and his eyes were filled with intense disbelief, pain, and despair.

Mo Yan raised his head and looked at the King of Cinder on the throne, speaking in a hoarse voice as if his vocal cords were almost burned out.

"Your Majesty, did you start this fire?"

The King of Cinder glanced at him with a hint of surprise.

"I clearly gave you hints not to approach the palace, but you still managed to find your way here?"

"You've really worked hard..."

"answer my question!"

In response, Mo Yan roared hoarsely, interrupting the King of Cinder.

His eyes were red-rimmed, and his gaze was filled with rage.

He was waiting for an answer, an answer he didn't want to know, but which he absolutely had to know.

Facing Mo Yan's gaze, King Cinder did not flinch, but nodded in response.

"Yes, I did it."

Upon hearing this answer, Mo Yan felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

He trembled violently twice and knelt down as if he had lost his soul.

For loyal Blackflame Walkers like them.

The King of Cinder is like the sun in the sky, an absolutely righteous being, and the king who leads the Great Yan Kingdom to prosperity.

But at this time.

The Lord of Cinder's actions are undoubtedly a betrayal of all the Blackflame Walkers, and even of the Great Flame Kingdom!

Such a blow can crush a person's spirit and morale in an instant.

This further aggravated Mo Yan's already severe injuries from passing through the sea of ​​fire, making his breath increasingly weak.

Even so, he still had one last question to ask.

Mo Yan asked, trembling, "Why?"

"Why are you doing this?"

Looking at the desperate, dying Inkflame before him, Lord Cinder sighed softly.

The reason is not important.

"All you need to know is that I burned down the Great Yan Kingdom, and I dragged this kingdom into a fiery hell."

“I will bear all the blame and consequences.”

“Hate me and hate me to your heart’s content, and then find peace in mercy.”

Upon hearing this, Mo Yan stared intently at the King of Cinder, tears of blood gradually streaming from his eyes.

The blood was quickly evaporated due to the high temperature inside the palace.

Two bright red marks were left on that severely burned face, making it look even more ferocious and terrifying.

Like a vengeful ghost crawling out of purgatory.

Mo Yan spoke with all his might and his last strength.

"Xin! I will take my revenge on you!"

Even if I become a ghost, I will never let you go!

After saying those words, Mo Yan remained in that position, completely lifeless.

It was as if it had turned into a charred sculpture.

Only the hatred in his eyes seemed to never dissipate.

He witnessed the death of his most loyal subordinate.

A barely perceptible hint of regret flashed in the King of Cinder's eyes.

But he quickly buried these feelings deep inside.

Then, Lord Cinder gently waved his hand toward the corpse of Inkflame.

A ball of flame ignited the corpse, which then instantly turned into a pile of black ashes.

Lord Cinder reached out and grabbed the ashes from afar, solemnly placing them in a small box beside his throne.

he said softly.

"Mo Yan, rest in peace."

"I hope... you can live in a better country in your next life."

"I hope... you will never encounter another incompetent king like me."

"Clap clap clap..."

Just as the Lord of Cinder was mourning for Inkflame.

A few crisp claps suddenly rang out in the palace, interrupting his thoughts.

"Haha, what a touching scene."

"The king of a country not only disregarded the hatred and resentment of his subordinates, but also personally collected his corpse."

"How many people in the Great Yan Kingdom can receive the same treatment as him?"

The voice coming from not far away sounded strange and sarcastic.

It carries a mocking irony that is unpleasant to hear.

"However, if this [Black Flame Walker] knew about this, I'm afraid... not only would he not be grateful to you, but he would also curse you for your hypocrisy, right?"

"Oh, right."

"Is there more than one [Blackflame Walker] who would do this?"

"After learning the truth, all the Black Flame Walkers, and indeed all the people of the Great Yan Kingdom, will hate you to the core!"

The voice paused for a moment, then said regretfully.

"However, these pathetic fools are unaware of this."

"You did this to save them."

"A misunderstood king...destined for a tragic end..."

"Such a story is truly regrettable, wouldn't you agree, Lord of Cinder?"

The King of Cinder turned his head.

The man who walked into the hall was wearing a single pair of glasses and had a demeanor that was both rational and eccentric.

These are the so-called "funeral procession" and "observer".

Or perhaps it was Joey's father, Edward!

of course.

In this memory scene, the Lord of Cinder does not recognize Edward, nor does he know his identity.

However, the King of Cinder sensed a familiar quality about the other person.

That was the aura he had once possessed from the "Omniscient Sage".

So, Lord Cinder frowned and asked.

"who are you?"

"Why are you here?"

Edward replied.

"I am both the undertaker of civilization and the observer of history."

"And I've come here to make a deal with you."

"trade?"

Upon hearing this, the King of Cinder sneered. "The reason why my Great Yan Kingdom and I have become like this is because of a deal with the Omniscient Sage?"

"Although I don't know you, I've already guessed that you and that guy are actually on the same path."

Do you think I'll still believe what you say?

Edward chuckled.

"I knew you would react this way, Lord Cinder."

"But please believe that we have come with sincerity this time."

"First and foremost, sincerity."

"Please let me reveal to you... the truth about your world!"

As he spoke, Edward lightly tapped the air with his fingertip.

Images appeared one after another in the air before the King of Cinder.

Those are the scenes from various memory locations within the Great Yan Empire.

Even the scenes are constantly changing.

One of the images clearly shows the King's Ship sailing grandly into the City of Flames.

Upon seeing that majestic steel behemoth, even the Lord of Cinder couldn't help but slightly change his expression.

"That ship is..."

He was certain of this in his time.

Never before has such a massive steel warship been built.

The ship featured advanced turrets, an unprecedented hull structure, and a unique star-wave emblem.

All of this demonstrates the timeless nature of this ship.

It's as if... it's a creation from the future!

Seemingly noticing the King of Cinder's gaze, Edward explained.

"That ship is called the King."

"Just as you would have guessed, it is a warship of the future."

"Or rather, the area you are in now is a historical resurgence for us."

The Lord of Cinder was never a fool. Even though he was merely a construct created by the Great Flame, he instantly grasped the truth of the matter with the help of the information given by Edward and these chaotic memory scenes.

"So that's it."

"No wonder I always felt something was off."

"The King of Cinders muttered to himself."

"It's not just what happened here."

"Am I, too, just a fabricated imposter?"

"correct answer."

Edward snapped his fingers and replied with a smile.

"But that's precisely why you can achieve dreams that even the real King of Cinder can't."

"That's-"

"Rebuild the Great Yan Kingdom!"

"Let's return to the Great Yan Kingdom, where the great flood never came, this fire never occurred, everything was peaceful and serene, and it continued to prosper!"

"Rebuild the Great Yan Kingdom?"

The Lord of Cinder murmured the words over and over, his expression becoming somewhat obscure.

If he could, why would he have personally burned Fan Yan City and the entire Great Yan Kingdom to the ground?

If he could, why would he be willing to witness countless people dying unwillingly in the flames?

If he could, why would he want to see the despair, hatred, and anger in the eyes of his former trusted subordinates?

It was all because of helplessness and being forced into it.

But right now.

But such a "what if" actually appeared before the Lord of Cinder.

Its allure is undeniable.

The Lord of Cinder gave Edward a deep look and spoke.

"So, what exactly do you mean by 'deal'?"

Upon hearing this, Edward couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

"The deal is simple."

"That is, to help us eliminate all the outsiders who have intruded into this memory scene."

"In exchange, we will recreate a true [Great Yan Kingdom] for you."

"And you will once again become the king of that country, living happily and peacefully with your people."

The King of Cinder raised an eyebrow.

"That's all?"

"I don't think...it's that simple, is it?"

Edward still wore that eerie smile on his face, and said with a grin.

"As expected of the Lord of Cinder, he spotted the flaw in my words so quickly."

"If you want to become the new king of the Great Yan Kingdom, there is naturally one prerequisite."

"That's..."

"Kill the real Lord of Cinder, who is in reality."

"In this way, those Black Flame Walkers will only regard you as their one and only king."

Upon hearing this, a hint of sarcasm appeared in the King of Cinder's eyes.

"You mean, I, this fabricated imposter, will kill the real me?"

Edward nodded.

"exactly."

"If you're still not comfortable with that, we can sign a contract witnessed by the [Secret Sea]."

As he spoke, Edward took out a contract made of a very unique material and walked toward the Lord of Cinder.

"A contract witnessed by the [Secret Sea] is equivalent to being recognized by the [Great Law]."

"That is a law that even the gods cannot defy."

"Oh, by the way, Lord Cinder, you should know about the existence of the [Great Law], right?"

Judging solely from Edward's words...

The deal he's arranging seems to be done with genuine sincerity.

It can be said that they made ample preparations well in advance.

This includes deliberately seeking out the Lord of Cinder at this particular point in time, within this scene of memory.

This is also part of the plan.

Edward wanted to take advantage of the Lord of Cinder's most vulnerable moment to sign this contract.

Or.

He wanted to force the Lord of Cinder to the extreme of turning to the dark side.

And just as the Lord of Cinder reached out his hand to take the contract,

Suddenly, flames burst forth from his palm, and he slammed it down on Edward's chest.

This attack came without warning.

And its speed is astonishing.

It struck Edward directly in the body.

A "chi" sound.

A terrible flame quickly spread from Edward's clothes to his entire body.

It enveloped his body like a tide.

Just a few breaths.

Edward's body completely melted away, turning into a pile of charred remains.

However, the King of Cinder did not relax; instead, he turned his head and looked in another direction within the palace.

There, Edward, who should have been burned to ashes, reappeared before him.

at this time.

Edward's smile vanished, his expression turning cold and ruthless, like an absolutely rational machine.

He spoke coldly.

"Sure enough, the data analysis results show that you have less than a 30% chance of agreeing to sign the contract."

"But even a 30% probability is enough for me to make this attempt."

"However, I really can't understand..."

Why did you reject me?

"Isn't rebuilding the Great Flame of yesteryear your dream, and the dreams of the other Black Flame Walkers?"

The King of Cinder shook his head: "Why are there so many whys?"

"If I had to say, it's simply because..."

"I am the King of Cinder of the Great Yan Kingdom!"

"Sins and resentments, I will bear them all!"

Before he finished speaking, the Lord of Cinder transformed into flames and hurtled towards Edward.

(End of this chapter)