Chapter 1012: Chapter 1012
Once the fight shifted to land, the people of Shenghai Kingdom were no longer afraid. Most of their military strength was suited for land combat, and the highest tier of their branches of the armed forces were of the Flame Attribute, or they fought in the air.
Their strength might have been limited on the seas, but on land, it was a completely different story.
When war progressed to the stage of land warfare, it essentially signified their victory. As the army advanced, not a single force within the Kingdom of Hanhai could withstand them.
"The Kingdom of Hanhai seemed quite formidable when they were attacking, so why do they seem so weak now?"
Hearing her younger sister’s comment, Lin Yucha explained, "Attack and defense are two completely different things. Besides, they’ve deployed most of their forces in the attack, and now with their army crippled, it’s natural that their homeland lacks sufficient strength to be our match."
Lin Yushi nodded, thinking back to the earlier battles, it seemed to make sense.
"Master, where shall we head now? Directly to the Imperial Palace? In this world, capturing the Imperial Palace means we win the battle, right?"
This was indeed true; in this world, warfare operated on such a principle--capturing meant victory. Even the enemy king and nobles, under normal circumstances, were to have their lives spared and were often guaranteed a prosperous life thereafter. Of course, this was just the official rule, and most of the time it wasn’t followed. Updates are released by 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚑𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⚑𝙣𝙚𝙩
It was just like in Shaliya’s case; despite being a princess, she was still captured by slave traders and sold off.
As for how she got captured, who knows? Such excuses were far too easy to come by. Du You was also planning to follow this pattern of action; not planning to spare even one member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Hanhai.
"Right, when can Shaliya get here? I promised her that I would leave the King of Hanhai to her."
"We’ve already sent the message down. She should arrive by tomorrow. Shaliya, following the route we left, will directly fly here on a griffin, which is much faster than us by ship," Lin Yucha was the first to answer.
Du You nodded, "If that’s the case, then let’s head to the Imperial Palace. So far, the tier-five powers of the Kingdom of Hanhai have not shown themselves. We must remain cautious."
Lin Yucha said with a smile, "Master, we have already incorporated the tier-five warriors into the Royal Guard. With so many tier-fives, what’s there to fear?" They had done this together.
Du You waved his hand dismissively, "I’m not worried about that; I’m concerned that if the enemy is too strong, we might have to reveal more of our powers than necessary." He did not intend to expose all of the transformed tier-five warriors within the Royal Guard. Depending on the situation and the strength of the opponent, they would decide how much to reveal. The enemies around them were not ones Du You could easily contend with.
The Divine Flame Empire was now an allied nation and could not take action, but he still needed to be wary of potential hostility from them.
On the other hand, there was the Quicksand Empire, the only current enemy. To develop and upgrade their territory and inevitably deal with them in the future was a certainty. Other directions were free of enemies, unless new sea routes were to be opened.
Du You, accompanied by the Royal Guard and the two sisters, marched directly from the ground towards the Imperial Palace.
Fortunately, the Imperial Palace was not far from the seashore, and the size of the island was no small matter. Combined, the three islands were easily as large as an average kingdom on the mainland. On the way, battles were fought everywhere.
After half a day’s journey, Du You and his party finally arrived at the administrative center of the kingdom, the Imperial Palace. By this time, the war surrounding the islands was also nearing its end.
"Let’s go. We haven’t heard of any tier-five forces appearing anywhere, so they must be waiting for us inside the Imperial Palace," Du You said calmly, looking at the resplendent palace before him.
Even for a kingdom on an island, the Imperial Palace was the epitome of extravagance. But when Du You approached the gates of the Imperial Palace, he found that the inhabitants were already coming out to welcome him. Leading them was a person with a crown and a scepter—a sign that he was the king.
"King of the Shenghai Kingdom, we finally meet. I never imagined that the downfall of the Kingdom of Hanhai would be due to you, your growth has been too rapid, and the Divine Flame Empire will not allow you to continue to grow stronger."
Du You smiled faintly, "I don’t know what the Divine Flame Empire will do, but I do know what my future looks like."
"Is that so? Then you are very confident. The outcome of today’s battle is tied to our futures. I’ve left everything in the Imperial Palace. If you can win, you can inherit all that is mine and become the ruler of the Eastern Continent."
"Really, you do have a lot of confidence. If what you left is so useful, then why haven’t you become the ruler yourself?"
"Me? I’m running out of time. But it’s not certain that you will win this time. If I win, I will continue with your share as well," the king sighed, then his tone became more solemn.
A peculiar atmosphere began to permeate the area. Du You’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his guards quietly moved forward. This was because the aura on the two people behind the king began to rise, undoubtedly a tier-five presence. The aura contained an undulation like that of the ocean, suggesting the king’s men were likely of the water attribute.
But what surprised Du You was, as the two men’s aura spread, they did not immediately engage in combat. Meanwhile, the aura of the king himself continued to swell, escalating from tier-three and eventually breaking into tier-five.
Du You’s eyes flickered with disbelief. What kind of Secret Method or item could allow one’s strength to continuously increase by two tiers? And it seemed that the king had not gone mad with power.
No, there was a change in the king’s appearance. Strange markings began to appear on his skin, resembling a particular type of intricate pattern. Du You couldn’t make it out exactly; it just felt somewhat familiar.
Following this, the king’s skin began to change. In some places, scales started to appear, and his skin turned pale blue. With these transformations, the aura of the king grew increasingly powerful.
"I remember, these are markings found on murlocs, very similar indeed. Could it be that the king of the Kingdom of Hanhai has murloc blood? But that’s impossible," Du You immediately dismissed the thought in his mind.
The difference between humans and murlocs was too great, and breeding between the two was impossible. Yet, the appearance of the king was so bizarre that Du You silently stepped back; he had no desire to come face to face with such a monster.