Chapter 1331: Chapter 1331

With Du You’s return, the gears of war creaked into motion. The army, once sluggish, began to hasten its march toward the center of the Imperial Capital. The vast Imperial Capital, which was once half a province large, saw its land quickly overtaken.

In the Imperial Palace, Emperor Tru quietly sat in his seat, looking out at the setting sun from the window.

His empire was, much like the sunset, heading toward the end.

"Was I really wrong?" Emperor Tru seemed to be asking someone else, yet he was also questioning himself.

In the empty room, a haunting voice replied, "No, you were not wrong. Among the emperors of the empire, your abilities would definitely rank within the top ten. It’s just that the scope for your impact was rather limited."

"But I have led the empire to its demise; the empire is now beyond salvation."

A grimness and forlornness showed on Emperor Tru’s face. He who once aspired to make his empire the dominant power in the East never achieved his goal; now another power was rising, and he was witnessing his own empire’s downfall.

"It’s because those people are too powerful; how many tier-six warriors they had concealed, we simply did not know. But what we can say for sure is, with so many tier-six warriors, they would be a top force even in the center of the continent."

Emperor Tru said bitterly, "Yes, who could have imagined it turned out this way. We thought they were just a hidden force, managing a small territory, but who could have imagined the strength they had hidden."

"Later when they revealed some of their strength, I naively thought that was all they had and handed over the southern lands we could not utilize. Who would have guessed they could develop it so prosperously? They’ve done too well, not only fending off the Quicksand Empire but now capable of confronting two empires simultaneously."

From another side, Du You had always been aware of the tree-planting endeavors.

Quicksand Empire certainly did not want forests overtaking the desert, and the ongoing war there was relentless. Yet another troop continuously swept through the soldiers of the Quicksand Empire, significantly outmatched due to the greater number of tier-six warriors.

Now the tier-six and tier-five forces of Quicksand Empire had mainly retreated to their own nation, not daring to openly confront Du You. Perhaps they were waiting for a time to recover their strength. On the surface, the might of the Quicksand Empire appeared almost equal to the Divine Flame Empire, but their hidden strength was far inferior. The last battle had severely weakened them.

"No matter what, this here is my empire; even if I die, I will do so before the empire falls."

Emperor Tru seemed to regain his vigor, "I have received news that Du You has arrived at the frontline, and the decisive battle will likely unfold soon. From now, regardless of victory or defeat, we must fight this battle."

Another voice responded, "You need not worry about those nobles; those with ulterior motives have already been dealt with. The Shenghai Kingdom won’t spare these parasitic nobles, so without anything to their name, they’re unlikely to rebel."

"I am relieved to hear that, but the empire must not be completely destroyed here, leave now. This battle will be the same no matter who is present." Merely a tier-six warrior, no longer able to influence the course of this battle.

"Haha, I cannot leave, there are only two of us left for the empire. Neither of us can leave, otherwise how can the others be safe?" The hidden voice took on a bleak tone.

Yes, after such a long battle, how could the enemy not know about the two hidden tier-six warriors in the empire? Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝕟𝕖𝕥

Any hidden strength, once fully realized in a battle, can no longer remain concealed. Those that do stay hidden are not trump cards but merely something to fool others with.

Even in the Shenghai Kingdom, because their power far outstripped ours, they were unaware of the true force of the enemy. Yet even so, they detected the hidden tier-six warriors on our side, at least twenty of them.

Had they known that their opposition had over ten thousand tier-six warriors, perhaps even the courage to resist would fade.

"Don’t worry, your sons and daughters along with some of our royal members have been well placed. As long as they don’t expose themselves, no one will know their identities. Whether or not the empire can be rebuilt depends on them."

The royal family wasn’t without foundation; wealth, guard squads, and initial resources necessary for development – all were prepared. They also had their own legacy, and with decent talent, it wasn’t impossible to reach tier-six. Perhaps they couldn’t confront the Shenghai Kingdom, but trying to reestablish the Divine Flame Empire was still a viable attempt.

After all, Du You established his kingdom because he had tier-five warriors; the empire was the same.

The room grew calmer, for the first time in his memory Emperor Tru felt his palace so eerily silent. Before the battle began, the king had dismissed all the servants.

At this moment, fear reigned in the hearts of the ministers and nobles within the Imperial Capital, hearing that the enemy was about to commence a decisive battle, they gathered together in small circles, no longer as spirited as before.

"What should we do? We are bound to lose this time," a noble whispered sotto voce.

"I’ve heard that the people of Shenghai Kingdom are rather merciful; apart from the royal family, if we show some tact, we might not be killed and remain nobles in the future."

"Pfft, the life of nobility over there isn’t that great; other than being able to engage in commerce to make money, they can’t do much else."

Among those present, they were fine with enjoying themselves, but very few actually knew how to make money. Nobles own their territories, simply collecting taxes sufficed; why would anyone consider how to earn money?

"I don’t believe it, no matter the place, managing a nation always involves nobility. I don’t believe such vast lands won’t need nobles. When Shenghai Kingdom needs us, they must abide by our demands."

"Exactly, we are nobles; how could those commoners survive without us?"

A group of seemingly proud individuals reassured each other, and it seemed they regained some courage. In their hearts, only nobility constituted real people; without nobles, whom would the king govern?

As for the current king, he no longer factored into their considerations. After all, it was an empire on the brink of extinction; if the king was incapable and let the nation perish, it was all his fault, and what did that have to do with them?

Remaining loyal now meant just that—loyalty; once the empire fell, it no longer mattered. After all, there would be no one left to be loyal to, right? Various thoughts flickered through these nobles’ minds.