At that moment, Quan Ji, who was on the back of the dragon, disregarded everything and jumped off when the dragon flew to the top of the city gate.
She had already sensed it on her way here—Quan Qingchi had sacrificed himself to gain a brief moment of peace.
She saw the flags fluttering at the city gate, and the blond-haired boy with a face covered in blood, who should have looked ferocious and terrifying—but there was only a satisfied smile on his face.
He felt satisfied with his sacrifice.
He felt satisfied that he had protected the country's borders.
In that instant, Quan Ji's eyes were filled with only bitterness and pain, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably until she cupped the boy's face in her hands.
The other person's body had long since lost its warmth, and there was nothing left... No matter what Quan Ji tried to do, the other person would no longer respond.
This person died fighting for her in his previous life.
In this life, he died guarding the nation's borders for her.
She could barely breathe, and remained unmoved by the fierce fighting and splattering blood on the battlefield, as if the two of them were the only two people left in the world.
She pulled Quan Qingchi into her arms, and the flag of the Holy Glory Empire in his hand fell to the ground, standing tall and unyielding, the giant dragon on it still dancing proudly.
His chin rested on Quan Ji's shoulder, and Quan Ji also rested on his shoulder, cold... Even Quan Ji's tears could not wake him.
Her lips and teeth trembled as she sniffed:
"Quan Qingchi...didn't we agree to live? Didn't we agree that no one was allowed to die?"
"How could you... break the contract... I'm sorry... I'm sorry I'm late... It's my fault, I'm so sorry!"
Quan Ji has never admitted any wrongdoing in her life, nor has she ever felt that she has wronged anyone.
She has always acted with a clear conscience and always dared to take responsibility for her actions.
But at this moment, she no longer had her former confidence.
She has already repaid the promise she owed Lancodos in her past life, but she... in this life, and even in the next, can never repay Quan Qingchi's kindness.
Her tear ducts had collapsed; she had never been so vulnerable. This was the marshal she had watched grow up... the carefree prince she had watched grow up, who should have been living a carefree life every day.
She thought she could protect him well, but in the end, she still owed him.
In both his lifetimes, Quan Qingchi died on the battlefield, never meeting a peaceful end.
Princess Quan was sobbing, and just then, she heard the boy's bitter laugh:
"Little... sister."
"Fifth Brother...did it."
"Fifth Brother... held on."
The voice was like a thunderclap, completely waking Quan Ji. Her pupils trembled as she stared at the person in front of her.
"Quan Qingchi!!!"
However, there was no further response from the voice.
The person in her arms, whose body had long since turned cold, was now emitting a faint light as it was being decomposed, becoming increasingly insubstantial and transparent, transforming into countless rays of light that slowly rose into the air and dissipated, spreading to every corner of the world.
Quan Ji's heart clenched painfully. She wanted to hug the person in her arms again, but this time... she was left empty-handed.
Quan Qingchi's figure vanished, a smile on his face, as he collapsed completely onto the ground.
It turned into specks of light, leaving nothing behind.
That voice... those were his last words to Quan Ji.
He succeeded.
Quan Ji's vision was blurred with tears, which streamed down her face one after another; she was completely overwhelmed.
So this is what it feels like to lose someone forever.
"Fifth Brother...you did it...you are a hero."
"You are the hero of the Noah continent... a true hero."
However, heroes... never have a good ending.
If only I could do it all over again.
She truly hopes you never have to go to the battlefield again and can just be a carefree and happy prince.
She won't force you to kill anymore, she won't force you to grow up anymore. You'll just be the same as before, the silly boy who naively tells everyone he wants to become the number one swordsman on the continent. That's good enough.
But she knew that wasn't what she wanted.
Quan Qingchi, you did it... you really did it.
Quan Ji's tears rolled down to the ground one by one. She silently stood up and looked at the followers of the Abyss Order.
Her entire body transformed into a golden flash, piercing through countless people within her umbrella, leaving only corpses in her wake.
Her eyes were cold, and her voice was colder than ever before:
Those who harm my loved ones, die!
In another flash, countless more people fell to the ground.
Those who destroy my home shall perish!
Another flash, and the soldiers' blood boiled.
"Those who slaughter my brothers, shall be destroyed!"
In another flash, blood flowed like a river.
Those who betray our world will be forever damned!!!
She made several lightning strikes, killing countless people and boosting the morale of the army.
She soared through the air, shouting:
"Kill them, traitors, they'll die a horrible death."
The soldiers of the Holy Empire responded with roars, with blood, and with cheers.
The responses are all driven by the general trend!
Dawn is just around the corner!
Quan Ji's return thrilled everyone and made the members of the Abyss Order wary.
Princess Quan has even managed to invite the dragon race, which is on the verge of extinction. Her methods are truly extraordinary!
Knowing full well that they were doomed to die, the group snorted coldly and immediately knelt down.
Suddenly, the power of each member of the Abyss Order transformed into flames, enveloping them all within a formation.
"My great Lord."
"I am willing to dedicate my strength to you, to become a part of you, to remain undyingly loyal to you, and to offer my sincere prayers for you."
"My lord, respond to me, devour me, and let me accomplish my great task."
...
Quan Ji's eyes widened suddenly, and she roared, "Interrupt their sacrifice!!!"
She unleashed a golden force that surged toward those people, but in that instant... the power of the abyss devoured her energy.
She narrowed her eyes, sensing that Yuan, who had devoured most of the Noah Continent, was now incredibly powerful, as if he could destroy the entire Noah Continent in an instant if he so desired!
"Hehehehehe!!!"
"Young Miss... I'm so surprised. You've tried so hard for so long, but it's all in vain!"
"I've collected all eleven zodiac signs, and I'm just a little bit short... to have the qualifications to fight against me."
"Unfortunately, you will never have that right."
Suddenly, the array beneath the Abyss Cultists who had volunteered to sacrifice themselves erupted with terrifying black-purple flames, engulfing them all. The flames soared into the sky, burning everything around them, including them!
A terrifying power gradually gathered around Yuan. He stepped out of the void, and in his hand was the last of the twelve zodiac constellations, Scorpio!
His smile was maniacal and disdainful, as if with a mere wave of his hand, this world filled with faith would completely belong to him.
"Now, let me destroy your last hope."
"I really want to see your face when you break down and go crazy—otherwise, it will be hard to resolve my resentment from five hundred years ago!"
With a wave of his hand, Scorpio flew into the air, its terrifying abyssal power seemingly capable of turning everything to dust as it attacked Scorpio!
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