A head rolled to the ground.
It was like a signal that some kind of ritual had ended, or like a silent thunderclap that suddenly exploded in the deathly silent hall!
The visual impact of Phantom's death was far more shocking than the mountain of corpses and sea of blood of the hundreds of assassins before him!
He was no ordinary soldier; he was the Regent's last trump card! He was the invincible anchor in the hearts of all the rebels!
And now, this magic needle is broken.
"The Phantom... Lord Phantom... is dead?"
The nearest rebel soldier uttered the words in a trembling voice, as if he had used up all his strength. His eyes were unfocused, his pupils reflecting the headless corpse, filled with incomprehensible fear and a crumbling belief.
"Even Lord Phantom... how... how could we possibly win..."
Despair, like the most virulent plague, spread wildly among the remaining rebels.
If Xiao Che's previous display of formidable martial prowess instilled fear in them, then his invincible figure, slaying the phantom with a single sword strike, now brought them a despair that was enough to crush everything!
Their morale, their fighting spirit, and their last shred of hope were all annihilated by that one sword!
In stark contrast were the surviving, already battered and bruised Royal Guards.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty is mighty!"
No one knows who was the first to recover from the extreme shock and, with a hoarse voice, roared out this long-suppressed sentiment!
"Your Majesty is mighty!!"
"Your Majesty is mighty!!!"
In an instant, the ecstasy of surviving the ordeal, the excitement of witnessing a miracle, and the heartfelt worship of his monarch transformed into a thunderous roar!
The morale, which had already plummeted to rock bottom, suddenly exploded like dry tinder thrown into a raging fire! Soaring straight to the sky!
Their eyes no longer held weariness and pain; instead, they burned with an overwhelming fighting spirit that could incinerate everything!
Their ruler is the God of War!
With such a divine leader, what do they have to fear in a battle!
Xiao Che ignored the cheers behind him. His cold gaze slowly swept over the rebels who had completely lost their will to fight and were like lambs to the slaughter.
He knew that the battle inside the palace was over.
But war is still a long way off!
Without pausing for a moment, he turned around, still holding the blood-dripping longsword, and took a firm step.
Instead of heading towards the regent who was lying on the ground, his face ashen, he strode towards the outside of the palace, which had been reduced to ruins, amidst the raging flames.
"His Majesty!"
The surviving guards gasped in surprise, looking at their monarch in bewilderment.
Outside, there are thousands of rebel troops! What... is His Majesty going to do?
Xiao Che didn't turn around; he answered them with his actions.
Like a sword drawn from its sheath, he was the first to rush into the sea of fire that could devour everything!
Flames roared around him!
Burning roof beams kept falling from overhead!
However, none of this could stop him in the slightest! His dragon robe had already been set ablaze by the flames, but he didn't care at all, letting the flames leave a brilliant and resolute trail behind him!
He was like a shooting star that tore through the night, bursting out of the burning cage and the hell on earth amidst everyone's shocked gazes!
...
Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, on the square.
The battle has entered a fierce stage.
The encirclement formed by the rebels is steadily closing in. The royal guards and imperial troops, loyal to the monarchy, are still putting up a desperate fight, but they are being forced into retreat by an enemy force several times their size, suffering heavy casualties.
"Brothers! Hold on! His Majesty is behind us! We cannot retreat an inch!"
A commander of the Imperial Guard, covered in blood, brandished his long sword and roared madly.
However, everyone knew that they were about to collapse.
An atmosphere of despair, like the thick smoke inside the hall, enveloped everyone's hearts.
At that moment, a sudden change occurred!
"boom--!"
A loud bang!
The main gate of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which had long been engulfed in flames, suddenly exploded open! Countless burning wood chips shot out in all directions!
A golden figure engulfed in flames stepped out of the sea of fire!
The entire noisy battlefield seemed to be paused, and there was an eerie moment of stillness.
Whether they were rebels or imperial guards, everyone's eyes were firmly drawn to the figure that emerged from the flames!
What did they see?
Their emperor!
The king, who should have been trapped and died inside the palace, and whose body had long since turned to ashes, actually... walked out alive!
Clad in flames and wielding a blood-dripping sword, he strode through the burning ruins, step by step, up the steps of the plaza. His incomparably handsome face, illuminated by the firelight, appeared almost divine!
Time seemed to slow down incredibly at that moment.
The flames on his body gradually died down, revealing his already tattered but still dazzling bright yellow dragon robe.
He stood atop the high steps, overlooking the entire battlefield, his loyal soldiers, and those rebellious traitors.
"That...that's...His Majesty?"
A young Imperial Guard soldier muttered to himself, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"It's His Majesty! His Majesty has come out of the fire!"
"May Heaven protect the Great Liang! His Majesty is safe and sound!"
After a brief silence, a thunderous cheer erupted from the army camp loyal to the royal family!
Their king is still alive!
Their dragon flag has not yet fallen!
That force called "hope" was growing wildly in the hearts of all the Imperial Guards soldiers!
Xiao Che ignored the commotion below.
He slowly and high raised the longsword in his hand, which was soaked in the blood of his enemies!
The sword's edge points straight to the heavens!
The next moment, he took a deep breath, poured his powerful inner strength into his voice, and issued the king's command to the entire palace!
"I am here!"
The sound, like rolling thunder, carrying unparalleled imperial majesty, instantly spread to every corner of the palace! It clearly reached the ears of every soldier engaged in battle!
"Soldiers of Liang!"
"I am here!"
"Follow me..."
He suddenly swung his sword downwards, pointing it directly at the rebel army that was already in disarray, and issued his final declaration of war!
"—Purge the court of corrupt officials!"
"Purge the court of corrupt officials!"
"Purge the court of corrupt officials!!!"
These three words seem to contain some kind of infinite magic!
It ignited the last spark of passion in the hearts of all the loyal soldiers!
"Purge the court of corrupt officials!!!"
The blood-soaked commander of the Imperial Guard was the first to respond to his king! With all his might, he swung his long sword and cleaved a dumbfounded rebel soldier to the ground!
"Purge the court of corrupt officials! Purge the court of corrupt officials! Purge the court of corrupt officials!!!"
A thunderous response erupted from all directions!
Thousands of Imperial Guardsmen were completely inspired by their king's heroic spirit of returning from the ashes! They roared and launched a final and fiercest all-out counterattack against the remaining rebels whose morale had long since collapsed!
The tide of battle turned in an instant!
The Imperial Guards, who were originally at a disadvantage, were now like tigers descending the mountain, with overwhelming momentum, and they drove the rebel army, which outnumbered them several times over, into a complete rout!
Xiao Che stood on the high platform, coldly observing everything.
He knew that the scales of victory had completely tipped in his favor.
However, that's not enough.
What he wanted was an indisputable and complete victory!
Just then, a tremendous, earth-shaking sound suddenly came from the direction of the main gate of the palace!
The sound was like tens of thousands of iron hooves galloping at the same time, or like a terrifying omens before the sky and earth collapse!
Immediately following that enormous sound came an even louder, more unified, and earth-shattering battle cry!
"Purge the court of corrupt officials! Execute the traitors!"
"Purge the court of corrupt officials! Execute the traitors!!!"
It's a decisive strategy!
It's 30,000 iron cavalry from the capital's military camp!
His reinforcements have breached the city!
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