"Traitors and rebels deserve to be punished by everyone!"
Xiao Che's icy voice, like the final judgment from the deepest hell, struck heavily on the hearts of every traitor.
The long sword, gleaming with a chilling light, pointed towards the steps below, its blade radiating murderous intent!
The assassins, stunned by this sudden and earth-shattering reversal, finally recovered from their extreme fear. Although they were horrified by the emperor's terrifying martial prowess, they were, after all, desperate men who had lived on the edge of death, and their inherent ferocity was instantly unleashed.
"What are you afraid of! He's all alone!"
"Kill him! The prince will reward you handsomely!"
A leader of the suicide squad roared, trying to bolster morale. He knew very well that at this point, they had no way out; it was either the enemy or they would perish!
"kill--!"
Dozens of assassins roared in unison, their ferocity rising once more. Like a black, turbid current, they brandished their swords and launched a deadly charge towards the lone figure on the throne platform!
They thought it was a hunt where the many were outnumbered.
They thought that as long as they used human lives to kill, they would surely be able to wear down this tiger that had suddenly bared its fangs and kill it here!
However, they were wrong.
Watching the surging tide of the dead surge forward again, Xiao Che's face remained completely expressionless. He didn't even raise the sword in his hand.
He simply snapped his fingers lightly.
"Smack."
A crisp snap of the fingers was, in the midst of the chaotic hall filled with shouts of battle, something that should have been utterly insignificant.
But this soft sound seemed like a command to open the gates of hell!
An anomaly has occurred again!
The dozens of "eunuchs" and "palace maids" who had been bowing and standing trembling around the main hall, seemingly terrified, suddenly moved!
In their eyes, all humility and fear vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling killing intent, as sharp as a drawn blade, completely incongruous with their status!
Suddenly, a young eunuch carrying a food box slammed it to the ground! With a clang, two sharp daggers fell out from a hidden compartment in the food box! Holding the daggers in both hands, he crouched low and, like a cheetah, silently pounced on the back of the nearest assassin!
A palace maid, responsible for pouring wine for the guests, suddenly flung the wine pot in her hand! The mechanism at the bottom of the wine pot popped open, and a poisoned dagger gleaming with green light shot out like lightning, accurately piercing the throat of a traitorous official!
A "musician" responsible for playing the pipa suddenly used the pipa in his arms as a weapon and smashed it hard against the head of a rebel! The pipa shattered, revealing a finely crafted crossbow that was already cocked!
...
These scenes unfolded in the blink of an eye!
Food boxes, vases, trays, even musical instruments... all these seemingly ordinary palace banquet utensils, at this moment, have transformed into the most deadly murder weapons!
Those dozens of seemingly powerless "eunuchs" and "palace maids" transformed into agile and perfectly coordinated top-tier assassins at this moment! They were none other than Xiao Che's most mysterious and sharpest blade—the Royal Guards!
"Pfft!" "Ah!"
Screams rose and fell!
Those suicide soldiers who were charging forward with all their might had no idea that such a deadly threat would suddenly appear behind them! In a single exchange, more than ten people were stabbed through the heart or had their throats cut by these elusive guards from behind, and fell into pools of blood screaming in agony!
The entire battlefield situation was reversed in an instant!
What was originally an attack on the emperor turned into a counter-attack against the rebels in an instant!
"How could this be... how could this happen?!"
Below the main hall, Regent Xiao Yuan watched the bizarre and bloody scene unfold before him, his facial muscles twitching wildly. His prized elite assassins were utterly utterly defenseless against these seemingly weak "palace servants"!
"Your Highness! Don't panic! We have more men!" a trusted advisor roared in his ear. "The Imperial Guards outside the palace will be here soon!"
As if to prove his words, the heavy doors of the Hall of Supreme Harmony were suddenly smashed open with a loud crash!
Hundreds of rebel soldiers, clad in imperial guard armor and brandishing swords and spears, surged into the hall like a tidal wave, attempting to encircle the palace from both inside and outside with the assassins inside!
"Hahahaha! They're here! They're all here!" Seeing the reinforcements arrive, Xiao Yuan instantly regained his confidence. He pointed at Xiao Che and laughed maniacally, "Xiao Che! So what if you have some tricks up your sleeve? Today, you and all your lackeys will die here!"
However, when Xiao Che looked at the rebel army surging into the hall, a cold smile, almost one of pity, appeared on his face.
Just as the rebels stormed into the hall, thinking victory was assured!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Several muffled, loud thuds suddenly rang out!
The main gate of the hall, which had been smashed open, and all the windows on both sides were simultaneously sealed shut by an incredibly heavy gate that fell from the outside!
In an instant, the entire Hall of Supreme Harmony was transformed into an airtight steel cage!
The rebels who had just poured into the hall turned around in horror, only to see a cold and desperate darkness!
They...they were trapped like fish in a barrel!
"No...impossible..." Xiao Yuan's maniacal laughter froze completely.
At this moment, Xiao Yuan finally understood!
From beginning to end, this was not a palace coup orchestrated by him at all!
This was not a hunt he had planned at all!
This is a huge and meticulously planned trap, tailor-made for him and all his cronies!
From the moment he decided to rebel, he had already walked step by step into the inescapable net that the emperor and empress had meticulously woven for him!
He thought he was the hunter, but little did he know that from beginning to end, he was just the prey who walked right into the trap!
"puff--!"
Extreme anger, fear, and resentment surged through his veins. He could no longer hold back and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. He staggered back several steps, his eyes filled with utter defeat and despair.
"Kill them! Kill them all for me!"
"Even if I die, I will drag all of you down with me!"
In despair, Xiao Yuan erupted in a final frenzy. His eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at Xiao Che and Lin Wanwan on the throne, letting out a hysterical roar with all his might:
"Someone! Light the fire!"
"ignition--!!!"
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