Village Head's Debauchery

King Garnet gestured for one of the guards to bring the sword to him before he grabbed it and threw it towards Former King Brylon.

Clang!

The sound of the sword landing on the floor before Former King Brylon caused him to look down briefly at the weapon at his feet.

"For me to accept that the Crystalforge clan has no hand in this failed assassination, I want you to kill her yourself. In return, I will pardon the fallen Crystalforge clan heiress for her remarks since she is still young, and considering her current situation, such words should be understood," King Garnet said, briefly glancing at his son who seemed to have calmed down, relieved that nothing would happen to Crystalia from the corner of his eyes.

Although one of the main reasons for sparing the Former Princess's life was his awareness of his son's attachment to her, the more considerable motivation was to humiliate the Crystalforge Clan once again and make them understand that regaining their former glory was an impossible feat.

Meanwhile, everyone couldn't help but gulp down a mouthful of saliva as they immediately grasped King Garnet's words.

The former King of the Prismerian Kingdom, killing the Queen's personal servant under the orders of the present King of the Prismerian Kingdom—forget about the embarrassment and shame that would forever plague the previous royal family until the day they died. 

Once the citizens of the Prismerian Kingdom heard about what had happened, it would also serve as a stark reminder that the Gemheart clan had the power to consolidate itself within the kingdom. The incident would highlight the capability of the Gemheart clan to compel the former King of the Prismerian Kingdom to kill his own people.

And to them, it was a message, a proclamation that from henceforth—

The Crystalforge Clan had indeed fallen. Therefore, they should dispel any thoughts of retaliation with the Crystalforge Clan.

The Four Major Clans wore various expressions witnessing the scene unfold, especially Clan Head Ralias Prismaflow and Clan Mistress Dailia Prismaflow. They continued to watch the unfolding events with deep frowns on their faces.

Without hesitation, Former King Brylon picked up the sword from the ground and walked towards the injured Elysia.

"...Fat…her," Crystalia stammered out as she gazed at her father steadily, walking towards them with a firm expression on his face, devoid of every emotion.

"Restrain her," King Garnet ordered, noticing that Crystalia was still shielding the assailant protectively with her body. 

Instantly, several guards grabbed onto Crystalia, restraining her and dragging her to the side. She didn't attempt to break free or struggle, knowing it would be easy to do so with her strength. 

Instead, she stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before her. Elysia watched the former King arrive before her and raised his sword high in the air, as though he was about to deliver a swift, decisive strike.

Gritting her teeth, various emotions churning within her heart, she closed her eyes and lowered her head, accepting her fate. She had already prepared for whatever was to come. 

Even if she didn't have the chance to see Orion for one last time, or give birth to her unborn child and witness who they would take after, she didn't regret any of her actions at that very moment.

Former King Brylon brought his arm downwards.

"ELYSIA!!!" Princess Crystalia screamed at the top of her lungs.

BAAANNG!!

A loud explosion reverberated through the main engagement hall, momentarily shaking it to its core.

Former King Brylon's arm halted in the air, stopping several inches above Elysia's neck.

Including Former King Brylon, everyone who had felt the force turned their heads upwards, toward the crystal and rocky ceiling, believing it to be the source of the commotion.

BANGGG!!

King Garnet furrowed his brows before looking at the guards and shouting, "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GO A…" 

Before he could finish his sentence, he was instantly interrupted.

BOOOMMM!!!

A thunderous explosion echoed upward.

The roof of the main engagement hall caved inwards before it broke apart, prompting everyone to abandon their seats and leap backwards, distancing themselves from the debris to avoid any unnecessary circumstances. 

Those who reacted late bore the full brunt of the collapse and were immediately buried under the fallen roof.

Crystalia, however, managed to arrive at Elysia just in time to save her. Fortunately, Elysia survived with only a broken bone in her left leg due to debris collapsing on top of her. 

After ensuring that Elysia was okay, Crystalia turned her head toward the source of the collapsed debris.

As the dust in the air began to settle down, Crystalia's eyes widened in surprise at the figure that had emerged from within it.

"...Flintor," she muttered audibly.

Witnessing that the person who had caused such a ruckus was the former Princess's personal guard, King Garnet felt the veins on his forehead about to pop open, wondering how he had escaped from the dungeon.

The dungeon itself was sturdy enough to cage down a Tenth-tier Crystal Sage, which was why he wasn't worried about anyone breaking out of their cell, especially the former Queen, given her weakened state. 

So, seeing that Flintor had managed to escape left King Garnet at a loss for words, wondering if the guards around him had become too complacent.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? RESTRAIN HIM IMMEDIATELY!!" he shouted, deciding that it would be a little too much for him to handle the situation alone.

Eleven guards charged forward without hesitation, wielding their blades and activating their clan's specialty. They decided not to take the opponent in front of them lightly and aimed to avoid any mistakes.

Gleaming Heart Scale!!

Gleaming Heart Surge!!

Their bodies transformed, dark grey scales formed around their skin, and their magical energy increased several times over. They instantly arrived in front of Flintor with the sole intention of incapacitating him until he was on the brink of death.

However, before they could swing their swords, they halted—

SWISSH!

SWISSH!!

A gentle breeze grazed along their skin. Some looked down to witness their heads flying away from their headless bodies, while others felt their bodies detaching and falling to the ground.

Clang!

Bam!

In the blink of an eye, eleven Gemheart Warriors, all of whom were in the Crystal Luminary Rank, were killed before they could even understand what had happened.

Everyone in the main engagement hall was shocked and could only stare dumbfoundedly at the scene, wondering what had just occurred.