Disloyalty and National Annihilation

The massive area-wide time distortion couldn't possibly escape the notice of the Lionheart King, who was stationed in the royal capital.

From the outside, the Golden Lion Castle resembled a blazing golden lion crouching low to the ground, its hindquarters touching the earth.

At the lion's heart lay the Lionheart Hall. At that moment, all the True Gods in the royal capital were awaiting the appearance of the Lionheart King.

On the throne, the Lionheart King suddenly appeared out of thin air and sat down.

The armrests of the throne were carved with blazing golden lions. The eyes of these lions projected light screens into the air, displaying an aerial view of the area surrounding the Lionheart Capital. In the top-right corner was an indicator showing the current time acceleration multiplier around the capital.

It showed 173 times. Reinforcements from nearby kingdoms would take at least five days to arrive.

By conservative estimates, the Lionheart Capital would have to hold out for two and a half years before being rescued.

What troubled the Lionheart King wasn't whether the capital could endure for two and a half years, but whether reinforcements from the other kingdoms would come at all. Those kings hadn't yet awakened. Even if the nations mobilized their full strength, they could only send elite troops led by a few True Gods.

In that case, with a pincer attack from both inside and outside, defeating the invading Holy Grail Kingdom forces would be no great feat.

But the Golden Lion Kingdom would suffer disastrous losses and fall into a grave disadvantage in the upcoming War of Kings.

"Prepare to release the Fallen Scholar…" After a long silence, the Lionheart King gave the order.

The princes didn't hesitate in the slightest. They knew too well how cold-blooded their father could be.

The Golden Dukes, although uneasy, saw that the princes showed no opposition. They understood their opinions didn't matter, so they swallowed their protests and chose to observe how the situation developed.

"You may go and prepare." The Lionheart King fixed his gaze on the Golden Dukes.

Only after the Dukes had withdrawn did he look toward the princes.

"Be wary of those Golden Dukes turning traitor," said the Lionheart King coldly.

"Yes, Father," replied the princes, as obedient as puppets.

The Lionheart King gestured for them to leave as well. He looked around the now-empty Lionheart Hall and sighed.

In the twenty-three thousand years that had passed, all the Golden Dukes truly loyal to him had already perished.

The bonds and trust between father and sons had long withered, leaving them as distant as strangers.

As a ruler, the Lionheart King knew very well that the Golden Lion Kingdom's greatest threat came from within.

If not for my control over the nation's fate, the lives of all the clergy, and the laws of royal authority, those obedient sons of mine would be the first to want me dead… Two and a half years would be more than enough for them to seize the capital entirely.

And his fears weren't unfounded, because Rosen was already inside the estate of the Golden Oak Duke.

The one he had replaced—Palus—now oversaw the majority of the duchy's internal affairs.

As for the Golden Oak Duke, he hadn't returned home for several days, staying instead on the city walls to supervise the troops and preparations.

But today, the Golden Oak Duke finally returned home.

In the estate's secret chamber, the Golden Oak Duke revealed the current situation of the Golden Lion Kingdom to Rosen in full detail.

He even disclosed everything about the Fallen Scholar.

It was easy for Rosen to see that the Golden Oak Duke somewhat had the air of someone giving final instructions before his death.

It wasn't surprising that he acted this way, because the Fallen Scholar was even more terrifying than what he had learned from Professor Ellen.

All Fallen Scholars were capable of wielding the power of Corruption.

This form of Corruption, much like the taint of the Dark Sun, had a terrifying ability to spread and infect. While not as horrifying as the Dark Sun's taint—it couldn't contaminate the environment or indiscriminately pollute even the great True Gods—it could still corrupt anyone below the level of Demigod.

And yet, beings below the level of Demigod had always formed the backbone of nearly every civilization.

The Fallen Scholar's corruption wouldn't make people lose themselves, but it would awaken the darkest corners of an intelligent being's heart, leading them to fall into complete depravity on a human level. Through this process, the Fallen Scholar would gain even more terrifying power.

What that power was exactly, even the Golden Oak Duke didn't know.

Because everyone who learned of it had erased their own memories. Some truths were so damaging that knowing them caused harm in itself, making it impossible to preserve such knowledge by conventional means. All the duke knew was that the Fallen Scholar was an enemy of civilization itself.

The Lionheart King's decision to release the imprisoned Fallen Scholar signaled his willingness to abandon everyone outside the royal capital.

It wasn't that the Golden Oak Duke was particularly kindhearted. Rather, he knew that the territory his family had managed for countless years—along with the countless clansmen living within it—would all perish at the hands of the Fallen Scholar. Naturally, this filled him with resentment toward the Lionheart King.

Once the Lionheart King fully awakened, he would regain absolute control over the entire kingdom.

Although his influence over regions outside the capital had weakened due to the Holy Grail Legion's advance, he still held total dominion over everything within the capital itself. If he wished, his eyes could monitor anyone at any moment—there was virtually nothing that could escape his notice.

The Golden Oak Duke was fully aware of this, so he simply gave some ordinary instructions.

He didn't openly express his dissatisfaction with the Lionheart King. After all, one should judge actions, not thoughts; no one was perfect in their heart. The Lionheart King understood this well. As long as the Golden Oak Duke had no intention of defecting and kept his resentment bottled up, the Lionheart King wouldn't go on a killing spree over it.

Of course, the Lionheart King had many matters to attend to. It wasn't possible for him to monitor every single person in the city day and night.

So in ordinary times, people didn't have to worry too much about lacking privacy under his gaze.

Otherwise, the previous manipulated protests that disrupted public morale wouldn't have happened.

However, after suffering one such loss, the Lionheart King would surely rather exhaust himself than let his guard down again. He would now keep a constant watch over the entire city.

Still, even with the Lionheart King's dominion over the capital, he could only maintain surface-level control. Spiritually, he couldn't fully dominate everyone. If one wanted to sway the Golden Oak Duke to defect, it would likely have to be done in a dream.

Several days later, after many days of exhaustion, the Golden Oak Duke finally had a chance to rest.

He had spent consecutive days atop the city walls commanding the arcane mages to defend the city. The divine strain had worn him down completely.

It had been years since the Golden Oak Duke last slept, but now, after returning to his estate, he chose to sleep in order to accelerate his recovery.

Because after at most a day of rest, he would once again return to the walls to face the unending bombardment of Draconic magic.

After waiting several days, Rosen was finally ready to pull the Golden Oak Duke into a dream—but something suddenly felt off.

He paused in thought and quickly realized the problem. He knew the weakness of royal authority. He knew that if he wanted to sway the Golden Oak Duke, it had to be done through the dream realm. But the Lionheart King, who had wielded royal power for who knows how many years—how could he not be aware that dreams were the one thing he should guard against the most?

At this very moment, the Lionheart King was likely focusing his attention on the Duke's dreams.

If Rosen entered now, he would immediately alert the enemy.

He instantly abandoned the idea of recruiting the Golden Oak Duke right now. Some things just can't be rushed.

The more desperate you are to succeed, the more likely things are to fall apart.

This was the Lionheart King's most vigilant and most powerful period. At such a time, no scheme or trick would be likely to succeed.

But the curse of Dark Sun corruption Rosen had implanted in the Lionheart King would only grow stronger with time.

As the pollution accumulated, the king would be forced to divert more of his energy to resisting it. Only then might cracks form in his control over the capital and the Golden Oak Duke. That would be the perfect time to turn him.

Of course, it was also possible that the weaker the Lionheart King became, the more vigilant he would be. But a person's energy was limited—covering all fronts was easier said than done.

There was an old saying: There are a thousand days to be a thief, but no thousand days to guard against one.

Offense was always superior to defense, and the Lionheart King surely knew this as well.

Rosen had contemplated for a long time and took the initiative to weaken the effects of the taboo curse that targeted the Lionheart King.

He couldn't push the Lionheart King too hard, or the king might be forced to retaliate.

The best approach is to boil the frog slowly... Make him believe he and his royal city can hold on. Let him see hope in reinforcements from nearby kingdoms. Then strike at the most opportune moment and deal a fatal blow.

As days passed, the entire Golden Lion Kingdom grew weaker and weaker.

Although two years had passed within the Lionheart Royal City, only a few days had gone by in the outside world.

Yet in just those few days, the Holy Grail Legion had already occupied all the other cities.

Though the city itself still suffered zero casualties, many of the magical arrays fused into the walls had collapsed. Countless magic towers scattered throughout the city had fallen, and the millions of arcanists within were all exhausted, both mentally and physically.

In contrast, the ordinary civilians had gone from initial panic to resigned acceptance.

But the stability of the public's morale no longer made much difference—only the nobles and soldiers truly understood the weight they bore.

"It's time to act..." Rosen's divine consciousness descended into Palyus's body and, while the Duke of the Golden Oak slept once more, he invaded his dream.

When the Duke of the Golden Oak entered sleep, he typically emptied his mind and entered a deep rest willingly.

However, this time, after falling into that deep sleep, his divine consciousness was forcibly awakened and drawn into the original nightmare divine realm of the Little Dragon Girl. Of course, what was drawn in wasn't his divine essence—just a sliver of his divine awareness.

The entire process was handled with great care. Any hint of abnormality would have triggered immediate withdrawal.

"You're the Holy Grail King?" the Duke of the Golden Oak asked in surprise as he saw Rosen appear in the dream.

"I've come to recruit you," Rosen said bluntly. "Everyone in Oak City can be relocated to the Holy Grail Kingdom at any time. You can choose to bring your people and join us, becoming a duke who pledges loyalty to me—or you can watch your people turn into monsters under the corruption of the Fallen Scholars and die alongside the Lionheart King you serve."

"Can you truly defeat the Lionheart King?" the Duke asked seriously after a moment of silence.

Rosen knew he had piqued the duke's interest. In truth, there wasn't much real loyalty between the Duke of the Golden Oak and the Lionheart King. The duke certainly didn't want to watch his people turned into monsters by the Fallen Scholars, but what he cared about more than anything was his own survival.

In the Duke of the Golden Oak's mind, he always came first. Palyus second. His clan third.

As for the Lionheart King? He probably doesn't even rank before a few of the royal princes.

So long as Rosen could make him believe he had a guaranteed chance of victory, turning the duke would be a natural outcome.

It all came down to the Lionheart King's poor performance—if he hadn't stubbornly defended his city under siege for two years, if he hadn't ordered the release of the Fallen Scholars as a last resort, if he hadn't slumbered for more than twenty thousand years, the odds of swaying the Duke would have been next to none.

But unless someone was a mindless fanatic, they would inevitably begin to waver as the situation deteriorated.

In the dream, Rosen summoned the Miracle Stone Golem and the Virtual Butler.

Two Great True Gods, and a king with power equal to a Great True God—that made three full Great True God-level combatants.

The Duke of the Golden Oak immediately dropped to one knee and pledged loyalty to Rosen. Not only did he offer up the weaknesses of the Lionheart Royal City, he even proposed helping persuade the other Golden Dukes to surrender. With coordinated efforts from within and without, taking the Lionheart King's stronghold would become a matter of days.

In less than half a month, five of the six Golden Dukes of the Golden Lion Kingdom had defected.

Only one remained loyal to the kingdom. The others knew him too well to even bother trying to sway him.

That day, almost at the same time, the defensive barriers on all four walls of the Lionheart Royal City collapsed.Because the four Golden Dukes had simultaneously brought their trusted aides and destroyed key magic towers.With the city defenses down, the Holy Grail Legion, having long since prepared, immediately charged into the city.

Only now did the Lionheart King realize that the five Golden Dukes had betrayed him—but by then, it was already too late to stop them.

All he could do was order several princes to block the rebel Dukes, while he personally led the Lionheart Knights—made up of two thousand knights bearing divine bloodlines—and one thousand elite priests to break out of the siege, abandoning the royal city.

However, escaping wasn't so easy. Rosen hadn't spent over two years besieging the city for nothing.

Maintaining such a wide-scale time acceleration consumed an astronomical amount of resources. The resources spent in those two years could have cultivated several True Gods. The real goal of the time acceleration wasn't to weaken Lionheart Royal City, but to set up a magic formation that would trap it completely.

At that moment, countless spatial traps activated in the void, forming a spatial sealing formation.

Quantity became quality—even a Great True God couldn't break out in a short time.

Rosen's Root Sequence instantly simulated the Fearless Warrior Sequence, a very special warrior type that stacked extreme defense under normal circumstances, and at a critical moment, converted all defense into double damage—the stronger the defense, the greater the damage.

However, giving up all defense meant he became extremely fragile, and it was easy to perish together with the enemy.

Rosen hadn't refined any extraordinary defensive treasures because all his defense came from his ancient divine body—his divine body was formed from the fusion of his divine domain, the Dragon Realm, and Seven's divine kingdom. In terms of pure defense, he was in no way inferior to an Immortal God or Demon.

Now, all his defense was converted into double damage, and his explosive power far surpassed that of a Great True God.

With a swing of Rosen's Royal Sacred Sword, he sliced through all of the Lionheart King's defenses and counterattacks, beheading him in a single strike.However, in the next moment, the Lionheart King's wounds completely healed—as if he'd never been injured. Instead, countless citizens of the Lionheart Royal City were instantly decapitated.

Although the Lionheart King lacked a Holy Grail Crown to lock in his life force, he could still use the King Sequence to transfer damage.

But how many times could he do that? Less than sixty percent of the city's population remained.

After Rosen's first decapitation, he followed with two more. The Lionheart Royal City was soon filled with headless corpses. The Lionheart King had no choice but to divert the damage to his soldiers—but even then, he couldn't withstand the following attacks. It was just delaying the inevitable by a few extra breaths.

The Lionheart King never expected the Holy Grail King's damage output to be this terrifying.

At that moment, the Lionheart King noticed Rosen's sword-wielding right hand was injured.

He hadn't launched any effective counterattack, yet the Holy Grail King was injured?

That meant Rosen's destructive power had exceeded what his body could withstand. It also meant the Holy Grail King's defense wasn't as terrifying as his damage. Pushed to a desperate edge, the Lionheart King didn't hesitate to go all out.

His battle armor swelled and blocked one of Rosen's slashes at the cost of completely shattering.

The Lionheart King's Indestructible Lionheart self-destructed. The bloodline power accumulated over generations of the Golden Lion Family fully ignited, granting him strength at the peak of a Great True God. He poured all of it into his Lionheart Sacred Sword.

Finally, he activated the taboo ability of the King Sequence—sacrificing all his subjects to enhance himself.

All nobles and soldiers who still remained loyal to the Golden Lion Kingdom were instantly reduced to dry corpses by the Flames of Civilization. The flames then surged into the Lionheart King's body, igniting him as well. At this moment, he had faintly surpassed the level of a Great True God.

Though still not on par with an Immortal God or Demon, he was comparable to the peak-era Yinglong.

This state could only last briefly. Once over, the backlash from the Flames of Civilization would definitely kill him.

But the Lionheart King was confident he could drag the Holy Grail King to die with him.

After that, he had one final contingency that could grant him a chance to reincarnate, to return and rebuild the Golden Lion Kingdom.

Both sides completely gave up defense. Rosen's Royal Sacred Sword clashed with the Lionheart Sacred Sword again and again. Both of their bodies were riddled with gaping wounds that pierced their divine forms.Their left arms—the ones not holding swords—were completely destroyed. In the end, they severed each other's heads and perished together.

The Lionheart King stared resentfully at Rosen as his last remnants were burned to ash by the Flames of Civilization.

Although Rosen's divine body was also in tatters, the Holy Grail Crown had locked down his last trace of life force. His Eternal Divinity was something the Lionheart King could never destroy. Now, Rosen deactivated the Fearless Warrior simulation, and his injuries began to slowly recover.

He needed to dispel the Royal Authority laws embedded in his wounds to fully heal.

That would be difficult for others—but for Rosen, it was simple.

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into the Lionheart King. Not just in appearance, but in divine essence, bloodline, and extraordinary power—they were identical.This made the Lionheart King's collapsing soul and divine essence plunge into complete despair.

Rosen grabbed the Lionheart King's divinity and used the Miracle Flame to forcibly refine the Civilization Flame.

Using the identical divine essence, he forcefully seized control of the Lionheart King's divinity, scoured his memories, brought the divinity into the Mysterious Study Room to isolate it from the King's Game, and used the Apocalypse Eye to search for the Lionheart King's deepest secrets.

(End of Chapter)