Chapter194

Without the burden of protecting innocent civilians, Elara's elite soldiers unleashed their full strength. They wore light yet durable armor and wielded finely crafted weapons. Combined with their overwhelming numbers and the coordination between Damon and General Qi, they quickly forced Lord Gregory and his allies into retreat within Plumera City.

A massive purge erupted throughout the ancient city.

The tangled filth rooted deep within the city was broken apart, and the long-standing decay was pierced through.

The battle didn't last long. Two hours later, most of Lord Gregory's forces were either killed or had surrendered, and resistance within the city had collapsed.

Only a small part of the forces, led by Lord Gregory and the Zhu, Yan, and Lin families, retreated into the imperial palace.

At the palace gates.

Elara stood at the bloodstained entrance and looked up at the city wall where "Benedict" had a knife to his neck, held by Lord Gregory. Her brows furrowed. Something didn't feel right.

"Elara! Withdraw your troops now or I'll slit this puppet's throat! You'll carry the guilt of fratricide and regicide forever!"

Elara stared at Lord Gregory, still frowning, but her voice remained calm and lazy.

"Lord Gregory, haven't you noticed something? Look closely. Is that really my younger brother?"

From the moment she learned Lord Gregory intended to bury the entire Plumera City with him, Elara's first order to Damon was to have Emory create a double for Benedict and hide the real one in the Bai Family's Business compound.

Emory's skills were excellent. Even now, the fake hadn't been exposed.

Lord Gregory's hand paused as he held the fake Benedict. He was about to inspect the face more closely.

But halfway through, he suddenly stepped back and pressed the blade harder against the neck, sneering at Elara.

"Don't try to fool me! He is Benedict! He is the Emperor of Plumera! He's your real brother! If you dare storm the palace, you'll be committing regicide! You'll be a traitor!"

Elara wasn't shaken by his threats. She responded with a flat "Oh" and waved to General Qi behind her.

"Then watch and see if I dare. General Qi, storm the palace."

"Yes!"

Seeing her unmoved, Lord Gregory panicked and shoved the "hostage" away before running toward the inner palace in a flurry.

He didn't get far before two arrows pierced both his calves.

Lord Gregory screamed and collapsed. Damon stepped on his back hard, making him cry out again.

Lord Gregory had ruined Damon's family. Damon was once imprisoned, and when he escaped and tried to assassinate Captain Yang, Elara caught him. He had been seeking revenge ever since.

She saved him and brought him in to develop her forces, partly because she promised him revenge.

Now, with his enemy beneath his feet, if Elara hadn't ordered him to take Lord Gregory alive, Damon would've already crushed his insides without mercy.

"Damon, wait. Something's wrong with him."

Elara frowned and stepped closer. She touched Lord Gregory's face and felt something strange beneath his skin.

Damon seemed to sense it too. He grabbed the spot she touched and tore hard.

A lifelike human-skin mask was ripped away.

Elara's expression turned cold.

No wonder. She had felt something was off tonight.

Even if she had prepared thoroughly, and even if Lord Gregory wasn't a military genius, he shouldn't have been so defenseless after knowing she was about to strike. It made no sense that she could sneak into Plumera and wipe out all his forces so easily.

Elara pressed her lips together and turned around.

Emory, who had played "Captain Yang" for months, had quietly returned to his original appearance. He stood behind her and said coldly,

"Lord Gregory has always been suspicious. Once he sensed a mole, he refused to meet with anyone except those from the Zhu, Yan, and Lin families. He hardly left his residence. My spies didn't notice anything unusual. Didn't your spy in Lord Gregory's household report anything?"

That spy had been the head steward in Lord Gregory's mansion, one of the two gifted by Lian Yi Lou back then.

He had been extremely useful, providing detailed and accurate intel, which had helped Elara's sweep of Lord Gregory's forces greatly.

But perhaps because of that, Lord Gregory had grown suspicious of him too.

As she thought about this, General Qi suddenly rushed in with three hundred elite warriors and a squad of Qi family soldiers. Breathing heavily, he reported,

"I've cleared out the Lord Gregory, Zhu, Yan, and Lin mansions! But only servants were left. Those old bastards had already disappeared! At the deepest part of each residence, we found a very well-hidden secret tunnel!"

It was all part of Lord Gregory's plan from the beginning.

The fake Lord Gregory wearing a human mask, the doubles of the Zhu, Yan, and Lin leaders, and the leftover forces in Plumera were all meant to delay her.

That cunning old man had prepared this move long ago, quietly arranging it when he realized he was losing. While his puppets delayed her, he had already escaped!

"General Qi, send four squads of fast-footed soldiers into each tunnel to give chase!"

The Puppet Soldiers she stationed outside Plumera and at the borders hadn't sensed anything, meaning the targets likely hadn't gotten far.

"Yes!"

"General Qi."

"Hm?" General Qi looked away from his brother, whom he hadn't seen for months. His last impression of Elara was of her raising a whip at him beside the bed...