Chapter 424: The Times Have Changed (12)

President, we've caught Miss.

The one reporting the news was the Regiment Commander of the First Guard Regiment.

In the study on the second floor of Dawn Fortress, Savros felt a slight jolt in his heart.

Really caught?

Really, right in the courtyard.

Savros immediately rose and walked to the window, releasing a spell to observe the situation in the courtyard.

How was she caught? Where was she caught?

Without waiting for the Regiment Commander to answer, Savros saw his daughter Natalie standing in the courtyard.

In less than seven short days, this daughter had changed greatly.

Her bright, splendid robe was replaced by a half‑worn linen short shirt; her meticulously combed long hair became an easy‑to‑manage short cut; her formerly pure, snow‑white face now bore many stains; and her blue‑black eyes turned firm and deep.

At a glance, Savros knew this was no longer his daughter, but his enemy.

An enemy of eternal enmity.

The Regiment Commander's voice came from beside him: 'We captured the young lady in the southern suburbs forest; she was there hunting with a few companions.'

'When we found her, she stayed behind to cover her companions' escape, offering no resistance, only saying she wished to see you before she died.'

'See me? She still has the nerve to come see me?!'

Savros gave a cold smile, lowered his gaze to his swollen, rotting left hand, and his heart filled with hatred.

He had doted on this daughter, giving her the best of everything, yet she repaid him like this—truly an ungrateful wolf cub!

'Shall we see her?' the Regiment Commander asked cautiously.

'Of course we must see her!'

Savros gritted his teeth and said: 'Bring her over; I will personally escort her to see Lord Rupert.'

'Yes, President.'

The Regiment Commander turned and left.

After a while, a squad of elite warriors escorted Natalie to Savros's study.

'Father.' Natalie called out.

Savros snorted coldly: 'No, I am not your father; you are no longer my daughter, but my enemy!'

He had lived over eighty years, and in his youth he was also a person of extraordinary talent.

He had used every means to become President of the Mage Association, and his feelings for worldly affairs had long gone numb.

The reason he doted on Natalie was that at first she was his daughter; later it was merely to cultivate a trusted confidant.

Now that she has betrayed him, she has no value whatsoever.

No, that's wrong; this daughter still has one final value: to prove her absolute loyalty to the Count! He rose and led the way to the study door, saying: 'Take her to the third floor!'

The study on the third floor has two Eternal Guardians defending it, making it the safest place in the entire fortress.

After Black‑clad Rupert arrived, that study naturally became his to use; ordinarily, to see him one must also pass the inspection of the Eternal Guardians.

Savros led the way, while the Guard soldiers escorted Natalie behind him.

Natalie felt guilty toward her father; along the way she whispered, 'Father, I apologize to you.'

Savros gave a cold laugh.

'No, you need not apologize to me, nor do I need to apologize; I only require actual compensation.'

'Natalie, you know in your heart what fate awaits you; if you hope that this father of yours will forgive you, you have reckoned without your host.'

'I tell you, I will personally oversee your punishment; you will wail in the flames for three days and three nights!'

His words were as cold and piercing as a winter night, completely shattering the last shred of fantasy in Natalie's heart.

She sighed and said nothing more.

Soon the party reached the third floor and stood before the two Eternal Guardians.

Natalie glanced at the two Eternal Guardians, her gaze settling on the warrior on the right, and she began to chant silently.

'Mighty warrior, by the name of the gods, hear my command.'

With that thought, the right‑hand Eternal Guardian appeared unchanged on the surface.

But Natalie heard a voice in her mind: 'Miss Natalie, I will fight for you!'

At the same time she felt a very secret yet extremely stable bond forming between her soul and the Eternal Guardian before her.

Natalie rejoiced in her heart and continued her command: 'Maintain the status quo for now, but stand ready to protect my life at any moment.'

'As you wish, Miss Natalie.'

Afterward, the two Eternal Guardians proceeded with their routine procedure, scanning the identities of everyone present; everything was exactly as before.

About a quarter of an hour later, Natalie was brought before Black‑clad Rupert.

Savros trotted a few steps forward, his face full of self‑satisfaction: 'Lord, I have successfully captured the traitor.'

Rupert was somewhat surprised, for this woman was after all Savros's daughter.

He had thought the President would at least show a hint of heartache, but this fellow went so far as to treat his own daughter as a stranger.

He even once suspected that the woman before him was a magical disguise, so he raised his staff and examined her closely with blood‑line magic.

In the end he confirmed her identity: she was truly Savros's biological daughter.

'What a fine dog.'

Rupert sighed inwardly, but his expression remained cold: 'Very good!'

He rose and said: 'Now, take the traitor to the fortress execution ground and summon all mid‑ and high‑ranking members of the Mage Association to watch the execution!'

'Savros, you will carry out the execution yourself.'

Savros immediately nodded: 'I feel deeply honored, Lord.'

Then, a group of people again escorted Natalie to the execution ground behind the fortress, and Rupert followed as well.

He was very cautious, and at the same time was a rare mage who possessed the talent of time.

He faintly sensed danger, but did not know where the danger came from.

Considering that he was in the mortal world, danger was inevitable, so Rupert did not retreat because of it, but instead brought his own guard team.

But he still felt unsafe.

After thinking, he also brought along the two Eternal Guardians.

About two hours later, about 800 or more people gathered at the execution ground behind the fortress, and all senior members of the Dawn Eye were present.

In the middle of the execution ground stood a high platform; on the platform was a specially made grill, with a fire of moderate strength lit beneath it. Beside the grill stood a cross‑shaped execution frame, and Natalie, stripped of her clothing, was bound naked to the frame.

President Salvos stood beside the cross‑shaped execution frame, wiping a gleaming silver meat‑cutting knife with a white cloth.

At the final moment, a ripple finally stirred in his heart, and he whispered to his daughter on the scaffold:

"Natalie, all of this is your own choice; don't blame me."

Natalie calmly looked at the tall, thin mage before her: "Father, I don't blame you, for without you, I would not exist."

"I pity you, for your soul has been utterly twisted by this terrible world; you are eternally tormented by pain and fear, and can never feel peace, happiness, or fulfillment."

Savros felt a slight tremor in his heart, lifted his gaze to the daughter on the scaffold, and saw only a completely calm face, devoid of any despair about the impending punishment.

He was bewildered, for the three-day fire punishment was extremely brutal, and those subjected to it would wail in endless agony until death.

"Aren't you afraid?"

Natalie shook her head.

Afterward she raised her head, looked at the spectators surrounding the execution grounds, and shouted loudly:

"Pathetic mages, do you know why I killed Alecks?"

"I tell you now, because I refuse to be the dog of Count Gentgold!"

"Furthermore, I tell you, the great Sun War God Luosen has descended; he will utterly transform this miserable world, and he will reforge the glory of the Eternal Empire amidst ruins!"

"Furthermore, whether it's Count Gentgold or any other marquis or duke, anyone hailing from Yueliangcheng is nothing but a hypocritical, deceitful, selfish devil!"

"Yueliangcheng is destined to fall from the sky, just as other fallen Yueliangchengs did in ancient times!"

To speak such words in the mage council serving the Yueliangcheng count is tantamount to inciting rebellion.

Black-clad Rupert immediately roared at Savros: "Sever her vocal cords~~~don't let her speak!"

Savros steeled himself, picked up a small knife, and stepped forward: "Natalie, I'm sorry."

He had killed many before and knew exactly where the vocal cords were.

At that moment he swung the knife at his daughter's neck, the placement precise to the extreme.

But the incredibly sharp blade failed to cut Natalie's skin.

Even though Natalie's magic had been sealed and her magical implements confiscated, there still existed a seemingly thin but outrageously strong magical barrier protecting her body.

Savros refused to believe it, and immediately switched to using magic to cut.

He was indeed an Arcane Master, and in the blink of an eye he tried over a dozen different spells, all to no effect.

"How is that possible?"

On the scaffold, Natalie's mind became completely tranquil.

She continued to shout loudly.

"Mortals~~change is imminent, and the authority of Yueliangcheng will cease to exist!"

"The Sun War God Luosen will completely transform this world!"

"Pray to the gods, beg them to forgive your sins!"

The mages around the execution grounds glanced at each other, whispered, and discussed heatedly.

The unprecedented situation left people feeling confused and fearful.

Black-clad Rupert felt a terrible sense of impending crisis.

He clearly sensed that something major was about to happen.

But he did not know in what manner this great event would occur.

All he could do now was try to make Natalie shut up.

"Guards~~kill Natalie~"

The guards beside him were all trusted retainers of the count; though only ten in number, their combat prowess was extremely formidable.

At that moment five of them surged forward, pointing their staffs at Natalie, and five half‑transparent, thigh‑thick azure beams, like swords, shot straight at her body from all directions.

After being amplified by the staffs, each spell reached a strength of nineteen rings, their scale exceeding ordinary mortal spells by over a hundredfold; although they had not yet reached the power standard set by the Empress, they were more than enough to easily crush any mortal magic.

In an instant, Natalie's body was engulfed in azure light, and the aftershock of the magic instantly turned the execution platform into powder.

Had Savros not reacted quickly and retreated at the first moment, he too would have been reduced to powder.

The terrifying magical radiance persisted for a full ten seconds before fading.

But something even more terrifying then occurred.

Even though the cruciform scaffold had been melted, Natalie emerged unscathed! She broke free of her bonds, stood steadily on the scorching ground, threw her arms wide to the sky, and shouted with a face full of fervor.

"Praise the Sun War God~~~~"

"Whoosh~~~"

The spectators around the execution grounds were all shocked and turned pale.

Since the founding of Grey City, this is the first time a mortal mage has directly withstood a siege by Yueliangcheng warriors.

The myth of Yueliangcheng's invincibility was shattered by hard fact! Black‑clad Rupert's eyes widened, his body went rigid, and he was utterly gripped by a terrifying emotion, unable to utter a word.

Because he had discovered something utterly terrifying.

That is, his greatest reliance—the ultimate war machine of the Eternal Empire, the high‑energy intelligent combat puppets, the invincible Eternal Guardians—had actually rebelled! (End of chapter)