In the stands, the kingdom representatives who had stood so boldly were now pale and sweating.
The Lefay Kingdom’s envoy stumbled backward. "Martial Saint... we can’t fight a Martial Saint..."
"What do we do?" the Stormwind Kingdom’s ambassador whispered urgently to his companions.
"Pray he’s rciful," the Ironpeak Kingdom’s minister muttered back.
Common spectators who didn’t fully understand cultivation realms still felt the terror in the air.
"Why does everyone look so scared?"
"What’s a Martial Saint? Is it that strong?"
An old rchant stood up, his voice shaking. "A Martial Saint could wipe out entire armies alone. A Martial Saint could destroy kingdoms with a wave of their hand. A Martial Saint is a walking calamity!"
"Then... then we’re all..."
"Dood if he wants us dead."
So people started trying to leave, pushing toward the exits. But the imperial guards had already sealed all the entrances.
No one was leaving until this was resolved.
=====
Arthur stood calmly on the arena floor, completely unaffected by the pressure. He’d known about his father’s breakthrough for months now.
’Father’s timing is perfect as always,’ Arthur thought with a slight smile. ’Let them all be revealed at once, then crush them with overwhelming power. Simple but effective.’
Anastasia, standing in the imperial box, also had a knowing look on her face. Unlike the others, she showed no surprise at all.
’Big brother told about this last month,’ she thought. ’He said father would use the tournant as bait to draw out all the malcontents at once. Looks like it worked perfectly.’
Back on the main floor, Thomas Hartfield’s face twisted through several emotions before settling on grim determination. He’d co too far to back down now, even if the odds had shifted dramatically.
He took a deep breath and raised his head to et the emperor’s gaze, despite the crushing pressure trying to force him to his knees.
"So this is your hidden card?" Thomas muttered, his voice carrying just far enough for those nearby to hear.
The words hung in the air like a challenge.
Emperor Markus’s eyes narrowed. "Hidden card? No, Thomas. This is simply the natural result of proper cultivation. Sothing you would understand if you spent more ti training and less ti plotting."
Thomas’s jaw clenched. "Your Majesty, even a Martial Saint cannot rule forever. Tis change. Powers shift. What will you do when—"
"When what?" the emperor interrupted, his voice cold. "When you and your co-conspirators grow strong enough to challenge ? That day will never co."
Kaiser stepped forward, despite his fear. "Your Majesty, this isn’t about challenging you personally. This is about the future of the continent. One person shouldn’t hold all the power, no matter how strong."
"Interesting words from soone who was planning to seize that power for himself," the emperor shot back.
Kaiser’s face flushed red. "I—"
"Did you think I didn’t know?" Emperor Markus’s laugh was bitter. "Did any of you think your little etings went unnoticed? Your secret alliances? Your plans to use this tournant as a stage for your rebellion?"
The crowd gasped. So the emperor had known all along?
Thomas gritted his teeth. "If you knew, why let it proceed this far?"
"Because I wanted to see who would reveal themselves," the emperor replied simply. "Now I know exactly who stands against . How convenient that you’ve all gathered in one place."
The implied threat was clear. With his Martial Saint cultivation, the emperor could potentially eliminate all his opposition right here, right now.
The rebel leaders exchanged panicked glances. This had gone from a political coup to a potential massacre.
The Thunder God Sect’s leader tried to salvage the situation. "Your Majesty, surely we can still discuss this reasonably—"
"Reasonably?" the emperor’s aura spiked again, and several people coughed blood. "You coordinate a rebellion, announce it publicly to undermine my authority, and now you want to discuss things reasonably?"
"Your Majesty, please!" one of the smaller kingdom representatives fell to his knees. "I was coerced! I didn’t want to—"
"Silence!" the emperor’s voice bood like thunder.
Everyone fell quiet instantly.
The pressure in the arena grew even heavier. So people started passing out from the sheer weight of the emperor’s aura.
Arthur watched everything unfold with calculating eyes. ’Father is giving them one chance to back down. If they don’t take it...’
The mysterious figure who had been standing with Julius and Kaiser’s group finally moved. A hooded form stepped forward, and when they spoke, their voice was androgynous and strange.
"Emperor Markus, breaking through to Martial Saint is indeed impressive. But you should know—you’re not the only one with hidden cards."
The figure’s aura suddenly exploded outward, pushing back against the emperor’s pressure.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
"Another Martial Saint?!"
"Who is that?!"
"This is insane!"
Emperor Markus’s eyes sharpened dangerously. "So you finally show yourself. I wondered when you would stop hiding."
The hooded figure laughed. "Did you really think you were the only one preparing for the Rejoining? The only one who saw what was coming?"
Thomas and Kaiser’s faces showed relief. Their trump card had arrived.
But Arthur’s expression turned serious for the first ti. ’An unknown Martial Saint allied with the rebels. This just beca much more complicated.’
Qin Tian’s master spoke urgently in his mind. ’Boy, we’re leaving. Now. This is about to turn into a battle that will level the entire arena.’
’But master—’
’Now!’
In the stands, those with enough cultivation to sense what was happening started desperately trying to escape. But the imperial guards still blocked the exits.
They were all trapped in an arena with two Martial Saints about to potentially clash.
Emperor Markus’s smile turned cold and dangerous. "Very well. If you want to die first, I’ll accommodate you."
The hooded figure laughed again. "Die? You misunderstand. I’m not here to fight you. I’m here to make sure you understand sothing very clearly."
"And what’s that?"
"That your ti is over, Emperor Markus. One way or another, the old order will fall. You can step down peacefully, or you can be removed by force. The choice is yours."
Thomas finally found his voice again, emboldened by the mysterious Martial Saint’s presence. He looked up at the emperor and repeated his earlier words with renewed confidence.
"So this is your hidden card, Your Majesty?" Thomas said, his tone now carrying a hint of mockery. "Impressive. But as you can see, we ca prepared as well."
The emperor’s gaze swept across all of them—the rebel princes, the sect leaders, the kingdom representatives, and finally landing on the mysterious hooded figure.
"Prepared?" Emperor Markus’s voice was soft, but everyone could hear the deadly promise in it. "You have no idea what you’ve started."
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