Everyone present was no fool. After the death of Emperor Frelio XVI, it was certain that the direct descendants of the imperial family had been purged by the Demon King's forces. For the Demon King, although he had successfully conquered the empire, maintaining control was more challenging than obtaining it. The empire was vast, with a population of a billion and countless cities and provinces.
With the limited manpower of the Chaos Federation and the Demon King's own limited forces, it was unlikely they could control such a large area effectively. Direct rule by the Demon King would only lead to widespread fear among local authorities and citizens, ultimately causing social order to collapse and significant population loss.
Supporting a new emperor was the best solution. The new emperor needed to be someone capable of exerting considerable influence throughout the empire to reassure the citizens and ensure loyalty to the central authority. The Demon King merely needed to control this emperor to govern the entire empire, and currently, the only suitable candidate for this position was the duchess of the north.
This was the main reason why the Demon King had personally appeared here. Ophelia scoffed, "Don't be deluded. I, Ophelia Frelio, the Duke of the North, will never submit or compromise to the enemies of the empire."
Her outright refusal was expected. How could the proud Grand Duke of the North so easily relinquish her dignity and become a puppet controlled by the Chaos Federation? For someone of her noble heritage, honor is often more important than life itself.
"I hope you understand that you don't really have a choice. After all, I'm not here to ask for opinions." The Demon King said calmly, "You can gracefully become an empress, but if you refuse dignity, then I'll help you achieve it."
Such arrogance. Even if the Demon King was powerful, it was incredibly insulting to so brazenly challenge the entire Northern elite with just his own presence.
"Don't waste words with him! He's only one man! If we all work together, we can certainly defeat him!"
Marquis Clarence, impatient to act first, valued Duchess Ophelia as an important asset. If she were taken by the Demon King and set up as a puppet empress, not only would he lose a valuable asset, but the entire North would fall into the hands of the Demon King. What would be left for him then? This was utterly unacceptable!
It wasn't just the marquis who found this unacceptable. All the nobles present, all the beneficiaries of the old imperial order, could not accept such an outcome. So the only opportunity seemed to be to strike, despite knowing the Demon King's inconceivable strength.
Marquis Clarence unleashed his domain power. Suddenly, the environment around Zhang Nu turned into a raging snowstorm, as if a traveler was caught in a blizzard, rapidly draining away all warmth.
"Interesting, a mere marquis with the strength of a Level 6 monarch?"
Within the southern, eastern and western regions of the empire, although it was possible to find such supreme powerhouses like the Mage King, Halyfax among the common folk, officially there were only three Level 6 monarchs which were the dukes. In the north, apart from Duchess Ophelia herself, there were other Level 6 monarch units among the feudal nobles, a fact that alone demonstrated the northern region's significantly greater strength compared to the other three regions. Of course, a mere Level 6 monarch like Clarence was far inferior in strength to Bachor. The possibility of him posing a threat to Zhang Nu was virtually nonexistent.
The next second, the blizzard suddenly dissipated. Clarence's domain collapsed, not because it was overridden by a stronger one, but because it was simply shattered. Clarence's face was filled with horror. There was only one possibility for such an occurrence! The opponent had established a sanctuary, overpowering his domain at the fundamental level of strength, indicative of at least an mythic entity.
"What's going on!" Clarence found himself unable to move.
Every inch of space around him had become hundreds of times more solid than steel, trapping him firmly in place. Not only Clarence, but all the high-ranking officials and nobles present found themselves locked in this spatial containment, unable to escape while also experiencing a hundredfold discrepancy in the flow of time.
From the Demon King's body, a thick cloud of blood-red mist was released. This mist, enhanced with the corrupted blood and mind Qi, instantly swept through the entire hall, injecting itself into everyone's bodies and minds. Affected by the corrupting blood, their equipment's properties were neutralized, their physical strength diminished, and their magical abilities rendered unusable, making it even harder for them to escape their predicament.
Simultaneously, within the sanctuary, countless snakes, insects, rats, and scorpions surged out like a fountain or a tide, swarming over Clarence almost instantly under a hundredfold time acceleration. This ability, which Zhang Nu had acquired from the Fallen Druid Jason's Pestilence Sanctuary, allowed him to summon various dreadful plagues and pestilential species to spread disease or inflict damage.
Amidst horrific screams, the marquis was rapidly gnawed down to a skeleton. His power was meaningless before Zhang Nu. Under the dual control of the corrupted blood and spatial confinement, facing the swarm accelerated a hundred times, he couldn't react in time.
Thus, a powerful Level 6 monarch perished so casually. During this process, other people present also met similar fates. The Demon King had dominated all the high-level figures present without ever moving a muscle, not even lifting a finger, simply suppressing them with his domain and other mysterious powers.
"Are you sure you want to fight me?" the Demon King asked, and the duchess fell silent in response.
She could clearly sense the immense temporal and spatial forces surrounding them; everyone else was trapped in a painfully slow temporal field. It was unimaginable that someone could create such a massive time dilation, affecting so many people over such a wide area. In such a scenario, even if the Demon King were to sit down and sip tea, it would seem like only a second or two had passed from the opponent's perspective---a completely asymmetrical battle.
Although she did not respond, the duchess summoned a crystal-clear ice spear. This was the Icebreaker War Spear, an epic weapon passed down through generations in the northern duchy, powerful both as a weapon and as a staff, particularly suited to a spellblade like Ophelia.
Zhang Nu chuckled, "Commendable courage!"
As he spoke, he reached out his hand, and thunder and flame wildly converged in his palm, eventually forming a nearly tangible thunderflame magic sword. Ophelia was once again deeply shaken. The Demon King had not equipped any physical weapon; he had merely summoned special energy with his mana and used a unique martial technique to solidify this energy into a weapon.
However, the Thunderflame Magic Sword in the Demon King's hands was not only infused with energy rivaling that of epic-grade equipment, but it was also bolstered by mind Qi, formless sword Qi, and corrupted blood among other enchantments. Effectively, the weapon the Demon King casually conjured surpassed the power and effects of most epic-grade weapons in the world.
Before Ophelia could formulate a response strategy, the Demon King casually swung his sword through the air. Yet, the blade cleaved through space, appearing instantly in front of her.
"What?!" Ophelia was horrified! The seemingly casual slash by the Demon King had incorporated spatial abilities, meaning that once he locked onto her, no matter her position, direction, or posture, his sword would inevitably strike her. What mastery of space was this?
Ophelia gritted her teeth and blocked the blade. The next second, a mountainous force was unleashed from the blade, combining the destructive power of thunder and flame with the pervasive corruption of the vile blood.
After enduring for about three seconds, Ophelia screamed and was flung backward. When she looked up, the Demon King had already teleported in front of her, casting a towering and massive shadow over her, filling her with unprecedented despair. Never in her lifetime did this proud Grand Duchess, Ophelia, have encountered a being as powerful as the Demon King. Even a mere casual strike from him was more than she could handle; his strength surpassed common understanding and seemed almost divine!
"Game over!" Zhang Nu grasped her as effortlessly as an adult picking up a chick, completely overpowering the Grand Duchess who had no ability to resist.
They were not on the same level! To the current Zhang Nu, the notion of monarch held little significance; such beings could not pose any threat to him.