"Release that Queen!"
Wayne, holding Shadowmare, silently signaled to Austin standing beside him.
Douglas, towering over five meters tall with a robust physique, turned his head upon hearing this. His crazed eyes flashed as he flung himself toward the Dark Knight with a menacing gesture.
Austin was delighted, worried that the robbers would use hostages as leverage, but instead, they chose close combat, abandoning the hostages.
The Devil is truly kind-hearted!
He exchanged a look with Wayne, indicating he would deal with Douglas while Wayne went to rescue the Queen’s family.
Wayne was unsure but placed Austin behind him, charging forward first. Deathly Tentacles surged and grew, forming a massive octopus that enveloped Douglas in its tentacles.
Austin, with a dark expression, shook his head and quickly approached the towering chain of bones.
Though these bones were stripped from Douglas’s body, they were, in fact, a manipulation of spatial ability. The bones seemed connected to The Void above and below but were actually linked with Douglas’s flesh, the vessel for Lord Pride.
One step further, they were connected to The Book of Hell.
The ritual to activate Divine Blood had already begun. Five bearers of Divine Blood were awakening, enduring immense pain as their faces twisted in agony.
Frank’s arrangements were too cunning.
Take Queen Sophia for example, her heart beating rapidly as her blood circulated swiftly under pressure, completely disregarding whether her body could endure it.
A part of the Divine Blood inside Sophia was activated, but she was merely a blood creator, unable to benefit from the activation, her blood and flesh entraped and entirely drawn into The Book of Hell within Douglas.
Drinking the Queen’s blood, consuming her flesh, leaving not even a drop of soup.
It was very Windsor, even more hellish.
Sophia’s face, twisted and flushing as if to bleed, sensed the impending darkness and instinctively opened her eyes.
The Dark Knight had arrived!
The Dark Knight and the Death Knight had both sided with the Lando Family...
Blood vessels near Sophia’s temples throbbed violently, the pain clouding her ability to think further, her bloodshot eyes expressing agony, hoping the Dark Knight would end her suffering quickly.
If Austin were King, a defeat of the Windsor name by the Lando Family might be a good thing.
At least it proved she had good judgment. Austin was the best choice because royal opposition prevented him from becoming the Prince.
Sophia was truly suffering. Every time blood was drawn from her, her body, due to Frank’s arrangements, generated fresh blood, ensuring that her body was completely drained.
As the Dark Knight wielded Twilight Deadlock, Sophia closed her eyes, awaiting relief.
She never imagined the Dark Knight had come to rescue her; only little girls believe in fairy tales. In her view, the knights of Darkness and Death had come to eradicate her family root and branch.
The Prince transformed into a devil, sacrificing his family to Hell; the knights arrived a moment too late to save the Royal Family and, regretfully, slew the Prince, the root of the disaster.
A nation cannot be without a ruler for a day; naturally, Austin assumed the crown.
It was a tale of royal self-destruction, playing with the Devil until played by the Devil themselves. After repeated refusals, Austin tearfully accepted the crown, backed by the urging of his ministers.
That was the standard scenario.
A dark light flashed, and Sophia detached from the pale ribs, collapsing uncontrollably at the feet of the Dark Knight.
Austin didn’t catch her, maintaining the Dark Knight’s ruthless persona.
The real reason was their past interactions; he feared being recognized by the Queen during a potential embrace.
Having rescued the Queen, Austin wielded his sword continuously, severing the remaining ribs to free the imprisoned Royal Family members.
Edward and Juno had their activated Divine Blood drawn into The Book of Hell, becoming part of its evolution, while Carol and Alisa, whose Divine Blood didn’t find a corresponding Law, were least injured.
Regardless of their condition, Austin, his face armor flashing red, spoke gruffly to Sophia, "Your Majesty, the Dark Church’s Holy Maiden Find your next favorite novel on NovelHub today! I have already discussed it with the Death Knight, and you remain the monarch of this nation."
A puppet monarch, perhaps?
Sophia wasn’t fooled by the Dark Knight’s false words. As a queen, she was no stranger to such documents and records. Comparing the strength of the Lando and Windsor Families, she knew she held no real power even if she remained in her position.
This year, Princess Elizabeth was to become pregnant; the child born next year, she would willingly pass the throne to the newborn monarch. Then, people from the Lando Family would take over the nation’s departments, governed on behalf of the new monarch under the Find your next favorite novel on NovelHub today!
Seeing Sophia’s disbelief, Austin reluctantly stated, "The comments made by the Death Knight in the hall earlier were not true. We came for the Devil, aiming to eliminate the threats around you, not to steal the crown from your head."
Sophia still didn’t believe.
Austin, tired of explaining and speaking too much out of respect for his ex-girlfriend, changed the topic; after all, the lady might get upset.
Who is more important, the ex-girlfriend or the wife?
The answer was clear; any hesitation would be a betrayal of his marriage.
Austin wielded Twilight Deadlock, and amidst the black light, a figure familiar to Sophia appeared.
The newly-appointed Deputy Minister, Shati.
However, she had been devoured by darkness and vanished, her skin now ink-black, resembling a Dark Elf. Her thoughts were gone, her flesh entirely tainted by darkness. Controlled by Austin, she was responsible for safeguarding the Queen’s family.