Chapter 330

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Bang, bang, bang!

The mob, seeing Prince Ponce attempting to escape, fired their guns at him.

They made a loud clamor, but their aim was terribly off.

After all, learning to use firearms in such a short amount of time was already pushing limits.

Accuracy is something that requires long-term practice and a touch of talent.

At this rate, Prince Ponce might actually manage to get away.

Hidden in the shadows, Abel shook his head in disbelief; they were just a disorganized rabble, utterly useless.

"Sorry, Your Highness, but if you escape, the real fun won't be able to start," Abel muttered.

"So, please do us a favor and die. Don't worry, I'll make sure to spend all that wealth you've accumulated."

Abel pulled out the handgun gifted to him by Doflamingo, aimed at Prince Ponce who was desperately fleeing, and gently squeezed the trigger.

With a bang, Prince Ponce fell to the ground mid-run.

"Save me," Prince Ponce reached out to his closest lackey, his eyes filled with the desperate will to live.

The lackey instinctively wanted to save him, as his own livelihood was tied to this man.

But the next moment, uproarious battle cries filled the air.

"We hit him, that bastard's been shot!"

"Hurry, follow him, finish him off!"

"Don't let him escape; I want to flay him a thousand times over!"

The lackey hesitated; if he tried to help now, they might both end up not escaping.

Better for one to live than both to die, he concluded.

Without further hesitation, he ignored Prince Ponce's outstretched hand and fled.

Seeing this, Prince Ponce's face twisted grotesquely, his eyes brimming with bitterness and rage.

Then, he was overwhelmed by the furious mob he had so hated.

The people selected to assault this estate were mostly avengers who had lost everything because of Prince Ponce and his cronies.

They didn't care about the consequences of killing Prince Ponce.

They had nothing left to lose; what else could they fear?

In a moment, Prince Ponce was riddled with bullets, dying with a resentful glare in his eyes.

But the ordeal wasn't over; there was a queue of people waiting to empty their ammo into his body, even as it lay lifeless.

"Stop shooting, and let's go! The royal army is nearly here!"

"Move it, or we won't make it!"

"Go on, I've lived long enough to avenge my daughter. Leave the rest of the ammo with me, and I'll cover your escape."

"Count me in; I've lived enough."

"That's right, even taking down one is worth it, and two is a bonus!"

"Save some ammo for me too; damn, what a waste, all on that beast."

"Everyone—"

"Let's move; the future of the resistance relies on you."

Shortly after, the majority scattered and fled, leaving behind a few dozen old timers waiting nonchalantly for the royal soldiers to come.

Then, the gunfire erupted again as a fierce exchange began between both sides.

Inside the palace.

The king looked at Prince Ponce's body, riddled with hundreds of bullets, almost reduced to a mound of flesh, and closed his eyes.

While he did indeed dote on his younger son, he never expected it to come to this.

When he opened his eyes again, any sorrow had vanished, replaced with sheer coldness.

"Gather all soldiers and search the entire country for those rioters. Execute them on sight without hesitation!"

"Those who shelter them, execute!"

"Those who know something but don't report it, execute!"

"Those who spread false rumors and cause trouble, execute!"

"Then, execute all the captured rioters and hang their bodies as a warning to others."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The King waved his hand, motioning for them to act quickly, and then heard someone crying in the hall.

Turning his head, he saw that it was Prince Ponce's number one lackey, wailing loudly over Prince Ponce's dead body.

It seemed like he was expressing his loyalty in this way.

The King nodded in approval, "You're indeed loyal."

"Prince Ponce was so gracious to me; I am deeply in debt, waaaah."

"If that's the case, then you may join my son in his burial. With you by his side, my son won't be lonely down there."

The number one lackey's cries stopped abruptly as his face went through a remarkable series of expressions!

But regret was already too late, as soldiers dragged him away.

"No, I— mmmph!"

"My son has died; how can a dog like you dare to live alone?"

The King muttered to himself and then turned his attention to several old guns on the table.

If he wasn't senile, these were the guns that his soldiers had recently replaced.

"Such a clever plan; my son did not die in vain."

Upon seeing those old guns, he had already guessed the cause and consequence of the entire incident.

But the arms dealer named Abel had disappeared without a trace.

The ships docked at the harbor had left carrying loads of wealth.

Leaving behind nothing but a mess.

Such a ruthless heart!

But this vengeance must be taken; those rioters must die!

...

A major incident had occurred in the Kingdom of Bliss.

Prince Ponce had been killed by a group of rioters at his estate in the outskirts.

The King erupted in fury!

He deployed a massive number of soldiers to search for the rioters nationwide.

Informants were rewarded, and those sheltering rioters were treated as accomplices!

Once found, the rioters were to be executed on the spot.

The rioters were the bottom class of society who didn't have 'I am a rioter' written across their faces.

Moreover, these peasants were even more united than they had anticipated.

So, the search yielded little success.

With no progress, the soldiers naturally suffered the consequences.

Then, the situation spiraled out of control.

Many innocent people got wrapped up in the chaos.

Since it was hard to distinguish between true and false rioters, the soldiers resolved to err on the side of killing rather than sparing.

Whether one was a rioter became irrelevant; if they thought you were one, then you were one!

Without producing results, they would be the next to suffer.

Cries, screams, gunshots - all these sounds mixed in disorder.

This had finally broken the resistance fighters who could no longer hold back.

A fierce battle erupted in an instant!

The real rioters appeared, and their numbers grew.

People transformed from law-abiding citizens into rioters, compelled by the situation.

The pile of old ordnance in the hands of the resistance fighters was put to immediate use; each person armed and firing!

Getting precise aim with these weapons was difficult, but learning to shoot was easy enough.

As the fuse was lit, the long-oppressed masses finally began to fight back in earnest.