Nine Rebellion

In this world, there's always a phenomenon known as "joy leads to sorrow." Alvin, whose mind was clouded by anger, made two fatal mistakes. First, he shouldn't have angered his powerful guard to the point where the guard, under hidden resentment, actually distanced himself from the pavilion. Even when some noises emanated from the pavilion later on, the guard dismissed them as the prince's foolish antics and paid no heed.

Secondly, Alvin shouldn't have thrown his belt into a corner instead of keeping it within reach. That belt was the source of his power. Without it, he was vulnerable to fatal attacks despite his status as a mere intermediate combatant among the princes.

Oh, and there's a third point, which isn't Alvin's fault but rather Barlock's!

Barlock went to great lengths to find the Marquis of Delta's mansion. He sneaked in and, consumed by rage, ruthlessly grabbed two servants, extracting from them the location of the ballroom. He then snapped their necks and, lurking in the garden shrubbery, observed the princes leaving the ballroom for the backyard. 

Not to mention the eerie fluctuations of power emanating from Alvin, even the formidable guard by his side made Barlock wary of making any rash moves. He couldn't take on either of them alone. Even revealing the silver wolf tattoo on his arm would, at most, wound the Sky Knight, while ensuring his own death.

Not finding Celine, he sensed trouble. Strategizing, he discreetly followed them to the pavilion where Celine resided. When the Marquis left and the guard was driven away by Alvin's furious tirade, it presented a perfect opportunity. Barlock silently slipped in through the window at the back of the pavilion. His mastery of the Wolf's concealment technique he learned from the old Heberdenian wolf served him well. Hiding behind a wardrobe, he remained undetected by both the guard and Alvin.

Just as he managed to observe the scene in the bedroom, he saw Celine's half-naked figure writhing on the bed, while Alvin, already stripped, lunged towards her! No man could tolerate such a sight, and Barlock, even in death, couldn't bear to watch another man defile his woman.

Summoning the silver wolf in his mind, receiving a cheerful response, Barlock decided to make a desperate attempt. Even if he couldn't defeat Alvin, he would die fighting. His fist gathered the utmost beastly combat energy, enveloped in shamanic power, the silver wolf tattoo on his body seemed to flow like mercury, encasing his right fist. A strange power surged within him, beyond his control. Bursting out from the wardrobe, he swung his fist fiercely towards the startled Alvin!

Alvin's hand had just touched the belt when he suddenly felt a surge of impending doom. He was agile enough to whirl around and reach for his discarded belt, but it was too late.

Barlock's fist underwent a bizarre transformation, encased in a layer of silver armor, an unknown power circulating within... It seemed like an illusion, yet Barlock unmistakably recognized the sensation—it was akin to what he had felt from Alvin during their encounter in the arena. Back then, he was nearly terrified by that power. Now, how could it manifest within himself?

With no time for further contemplation, the fusion of Barlock's power and that of the silver wolf underwent a peculiar change, a force beyond Barlock's current ability to control, even beyond the control of the silver wolf. A fist-shaped beam of light shot out from the silver-armored fist, directly striking Alvin in the back.

Alvin's hand had almost reached the belt, but it was too late. The fist-shaped beam of light pierced through his back like a knife through butter, exiting through his chest, creating a deep cavity in the sturdy marble floor with a dull thud. The guard lurking outside the pavilion seemed to sense something and abruptly looked up. After the thud, the sounds of passion inside the pavilion grew louder and louder, causing the guard to shake his head... The prince's debauchery seemed to have taken a new turn. Poor woman, hoping to survive this night under the prince's debauchery.

Barlock was dumbfounded. He had prepared for the worst, but he never expected Prince Alvin to be so feeble... Look at the transparent hole in his chest, his heart reduced to a pulp, he couldn't be more dead.

This puzzled him. Was Alvin's previous strength just a façade? But that kind of power couldn't be faked. Watching Alvin's lifeless body, Barlock's gaze fell upon the belt.

The belt, about the width of a palm, was deep blue, not made of animal hide but of forged metal, faintly exuding a metallic sheen and intricate patterns. In its center was embedded a blue diamond-shaped transparent crystal, the size of a thumb, with a flying bird faintly visible in its center, as if alive. Barlock instinctively touched the belt, and his mind echoed with a boom. Memories left behind by the old Heberdenian wolf flowed into him, granting him sudden clarity...!

What followed next was nothing short of bizarre and dramatic. Barlock suddenly felt drained, as if dehydrated, and the silver wolf fell silent, reverting back to a tattoo, still on his body but dormant. Neither of them understood this power; excessive use had left their bodies depleted. Staggering, he collapsed onto the soft bed. Next to him... Celine, driven by drugs and desire, her body fully exposed, suddenly felt the touch of a strong male body beside her and pounced on him!

Poor Barlock was at a loss, unable to do anything but watch as Celine stripped him of his clothes and he fell completely into the woman's tender trap... 

"Why did my first time have to be like this?" lamented Barlock in his heart!

On what seemed like an ordinary night, a bloody slaughter was unfolding. The palace had been breached, loyal guards lay dead or wounded, and the remaining few could only protect the prince and princess, hiding in a remote watchtower, barely clinging to life. The king and queen remained trapped inside the palace, surrounded by the rebels, unable to escape.

Yorban licked his parched lips, his face filled with worry, as he gazed at the distant grand palace, subconsciously clutching the little princess Claire to his chest.

The news of betrayal came unexpectedly. No one had anticipated that General Shomberg, the deputy commander of the city guard and supposedly the king's most loyal subordinate, would lead a rebellion. More than half of the city guard system were his trusted confidants. At the moment of rebellion, they first killed the king's loyal soldiers and then besieged the palace.

After King Corek's initial rage subsided, he quickly regained his composure. With nearly a thousand elite guards still in the palace, they were not without the means to fight back. Shomberg, the rebel leader, was merely a newly promoted Sky Knight, and Corek was confident in capturing or killing him. He led ten of the strongest Qi warriors to break through the city guard's siege and behead Shomberg.

The process went surprisingly smoothly; they broke through the siege with little effort, and Shomberg appeared before them.

"Shomberg, why betray us?" the king roared, his face turning ashen with anger. He never expected that his most trusted subordinate would betray him.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," Shomberg rarely showed a hint of remorse. To be fair, the king had treated him very well. However, Shomberg's wife turned out to be Duke Lind's illegitimate daughter. At first, he was unaware of this, but when Lind secretly appeared before him one day and revealed the truth, Shomberg nearly collapsed. He pondered many things... If he chose to confess to King Corek, even if the king didn't blame him, he would never trust him as before. Even the power he had gained would gradually be taken back by the king...

Shomberg was someone who coveted power greatly. He would never give up any fruits in his hand. He even had a malicious thought of killing Lind and his wife at one point, but by then, his wife had already given birth to two children for him, and their feelings for each other were deep... So, in the end, it had to be the king he betrayed!

"I just want to know why?" the king shouted.

"Because my daughter is General Shomberg's wife, it's as simple as that." A familiar yet unfamiliar voice rang out. Lind stepped through the ranks of the city guard, surrounded by a group of nobles. Corek recognized these people as those who had been demoted or had their titles stripped by himself. They had all sided with Duke Lind.

"Corek, my brother. You took what was mine, and it's time to return it." Lind spoke calmly, but his trembling hands betrayed his inner turmoil.

"My dear brother, the throne was never yours. Did you think you could seize it with just one rebellion? The most elite legions from the borders have been summoned back by me. They will arrive at Padya City soon. Do you think you can compete with the kingdom's elite legions with just these city guards?"

"Oh, that's something to consider later. For now, I just want to capture you and let you taste the pain of falling from grace. It's ridiculous. Dean Bates and your father-in-law, Duke Eugene, are not here. Without your strongest arms, how long do you think you can resist?" Lind finished speaking and wasted no more time. He waved his hand, and dozens of elite warriors beside him rushed forward.

"Haha, dear brother, are you only sending your men to their deaths? Why don't you come and kill me yourself?" Corek's body erupted with a circle of silvery light, the Qi power unique to Sky Knights. Massive power infused into the golden sword in his hand, which suddenly increased several feet in length, his figure swift as the wind as he swung it. Dozens of elite Qi warriors were all sent flying by the force of his blow, the foremost three having their Qi defenses broken, their heads separated from their bodies. The rest were all severely injured, spitting blood, and many were killed by the guards behind the king.

"Is that all, dear brother? Do you think these people are enough to kill me?" Corek shook off his crown and tore off his cloak, revealing the silver armor underneath. He gripped his sword and charged towards Lind. "If you want the throne, come and take it from me...!"

The silver light shimmered, facing the overwhelming momentum unleashed by Corek, Duke Lind suddenly smiled, his smile eerie, "My dear brother, you've been deceived!"

Corek's heart sank, suddenly sensing a tremendous crisis coming from behind, and at this moment, he was already unable to dodge...!