Sentinel Tai erupts in rage

The Alzar army did this quietly, over a long period, such that the Xingyuu army did not realize. However, this was a minor hiccup. Could a measly three hundred defeat ten thousand? Even if they killed ten before dying, that was less than a third of the Xingyuu's army. If everyone was like Sir Winstin, then perhaps, but these were cripples. They could barely walk or hold a sword, much less fight. In one minute, after the initial confusion, the three hundred were slaughtered. Like a stone thrown into a pond, a few ripples were all that they caused.

One minute was all their three hundred lives were worth! It was as precious as gold where every second counted. Unfortunately, one minute was not enough. The distance between the camp and the fleet was larger than that. Then, they had to board rafts, paddle over, scale the ships, raise anchor, lower the sails, and depart. That process was not exactly fast. The division generals sneered. To hope of succeeding against a force of ten thousand, they were clearly dreaming! The two men shouted out their orders as several cavalry units were deployed! Hundreds of mounted men charged out of the ranks to chase! At this rate, they would catch up in no time at all!

General Illion and General Gordon knew this as well. Without an external factor, they would need a miracle to escape. But there was one in the form of the Imperial Princesses, was there not? As expected, Princess Xiuying and Ming appeared in front of the two division generals. Their expressions were dark. Behind them were their two Protectors, Chang and Tai, as well as the three Cardinals. Cardinal Shaolong died facing Elizabeth's attack, so it was inappropriate to call them the Four Cardinals again. Speaking of which, of the remaining Cardinals, they each had different faces. It was easy to tell that they were not as united as before.

"What is the meaning of this?" Xiuying pouted.

"We're acting in the capacity of the Imperial Council to capture the empire's enemies, Your Highness. Does something displease you?"

"You got that right! We ordered you to stand down!" she shouted.

"Your Highness, this is an order from the Imperial Council," the other division general calmly said.

"You…" Xiuying fumed. How could she not know what he meant? He was clearly trying to suppress her!

"Xiuying…" Ming was about to continue when something happened.

Tai Shui, the Protector of Princess Xiuying, was already on edge. The cowardly actions of his father, Daiyuu Shui, during the Imperial Council meeting had driven a wedge throughout the family. The family normally refrained from interfering in external affairs and Daiyuu embodied that principle perfectly. What good was meddling in affairs? As long as the status quo was preserved, then they were satisfied. Now that they picked a side, where the odds were uncertain, they risked annihilation. The path to the throne was always paved with blood! Hence, many people in the family were outraged. There was even an ongoing debate to remove Daiyuu from his position as patriarch!

When Tai heard how difficult the division generals were being, his frustrations boiled over. He moved! The Cardinals realized what was happening a split second too soon. Tai shot in front of one of the division generals and unleashed a brutal strike. His fist made an audible sound as wind was produced. It was fully strengthened by his rage! The next instant, his poor opponent vomited a mouthful of blood, launched backwards uncontrollably, and crashed into the tent wall. Under the rubble, the man's complexion paled by several shades before falling unconscious. His condition unknown.

It happened so fast that the Xiuying, Ming, and the other division general were stupefied. But soon, the other general erupted in fury. He was no fighter and certainly no Perception Realm expert. His body was quite weak and underdeveloped in comparison. If he took that attack head-on, there was no surprise. He would have been crippled, if not dead! The three Cardinals moved with Hui standing between the two parties, Loujin clamping Tai's arm, and Yongyu assessing the general's state.

Upon seeing his injuries, Yongyu frowned. Tai was merciless, hitting the general directly in the chest, shattering ribs and rupturing organs. There was still an indent in his chest from the impact. That was how powerful Tai was! Although there was no visible bleeding, she was confident this man was a goner. There was no saving him! What a cruel and sudden death…

"Cardinal Hui, how can you stand this? Sentinel Tai just murdered an innocent man in front of you, and they're letting the emperor's murderer go! How can your loyalty to the Imperial Sentinels, to His Majesty, be so shallow? What has become of the Four Cardinals?" the Phoenix division general hollered in rage.

Cardinal Loujin and Yongyu glanced at their leader. That question had been bugging them ever since the emperor's death. How could such a staunch supporter of the emperor switch side so abruptly? It was well-known that Cardinal Hui stood alongside the emperor for far longer than any of the other Cardinals. It could be said that he was always in Emperor Lianghu's shadow! Yet, when Elizabeth killed the emperor, he did not seek revenge. Instead, he opted to collaborate with the Imperial Princesses for a ceasefire. Loujin and Yongyu could not understand. It made them lose all respect for him.

Hui noticed everyone's reactions. Although they hid it well, he saw his subordinates' expressions. He was not famed for his strong observational skills without reason. With it, it was easy to understand what they were thinking. Indeed, his actions seemed paradoxical from their standpoint, but that was a product of their blind loyalty. They did not see past the emperor's actions. They did not see the forest for the trees. Cardinal Hui noticed very early on that the emperor was plagued by a split personality. One was the benevolent and caring Lianghu, and the other was the cruel and vicious emperor. It started right after Empress Mei died and the symptoms gradually evolved to an extreme degree.

As the one who stood by the emperor's side all this time, Hui saw it far clearer than anyone else. Perhaps, more so than even the Imperial Princesses! People might regard the emperor's mental state as a product of immense grief, and Hui was half-tempted to believe it as well. However, things gradually did not add up. The emperor often took strange actions, completely opposite of what he would normally do. The evidence stacked up over the years and the suspicion in Hui grew.

In fact, the Cardinal had investigated long before the Imperial Princesses, but his investigations came up fruitless. He could not look too deeply into it as the Leader of the Imperial Sentinels. Nevertheless, he knew where the emperor's true wishes aligned. Moreover, he was one of the few people who heard his dying wishes! There was no reason to reject the Imperial Princesses then.

"I act in respect to His Majesty's wishes. Nothing more," Cardinal Hui coldly declared. He aimed his words at the division general, and indirectly his subordinates as well. He focused his aura on the general to show his serious he was. Consequently, the general started shaking uncontrollably. Facing the full brunt of Cardinal Hui's presence was terrifying, far more terrifying than Tai's fist!

"Fall… Fall back!" he shouted to his soldiers with clattering teeth. "We're letting them go!"