Chapter 158: The Storm Empire Falls! The Storm Emperor Captured Alive?
.....
About half an hour passed.
The city had been completely brought under the control of the Snezhnaya Empire.
[System: Your territory has expanded.]
[System: You have obtained administrative authority over 'Mingfeng City.']
[System: Your War Merit has exceeded 500,000.]
Walking into the City Lord's manor, Seito found a seat and exhaled. His current level was staggering. Factoring in the experience points from the 51st and 40th floors, he had officially reached Level 69.
[Status Screen]
Nickname: Sei
Level: 69
HP: 500,000,000 / 500,000,000
Divine Power: 1,400
Divinity: None
Stats: [Atk: 60k+] | [Def: 60k+] | [Mag: 60k+] | [Speed: 32,340,000+]
Talent: Spatial Mastery
Skills: Velocity Space (Exclusive), Spatial Displacement (Exclusive)...
Equipment: Spatial Dragon Blade (Artifact), Dimensional Rubik's Cube, Snowy White Trench Coat, Spatial Dragon Ring (Artifact), Spatial Necklace (Artifact)
Seito estimated it wouldn't be long before he hit the Level 100 cap for this stage. He made a decision: once this war concluded, he would head straight for the 50th-floor Boss. He wanted to see if he could break through to the 51st floor in one go.
As he was deep in thought, Kirukiru Amou entered the hall.
"Seito, Mingfeng City is fully secured. Our scouts just brought back word—the Storm Emperor has fled the capital."
"He ran?" Seito blinked, slightly surprised.
"What happened?"
"Word is that players from Laughing Coffin escorted him out," Amou replied. "The rebel forces and the rogue noble armies are closing in on the Royal Palace. It looks like they want us to clash with those factions so they can swoop in as the 'fishermen' and reap the rewards."
Seito fell into a pensive silence while Amou waited quietly.
After a long moment, Seito spoke. "Go tell General Baifeng to take full command of the theater. Brief him on this intel. As for how he handles the tactics... I'll leave that to him."
"Our pace is blistering. We should be at the gates of the Royal Palace within two hours."
Between the player horde and the Imperial army, the combined might of these two forces meant the end of the Storm Empire was a foregone conclusion. All he had to do was wait.
"Understood," Amou nodded. Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Our men captured a large number of slave traders. Do you want to oversee them?"
"Tell Iori and the guys. Let them have some 'fun' with those traders first."
Seito had no intention of gracing them with his presence yet. He harbored a deep-seated loathing for such people, so letting Iori Kitahara handle the "entertainment" was the most fitting punishment. He opened the guild chat and sent the coordinates to Iori.
"I've got it," Amou said, turning to leave.
Time blurred by. Two hours later, the Snezhnaya vanguard reached the heart of the Storm Empire—the Royal Palace.
When the rebel leaders saw Baifeng's army approaching, a few tried to resist, but Baifeng cut them down instantly. Seeing their leaders fall, the rebel rank-and-file surrendered on the spot.
The noble armies attempted a final stand, but Baifeng showed no mercy, purging the aristocrats to the last man. As for the soldiers, those who had been recently conscripted were spared; however, the veterans who had served the corrupt nobility for years were executed where they stood.
The Storm Emperor, watching from the outskirts, initially tried to stir the pot, hoping to lead his hidden reserves to wipe out all three exhausted factions. But he underestimated the player population. The sheer weight of the player "zerg" stalled his army, holding the line until Baifeng arrived.
With Baifeng's entry into the fray, the Storm Emperor's forces were ground into dust.
The Storm Emperor was captured alive.
The Empire's Grand General, an old acquaintance of Baifeng, was also taken prisoner. The Laughing Coffin members tried to slip away in the chaos, but the Fatui players cornered them and beat them to death before they could even trigger a teleport.
The Great War was over. From the fall of Mingfeng City to the capture of the Emperor, only five hours had passed.
The players walked away with massive gains. Not only did the average player level hit 50, but the War Merit they earned allowed them to exchange for high-tier gear. Wars in a world of supernatural power were terrifyingly efficient; once the travel time was accounted for, the actual battles rarely lasted more than five minutes.
Mingfeng City: The Dungeons.
Seito stood in the shadows of the prison, watching the captive nobles and slave traders. His gaze eventually drifted to the interrogation rack where Iori and the boys were "re-educating" a trader. The screams echoing through the stone halls made the remaining prisoners' hair stand on end.
Tramp, tramp, tramp.
An executive approached. "Guild Master, the background checks are complete."
"Among the nobles, only five families are 'clean.' They actually helped the commoners, which is why they're also the poorest. Most of the other houses have extensive criminal records, with only a few individuals being innocent."
Seito had ordered a thorough investigation. He wasn't a senseless butcher; if a noble hadn't committed crimes, their punishment would be limited to the confiscation of property and the removal of their titles. They would live, but as commoners. Given how they lived before, being a commoner might actually be a relief—no more worrying about territory management.
As for the others? Those who were innocent and kind-hearted would be released. With his current power, he didn't fear a few ex-nobles trying to stage a coup.
As for the slave traders? There wasn't a single good soul among them. Every last one was marked for death.
"I see," Seito nodded.
Just then, the executive Ranqi hurried in. "Guild Master, the war is officially over! General Baifeng has secured the Storm Emperor. They should be arriving here shortly."
"Mm."
Seito nodded, his expression unreadable. It was exactly as he had calculated. The Storm Empire would soon be his. All that remained was the final sentence for a fallen Emperor.
He turned his back on the dungeon and began walking toward the City Lord's manor.
....
Thank you for reading.