Chapter 651: Tragedy At Imperial Palace

A few hours later, the Imperial Capital lay beneath the pale glow of the moon.

The streets were unusually quiet. Military formations occupied every major avenue, and heavily armed soldiers stood guard at intersections, inspecting carriages and questioning anyone who appeared suspicious.

Demonic arrays shimmered above the rooftops, their crimson patterns occasionally illuminating the night sky. Even the wealthiest noble houses had been instructed to cooperate with the ongoing search.

A black palanquin moved slowly through the streets, escorted by a dozen imperial guards.

Inside, Damian sat alone.

He wore an entirely black robe, its loose sleeves concealing his hands. His long hair fell freely over his shoulders, and the lower half of his face was hidden behind the Devil Fox Violet Bloomer. Only his eyes remained visible, their darkness almost indistinguishable from the shadows surrounding him.

He rested one hand against the window frame, watching the soldiers pass.

Strange.

Several hours had passed since the hunt began, yet there was still no news of Sol.

The Imperial Capital was enormous. Its districts stretched across hundreds of miles, with countless residences, underground passages, abandoned estates, military installations, and hidden territories. Finding someone within such a place was no easy task.

But Sol was not someone who would ordinarily hide.

The Prince of Pride had never been particularly subtle. His arrogance was almost as legendary as his strength.

If he intended to escape the capital, he would have attempted to break through one of its gates by now. The military formations stationed there might slow him down, but they would hardly stop him indefinitely.

Yet no such attempt had been reported.

The Devil Canopy Array remained intact. The four gates were still under military control, and not a single confirmed sighting of Sol had reached the imperial command.

Damian’s eyes narrowed.

’Then what is he doing?’

He had initially assumed Sol was simply looking for an opportunity to escape. However, the longer the silence continued, the less convincing that explanation became.

Damian lowered his gaze toward the folded fan in his hand.

’What exactly are you after?’

For a moment, there was only the gentle rocking of the palanquin.

Then the Abyss spoke. Its voice was different from usual. There was none of its familiar amusement, nor the casual indifference with which it often discussed matters of life and death.

Instead, it carried a rare, dreadful undertone.

"It’s only a hunch... But I might know what Sol’s real target is."

Damian’s expression stiffened.

___ Imperial Palace ___

A transparent barrier surrounded the Imperial Palace.

It resembled an enormous glass dome, stretching across the palace grounds and reflecting the surrounding city with extraordinary clarity. From the outside, everything appeared perfectly normal. The palace stood beneath the moonlight, its grand towers illuminated by lanterns, its courtyards peaceful and undisturbed.

There was no sign of battle.

Anyone looking upon the palace would have assumed that the imperial household was enjoying an ordinary evening. But that was only what the barrier allowed them to see.

Within it, the reality was considerably different.

Hundreds of corpses lay scattered across the palace grounds. Soldiers, palace guards, officials, and even several high-ranking commanders had fallen where they stood. Some were reduced to charred remains, while others had been torn apart by overwhelming force.

A section of the imperial palace was ablaze. Flames crawled along its magnificent pillars and consumed the decorated ceilings, casting an ugly orange glow over the surrounding courtyards.

The smell of burning flesh filled the air.

At the centre of one of the palace corridors stood Duke Riot.

His crimson armour was cracked in several places, and blood ran down his face and neck. His black hair was dishevelled, with several strands clinging to his forehead. One arm hung limply at his side while two of his captains supported him, preventing his weakened body from collapsing.

Across the corridor stood Sol.

The Prince of Pride appeared entirely unbothered by the destruction around him. His clothes were immaculate, and a faint smile rested on his face as he observed the battered Duke.

Riot stared at the transparent walls surrounding them.

"What kind of barrier is this?"

Sol followed his gaze.

"Ah. This?"

He raised one hand and casually gestured toward the surrounding structure.

"The Illusionary Heaven Mirror Seal. An interesting technique I acquired from the Dark Continent."

Riot’s expression changed.

Sol smiled.

"The Dark Continent?"

"Indeed."

Sol walked slowly along the corridor, his hands resting behind his back.

"Within this barrier, nothing can leave. However, people can enter the Mirror Heaven."

He glanced toward the transparent walls.

"Looking at it from the outside all people see is a peaceful imperial palace, untouched by war. A rather convincing sight, don’t you think?"

Riot’s eyes widened as he began to understand.

"The reflections..."

"Precisely. Any unsuspecting soul who approaches the palace and sees that peaceful reflection may enter the barrier without realizing it. Once inside, they will find themselves in the same predicament as everyone else."

Sol chuckled.

"Isn’t it wonderful? They enter believing they are approaching a place of safety, only to discover that they have walked into their own graves."

Riot looked at the corpses scattered around him. He had never imagined that Sol would possess a technique capable of concealing an entire battlefield from the outside world.

He clenched his remaining fist.

"I never expected you to be the kind of person who would explore the Dark Continent in search of external power."

Sol burst into laughter.

"HAHAHA! Of course you wouldn’t think so. That’s the image I portrayed all this while."

He looked at Riot as though the Duke had just said something particularly amusing.

"Do you think I am stupid?"

Riot remained silent.

"All the techniques and inheritances are inferior to my Pride inheritance. That much is obvious. But that doesn’t make them useless."

Sol raised his index finger.

"Strength is strength. Whether it comes from an inheritance, a secret technique, a bloodline, or some forgotten civilization matters very little. If it can be useful to me, why shouldn’t I acquire it?"

His smile widened.

"I am prideful, Riot. Not foolish. It would be rather stupid to spend thousands of years sitting on my throne when I could spend some of that time exploring the Dark Continent and collecting a few useful things."

Riot’s expression darkened. He had underestimated Sol. He never knew this prideful prince was also this crafty.

Riot took a strained breath.

"Then why are you here?"

Sol tilted his head.

"Do you honestly believe I came all the way to the Imperial Capital just to leave empty-handed?"

Riot’s expression froze.

Sol slowly stretched out his right hand.

"Take me to the Demon Lord’s Treasury and hand over Morning Star. Do that, and you will live long enough to witness the great purge. I’ll personally make sure you are the last to die."

Riot’s eyes widened in realization.

"Morning Star..."

Sol had never intended to escape.

The destruction of the Northern Palace, the massacre of the soldiers, and the apparent attempt to flee the capital had all been part of a larger scheme.

Riot’s face twisted.

’How could I have been so foolish? It should have been obvious.’

His grip tightened around his spear. But before he could respond, the ground beneath Sol suddenly erupted.

Hundreds of thick straws burst from the stone floor, twisting around his legs and waist before rapidly climbing toward his shoulders. They multiplied with astonishing speed, weaving themselves into a dense cocoon that threatened to swallow his entire body.

A cold voice echoed from the straws.

"You will be buried here, in the Imperial Capital!"

Strawman Bloodline: Haunted Barn!

Sol’s surroundings changed.

The grand corridor disappeared and he found himself standing in the middle of a vast farm beneath the moonlight. Dry fields stretched endlessly in every direction, while rows of wooden scarecrows stood motionless beneath the night sky.

Sol glanced around.

Then he noticed something moving. One of the scarecrows slowly turned its head toward him.

Another followed and soon the others followed.

Their wooden bodies began to expand. Straw limbs stretched, their torsos grew taller, and their heads twisted into increasingly grotesque shapes. Some developed enormous arms, while others sprouted additional limbs that dragged across the ground.

Within moments, the harmless-looking farm had become a field filled with towering monsters. Their shadows swallowed the moonlight.

Sol looked at it and his expression remained unimpressed.

"Is this supposed to frighten me?"

The world immediately caught fire.

A violent eruption of golden flames spread across the fields, consuming the crops, the scarecrows, and the ground beneath them. The terrifying creatures burned as though they were nothing more than dry wood.

The illusion collapsed.

Sol’s vision returned to the imperial corridor.

The straw cocoon surrounding him had already been reduced to ashes but Sol’s attention was elsewhere.

A black spear was aimed directly at his heart.

Duke Riot had used the brief moment when Sol was trapped in the illusion to launch a surprise attack. His remaining strength had been gathered into that single thrust.

Sol stopped it with his pinky finger. The tip of the spear trembled against his skin. He glanced down at it, then slowly raised his eyes toward Riot.

"Did you really believe an illusion could work on me?"

Riot roared.

"YOU MONSTER!"

He forced more demonic energy into his spear and attempted to drive it forward.

Sol casually slapped the weapon with his free hand.

Crack!

A fracture appeared along the blade. In the blink of an eye, the entire weapon shattered into countless fragments, scattering across the corridor like broken glass.

Riot’s eyes widened.

Before he could retreat, a familiar golden figure emerged from the burning section of the palace.

Leo.

The enormous golden lion walked toward Sol, his mane shimmering beneath the flames. His expression was unusually serious.

"I have found the Treasury."

Sol turned toward him.

"And?"

"Every soldier inside the palace has been killed. The remaining barriers have been dismantled, and the route is clear."

"Excellent."

Leo glanced at Duke Riot and the three surviving commanders standing behind him.

"These people are no longer necessary."

Sol followed his gaze and a faint smile returned to his face.

"Indeed."

He raised one finger and pointed toward the Duke.A small sphere of golden light appeared above his fingertip.

At first, it was no larger than a marble. But it began rotating rapidly, drawing in the surrounding demonic energy as its surface grew brighter and brighter.

Riot stared at it.

His remaining two commanders instinctively stepped forward, though their bodies were already trembling from exhaustion and fear.

The sphere expanded and the golden light illuminated the entire corridor.

Riot understood what was coming. He looked at Sol, his expression filled with hatred.

"You will not get away with this!"

Sol said nothing.

"The terror you have inflicted upon the capital will not be forgotten! Even if you steal Morning Star, the Underworld will never forgive you! This capital will become your grave! You may destroy its soldiers, slaughter its officials, and burn its palaces, but you will never escape the consequences of what you have done!"

Sol regarded him with mild amusement.

"Even if that is the case you won’t be here to see it."

The sphere continued to expand until it was roughly the size of a human being and he released the False Sun.

The golden sphere shot forward.

Riot’s eyes widened as he raised his remaining arm, gathering whatever demonic energy he had left. His two commanders followed suit, desperately attempting to form a defensive barrier.

It was futile.

The False Sun swallowed them and a deafening explosion tore through the corridor.

The walls collapsed, the remaining pillars disintegrated, as the golden flames swept across the surrounding chambers. The cries of Duke Riot and his subordinates were drowned beneath the violent roar of the explosion.

For a brief moment, the entire palace was illuminated as though a second sun had risen within its walls.

Then the flames began to recede and Sol lowered his hand. He glanced toward the destruction with a satisfied expression.

"How troublesome."

"You’re even more cruel than I expected." The amused voice came from behind him.

Sol’s smile disappeared and he turned his head.

A figure was approaching through the ruined corridor, his footsteps unhurried despite the destruction surrounding him.

He wore an all-black robe that seemed to absorb the faint light around him. His long hair flowed freely down his back, and the lower half of his face was concealed behind a black ancient hand fan decorated with purple illustrations of nine-tailed foxes.

Only his eyes were visible and they were pitch black. Not the ordinary darkness of a demon’s eyes, but something deeper. Something that seemed to swallow whatever light dared approach it.

Damian continued walking as the sharp purple edge of the Devil Fox Violet Bloomer caught the golden flames, reflecting a faint violet shimmer.

Sol stared at him with a cold gleam in his eyes.

"Damian...."