Chapter 340: Emperor’s Verdict

Chapter 340: Chapter 340: Emperor’s Verdict

Chapter 340: Emperor’s Verdict

The realization crashed into the minds of everyone present in the grand hall.

Civil war.

If the Royal Court ordered the execution of Rhain Voss right now, it would instantly spark a catastrophic civil war against a fully united Valdris City.

Two Monarch Realm powerhouses would descend upon the capital, and the foundation of the Solathane Dynasty would be ripped apart.

"This is madness! Pure madness!" a military commander shouted, cold sweat pouring down his broad back.

"They are actually willing to destroy the dynasty for a single man?" Have they lost their minds?"

The throne room erupted into a deafening uproar.

Ministers panicked, and royal guards gripped their weapons with trembling hands, entirely unsure of what to do.

BOOM—!!!

An overpowering pressure suddenly exploded from the golden throne.

The crushing weight of a Half-Step Monarch crashed down upon the entire hall, instantly silencing the chaotic uproar.

The weaker ministers even gasped for air as if the oxygen had been ripped from their lungs.

Emperor Haldrion slowly stood up from the Golden Sun Throne. His unfathomable eyes were completely stripped of their usual benevolent majesty.

Simultaneously, all ministers, millitary commanders, and even the Imperial Patriarchs stood up from their seats.

"Dean Qaylus. Sect Master Wexian. Patriarch Vaelstrum," Haldrion asked loudly, "Do you truly understand what you are doing? To shield a condemned criminal in my own court is an act of open treason against the throne."

Haldrion took a slow step down from the dais. "Are you three truly prepared to drag your people, your disciples, and your clans into ruin for this one boy?"

Faced with the wrath of the Emperor, the three titans of Valdris City did not take a single step back.

"We do not desire war, Your Majesty," the Vaelstrum Patriarch stated, "But we have sworn to protect his life. If the Royal Court forces our hand, we will not back down."

Sect Master Wexian also said respectfully. "We have made our stance clear, Your Majesty. We stand by our words."

Looking at their unshakable determination, Haldrion’s fists clenched.

He could not believe it.

He, the supreme ruler of the dynasty, was actually being cornered in his own court for a single boy!

Just as Haldrion’s killing intent threatened to reach the breaking point, a series of urgent, secret mental transmissions echoed directly into his mind.

’Your Majesty, you must reconsider!’

It was Xarion, the Patriarch of the Draventhor Imperial Family. ’If we declare war on Valdris City today, the internal destruction will cripple our foundation!’

"Your Majesty,’ Skyran, the Galestorm Patriarch spoke grimly. ’Our intelligence networks have already reported the repeated unrest at the borders. If the neighboring dynasties catch wind that we are engaged in a catastrophic civil war against our own Monarchs, they will undoubtedly take advantage of the peril and launch a full-scale invasion. The dynasty could be destroyed!’

"It’s foolish to risk our empire over a destroyed clone,’ Aelthas of the Lytheren Family advised. ’Give them a way out.’

Listening to the frantic advises of the Imperial families and his own millitary commanders, Haldrion’s mind spun with rapid calculations.

The military and political costs of fighting a united Valdris City were simply too astronomical. He could not let it happen, no matter what.

He was completely cornered.

Taking a measured breath, Haldrion forcefully suppressed the boiling rage in his chest.

He was an Emperor; he knew when to advance and when to compromise to preserve the greater whole.

"Very well," Emperor Haldrion finally spoke, his voice regaining its majestic composure.

He looked at the three Valdris leaders.

"The Solathane Dynasty values its foundational pillars. I have heard your earnest pleas. For the sake of the continued peace of our empire, and in recognition of the unparalleled contributions of Valdris City... the death sentence upon Rhain Voss is pardoned."

Dean Qaylus and the Vaelstrum Patriarch secretly breathed massive sighs of relief. They had successfully forced the Emperor to step back!

"FATHER! NO!"

Lucius roared, entirely losing his polished facade. He stepped forward, his amber eyes bloodshot with sheer indignation. "He humiliated the Royal Family! If we let him go, it will set a wrong example to the entire dynasty. You cannot just let him walk free—!"

"SILENCE, LUCIUS!"

Haldrion snapped his head toward Lucius, delivering a glare so cold that the blood in Lucius’s veins froze.

Lucius gritted his teeth, his handsome face twisting with hatred, but he didn’t dare to utter another syllable against his father’s authority.

Haldrion turned his gaze back to Rhain.

"The execution is pardoned," Haldrion declared, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. "However, the crime of striking the Crown Prince cannot go entirely unpunished. If the Royal Family allows this slight to pass without consequence, the Royal Family lose all authority and face."

Haldrion’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

"Rhain Voss. You are hereby sentenced to one month of banishment in the Sunless Umbral Basin. You will survive in those corrupted lands entirely on your own."

The moment the name of the location left the Emperor’s lips, gasps of horror echoed through the Royal Court.

Even Sect Master Wexian and the Vaelstrum Patriarch frowned deeply.

Sunless Umbral Basin!

It was an infamous, nightmarish graveyard zone situated between the Inner Province and the Outer Frontier.

The environment there was exceedingly harsh, filled with toxic miasma and terrifyingly mutated Domain Master beasts.

It was the very same place where Dean Carmilla had been afflicted with her lethal fire poison decades ago!

Even late-stage Domain Masters who ventured there often perished horribly.

To send a mere Core Formation youth there for a full month was practically a delayed death sentence!

"Furthermore," Haldrion continued, "Before you step out of this hall, you will swear a Heavenly Vow. You will swear upon your soul that you will never, under any circumstances, bring harm to any member of the Royal Family henceforth."

The court murmured in agreement.

It was a brilliant, face-saving compromise. Banishment to a deadly zone served as a brutal punishment, while the Heavenly Vow ensured that this monstrous anomaly could never again threaten the royal bloodline.

Dean Qaylus’s face turned ghastly white. He opened his mouth, preparing to fiercely argue against these suicidal terms.

But before the three Valdris leaders could push the Emperor any further, a calm voice cut through the tension.

"I accept the banishment."

Everyone stared in shock.

Rhain stood perfectly upright, his dark grey eyes as placid as a still lake.

He knew that this was the limit they could push Haldrion.

If Qaylus and Wexian pushed the Emperor any further, Haldrion’s pride would snap, and the catastrophic civil war they had just avoided would ignite immediately.

"I will enter the Sunless Umbral Basin for one month," Rhain stated without a shred of fear.

Haldrion nodded slightly. As long as Rhain swore the heavenly vow, the potential threat that the royal family could face in the future will be completely eliminated.

But the things didn’t go as he had planned.

Rhain tilted his head, locking eyes directly with Lucius, and then shifted his gaze to the Emperor.

"But I refuse the Heavenly Vow."

He would never, under any circumstances, bind his own hands. Lucius had coveted Seris. Lucius had threatened to torture her.

No matter what the Emperor demanded, Lucius had to die by his hands. Sooner or later.