Chapter 499: The Right to Survive

Under the furious gazes of the royal guards, Henwell raises his sword and swings it down toward Gibson’s neck.

Just as the blade is about to strike, Henwell suddenly twists the sword, using the flat of the blade to slam hard against the back of Gibson’s neck.

With a sharp crack, Gibson collapses, unconscious. The royal guards, unable to see clearly, assume Henwell has executed their commander.

As the soldiers prepare to attack, Henwell lifts Gibson off the ground and shouts, “Don’t move! If anyone moves, I’ll kill your commander!”

Only then do the guards realize Gibson is not dead but merely knocked out.

Henwell presses his longsword against Gibson’s neck and looks at the anxious soldiers. “Come on! Let me see who among you wants to kill your own commander!”

Just as the soldiers prepare to curse, Henwell throws Gibson toward his loyal subordinates, who hurriedly catch their captain.

Henwell points toward the exit. “Now, take your commander and leave. You’ve proven your loyalty. You’re all excellent warriors. Today’s events are beyond your control, and beyond mine. Your mission is complete. You fought until the end. Now go. Don’t come back too soon.”

“If you want to be heroes, think about your families, your wives, children, parents. Your loved ones are waiting for you to come home. We’ve lost enough innocent lives today; don’t add more unnecessary deaths.”

The royal guards exchange glances, visibly shaken.

The battle today feels strange and confusing. Until now, they don’t understand why Henwell is arresting the king.

Because of their position in the palace, the guards are somewhat informed. Many know of the Holy Spirit Church, an entity that looms above all royal families.

The king himself has decreed that no one may, under any circumstances, obstruct the church’s actions.

Now the soldiers are torn. Protecting the king is their duty, but obeying the king’s decree is also their duty.

Divine authority and royal authority are finally at odds.

When they don’t know which power to obey, Henwell offers them a new choice: obey their own right to survive.

No one knows who leads the retreat first, or if it’s Gibson’s men who carry their commander away.

In the future, no one will admit to being the first to leave.

After the King’s Hall is cleared, Leician pulls out another scroll.

Activating the bloodline trigger left by the Marquess of Nothing, the entire hall suddenly pulses with intense extraordinary energy once again.

This time, the King’s Hall is sealed by a protective spell far stronger than the extraordinary barrier at Sunflower Fortress.

When the protective spell fully activates, everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

This means they only have to face Ulysses’s guards from now on, no more waves of enemies flooding in.

Next, they just need to open the escape passage and the sanctuary room and search those two areas.

Since the protective spell at Sunflower Fortress is active, the escape passage is essentially useless.

Ulysses wouldn’t have had time to flee; he must still be inside the castle.

As for the sanctuary room, it’s even simpler, once the King’s Hall’s protective spell activates, the sanctuary’s defenses vanish.

They tend to the wounded and prepare to search the escape passage first. The sanctuary is a dead end, so it’s not a concern.

Their only worry is whether Ulysses has left a trick up his sleeve to escape through the passage and slip away elsewhere.

No one wants to play hide-and-seek with Ulysses in his own home—it’s better to catch him quickly before things drag on.

Two squads remain guarding the King’s Hall, one from the church and one from the empire.

The other three squads, led by Henwell, enter the passage.

It’s a tunnel three meters wide and high. Though the Marquess of Nothing assured them there are no traps, everyone moves cautiously.

At this point, no one wants to risk an accident.

The tunnel isn’t long, less than two hundred meters, and slopes downward.

It appears to be an underground escape route connecting to other tunnels leading out of the castle.

At the tunnel’s end lies the castle’s edge.

Henwell estimates they are about thirty meters above the ground here.

At the end of the tunnel lies a vast hall, lined with numerous statues that appear to be likenesses of past kings.

Looking at the exquisite sculptures, Henwell can’t help but reflect, he wonders if Ulysses will ever have a statue here.

In Henwell’s eyes, Ulysses isn’t exactly a villain.

From a ruler’s perspective, Henwell actually admires him.

Despite being controlled by Veil, Ulysses keeps struggling and even finds chances to fight back.

Twenty years of rule haven’t allowed Veil to make any remarkable gains in Billie.

What’s more impressive is that, even under Veil’s grip, Ulysses still manages to govern the country.

Not only does he maintain Billie’s core stability, but he also pushes steady progress and development.

As for the marriage alliance war, that was simply due to his limited energy, compounded by Veil’s secret support for Vorry.

Even so, Vorry knows when to quit and shows Billie respect, while nervously holding onto face and honor.

This speaks volumes about Ulysses’s political skill and personal wisdom.

Henwell dares not imagine how formidable this king would be without Veil’s restraint.

If that were the case, it would be Amir and others from Vorry who’d be worried.

Based on what Ulysses has shown so far, given a few more years, he might even have the power to break up Vorry.

As Henwell studies the statues, a sudden grinding of gears echoes around.

Then, dozens of bowl-sized holes appear in the walls.

Soon after, the familiar mechanical sounds of heavy crossbows cocking fill the air.

Henwell roars, “Retreat! Front line falls back! Evacuate immediately!”

But it’s already too late.

The whistling of heavy crossbow bolts, the crashing of stone, the tearing of flesh, and screams all mix into a chaotic cacophony.

And that’s not even the worst part.

When liquid begins dripping from the ceiling, Henwell knows disaster is imminent.

It’s not poison, it’s burning oil.

The hall sits low, so if it catches fire, the tunnel becomes a chimney for smoke and flames.

How many can escape now depends entirely on luck.