Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 655: Rumour

Since the time the citizens were returned by the First Great Elder, Morthen Wargrave, barely a few hours had passed since then. Although the Capital City and the territory surrounding it, along with the battlefield, had been repaired by Emperor Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor, who rewound time, it did not change the fact that almost a billion citizens had seen the corpses of Imperial Knights, blood scattered across the ground, and their shattered golden and silver armor lying around in ruin.

Even before Morthen had originally teleported them out of the Capital City before the battle began, they had all been on the run for their lives earlier, as they knew that some sort of battle was about to begin; they had all felt dread, a chilling cold, and the suffocating presence of death crawl down their spines and seep into their very bodies.

The current corpses and other evidence before them only further solidified that grim and undeniable fact in their minds, reinforcing the terror that had already taken root within their hearts.

Upon their return, the citizens simply locked themselves away in their homes out of sheer fear; although they did not understand how their houses had managed to survive a battle that was meant to erase everything from existence, none of that truly mattered to them at the moment, as survival and safety took precedence over comprehension.

But soon, rumours began to spread, rumours of what had actually happened; the Wargraves had rebelled against the Imperial family.

It simply could not be hidden; after all, within the Capital City, various powerhouses and influential elites who had seen the Wargraves prior to the battle existed, even before Morthen teleported them away.

This fact only left the populace in utmost shock and deep-seated fear; although none of them knew why the Wargraves would attack the Imperial family, that did not matter. What truly mattered was that they had dared to do so, and they seemed to have gotten away with it. This only further solidified whatever public fearsome image and immense reputation the Wargrave family already possessed.

People already feared them because of their immense and unfathomable power; then they had recently even gotten news that the Wargrave family had wiped out the Assassin Guild entirely, and now they had gone as far as to attack the Imperial family itself. People could not help but ask what exactly was going on with the Wargraves recently; after all, they hardly ever made moves as a unified group and instead always acted individually, much like the enigmatic First Sun.

With that, everyone took extreme caution; do not breathe the same air as a Wargrave, if one was nearby, do not even dare to breathe at all.

Although it sounded utterly absurd, people were entirely serious about it; after all, in a normal scenario, after such a battle against the Imperial family, the Emperor or any high-ranking member of the royal lineage would have already come forward to state the facts openly and even charge such an offence as treason. But instead, there was no movement whatsoever from the Imperial family.

But... there was movement, just not on the surface where the public eye could perceive it.

The Imperial family had pulled numerous hidden strings to spread rumours that the Imperial family had not fought against the Wargraves, but had instead worked together to combat a large-scale invasion of various Rank 10 Emovirae, claiming that the battle had stretched so intensely that other Dukes had to interfere to assist.

The rumour further stated that the citizens being teleported earlier was the Wargrave family moving them to safety and later bringing them back after the battle, and that the corpses of the Imperial Knights were simply evidence of the horrifying scale of the invasion that had occurred.

Although immense resources had been poured into ensuring that this fabricated narrative spread widely and drowned out whatever other rumours were circulating about the Wargrave family, it proved to be futile and ultimately ineffective. The Royal family seemed to have underestimated the Wargraves once again; they had underestimated the sheer magnitude of influence and notoriety this bloodline possessed, to the extent that even commoners, who were typically easily misled by rumours, were not easily swayed this time, simply because the Wargrave family was involved.

It had to be understood that the Capital City of the Zarethorn Empire was not called the Capital for any simple or trivial reason. The taxes here were significantly higher, and the concentration of powerful and wealthy individuals was immense, people of intelligence, individuals of authority, figures of wisdom, and those who deliberately chose to remain within the Capital, especially near the Imperial family. They believed that when calamity struck, the Imperial family would act swiftly and prioritize protecting those closest to them.

Their thoughts were both reasonable and justified; however, at the end of the day, not everyone relied solely on being saved by the Imperial family. After all, many of them possessed power of their own. Yet, despite that, they still chose to remain within the Capital City and near the Imperial Palace for a sense of security and strategic advantage.

But after what had transpired over these past few hours, after what they had all seen, whether through direct observation or through circulating rumours, the mere existence of such rumours implied that there was a substantial degree of truth behind them. The Wargraves hardly ever caused unnecessary trouble, and because of that, a considerable number of people began contemplating the idea of relocating to the Wargrave Ducal territory.

If a single family could confront the Imperial family and emerge victorious, would that not imply that the territory governed by that family was far more secure?

Although there was no official statement confirming that the Wargrave family had won the confrontation against the Imperial family, people instinctively leaped to that conclusion, largely because the Imperial family had not come forward with any clear explanation or denial.

But of course, people would not suddenly pack up their belongings and begin relocating overnight; such a decision could take weeks or even months for most. However, for the stronger and more decisive individuals, such a transition could occur within a matter of days. But... what they did not realize was that the Emperor had already anticipated such thoughts and potential actions.

Although Emperor Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor had referred to his son, Emperor Zolthemir Lux Vanthelmor, as the worst Emperor in recorded history, it did not change the fact that the man still possessed a degree of foresight, no matter how minimal it might have been.

Thus, the Emperor had anticipated this line of thinking, and he had already taken measures by sealing the borders of the Capital City under the pretense of a security check. Of course, some individuals could simply attempt to fly their way out, but at the end of the day, the Imperial family also possessed individuals who were capable of flight.

Therefore, if anyone attempted to leave the Capital City, they would be met with resistance, regardless of whether they were Crownstar Life Rankers or even unawakened civilians. After all, no one wanted to be labeled a traitor or be charged with the grave crime of treason. The Imperial family still possessed the authority and power to punish even a Crownstar Life Ranker.

So, unless that Crownstar Life Ranker was as overwhelmingly powerful as certain individuals from a particular family, their most logical and strategic course of action was to remain where they were for the time being and consider relocating to the Wargrave Ducal territory only after everything had settled and the tension had died down.