Read Novel Full Chapter 587: The Twist 2
Chapter 587: The Twist 2
Khan stood over the barely conscious Lucas, breathing heavily through bloodstained teeth.
His own body was in ruins.
His ribs ached.
His face was swollen beyond recognition.
One arm hung almost uselessly at his side.
Yet seeing Lucas brought to his knees by the corruption filled him with a twisted satisfaction.
He laughed.
A harsh, rasping laugh that echoed across the silent arena.
“So this…” he sneered between breaths. “…this is Lechia’s great champion?”
He drove another fist into Lucas’s face.
THUD!
Lucas’s head snapped to the side.
Blood splattered across the broken stone.
The crowd erupted into furious boos.
“Khan!”
“Monster!”
“Coward!”
The insults poured down from every corner of the arena, but Khan ignored them completely.
He crouched in front of Lucas until they were eye to eye.
His smile twisted into something cruel.
“Look at you.”
He grabbed a handful of Lucas’s hair and forced his head upward.
“The mighty hero…”
He laughed again.
“…reduced to this.”
Lucas’s vision swam.
The corruption continued to burn through his meridians, making even breathing an agonizing task.
Still…
He stared back.
Even through blurred vision.
Even through unbearable pain.
He refused to lower his gaze.
That only irritated Khan further.
He tightened his grip.
“You know…” he said mockingly, “I might actually let you live.”
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Khan’s grin widened.
“All you have to do…”
He leaned closer.
“…is beg.”
Silence filled the arena.
“Beg for your life.”
His voice dripped with contempt.
“Call yourself my dog.”
“Promise to serve me.”
“And maybe…”
He chuckled.
“…just maybe…”
“I’ll spare you.”
The spectators looked on in horror.
Lira broke down into fresh tears.
Selene shook her head repeatedly.
“No…”
Princess Nyx clenched the railing so tightly it creaked beneath her grip.
Henrietta looked ready to leap into the arena despite the consequences.
The Ice Belle’s icy eyes remained locked on Khan, colder than anyone had ever seen them.
Khan waited.
“Well?”
Lucas remained silent.
Blood dripped steadily from his battered face.
Khan frowned.
“I asked you a question.”
Lucas slowly lifted his head.
His lips were split.
His face was bruised beyond recognition.
Speaking itself seemed painful.
Yet somehow…
A faint smile appeared.
It was weak.
Barely visible.
But it was there.
When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse.
“…Never.”
The single word echoed through the arena.
Khan’s smile disappeared.
Lucas drew another painful breath.
“I’d rather…”
He coughed, blood staining the stone beneath him.
“…die.”
“…than beg…”
“…someone like you.”
For a heartbeat, the arena was silent.
Then the crowd exploded.
Cheers mixed with furious chants.
Even in his condition…
Even facing death…
Lucas refused to surrender his dignity.
Khan’s face twisted with rage.
“So be it!”
THUD!
Another punch crashed into Lucas’s face.
Then another.
THUD!
THUD!
He struck him again and again, each blow fueled by wounded pride.
Lucas’s body rocked with every impact.
He could no longer raise his arms to defend himself.
The corruption had robbed him of too much strength.
Yet not once did he beg.
Not once did he plead.
Not once did he ask for mercy.
Every refusal only made Khan angrier.
Finally, breathing heavily, Khan seized Lucas by the collar.
“You still have spirit?”
He laughed bitterly.
“Let’s see if you keep it now.”
With a violent jerk, he hauled Lucas onto his feet.
Lucas could barely stand.
Most of his weight rested against Khan’s grip.
The former prince began dragging him across the shattered arena floor.
His boots scraped through dust and broken stone as Lucas struggled simply to remain conscious.
The crowd fell quiet again.
They watched helplessly.
Unable to intervene.
Unable to look away.
Khan stopped only when he had turned Lucas toward the Imperial Platform.
Toward the Empress.
He forced Lucas’s head upward so they both faced her.
The Empress had risen from her throne.
Her hands trembled.
Her expression was one of anguish and fury.
Khan looked up at her and laughed.
“Losing your champion today, Mother?”
A collective gasp swept through the arena.
His words were like a blade.
The Empress said nothing.
She simply stared at him.
Khan spread his free arm mockingly.
“First you condemned your own blood.”
He gave Lucas a rough shake.
“And now…”
“…your precious champion dies before your eyes.”
His laughter echoed across the arena.
“What a ruler you are.”
“You couldn’t save your son.”
He glanced at Lucas with a cruel grin before looking back at the throne.
“And you can’t save him either.”
The arena had become deathly still.
No one spoke.
No one cheered.
Hundreds of thousands of people watched in horrified silence as the traitorous prince mocked both the woman who had raised him and the champion who had sworn to defend her.
Khan kept one hand locked around Lucas’s collar, forcing the barely conscious champion to remain upright.
Lucas’s breathing was shallow.
The corruption still coursed through his veins, its dark tendrils now visible along his neck.
Blood dripped steadily onto the shattered arena floor.
The entire Grand Arena had fallen into absolute silence.
No chants.
No cheers.
Only the sound of the wind passing through the broken battlefield.
Khan slowly lifted his head toward the Imperial Platform.
His swollen face twisted into a cruel smile.
“Mother.”
His voice echoed unnaturally clearly across the arena.
“You’ve always chosen your precious kingdom over everything else.”
He laughed softly.
“Let’s see if that’s still true.”
He tightened his grip on Lucas, causing the wounded champion to grimace in pain.
“Beg me.”
The words stunned the audience.
Khan’s eyes never left the Empress.
“Get down from that throne.”
“Plead for his life.”
“Beg your son.”
His smile widened.
“And I will spare him.”
A collective gasp swept through the arena.
Every eye turned toward the Empress.
The rulers beside her remained silent.
King Highmoor’s jaw tightened.
The Emperor of Rus looked toward the Empress with concern.
The King of Blackmare’s expression grew darker.
No one could speak for her.
No one could make this decision.
The Empress stood motionless.
Her hands trembled.
Her breathing had become uneven.
She looked at Lucas.
The young man who had stood before her the previous night and sworn that he would never let her down.
The young man who had willingly carried the burden of becoming Lechia’s champion.
The young man who was now paying the price for keeping that promise.
Tears welled in her eyes.
For the first time since the trial had begun, they escaped.
Slowly.
Silently.
She looked as though she was about to step forward.
About to speak.
Then…
Lucas moved.
It was barely noticeable.
His body was weak.
His neck could scarcely support his head.
Yet with what little strength remained, he slowly turned his eyes toward the Empress.
Their gazes met.
Then…
Very gently…
Lucas shook his head.
Once.
It was almost imperceptible.
But the Empress saw it.
She understood immediately.
He wasn’t refusing to be saved.
He was asking her not to yield.
Not to abandon her dignity.
Not to compromise the honor of the throne before the eyes of the entire world.
Even now…
Even while standing at death’s door…
He was thinking of Lechia.
Thinking of her.
The Empress closed her eyes for a brief moment.
Another tear rolled down her cheek.
When she opened them again, the ruler had returned.
Though the pain remained unmistakable.
Her voice was quiet.
Heavy with sorrow.
“…No.”
The single word echoed across the silent arena.
Khan stared at her.
His smile slowly disappeared.
The Empress continued, though every word seemed to cost her dearly.
“I will not.”
Silence.
The entire arena seemed frozen in time.
Khan’s face contorted with fury.
“So…”
he said through clenched teeth,
“…you choose your kingdom.”
His grip tightened violently.
Lucas did not struggle.
His gaze remained fixed on the Empress.
There was no accusation in his eyes.
Only acceptance.
And, somehow…
Reassurance.
As if he were telling her she had made the right choice.
Khan’s rage finally boiled over.
“You self-righteous fools!”
he roared.
“If I can’t break your spirit…”
His voice became almost hysterical.
“…then I’ll break him!”
In one swift, brutal motion, he seized Lucas more firmly and wrenched him violently.
A sharp crack echoed across the Grand Arena.
The sound cut through the silence like thunder.
Time seemed to stop.
The crowd stared in stunned disbelief.
Lira let out a heart-wrenching scream.
Selene collapsed to her knees, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.
Princess Nyx covered her mouth, unable to believe what she had just witnessed.
Henrietta stood frozen, her fists shaking with helpless fury.
Even the Ice Belle’s normally unreadable expression faltered for the briefest of moments.
High above them, the Empress stood utterly motionless.
The color drained from her face.
The entire arena remained silent.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
It was as though the world itself had forgotten how to breathe.