Read Novel Full Chapter 589: The god’s decision 2
Chapter 589: The god’s decision 2
Khan stood in the center of the ruined arena, breathing heavily as the last echoes of the judgment faded into silence.
He looked around slowly.
Not a single face welcomed him.
Not a single person celebrated his freedom.
Every gaze directed toward him was filled with hatred.
He laughed anyway.
“So this is your mighty Lechia.”
His voice carried effortlessly across the silent arena.
“You put all your hope in one man.”
He looked down at Lucas’s motionless body and nudged it contemptuously with the tip of his boot.
“And look where that hope brought you.”
A wave of furious shouts erupted from the crowd.
“Killer!”
“Monster!”
“You’ll pay for this!”
Khan merely smirked.
He turned toward the royal platform.
His eyes met the Empress’s.
“You chose him over your own blood.”
He gave a mocking bow.
“I hope he was worth it.”
The Empress did not answer.
She simply stared back, tears continuing to fall in complete silence.
Khan chuckled.
His gaze drifted toward the five young women gathered behind the barrier.
“You’ve all lost.”
“The man you believed could never fall…”
“…is gone.”
He spread his arms.
“There are no miracles today.”
“No heroes.”
“No happy ending.”
Only his laughter answered him.
Turning his back on the arena, Khan began walking toward the exit.
His footsteps echoed across the broken stone.
No one tried to stop him.
No one could.
The ancient laws had spoken.
He reached the great gate.
Without looking back, he raised one hand in a dismissive wave.
“Mourn your champion well.”
Then he disappeared into the darkness beyond the arena.
The massive gates closed behind him with a thunderous boom.
For several long moments…
No one moved.
Then the chief elder raised a trembling hand.
“The Trial by Combat…”
His voice was barely above a whisper.
“…has concluded.”
With a low, resonating hum, the protective formations surrounding the battlefield began to fade.
The shimmering barrier dissolved into countless motes of light before disappearing entirely.
The instant it vanished—
“Xavier!”
Lira was the first to run.
She sprinted across the shattered battlefield so quickly that she nearly stumbled over the broken stone.
Selene followed close behind, tears blinding her vision.
Princess Nyx ran without caring about her royal composure.
Henrietta raced after them.
Even the Ice Belle, usually so composed, moved fast and lost her composure.
They reached him within moments.
Lucas lay exactly where he had fallen.
His eyes were closed.
His body was still.
His skin had begun to lose its warmth.
Lira dropped to her knees beside him.
Her trembling hands gently cupped his face.
She forced a smile through her tears.
“Xavier…”
she whispered.
“…stop playing.”
She laughed weakly through her sobs.
“You’ve… you’ve scared us enough.”
She waited.
Nothing happened.
Her smile faltered.
She gently shook his shoulder.
“Come on…”
“You always get back up.”
“Please…”
No response.
Selene knelt beside him, taking one of his hands into hers.
It was growing cold.
She squeezed it tightly.
“Xavier…”
Her voice broke.
“Open your eyes.”
“You promised…”
“You promised you’d come back.”
Silence.
Princess Nyx knelt at his other side.
She brushed the blood-matted hair away from his forehead.
Her fingers lingered there.
Waiting.
Hoping.
Praying.
Nothing.
Henrietta clenched his arm desperately.
“You idiot…”
she whispered through tears.
“You can’t leave like this.”
“You hear me?”
“You can’t…”
Her words dissolved into sobs.
The Ice Belle slowly lowered herself beside the others.
She reached out with a hand that trembled despite all her efforts to steady it.
Her fingertips rested lightly against Lucas’s wrist.
She searched.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
There was no pulse.
Her hand slowly slipped away.
She closed her eyes.
A tear rolled silently down her cheek.
Around them, the entire arena watched.
Many citizens openly wept.
Hardened soldiers lowered their heads.
Even nobles who had never met Lucas wiped tears from their eyes.
High above them, the Empress descended from her throne at last.
Each step seemed heavier than the one before.
She stopped several paces away from Lucas.
For a long time, she simply looked at him.
At the young man who had carried the hopes of an empire.
At the champion who had fought until he no longer could.
At the man who had kept his promise to stand for Lechia, no matter the cost.
Her shoulders trembled.
The tears would not stop.
No words could lessen what had happened.
No decree could undo it.
The arena remained wrapped in grief.
Its champion lay still upon the fractured stone.
And to everyone gathered there…
Lucas was gone. His sacrifice had come to an end, and an entire kingdom mourned the hero they believed they had lost forever.
The Empress stood motionless for several long moments.
She looked upon the shattered battlefield, but her eyes saw only one person.
Lucas.
The young man who had entered the arena carrying the hopes of an entire empire.
The young man who had smiled so confidently when he promised that he would not fail her.
The young man who had fought with everything he had until a cruel twist of fate had stolen victory from his grasp.
A sharp pain gripped her chest.
She raised a trembling hand and pressed it against her heart, trying to steady her breathing.
It did nothing.
The grief was overwhelming.
Below her, the five women remained gathered around Lucas’s motionless body.
Lira had buried her face against his chest, sobbing uncontrollably as though refusing to believe the silence that answered her.
Selene clung tightly to his hand, tears falling freely onto his bloodstained fingers as she whispered his name over and over, desperately hoping he would somehow answer.
Princess Nyx knelt beside his head, gently stroking his hair with trembling fingers, unable to stop the tears streaming down her face.
Henrietta’s shoulders shook violently as she cried without restraint, every sob carrying the anguish of someone who had lost a dear companion.
The Ice Belle, whose icy composure had seemed unshakable through countless hardships, remained kneeling beside him in complete silence. More tears slid down her cheeks, falling onto the shattered stone beneath them.
The sight pierced the Empress’s heart.
She had witnessed countless deaths throughout her reign.
She had seen battlefields littered with the fallen.
She had buried loyal generals and lifelong friends.
Yet somehow…
This hurt differently.
Perhaps because Lucas had never asked for anything in return.
He had simply stepped forward when Lechia needed him.
He had carried burdens that were never his to bear.
And now…
He lay before her, lifeless.
The Empress slowly descended from the royal platform until she reached the battlefield.
The crowd instinctively parted to allow her through.
Not a single voice rose.
Not a single whisper disturbed the silence.
When she reached Lucas, she lowered herself beside him.
Ignoring the blood staining the shattered stone, she gently rested one hand upon his forehead.
His skin was already beginning to cool.
The realization broke something inside her.
A tear slipped down her cheek before another quickly followed.
“I’m sorry…”
she whispered so softly that only those nearest could hear.
“I’m so… so sorry.”
The girls continued weeping around her.
The Empress looked at each of them in turn.
They were broken.
Utterly broken.
And if she left Lucas here much longer, exposed beneath the open sky and surrounded by the curious eyes of thousands, it would only deepen their pain.
She slowly rose to her feet.
Though grief still clouded her face, the authority of a ruler returned to her voice.
“Captain.”
Captain Varran immediately stepped forward, dropping to one knee.
“Your Majesty.”
Her voice trembled slightly despite her efforts to remain composed.
“Prepare the Imperial Guard.”
The commander raised his head.
She looked back at Lucas.
Her eyes softened once more.
“Carry him with the utmost care.”
She paused, swallowing the lump in her throat.
“No rough hands.”
“No haste.”
“He is to be treated with every honor due to the greatest champion this empire has ever known.”
The commander’s eyes reddened.
He bowed his head deeply.
“It will be done, Your Majesty.”
The Empress continued.
“Bring Xavier… to my chambers.”
Her voice nearly broke on his name.
“I will not have him left here until the cold claims him.”
Another painful silence followed.
“He deserves warmth.”
“He deserves dignity.”
“And he will receive both.”
The royal guards immediately moved forward with solemn expressions.
Not as soldiers retrieving a fallen warrior…
But as men entrusted with carrying someone they deeply respected.
Around the arena, citizens removed their hats and lowered their heads.
Many fell to one knee.
Others openly wept.
As the guards approached, the girls reluctantly loosened their desperate embraces, each one struggling to let go.
It felt impossible.
As though releasing him would mean accepting a reality none of them were ready to face.
The grief hanging over the Grand Arena had become so heavy that even the wind itself seemed unwilling to disturb the mournful silence. It was such a sorrowful atmosphere.