Blood tax

Commodus Antoninus, 10 years old. The Beyelan royal bloodline that had not been cut off by the Dark Lord had regained the great country. As a prince, the whole world was extremely beautiful to Commodus.

The Duke of the South was particularly fond of him, and everything in the world seemed like a dream.

One night, the young prince could not sleep. He walked past the sleeping servants, along the long corridor of Sanssouci Palace, and came to a brightly lit room. There, he saw his father, surrounded by senators and ministers.

"This is an order. Blocking magic is an order."

The king dropped his pen on the table.

"I think we've heard enough stories about hunters and con men."

One of the senators refused the king without any respect. No one criticized such rude behavior. The senators, generals and ministers each talked about budgets and new provinces.

This is not the leader of the country, he is clearly a greedy businessman and a pawn.

The 10-year-old prince can already understand their conversations. Based on common sense, conscience and simple belief in justice, Commodus believed that the actions of the senators were wrong!

The next day, the prince told his friend, the Duchess of the South, who was destined to become the queen, about what happened last night. The little girl asked him:

"What should a king do?"

"Leadership," the prince replied without hesitation, "give your subordinates a goal, show them a great cause, and lead them!"

"But everyone has their own ideas and lives," the girl asked. "I heard that before each bill is voted on, it will be in the living room of the big shots..."

enough!

The prince shouted in his heart, and then expressed his will in a very high voice:

"If someone picks up the napkin on the right first, then everyone else has to pick up the napkin on the "right";

"If you take the left napkin, everyone will pick up the left napkin, and they have to do that. This is called "order."

"And this 'person who can pick up the napkin' must be a character who is 'respected' by thousands of people."

……

The wails of the wounded soldiers echoed across the sky.

Alombis's volley shot the soldiers around Commodus at extremely close range, leaving corpses scattered all over the field. The wild beast lost control and began to slaughter the living people around it crazily. Those soldiers and Extraordinaries who were lucky enough to survive either escaped or fell into chaos.

"I am the King of Beyelan, and I have picked up the "napkin"...

"Will override must be restarted..."

Commodus was spinning and vomiting. The helmet was blown away by shrapnel, and his eyes were covered with sticky blood. He dragged his extremely heavy body crawling through the muddy water, pulling at water plants and dead wood.

“My head hurts so much, and I can’t move my body.

"Want to vomit...

"It's just a minor injury, is it so uncomfortable..."

In the intense pain, Commodus saw scenes from the past flashing by in a trance. That was a long time ago, before he received the blessing of nightmares.

Consciousness overwriting is a powerful ability that can subvert the sanity of an extraordinary person and drag the subject into a fantasy world. The more powerful the caster, the greater the scope and degree of influence. However, as a price, the caster needs to bear a heavy mental burden - constructing illusory dreams for all objects who accept the suggestion.

The hint of Commodus blessing the whole army was interrupted. The army that was originally under incredible good discipline suddenly woke up from a nightmare. Troll warriors were running everywhere like rabbits. The human soldiers who were attacking across the board for the undead base were in an indescribable confusion. Under the ruins, swamps and shelling, the squadron could not find the brigade, the soldiers could not find the officers, and fell into collective chaos.

Even Erza, who was summoned by the Nightmare Horn, released the form of a mythical creature and landed on the Pyramid of Zul'Haka.

This is part of accepting the hint, just like the contract whispered in the imaginary realm. When you fall into a dream, you accept the alien god of nightmares into your consciousness. He will demand a price—just as the roots of a tree draw nutrients from the soil.

The gift from the Outer God has already been marked with a price.

Today, the price has been paid.

Commodus reached out his hand, grabbed the holy sword that fell aside, and stood up from the muddy water.

He defended himself loudly:

"My actions are not motivated by selfishness or selfish desires. I am not based on the pursuit of power or the desire to dominate someone... I have a "patriotic heart" and everything I do is for this country. It is me. An action taken based on the judgment that it is ‘absolutely indispensable’.”

He took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the Holy Sword of Enduil.

At this moment, a wail lingering in the dead silence came from behind. The world suddenly became dry and dark, leaving only the faint wailing and darkness. A pair of eyes shining with blood were staring at him emotionlessly.

Under the dark and deep shadows, a heart-stopping low roar echoed, which was particularly captivating amidst the screams and moans that filled the world.

"Hoo, ho—"

Slow breathing gathered between the visor and helmet. The sound of breathing was like a big hand covered in black armor, dripping with blood, passing through the cry of despair, crossing the void and strangling the throat.

"Stasis - the cage."

Commodus' whole body trembled, his hair stood on end, and his dry throat squirmed. Suspense and confusion spread along his spine like melting ice water.

The power of the nightmare that had just been paid for was unable to be exerted, and no matter how much one called for it, there was no response. Commodus felt that his hearing, smell and vision were completely deprived, and only some kind of fear rooted in primitive instinct was entrenched here.

well? Can't move my legs?

"I, I can't move?" The Kingslayer felt that he had truly been deprived of everything in this world.

dark,

Endless darkness!

There seems to be thick and turbid breathing in the darkness, and there seems to be a dull and crazy heartbeat. What's worse, it seems that hearing and vision have been completely lost, completely filled and filled with that crazy darkness!

Commodus fell into a mysterious cage woven by psychic energy. The invisible energy field captured him from the air, depriving him of the ability to perceive and act.

Griffith came waving his authority. The War Knight creates a powerful psychic barrier that envelopes the enemy, depriving them of their five senses and losing their judgment and ability to act!

Commodus screamed desperately, praying to all the gods who could think of names on the edge of destruction. Finally, a voice in the darkness answered him.

"Zheng——!"

There was a crisp sound, and the two swords clashed, splashing out with a shrill white light. The vision suddenly faded away, and the world returned to movement and color without any warning. The wind howled, and overwhelming death blows crisscrossed between the sword blades!

Enduil's blade moved Commodus' body!

What responded to him in despair was the fate of the Beyeland royal family and the will of the brave and fearless Beyeland army!

Both sides did not dodge. Griffith slashed Commodus's shoulder with one sword, and Enduil, the sword of the king, moved with his sword holder and counterattacked, piercing Griffith's left hand!

The two holy swords danced wildly in the blood foam.

The smell of blood seemed rich and sweet in the air. Griffith and Commodus only fought for less than ten seconds. The blood flowing out of their bodies almost dyed the water under their feet bright red. When they stepped on it, they splashed. The rising blood blended with the falling blood pieces, like red cherry blossoms flying all over the sky.

Griffith pressed Commodus to attack. The aftermath of the sword swept across a knight who came to help, and chopped him to the ground with one sword.

The sword wind tore the air apart, and the airtight attack was as oppressive as suffocation. The confrontation of lightning and stone even surpassed the limits of Commodus' body and consciousness. He was just instinctive, being pulled by the holy sword that carried the destiny of the Byelan royal family, and fought back like a puppet on a string!

The undead ship Alombis dropped ghouls to reinforce it, but as soon as it reached the edge of the battle, it was smashed to pieces by Nduil's sweep.

Even the space, light and shadow were stirred, turning into a raging frenzy, and the air echoed with shrill shouts.

The generals of the two armies faced each other one on one in the final game.

Kill Griffith and the undead army immediately returns to dust.

Kill Commodus, and the scattered remnants of the army will return to the victor's command!

Anyone who dared to intervene in their duel was cut down in the aftermath of the battle. The two fought from the swamp under the city wall to the broken gap.

Commodus' armor was split open, and a majestic vision of the late king appeared to protect him. It was shattered into dots of light on the spot. The king's protection that protected Commodus was shattered by Griffith's army.

However, the broken luck won a flash of lightning!

Commodus counterattacked with a jumping chop, making a dent in Griffith's breastplate. Several pieces of ribs were shattered in an instant, and Griffith raised his head and staggered back several steps. The world was spinning in front of his eyes, and blood splattered from his mouth, dripping all over his body.

"It's now! Keep the distance. As long as we can get rid of the mysterious realm, we can reorganize the army!" Commodus pulled out the throwing gun he carried. The weapon made of fine gold showed its sharp edge, stretched out the barrel, and threw it out!

Griffith pulled out Yitian with his left hand, and the lightning and flint blocked the close projection.

"It's not over yet, Griffith, let's end it the way the Byerland soldiers do!" Commodus tried his best, "throw the spear three times!"

With the second blow, Griffith's helmet was blown off and the gun left a deep bloody gash on his forehead.

On the third throw, Commodus shot through Griffith's shoulder armor.

In the blood splashing, Commodus succeeded and chased forward, passing through the blood rain and water spray.

At this moment, Commodus sheathed his sword and pierced the enemy's abdomen with his backhand. However, just when he wanted to put away his sword, he couldn't pull it out.

Liquidation, launch!

Griffith's eyes seemed to be burning, burning Commodus's soul like a flame. Instead of weakening, his momentum continued to rise.

The next attack will be like waves one after another, surging crazily and hitting continuously!

The bright sword light cut through space and time, cutting out countless thin lines.

Breaking the shield, Griffith shattered Commodus' last shield, split his greaves, and severed his left leg. At this moment, Commodus felt as if a large piece of his soul had been cut off, and he couldn't help but scream in pain!

Behind Griffith, the steaming blood showed the crazy illusion of the mountain monster, its muscles danced wildly, and it hit Commodus unstoppably!

Amidst Griffith's roar, although Commodus slashed his sword in the face, he did not dodge and stabbed Commodus's abdomen with a fierce sword. As the sword edge was withdrawn, the Kingslayer's armor shattered into fragments that filled the sky.

Break armor!

At zero distance, a silver flintlock suddenly covered Commodus.

Griffith pulled out Judgment, and an invisible momentum swept over him.

The flow of time seems to be slowed down. In the dark, invisible pressure held Commodus down, like a sinner awaiting judgment.

The silver flintlock gun blessed by the extraordinary lawbreaker is like the supreme judge, glaring coldly at the sinner at his feet, ordering him to repent of all his sins and depravity, and then giving him the final sanction in despair and terror!

"I will identify and excommunicate the regicide!"

Silver light, flames and loud noises followed. In the illusory bells of the Sin Tower, countless voices shouted: "Execute this sinner!"

"Bang——!"

Commodus hurriedly dodged to the side, but in the end he couldn't move faster than the flintlock gun and was hit by a single blow!

The extraordinary perception and physique allowed Commodus to truly hear the terrifying sound of bones shattering. The internal organs and brain were violently shaking and squeezing, and fishy hot liquid sprayed out from the throat. In the deafening roar, the sprayed adamantine projectiles shattered Commodus's shoulder blades, tearing off his entire left arm and throwing him out.

His psychic energy was detonated by this blow, turning into a chaotic blade-like vortex that exploded within his body.

Commodus's body, which had been severely injured, began to stir as if it had crawled into a carpet of rats. Flesh, flesh and spiritual energy collided in his body and was about to break out.

Suddenly, the screams were strangely distorted and deformed:

"I object!"

Not guilty! Commodus was actually loudly resisting the power of condemnation, and was about to reject the fatal blow. Fighting for the last chance of survival on the front line of despair.

"My heart and actions are as clear as a clear mirror, and everything I do is righteous!"

The whites of Commodus's eyes rolled out with frightening colors, and his eyeballs bulged outward. His whole body trembled, and he flew backwards from the critical attack. At this moment, Commodus ignited his spirit and destiny, and sacrificed himself without reservation. The nightmares in the deep heard his prayers, and the twisted rules answered once again.

"You miscalculated, Griffith! We distanced ourselves!"

The seriously injured Commodus fell heavily to the ground. However, he immediately struggled to his feet, grabbed the horn around his waist with his remaining right hand, and blew:

"Remember who's here!?"

Griffith, who was also seriously injured, knelt on one knee. In front of the field of vision, the top of the Zulhaqa Pyramid once again burst into flames.

Commodus, who had distanced himself, escaped the mysterious obstruction of the war knight. At the end of the bloody battle, he blows the horn again, and the illusion of nightmare will attract the hand of the third god here!

"..."

After a short period of dead silence, the entire remaining army on the battlefield suddenly burst out with an earth-shattering cry.

"Run!"

In Commodus' stunned eyes, the nearby soldiers abandoned their armor. They saw the liberator taking shape again and lost the last bit of will to fight.

However, Griffith took his time. He gritted his teeth and cut off the spear shaft stuck in his shoulder, then staggered towards Commodus.

"Do you know why I'm not in a hurry?" Griffith didn't even look at the thunderclouds and lightning above his head.

"Maybe you know that no matter what you do, you can't escape the judgment of the monarch and justice, knight," Commodus gasped and spat out blood. Lusha? She will beat you to death first, hahaha, hahahahaha, hahahahahaha!"

Griffith waited for Commodus to finish laughing, and then said slowly:

"Fighting for this reason. Haven't you understood the nature of the Godhead and clearly seen the rules for the operation of our authority?"

"Ah?" Commodus stopped laughing for a moment.

Griffith supported his shaky body with his sword and looked up at the sky:

“Power is responsible for its origins.

"One thing I have learned from my short life is that the more a person seeks power, the more likely he is to pay the price for power."

"You, what are you talking about?" Commodus stared at him in shock, "At this point, you say this..."

"What I want to say is," a wry smile appeared on Griffith's face, "I have clearly seen the rules for the operation of power."

Commodus did not understand. However, an unexpected and ominous premonition made him feel that something was wrong. The spiritual energy that was unfolding on the Zulhakar Pyramid suddenly seemed to have encountered a powerful enemy, and it actually restrained itself.

A low roar penetrated into the bone marrow, arousing fear deep in the instinct. This unique cry does not belong to any living creature, like the harmony of several taut strings. While listening to this special sound wave, everyone felt a kind of powerlessness that was about to be sucked out of their whole body, making it impossible to resist.

Under the low sky, huge shadows of ice blue, red and black suddenly appeared.

An incomparably powerful pressure makes the sky drop low, making people feel depressed!

The huge flying wings slowly glided in from a distance, elegant and calm, like an emperor inspecting its territory. The bone dragon filled with the aura of death flapped its huge withered bone wings and flew over the prince amid the strong wind and flying sand and rocks.

The Frost Dragon has finally arrived!

Its bones are as white as jade, but the dazzling light can't help but remind people of bones and make them feel sick.

It is not composed of a single keel. Various skeletons are also incorporated. After the Battle of Verona, these huge bones were hidden under this muddy swamp. The steaming miasma pollution accumulated over the years converged into bursts of desolate dragon roars that shook the soul.

"It's over, Commodus," Griffith said, "Erza has exhausted her spiritual energy. Without the support of the eternal ladder, she can neither hunt nor have a source of spiritual energy."

He opened his arms and issued a declaration of victory: "And the reason why I am victorious is precisely because I understand the rules of the operation of authority. There is no need for the 'original napkin' in this world."

Commodus was despairing and watched Griffith read out an ancient edict.

"Dracarys (Dragon's Breath)"

The giant frost dragon sprayed out boundless icy dragon breath towards the pyramid, freezing the ancient ruins into an ice sculpture. (End of chapter)