IRM Chapter 98

William’s pupils contracted. Watching the rack slowly turn to face the judging platform, he immediately understood and roared hoarsely toward the upper area. “Watch out! Dodge quickly——“

However, the rack with its tracking effect had already traced a silver arc. No matter how frantically those on the platform scrambled to evade, it flew resolutely toward a pipe encrusted with gems and gold!

The Marchioness had been immersed for years in refined and extravagant pleasures. Only when someone bumped into her in their haste and knocked over her teacup did she realize the danger. She had just removed the pipe from her crimson lips when she discovered that the rack she had thought so promising was already right before her eyes, its sharp, icy silver tip pointing at her neck, knocking the pipe from her fingertips and piercing through her snow-white skin!

The massive rack instantly penetrated through the hollow at the center of the Marchioness’s collarbone from top to bottom, its tail end breaking through the smooth silk fabric and emerging from her blood-stained hem.

The intense pain of having her body pierced swept through her nerves in an instant, making her want to scream, but due to the rack’s pressure, she could only emit hoarse, trembling gasps.

The effect of the Judgment Torture Rack was even better than the Marchioness had originally imagined. She didn’t die immediately—she was merely held fixed on the rack with her head tilted back, convulsing violently in maddening pain as gurgling fresh blood flowed along the grooves on the rack, coiling around its surface to form a blood-red gladiolus.

This tragic scene pierced too many eyes. The nobles could no longer maintain their dignity, screaming and shoving as they fled toward the exits!

The King was also frightened, staring fixedly at the rack not far below, fearing he would be the next one judged. He hurriedly stood up, casting aside his heavy scepter adorned with gold and gems like a burden, backing away as he commanded sternly, “Quick! Take me somewhere safe——“

Before he could finish his command, he froze in place, inch by inch lowering his head to look at the bloodstained dagger protruding from his chest.

“There are fewer people on the west side of the venue. I’ll protect you and take you there first!” At this critical moment, Louis demonstrated the excellent qualities of a high-level warrior. He calmly observed his surroundings and quickly analyzed the situation, but heard no response for a long time.

He frowned and turned his head, his eyes suddenly widening. “Father…”

The King’s plump body softly slid to the ground. His eyes were still wide open, his throat making faint gurgling sounds as if he wanted to say something. Ultimately, he only spat out a mouthful of blood-filled foam, and amid complete disbelief on his face, his eyes lost their luster.

Louis stood with his lips parted, his face somewhat blank as he followed the King’s corpse upward with his gaze, looking toward what was behind him.

Catherine stood there with a smile covering her face, gripping a bloodstained dagger in her hand, the corners of her mouth slightly raised. She first laughed softly, then laughed wildly and unbridled, no longer displaying her former gentle humility. Her laughter was sharp and grating. “You have this day too, ha ha ha! So what about pure bloodline—how ugly you look in death!”

Catherine lifted her blood-spattered gorgeous skirt and raised her foot to step on the King’s limp corpse, giving it a fierce kick. The once supreme King was now kicked before Louis like a pile of rotten meat, his unconscious limbs twisted into an ugly shape.

Louis crouched down, using his trembling hand to touch the King’s increasingly cold face. He understood that for his brother and sister, the King hadn’t been a good father, but for himself, the King had truly given him expectations and affection—this point couldn’t be erased no matter what.

Suppressing his grief and fury, Louis slowly drew the longsword from his waist and aimed it at Catherine, questioning word by word. “What exactly have you done…”

Catherine’s laughter subsided. She waved her hand backward, and the knights who should have been protecting them all turned around in unison, their sword edges now facing Louis.

Catherine laughed coquettishly. “Brother, although over all these years we haven’t exchanged more than a few words total, you truly were the person who treated me best in the royal palace. Today I don’t want to hurt you—I just want to invite you to appreciate an opera——Do you hear it, this beautiful melody?”

Screams, shouts, and explosive sounds echoed throughout the arena. Those nobles’ luxurious clothes became the most conspicuous targets, being violently attacked by Gladiolus Guild members mixed among them.

Fresh blood continuously flowed down from the viewing stands, like a curtain slowly descending on a stage, dyeing the arena floor red.

However, after the initial panic, the nobles also reacted. They and the attendants they had brought were mostly competent profession users. After the initial shock, they angrily began to counterattack. Sword light, magic, and shadows filled the venue—chaos everywhere.

Now the competition platform was actually the safest place, though only temporarily. As the scope of battle continuously expanded, Ji Chi furrowed his brows and together with Chloe, protected Bard and Linton, cautiously retreating to the center of the field to avoid them being affected by the aftereffects of the combat on the viewing stands.

Bard had never seen such a scene of flying flesh and blood. For a moment his face paled as he murmured, “How could this happen…”

“Because they went too far.” Linton suddenly spoke quietly.

He had kept his head lowered since the upheaval began. Bard thought he was just afraid, but now he finally raised his eyes, revealing the extreme hatred and madness that couldn’t be hidden in his gaze. “They didn’t want to give us a chance to live—we’re just repaying them in kind.”

Bard sensed something wrong and suddenly turned to look at Linton, his face full of astonishment. “You’re with the Gladiolus Guild…”

Linton glanced at him sideways, revealing some apology in his bloodshot, crimson eyes. “I’m sorry, Master. I’m sorry to everyone too…”

A flash of flowing light appeared on his body. At some point, the equipment set they had personally crafted was already worn on Linton. The gold-and-silver equipment automatically fitted closely along his body’s contours, with thin but tough armor covering his chest, abdomen, hands, and legs, making Linton’s harmless and gentle temperament seem much colder and sharper.

A month of frenzied research on the design diagrams had made Linton extremely familiar with all the effects of [Light]. Especially under Ji Chi’s final enchantment, [Light] seemed able to sense the user’s thoughts and didn’t require deep understanding to operate.

Linton lightly waved his hand. The magic crystal at his chest lit up, and wisps of fine pale cyan light escaped from the converter, flowing down along the crystal lines.

Almost instantly, a hurricane rose from beneath his feet, steadily lifting him into the air.

He looked down coldly at the chaotic arena below. His eyes, skilled at sculpting details, quickly found a long-unseen figure. Linton pulled at the corner of his mouth and nimbly turned around. The gentle yet powerful wind carried him swiftly flying to that person’s side.

Baron Duke hadn’t come to Saint Trilley Royal City for a long time. If it hadn’t been for accompanying his promising son to participate in the competition this time, he probably would never have come here again.

He governed a large expanse of land around Yiste Town. Although the land was barren and couldn’t grow precious crops, and the people were dull and thin, repetitively doing hard and tedious work.

But this didn’t prevent Duke from having a greedy heart. He colluded with the garrison soldiers in the border city area, and taking advantage of being tens of thousands of miles away from Saint Trilley Royal City, he made himself king in this quagmire.

He mercilessly multiplied taxes several times over, exploiting the already poor commoners and slaves.

He obediently paid a portion of the collected taxes to the Royal City, while the excess flowed like water into his own pockets to satisfy his bottomless greed.

The exploited people had once been angry and resisted, but what answered them were the guards’ swords that should have been defending the empire. The sharp longswords severed those vast tearful voices, leaving behind only helpless resignation everywhere.

Duke didn’t know of the commoners’ suffering—or perhaps even if he knew, he wouldn’t care. He had hoarded massive wealth, enough for him to squander extravagantly and prop up his ignorant and incompetent foolish son as a mid-level engineer.

Duke had come to the Royal City this time, and to avoid attracting unnecessary attention, he had only brought a mage and a rogue. But now with everything in chaos, his two attendants had been squeezed away out of sight.

He was anxious and flustered, dodging the aftershocks of combat while worriedly scanning the competition platform. His son was cowering somewhere trembling—he couldn’t find even a shadow of him now.

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard a “Bang!” by his ear. Accompanied by a painful groan, a pudgy white man crashed through a row of railings and curled up on the ground holding his head.

“Ballit!” Baron Duke’s eyes flashed with joy and worry. He hurriedly rushed to his son’s side and forcefully turned his son’s body over. “Are you alright?”

His son Ballit had been hiding well in a small corner beneath the viewing stand when suddenly his vision blurred. Someone grabbed him by the collar and flew him into the sky, then roughly threw him straight down from high altitude. Now he was bruised and battered, with several broken bones in his body.

Duke was startled by his son’s unrecognizable face. Noticing the strong wind blowing past beside him, he angrily turned around. “Couldn’t you be gentler? If something happens to Ballit from the fall, you won’t have enough lives to compensate!”

Duke thought the person behind him was his mage servant, so he cursed without mercy. But soon he saw clearly who had arrived—it was a youth wearing familiar-looking clothing, with gray hair, gray eyes, and silver garments, his entire being carrying a snow-dust-like coldness.

He instantly realized the newcomer wasn’t easy to provoke and immediately changed his expression, his tone carrying some flattery. “This… mage hero, thank you for rescuing my son… You’re so kind-hearted—could you also protect us on the way out? I’m willing to pay you a large sum in commission!”

Linton smiled slightly, looking at him coldly. “Sure, but you need to first pay off the gold coins for rescuing your son.”

Duke’s face twisted. This person had thrown his perfectly fine son half to death and still had the face to say such things!

But circumstances were beyond his control. Duke saw that the flames of war were about to reach nearby and swallowed his anger. “How many gold coins do you want…”

Linton glanced at him and grinned. “Not much—ten thousand gold coins will be enough.”

“How much?” Duke was stunned for a moment, barely able to believe his ears. He understood this person was here to cause trouble and said angrily, “How could I possibly have that many gold coins on me! Are you trying to rob me?”

Linton kindly waved his hand. “Don’t be angry, I was just joking… So how many gold coins do you have in total right now?”

Linton saw his eyes rolling around and his gaze grew several degrees colder. “I prefer dealing with honest people. Baron Duke, are your and your son’s two lives really not worth more than a money pouch?”

Duke’s expression looked somewhat ugly. He couldn’t figure out what this person wanted to do, and for a moment didn’t even notice he had called out his identity. Duke’s mind was in complete chaos as he handed over his money pouch and said honestly, “I still have….518 gold coins.”

Linton took the pouch and weighed it, smiling with satisfaction. “But rescuing your son requires 519 gold coins. As long as you pay it off now, I guarantee you can leave safely and unharmed. How about it?”

Duke’s face showed mixed joy and anger. He suppressed his fury at being toyed with and pleaded earnestly. “Aren’t you making things difficult for me? Just one gold coin—after I get out, I’ll definitely repay you ten times… a hundred times over!”

Linton shook his head. “No good—not even one copper coin short will do.”

Duke was so angry he clenched his teeth. He looked around frantically, no longer wanting the money pouch, bent down to carry his whimpering fat son on his back, and cursed. “Get lost! You weren’t here to save people at all! We’ll get out on our own! If you love staying here counting money so much, then stay here! Just be careful you don’t even know how you died!”

Linton watched the two stagger away. After a while, he said coldly, “Didn’t I say you need to pay off the gold coins for rescuing your son first?”

Duke no longer sought his protection and became much more arrogant, cursing viciously. “Bah! I’ve been merciful enough not making you pay with your life! If my attendants were here, you would have already——“

“Boom!” A scorching fireball smashed beside Duke. His son suddenly jerked his upper body up, bursting out with a tragic howl!

A broken, pudgy white arm with sparks slid far away, dragging out a long trail of blood.

“One gold coin—will you still pay it?” Linton maintained his extended hand posture, another fireball condensing in his palm.

Duke now clearly understood that Linton had come seeking revenge. His legs went weak as he supported his son who was about to pass out, looking at Linton with fear. “You… who are you?”

Linton didn’t want to waste words with him. With a flick of his hand, the fireball shot out again, blasting off one of Ballit’s legs. “What about the one gold coin?”

Ballit was covered in cold sweat, in too much pain to make a sound, only trembling violently once from the force of his leg separating from his body.

Duke nearly went mad. He hurriedly and tremblingly tore off all the accessories and pocket watches on his body and handed them to Linton, almost kneeling to beg. “Please! Let us go! Just one gold coin! I, I have on me… these, and these—they’re all very valuable. Please let us go!”

Linton didn’t even glance at them. He ultimately wasn’t as cruel a person as they were. Growing somewhat weary of this torture, the next fireball aimed directly at Duke’s head.

He looked at Duke through the flames and asked, “Back then, when a boy came to you asking for the one gold coin he was owed, why didn’t you let him go?”

Linton saw clearly Duke’s fearful and confused expression and smiled sadly. “You’ve forgotten—of course you don’t remember how many lives you’ve plundered… Then you probably also don’t know that if you hadn’t been greedy for that one gold coin, my mother wouldn’t have died of illness, my older brother wouldn’t have been severely injured by your precious son, and my little sister wouldn’t have starved to death.”

“Tell me, should I let you go?” Linton said softly as a massive fireball shot from his palm and exploded into a spray of blood before his eyes.

The splattering fresh blood stained his eyes red. Not only did Linton not feel relieved, his eyes grew increasingly crimson. He turned and flew into the air again, looking down at the nobles fleeing in disgrace like ants.

Some of them had brought wives and children. The children’s sharp, loud crying formed a chorus—unlike his long-deceased little sister who, when starving near death, could only make soft mewing sounds like a kitten.

Linton expressionlessly opened his palms toward them, dazzling firelight flickering between his hands.

Ji Chi watched from the center of the field. Knowing Linton harbored hatred in his heart, he hadn’t stopped him from killing those two men. But now, discovering Linton had lost his reason and that among the crowd his artillery was aimed at were both nobles he detested and familiar figures to Ji Chi…

Ji Chi frowned deeply and barked, “Chloe!”

Chloe understood his intention, nodded, and the skin on her back lifted upward to form two thin mechanical wings. A current of air carried her flying toward the sky, blocking Linton’s path.

Linton suddenly saw Chloe in the air. The hatred filling his eyes disappeared for an instant as he said in a daze. “Chloe, how could you…”

Chloe raised her right hand. Her pale arm and delicate joints deformed and assembled, forming a dark cannon barrel in an instant, aimed straight at Linton’s chest.

Her eyes held an inorganic coldness. Her voice had no inflection as usual, but this time seemed especially cold. “Linton, stop.”

TL:

Baron is the title, Duke is the name. Sorry for the confusion.