Part 1: The Collapse of Art and Ideal
Cheng Mubai was no mere"villain." He was the tragic embodiment of artistic ideals crumbling in a turbulent era.
His downfall mirrored the Empire's own decay—a microcosm of a world where brute force and power were cloaked in a façade of"formal beauty." He believed that"Beauty is Justice," yet he used the mandate of"Beauty" to imprison"Life" itself. Mont Angelina's parting shot to him—"The Goddess of Art should often take a leave of absence"—was not a jibe but a cold judgment, a bullet fired from the real world into his realm of fantasy. Until his last breath, he believed he was right, never once doubting his own conviction.
He was a monster alienated by his own ideals, a grotesque product born from the collapse of an era's belief. His death, more than the demise of a foe, symbolized the bankruptcy of that counterfeit"aesthetics" which severed itself from life to serve power.
Many would perish in the turmoil of the Imperial Third Year. But Cheng Mubai's death carried a unique symbolic weight. He was the first of the Elector Kings to sacrifice himself for the corrupt, hypocritical Old World he represented. When the dust settled, countless heroes would have fallen, but Cheng Mubai was the least consequential among them. History itself would barely pause to record his passing.
Part 2: The Night of the Traitor
Though the sun had only just set completely, the spring night was still bone-chillingly cold, but the sleepless night was only just beginning.
The Black Sheep Lord was hurtling down the road to self-destruction, and within Prime Lake City, a new storm was brewing and would quickly escalate.
Mont Mentiel, who was still having dinner, had just received a top-level emergency alert from his Ravens. This was a quasi-war-level alarm, and he quickly ordered the Raven Army personnel currently at the official ducal residence to enter a full state of readiness.
Mont Mentiel immediately dispatched more Ravens to the Dragon Fang Lord's residence to monitor the situation and report back as quickly as possible.
At the same time, Mont Mentiel quickly wrote a formal oath of loyalty, sealed it with the Raven Lord's wax seal, and had it rushed to the Dipper Aureus Duke in the Palace.
This oath officially pledged Mont Mentiel's allegiance to the Dipper Aureus Duke and stated that the Raven Army would fully comply with the Duke's command and deployment under the current circumstances.
In the Palace, the Dipper Aureus Duke took similar action. Thirty thousand Imperial Guards had their leave canceled and were recalled. The twenty thousand already stationed in the barracks were fully armed and placed on war footing.
The Dipper Aureus Duke had received the intelligence two hours earlier than Mont Mentiel, because the coming upheaval was the giant wave caused by the boulder he had thrown earlier.
Daelian Varrus, the Dragon Fang Army's foremost strongman, was fully armored, his great axe in hand. All his personal guards were prepared to follow their commander to the ends of the earth.
The only person who could stop Daelian now was the head of the De Family, Daelian's elder brother, DeWeian Varrus.
"Little brother, is your mind still sound? Do you know what you are trying to do?"
"Wake up! Come back to the righteous path. While there is still time, you must completely reform your heart and pledge total loyalty to His Lordship!"
As a major official and the head of a great family in the Dragon Fang Duchy, the De family had been loyalists for a hundred years, and DeWeian was currently the most trusted minister of the Dragon Fang Lord.
"You are temporarily blinded by greed. The Dipper Aureus Duke gave you nothing but empty promises. For this castle in the air that will never materialize, you are betting the future of our entire family! I absolutely forbid you to take another step."
DeWeian held out his arms, showing his resolve: he would not back down unless Daelian walked over his corpse.
At that moment, Daelian's resolve wavered, and the great axe in his hand began to lower.
But just then, from behind Daelian, a Knight's sword was swiftly drawn and plunged into DeWeian's heart. DeWeian, the esteemed minister and head of the De family, looked at the young man before him in disbelief.
The sword went straight through his left chest, through his body, until it reached the hilt.
The young man stepped on DeWeian's corpse and struggled mightily to pull the sword out.
Then, the young man turned and looked at Daelian, saying, "If you win, you're a Lord. If you lose, you're less than a dog. If you still haven't made up your mind, don't talk about ambition!"
This sentence from the young man completely awakened Daelian. The giant beast was released from its cage. Daelian immediately galvanized, leading his personal guards toward the Dragon Fang Lord's residence!
This young man was Yue Zhengxi, the chief strategist and most trusted general of the Dipper Aureus Duke. When the Dipper Aureus Duke rushed back to the capital from the Cold Well Gorge frontline, the entire grand army was left to Yue Zhengxi to lead in triumphant return.
In this effort to instigate Daelian's defection, from the initial selection to the persuasion, and now to solidifying Daelian's action through a practical demonstration, Yue Zhengxi proved his value as the second-in-command of the Dipper Aureus Duke's faction.
So, when Daelian and his personal guards set out, the Ravens, who had been monitoring Dragon Fang's activities for a long time, immediately reported back to Mont Mentiel.
The Dipper Aureus Duke, having been tipped off by Yue Zhengxi that action could commence at any moment tonight, was able to mobilize earlier than the Raven Lord.