Chapter 396: Chapter 396: The Shadow of the Evil Demons Guild

It was a complete and absolute crushing force.

August and the others felt as if a heavy hammer had smashed into their chests. For a moment, they could not even breathe.

Cheryl coldly tightened her grip on her ice-crystal staff. As long as Aiden gave her one look, she would freeze these noisy humans into ice statues without hesitation.

"Everyone, shut your mouths!"

At that moment, Eira spoke coldly from the dragon throne.

Her voice was not loud, but it sounded like rolling thunder, instantly silencing the entire hall.

The nine Golden Dragons of National Destiny roared beneath the dome. The overwhelming pressure of imperial power forced the conservative officials to collapse to the floor, trembling in fear.

Eira’s cold gaze swept over August, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips.

"You keep saying Aiden has betrayed humanity and joined hands with a creature from the Abyss."

"August, let me ask you something."

Eira leaned forward slightly, and the pressure of an empress came crashing down.

"Where is your evidence?"

August’s body stiffened. Cold sweat instantly soaked through his court robe. He raised his head and stammered.

"Your Majesty... this... this Abyss Miko is standing right here in the imperial court. Is that not solid proof?"

"Foolish."

Eira gave a cold laugh, looking at him as if he were already a dead man.

"Since this Miko entered the territory of the Great Shaw Empire, has she harmed even a single common citizen of our empire?"

"Has she ever cast a spell to attack any human?"

"Or has any Lord from your conservative faction died by her hand?"

Eira’s three questions were like three sharp daggers, striking directly at the weakest point of August and the others.

August opened his mouth, but no words came out. His old face turned dark red with shame.

It was true. Cheryl had only followed quietly behind Aiden the whole time. Other than giving off some cold air, she had done nothing at all.

"What? Nothing to say now?"

Eira suddenly slapped the dragon desk and stood up. The twelve strings of jade beads hanging from her imperial crown shook violently. Her stunning face was filled with the thunderous anger of an empress.

"You useless parasites!"

"Felix colluded with the Evil Demons Guild, and the evidence is clear. As his former followers, you should be reflecting on your own actions. Instead, you are standing here, forming factions and using public power to settle private grudges!"

"Aiden went deep into the Abyss and killed a Demon Duke. He made great contributions to the Great Shaw Empire. How could a group of worms who only know how to talk ever have the right to slander him?!"

Eira’s anger completely filled the Golden Throne Hall with a deadly chill.

"Guards!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"Outside the hall, a squad of heavily armored imperial guards answered at once. They rushed in like fierce wolves and tigers.

"Arrest August and everyone who stepped forward to support him. Strip them of their official titles and throw them into the heavenly prison!"

Eira waved her sleeve, leaving no room for argument."Hand them over to the military for strict interrogation. Find out whether they have been secretly working with the Evil Demons Guild!"

"Your Majesty, spare us!"

"We are innocent! We were only confused for a moment!"

Their desperate cries for mercy echoed through the hall. August and the others were roughly dragged away by the imperial guards, their faces as pale as ash.

The remaining conservative officials who had not stepped forward were terrified. Their legs went weak, and they pressed their heads hard against the cold floor, not daring to make a sound.

"As for the rest of you, think carefully about what you do next."

Eira sat back down on the dragon throne. Her cold gaze swept across the entire hall."If anyone dares to abuse their power for personal gain or frame a hero of the empire again, they will be executed without mercy!"

The imperial court fell into a deathly silence.

Through this clash of power and life and death, Aiden stood with his hands behind his back, his face expressionless.

But his eyes, burning with a faint Golden Sunfire, were like sharp carving knives. He engraved every hostile face he had just seen deep into his memory.

He was not afraid of barking dogs.

But he would find the right chance to slaughter these noisy dogs, along with the masters behind them.

...

As the last conservative official was dragged out of the hall by the imperial guards like a dead dog, the heavy doors slowly closed.

Inside the vast Golden Throne Hall, only Eira remained on the dragon throne, with Aiden and Cheryl standing below the steps.

"Aiden, I’m sorry you had to see that."

Eira rubbed her brow. A trace of tiredness flashed across her beautiful face, and her imperial authority faded away for a moment.

"The court of the Great Shaw Empire has been sick for a long time. If I want to fully clean out these deep-rooted tumors, I still need some time."

Aiden stood with his hands behind his back. His dark eyes were like a bottomless Abyss.

"If Your Majesty finds it troublesome, I don’t mind doing it for you. Dead people can never form factions for personal gain."

His casual words carried a cold killing intent strong enough to freeze the soul.

Eira gave a bitter smile. She did not doubt for a second that this young man, who had just slaughtered a Demon Duke, had the ability to turn the court of the Great Shaw Empire into a river of blood.

"I will handle the court purge myself. Your focus right now is not here."

After leaving the palace, Aiden took Cheryl and went straight to the Reclasser Association in the Sovereign City.

In front of the towering association building, the atmosphere was far more tense than usual. Teams of fully armed high-level Reclassers were patrolling the area closely.

On the top floor, inside the Deputy Guildmaster’s office.

Bang.

Luke heavily shut the door made of solid steel. With a flick of his finger, several soundproof barriers and anti-scouting magic arrays were instantly activated.

This level 79 Tyrant Cleric, known as the [Tyrant] in ordinary times, now looked extremely serious.

"Aiden, the situation is terrible."

Luke strode to his desk and pushed a file bag sealed with top-secret wax in front of Aiden.

"After you removed Felix, the biggest hidden pawn of the Evil Demons Guild, their secret network went completely mad."

"One of the Four Heavenly Kings, the [Dark Dragon Heavenly King], has already sneaked into the territory of the Great Shaw Empire!"

Aiden’s eyes shifted slightly."A level 95 Great Venerable?"

"That’s right. And he is the most troublesome type—an Assassin class. He has mastered high-level Shadow Laws."

Luke gritted his teeth, his fists cracking as he clenched them."Last night, he slipped into the heavily guarded military headquarters of the Great Shaw Empire as if no one was there. He assassinated a general and escaped without a scratch!"

The Great Shaw Empire’s military headquarters was protected by countless formations, yet they could not stop a poisonous dragon hiding in the shadows. This was a direct insult to the Great Shaw Empire.

"And that’s not all. Their activity has increased sharply recently. Their targets are not only you, but also all the top geniuses of the Great Shaw Empire!"

Luke suddenly brought up a holographic projection.

On the screen were photos of Vespera, Vivi, John, and others. Beside every photo was a shocking blood-red cross.

"In the few days you were back on Earth, Vespera was attacked three times in a row!"

"When Vivi was carrying out a military mission, she was ambushed by two Evil Demons Guild elders above level 80. She was almost badly injured!"

"As for John from the Hawthorne family’s trading company, seven pieces of his armor were smashed. If he had not carried an Epic Rank life-saving scroll with him, he would already be dead!"

They were all geniuses close to Aiden.The purpose of the Evil Demons Guild was clear—to cut off Aiden’s wings and kill the future of the Great Shaw Empire!

After hearing this, a violent wave of magic began to rise faintly around Aiden.

Strands of golden flame started to dance in the air. It was his extreme magic power leaking out without him realizing it.

Cheryl, standing behind Aiden, instantly raised her ice-crystal staff. Bone-chilling cold mixed with the golden fire, making the walls of the office crack under the pressure.

Just then, a burst of noisy crying came from outside the office.

"Let me in! I need to see Lord Aiden! Please, let me see him!"

Luke frowned and was about to scold the guards outside, but Aiden raised his hand and waved it.

With a surge of magic, he forced the heavy door open.An old man in ragged clothes, with a head full of white hair, stumbled inside and fell to his knees before Aiden with a thud.

"Lord Aiden! Help! Please, save my grandson!"

The old man burst into tears. He slammed his forehead against the hard floor, leaving a patch of bright red blood.

Aiden’s eyes narrowed. He recognized the old man.

He was one of the refugees from The White City—the grandfather of the one-armed little boy who had always seen Aiden as his idol and dreamed of becoming a powerful Reclasser.

"What happened?" Aiden asked calmly.

But anyone who knew him understood that this calm was the dead silence before a storm.

"Andy was taken!"

The old man cried in despair, his whole body shaking."A group of people in black robes rushed into the refugee camp. They smelled rotten and foul, like they were covered in decay!"

"They said... they said Andy was your loyal follower. They wanted to take him away, pull out his tendons, skin him alive, and burn him as a sacrifice for the Evil Demons Guild members you killed!"

Boom!

An indescribable pressure exploded inside the office like a real volcanic eruption.

The pressure of a Legendary Rank Magic Apprentice, combined with the deep power of laws built up over time by the 10,000x critical hit system, turned into a storm that seemed able to tear everything apart.

The special alloy floor beneath Aiden’s feet instantly shattered into dust. The entire Reclasser Association building shook violently under his killing intent.

If the Evil Demons Guild assassinated geniuses, Aiden could treat it as a move in a fight between enemy forces. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

But they had raised their blade against an unarmed disabled child, only because that child admired him.

They had crossed Aiden’s bottom line.

"Aiden, calm down!"

Luke forced himself to shout through the terrifying storm of magic.

"This is a trap! A trap set openly for you!"

"The Dark Dragon Heavenly King must be hiding in the shadows, waiting for you to leave the protection of the formations in the Sovereign City!"

Luke gripped the edge of the desk tightly, his eyes bloodshot."You must not leave this place now. As long as you stay in the Sovereign City, they won’t dare attack you openly!"

Aiden lowered his eyes slightly, making it impossible to see what he was feeling.

But when he raised his head again, Golden Sunfire was already burning in his dark eyes, as if it could burn the sky and destroy the earth.

"A trap?"

Aiden’s lips curved into a chilling sneer. His voice sounded as if it had drifted up from the Nether Abyss.

"In the face of absolute Strength, all tricks and schemes are nothing but laughable paper tigers."

He would never hide inside the Sovereign City like a coward and wait for his enemies to come to him.

Since the Evil Demons Guild wanted to play, he would smash the whole game board—and the players with it—into pieces.

Aiden turned his head, his gaze as sharp as a blade as it fell on Luke.

"Give me all the information on every suspected Evil Demons Guild base."

This was not a request.It was an order.

Luke looked into Aiden’s unquestionable eyes and felt the terrifying killing intent that seemed ready to tear space apart. In the end, he swallowed hard.

Then he nodded heavily.

"Fine! The military and the association have already found the locations of several of their outer bases during this period. I’ll give them all to you!"