Chapter 119: Chapter 119: A Feast for Kings

Chapter 119: A Feast for Kings

The headless body of Valerius Thorne lay motionless in the bloody and ruined sand. I stood over him while holding his severed head in my heavy brass hand.

The silence of the Iron Colosseum was absolute and deafening.

Then, the silence broke.

Lord Vladis Crimson stood up from his velvet and obsidian chair. The Vampire Lord looked down at the arena with absolute and genuine respect. He raised his pale right hand into the air.

"VICTORY TO THE BRAVE!" the Vampire Lord shouted. His voice echoed with a profound and ancient weight.

Warlord Bloodfang stood up next. He slammed his massive green fists together. "VICTORY TO THE BRAVE!"

Matriarch Vespera and High Lord Malphas joined the chant. The ancient and proud rulers of the Monster Continent had spent their entire lives looking down on my kind.

But today, they stood up to honor a Goblin. They acknowledged my absolute and undeniable strength.

Lord Crimson stepped up to the railing and leaped down into the arena.

His long coat fluttered as he landed gracefully in the bloody sand. He walked over to the headless corpse of the Incubus Lord.

The Vampire Lord stopped. He made a tight fist with his right hand and placed it directly over his heart in a rigid and military salute. He bowed his head.

"In the name of the first Demon Emperor," Lord Crimson prayed aloud. His voice carried a divine and haunting echo.

"I release Valerius Thorne of all his sins as he has fallen bravely to the mighty hands of the Great Goblin Lord! May the Demons guide his soul to the realms of the brave! Osh’tarin!"

"Osh’tarin!" the other rulers echoed from the stands.

Up in the royal box, Seraphina Thorne fell to her knees. Her perfect and aristocratic face was completely ruined by tears and horror.

Her guards rushed forward to assist her. They scrambled down to the arena floor to collect the shattered remains of their envoy.

Seraphina did not look at me. She gathered her brother’s headless corpse into her arms. She trembled violently as she carried him toward the exit.

She was beginning the long and humiliating journey back to the Zenith Academy.

The battle may have ended but the grudge had taken root.

---

Three hours later, the atmosphere in the Iron Estate had completely transformed.

The massive and opulent dining hall of the palace was brightly lit. The grand chandeliers cast a warm glow over the long mahogany table.

I had washed the blood from my body and removed my heavy Ironclad armor. I wore a tailored suit of dark and refined silk.

I sat near the head of the table. My pack sat proudly beside me. Nyssa, Kaelith, Lysandra, and Rolf all wore formal attire. They looked absolutely stunning and dangerous.

They watched the ancient rulers of the continent sit across from us. The dynamic of the world had shifted. We were no longer outcasts. We were royalty.

The banquet was supposed to be a diplomatic celebration. However, the rulers were incredibly tense. They kept glancing at me and my pack. They were wary of our explosive power.

I decided it was time to break the ice and flex the cultural dominance of my new kingdom.

"Honored guests," I spoke smoothly.

"You have witnessed the martial strength of the Forge. Now, I invite you to witness our culinary supremacy. Tonight, you will eat dishes from my own secret heritage. They were prepared under the direct supervision of my closest companion."

The heavy oak doors of the kitchen swung open.

Anise stepped into the grand dining room. She wore a pristine and white chef uniform over her usual combat gear.

She had completely turned the Royal Palace upside down over the last few days.

The Royal Chef of the Kingdom of Iron and Steam was a proud and stubborn Minotaur. But after tasting one single spoonful of Anise’s broth, he had fallen to his knees and bowed his head to her teachings.

Anise was truly a unique and terrifying woman. She was a woman who was capable of cooking delicious food and her enemies with equal skill.

She walked toward the table. She had successfully and carefully suppressed her aura. She wanted to appear like a normal and polite attendant.

But the Monster Rulers were apex predators. Their survival instincts were incredibly sharp.

Warlord Bloodfang froze. His green skin paled slightly. Matriarch Vespera gripped her wine glass so tightly that the crystal almost cracked.

They could not sense her mana, but their souls were screaming in pure and absolute terror. They immediately recognized that the smiling human woman pushing the food cart was an unfathomable powerhouse.

’By the dark gods,’ Warlord Bloodfang thought while wiping a thick bead of sweat from his forehead.

’That human is a monster. If she presented poison to eat, it would be better to eat the poison and die quickly than to refuse it and face her wrath.’

Every single ruler shared the same terrified and silent realization. They thought this was a sick and twisted death game.

They thought I had brought out a hidden powerhouse to assassinate them all at the dinner table.

Anise smiled brightly and clapped her hands together.

"Good evening!" Anise announced happily.

"Lord Grik asked me to introduce our special menu. The first dish is a raw appetizer. It is a Glacial Leviathan Sashimi."

The waitstaff stepped forward and placed beautiful and intricate ceramic plates in front of each ruler.

"The Leviathan fish was caught from the deepest and coldest trenches of the abyssal sea," Anise explained while gesturing to the thinly sliced translucent meat.

"It has been cured in arcane citrus. Eating this raw flesh will instantly purify your mana channels and grant your mind absolute and refreshing clarity."

The rulers stared at the raw fish. They were sweating profusely.

"And for the main course," Anise continued while lifting a large silver dome from the center of the table. A heavenly and savory aroma instantly flooded the room.

"I present Golden Cockatrice Karaage!"

The dish was a massive mountain of deep-fried meat. It was perfectly crispy and golden brown.

"The Cockatrice is a lethal and venomous beast," Anise explained with a cheerful tone.

"But if you remove the venom sacs perfectly, the thigh meat becomes incredibly tender. I have marinated it in soy, ginger, and a special blend of mortal spices. Please, take a piece of the crispy meat and dip it into the white garlic sauce provided in your small bowls."

Anise looked at the rulers with a wide and expectant smile. "Go ahead! Eat!"

The silence in the room was heavy and suffocating. Warlord Bloodfang looked at Lord Crimson. The Vampire Lord looked at Matriarch Vespera. They were all trembling on the inside.

They slowly picked up their silver forks. They hesitated.

Their minds were racing with paranoid and terrified thoughts.

But they could not refuse the command of the smiling powerhouse standing before them.

Warlord Bloodfang pierced a thick and crispy piece of the Cockatrice Karaage.

He dipped it into the creamy garlic sauce exactly as Anise had instructed.

His hand was shaking slightly as he brought the food to his mouth.

He closed his eyes and braced for a painful and agonizing death.

He took a bite.

The crispy outer shell crunched perfectly between his heavy tusks.

The hot and savory juices of the Cockatrice meat exploded across his tongue.

The rich garlic sauce melted into the divine spices.

Warlord Bloodfang opened his eyes. His pupils dilated into massive and dark circles.

The other rulers took their bites simultaneously. They all froze completely in their seats.

They chewed slowly, and then they felt...