"The Celestial Vault Kingdom?"
Burlington and the others were stunned. They couldn’t understand why Solren would suddenly bring up a na that seed to have co out of nowhere.
"Still playing dumb...? I am not so fool you can toy with as you please. This Communication Device, and the Battle Armor you wear, are all products of the Celestial Vault Kingdom, aren’t they? Don’t underestimate my intelligence network! I’ve traveled to many places over the past few decades."
Solren said coldly, "These impossibly advanced products are creations of the Celestial Vault Kingdom. I am certain of it."
"A misunderstanding! You’ve misunderstood! We’re not from the Celestial Vault Kingdom! We’re absolutely not!"
"Then explain yourselves!"
The Sword Saint removed his long saber, plunged it into the ground, and stood leaning on the hilt, his glacial gaze sweeping over the group.
"I am waiting for your explanation. Why do you have equipnt from the Celestial Vault Kingdom?"
Andre and Burlington’s eyes widened, and they stamred,
"Ah, well... this is..."
..........
Outside the Secret Realm, the audience erupted into a clamor upon seeing Solren’s aggressive posture.
"You can do that?"
"Is Duke Qinghui trying to make Solren suspicious?"
"To fra others as spies from the Celestial Vault Kingdom! How vicious!"
"But... there’s really no way to prove their innocence, is there?"
"Why can’t they prove it?"
Soone who didn’t know the inside story asked in confusion, "But isn’t the equipnt used by the War Knights independently developed and manufactured by the Empire? What does it have to do with the Celestial Vault Kingdom?"
"Haha, ’independently developed,’ my friend. You’re being a little too funny."
A know-it-all imdiately started dropping so hot takes:
"The Empire’s technologies, like the chanical Battle Armor and Portable Communication Devices... were indeed ’inspired’ by old products from the Celestial Vault Kingdom. Back in the Age of the Dragon Calamity, the Celestial Vault Kingdom already had prototypes of both."
"’Inspired’? It was pure plagiarism! What’s so hard to admit?"
"Give a break. Without the Empire’s mass production, who would even know what chanical Battle Armor is?!"
"Classic."
"I don’t think you can call it plagiarism, can you? It was mutually beneficial."
"..."
Listening to the surrounding chatter, the Regent King couldn’t help but sigh and press a hand to her forehead.
"This is rather embarrassing. It seems we’ll have to allocate funds to develop the Empire’s own military equipnt from now on."
Yaligong said with a deadpan expression, "Imperial Sister makes it sound so easy. Of all the Realms of Order, which one isn’t just picking up scraps? The Celestial Vault Kingdom is far, far ahead of us. Imitating their equipnt and weapons is the most efficient path."
His Imperial Highness Prince Yaligong was no longer angry. Watching the Secret Realm Trial up to this point, he had experienced so many ups and downs that it was hard to muster any emotion.
No matter how agitated he got, after days and nights of being extrely furious, he simply couldn’t get angry anymore.
Besides, his reason told him that the outco he most dreaded was likely to occur.
Like soone who already knew their exam results, Yaligong felt not a single ripple of emotion.
In other words, he was numb.
Now, he was just watching the Trial with a fairly placid state of mind.
..........
Faced with Solren’s interrogation, the War Knights racked their brains but couldn’t co up with an excuse.
"You can’t make one up, can you?"
Seeing this, Solren sighed deeply and said,
"It’s obvious. You don’t belong here at all. You’ve co from that rich and prosperous Celestial Vault Kingdom, and your only goal is to turn the people of this land into disposable pawns to wear down the Dragon Race’s strength! To that end, you even coerced and drove refugees to find , because you knew I couldn’t possibly refuse them! Isn’t that right!"
The Sword Saint practically roared the last part of his speech. His face contorted with unprecedented fury, he kicked his long saber up from the ground and caught it in a reverse grip.
"I once trusted you, but this is how you repay my trust... You... shaless scoundrels!!"
"Your Excellency!"
Burlington said urgently, "I don’t know how you ca to this conclusion, but please don’t be so quick to believe the provocations of an outsider! Even if you don’t trust us, what about Mr. Andre?"
Andre imdiately chid in, "Yes, Ancestor! We’re blood relatives! We’re your kin! Don’t you trust ?"
"I know."
Solren looked at Andre. He had confird this point long ago.
The Sword Saint t Andre’s gaze and said in a sorrowful tone,
"But aside from our bloodline, you and I are different. That pampered, high-and-mighty attitude of yours is no different from that of a Dragon... You do indeed show great respect, but what about the others? In your eyes, they are probably as lowly as dust. You’ve never once seen them as your own people."
"Ngh..."
Andre was at a loss for words, his pupils quaking.
’Solren was right. He truly didn’t care about these refugees on the Kepal Plain.’
’Ignorant, apathetic, cowardly, and resigned to their fate... Even the beggars in the Imperial Capital are far better than them!’
’He was the heir to the noble Solren Clan. Even the commoners of the Empire were not the sa species as him, let alone these ancient slaves.’
Solren gave a bitter, self-deprecating smile and continued,
"Compared to the people of the Celestial Vault Kingdom, we are indeed wretchedly inferior. It’s only natural to be despised and looked down upon. But no matter how weak, no matter how humble, they are still human beings struggling to survive. They are my brothers and sisters."
"You had the good fortune to be accepted by the Celestial Vault Kingdom and beco a Celestial Being. I congratulate you on escaping this sea of suffering... But you should never, ever have treated the lives of your own people as expendable. You are my blood relative, yes, but I... am ashad to have you as kin!"
Those last words struck Andre’s chest like a heavy hamr, sending him staggering back and falling to the ground.
For the heir of the Solren Clan, who had grown up listening to the great deeds of his ancestor and taking imnse pride in them, the damage from that statent was overwhelming.
It was the ultimate insult!
"We struggle to survive. We are insignificant. But that doesn’t an we can be trampled and exploited at will. I have walked this path, step by step, to this very day, swinging my sword countless, countless tis."
His voice almost breaking into a sob, Solren began to draw his long saber from its sheath, bit by bit.
"And my sword will only strike the tyrants in the sky! Whether they be Dragons... or n!"
Andre was dumbfounded. "Ancestor... you..."
"Activate Battle Armor!"
Burlington was the first to sense Solren’s killing intent and imdiately shouted the command.
The well-trained War Knights reacted as well, instinctively tightening their grip on their weapons.
However, before a Legendary Sword Saint, their movents were far, far too slow.
SHIIING—
With the ringing cry of a blade being unsheathed, that stuttering sensation of ti itself dropping fras appeared once more.
Solren’s figure blurred past all the War Knights, appearing in an instant at the other end of the camp.
Andre, all the War Knights, and the other Trial Takers present were all frozen in place.
HAAAH—
Solren let out a long breath, slowly sheathing his long saber. The mont the blade was fully sheathed, he closed his eyes.
SHLICK—
Countless blossoms of blood burst from the frozen War Knights.
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