If the Bloodthirsty Cult and The Skinners' Church were to give them a consultation, they would discover the truth.
This was actually due to hereditary diseases caused by disordered genes in their ancestors' bodies: one was pituitary hormone insufficiency leading to hormonal imbalance, affecting their growth and developnt; the second was genetic kidney disease.
But the Habsburgs, who had never encountered such forbidden knowledge, were unaware of this.
For a long ti, they even believed their family was cursed by political enemies.
The scarcity of heirs in the Habsburg Dynasty also ant there weren't many adventurers, all hailing from non-Great Noble collateral branches. August, from the old Tyrol line, was one of them.
After arriving in the Sun Empire during an opportune period, the things he cared about differed from others.
His primary focus was not the ubiquitous gold, nor the immortal Fifth Order [False God]s.
Instead, it was the fertility mystery of the Sun Empire.
For over a thousand years, every King of this Great Empire had married his own sister, generation after generation, yet they had never encountered a situation like the Habsburgs'.
The King's heirs numbered in the hundreds.
Even marriages to Totem Gods who were originally Earthquake Dragons and llamas posed no issue.
Did that an that as long as the Habsburg family, which rose to prominence through "marriage," contracted a marriage alliance with the Scions of the Sun, they could solve this problem that had troubled them for nearly three hundred years?
To the Habsburg Dynasty, the miraculous abilities of the Scions of the Sun were nothing less than a divine gift, a blessed rain from heaven!
The phrase "rule the world with the lower half" had only been a joke in the past, but in the future, it probably wouldn't be!
Why not seize the opportunity and charge blindly?
After striking a deal with the Third Prince, August exerted all his might for the sake of his family's future.
Seeing those ordinary Third Order Princes fleeing, he remained calm and casually raised his hand to command, "Open the arena! Mode: free-for-all! Rounds: two!"
Imdiately, screens of light rose within the arena, separating everyone.
According to the intelligence provided by the Third Prince, the Eldest Prince, 'Earthquake Light,' possessed the greatest personal strength, while the Second Prince, 'Playboy,' had the most extensive network of allies. Therefore, August first grouped these two most powerful factions together.
The plan was to have them fight each other to mutual destruction so he could pick up the pieces.
He himself chose to be grouped with the Fourth Prince, 'Hand of Wealth,' the weakest among the four Governors, in the second group.
Facing this kind of "fat pig" with money but no skill seed to be a matter of a single cut at most.
As for the other ordinary princes and guards who were already scared witless, they were randomly divided into the two groups.
One group had three complete squads, totaling nine Third Order individuals.
The second group had three complete squads, plus the four guards left after their respective princes had been killed by 'Ti Thief' and 'Cassius's Dagger,' thirteen Third Order individuals in total.
"Kill!"
The inebriated Third Prince, 'Hero's Blood,' leading his guards, unfolded the mythical form of pure-blooded Sons of the Sun, each brandishing a bronze spear and laughing wildly as they charged at their Low Order brothers.
Within the sa path of the 'Bloodline Codex,' superiors naturally suppressed their inferiors.
In the Old Continent, three Third Order individuals would be enough to engage a Fourth Order in a back-and-forth battle, resisting the pressure for a short ti. But here, it was almost an instant rout.
"AHHHH..."
The screams were deafening.
August, wielding 'Cassius's Dagger,' was doing the sa.
Placing the cold, gleaming dagger against his lips, he stuck out his tongue and licked it. SLURP—
Regrettably, the dagger's trait of targeting princes was inherent to the Sacred Relic itself, and it wasn't poisoned, so none of those much-anticipated dramatic scenes occurred.
Against a multitude of Molten Giants, the three of them were like tigers entering a flock of sheep.
"We can't let them kill everyone," Byron instructed Violet and Atahualpa. "You two hold off the two Sons of the Sun. I'll deal with this most troubleso Habsburg first, or at least snatch that dagger away."
Then, overcoming his innate fear of the dagger, he summoned the 'Tidecaller,' which transford into a Big Spear, and took the initiative to attack August.
CLANG!
Just as August was about to stab another prince, a Big Spear, crackling with wind and thunder, violently deflected his dagger.
The spearhead burst into cold radiance, splitting from one into two, then two into eight, forcing him back several steps.
anwhile, Byron effortlessly pulled out the golden contract pages Atahualpa had used to bribe his brothers and shouted to the Molten Giants who were fighting on their own, "With this contract as proof, my Fourth Prince and all of you stand together, unlike the other three Governors! Fighting alone now will only get you killed off one by one! Everyone, rally to , and let's break out together!"
He spoke Quechua fluently. August had not yet realized that Byron and Violet were not the Native Totem Gods who had co to aid his claim.
August paid no attention to Byron's words. The power systems of the Old Continent and Southern Continent were different; even if those from the Southern Continent gathered, they could not achieve the Old Continent's extraordinary effect of collective strength.
They were still just a disorganized mob.
Watching Byron, an opponent of comparable strength, August coolly twisted his neck and let out a loud shout, "Oathsworn Spirit, Hercules, co forth!"
The Silver Law manifested in the air, and a mountainous, towering figure leaped down from it, fiercely plunging into August's body.
The latter's body rapidly expanded, his muscles bulging like cold, hard granite, exuding an unshakeable sense of power.
August, like Byron's Guardian Knight Bruh, was also an Oath Knight of the Tribunal's Sequence.
Only, unlike a Guardian Knight's oath to protect their lord, his oath was to protect his family:
"For the Habsburgs to endure forever, through hell or high water, I shall not spare myself!"
When fighting for his family's interests, his strength would also receive an additional boost.
At the sa ti, he also possessed an Oathsworn Spirit from his own ethnicity, nation, and region.
Hightins was one of the [Twelve Knights of the Round Table], while the Heroic Spirits of The Holy Silver Empire were mainly the [Ten Heroes] of the Mythological Era: Hercules, Achilles, Odysseus...
Hercules was the most famous among them, renowned for his unparalleled strength.
ROAR—!
Along with three beastly roars, the phantoms of a lion, a hind, and a boar appeared behind August. They then exploded in the air, transforming into three auras that settled upon him.
These were from the twelve labors of Hercules he had unlocked after reaching the Fourth Order, also known as [The Twelve Labors of the Hero].
So far, he had only completed three: skinning the Nean Giant Lion; capturing the Hind of Mount Ceryneia alive; and capturing the Erymanthian Boar alive.
For each labor completed, an aura was added, corresponding respectively to defense, agility, and strength.
With a shake of his body, the earth trembled, as if a single punch from him could tear a hole through the sky.
With such a powerful transcendent ability bolstering him, August was confident he was not inferior to any Mythical Creature that followed a forbidden path.
CREAK, CREAK...
Opposite him, just the power aura from the "Erymanthian Boar" alone caused Byron's joints to tremble, as if he bore a mountain on his back.
Fortunately, while Byron and his companions detained the Third Prince's squad, the Molten Giants, who were already at an absolute disadvantage and had nothing to lose, had gathered behind Byron.
They say when people from the sa place et, one often ends up stabbing the other in the back. It was ti to give this 'fellow countryman' a little shock from ho.
Byron stomped his foot, and a blood-red halo exploded above his head.
In an instant, he connected with the nine surviving Third Order Molten Giants in his camp.
Byron's aura surged dramatically. The raging Spiritual Radiance transford into a fiery red fla that enveloped his mouth and nose, faintly coalescing around a shining [Storm King Seal] at its center, preventing it from spiraling out of control.
Everyone breathed as one, forming a vast, unified entity. Even the Big Spear in Byron's hand was dyed a dazzling crimson.
Searing waves of heat roared out.
"[Knight Commander]?! You're not a native!" August, who had been unconcerned until now, suddenly paled.
BOOM!
Like an exploding powder keg, the Big Spear, driven by a fiery vortex, ripped through the air, striking before him like lightning.
August barely managed to raise his dagger across his chest in haste before he was struck head-on, as if by a heavy siege hamr wielded by a giant. His feet left the ground, and his entire body flew backward like a cannonball.
Only then did he hear Byron's voice, "Wrong. It's [Knight Commander], plus [Breath of All Things]!"
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