The will of the first Queen. A secret that could challenge the line of succession.
The world's 'Corrective Force' wasn't just giving Valerius a pat on the back and a few powerful allies. It was handing him a nuke. A legitimate, ancestral claim that could potentially delegitimize the current Emperor, the Crown Prince, and by extension, me. It was a move designed to create a civil war, a crisis of faith that a new, shining "hero" could then solve, cementing his place as the realm's savior.
Seraphina saw the alert in the same instant I did. I watched, hidden in the shadows, as her body went rigid for a fraction of a second. The composure of the ancient reincarnator, the hidden agent of the Court, finally cracked.
Her plan was to farm the World-Breaker. My plan was to kill him and seize his destiny. But the world itself, the very fabric of Aethelgard's destiny, was now propping up a third candidate, threatening to render both our plans obsolete.
"Our time is up," she said to Jian Yue, her voice regaining its cold composure, but now laced with a new, sharp urgency. "There is a carriage waiting for you at the northern postern gate. Do not deviate from the plan. Go. Now."
She didn't wait to see him off. She turned and, with a swirl of her violet robes, moved towards the exit of the spire, her mind clearly already racing, calculating how to deal with this new, explosive development. She was heading towards the treasury, to observe, to interfere if necessary.
This was my chance. My opportunity to act while all other eyes were focused elsewhere.
I let her go. My fight was not with her, not yet. My fight was with the very concept of "destiny" in this world. The world wanted a hero? Fine. I would show it what a villain could do.
As soon as Seraphina was gone, I used [Imp's Shadow-Step], not returning to my chambers, but teleporting directly to the antechamber of the Black Cells. The sudden relocation left me momentarily disoriented, the cost of the skill a familiar drain on my vitality.
The two guards snapped to attention. "Your Highness."
"Open the door," I commanded, my voice devoid of emotion. "Wait here. Do not enter until I call for you."
They obeyed without question. The heavy iron door swung open, and I stepped inside, sealing it behind me.
The cell was dark, silent, and smelled of despair. Lin Feng was a lump in the corner, chained to the wall. He had been without his System for days. The arrogant fire in his eyes was gone, replaced by a dull, hollow emptiness. He was a broken shell.
"Get up," I said.
He didn't respond, merely staring at the floor.
I walked over and grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking his head back. "I said, get up."
His dull eyes focused on me. "Just… kill me," he whispered, his voice a dry rasp. "End it."
"Oh, I'm going to," I said, my voice a soft, chilling purr. "I am going to kill you, little brother. I am going to erase you from this world so completely that not even a ghost of a memory will remain. But not yet. Not before you have served your final purpose."
I let him go, and his head slumped back down.
"Your destiny has been stolen, Lin Feng," I told him, pacing the small cell. "The world has already forgotten you. It has chosen a new champion. My second brother, Valerius. Right now, as we speak, fate is handing him the keys to the kingdom. An ancestral armor, a secret will… all the trappings of a proper little hero."
I saw a flicker of something in his eyes. Not hope. Not anger. Just a deep, profound bitterness. The bitterness of a protagonist who has been written out of his own story.
"But here's the fun part," I continued, my smile turning cruel. "I'm not going to let that happen. I am going to tear down this new hero, just as I've torn you down. And you… you are going to help me do it."
He finally looked up, confusion mixing with the despair. "Help you? I'd rather die."
"You don't have a choice," I said. I crouched down in front of him, my eyes locking with his. "I am going to make you into a weapon. My weapon. A rabid dog that I can unleash on my enemies."
I opened the system interface, the blue light bathing us in an ethereal glow. I navigated to the control panel the Judicator's verdict had given me.
[ASSET CONTROL PANEL: WORLD-BREAKER ANOMALY - LIN FENG]
[SYSTEM STATUS: SEALED (BY ORDER OF THE COURT OF INEVITABILITY)]
[CONTROL: You hold the key to this seal.]
[OPTIONS:
"I can give it back to you, you know," I whispered, watching his eyes widen as he understood what I was showing him. "That little voice in your head. That power you crave. I can turn it back on. Just for a little while."
A desperate, hungry light began to kindle in the depths of his hollow eyes. He was an addict, and I was holding his dose.
"Here's the deal," I said, laying out my terms. "I am going to release your system. You are going to use your 'Heaven's Wrath' skill to break out of this cell and out of the palace. You will be a fugitive, a wanted man. And you are going to go straight to the Jade Scepter sect, the ones who are sending an envoy for you. You will become their prized pupil. You will gather power under their banner."
He stared at me, confused. "You… you want me to get stronger?"
"I don't want you to," I said. "I need you to. Valerius is about to become the darling of the court, the chosen son. I need a counterbalance. A public enemy. A monster that will force the court to rely on a ruthless, efficient solution. Me."
I was pitting my two rivals against each other, with myself as the fulcrum. Lin Feng, the demonic fugitive, versus Valerius, the legitimate heir. It would create a civil conflict that would tear the dynasty's loyalties in two.
"You will be my mad dog," I repeated. "And when my brother has been dealt with, and you have outlived your usefulness, I will come for you. And I will put you down."
He was silent for a long moment, the gears turning in his broken mind. He had no other options. It was this, or rot in this cell forever.
"And what if I refuse?" he finally rasped. "What if I get my power back and come for you first?"
I smiled. It was not a pleasant sight. "Oh, I'm counting on it. It will be so much more satisfying to kill you when you're at your peak." I paused, leaning in closer. "But know this. The key to your system? I hold it. I can turn it off again, at any time, from anywhere. You will never be free. You will always be my puppet."
I didn't wait for his answer. I knew what it would be.
I selected the option.
[COMMAND CONFIRMED. TEMPORARILY RELEASING SEAL ON TARGET'S SYSTEM.]
[DURATION: UNTIL REVOKED BY YOU.]
A jolt went through Lin Feng's body, as if he'd been struck by lightning. His eyes went wide, and a slow, triumphant, manic grin spread across his face as the familiar blood-red screen of his own system bloomed in his vision. The power, the connection, was back.
"Yes…" he hissed, his voice trembling with renewed power.
"Now go," I commanded, stepping back towards the door. "Make a mess. Be the monster they all think you are. The bigger the chaos you create, the more powerful I become."
I left the cell, sealing the iron door behind me. I looked at the two guards. "The prisoner has somehow broken free of his spiritual suppression. He is about to breach containment. You will try to stop him. You will fail. Understand?"
They looked at each other, then back at me, and gave a sharp, understanding nod.
A moment later, a cataclysmic BOOM erupted from within the cell. The rune-etched iron door buckled outwards, torn from its hinges by a blast of pure, furious Qi.
Lin Feng stood in the doorway, wreathed in a faint, red aura, his chains shattered. He was free.
I had just unleashed the World-Breaker back into the world. A calculated, insane move that would set the entire empire on fire.
But as the alarms began to shriek throughout the palace, a new notification appeared on my system. It was from the data-siphon I had on Seraphina. She was reacting to the new development with Valerius. And her move was a twist so brilliant, so unexpected, that it made my own grand plan seem like a child's game.
[NEW PRIMARY QUEST DETECTED FROM SERAPHINA VANE'S SYSTEM:]
[QUEST: THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT]
[Description: The emergence of a new Protagonist candidate (Valerius) threatens the 'Controlled Demolition' plan. The original candidate (Lin Feng) is compromised. A new strategy is required. The secret will of the First Queen challenges the current line of succession. Use this.]
[Objective: Publicly declare your support for Prince Valerius. Use the Queen's will to champion his claim to the throne. Become his most ardent supporter, his closest advisor, and his betrothed.]
[Goal: Seize control of the new Protagonist from the inside.]