Chapter 421
Suddenly, there was a loud bang outside the hall, and the dust from the beams rustled down.
The Queen sat up abruptly, looking at the source of the sound in horror.
Several royal attendants ran in, scrambling and shouting in panic, “Something bad has happened! Something terrible has happened! The Aegis Guards have invaded the Imperial City!”
“This is simply nonsense. How could the palace, as impregnable as it is, be breached?” the Queen said.
The royal attendant was so frightened that he knelt on the ground, his voice trembling like a sieve. “I… I don’t know…”
Before he could finish speaking, the palace door was kicked open with a bang.
Alexandra, dressed in black armor, led more than a dozen Royal Guards in.
The tip of her spear was still dripping with blood, and she exuded a murderous aura.
Seeing Alexandra barging in with people, the Queen was so frightened that she fell from the throne.
She was stunned for a moment, then shrieked, “Protect me! Protect me! Capture these traitors!”
But the guards outside the hall had already been dealt with by the Royal Guards, and no one responded after shouting for a long time.
“Stop shouting.” Alexandra approached step by step, sneering coldly, “You and Fermin challenged the throne, murdered the King, and colluded with the enemy to betray the country. Each and every one of these crimes is enough for you to be executed by slicing.”
The palace maids and royal attendants were so frightened that they scattered and fled, but only one old royal attendant stood in front of the Queen, trembling, “Alexandra, the Queen was personally appointed by His Majesty. You can’t…”
“So what?” Alexandra threw her spear, the tip of which flew past his ear and was nailed to the screen behind him. “The crime of treason is unforgivable!”
The royal attendant fell to the ground with a cry, urine seeping from his crotch.
He no longer dared to protect the Queen.
The Queen was also pale with fright, her mouth wide open, unable to say a word.
At this moment, she no longer resembled the Queen.
Her eyes were full of fear.
But as the Queen, she had her pride, and even if she was afraid of death, she would not bow her head to Alexandra.
“I never thought I would be reduced to this.” The Queen smiled self-deprecatingly, her eyes full of loneliness.
Alexandra was too lazy to watch her act, and shouted sharply. “Come on, tie up the Queen.”
Before the words fell, two guards stepped forward and wrapped the Queen with hemp rope.
The Queen’s hairpin was askew, and her pearls and emeralds were scattered all over the ground. She screamed in terror, “How dare you! I am the Queen! My son will not let you get away with this!”
Alexandra stomped on the Queen’s diadem, crushing the Eastern Pearl. She smiled coldly, “Fermin can’t even protect himself. What makes you think he can save you?”
“No, no, my son would never lose,” the Queen shrieked.
A soldier shoved a wad of rags into her mouth, causing the Queen to pass out.
The team was like a sharp blade cutting through the waves, rushing forward along the Core Palace corridor.
The Royal Guards along the way wanted to stop them, but when they saw the leader wearing black armor and carrying a long spear, they were all too scared to step forward.
Someone recognized that she was Xander’s birth mother. She once beheaded the person who had attempted to assassinate the late King.
She was notoriously fierce, and no one in the Core Palace dared to provoke her.
Even the Queen Mother showed Alexandra respect.
The Royal Guards couldn’t help but loosen their grip on their swords.
A reckless fellow rushed forward with a knife, but Alexandra did not dodge or evade. Instead, she used her spear to deflect his weapon, striking his knee with the shaft.
The Royal Guard knelt heavily to the ground as Alexandra’s spear pierced his throat.
Such a ruthless style was befitting of Alexandra.
“The Imperial Palace is surrounded. Those who lay down their weapons will be spared,” Alexandra’s commanding voice echoed within the Imperial Palace. “Those who resist will be shown no mercy.”
The Royal Guards were too frightened to advance, and they dropped their weapons, kneeling on the ground in surrender.
Alexandra rode a tall horse, leading the Queen towards the Heaven Hall.
The battle in front of the Heaven Hall had reached a fever pitch.
Michael’s silver armor was stained black with blood. He had taken a hit to his left arm, and blood dripped down his armor from the wound.
More than half of the five hundred personal guards he brought had been lost, surrounded by three times their number of Royal Guards.
The circle of spears tightened, and each slash was accompanied by the screams of his personal guards.
“General Osborne, we can’t hold on any longer!” The lieutenant’s arm was pierced by an arrow, but he still gritted his teeth and waved his long saber. “Why don’t… you retreat first?”
Michael cleaved open the oncoming broadsword and pierced the chest of a Royal Guard with a backhand strike. “Retreat? Where to? We can’t retreat even if we die here.”
Athena was still nowhere to be seen, and he hadn’t seen Julius‘ signal to attack.
That meant Athena had not yet entered the Imperial Palace.
So many eyes had followed her all day. Besides, Alexandra disapproved of her.
Just then, a commotion suddenly came from the corner of the hall.
The Royal Guards‘ formation inexplicably collapsed, and someone shouted, “It’s bad, Alexandra is coming!”
Everyone looked forward in horror, only to see Alexandra wearing armor, riding a tall horse, and carrying a bloody spear.
She killed her way over with a commanding presence.
Behind her was a team of Aegis Guards.
Alexandra’s sudden appearance instantly turned the tide of the battle.
Michael’s soldiers were initially dispirited, but upon seeing reinforcements arrive, their morale soared. “Kill them and save His Majesty!”
The battle cries shook the heavens, and Michael smiled.
Alexandra arrived just in time.
“It’s Alexandra!” the personal guards‘ morale instantly surged, as if forgetting their pain, they tried their best to break through.
Alexandra threw the Queen to the Aegis Guards behind her. “Keep an eye on her!”
Immediately afterwards, she turned her spear and formed a pincer attack with Michael.
Her spearmanship was bold and expansive, carrying the bravery of a military family; where the tip of her spear swept, the Royal Guards fell to the ground one after another.
Fermin watched the sudden change in the battle situation, his face changing drastically.
“Your Highness, retreat quickly, we can’t hold on any longer.”
Fermin’s face was ghastly. “A bunch of good-for-nothings! Why couldn’t the three thousand Royal Guards in the palace withstand even a few hundred Aegis Guards soldiers? Even Queen Mother has fallen into their hands.”
The commander of the Royal Guards lowered his head in shame. Fermin revealed a fierce look, watched the chaotic battle, and ordered, “Listen to my order. Release the fire arrows.”
“Your Highness, the Queen is still in their hands.”
Fermin said, “Those who accomplish great things do not stick to trivial matters. Even if Queen Mother knew, she would understand me.”
The commander of the Royal Guards looked fearful as he listened to Fermin’s words.
If he could kill even his own mother, he would kill his soldiers as well.
The fire arrow archers all aimed at Michael and Alexandra.
The Aegis Guards soldiers swarmed up to protect the two of them.
Alexandra smiled coldly and said to Michael, “If I am buried here today, it will not have been in vain for me to have come to this world.”
She was born with the ambition to be a female general, but by a twist of fate, she entered the palace.
Having been trapped in this Imperial City for half my life, she never thought she would die here at the end.
Alexandra sighed and said, “If you live, tell my son to scatter my ashes into the rivers, lakes, and seas so that I can die in peace.”
“Alexandra.” Michael’s voice choked slightly.
But even more, he felt guilty, he had failed to protect Alexandra and had failed Athena’s trust.
“What are you crying about? You’re such a mama’s boy.” As she spoke, fire arrows shot in from all directions.
Michael had to buck up and knock down all the fire arrows that were shot at them.
He protected Alexandra while retreating backwards.
Just when Fermin thought the battle situation was turning around, suddenly a flare exploded in the sky above the Imperial City.