Chapter 426
Athena looked at Michael’s swollen face. His eyes were still firm, and he shouted at Athena with all his strength, “Athena, don’t believe him! Don’t open the city gate! The people of Petanion would rather die standing than live on their knees!”
The crisp sound of the military-grade whip breaking through the air exploded in front of the battle formation, and the coarse military-grade whip struck Michael heavily on the chest. Beads of blood welled out of the wound, and scarlet bloodstains appeared on his body. He groaned, and his body trembled violently, but he stubbornly refused to bend his back.
“Ray, you are a villain!” He raised his head, blood streaming down his jawline, but he didn’t give in at all. “Even if I die, I won’t let your conspiracy succeed!”
“You’re asking for death!” Ray’s personal guards beside him shouted angrily, swinging their military-grade whip and lashing out fiercely.
The sound of the military-grade whip tearing through flesh was terrifying. Michael’s body was quickly soaked in blood, and his exposed skin was covered with crisscrossing bloody marks, so deep that bone was visible. The people on the city tower all turned their heads away, unable to bear it. Some people sobbed and cried out, “General Osborne!”
Athena’s nails dug deeply into her palm, her knuckles as white as paper. Ray was actually forcing her in this way.
Michael suddenly burst into laughter. The laughter was hoarse but loud, shaking the Northcold army’s formation. “You bastards, you are not worthy of stepping into Pidence City. If Prince Xander were here, how could he allow you villains to be so rampant? Crushing you would be like crushing ants on the ground!”
Ray’s face instantly darkened, and he reined his horse forward and said coldly, “A defeated general dares to spout nonsense.” He pulled out the long sword from his waist, and the tip of the sword lifted Michael’s chin. “Do you think Xander can come back alive? At this time, I’m afraid he has been gnawed by wild wolves until there are no bones left.”
He turned to look at the people on the city tower and shouted, “Prince Xander will not return.”
Michael struggled violently, and the rope strangled the veins in his neck. “Prince Xander will definitely come back, and he will carry your head to pay homage to the people of the city!”
“Is that so?” Ray suddenly turned his head to look at the city tower, his eyes looking at Athena. “Xander will not come back, Athena. You should give up this idea.” His sword tip gently sliced across Michael’s neck, and blood beads immediately dripped down the blade. “Now open the city gate, and I will not slaughter the city. If you don’t open the city gate again, I will skin him alive in front of you. When I attack the Imperial City, I will slaughter the city.”
Athena’s heart was pierced severely by the tip of the sword, and she was so painful that she could hardly stand. She looked at the blood oozing from Michael’s neck, and then looked at Ray’s triumphant face, and suddenly slowly raised her hand and put the sword on her neck.
“Ray.” Her voice was terrifyingly calm. “If you touch him again, I will die in front of you now.”
Ray’s sword tip stopped. He looked at the determined figure on the city tower, the cold light reflected in her eyes, without the slightest hesitation. The fire of ecstasy was instantly extinguished. He suddenly withdrew his long sword and shouted sternly, “Athena, stop!”
Ray’s heart felt like it was being tightly clenched by a large hand. To save Michael, Athena did not hesitate to hurt herself. She had compassion for everyone, but she was ruthless and decisive only towards him. The guard froze in mid-air, looking at Ray in confusion. Ray didn’t continue, but everyone could see the ruthlessness in his eyes. If Michael died, Athena would definitely be destroyed with him.
Michael struggled violently, shouting, “Ray, I have to kill you!” Seeing Athena hurt herself is more painful than killing him.
“Athena, come back to me. Don’t be obsessed anymore,” Ray’s voice was full of entreaty. “I can let Michael go, and I can let the people of the whole city go. As long as you come back to me, all this will come to an end.”
Athena’s eyes swept over the dense Northcold army under the city tower, and then looked at the people huddled in the corners of the city. They had sallow faces and chapped lips. The child huddled in the mother’s arms, his breath weak. “Mom, I’m so thirsty.” The woman looked at the child’s pale face, bit her lip, cut her wrist with a knife, and let the child suck her blood. “Drink, I have water here.” The child swallowed unconsciously, but the woman’s face became paler and paler. Such poor situations were everywhere. If it were delayed any longer, the consequences would only become more and more serious.
Athena’s heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and it hurt so much that she could hardly breathe. How ridiculous. The lives of everyone in the city depended on her decision. As long as she agreed to Ray’s request, everything would go back to square one. Northcold would withdraw its troops, and Ray would no longer massacre the city. The people would return to their peaceful lives.
Athena looked at the distant mountains and gently closed her eyes.
“I’ll go with you,” she said.
As the words squeezed out from between her teeth, the wind on the city tower suddenly stopped. Ray was stunned, seemingly not expecting her to be so straightforward.
Athena’s voice was calm, but with an unquestionable determination. “I agree to marry you, but you must agree to two conditions. You must not harm a single one in the city within three days, and you must not lay a finger on General Osborne. Three days later, I will open the city gate and personally go to your camp to marry you.”
“Athena!” Michael struggled violently, looking at her with horror, “No, you can’t marry him.” He didn’t even blink when he was whipped by the Northcold people, but when he heard Athena’s decision, Michael’s eyes turned red. He had never been so helpless as he was now. It was his uselessness that failed to protect Athena. He was the one who deserved to die.
Michael shouted at Athena with all his strength, “Athena, do not open the city gate. Don’t worry about me.” As he spoke, he bit his tongue hard.
Ray was shocked and shouted, “He’s going to bite his tongue and kill himself. Don’t let him die.”
The guards rushed forward and knocked Michael unconscious, saving him. Athena breathed a sigh of relief.
“Athena!” The people on the city tower panicked and cried out, “We are not afraid of death. You can’t marry him!”
“That’s right. We are not afraid of death. How can we watch you fall into Ray’s hands?”
“Even if we die, we will protect you.”
Athena’s lips curled into a faint smile. Looking at the sad faces, she was moved. “I am Princess Athena, Xander’s wife. When he was here, he protected you. Now that he is gone, I will protect you. This is my duty, and my mission.”
After Athena finished speaking, she looked at Ray, her eyes no longer rippling. “Do you agree?”
Ray’s Adam’s apple rolled violently, and ecstasy flooded him like a tide. He stared at Athena’s face, afraid this was an illusion. “I promise, as long as you are willing to marry me, not to mention two conditions, I will agree to two hundred!”
Athena smiled softly, her voice carrying a firmness that only she could understand. “In three days, everything will be over.”