The Emperor's Banquet continued.
Laughter echoed throughout the Hall of Eternal Heaven.
Musicians played elegant melodies.
Beautiful dancers moved gracefully across the polished jade floor.
On the surface...
Everything was peaceful.
But Lucien knew better.
People who smiled the brightest...
Often hid the sharpest knives.
He quietly lifted his wine cup.
The crimson wine reflected the lights of the hall.
Without drinking it, he casually placed it back on the table.
A small movement.
Almost no one noticed.
Except...
Elena.
Having served Lucien for twelve years, she understood his habits.
Whenever he refused to drink during a banquet...
It meant he had sensed danger.
Her right hand slowly rested on the hilt of her sword.
At the highest seat, Emperor Adrian calmly observed everyone.
His sharp eyes missed nothing.
Yet he said nothing.
A ruler sometimes allowed the hidden snakes to reveal themselves.
Just then...
A graceful young woman entered the hall carrying a crystal wine jug.
She wore the robes of an Imperial servant.
Her beauty was extraordinary.
Every movement was elegant.
She walked toward the Crown Prince with lowered eyes.
"Your Highness..."
"May I refill your cup?"
Lucien looked at her.
His expression remained calm.
But his Divine Eyes of Destiny quietly activated.
A faint black aura surrounded her heart.
Fear.
Determination.
Despair.
Not the emotions of an ordinary servant.
She knelt beside him.
As she poured the wine...
A tiny black needle silently slipped from her sleeve.
It was thinner than a strand of hair.
No ordinary cultivator could notice it.
Its target...
Lucien's neck.
Just as the needle was about to strike—
A calm voice echoed.
"Who sent you?"
The woman's pupils shrank.
He...
He had noticed?
Without hesitation, she changed her target.
Instead of the needle...
She shattered the wine jug.
BOOM!
Poisonous mist exploded across the banquet hall.
"P-POISON!"
The entire hall erupted into chaos.
Before anyone else could react...
Lucien pulled the tablecloth with one swift motion.
The heavy jade table flipped into the air.
The poisonous mist struck the table instead.
It hissed violently as the jade melted.
Gasps filled the hall.
Such terrifying poison...
Would have killed a Nascent Soul cultivator instantly.
The assassin drew twin daggers.
She rushed toward Lucien.
"Die!"
Before she could reach him—
A silver flash crossed the hall.
Clang!
Elena's sword intercepted both daggers.
The impact sent sparks flying.
The assassin was stunned.
"So fast!"
Elena's expression was colder than ice.
"You..."
"...dared to point a blade at His Highness."
For the first time since the banquet began...
True killing intent filled the hall.
The assassin retreated rapidly.
Several hidden accomplices suddenly burst through the palace windows.
Masked cultivators.
All at the Golden Core Realm.
Their target was obvious.
The Crown Prince.
Guests panicked.
Ministers hurried to safety.
Imperial Guards surrounded the Emperor.
Yet...
Emperor Adrian remained seated.
He calmly sipped his tea.
Not a trace of concern appeared on his face.
Grand Marshal Varos smiled.
"They chose..."
"...the worst possible place."
Lucien slowly stood.
He looked at the masked assassins.
"So."
"You've come."
The leader sneered.
"Lucien Draven Noctis."
"Your life ends tonight."
Lucien sighed.
"I was hoping to finish dinner first."
Even in the middle of an assassination attempt...
He sounded mildly inconvenienced.
Several guests couldn't believe it.
Was the Crown Prince completely fearless?
The leader attacked first.
His sword erupted with crimson flames.
A Heaven-grade technique.
Before the blade could descend—
Lucien disappeared.
The assassin's eyes widened.
"Where—"
A hand rested lightly on his shoulder.
"I'm behind you."
The assassin turned in horror.
Too late.
Lucien struck once with the hilt of the Void Emperor Sword.
CRACK!
The assassin crashed through three stone pillars before collapsing unconscious.
One strike.
No killing blow.
Just overwhelming precision.
The remaining assassins hesitated.
Their strongest fighter...
Had fallen in a single move.
At the same time...
Elena moved like silver lightning.
Her sword danced through the hall.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three assassins lost their weapons.
A fourth was knocked unconscious.
Not one fatal strike.
She remembered Lucien's usual rule.
"Capture them if possible."
Dead enemies kept secrets.
Living enemies answered questions.
Within moments...
The hall was silent once more.
The surviving assassins were bound by Imperial Guards.
The guests slowly regained their composure.
Many looked at Lucien with newfound respect.
He hadn't relied on panic.
Or brute force.
He had protected the guests, commanded the situation, and defeated the attackers with remarkable composure.
The Emperor finally rose from his throne.
His deep voice echoed across the hall.
"Seal the palace."
"No one enters."
"No one leaves."
His gaze swept over every noble and sect representative.
"Someone within this hall..."
"...invited these assassins."
A chill spread through the room.
Several ministers turned pale.
Prime Minister Cedric maintained a composed expression.
But beneath the sleeve of his robe...
His hand tightened into a fist.
The first move had failed.
And now...
The hunter had begun searching for the one who held the leash.
Far away, hidden in the darkness beyond the palace walls, the masked figure from House Alton watched the brightly lit hall.
A low chuckle escaped his lips.
"So..."
"The Crown Prince survives again."
"Interesting."
He turned and disappeared into the night.
"The next game..."
"...will be far more entertaining."