Zayden’s eyes widened as he felt something pierce his chest.
It happened so fast that he did not realize what had happened.
His gaze lowered to the dagger that, at this moment, was piercing through his chest.
He felt the coldness of the dagger, followed by a slowly spreading warmth and then pain.
The sensation finally brought him to the realization that he had already been stabbed by the person standing in front of him.
The person he had decided to serve.
Zayden’s trembling eyes turned toward the person’s face who, at this moment, still had a smile.
Despite being the one who had embedded the dagger into his chest, Devron was still showing that amicable smile he usually showed to him.
Blood finally fell from Zayden’s lips, and with trembling lips, his shaking voice resounded.
"Wh... why?"
"Well, because your role is already finished. There is no need for you anymore. You and your blood family, after this war, will have no place in the new dawn of the empire," Devron replied as he pulled the dagger out.
Zayden’s chest began bleeding even more heavily, and he felt weakness spreading throughout his body.
"You’ve already been inflicted with the Northern Black Spider’s poison. There is nothing you can do."
Devron said it calmly.
Zayden gritted his teeth as he began to feel a burning pain from the poison spreading throughout his body.
His energy circulation became a complete mess, and he could no longer circulate his energy properly.
He fell to the ground, his knees dropping first before he collapsed entirely.
He felt despair. Hearing what kind of poison had entered his body, he knew that his chance of survival was zero.
The Northern Black Spider’s poison was one of the deadliest poisons on the continent. Depending on the strength of the spider and the dose, it could even kill a ninth-stage cultivator!
"Because you have already been helpful to me and the empire for a long time, I will let you die this way. Die slowly while you can still talk to me," Devron continued.
Zayden gritted his teeth. Although he was having difficulty moving his body, he kept forcing his head to move so he could look at Devron’s face.
"What do you... mean... my role... already finished? And my family... what do you... mean?" he asked in a pained voice.
The pain in his voice was not only because of the pain in his chest. It was also mixed with the pain of disbelief that he felt at this moment.
How could the person he had decided to serve want to kill him?
Inside his heart, he still couldn’t believe it.
Was there a misunderstanding somewhere? Why would Devron kill him?
Why?
He did not understand it.
"Like I said, your role is already finished. What do you think I let you become one of my trusted people for? I have my own plan for you," Devron answered.
His expression still did not change. He was still smiling. His voice did not show even the slightest hint of pity.
"You and your blood family... well, let’s just say that I... no, my family never liked your family. And it’s like the chance was delivered to me by the heavens. The war happened, and you told me about your extraordinary ability to do something that anyone else could not... you could approach the Heavenly Sword."
"This is the chance to get rid of you and your family without much backlash."
Zayden’s heart trembled. His eyes still tried to maintain contact with Devron’s face.
"Are you... really meaning it... Your Highness?" he asked weakly.
Although he had already heard the prince’s firm answer, he still felt like he could not believe it.
Devron shrugged upon hearing the question.
"It’s up to you to believe it or not. Anyway, this has already gone on for too long. By now, I know the poison has already spread toward your heart and dantian," he said.
"You don’t have to feel sad about your family or feel lonely. They will follow you later, and that also includes your small family."
Zayden widened his eyes. The pain in his chest was getting worse. He felt his chest tighten, making it difficult to breathe.
He didn’t know if this was because of the poison or the sudden feeling of betrayal that finally rose inside him.
It really wasn’t a misunderstanding.
Devron really wanted to kill him from the beginning.
His relationship with the prince all this time had been a fake.
The loyalty he had shown. His effort and struggle that he had already endured for the prince and the empire...
All seemed to be for nothing.
All of it was nothing in front of the prince.
The feeling of betrayal kept seeping into his heart. For the first time in his life, Zayden felt fury toward the prince.
Hearing Devron mention his small family, he knew that Devron must have meant his wife and daughter.
Something inside him finally snapped.
It was like an adrenaline rush that forced him to ignore all the pain and gave him a sudden boost in power.
"Devron! Don’t you dare touch my wife and daughter! If you really hate me, then target only me! Don’t bring my family into this!"
But his heart felt cold when he saw Devron shake his head.
"No can do. How could I show mercy toward a traitor of the empire? The punishment for a traitor also implicates their family. You must know that."
Zayden gritted his teeth.
"What do you... mean?"
Devron smiled.
"Like I said, you are a traitor. Someone who tried to bring the heavenly sword to another empire after taking the sword by sacrificing many of our compatriots."
Zayden was confused for a moment, but then realization dawned upon him.
He chuckled and suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! I see, so that’s how you play it. Cough. You are really cruel, Devron. Is this your idea or your father’s? Cough. To think that I gave my spirit, my struggle, to people like you! Cough!"
As he forced himself to say all of that, he coughed up blood, worsening his condition.
But it did not stop Zayden from showing his fury and sense of betrayal. His eyes became bloodshot. His gaze then turned toward the others.
"Are all of you also in this? Have you all been wearing masks this entire time?" Zayden shouted toward them.
He saw that all of them seemed calm as they watched him like this. He could even see some of them smiling, as if they were satisfied seeing him suffer like this.
"Don’t blame us, Zayden. We only follow the right side of history. Blame your luck for the imperial family targeting your family for so long."
One of the men said.
Zayden looked at the man.
A man with short brown hair and a young face.
He had a tall and firm build.
The man was someone close to Zayden.
He was the vice commander of Zayden’s battalion.
Seeing the man looking at him with such a calm face while saying those words, the fury inside Zayden rose even more.
"Ervan. I’m truly a fool. Cough. To think that I genuinely considered you my friend."
Zayden then looked at the others.
"And all of you. Cough. I’m truly a fool! Are all of you here with Devron just to mock me? Are you gathered here just to humiliate me?! To see my death?!"
His voice was full of rage.
"Don’t blame us, Zayden. We only want to see it ourselves. Your death. We want to make sure that you are dead," one of the men said.
"Our presence here instead shows that we do not underestimate you. How could we underestimate someone who could take the Heavenly Sword and is also one of the greatest geniuses in the empire?" another man also said.
The others did not say anything, but they looked like they agreed with them.
Zayden’s bloodshot eyes did not change.
"Good. Very good, all of you. You will face retribution! I’ll curse all of you! You will never live a peaceful life! Cough. You will live in fear! You will remember my face for the rest of your lives! You will die horrible deaths!" he roared.
"If you dare to touch my family, even though I’m dead, my ghost will come for you! Even if I’m turned into a ghost, I will make sure to bring you all down to hell! Cough!"
Zayden’s body suddenly exuding a strong aura. It contained a sharp sensation, and everyone here could feel as if their skin were being pierced by thousands of invisible swords.
At the same time, he also tried to get up.
Despite the pain he felt throughout his body, Zayden forced himself to stand.
This made some of them tense. They had even already started circulating their internal energy, preparing for anything.
But Devron’s face remained calm.
In his view, Zayden was only a person on the brink of death.
What Zayden was showing was only desperation. He was simply using his last bit of energy to express his fury before he died.
"As expected from one of the geniuses who already gained the title of Swordmaster at such a young age. You can hold on all this time despite already being poisoned by the Northern Black Spider’s poison. You can even still unleash this much sword intent," Devron said calmly.
"But I think enough of your struggle. Let’s end this. I think we have already talked long enough. Like I said, just consider this chance of conversation before your death as my gratitude for whatever you have done all this time."
Devron then lifted one of his hands.
At that moment, Ervan, the vice commander of Zayden’s battalion took a step forward and unleashed a powerful punch toward Zayden.
His punch directly hit Zayden’s chest.
Zayden’s body was thrown away, and the punch worsened his wound.
His body was flung through the air and crashed repeatedly onto the ground, getting closer and closer to the abyss.
"Make sure to dump his body properly," Devron said.