CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 655: Rumour

Only a few hours had passed since First Great Elder Morthen Wargrave brought the citizens back. Despite Emperor Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor reversing time to mend the Capital City, its nearby territories, and the battlefield itself, nearly a billion people had still witnessed the Imperial Knights' corpses, blood strewn across the earth, and their mangled golden and silver armor scattered in wreckage.

Prior to Morthen teleporting them from the Capital City just before the clash erupted, the citizens had already fled desperately for survival, aware that a massive battle loomed; dread, an icy chill, and death's smothering aura had slithered along their spines, permeating deep into their cores.

The visible corpses and remnants right before their eyes merely cemented that dark, inescapable truth in their minds, amplifying the horror already burrowed in their hearts.

Once returned, the populace barricaded themselves inside their homes from pure terror; though puzzled how their dwellings endured a conflict aimed at obliterating all existence, such mysteries paled against the urgent need for safety and survival.

Soon enough, whispers started circulating about the true events; the Wargraves had risen against the Imperial family.

Concealment proved impossible; after all, many powerhouses and elite figures in the Capital City had glimpsed the Wargraves before the battle, even prior to Morthen's teleportation.

This revelation plunged the masses into profound shock and ingrained dread; unaware of the Wargraves' motives for striking the Imperial family, that detail held no weight. The audacity of their action—and apparent escape—only amplified the fearsome aura and legendary status the Wargrave bloodline already commanded.

Fear of their boundless, inscrutable might had long gripped people; recent reports of the Wargrave family annihilating the entire Assassin Guild had stunned them, and now they had assaulted the Imperial family directly. Folks couldn't help wondering what turmoil gripped the Wargraves lately; they rarely moved as one, preferring solitary actions like the mysterious First Sun.

Thus, utmost wariness prevailed; avoid sharing breath with a nearby Wargrave, or cease breathing entirely.

Though it seemed ridiculously extreme, the public treated it with deadly seriousness; normally, post such a showdown with the Imperial family, the Emperor or a top royal would publicly declare the truth and brand it treason. Yet, the Imperial family remained utterly silent.

Yet... actions stirred beneath the surface, beyond public scrutiny.

Through countless covert maneuvers, the Imperial family disseminated tales denying any clash with the Wargraves, instead portraying a joint effort against a massive Rank 10 Emovirae invasion, so fierce that other Dukes had to intervene.

This story claimed the earlier citizen teleportation as the Wargraves safeguarding them during the fight, returning them afterward, with the Imperial Knights' bodies testifying to the invasion's terrifying magnitude.

Despite vast expenditures to propagate this false account and smother rival gossip about the Wargraves, the effort fell flat and yielded nothing. Once more, the Royal family misjudged the Wargraves; they failed to grasp the colossal sway and infamy of this lineage, so much that even gullible commoners resisted deception this time, purely due to Wargrave involvement.

One must realize the Zarethorn Empire's Capital City earned its title for profound reasons. Sky-high taxes prevailed here, alongside a dense cluster of mighty and affluent souls—shrewd minds, authoritative personages, sage figures, and those who opted to stay close to the Imperial family, convinced that in disasters, royals would shield their nearest allies first.

Their reasoning rang true and held solid ground; yet, ultimately, not every person bet everything on rescue from the Imperial family. Plenty wielded their own strength, after all. Even so, they elected to stay inside the Capital City and close to the Imperial Palace, chasing that vital security and key tactical position.

Yet, in the wake of the chaos unfolding these last few hours—what all had witnessed up close or caught wind of via rampant rumors—the spread of those tales alone screamed volumes of underlying truth. The Wargraves seldom sparked needless strife, sparking droves to mull over packing up for the Wargrave Ducal territory.

Should one lone family clash with the Imperial family and claim victory, wouldn't that scream their lands offered unmatched safety?

No formal decree verified the Wargrave family's triumph over the Imperial family, but crowds surged to that verdict anyway, fueled by the Imperial family's silence on any rebuttal or facts.

Of course, folks wouldn't just snatch their gear and dash off at once; most needed weeks or months to commit. The bold and mighty, though, could bolt in mere days. What escaped their notice? The Emperor had long foreseen such schemes and moves.

Even as Emperor Cyrvexis Lux Vanthelmor branded his son, Emperor Zolthemir Lux Vanthelmor, the foulest Emperor in all annals, that harsh judgment couldn't strip away the sliver of foresight the man still gripped, however faint.

So, the Emperor had clocked this mindset early and countered by clamping the Capital City's borders tight, masked as a routine security sweep. True, some might try winging out, but the Imperial family commanded flyers aplenty in the end.

Hence, any bid to flee the Capital City drew brutal pushback, no matter if from Crownstar Life Rankers or plain unawakened masses. Nobody itched for the traitor tag or the deadly treason rap. The Imperial family wielded the clout and might to smash even a Crownstar Life Ranker.

Thus, barring a Crownstar Life Ranker boasting godlike dominance like those elites from one standout family, the sharpest play stayed put right there for now, eyeing a shift to Wargrave Ducal territory only once the dust settled and fury faded.