Dragon Monarch System Chapter 979:- Rebellion [II]

"How could these scoundrels dare to strike at their fellow kin?" The entire affair left Rowan with the sensation that slaps were raining down on his face from every direction.

Prior to this chaos, he had governed the empire with unyielding authority. Over centuries, nobody had harbored even a whisper of dissent against the throne or the ruler. No revolts or insurrections had ever stirred within his domain.

"Father, please calm yourself!!!" The Crown Prince exerted every effort to soothe his father's rage.

"They no longer belong to our side." The Prince's face grew icy and stern. He had suffered greatly as well. Due to the turmoil, his betrothal to the second Princess of a nearby Empire now seemed precarious. Whispers were rampant that the Empire could dissolve the union at any moment.

The Crown Prince seethed with equal fury over the ordeal.

"There's no reason to hold back against them now." Father and son united in their resolve to eradicate the insurgent groups.

"Dispatching envoys for talks with these fools was a blunder from the start. I ought to have unleashed the full army to crush them and set a stark warning."

At that instant, a missive from the Istarin Empire made its arrival.

Rowan descended from the throne himself and approached the steps to accept and peruse the letter.

- The message proved brief and straightforward, but its implications carried immense gravity.

"Hahahahaha!!!" Upon learning its contents, Rowan erupted into booming laughter.

Pity even welled up in him for the insurgents.

"Time for lunch! By the end of our meal, this issue will be settled."

The settlements and vast man-made lakes seized by these rebels fell squarely within the Dragon Monarch's realm. Aditya had always stamped out any form of uprising in his lands, no matter the justification.

Long before the letter's arrival, Amber had commanded her unit to rapidly quash the revolt and broadcast a stern warning to all potential troublemakers.

The Istarin Empire shows zero tolerance for rebellion of any sort.

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"Are you certain? Is this truly wise?" A Vice General inquired, his voice laced with anxiety.

At present, the four ex-Vice Generals and their soldiers occupied a settlement close to the region's biggest artificial lake.

"We've committed to our path. We sense betrayal, and we demand reparations." This stood as their formal reply to both factions.

Then a third Vice General chimed in. "The loot we snatched amid this disorder remains in our possession. I've secured a purchaser ready to take it all at an excellent rate."

"After selling those valuables, every one of us will possess riches worth hundreds of millions. That ensures we'll never fret over money again." Indeed, the uprising served merely as a diversion for these dishonest Vice Generals to offload their pilfered goods. They recognized the peril, yet it offered their sole escape.

Moreover, the Istarin Empire was already cracking down on corrupt top officials and seizing their assets. These Vice Generals had amassed their fortunes over decades. They refused to let the Istarin Empire claim it all.

Thus, they sought not just profit but also an opportunity to smuggle their assets and families to another Empire. Once the dust settled, they planned to slip away there and start anew.

Unbeknownst to them, several Shadow Guardians had already eavesdropped on their discussion from the shadows. Over the past day, numerous elite Shadow Guardians had slipped into the rebel ranks, collecting damning proof. The Guardians pinpointed every hiding spot for the Lieutenant Generals' treasures. Even the supposed sale to that trader was a ruse staged by one of their own.

'Time to withdraw.' The Shadow Guardians exchanged glances and vanished swiftly, undetected by the former Vice Generals.

"When this blows over, I intend to depart the Six Continents and relocate to either the Main Continent or the Tunnel World," one of the senior Vice Generals declared.

If only they realized that the Shadow Guardians—an arm of Aditya himself—kept them under constant surveillance.

"Sir!!!" Several soldiers burst into their secluded chamber without warning or courtesy.

"Darren, what's the meaning of this?" A Vice General exploded in anger.

"Sir! Everyone needs to witness this immediately."

"Witness what?" The elder Lieutenant General inquired steadily.

"Something enormous looms in the skies." At those words, the four Lieutenant Generals' faces drained of color. They quickly grasped that the Istarin Empire had come for them. Never had they imagined that, mere days into their defiance, the Empire would dispatch its might so soon. This surpassed all their calculations.

Their scheme hadn't accounted for such a swift response.

They aimed to flee under cover of night, but the Istarin Empire chose to assault without delay.

"What's our move?"

"For the moment, step outside. Perhaps we can resolve this without casualties." With nods of agreement, the Lieutenant Generals and a handful of soldiers exited the dwelling.

As soon as they emerged, the Lieutenant Generals' eyes bulged in disbelief. Horror gripped them as they gaped at the enormous airborne vessel hovering roughly a hundred meters overhead. Some faces blanched to a ghostly white. One trembled uncontrollably from terror.

"Is this the Istarin Empire's Flying Ship?" Doubt was impossible. Such cutting-edge aerial vessels belonged solely to the Istarin Empire.

Its undetected approach to the site highlighted the vessel's superior stealth.

"What generation is that thing?" One Lieutenant General blurted out involuntarily.

"Does the generation even count right now?" Another Lieutenant General retorted sharply, voice dripping with irritation.

"Hold your fire, please. We yield." The senior Lieutenant General lifted his arms in submission. The rest discarded their arms and capitulated at once.

From the ship's platform, Amber gazed down icily at the Lieutenant General and the soldiers below. No locals matching their reports appeared; the rebels had evidently herded the villagers elsewhere, converting the site into their base.

"Unleash full firepower!" The command from higher up rang utterly unambiguous: Exemplify retribution via these traitors.

Besides, Amber harbored no leniency today. They had chosen their fate, granted two days and various overtures for peaceful capitulation. Regrettably, avarice had clouded their judgment.

Thanks to the Shadow Guardians, she and Aditya had pierced the real intent fueling their uprising.

In mere moments, countless energized Solar Cannons blasted the village. The barrage extended far beyond a single volley. Every cannon unleashed repeated blasts. Initial strikes targeted the Lieutenant Generals precisely, ensuring total elimination.

Minutes afterward, Amber detected no signs of life persisting.

Mana flowed from her palm as she swept her hand casually. A fierce wind howled forth from the gesture, scattering the haze and debris in an instant.

Nothing but scarred earth pocked with myriad craters, big and small, lingered. No trace of the Lieutenant Generals' remains could be found.

Fragments of soldiers' bodies lay strewn along the craters' rims.

The village lay utterly razed in a flash.

Its landscape stood forever altered.

Amber pivoted to face the crewman handling the colossal flying ship.

"Activate stealth and steer this vessel to our fresh holdings. I'm returning to the Capital." She hadn't planned to intervene personally. Yet with some spare moments and Aditya's explicit directive, she came.

Ensuring flawless execution of his commands was essential.

Regarding the ship, Aditya intended to deploy it above a key city in their expanded domain. For every major city, one such Flying Ship would linger invisibly overhead in stealth, undetected by any below.

Via the deck's compact teleportation array, Amber returned to the Dragon Palace.

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Under half an hour later, as Rowan and his son concluded their midday meal, news of the rebels' complete destruction arrived.

They shared a glance upon hearing it, faces blending astonishment and dismay. Though anticipated, they hadn't foreseen the Istarin Empire's lightning speed.

"The Istarin Empire is utterly fearsome."

In the past, Aditya alone formed the Empire's unstoppable pinnacle. Yet now, its forces had swelled to such dominance that, even sans Aditya, they could topple a whole realm if desired.

'Wise that I swallowed my pride and obeyed the guidance.' Had events veered otherwise, his Empire might now smolder in ruin and blaze.

"Thankfully, we stand with Him now." Rowan gave a quiet nod to his son's statement.

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