CHAPTER 539: CHAPTER 539. THE END OF THE AMBITIOUS PRINCE

Huang Zhan couldn’t move his arms because his shoulder blades were broken. His body was also full of burned wounds now that Nature Assimilation no longer protected him. He stayed still as Huang San’s sword hovered menacingly close to his throat.

Huang Zhan’s eyes seemed to panic as he looked at the three adversaries surrounding him, but when he saw that all three made no moves, his confidence returned.

"Little brother, I know you are not a heartless person. I accept defeat. Let me go, and the throne is yours," Huang Zhan uttered.

Huang San had been gathering his will to deliver the killing blow, but all that will disperse after hearing Huang Zhan’s words.

"Your Highness! Do not forget your promise to Colonel Amon," Yang Li reminded.

"Hmph! Is this the kind of sovereign you wish to be? Getting commanded by your underling?" Huang Zhan uttered. "Who the fuck cares what you promise those below you? You are a royalty, for goodness’ sake! Act like one! Everyone below us exists to serve us! They don’t get to demand our promise. If we grant it, it is their boon. If not, they have no right to demand anything!"

"I disagree, Brother Huang Zhan," Huang San said. "It is only through mutual respect between a liege and his vassals that a kingdom may flourish. If we care not for our vassals, they will lose their respect for us and hence, their obedience."

"Such weak bullshit! The weak respect the strong! It is through unyielding might that our ancestors built our kingdom! We can only command our vassals’ respect if we instill enough dread in them! Care for them? That will make you appear weak and give them ideas to rebel! You are not fit to be king if you think that way. A king must be cruel and unforgiving!"

"If I follow your logic, then my best course of action is to kill you here. Is that what you want?" Huang San asked.

"Hehe. If you are someone capable of such cruelty, we won’t be talking anymore," Huang Zhan chuckled. "No, you don’t have the spine to murder a helpless man in cold blood, especially one who is your own brother."

"... No, but I will make sure you receive a trial for murdering our first, third, and fourth brothers," Huang San responded.

"You deserve to die for the deaths you caused to all my comrades in this trial!" Hua Ling exclaimed.

Huang Zhan glanced at her mockingly. "So, what are you going to do? Are you going to take revenge and kill me? It is one thing if my brother does it, but it is an entirely different case if my life is taken by someone outside the royalties. My father might appear as a fair and benevolent king, but I learn my cruelty from him. You can forget about receiving a peaceful death if he knows you take my life. As for my brother, the worst he will receive is an angry admonishment. That is mostly what he will suffer. Our father will never truly punish him, even more so considering it happens during the competition in this ascension trial."

"Is that why you don’t fear killing Brother Huang Zi and even attempted to murder Sister Huang Er and me?" Huang San asked.

"Why, of course," Huang Zhan answered. "When will I get the chance to commit fratricide if not in this trial? Outside, I am bound by troublesome laws. Here, the stake is high enough that eliminating our opponents is understandable. That’s why we were given the escape stone."

"But you hijacked the escape stones," Yang Li said.

"Unless you can prove it is my doing, you can’t blame it on me," Huang Zhan said while grinning. He returned his attention to Huang San and said, "Let me strike you an offer. Let me live, and I will admit everything. I will confess to assassinating our first and third brothers. I will also admit I deliberately plotted to take out everyone outside my team in this trial, which resulted in Brother Huang Zi’s death. With all that, father will no doubt send me into exile. You no longer need to worry about me."

Huang San’s sword slightly lowered. He couldn’t deny this was indeed the best outcome. As he had that thought, Amon’s words resounded inside his head, "Your Highness, do not listen to him. He will not let go of the throne so easily. If you let him live, he will undermine your rule, even from his exile. He will find a way back to seize the throne!"

Amon couldn’t hear their conversation. Huang San did not doubt that Yang Li reported the conversation here.

Huang San sent a reply message, "I will petition my father to lock him up instead of exiling him. He can’t do anything from inside a prison."

"Do not underestimate his resourcefulness, Your Highness. He has successfully tricked everyone for a long time. Even from prison, he will still be dangerous. The only sure-fire way is to end his life."

"I... You can’t expect me to slay my brother like an animal when he has clearly surrendered," Huang San argued.

Huang Zhan could guess Huang San was having a conversation via the mental link. He said, "Don’t tell me you are asking for permission from that underling of yours? Is he your commanding officer or a vassal? A king needs no permission! You don’t need to listen to anyone! If you can’t understand this, you might as well forfeit this trial and give the throne to me!"

Huang San’s face hardened into a scowl, but it only lasted an instant. His gentle expression quickly returned as he lowered his sword completely. "I will take you back, and you will be punished for your crimes."

As Huang San spoke those words, Amon’s voice sounded inside Yang Li’s mind, "Do it!"

Unlike Huang San, Yang Li didn’t show any hesitation. She had been standing behind Huang Zhan all this time. Her hand moved in a flash before anyone could react. Fierce flame swirled from her arm as her hand formed into a claw. This claw slammed on Huang Zhan’s head. The sound of the skull being cracked was heard.

Yang Li’s five fingers dug deep into Huang Zhan’s temple. Raging fire pumped into his brain via the holes created by those fingers. Huang Zhan didn’t have the time to erect a defensive barrier because the attack had been too unexpected. He thought for sure he was safe after Huang San expressed a desire to let him live. Never would he think a nobody like Yang Li dared to defy her liege’s wish and risk her fate by dealing him a fatal blow.

He screamed as intense fire incinerated his brain.

Huang San and Hua Ling stood there in shock. By the time they registered what had happened, Huang Zhan’s head was already a scorching char.

"What... What have you done...?!" Huang San yelled.

"I did you a favor," Yang Li said nonchalantly.

"You... You will get punished for murdering a prince!" Huang San said.

Yang Li didn’t respond. Hua Ling also remained silent. If she were honest, she was glad that Huang Zhan was dead.

"No...," Huang San dropped to his knees before Huang Zhan’s corpse.

"Wake up!" Amon’s voice sounded again in his mind. "You will never truly be king with him around. A man of his ambition will never rest until he gets what he wants. He will sway a lot of court officials to his side, even if you imprison him. You should know you don’t have as much influence as you wish in the royal court. Do you truly believe you can rule well when you know there may be someone gunning for you behind your back? You know this is the truth! His death serves our interest the most...!"

"Ours... or yours...?" Huang San asked.

"If you trust me no longer, very well, I will leave after we exit this trial," Amon replied. "All I ask for my troubles in helping you win this trial is that you give Yang Li enough time to leave the capital before informing others that she was the one who killed Prince Huang Zhan."

"She will be hunted. She can never set foot inside any settlement within Echos," Huang San said.

"If that is her sacrifice for helping you, so be it. I will be the one who takes care of her out there in the wilderness," Amon replied.

"Tch! You truly know how to lay the blame on someone," Huang San said. He took a deep breath and rose to his feet.

The golden longsword in his hand flashed. It cut Huang Zhan’s charred head off. He then used his arcane art. Vines grew from the metal platform. They wrapped around Huang Zhan’s head and crushed it.

"No one will be able to determine whether his death is caused by burning or decapitation," Huang San said. "I will say that I am the one who takes his life. Can I trust you to say the same?"

Huang San asked Hua Ling, to which the female general nodded.