Clinton Sr gave Ye Muo a complicated look. The child standing nearby was far from his father’s height and still possessed the slenderness of youth. He stuck out like a sore thumb among the adults.
But Ye Muo was very calm when dealing with Clinton Sr. He didn’t seem the least bit coerced either. His wish that Clinton Sr would not interfere if Norton were to kill him was sincere.
Clinton Sr’s hands clenched into fists by his side.
Another Grantz just like the others.
Clinton Sr had received a secret letter from the former emperor after the man;s death. He’s read it so many times that each word and punctuation was committed to memory. He clearly recalled one specific sentence: […I gladly accept my death without a grudge. My love for my wife and children will never waver.]
Later it was Prince Noah. After Norton killed many of his siblings and Prince Noah was imprisoned in the High Tower, Clinton Sr once asked someone to contact him in secret and offered temporary shelter. However, His Highness responded that he would obey his brother’s command to remain within the High Tower.
Despite dying at each other’s hands, the Grantz had utmost faith in their family and were willing to entrust their lives to others.
No one could doubt their deep love for each other, whether that be paternal or brotherly love. Yet fate seemed to ordain that they must never be allowed to coexist.
The entire empire watched as tensions mounted within the Grantz family until Norton was the sole survivor.
Clinton Sr let out a long sigh. It seemed like the years had really taken their toll on him.
He turned to look at Norton, who was standing at the ship hatch. The man’s back remained turned to them as if he hadn’t heard a thing. He showed no reaction to Ye Muo’s words, not even a twitch.
The entire warship was silent. Only the howling winds outside could be heard.
Norton rotated his wrist before jumping from the warship.
Ano followed without hesitation.
They reached the planet’s surface like artillery shells, creating one loud boom after another as their landing stirred up a lot of dust.
The livestream bullet chat was popping off.
[I thought the Grantz might not care enough to clean up the projectors, but to see His Majesty act personally?! I’m so excited to witness His Majesty and Prince Adrian’s reunion!!]
[My God. With all this commotion, they definitely weren’t wearing landing gear. Thank goodness I ran over quickly. Is that Lord Ano as well that I see?]
[They landed with such precision. Prince Adrian is in that nearby prison, the corridor to be exact! Hurry, Your Majesty! I’m already ready to record! I must witness the Grantz reuniting. His Majesty and Prince Adrian are the only ones left from the previous generation…]
[Calm down, you guys. Why did all of you assume the reunion would be a pleasant one? His Majesty even has a hand on his sword!]
There was a clear pause in the bullet chat after that.
[Don’t say that. His Majesty chose to go forth personally instead of ordering the warships to attack, so how could that be? Besides, I can’t think of any reason for His Majesty to do such a thing. He’s even accepted His Little Highness, so why not Prince Adrian as well? Prince Adrian’s already been through enough.]
[Enough chit-chat! Dally any longer and all the good viewing spots will be taken. You might not even be able to watch later.]
Back on the warship, Secretary-General Lin put his hand in front of Ye Muo, who subconsciously took a few steps forward after Norton and Ano departed. He backed off when Ye Muo stopped.
“Please be careful, Your Highness.”
In Norton’s absence, Ye Muo became the one in charge.
“Should we move the command centre to somewhere better suited to observe the situation on the ground?”
Ye Muo finally realized when he looked up that everyone present, including Clinton Sr, were watching him, like a pack of wolves waiting for their alpha’s command.
Ye Muo’s gaze swept past them one by one.
Behind Clinton Sr were Ye Zhiyuan and Ye He. Ye Zhiyuan had been suppressed for some time due to previous matters, but his merits during the recent insect tide promoted him back to his original rank. He often came to the Grantz palace to participate in meetings along with the other legion commanders.
Now, they all bowed their heads as Ye Muo looked at them in deference.
Ye Muo realized that even the foster father he once looked up to as well as the elder brother he respected were awaiting his orders.
Meanwhile, the dust around Norton and Ano’s landing spot gradually settled, revealing their still figures.
Adrian slowly walked out of the lab corridor. His shackles were unlocked, but a segment remained around one of his wrists along with a length of chain.
The sunlight was strong outside, but Adrian seemed unaffected by the drastic change. He didn’t even blink.
Adrian couldn’t see Norton or Ano from where he was, but he only paused at the entrance for a few seconds before keenly turning and heading towards them.
Norton and Ano also tacitly went to meet him halfway.
It was Adrian who first started running, then Norton and Ano. They burst into a flurry of motion as soon as their eyes met.
Norton and Ano immediately drew their swords. They tacitly attacked Adrian from two different directions with force.
Adrian blocked one blow using brute strength and the shackle around his wrist while quickly bending forward to avoid the other.
Norton and Ano didn’t even pause. They immediately launched a second attack from Adrian’s blindspots after landing.
Norton, Ano and the others had grown up together. They played and eventually learned how to hunt king insects together. After countless instances of cooperation, they knew how to act without even having to speak.
Ano entangled Adrian while Norton went in for the kill.
The galactic network was already in chaos. Many people came too late to join the full livestream room. They could only rely on the information viewers relayed.
[I never thought that things would end up like this during the first meeting! Someone, anyone…please come stop them. I wouldn’t even mind if a few king insects showed up around now! His Majesty and His Little Highness are the only ones left. If this goes south, the Grantz really will be down to one seedling…]
[Although I’ve been a long time fan of His Majesty even while he was a prince (and the strongest big brother)…I really despise how stubborn and cold-blooded he is sometimes. Princes Adrian and Noah had the chance to escape, but they chose not to. They’re the two youngest ones who always listened to His Majesty’s every word growing up. I honestly thought they would’ve been spared.]
[? How do you know all this? Are you a high ranking Grantz official or their family member? Anyways, I hate it too. Prince Norton might have the most fans, but I’m staunchly for Prince Noah! Noah was soo cute! I was so terrified everyday back then. When Noah died, I actually felt strangely relieved, as if it was all finally over.]
[Are you all from the Grantz Empire? Why do you sound like you’re talking about celebrities? This is the Grantz family we’re talking about! I fear I’m going to get jumped if I just gossip about them…]
[The previous poster must not have seen the Grantz in their prime. Back then, the Empire wasn’t the only ones who regarded them as celebrities. Prince Norton’s fan club alone had 3x the population of Grantz as members.
Truth be told, His Little Highness’ fan club and website has already been set up. His fans are already worried about him. He’s the only Grantz who isn’t a crazy lunatic. He’s such a good child in the occasional photo or video of him that are released.]
……
Ye Muo and the others were in the warship’s command centre by now.
Ye Muo was heavily guarded at the forefront of the crowd. He stared intently at the screens. The battle between those three could almost be called art.
Norton and Ano didn’t hold back from the start, and Adrian was even more unrestrained. He didn’t seem to feel any pain from injury, and his regenerative abilities were stronger than ever. He was the epitome of a killing machine driven by psychic power alone.
Once Norton made Adrian back off to the right spot, Ano lunged from the side like a big cat. He nailed the remaining shackle on Adrian’s wrist to the ground with his sword. When Adrian half-crouched in habit, Ano grabbed him in a chokehold and wrestled him down.
Seizing the opportunity, Norton leaned over and stabbed his blade into Adrian’s chest.
Everyone’s hearts, whether they were watching online or on the warship, rose when Ano captured Adrian and sank like a rock when Norton’s blade pierced his chest. A collective sigh could almost be heard across the galaxy.
[…I’m in despair. Another tragic reminder of Grantz’s history, one I never wished to see again. His Little Highness should be there too, right? Hopefully Grantz has someone that knows to take him away so he doesn’t have to watch his relatives slaughter one another.]
[I still don’t understand why things always end up like this. Why can’t any of the Grantz meet a good end? Why do they only live to their 70s at most when the average lifespan is around 300? Especially Norton’s generation, their average lifespan is not even 30 years!! While other people that age are still in school, the Grantz are already in their graves.]
On the surface.
Norton had not yet finished when Adrian fought off Ano’s grasp for a moment and shifted. The blade plunged into a slightly different spot, missing his heart.
Norton tightly grasped the hilt of his sword. The blade was right up against one of Adrian’s ribs. He rotated the angle of the blade through brute force.
As long as he changed the angle, cut through the bone and destroyed Adrian’s heart, Adrian would fall into slumber once more.
Norton covered Adrian’s eyes with his other hand. “Goodbye, Adrian.”
Yet Adrian suddenly stopped struggling.
Ano felt it first. He had to use all his strength to barely suppress Adrian and keep him immobile until now.
Then Adrian suddenly relaxed and gave up on attacking almost instantly. Even if Ano’s arm was tightly locked around his throat and Norton’s blade was stabbing into his body, close to his vital organs, Adrian still relaxed and lay back against Ano.
Adrian’s lips barely moved. He coughed due to the lung injury he just sustained before whispering almost inaudibly, “Big. Brother.”
Norton also paused. He and Ano looked down at Adrian.
Norton could end Adrian with a sliver more force. He could even feel Adrian’s heart beat through his sword.
Adrian raised his hand, groping around for something.
His hands were still damp with blood. He blindly felt around until he touched Ano’s bowed head. Ano was too shocked to do anything but stare for a while now. He didn’t dodge Adrian’s hand as it slowly approached him.
Norton, on the other hand, kept a tense eye on Adrian, ready to kill him at the smallest abnormal movement. No one knew better than him what kind of power a berserk Grantz had at their disposal. At this close a range, even if Ano was a Grantz as well, Adrian was more than capable of critically wounding him with his hands or teeth.
But Adrian didn’t. His movements were gentle. The first thing he touched was Ano’s ear. He gently guided his hand along to the man’s cheek.
His two brothers just watched him, motionless.
Then Adrian’s hands travelled down to Ano’s ice-cold half-mask.
The mask had a biological lock. It seemed to detect the faint traces of Ano’s blood on Adrian’s hand and beeped before falling off Ano’s face. It hit Adrian’s shoulder before rolling away on the ground.
Adrian was able to touch Ano’s cheek unimpeded in an almost religiously earnest and cherished motion. He suddenly burst into laughter, which was interrupted by coughing. His voice remained barely above a whisper, “And Noah, huh?”
