The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic

Chapter 432 432: 432

Edward rose slowly from his seat, his expression remained calm but his eyes were as sharp as ice. He stared down at Rein like one would at something pitiful."Pathetic," he said flatly. "Why are you screaming like a loser?"

His voice was calm, yet it carried an invisible weight that pressed on everyone's chest. "Your failure is your responsibility, not others'."

Rein's expression darkened. His eyes burned with restrained fury, and a faint tremor ran through his clenched fists. His voice echoed through the hall, amplified with mana that made the walls tremble.

"Are you now playing games with me?" Rein's tone was filled with rage. "First of all, why the hell was I given the side of an evil group of lunatics? And I couldn't even change sides!"

Edward tilted his head slightly. "Who said that?"

Rein's voice rose higher, raw emotion seeping through. "Who said that? Didn't Verion try to change sides, and it failed? And even if I managed to win with them, what do you think people would say?"

He turned toward the crowd, his voice breaking with bitterness. "Would any of you even accept it if I won after killing countless innocent people?"

The crowd fell into dead silence.

No one moved and no one spoke.

Kael, standing a few steps behind, shook his head slowly. For a moment, a dry laugh almost escaped his lips. "He's surely unlucky," he muttered under his breath, clicking his tongue.

Edward's gaze hardened. "It's your own choices that led you here," he said coldly.

Rein's face twisted with disbelief. "My choice?" His voice cracked. "What do you mean, my choice? How can I be sure it was mine and you didn't tamper with it?"

Edward's eyes narrowed slightly, his tone still composed. "Why would I?"

Rein's voice suddenly turned harsh, filled with venom. "Because you don't want me to be Emperor."

The crowd gasped, the weight of the accusation heavy enough to suffocate the room.

"Rein, that's enough!" Roosevelt's voice cut through the tension, his tone sharp and commanding.

"Rein, let's stop here," Roosevelt continued, his tone softening slightly. "You should calm down. We'll talk about this later."

Rein turned to look at him, and the sight made Roosevelt's chest tighten. The warmth that was once in Rein's eyes was gone. What replaced it was a cold, empty glare that felt like staring into the eyes of a corpse.

Rein's gaze swept across everyone present—Martina, Edward, Kael, the princes, the nobles—all of them.

'He was right,' Rein thought, his mind echoing a memory of someone's words. 'If you want to achieve something, you need to take it with your own hands.'

'And if you can't, then you bring someone else who can.'

A faint mumble escaped his lips, too soft for anyone to hear. But Kael's instincts screamed danger. His eyes widened as he sensed a sudden change in Rein's aura. The air around him warped slightly, twisting like heatwaves.

"He is doing something!"

Without a second thought, Kael vanished in a flash of blue lightning. He reappeared in front of Rein, his sword already unsheathed, glowing with silver light. "You talk too much."

"Wait…What?"Roosevelt and others were taken aback seeing this.

Rein's lips curved into a faint smirk. "Oh, I was wondering when you'd come."

He lifted his hand, and a surge of distorted energy burst forward. The space between them rippled like shattered glass, bending reality itself. The invisible force tried to crush Kael's body, tearing at the air around him.

But Kael swung his sword in one fluid motion. A trail of silver cut through the distortion like slicing through water. His stance remained firm, his eyes glowing with fierce determination. "Your tricks won't work on me."

Rein's smirk widened, even as blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth. "Too late."

Kael's gaze flicked downward, and his pupils shrank. A glowing red circle was spreading beneath Rein's feet, pulsing like a heartbeat. In an instant, it expanded tenfold, consuming half the arena in blinding light.

Seeing this,Kael's eyes narrowed.

"Everyone, fall back!" Kael shouted. His voice was drowned by the rumbling energy that shook the ground beneath them.

Then the world erupted.

BOOOOOOOM!urned. Standing on top of the dragon were several cloaked figures, their outlines blurry and distorted, their bodies wrapped in black smoke. Their faces were hidden, but an overwhelming sinister aura spread from them, covering the arena in cold pressure.

Martin's face turned pale as realization struck him. "It's… It's the Cult of Abyss," he muttered.

The air grew heavier, almost suffocating. Magic energy crackled in the sky as the portal behind the dragon began to distort once again.

"Wait…" Martin's expression hardened, his eyes darting toward the other side of the arena. "Don't tell me…"

A sudden pulse of power hit everyone like a hammer. They turned around just in time to see another rift forming behind them. The air split apart, and from the swirling darkness, countless twisted figures began to crawl out.

They were followers of the Abyssal Lord…

They looked like grotesque creatures with twisted limbs and hollow eyes, each radiating a dark aura that reeked of corruption. Their screams echoed across the Colosseum as they poured out one after another, flooding the ground.

Martina and Roosevelt stared in horror, their faces drained of color.

"This can't be happening…" Roosevelt whispered under his breath.

Martin's face twisted with anger and disbelief. His voice roared across the field as his aura flared. "Just what the fuck did you do, Prince Rein!"

The words echoed, mixing with the roars of the dragon and the howls of the abyssal creatures.