Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires

"I deeply apologize for the interruption, Your Majesty, especially at such a critical moment when the tournament is about to enter its final stage." Elowen spoke, she was wearing a black robe, unlike the other Purifiers who usually wore white. Her long silver hair fell to the side, and her mouth and nose was covered by a black mask.

Her body, face, and voice were all mesmerizing, as if she were blessed by the gods themselves, given her striking appearance. It was a shame that she was hiding half of her face with the mask.

Was it her beauty that led her to join the Purifiers, or was there another reason?

"I will always make time when it comes to speaking with the Purifiers," Draconis replied, watching the woman from his throne.

Both of them knew the reason why she was here, but he was supposed to act oblivious to the situation, as if he hadn't planned all this from the very start.

Leaning back, he spoke coldly. "As you know, the tournament isn't the only thing on my mind. As such, don't beat around the bush and say what you want to say."

He was trying to appear as threatening as he could, but sadly it seemed that it didn't have any effect on the woman in front of him.

Which wasn't surprising, considering that this woman was one of, if not the highest-standing member of the Purifiers.

As such, he wasn't arrogant enough to try and read her thoughts. The woman before him was like a wild card, one that he would try not to make enemies with... at least for now.

Pursing her lips, she spoke softly, her voice sounding pleasant to the ears, like a melody.

"We have received numerous reports of churches being attacked, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Purifiers. The Elders granted you enough time to address this threat, yet you have failed to act. Therefore, we will cease our support of the Draconian Empire. This decision is final, and we will withdraw the stationed Purifiers immediately"

Draconis' facial expression didn't change as he listened to the woman. After she was done, he pretended to think for a moment and then sighed.

"And what about the millions of believers in our lands? You plan to just abandon them?" he asked.

"We didn't want to, but the fact that you have allowed so many of our people to be slaughtered without being able to stop it is a clear indication that we are not welcome in your lands."

Extending his finger to the door, the Emperor spoke coldly, "If that is all, leave."

Elowen did just that, not bothering to bow to the man in front of her.

Once she left, Draconis couldn't hide the happiness he was feeling at the moment as his lips curved into a menacing smile.

"Ah, my people!" he began to practice his speech for when he would observe the tournament personally.

"Unfortunately, the Purifiers have abandoned us! But fear not! You have me, your Emperor, and the creator of this grand tournament! I understand that you must feel heartbroken and betrayed, that the religion you've trusted for so long has left our lands. But this only reveals their true colors! It's because we are in the midst of war with our neighbors, at a time when we need faith and hope to guide us forward, that they chose to abandon us!"

He stopped for a second to add dramatic effect.

"They have proven to us that we don't need their twisted religion! For we have one another—and me, as your unifier! Now, let us put aside our struggles and enjoy the battles of the tournament!"

His plan was slowly growing into fruition. He didn't know who this vampire was that was suddenly running rampant and killing Purifiers left and right, but it was too beneficial to try and stop the demon.

Now, thanks to the demon's actions, the Purifiers would stop supporting his empire, making the citizens that believed in them feel hurt and betrayed.

And who was going to listen to their struggles now? How and where were they going to vent their frustration now?

Of course, what better place than the tournament he had created for this exact purpose? The people would begin to favor the Emperor even more, their faith in him would increase, while their faith in the outside forces would plummet.

And the more they believed in him, the easier it would be to manipulate them for his own gain.

He could practically taste it.

How close he was to completing his plan.

*****

"And on the other side, we have the person that was in third place in the hunting competition! Grace!"

Once the announcer spoke the name of the blonde woman with blue eyes, the audience burst into cheers. This was no doubt their favorite participant in the tournament. Explore stories at My Virtual Library Empire

She was not only beautiful but extremely deadly as well.

As the match started, Grace's opponent dug his foot in the ground and dashed toward her.

Raising his scythe high in the air, the skilled man was prepared to go for the kill.

But after four steps, he found himself unable to move. He was caught in something.

A golden thread that had wrapped all around the arena in an instant.

The man's eyes widened in horror, and before he could react in any way, shape, or form, Grace pulled a certain thread that was close to her, which made the threads her opponent was caught in tighten as they all began to dig deep into his flesh, causing severe wounds.

She released the man seconds before he was killed, and he collapsed on the ground, barely alive.

"And the winner is Grace!"

The audience cheered once again in celebration.

Grace smiled as she raised her gaze to the beautiful sky.

The ninth round was over, she had advanced to the next round, where she was going to be observed by tens of thousands of people, alongside the Emperor.

The main event was about to start.