Chapter : 658

Ken did not want to stand up. He did not want to reveal his true power. He could not just walk out and snap his fingers to erase the magic. The room was full of Royal candidates and elite warriors. He had to keep his lazy disguise perfectly intact.

He just sat under the table. He chewed his cheese. He waited for Princess Iris or Sayma to figure out the puzzle. They were smart. They would notice the magical connection soon. He was content to just sit in the shadows and let his friends solve the problem. He just hoped they figured it out before he ran out of cheese cubes.

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The battle in the grand ballroom grew violent. The infected guards swung their silver spears with massive, destructive force. The infected nobles threw broken chairs across the room. General Vespera laughed her dark, melodic laugh. She walked gracefully through the chaos. She watched the Royal units struggle against her indestructible army.

The 1st Prince, Zeus Belmontia, stood in the center of the room. He wore his pristine white military uniform. Bright gold medals shined on his chest. His platinum-blonde hair did not move. He looked furious.

Zeus hated losing control. He hated messes. The screaming nobles and the mindless guards ruined the elegant party. His perfect, flawless event was turned into a total disaster. He glared at the infected puppets.

"This is unacceptable," Zeus stated coldly. His deep voice echoed through the ballroom. "These weak fools allowed their minds to be hijacked. They are compromised. They are a massive liability to this Empire."

An infected guard charged directly at the 1st Prince. The guard raised a broken silver spear. He swung the sharp weapon at Zeus's head.

Zeus did not dodge. He did not step backward. He did not care that the guard wore the imperial crest. He did not view the infected man as a victim. He viewed the man as a broken tool. A broken tool needed to be discarded immediately.

Zeus raised his right hand. He pointed his palm directly at the charging guard.

"Ionized Storm," Zeus commanded ruthlessly.

A brilliant, blinding flash of yellow lightning erupted from his hand. The electricity cracked through the air. The noise sounded like a bomb exploding indoors. The lightning bolt acted like a massive, high-voltage railgun.

The yellow lightning struck the infected guard squarely in the chest. The immense, concentrated voltage bypassed the guard's enhanced physical durability. The electrical current surged through the man's body. The guard did not even have time to scream.

The power of the lightning instantly obliterated the guard. The man turned into a cloud of dark gray ash. The ash crumbled onto the polished marble floor. The broken silver spear melted into a puddle of liquid metal.

Zeus lowered his hand. He did not blink. He showed zero emotion. He had just executed one of his own imperial soldiers without a single second of hesitation.

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Princess Iris stood behind Sayma's cracking golden barrier. Her violet eyes widened in pure, unfiltered shock. She stared at the pile of gray ash on the floor. She stared at her older brother.

"Zeus!" Princess Iris screamed loudly. Her voice was full of profound horror. "What are you doing?! Those are our guards! Those are innocent nobles! They are being controlled against their will! You cannot just kill them!"

Zeus turned his head slowly. His cold green eyes locked onto his younger sister. He looked at her with pure, arrogant disdain.

"They are not innocent anymore, Iris," Zeus replied coldly. The yellow sparks popped around his polished black boots. "They are infected. They are enemies of the crown. They are raising weapons against the Royal bloodline. The penalty for treason is death."

"They are hostages!" Princess Iris argued fiercely. She gripped her silver rapier tightly. She pointed her blade at the red-eyed mob. "Vespera is forcing them to fight! We must find a way to break the blood magic! We must save them!"

"Saving them is a massive waste of time," Zeus countered. He raised his hand again. He pointed his fingers at a group of infected nobles. "We do not have the luxury of compassion. The infection is spreading. The most efficient way to stop a disease is to eradicate the infected carriers. I will cleanse this entire room. I will erase every single compromised unit."

Zeus unleashed another massive barrage of yellow lightning bolts. The electricity zipped across the room. Three more infected nobles exploded into gray ash. The ruthless Prince slaughtered them instantly. He did not care about their lives. He only cared about restoring order.

Princess Iris felt sick to her stomach. She watched her brother execute the helpless victims. She refused to let the massacre continue. She was a true leader. She believed in protecting the citizens of the Empire.

"13th Unit, listen to me!" Princess Iris commanded powerfully. Her voice rang clear across the chaotic battlefield. "We will not fight like him! We will not slaughter innocent people! Our priority is containment! You must protect the uninfected civilians! You must subdue the puppets without using lethal force! We will save them!"

The elite girls nodded in perfect unison. They agreed with their Princess. They hated Zeus's cruel methods.

Naomi dashed forward. Her green wind magic swirled around her boots. "You heard the Princess! Non-lethal takedowns only! Disarm them!"

Laxmi extinguished her bright orange flames. She switched to pure hand-to-hand combat. She dodged a swinging chair and kicked an infected noble in the stomach. The noble stumbled backward. "This is going to be really annoying without my fire!" Laxmi yelled happily.

Zinia stomped her boots onto the marble floor. Thick slabs of gray rock shot out of the ground. The rocks formed a tall, curved barricade around a group of terrified, normal citizens. Zinia created a safe zone in the corner of the room. "I have the civilians secured! Keep the puppets away from this corner!"

Sayma pushed her glasses up. She maintained her golden honeycomb barriers. She used the solid light to trap the infected guards in small, enclosed spaces. "Their enhanced strength makes containment difficult. I am expending a massive amount of mana to hold them without causing structural damage."

Ira stepped forward. Her pale face showed zero emotion. She swung her high-pressure water whips. The water wrapped tightly around an infected guard's arms and legs. She pulled the water back. She tied the guard into a tight knot. She dropped him onto the floor. "Target immobilized," Ira stated blankly.

The 13th Unit fought brilliantly. They used incredible teamwork. They dodged the massive punches. They tripped the guards. They trapped the nobles. They worked hard to subdue the enemy without taking a single life. It required an immense amount of physical effort. It drained their energy very fast.

Underneath the serving table, Ken Eliot watched the entire moral conflict unfold.

He sat comfortably on the floor. His white shirt hung untucked. He chewed a piece of cheese. He watched Zeus vaporize another infected guard. He watched Princess Iris desperately try to save the puppets.