Chapter 453: Above All

Yang Dongqing furrowed his brow. He had no desire to replace the Seven Kings and rule the world; he only wanted to live a peaceful, quiet life with Jasmine.

Sloth, Duanmu Qing, let out a deep sigh. She had thought that since the Seven Deadly Sins had grown into such a colossal entity, she would no longer have to toil day after day brewing potions. But now it seemed an even more troublesome job had come knocking.

Jun Wushang was rather thrilled, though still wary of the hassle. He was thrilled because if he became one of the Seven Kings and ruled an empire, wouldn't that mean free foot massages for life? The hassle, however, lay in the endless trivial matters of governing a country—he might not have any time left for foot massages at all.

Lin Canyang's reaction was the purest. He trembled with uncontainable excitement. Finally... was he finally going to take the next step? The Seven Kings... those were the Seven Kings!

In the past, he wouldn't have dared to even dream of such a thing.

'To think that I, Lin Canyang, was once just a lowly prisoner, yet I've climbed my way up. From joining the Seven Deadly Sins as a candidate, to becoming the chief candidate, to the official member Greed, and now I'm actually going to become one of the Seven Kings and rule my own country!?'

'A prisoner rising to become the King of an empire?'

'After I become a King, I absolutely must publish an autobiography! I'll let everyone in the world know the legendary life of me—Lin Canyang, the Gold King, Greed of the Seven Deadly Sins, and one of the Seven Kings!'

...

...

Morning.

As the rising sun's first rays pierced the clouds and bathed the Longyuan Empire, the citizens were startled to discover that the Imperial Capital's tallest landmark—the Longyuan Tower—was tolling.

Bong—!

Bong—!!

Bong—!!!

The resonant, booming chimes echoed out, the soundwaves rippling in all directions. They seemed to carry boundless power, penetrating every seam in the air and crashing into every corner of the city. Flocks of birds were startled from the eaves, taking to the sky.

Countless people looked up at the towering Longyuan Tower, their faces filled with confusion.

"Why is the Longyuan Tower ringing? Doesn't it only toll at noon?"

"I don't know. Could it be an emergency?"

"That doesn't make sense either. It only rings four times for an emergency, but it's still going. That was the sixth toll."

Within the Longyuan Imperial Palace, the Dragon King was holding his morning court. He furrowed his brow, looking at the assembled ministers below. "What is going on? Who is ringing the bell?"

The ministers exchanged bewildered glances until a middle-aged man stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I will dispatch someone to investigate at once."

The Dragon King waved his hand impatiently. Plagued daily by the Seven Deadly Sins and Nightmare Creatures, he was already thoroughly frazzled. Hearing this bell only agitated him further.

"Someone must have infiltrated the Longyuan Tower to ring the ancient bell. Find them and behead them as a public warning."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Bong—!

After the seventh toll, the bell fell silent. But as the final echoes lingered in the air, a bizarre phenomenon occurred.

Drawn by the tolls, the countless citizens gathered at the base of the Longyuan Tower were astonished to see a faint halo of light shimmering around the structure. The glow flickered and pulsed, as surreal and hypnotic as a dream.

An instant later, an even more shocking sight unfolded. From out of that radiant halo, seven figures clad in tailcoats slowly stepped forth.

They stood suspended in the void, the fierce winds snapping at the hems of their coats. Top hats, white gloves, and black leather shoes perfectly framed the seven mysterious, elegant figures.

Like gods, they looked down upon the mortal world. The seven distinct Silver-White Masks caught the sunlight, piercing sharply into the eyes of the onlookers below.

The moment the crowd clearly recognized those seven Silver-White Masks, panic swept through them like a tidal wave!

"The... The Seven Deadly Sins!!"

"The Seven Deadly Sins are here! They must be here to destroy the Longyuan Empire! Run!"

Some scattered in a frenzy, while others were so terrified they stood frozen in place. Reason screamed at them to flee, but fear froze their blood, robbing them of all feeling in their legs.

"Pride, Wrath, Envy, Greed, Lust, Sloth, Gluttony... all the members of the Seven Deadly Sins are here! It's over... everything is over..."

Just as the crowd plunged into complete chaos, Pride, standing at the forefront, rested both hands on his Snakewood Cane and lightly tapped the empty air.

Hum!

Crystalline blue ripples spread through the air.

As the ripples washed over them, the frantic citizens instantly fell completely silent. The terror in their hearts vanished.

Looking down at the pacified crowd, Su Mu took a step forward. He walked with elegant, unhurried grace toward the Longyuan Imperial Palace. Behind him, six distinct figures in tailcoats calmly followed his lead.

"Your Majesty... disaster!!"

A palace guard stumbled and crawled his way into the great hall. His face was deathly pale from sheer terror.

The Dragon King frowned slightly. "Barging into the great hall with such a lack of decorum—what is the meaning of this?!"

The guard entirely ignored the reprimand. Trembling from head to toe, he stammered, "Your... Your Majesty! The Seven... The Seven Deadly Sins are here!"

"What?!" The Dragon King's expression changed drastically as he shot up from the dragon throne.

The assembled ministers blanched in shock; some were so frightened their knees gave out completely.

"Which of the Seven Deadly Sins has come? Is it Wrath?" the Dragon King demanded anxiously.

While he wouldn't claim to know his old foes, the Seven Deadly Sins, inside and out, he was at least extremely familiar with them. Out of all their members, he truly feared only two: Pride, who was a God, and Wrath, who had stolen the Artifacts of the Seven Kings.

Pride was unable to descend with his true body and was thus no threat. As long as the intruder wasn't Wrath, the Dragon King had nothing to fear.

The guard simply shook his head, still trembling violently. The Dragon King breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "It isn't Wrath? Then who is it?"

"A... All..." The guard's teeth chattered so violently he couldn't form a complete sentence.

The Dragon King furrowed his brow. "'All'? Is there someone by that name in the Seven Deadly Sins?"

"All of them!!" the guard screamed, using the very last ounce of his strength.

With that single scream, a deathly silence fell over the great hall.

The Dragon King's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. Hidden beneath the wide sleeves of his dragon robes, his hands began to tremble. "Say... say that again..."

"All of them! The entire Seven Deadly Sins are here! We're all dead!" Driven to utter despair, the broken guard no longer cared that he was speaking to the Dragon King and just shrieked at the top of his lungs.

Thud!

The Dragon King's legs gave out, and he collapsed heavily back onto his dragon throne.