CHAPTER 9: CHAPTER9-MINISTER OF WAR NOCK

Wood could never have imagined that someone like Angie—a mere palace attendant—would actually dare to strike him down.

Instinctively, he wanted to rise and resist. But before he could act, Aurek’s icy voice cut through the chaos like a bucket of cold water poured over his head.

"If you so much as dare to resist, I will annihilate your entire family!"

The words froze Wood in place. His body stiffened, his mind blank, his heart seized by a sudden, paralyzing fear. In that same instant, Angie’s iron rod smashed brutally into his thigh.

"Ahhh!!"

A howl of agony tore from Wood’s throat, his body convulsing uncontrollably as pain wracked every nerve.

Angie, however, hesitated. She knew well how sensitive Wood’s position was, and deep down she feared the consequences of striking him. Her eyes flickered toward Aurek, almost pleading for some sign. What she saw instead was her emperor’s gaze, cold and merciless, sharp as a blade of ice. The look alone made her shudder.

In that moment, she understood his meaning perfectly.

Angie clenched her teeth, raised the iron rod once more, this time aiming directly at Wood’s head.

Wood felt the scent of death descend upon him. Fear erupted violently inside him, ripping through what little composure he had left.

"You dare kill me?! I’ll destroy you!!" he bellowed, his voice breaking under the weight of terror.

In a desperate frenzy, Wood twisted his body and dodged Angie’s strike. His hand moved with instinctual speed, yanking his sword from his belt. With a savage roar, he slashed the blade in a deadly arc straight toward Aurek’s head.

The sudden reversal sent shockwaves through those gathered. The western gate erupted into chaos. Guards shouted in panic, the air filled with confusion.

Angie and the rest of Aurek’s attendants snapped back to their senses, their first thought to shield their emperor.

But they had all overlooked one crucial fact: Wood was an Elite Rank warrior. When he launched his full-strength strike, his speed was blistering—far faster than they could hope to intercept.

Even Angie, standing closest, realized she was a moment too slow. Her eyes widened in horror.

"Your Majesty, look out!"

Yet Aurek never moved. From the beginning to the end, he stood rooted in place, not retreating a single step. There was no trace of fear upon his face, only a cold, disdainful smile curving his lips.

And then it happened.

A whisper of wind swept across Wood’s back. In the very next instant, his limbs twisted unnaturally, his arms and legs snapping one by one with audible cracks.

The scream that erupted from him was blood-curdling, so shrill and agonized that it echoed across half of Valoria Palace.

"To raise your blade against the emperor... Your House Rosewood truly dares much!" Aurek’s voice thundered with icy authority.

"Guards! Break his bones, strip his skin, and send what remains to House Rosewood. I demand their explanation for this insult! At the same time, surround their estate with the Royal Guard. Without my command, no one enters, and no one leaves!"

...

Angie stood motionless, her eyes blank with shock. She could scarcely believe what she had just witnessed.

Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined her emperor transformed into such a figure—fearless, commanding, and merciless. The timid, spineless man she had known seemed gone forever, replaced by someone unrecognizable.

After a brief daze, Angie’s heart began to pound, her eyes filling with a new light as she looked at Aurek once more. Respect, awe, even reverence—all shone clearly upon her face.

Yet still, questions lingered. Who had acted just now? Who had so effortlessly crippled Wood’s deadly strike? Angie had seen nothing—only the stir of a breeze, and then Wood had collapsed in ruin. The impossibility of it made her tremble.

"Long live His Majesty!" Angie cried, bowing low. Her voice was trembling with emotion, laced faintly with tears.

For years she had endured humiliation while serving by Aurek’s side. Countless times she had swallowed her pride, telling herself that her emperor’s weakness left her no choice but to endure.

But this time—this time was different.

Her emperor had risen, not only to defend her, but to punish the one who had dared hurt her. His fury had been for her sake.

For the first time, Angie’s frozen heart began to thaw, warmth flooding into places she thought long dead. Yes, her emperor had changed. But perhaps... this change was not such a bad thing after all.

...

Outside the western gate, several Royal Guards forced Wood onto the ground.

With Aurek’s cold gaze upon them, they lifted heavy iron hammers and brought them crashing down upon his legs.

A sickening crack echoed as bone shattered. Flesh and blood sprayed, leaving his thigh a mangled ruin.

Wood screamed again, the sound tearing through the air. His face twisted hideously in pain, his eyes bloodshot and filled with venomous hatred as he glared up at Aurek.

The other soldiers who had once been friendly with Wood lowered their heads, fear gripping them. Their bodies trembled, each man terrified of being implicated by Aurek’s wrath.

The hammers fell again and again, each blow pulverizing another bone. Wood’s body convulsed violently as his limbs were destroyed, reduced to fragments.

The scene was ghastly, a spectacle of blood and brutality. Even the soldiers carrying out the task felt their stomachs twist with nausea. Yet under the piercing weight of Aurek’s cold gaze, not one dared to hesitate or plead for mercy.

At last, when Wood was little more than a broken shell of himself, a figure approached from the distance. Towering, broad-shouldered, exuding an aura of authority. Behind him marched more than a dozen guards.

The soldiers halted at once. They recognized him immediately.

It was none other than Nock, the Minister of War of the Crossbridge Empire.

Nock’s cold eyes swept across the scene, then fell upon the soldier still clutching the hammer. With a curt gesture, he ordered the man to step back.

But the soldier hesitated. He turned, uncertain, glancing at Aurek, who stood a short distance away, his back turned but his aura dominating the field.

Nock’s expression darkened. His gaze flickered to Aurek, lingering for a long moment, before he motioned to his men. They rushed forward and tried to lift Wood from the ground.

Seeing his savior, Wood’s fading consciousness flared with hope. Like a drowning man clutching a straw, he cried out hoarsely, "My lord, save me!"

But Nock’s face hardened. Without warning, his palm lashed out, striking Wood across the face with a resounding crack.

"You worthless fool!" Nock thundered. "You brainless swine! You were made vice-captain of the Royal Guard to protect His Majesty, and yet this is how you behave? Do you not understand the meaning of restraint?"

"My lord, I... I truly know my mistake!" Wood sobbed. The slap had stung, but deep in his heart he understood. This was not cruelty. This was Nock shielding his life. For that, Wood remained silent, enduring the pain.

With a cold snort, Nock stepped forward and approached Aurek. He bowed perfunctorily, his manner formal but lacking genuine respect.

"Nock pays respects to His Majesty," he said.

Aurek did not respond. His lips curled into the faintest of mocking smiles.

In truth, he had expected this. He knew well that after Wood’s fall, Nock would not sit idly by.

But what Nock did not realize was that Aurek had deliberately kept Wood alive for this very reason—for bait.

The Minister of War, Nock, was in fact the loyal subordinate of the Minister of Police. Among the three great powers of the empire, the Minister of Police had always sought to extend his influence into the military.

Yet the Grand Marshal held supreme command over the armies, and would never allow such interference without a fight. Thus, the two factions had long been locked in bitter struggle.

Wood’s position had become a critical pivot, a piece neither side could afford to lose. For this reason, even Nock himself would not easily abandon him.

And so Aurek waited. He knew the trap was set.

Because whether it was the Minister of Police’s faction, or the Grand Marshal’s, both held influence powerful enough to shake the entire Crossbridge Empire. Even as emperor, Aurek had to tread carefully.

But he also knew: the game had begun.