CHAPTER 322: THE SCHEME OF ZARAK’S MURDER (2)

"Damn it! The gods have truly abandoned me!"

Bang!

Inside the luxurious room, Zarak slammed his right palm onto the table with a loud thud.

His chubby face flushed red, and his breath came in short gasps. The past few days had been nothing but hell for him.

Elina had received an honorary title from their father, along with many privileges Zarak had never even imagined before.

If asked whether he was jealous... of course he was!

If only that title belonged to him, he wouldn’t have ended up in this miserable situation.

To make matters worse, news of his grandfather Belfor Horven’s death had arrived. His mother had previously said his grandfather was fine and had been living in seclusion away from the Empire.

But disaster struck. Instead of arriving safely, his grandfather’s horse-drawn carriage was found destroyed in the middle of its journey to the southern region.

Meanwhile, his grandfather’s body was nowhere to be found, leaving everyone uncertain whether he was dead or alive.

Judging by how chaotic and wrecked the carriage was, it was clear that he was most likely dead.

Blow after blow struck Zarak like meteors crashing down on him, leaving him consumed by frustration.

"Argh!" He grabbed his hair, crouched down, and buried his face in his arms. "Why did everything turn out like this? What did I do wrong? Am I really going to be the first to end up like this?"

Tears streamed from the corners of his eyes as despair swallowed him whole.

At first, he thought he would be the winner in this battle for the throne. But in reality, he was the first to be eliminated.

Although he still looked like a strong candidate on the surface, anyone with common sense would have known his fate was already sealed.

From the moment he stepped into the throne battle, he knew there was no turning back. There were only two outcomes: victory or... death.

The path to victory was closed, leaving only death ahead of him.

"No... I can’t die!" Zarak lifted his head, his face streaked with tears. "I still have a chance... and an ace up my sleeve!"

He remembered his grandfather’s words—about a place full of treasure far to the east, near the sea.

It was said to be the legacy of the fifth emperor of the Great Velmora Empire. Unlike the other emperors, the fifth emperor had met a tragic fate.

His sons betrayed him and rebelled against him, and he fell even before the succession to the throne began.

The incident became a great disgrace to the empire’s history and was hidden to preserve the empire’s image in the eyes of future generations.

His grandfather had accidentally discovered the mysterious place while crossing into another empire for trade.

He was the only one who knew this secret—even his own daughter, Zarak’s mother, didn’t know about it.

"Hehehe... how could I have forgotten this?" Zarak laughed as he wiped away his tears. A victorious smile, one he hadn’t shown in a long time, spread across his face. "If I can go there and get the treasure inside, it’s not impossible for me to strike back at the other candidates for the throne. Hahaha!"

Once he felt refreshed, he stood up and stretched his stiff body. The distance from his location to the mysterious place was quite far.

He needed to prepare supplies first and make sure no spies from the princes would find him.

Without a second thought, he walked toward the door and was about to call a servant when the lights in his room suddenly dimmed, then went out completely.

The atmosphere grew tense as darkness swallowed the room. Only the moonlight from the four windows on the left side faintly illuminated him.

"What happened? Why did the lights suddenly go out?" Zarak muttered cautiously. "Could it be an enemy attack?"

He narrowed his eyes, scanning his surroundings. He wasn’t a fool—his situation was dangerously fragile right now.

If there was a perfect time to finish him off, this would be it.

He steadied himself and moved slowly toward the nightstand. Once there, he opened the drawer, took out a dagger, and pointed it forward, ready to strike at any threat.

Seconds passed, but no one appeared.

"Could I have misunderstood?" Zarak murmured in confusion.

As confusion overwhelmed him, a sudden gust of wind swept across his face from the right.

Startled, he was about to turn when a sharp blow struck him from behind.

Pain surged through Zarak, making him groan softly. But he barely had time to react before his consciousness began slipping into darkness.

Thud!

His body collapsed forward, and he lost consciousness. Behind him stood a tall man with a cold expression. A mask concealed his face, making him nearly impossible to read.

Killing a prince, huh? How nostalgic, the man muttered with a chilling chuckle.

He opened his right palm, and instantly, a magic circle two meters in diameter appeared above Zarak’s head.

Its presence caused the room’s temperature to plummet, while the mattress and nearby furniture began to melt under the intense heat.

"All right, Zarak Lorian. This is the end for you!"

Whoosh!

A fireball surged from the magic circle. Just as it was about to strike, something unexpected happened.

The fireball vanished, as if swallowed by an unseen force. The man’s eyes widened in shock—but before he could react, a shadow lunged at him.

It wrapped around his neck and slammed him to the floor with brutal force.

Bang!

The floor beneath him shattered, leaving a hole a meter deep.

"Argh...!" The man groaned in pain.

Even through his mask, his face visibly paled.

"Who... are you!?" he demanded, his voice trembling.

All he could see was a shapeless black shadow—truly terrifying.

It should be noted that he was Secret Agent 001, ordered by Cedric to eliminate Zarak.

The secret agents were an elite group operating directly under Prime Minister Roswell, ten in total, each rivaling the emperor’s Seven Mages of the Constellations in power.

And yet here he was—001—easily subdued by a mere shadow, unable to move a muscle.

"Ugh!"

He unleashed all his strength. A blue-black aura erupted from him and struck the shadow.

Surprisingly, the shadow didn’t flinch, standing motionless as if untouched.

"What? How... is that possible?" 001’s eyes widened in terror.

Suddenly, the shadow raised its left hand and punched him square in the face.

Bang!

The impact made the world spin around him—and it didn’t stop there.

Bang!

Bang!

Blow after blow rained down, and he was knocked unconscious instantly. But the shadow didn’t leave him.

It infused his body with its power, restoring him in an instant.

Then the shadow vanished, replaced by a handsome man with gray hair.

001 froze, fear flooding him as he recognized who it was.

"You... one of Singularity Chaos’ subordinates..."

Before he could finish, Arnold’s faint smile cut him off.

"Blame yourself for angering my master... hehehe..."