My mom is waiting for treatment, and you're summoning me to be a hero?

Lin Mo sheathed his sword and turned around.

The sunlight shone down from behind him, casting a long shadow that stretched all the way to little Rita's feet.

Little Rita hugged the wooden sword and looked up.

Looking at that tall figure in black robes, his eyes seemed to be shining with a blank stare.

At this moment, the man in black robes was no longer just His Majesty.

No longer the cold, aloof face in the portrait.

It is no longer a legend passed down by people.

He is a god who emerged from the mist.

At that moment, Lin Mo became her faith.

It wasn't just her.

In the ruins, the civilians who crawled out of their hiding places knelt on the ground, their foreheads pressed against the cold stone slabs, their whole bodies trembling.

It wasn't fear, it was excitement.

On the city wall, some people cried, and some people laughed.

Someone re-erected the tattered flag and shouted at the black-robed figure from behind.

Lin Mo didn't look at those people.

He strode toward the inner city wall.

Each step was slow, but each step felt like stepping on the heart of the city.

Those kneeling on the ground automatically moved aside.

Lin Mo walked onto the city wall.

Horn stood at the front, instinctively straightening his back, clenching his right fist and striking his chest, giving a standard military salute.

Lin Mo stood in front of the battlements.

The wind blew by, making his black robe flutter loudly.

He looked down at the wilderness outside the city, scorched into dust by the dragon's breath.

He took a deep breath and spoke.

The voice wasn't loud, but every word traveled throughout the Hundred-Day Fortress and reached everyone's ears.

"Ever since I became emperor, people have asked whether the Holy Ancient Empire still belongs to the Li family. Today, I will tell you the answer."

He paused.

"From this day forward, the Holy Ancient Empire will no longer be ruled by the Li family."

On the city wall, everyone looked up at the same time.

"We don't want this name anymore."

Lin Mo's voice remained flat, as if he were stating something that should be taken for granted.

"Holy Gu, Holy Gu, you worship gods and revere Heaven. What have the gods protected you from? What has Heaven given you?"

The wind stopped at this point.

"From this day forward, this land shall be called the Empire of Mankind."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a heavy hammer, striking everyone's chest.

"It's not some ancient saint, it's not some tower, it's humanity. Just humanity. The people of this land no longer believe in gods, no longer kneel before heaven. From now on, no god has the right to make decisions for us."

On the city wall, there was a deathly silence.

Then, an old soldier stood up.

He was covered in wounds, half of his armor was torn, and his face was covered in dried blood.

He stared at Lin Mo's retreating figure, his lips trembling, then he screamed hoarsely, "The Human Empire—!!"

The voice was hoarse, as if it were being torn from the throat.

But that one sound was like a spark splashing into a pan of oil.

The entire city wall was blown apart.

"The Human Empire!!"

"The Empire of Man!!!"

"Long live the Emperor!!!"

……

Some people even took out a photographic crystal from their pockets and pointed it at the black-robed figure on the city wall.

That was something only nobles could afford.

Everyone knows that the images recorded by this crystal will spread throughout the entire continent.

Let everyone see it, let everyone know it...

After the noise subsided slightly, Lin Mo continued, "There's one more thing."

Everyone quieted down.

"From this day forward, the Human Empire declares war on the Holy Tower Kingdom."

This time, no one was shocked, and no one even hesitated.

They simply stared at the figure in black robes, then simultaneously gripped their weapons.

"Declare war!!!"

"Attack them!!!"

"Avenge our fallen brothers!!!"

……

Lin Mo raised his hand, his voice calming down once more.

"Not only the Holy Kingdom of the Tower, but also the wilderness, those hiding in the swamps, those lurking in the deep mountains, those crouching in the caves, all those who think humans are easy to bully—from today onwards, they are all enemies."

He paused.

"Declare war."

Two words.

There was no impassioned tone, no grandiloquent words, just a calm delivery.

But those two words alone made everyone's blood boil.

It wasn't because they weren't afraid of death, but because they had finally found an emperor who wasn't afraid of death.

"His Majesty!"

Horn suddenly spoke.

"I volunteer to be a pioneer!"

His voice was loud and clear, and everyone below could hear it.

"I want to join too! To serve His Majesty!"

"And me! Even though I'm only level 9, I can endure hardship!"

"I!"

"Me too!"

……

The crowd shouted excitedly, tears streaming down their faces.

However, Lin Mo coldly replied, "No."

Everyone was taken aback, not understanding what His Majesty meant.

"Are you... looking down on us because we're weak?"

Lin Mo shook his head, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and slowly drew the black sword.

The sword blade gleamed with a dark light in the sunlight.

Then he slammed the black sword into the stone slab of the city wall beneath his feet.

boom--!!

The sword sank into the stone slab, and cracks spread outwards.

Then, the entire Hundred-Day Fortress trembled.

It wasn't an earthquake; something was surging up from underground.

Starting from the base of the city wall, gray, translucent, and distorted figures emerge from the ground.

One, ten, a hundred, a thousand...

The ghost army crawled out of the soil, emerged from the cracks in the rocks, and coalesced in the air.

They stood beneath the city walls, on the streets, and amidst the ruins, densely packed and stretching as far as the eye could see.

The ghost army arrayed itself at Lin Mo's feet.

Lin Mo then spoke, his voice carrying throughout the entire city, reaching the ears of every living person:

"Even in war, I don't want you to be injured or killed."

His gaze swept over the soldiers, over the civilians, and over the nobles kneeling on the ground.

"I will bear the responsibility for all casualties in this battle."

silence.

Then came the sound of crying.

It wasn't suppressed sobbing; it was loud crying.

"His Majesty--!!"

"I swear in the name of my family! To be loyal to His Majesty for generations!!!"

"This is what a human emperor should look like!!!"

……

An old general knelt down, his white hair trembling in the wind, and he wept uncontrollably.

He cried out hoarsely, "This old minister has lived for eighty years and has never...never seen a Your Majesty like this!!"

A young soldier planted his sword in the ground, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a hoarse but firm voice.

"Your Majesty, my life is yours. From this day forward, wherever you point, I will fight."

Some people took off their family crest, threw it on the ground, and trampled it.

"From this day forward, there are no more families, only His Majesty, only the Empire."

The photo crystal was held even higher.

The images captured by this crystal will become the most precious memories of this land.

Little Rita stood below the city walls, looking up at the figure in black robes on the wall.

Her tears flowed uncontrollably, but she didn't wipe them away. She just held the wooden sword and stared intently at the man.

The brave warriors were also watching this scene from a corner of the city.

Only now did they finally understand.

The gap between myself and that person cannot be bridged by the identity of a hero.