It's so hard being a hero!

As he watched Frey appear and Karen and the others being stunned, his expression grew increasingly grave.

The old emperor gave a wry smile.

"Hehe, my son is really well prepared. A third of the high-ranking officials in the empire have sided with him."

He didn't seem surprised that his son would rebel.

After he finished speaking, he looked at a woman beside him.

It was a black-haired woman wearing a black dress.

This woman is Daniela of the Temple of Desire.

She looks to be in her early 30s.

"Your Majesty, please don't worry."

Daniela immediately offered a word of comfort.

"Things haven't reached the point of no return yet."

The old emperor was puzzled.

"Now that things have come to this, do you have any other way to turn the tide and win for me?"

Daniela walked up to the old emperor, bent down to look at him, and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips.

"Your Majesty, please be patient and watch. This matter will not end so easily."

The old emperor frowned and said nothing more.

He seemed to want to see what other tricks Daniela had up her sleeve.

Chapter 102 Second Prince Milo

Meanwhile, things outside had become chaotic. The old emperor's orders had disrupted the advantageous situation that Leo had painstakingly built up.

Many of the soldiers and officials who had been wavering before sided with Karen again after hearing the emperor's order.

Leo frowned upon seeing this.

As Karen saw that more people were supporting the emperor, he became more assertive.

He pointed at Leo and shouted angrily, "He is no longer the crown prince. His Majesty has stripped him of his title. Take him down!"

However, Leo ignored him, his gaze sweeping around as if he were waiting for someone.

Just then, a series of orderly footsteps and hoofbeats suddenly came from afar.

Everyone immediately looked over and saw a sizable team rushing over.

Leading the way was a middle-aged man riding a unicorn and dressed in a magnificent royal robe.

Here comes Milo, the second prince of the Delos Empire.

Behind him followed a squad of two or three hundred knights clad in heavy black armor, each exuding a powerful aura.

Not only that, but several other particularly eye-catching figures were also following on either side of Milo.

They wore large black cloaks that completely covered their faces, making it impossible to see their features.

However, judging from the magical energy emanating from them, they were not ordinary people.

Upon arriving at his destination, Milo dismounted and strode forward.

He glanced at everyone present, his gaze lingering on Leo's face for a moment, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, before raising his voice and shouting, "His Majesty has ordered the arrest of former Crown Prince Leo, and all those who have sided with him."

His words caused another stir in the square.

"His Highness the Second Prince is right."

Karen was the first to stand up and agree, her face beaming with smiles, as if she had found a pillar of support.

"Your Highness has come at the right time. That traitor Leo just tried to force his way into the palace, but we stopped him."

Milo ignored him and instead turned to look at the several men in black robes behind him, gesturing with his hand.

The men in black robes simultaneously raised their hands and flipped their hoods back.

The face that was revealed made Sophia and Vic's expressions change.

The first person was a man who looked to be in his thirties. He was handsome, but his face was abnormally pale, as if he had been drained of his energy by indulging in some kind of desire for a long time.

He was wearing a full black suit of armor, the surface of which was engraved with dense, dark red patterns that seemed to be alive and were even wriggling slightly.

Beside the armored man was a woman wearing a dark red dress.

The woman also appeared to be in her early thirties, with striking beauty, a half-smile playing on her lips, and a scrutinizing gaze that made people feel very uncomfortable.

Sophia and Vic recognized them; the man in black armor was called Nochi, a Shadow Swordsman from the Holy Realm.

People who were roughly contemporaries of them.

The woman in the red dress was Adeline, a Saint Realm Blood Mage who suddenly disappeared more than ten years ago. Unexpectedly, she appeared here and became Milo's person.

Both of them are quite strong. Although they are not as strong as Vic and Frey, they are still the backbone of the Holy Realm.

What Sophia was even more concerned about was the aura they exuded.

Sophia stood in the crowd, her eyes fixed on Noch and Adeline, her fingers unconsciously clenching.

"This is Lilith's power."

They have been corrupted by the power of desire. Although they appear to be the same on the surface, their inner selves have changed, and they have become Lilith's puppets.

Not only these two Saint Realm experts, but also the knights behind Milo, who were wearing heavy black armor, were all surrounded by a faint pink energy.

Their eyes were also different from normal people's; a thin mist seemed to cover the depths of their pupils, carrying a kind of morbid excitement.

Seeing that the two Saint Realm experts had revealed their true forms, Milo's smile grew even more smug.

He turned to Leo and said in a tone as if he had finally found an opportunity to vent his pent-up resentment over the years, "Brother, did you see that? Father has deposed you from your position as crown prince. I have been ordered by Father to lead the empire's strongest warriors to quell the rebellion. You should admit defeat."

Leo looked at his younger brother with a very complicated expression.

The two grew up together and had a good relationship when they were young, but as they grew up, the struggle for power became increasingly fierce, and their brotherly bond was worn away.

"Milo."

Leo spoke, his voice calm, but every word carried a heavy weight.

"Do you know what you're doing? You actually brought cultists into the palace, claiming it was to quell a rebellion? You're pushing the entire empire into the abyss. Doesn't this prove that Father is controlled by a cult?"

Milo's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

He waved his hand, his tone tinged with impatience:

"Brother, you're wrong about that. Nochi and Adeline, both Saint Realm experts, were invited by Father. How did they become cultists?"

"Besides, what evidence do you have that you claim they are cult members? You can't convict them based on just one sentence, can you?"

Leo fell silent.

He did not have any conclusive evidence to prove in public that Nocchi and Adeline had been corrupted by the power of desire.

Such erosion is often invisible and intangible, and can only be perceived by those who have reached a certain level of spiritual attainment.

Even a Saint Realm expert might not be able to see through it at a glance if they haven't specifically studied this area.

Ordinary soldiers and officers would be even less likely to be able to distinguish them.

"evidence?"

A voice came from the side, carrying a hint of lazy laughter.

Vic took a step forward, drew his longsword from his waist, pointed the tip at Noch, and said with a hint of mockery:

"Nochi, we're old acquaintances. Twenty years ago, you fought me and lost. You said you'd get revenge. What? You spent twenty years cultivating at the Temple of Desire, and now you're finally back with the confidence?"

Nochi's expression shifted slightly, but he didn't get angry; instead, he revealed a sinister smile.

"Vic, long time no see. You still have such an unpleasant way of speaking."

He neither denied Vic's words nor admitted them.

This attitude was obvious to everyone present, and the smart ones had already discerned its meaning.

Even so, no one dared to stand up and say anything.

The confrontation between Saint Realm experts was so intense that ordinary people didn't even dare to approach, let alone interrupt.

Seeing this, Milo wasted no more time. He raised his hand and waved it forward.

"Let's do it."

Noch and Adeline moved at the same time.

Nochi's figure vanished like black smoke, and the next moment he appeared in front of Vic, holding a jet-black longsword that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The sword was wrapped in dark purple battle aura and was aimed straight at Vic's heart.

Vic was prepared. He dodged to the side and used his golden holy sword to parry. The moment the swords clashed, a piercing metallic scraping sound was heard, and sparks flew everywhere.

The two separated immediately after touching each other, each taking a few steps back.

Adeline then drifted away in Frey's direction.

She raised her hands, and two dark red blood mists condensed in her palms. The blood mists rapidly expanded in the air, transforming into two enormous blood claws that reached out to grab Frey.

Frey frowned slightly and raised her right hand to draw a semicircle in front of her.

A pale golden magical barrier unfolded out of thin air. The blood claw struck the barrier, making a sizzling sound, like blood being evaporated by high temperature.

"Tsk tsk, after more than twenty years, your reaction is still so quick."

Adeline chuckled softly, her tone carrying an unsettling languor.

Frey kept a cold face and didn't reply.

Her gaze swept quickly across the battlefield, her mind racing.

Although Noki and Adeline were corrupted by the power of desire, their fundamentals remained intact, and their strength was not weak.

She could handle Adeline on her own, and Vic could handle Noch, but Milo brought more than just these two Saint Realm experts.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the knights in black heavy armor behind Milo had silently dispersed and surrounded the entire square.

Although the auras of those knights were not as strong as those of Nochi and Adeline, many of them were still Grandmaster or King level.