Hyperdimensional game! The ultimate aesthetics of violent wizards

"Just as expected..." Axel sighed. She had long expected that Rhine would take back the military power.

"Do you know what you are doing?" Bakas glared at Rhine.

"Casdel..." Axel wanted to persuade Bakas to change his attitude, but he raised his hand to stop him.

"This matter is very important, Duke Woda."

"..."

Bakas' tone was very serious. Although Axel was unhappy, he could only keep silent. After taking Axel's reaction as tacit consent, Castel looked directly into Rhine's eyes and told the story.

"The system of the Three Dukes exists to prevent the emergence of tyrants. Although Elfriden is a multi-ethnic country, the royal family is still human after all. If a tyrant becomes king and implements a policy that prioritizes the human race, he may begin to oppress different races. In order to prevent this from happening, the solution our ancestors came up with is the Three Dukes' Army. The Three Dukes, who are of different races, assist the royal family while also playing a supervisory role. If the situation is not right, they can take the initiative to abolish the tyrant. Do you plan to break this system?"

Bakas's question was very direct, so Rhine looked him straight in the eye and answered the question.

"If it were a peaceful time, there might not be any problem, but the current situation is very unstable. Although the Demon King's territory in the north is no longer expanding, who knows when things will change. The western power, the Great Kaios Empire, is not sure what to do. The Principality of Amidonia, which is eyeing our country, and the Republic of Dorchis, which regards advancing north as a national policy, are waiting for an opportunity to covet our territory. In addition, our country and the Nine-headed Dragon Islands Alliance in the east often have small-scale conflicts over territorial disputes."

"What I said is the external situation that Elfriden is facing. This country is in this unstable state. Duke Bakas, look at the international situation. Under such unstable circumstances, the multiple military command system is no longer applicable. Now is the time to promote centralization." Rhine said firmly and without compromise.

In troubled times, the most taboo thing is the separation of military power. Therefore, Rhine must keep the military power in his hands no matter what. This is something he absolutely cannot give up, regardless of whether they are loyal to the kingdom.

"Centralization... What if the central government is corrupt? How can you be sure that you won't become a tyrant? All the armies are under your jurisdiction, so who can punish you? And I see that you have the tendency to become a tyrant now. You even came up with a plan to let your people die. How can I trust you to hand over the military power to you?"

"When that time comes, you will chop off my head." Rhine said directly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Kaioluk Carmine, who was standing with his hands crossed in front of his chest, eyes closed and silent. It seemed that he did not hear the quarrel between Rhine and Bakas.

At present, Axel should be on his side, while Bakas is against him. Now it depends on Carmine's choice.

(ps: It seems that everyone is not very interested in farming, so I will unseal Rhine according to the original plan. Don't accuse me of cheating and it's boring. After all, after restoring the system, it's basically equal to sweeping the land.)

Chapter 291: Victory or defeat, life or death

"Your Majesty, from now on, Excell Voda and the entire navy of the Kingdom of Elfriden will be under your command and obey your orders."

In the picture, Duke Woda is kneeling on one knee, observing the etiquette of a subject.

In this way, the 10,000 sailors under Axel became Rhine's fighting force.

In fact, Rhine was not very interested in Duke Woda's navy, because the ironclad ships of this continent were a little backward. They used external driving force instead of internal driving force. In simple terms, they relied on sea dragons to pull the boats like horse-drawn chariots.

By the way, the technology on this continent is not very advanced, whether it is magical technology or physical technology.

For example, if you want to fly freely in the air, the continent of Penicia only needs flying props (brooms, magic carpets, flying swords...) to do it. As long as the flying props can be charged, even magic apprentices or ordinary people can fly into the sky.

But in this continent, there is no such thing as flying props, and even mages cannot fly freely in the sky. If you want to go to the sky, you can only ride on flying creatures such as flying dragons, pterosaurs or griffins.

Perhaps because this continent is closest to the Dark Continent, the dragon bloodline is very "strong". You can see sub-dragons everywhere, and there are even forces created by the descendants of the dragons, such as the Nine Dragon Islands and the Star Dragon Peaks. You must know that in the Peniche continent, even the pure-blooded giant dragons like the ancient dragons have to rely on human forces to survive. And sub-dragon creatures are almost extinct because there is no "sowing" of the dragons.

On the Landia continent, Asian dragons have long been integrated into human life. The ground dragons can easily drag several tons of cargo around, almost replacing various laborers such as cows, horses, and donkeys, and have also become the exclusive mounts designated by the army.

The flying dragons in the sky not only serve as people's means of transportation, but also become the exclusive mounts designated by the Air Force. Even the giant sea dragons swimming in the sea have become the power source for ships.

Rhine was not interested in the navy of the Kingdom of Elfriden, but in the Duke of Axel herself. Not only was she the only legendary warrior in the kingdom, she was also a dragon that had lived for nearly seven or eight hundred years. It could be said that she alone was as powerful as an entire naval fleet.

The Jiaolong tribe originally lived in the Nine Dragon Islands, but later they were exiled by other dragon tribes because of something that happened. For them, the Kingdom of Elfriden was a place they finally found to settle down after years of wandering. So when Rhine proposed the "one country, two systems" system and would not interfere with their territory, Duke Axel officially agreed to submit.

"Thank you Duke Woda for your wise decision. For the prosperity of this country, I will trouble you in the future."

"I will follow your Majesty's instructions."

After witnessing Axel's surrender, Duke Kaioluk Carmine remained calm, while Castelbakas felt a little disappointed.

"Bacchus, follow me, I will lead you to build an unprecedented glorious empire!"

"…I'm sorry, I can't do it." Bakas struggled for a while, and finally shook his head.

He could not follow someone who would do anything to achieve his goal, because if Rhine dared to sacrifice the lives of 400 million people today to achieve his goal, he would one day abandon him as an air force general. Therefore, he would never hand over his military power.

"Casdel!"

Duke Woda, the mother-in-law, scolded her son-in-law harshly, but Castel just shook his head quietly.

"Yue... Duke Woda seems to have chosen to believe, but... I can't help it. Ever since I took over my father's position, I have been protecting the Kingdom of Elfriden. I have driven out foreign enemies and conquered enemy territories for a hundred years. Even if I have no merits, I have worked hard. But the old king did not discuss it with us at all, and arbitrarily gave the throne to you, a sudden person, and took back our military power just a few days after taking office. I really can't believe you."

"It's me..." Just when Alisha wanted to explain that it was she who asked her father to pass the throne to Rhine, she was stopped by Rhine.

At this time, Castel also noticed Rhine's actions and asked Alisha who was standing next to him.

"Does Princess Alisha know anything?"

"Didn't you say that the fewer people who know about it, the better?"

"But……"

"It's okay, I can handle it."

"There are indeed some hidden secrets, but I cannot tell you. If you really want to know, then surrender to me, and I will tell you all the reasons, including why I must be the king."

"I'm sorry, but I still can't submit to you." Castelbacas refused for the second time.

"Duke Bacchus!!!" Axel, the mother-in-law, called him by his last name. She really didn't want her son-in-law to get involved in this rebellion.

"Mother-in-law, stop talking. Since you choose to believe him, it means that what he said should make some sense. However, I don't think that Duke Carmine rebelled without any reason. Since Duke Woda has joined his side, I have decided to stand on the side of Duke Carmine." Castel's expression was quite struggling, and it seemed that it was really a painful decision.

Although we had received news that Duke Carmine was ready to take action before, we did not expect that he would take action so soon.

"Is this...your decision?" Rhine changed his sunny smile like the big brother next door and asked solemnly.

Just as he said, even if he had no merits in the past hundred years, he had worked hard, and Rhine really didn't want to take action against this meritorious official. However, there was no such thing as a death sentence for treason and subversion of the state, and he must be beheaded and displayed to the public, to be announced to the world as a role model.

"Yes, but this is my personal decision. Only the hundred or so soldiers around me will join Duke Carmine's side. The rest of the air force will remain strictly neutral and not on the call-up list. They are also unaware of the uprising. If...if I am unfortunately defeated, then I hope you can be lenient with the remaining brothers."

"Hiss, it seems that you have a very thorough plan. You have even considered the possibility of your own defeat. In that case, I have nothing to say."

"Your Majesty, Castel... " Axel wanted to smooth things over, but Rhine stopped him with a gesture.

"That's enough. I don't want to waste any more time. Let's start the battle."

"Hmm..." Axel was suppressed by Rhine's sudden outburst of momentum.

"Duke Axel, I understand how you feel. However, no one can stop the wheel of history, and change is inevitable! I am too lazy to spend time on lobbying, but in the end I still couldn't win over Castel and the Air Force. Although this is a heavy blow, I am somewhat relieved that most of the Air Force can remain neutral."

"Then, do I need to ask for your opinion? Army General Keoluk Carmine." Rhine looked at the last of the three dukes, who was also the mastermind of the rebellion.

[……]

Rhine and the lion-faced warrior confronted each other. His aura was comparable to that of the professional soldier General Carmine, and he even had a tendency to overpower the other. The scene was filled with a depressing atmosphere. Axel and Castel were both waiting for the final result.

"Duke Carmine, I will not ask you whether you are willing to surrender, nor do I want to waste time trying to convince you. So I will only ask one question: what is the reason that compels you to do this even if it means you will be accused of treason and violate the oath your ancestors made when they founded the country?"

[The dignity of a warrior.] Facing Rhine's question, Keoruk answered without hesitation.

"Huh?" What an answer.

[This is a God-given opportunity to influence the fate of Elfriden with my own wisdom and intelligence. I want to accomplish a once-in-a-lifetime feat that will be passed down to future generations. This is the greatest ambition of a warrior.]

"So you want to be king. That's indeed a reason. There's nothing more to say." Rhine finally understood why the other party didn't care about his reputation or the lives of his people.

[Really? If you can understand, that would be a big help. I don’t want to explain too much to you.]

"But you have to know that the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. If you lose, you will be nailed to the pillar of shame in the history of the Kingdom of Elfriden forever. Not only you, but also your family, your subordinates, and everyone related to you will be implicated by you. Are you really ready?"

[I have already conveyed my wishes to them. If they are willing to follow me, they will be promoted after success, and they will have to bear the corresponding risks if they fail. If they are unwilling to follow me, I will arrange for them to leave this country and never come back.]

"Now that we have come to this, there is nothing more to say between us. I wish you good luck in martial arts."

[the same as you.]

Looking at the two people blessing each other, everyone else fell into silence.

"Kaoluk Kamain." Rhine called the other person by his name.

[What? Do you still want to say something now?]

"Regarding future battles, I have a suggestion."

"Although the army is indeed much stronger than the Imperial Guard, war is never just a matter of considering the strength of the army, but also a comprehensive consideration. As I said just now, I have 400 million citizens standing behind me. It will not be easy for you to defeat me."

"I believe that neither you nor I want to see the war get stuck and innocent people get dragged into the flames of war, right? The most important thing is to end the battle before the army of the Principality of Amidonia arrives. Otherwise, even if you win in the end, someone else might take advantage of you."

“So I want to lay down a few rules.”

[Tell me about it.]

"First, one match will determine victory or defeat. We will only fight one match, and this match will be both the first and final battle, and it will determine victory or defeat, as well as life or death."

"I will not engage in guerrilla warfare or offensive and defensive warfare with you. I will use all my troops to fight you to the death on the battlefield. This is the fastest way I can think of to end the war and has the least impact on the people."

[Okay, let’s choose the battlefield at the border between my and Bakas’ territory and the kingdom’s territory.]

"It's the border of three territories, fine."

"Second, once one of us is captured or killed, the defeated army must immediately and unconditionally surrender. This is necessary to prevent the army from launching a war of revenge or continued resistance after the death of the leader."

[Okay, I will tell my men that if I am killed in battle or captured, everyone should immediately drop their weapons and surrender.]

"Very good, I will also publicly announce to the nation that if I die in battle, then you will be the next king of this country."

"Your Majesty, this is not possible."

"It doesn't matter."

Alisha wanted to say something, but finally gave up. Since she had decided to support Lai Rhine, she had to support him to the end. Even if she really failed... No, she couldn't fail.

[What about time? The army of the Principality of Amidonia will arrive at the border of the kingdom in 20 days at the earliest.]

"It will take some time for me to mobilize, maybe 10 days. We will have a decisive battle in 10 days."

[I'm waiting for you.]

"Oh, by the way, there is one thing I want to ask of you. Don't worry, I'm not begging you. I just hope you can recruit all those who have opinions or second thoughts about me in the kingdom and let them join your rebel army. That way, I can catch them all in one fell swoop, and I won't have to settle accounts with them one by one later."

[……]

"Since you didn't answer, I'll take it as your consent. So, Duke Baccarat, what are your intentions?"

"Okay. I'll pass on the order then. If I lose the battle, all the air forces will obey you."

"Thank you, that's really helpful."

"Well, let's end today's meeting here. The next time we meet, it's either you or me. I hope you all take care of yourselves."

After closing the communication, Rhine asked Alisha beside him: "Am I very willful?"

Alisha shook her head after hearing this. "No one knows better than me the great feat that Your Majesty is going to accomplish. It will be an unprecedented and unparalleled feat."

"Hahahaha, am I as great as you say?" Rhine touched his nose and said happily.

"Although I know the result, I know nothing about the process, so I am very curious about what Your Majesty will do next." Alisha asked.

"I think that once the news of my war with Carmine spreads, many people on my side will definitely turn to him, right?"

"If it's a guerrilla war or an offensive and defensive war, I still have a chance to win. But if it's a head-on battle, I have almost no hope of winning, so they won't bet on me. But it's good this way, I don't even need to find a reason to confiscate my property, I can just charge it with treason." Rhine wanted to take this opportunity to wipe out the cancer in the court.

This battle was also the last chance for those nobles and bureaucrats, because if Rhine won, they would undoubtedly be liquidated, so they had to join Carmine's team. This was also one of Rhine's goals - entrapment enforcement.

"What to do is very simple, just wait and it will be done."

"Waiting for what?" Alisha asked curiously.

"I'm waiting for the seal to be lifted, and they're waiting to die."

"Okay, it's getting late, shall we go eat? I'm exhausted from giving a speech and attending a meeting all afternoon."

Chapter 292 Talent Market/Future Planning (Three-in-One)

The court meeting was held as usual the day after Rhine's speech, but the number of people attending the court today was obviously more than half less than yesterday, and the huge audience hall looked a little empty.

"Can anyone tell me what this is all about?"

"There were supposed to be 97 people, but only 44 actually showed up! Where did the remaining 53 people go?"

Rhine was furious and asked loudly.

Faced with Rhine's anger, no one dared to respond.

"I'm asking you a question! Are you all deaf or dumb?"

"Your Majesty, please calm down. It may be that the temperature difference between day and night is too large recently, and everyone has caught a cold, so they were unable to attend the court." A gray-haired official dared to speak out under pressure.

"A cold again? Do you believe this reason? Or do you really think I'm a fool and easy to fool?" Rhine scolded.

"No, no, no, I dare not. Your Majesty, please calm down."