Chapter 11: Long Live the King

At this moment, almost everyone wanted to know—

Who was he?

Who could it possibly be?

Everyone asked themselves: What kind of face would be hidden beneath the knight’s visor, stained with bright red blood?

Sun Fei raised his arm slightly.

This small movement tugged at every heartstring.

His left hand gripped the sword hilt. Gritting his teeth, he pulled the knight’s rapier out of his own shoulder…

Plop!

A jet of blood spurted out from the wound beneath the metal armor.

Someone couldn’t help but cry out in shock.

This casual action once again stunned the countless people surrounding him.

Sun Fei took a deep breath. The moment he pulled out the rapier, the intense pain made him somewhat dizzy. Only when his breathing steadied did he slowly remove the helmet of the heavy knight armor.

To those watching, this scene played out like a slow-motion replay.

Instantaneous, yet achingly long.

Finally, the mystery was unveiled.

They saw the face beneath the helmet—wet, black hair plastered against his forehead and face, thick eyebrows over large, bright eyes, a face full of heroic spirit, the corners of his mouth curving into a beautiful arc, carrying a faint, elusive smile…

“It’s…”

The soldiers on the city walls were as if petrified by magic. One by one, they forgot to breathe and speak.

Lampard, the Three-Star Warrior, usually calm and reserved, lost composure entirely, his mouth agape, unable to utter a word. As for Brook, the Squadron Leader of the Royal Guard, and others, they rubbed their eyes again and again, unable to believe what they were seeing.

It was actually… King Alexander!

How was this possible?!

Honestly, before this moment, everyone had speculated a thousand times over who this heaven-sent, heavily armored warrior could be. But even after considering every soul in Shampoo City, down to the frail little beggar pleading daily on the streets, never once did they imagine that beneath that bloodied visage could be this most impossible face!

The famously inept King Alexander!

A figure deemed Shampoo City’s greatest shame over the past three years as its vassal!

It was him?

How could it possibly be him?

For a moment, the atmosphere on the city wall became extremely strange.

Deathly silence.

The sheer shock of Sun Fei gently removing his helmet with a smile struck the people far deeper than even his previous god-like feats: splitting the dark figure with one axe-throw, pinning the black-clad man with a thrown sword, or his blood-soaked plan wounding the formidable Three-Star Swordsman Lund!

After nearly three to four minutes of shocked silence, someone finally snapped back to reality. Almost on instinct, they shouted weakly: “It’s… King Alexander… Long Live the King!”

That timid cry ignited an explosion in the silent crowd.

Only then did others believe their eyes. Faces flushed crimson, they roared in disbelief—

“God of War Above, it truly is King Alexander!”

“It really is King Alexander!”

“His Majesty King Alexander has saved us…”

“Long Live the King!!”

“Long Live the King! Long Live!!”

“…”

The soldiers erupted.

An unstoppable eruption!

Like scattering salt into bubbling oil, scorching energy erupted instantly. Every soldier who had fought in this battle felt their blood roaring and burning within them like flames. Something primal surged forth. The exhilaration and honor of fighting alongside their king coalesced into one phrase, one rallying cry—

“Long Live the King!”

The sound, like the roar of deities from distant heavens, rolled outward, causing palpable unrest in the black camp far below across the Zuli River.

Sun Fei roared alongside his soldiers.

But inside, this scoundrel grinned from ear to ear, secretly delighted.

Without a doubt, this was a textbook, pure, classic display of dominance. He awarded his own performance a perfect 100 points.

He had every reason to believe he had won the hearts of every soldier.

To cement his victory, Sun Fei decided to push the performance to the limit. He raised his hand slightly, gesturing for quiet.

The soldiers fell silent.

Sun Fei strode decisively to the edge of the battlements. Holding the rapier still dripping with his own blood, he raised it high above his head and bellowed once more: “Shampoo City… Long Live!”

The blood-stained rapier… The commanding hero… The enemy’s fallen limbs… The city walls bathed in the golden light of sunset… Their king, god-like…

It all propelled the soldiers into an unstoppable frenzy again. Raising their arms alongside Sun Fei, they roared—

“Long Live Shampoo City! Long Live the King!”

“Long Live!!”

Amidst these roars, Sun Fei suddenly pivoted. He pointed the tip of his sword directly towards the distant black enemy camp across the river and shouted loudly, “My soldiers! Shout it with me: Kiss your master’s backsides, you bastards!”

The soldiers burst into raucous laughter.

They suddenly found themselves uncontrollably drawn to this kind of king. Laughing and jeering, they surged towards the crenellations and yelled towards the distance: “Kiss your master’s backsides, you bastards… Hail your pitiful masters! Hahaha…”

All fear and sorrow of war seemed to fade significantly in that instant.

The distance between the imposter king, Sun Fei, and his soldiers also closed dramatically in that moment.

Right then—

“Alexander! How are you here?”

A beautiful, melodious female voice laced with surprise, deep concern, and urgency came from behind him. Sun Fei turned.

On the stone steps of the distant tower, Angela, dressed in a flowing purple gown, was clambering up, breathless. She held her skirt in one hand, supporting herself against the wall with the other. Her exquisitely beautiful face was etched with anxiety.

Following behind, the little blonde-haired Gemma looked thoroughly peeved, shouting as she chased after her.

Sun Fei quickly flung aside the blood-dripping rapier in his hand. He turned his head to carefully wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. Deciding the sight wouldn’t frighten the beautiful maiden anymore, he turned and walked towards her.

Sun Fei hurried forward, catching Angela just as her hurry nearly made her stumble. The smooth, soft sensation transmitted through his hand sent a small thrill through Sun Fei. For an instant, he had the impulsive urge to envelop this sweet little fiancée in his arms.

“It’s too dangerous here! You must get back!”

Angela, uncertain what had occurred, breathed heavily, her chest rising and falling sharply—easily drawing Sun Fei’s gaze. Fine beads of sweat moistened her jade-like nose. Her fair, delicate face flushed. Her eyes glistened as if near tears. Her very first words upon seeing Sun Fei were an urgent plea for him to return immediately.

About twenty minutes earlier, when Angela returned after having attended to Gemma’s face marked by a slap, she was horrified to discover a suit of armor in the King’s Hall sliced clean through at the waist, and Alexander nowhere to be seen. She was frantic with worry.

This beautiful young woman silently blamed herself repeatedly; she shouldn’t have left Alexander alone in the Great Hall.

She and Gemma had nearly turned the entire Royal Palace upside down. They checked all his usual haunts, finding nothing. In her desperation, Angela had started to cry. Just as despair threatened to swallow her, the distant sound of thousands on the wall shouting ‘Long Live the King’ reached her ears. Ignoring her own safety and little Gemma’s vehement protests, Angela rushed straight to the battlefield without rest.

Miraculously, it seemed the fighting had ceased. And standing tall amidst the crowd, clad in gleaming armor, she instantly spotted Alexander.

“You’re hurt?” Angela noticed the blood stains on Sun Fei’s clothes.

Sun Fei grinned proudly. He cocked his head and gave a cocky nod towards the bodies of the Black-Armored Soldiers littering the ground. “All theirs… uh, better you don’t look. They didn’t go prettily.” He quickly shifted to block Angela’s view, not wanting the pure young woman to see the brutality.

That simple act inexplicably brought a flush to Angela’s cheeks and quickened her heart.

Just then—

“Alexander! You! Nearly eighteen years old, couldn’t you cause a little less trouble for Angela? Running around wildly! Don’t you know how dangerous it is? Angela was so worried she cried…”

The little blonde Gemma puffed her way up from behind. Seeing Sun Fei, she launched straight into a scolding without asking for his side of the story.

Since the former Alexander had been simple-minded, both Gemma and Angela had always treated him like a little brother needing care. In their worry, Gemma completely disregarded his royal status and pointed her finger directly at him.

Sun Fei decided to tease the adorable little girl.

He deliberately put on his old, foolish expression, scrunching his face up plaintively. “Not running… Alexander came to kill enemies… Look, Alexander strong… killed many enemies…”

This only made little Gemma angrier.

“Still talking! Wasn’t it embarrassing enough last time getting shot down by their arrow? And now you come to mess things up again… Killing enemies? More likely you just get in the way! Get back now! If you keep being naughty, Angela will have to spank your bottom!”

Spank his bottom?

Sun Fei’s expression instantly became strange.

Did it mean that before, when Alexander was disobedient, Angela would… spank him?

The scoundrel Sun Fei quickly conjured a vivid mental image in his head: the gentle, beautiful Angela, her cheeks flushed shyly, lightly spanking his backside with her seemingly boneless little hand… Unable to control it, he found himself drooling slightly.

“Alright, let’s go back now, Alexander. It’s too dangerous here.”

Relieved, Angela took Sun Fei’s hand and tried to steer him towards the Royal Palace, thinking inwardly: I need to get him away from this bloody place quickly. Let’s not inflict any more psychological pain on poor Alexander.

“Angela. No.”

This time, Sun Fei refused the beautiful girl’s offer with utmost seriousness.

He gently pushed aside the strands of her silky black hair, tangled now from her frantic run, tucking them neatly behind her fair, perfectly shaped ear. The gesture felt completely natural, devoid of any hidden intention to take advantage. Leaning closer, he whispered softly near her ear, his words only for her:

“Angela, remember what you told me? That I should be a brave and worthy king? That’s what I’m doing now. I need to be here. I’ll stay with my soldiers until we drive back the enemy!”