"Ah ah ah ah ah ah! Heh, heh, heh, ah ah ah ah ah...!"
The Chief of Intelligence, driven mad by drinking that cup of "Demon God's Descent - Essence of the Devil," twisted in the center of the main assembly hall, clutching his throat. All civil and military officials kept their distance. General Black, the only one allowed to carry a Teigu into the main assembly hall, was equipped with the repaired admirer. He led ten Imperial City Guards and his two deputy guard commanders, surrounding him to prevent any unforeseen incidents.
Watching the Chief of Intelligence suffer and twist in madness alone in the hall, almost all civil and military officials wore expressions and attitudes of schadenfreude, or like Tohsaka Rin, they were completely indifferent, not even bothering to glance at him.
"Heh, this is exactly the same reaction described in the intelligence documents after drinking the Demon God's Descent - Essence of the Devil. It seems the authenticity of this Teigu has been verified. The Chief of Intelligence, to protect a vital national treasure, did not hesitate to test its authenticity with his own body. His meritorious service is immense."
"Yes, yes, truly a model for us court officials..."
"Is that so..."
Cold mockery and sarcasm faintly echoed in the spacious council hall. No one felt any sympathy for this madman, who was about to die from his Imperial Armament's power going out of control.
"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill! Kill all you scum of this Empire! Ahhh!"
A bone-chilling cold suddenly erupted from the Chief of Intelligence after he drank the Essence of the Demon. The entire hall instantly became covered in a thick layer of frost. The Chief of Intelligence's eyes, bloodshot and red from madness, suddenly turned towards Black, who was sitting high on the throne behind General Black—
"Presumptuous!"
General Black, who was fully responsible for all palace defenses and safety, immediately realized the situation was dire. admirer's lightning instantly struck the Chief of Intelligence, and the roaring thunder instantly pulverized the out-of-control Chief of Intelligence, leaving not even a trace. However, the out-of-control ice power condensed into hundreds of ice blades behind General Black's unseen back, shooting towards the Old Emperor!
"Quick, protect His Majesty!"
"His Majesty is in danger!"
"Your Majesty!..."
At this moment, everyone panicked. However, facing this scene, everyone present was powerless. There was no need to mention the civil officials; it was questionable whether they, being unarmed, could avoid being caught in too many ice blades.
On the military side, all the generals' Imperial Armaments had already been sealed in Imperial Armament storage boxes. And to prevent assassinations, apart from the Emperor's personal attendants, everyone else was more than a hundred meters away from the Emperor. The ice blades were only fifty meters away from the Emperor. The only one who could stop them, General Black, had launched an attack on the out-of-control Chief of Intelligence first due to a line of sight issue.
At this moment, an energy barrier shimmering with electricity unfolded, blocking the Old Emperor. This was a barrier-type Imperial Armament in the palace, operating continuously to protect the Emperor's safety. To everyone's surprise, perhaps the power of the out-of-control and berserk Essence of the Demon was too great, the ice blades directly shattered the barrier without much obstruction, still shooting towards the Old Emperor!
Was the Old Emperor going to end like this?
Of course not. There was still one person present who did not want the Old Emperor to die now and had the ability to prevent that scene from happening.
"Snap!"
A crisp snap of fingers suddenly echoed in the spacious and noisy hall. The rapidly shooting ice blades froze in mid-air when they were less than ten meters away from the already despairing Old Emperor.
"Break!"
With a soft shout, the ice blades suspended in the air shattered and dissipated. Along with them, the thick layer of ice that had frozen the entire council hall also shattered completely, disappearing without a trace.
"Your subjects failed to protect His Majesty and deserve death. Please punish us, Your Majesty!"
Should any accident or danger occur in the palace, the General, as the chief of all palace defenses, is primarily to blame. This is especially true when the Emperor faced a fatal crisis in the council hall. If it weren't for an unexpected person intervening, the entire Empire would face a crisis of unrest and chaos. General Black and his Imperial Guards all knelt to beg for punishment.
The Old Emperor, having narrowly escaped death, also let out a big sigh of relief. In the palace, always guarded by the General, the Old Emperor didn't know how long it had been since he faced such a life-or-death situation. No matter how much imperial composure he possessed, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. After wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he looked at Black below the throne and the assembled officials and said:
"The General was also caught in the moment and misjudged the situation, delaying the opportune moment. We will set aside the punishment for now. Who was it that saved Us just now...?"
At this point, that clear "Break" just now was clearly a crisp female voice, and there was only one young girl in this hall.
"General Rin Tohsaka."
"Your subject is here."
Rin stepped forward and stood before everyone.
"Was it you who saved Us just now?"
"I apologize for startling Your Majesty. It was indeed your subject. Protecting the safety of His Imperial Majesty is the duty of all Imperial soldiers."
On her beautiful face, there was still a calm and composed expression, showing no sign of having saved the ruler of a nation from peril, as if she had merely thrown a pebble casually, unconcerned.
Meanwhile, Onesis, standing on the other side, in a corner unnoticed by everyone, was looking at Rin's back with extreme horror. This hero, who in the eyes of all the civil and military officials had protected the Emperor's personal safety, seemed to him like a terrifying demon in human skin.
Because only he knew that the extremely perilous scene just now, the moment the Emperor was saved from a desperate situation, was entirely orchestrated by that young girl... It was too terrifying!
Onesis knew it was his time to speak, so he no longer cowered aside but actively stepped forward and said to the Emperor:
"Your Majesty, just now the Chief of Intelligence was treasonous, uttering words of rebellion and conspiracy against your sacred and noble self! Moreover, it has now been proven that General Rin Tohsaka indeed did not secretly take Imperial Armaments, and that from the very beginning, he was slandering and stirring up trouble. It is feared that from the start he intended to seize the opportunity to access this ominous forbidden Imperial Armament to assassinate His Majesty. It is likely he had a secret pact with foreign nations long ago, and his death is not enough to atone for his crimes! Your subject requests Your Majesty to issue an edict to confiscate the entire family and all relatives of the former Chief of Intelligence, annihilating their clan, to uphold the majesty of the Empire and His Imperial Majesty. Furthermore, thoroughly investigate whether the Imperial Intelligence Agency still harbors his accomplices."
Good heavens, how ruthless!
These words made even Rin look at Onesis in a new light. A slight hint of suspicion and he immediately slapped on a charge of treason and assassination of the Emperor.
The just and upright Minister Qiao Li, however, could not bear to see this happen and stepped forward to speak before the Old Emperor could make an irreversible decision.
"Your Majesty, the Chief of Intelligence only fell into madness by personally testing the authenticity of the Imperial Armament. Actions taken in a state of mental frenzy are not sufficient to determine his intent. Moreover, he has died and his body is no more, so it would be best not to implicate his relatives and subordinates."
"Minister Qiao Li! What do you mean by this!?"
Onesis immediately seized the opportunity to make a big deal, loudly reprimanding:
"If that traitor's attempt at assassination just now was merely an unintentional act born of madness, then why did he aim specifically at His Majesty, who was the furthest away? And he skillfully controlled the ice blades' attack to evade the General's line of sight. And according to your statement, everyone in the entire Empire could just feign madness and foolishness to assassinate His Majesty and still keep their families and relatives safe?"
Onesis's words were truly insidious; he was clearly implying that the Chief of Intelligence and Minister Qiao Li had a secret collusion. Just as the General Family was a stumbling block on Rin's path to power, Minister Qiao Li was an obstacle Onesis had to remove, so he would not miss any opportunity to strike at his political rivals in court.
"Enough! No need for further words. Proceed as Onesis, the Quartermaster, has suggested. General, you shall atone for your mistakes by handling this matter, and exert yourself."
"Your subject obeys the decree."
The Old Emperor made a decisive decision, while Minister Qiao Li hesitated to speak, only to sigh helplessly and return to his position.
From this scene, it's not hard to see why in the original work/canon, Minister Qiao Li was forced out by Onesis, giving up his ministerial position, which then led to the unfolding of all subsequent plot points. He was too fair and upright, handling everything in the most proper way, but completely lacked the ability to adapt to circumstances.
The Old Emperor had just faced a life-or-death crisis, his cold sweat not yet dry. At this moment, Minister Qiao Li stood up to speak for the person who had tried to assassinate him. This made the Old Emperor, who was originally still somewhat hesitant, firm up his resolve, and at the same time, he began to harbor resentment towards his minister, planting a hidden danger for himself and the future of the entire Empire.
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