*Clang!~*

Two swords met, and the blades crashed, causing a sound to ring out.

Many distinguished personalities were present in this place, which seemed to host a plethora of characters with high status, but they all seemed to gather between two sides, sticking themselves to the two people who seemed to clash with their swords.

"Uspar! I will become the Emperor because I'm the fourth born of Emperor Kaiser Ethren and the next in line to the Throne after third brother, Alexi, who has already been exiled! You don't have a claim to the Throne!"

"Shut up, old man Yast! My father, Hadre Ethren, recently became the Emperor! So your line is already pushed back to serving my father's line! I, Uspar Ethren, am the rightful ruler of this Empire! Not you, or your trash brothers!"

"You! Much time hasn't passed for that to happen yet!" Yast Ethren's teeth clenched in anger.

His words contained two meanings: he had not aged much to be called an old man as he was only around three hundred years old, and the coronation of Hadre Ethren and his demise happened in the same year, which instantly denied Hadre Ethren's credibility of possessing the Throne.

If Hadre Ethren couldn't even keep the Throne for a year, how could he be officially called the Emperor of the Ethren Empire?

Sparks flew from the blades, and their subordinates simultaneously took out their weapons, directing hostility at each other. The battle that would take place right now would perhaps determine the next ruler of the Ethren Empire!

At this time, a few people entered the Throne Hall in smooth and calm strides, and the man leading the front creased his brows as he looked at the disorder.

This person was none other than Alexi Ethren, and the ones who were behind him comprised of his mother and the three Imperial Protectors who had just left from the Conferred Queen's estate.

Alexi Ethren and his entourage entered the Imperial Palace and looked at his half-brother and half-nephew fighting for the Throne. His lips curved into a wry yet mocking smile before he pointed his finger at them.

"Capture them..."

The Imperial Guards who stood behind at the back all barred their spears and moved to the front, finally causing the two men who were fighting for the Throne to react!

"Third brother!!"

"Uncle Alexi!!"

They both looked pale before they looked at the Imperial Guards who were approaching them. Their bodies trembled, not understanding what was going on, but the Imperial Guards' momentum left them without the will to retaliate even though they had the urge to scream 'You dare!?'

The Imperial Guards were at the Seventh Stage while Alexi Ethren's fourth brother and Hadre Ethren's first son were at the Sixth Stage and Fifth Stage, respectively.

They kneeled and surrendered to the Imperial Guards and almost instantly pleaded for mercy!

"Third brother! Please spare me!"

"Third uncle, I won't claim the Throne anymore. It's all yours! Please spare my life!"

If the Imperial Guards' momentum weren't enough for them to completely submit, the return of Alexi Ethren along with three Imperial Protectors was enough to eliminate any kind of retaliation or schemes within their hearts.

In front of absolute power, schemes remained generally useless.

It wasn't like they didn't know what their fathers, Kaiser Ethren and Hadre Ethren did to Alexi Ethren.

Furthermore, the moment they saw Alexi Ethren walk into this Throne Hall, they knew that there was going to be a cleansing, and perhaps the main Imperial Palace will be dyed with their blood, but they didn't want to be a part of it!! ...

No one wanted to be a part of it!!

Alexi Ethren became speechless at their actions. He hadn't said anything yet other than to capture them, and he wasn't a vengeful soul either. Heck, he hasn't even met these two before!

What does he even have to do with them?

"Lock them up in the Imperial Prison..."

He casually uttered, and the Imperial Guards took them away while the two of them repeatedly thanked him for sparing their lives even though they were still on their way to the prison.

He was just going to put them in prison for a few years so he could take what he wanted during this period of time he ruled without any obstructions.

Since he was going to become the Emperor, he was going to do it thoroughly, without leaving any dissidents to block him!

But for that to become a reality, there was still one huge obstruction remaining that he had to clear no matter what. He couldn't let it be; otherwise, it would affect him adversely.

Alexi Ethren's eyes flashed as he left the Imperial Palace.

He headed towards another palace, crossing many beautiful paths to enter the area where the Emperor enjoyed intimacy with many flowers, emanating a plethora of fragrances.

The three Imperial Protectors who currently followed behind him told that the other Imperial Protectors consented to his rule, but they wouldn't participate in his 'purge', nor would they try to interfere.

Instead, they have warned him to keep the number of lives shed to be a bare minimum.

Alexi Ethren didn't know how much bare minimum amounted to, but he didn't have enmity with anyone here other than possessing disappointed feelings, hence he wasn't going to kill anyone but imprison them.

However, there was a single person whom he would really like to suffer, and that same person was someone he has to remove if he were ever going to rule this Empire as the Emperor in peace.

Soon, among the pathway of clouds, he arrived in front of a rather extraordinary floating palace. The place it occupied was far back among the tens of palaces, but its grandness was as equal to the Emperor's Imperial Palace.

It was none other than Empress Dowager's Imperial Palace.

He entered the palace without much thought, and the defenses prepared there wasn't activated. Instead, it allowed him to enter as if it was ready to trap him.

The halls were wide, and the pathway seemed to be never-ending.

Alexi Ethren wasn't bothered. He and his entourage entered into the palace deeply, and a few minutes later, he found himself standing before a towering and splendid illuminated door.

After coming all this way, he had no inhibitions to enter this room. He gestured for the three Imperial Protectors to leave since he didn't want any interruptions in his revenge.

The three Imperial Protectors looked at each other before they left. However, Merkel Ethren slowed down for a bit, but he didn't say anything in the end and left.

They had brought in someone who hated Kaiser Ethren and Hadre Ethren to the core, so he felt that the fate of the beautiful Empress Dowager was going to be rather tragic.

He could imagine that she was going to be perhaps killed in a gruesome manner like how Kaiser Ethren died, being burned to ashes.

In any case, they all saw it coming, and even though they all had the power to stop it, they decided that the fate of the Empire and its benefit is more important!

"Alexi, she's inside?" Arianna Woller asked as her eyes flashed.