One Piece: A Warlord's Path-Chapter 696: The Fall of the Palace, The Death of the King
This night was a night of blood.
It wasn’t just Ronalfort; more than ten castles across the Kingdom of Bivins experienced simultaneous religious uprisings. Only the idiom "rivers of blood" could truly describe the carnage of the night.
Countless corpses were piled high in the streets and alleys of the various strongholds. The thick, metallic scent of gore drew swarms of carrion birds; outside some of the smaller castles, hyenas and wild wolves lingered, pacing restlessly in the shadows.
Even Crofort, the capital of the Kingdom of Bivins, had fallen under siege.
...
Morning. Crofort, The Inner Keep.
The once-magnificent royal palace had been transformed into a Shura’s field, a slaughterhouse shrouded in the stench of death. The bodies of palace guards and knights lay scattered across the battlements, the squares, the corridors, and even within the inner halls.
Inside the Great Hall of the Palace, the remains of nobles, royals, guards, and knights formed gruesome mounds of flesh.
"D-Demon... you’re a demon..."
A pale young man with heavy dark circles under his eyes knelt on the stairs, trembling violently. His expression was one of such abject terror that it seemed his very spirit had shattered. Around him lay a circle of fallen royal knights. His luxurious golden robes and the gold crown set with a massive yellow gemstone betrayed his identity.
The source of this nation’s chaos: the King of the Bivins Kingdom, His Majesty King Marvi VIII!
"King Marvi VIII, a man as noble as yourself... how can you be kneeling on the floor?"
Sitting upon the dark-gold throne was Malha, clad in a black trench coat. He toyed with the golden scepter in his hand, his thumb tracing the large yellow gem at its tip. He looked down at Marvi VIII on the steps below with a mocking, playful glint in his eyes.
"W-What do you want? I’ll give you everything! Gold? Jewels? Peerless beauties? Or my... my throne? I can give it all to you! Just don’t kill me! Please, I beg you, don’t kill me!"
The King of Bivins groveled like a dog, pleading for his life. Stripped of his dignity, he bore no resemblance to a monarch who held the power of life and death over a nation; he looked like nothing more than a mangy cur.
"Oi, oi, oi... seriously now, you are a King, aren’t you?" Malha shook his head, his expression shifting to one of irritation and disdain. "Do you have no backbone at all? How unsightly."
"Forgive me! Forgive me! I don’t want to die yet! Please, I don’t want to die!"
Marvi VIII begged, shivering. Having tasted the heights of luxury at such a young age, how could he be willing to let it all end here?
Clack... clack... clack...
The sound of footsteps echoed through the hall. Malha looked up to see Ryūkawa Jiku walking in. He wore a white kimono with the character for "Dragon" embroidered on the sleeves. His expression was stony as he stepped forward in his wooden geta sandals, his tachi’s polished blade coated in thick, viscous blood.
"Is it settled?" Malha asked casually.
"Yohehehe... all dead," Ryūkawa gave a strange laugh as he stood before Marvi VIII. He glanced down contemptuously. "This fellow is the King of this country? He’s unexpectedly pathetic."
"It was a bit of a surprise that Valanfort started their uprising on their own," Malha remarked, glancing at the King before turning back to Ryūkawa.
"Yohehehe! Unexpected, perhaps, but still within the plan," Ryūkawa chuckled.
"DIE!"
With a sudden roar, a figure bolted upright from the pile of corpses. A survivor charged at Malha, brandishing a long sword that gleamed with a cold metallic luster, aiming a vertical slash straight for his head.
"I thought you’d be able to hold your breath a bit longer," Malha said, rolling his eyes with a hint of disappointment.
Shing—!
In an instant, a flash of brilliant blade-light flickered. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
Spurt!
A head went flying, blood sprayed the air, and a headless corpse collapsed heavily to the floor.
"Any old stray thinks they can swing a sword these days," Ryūkawa said coldly, flicking the blood from his blade.
Stomp, stomp, stomp...
Another hurried set of footsteps followed as a group of people wearing black armor emblazoned with white crosses and clerical robes rushed into the hall. They were the paladins and clergy of the Church of the Night.
"We are deeply grateful for the assistance of you two Lords!" One of the paladins adjusted his visor, stepped forward, and bowed in thanks.
"Helping you is helping ourselves," Malha grinned, waving a hand dismissively.
"We have taken the palace, but the garrison outside the city and the defense forces within are still a major threat. What should we do?" the knight asked humbly.
"Take this." Malha tossed a dark object through the air.
Snap!
The knight caught it and his eyes widened. "The Military Seal!"
"That is the King’s seal for mobilizing the troops. Use it to take command of the armies. Any noble or general who refuses to comply can simply be executed. Besides, it’s not like you don’t already have plenty of inside agents in this castle, right?" Malha smirked mockingly.
"Ahem..." The knight coughed awkwardly, then bowed again. "Much appreciated! The Goddess of the Night shall bless you!"
With that, the group hurried out of the hall, leaving only Malha and Ryūkawa. Once the Church members were gone, Malha let out a derisive snort. "Hmph... Goddess of the Night?"
He looked down at Marvi VIII, who was still kneeling on the steps, and extended a single finger toward him.
"No! Please! Spare—"
Seeing that index finger pointed at him, Marvi VIII was struck with absolute horror. He had seen it—the green ray emitted from that very finger had effortlessly slaughtered everyone in the hall. Neither the sharpest swords nor the sturdiest shields could stop it; it pierced through armor and flesh alike.
Shoom—!
A green beam, like the finger of the Grim Reaper, shot from Malha’s fingertip, instantly piercing Marvi VIII’s skull.
With a look of frozen terror, the King slumped slowly onto the steps.
"Is it really okay to just kill him?" Ryūkawa asked doubtfully. "We’ve taken the palace and wiped out the royals and nobles, but the Church of the Night is still a long way from actually controlling this city, isn’t it?"
"It doesn’t matter. They are merely pawns. What matters is the chaos," a smile curled on Malha’s lips.
"Chaos?" Ryūkawa was puzzled.
"Exactly! Chaos is what I want! We’re all just using each other. I’m simply making things difficult for that man while thinning out a few of the Chris Pirates’ cadres in the process."
Malha’s voice grew louder, filled with contempt. "Only when this country falls into total anarchy can we snatch victory from the confusion. Did you really think I’d rely on a bunch of religious fanatics to deal with the Chris Pirates?"
In truth, Malha had never respected the Church of the Night, nor did he ever intend to truly support them. Everything was a ploy to weaken the Chris Pirates’ foundation. As for any losses the Church suffered... that was just part of the plan. It would be best if they were wiped out along with the rest.
