Chapter 42: Emperor Moore, Section 9

What the hell is this joke?
Watching the gladiator’s extremely bizarre transformation, everyone was stunned. But soon, they remembered a legend of the Moore people.
It was a cruel legend—according to it, every Moore person harbored a demon within them. Unless something went wrong, this demon would never awaken. But once it did, it could cause the host to lose control and even undergo terrifying mutations, turning their once-weak bodies into something incredibly powerful. The price, however, was losing their sanity and becoming something akin to a beast.
Of course, this was just a legend. After all, they lived in a technological civilization, where stories of gods and demons no longer held much significance. If not for the fact that the mother goddess of the Moore Empire was real, she would likely have been forgotten long ago. But three hundred years ago, when a scholar in the empire proposed a theory of genetic optimization, the matter became widely discussed again.
The reason was that, according to this scholar’s theory, the Moore people could awaken the demons within them using a special kind of mutated technology. Moreover, those awakened would retain their consciousness and remain fully aware, just like ordinary people. This idea caused a huge stir throughout the empire. But later, after the scholar was summoned by the emperor, it turned out to be a lie.
Since it was a lie, it naturally wasn’t taken seriously. The scholar was killed for deceiving the emperor. But now, seeing the gladiator’s sudden and bizarre transformation, did people still think it was a lie?
Hei Ba didn’t know if it was a lie, as he had never heard that legend before. But he felt no sense of burden regarding the gladiator’s strange changes.
When it came to mastering living beings, perhaps no one in the entire universe was better than Ke Nu beside him. He had seen countless examples of enhanced biological tissues. In his eyes, the gladiator’s mutation, which relied on muscle expansion to gain strength, was utterly inferior—completely on a different level from the genetic enhancement in his left arm.
A strong wind swept through the restaurant as the giant-like figure rushed toward him. Hei Ba sneered coldly, exerted slight force from his waist, and spun half a circle in midair, regaining control of his body. Then he pushed off with his toes, using the force from hitting the wall to launch himself forward like a bullet, racing toward his opponent at high speed along the ground!

The giant was four meters tall, but Blackhair was less than two meters tall. Even though the Bor tribe’s disguise required a tall appearance, Blackhair’s height was just two meters. Such close-range mobility gave him a clear advantage. Sadly, the giant’s devastating charge failed to even scratch Blackhair’s skin. With a loud crash, it slammed straight into the wall, creating a two-meter-wide hole in the solid stone wall. Cracks spread out like spiderwebs around it.

“Kill… I must kill you…”

His blood-red eyes uttered pained murmurs. Amidst everyone’s horrified gazes, the gladiator managed to stand up again, though unsteadily, clearly shaken by the impact. Rubbing his severely deformed head, he charged at Blackhair once more. But this time, perhaps learning from the previous attempt, he didn’t just charge headfirst—he stretched out his arms, as thick as tree trunks, like giant pincers, blocking off Blackhair’s possible paths of movement.

At that moment, Blackhair had retreated in front of the Imperial Emperor. In his haste, he glanced at the emperor briefly. The rapidly expanding halo had already completely surrounded him, forming a huge sphere of light. Inside the sphere, everything was obscured; not a single figure could be seen.

A growing chill filled Blackhair’s heart as an ominous premonition arose. It seemed the Imperial Emperor might indeed be killed by Duke Ziyuan. Suddenly annoyed, his gaze toward the gladiator turned icy cold.

He had originally wanted to capture him alive. But now…

His wrist tightened, and Blackhair’s left hand suddenly extended toward where the gladiator was coming. Faint dark light appeared beneath his green skin, with sharp black threads revealing their edge.

It’s better to kill him.

“Boom!!”

The two figures finally collided. A powerful gust of wind erupted instantly, blowing the broken furniture around like shrapnel. The people nearby panicked and scrambled to hide everywhere.

Although the collision happened in an instant, everyone saw it. This time, Lord Beck didn’t dodge. So, what was his condition? Could he survive under the gladiator’s terrifying force?

Fear, cowardice, hesitation, panic…

All these negative emotions overwhelmed everyone. Yet no one dared to step forward. They could only hide in corners, watching the dust cloud that suddenly rose. No one spoke; only trembling filled the air.

What the outcome was actually no longer mattered to anyone. With the death of the Empire Emperor, everyone present was implicated. Their fates were already sealed; all that remained was the difference between dying early or late. Lord Beck’s efforts seemed, in their eyes, no different from merely clinging to life.

Still, it was better to die a little later. With that hope, people strained to keep their eyes open.

The dust quickly dispersed, revealing a surprising sight before them. Lord Beck hadn’t fallen nor been knocked away. He simply stood there quietly. Right in front of him, at a mere short distance, stood the giant figure of the gladiator. But unlike his fierce expression earlier, he now showed surprise, fear, and disbelief.

The observant artist noticed that there was still less than a meter between the two of them. They hadn’t even touched?

“Guluh…” The gladiator’s Adam’s apple moved. He opened his mouth slightly but couldn’t say anything. His eyes were wide as bells. Across from him, though the dark-haired man’s expression remained calm, his eyes also showed surprise. But before he could speak, a muffled sound came from the gladiator’s chest. A bulge suddenly appeared on his strong chest.

It appeared so suddenly that people didn’t even have time to be surprised before it burst open with a snap. Amidst splashing blood, a pale hand suddenly appeared before everyone. At the center of the hand, a large heart was still beating faintly.

The people around them were instantly in uproar. Everyone’s eyes were wide open, filled with disbelief.

Who? Who was behind the gladiator??

“Hehe, I never expected this. I only delayed for a short while, yet I got to witness such a spectacle. Lord Beck, your performance really surprised me.” Amidst the utter silence, the lazy voice of the Empire Emperor suddenly rang out.

Hearing this voice, the dark-haired man’s pupils darted around frantically, but his movements were swift. He immediately stepped back and stood at attention.

“That’s just my duty. I never expected His Majesty to be such a skilled fighter as well.”

“Nothing special, nothing special? Hahaha…” The Emperor suddenly laughed. At the same time, the hand from the gladiator’s chest retracted. The giant figure that collapsed before everyone was none other than the Empire Emperor. Still with his lazy smile, still exuding elegance. If it weren’t for the heart in his hand, everyone would have rushed at him right away.

But now…

Ugh… Seeing that vivid heart still beating in the emperor’s hands made almost everyone feel nauseous. The artist even collapsed on the ground, vomiting up all the little dinner he had eaten.
A foul, sour smell quickly filled the dining room.
The emperor frowned. “Lord Baker, I’m satisfied with your performance. But this seems like an inappropriate place to talk. Shall we go to another room?”
“As you wish, my esteemed sovereign,” said the dark-haired man, bowing gracefully, demonstrating the demeanor of a noble. Then he followed the emperor outside. Neither of them glanced back at the others in the room.
In fact, they didn’t need to worry about what was happening there. Though he didn’t understand why the emperor seemed unaffected by anything, the dark-haired man was certain that this seemingly lazy emperor had already grasped the Grand Duke of Ziyan’s plans and made arrangements accordingly. As for why there were no guards in the dining room or why the chaos inside hadn’t drawn attention outside, he saw no need to worry about those matters.
In his eyes, the Moorish emperor was full of mystery.
After leaving the dining room, the two continued on their way. First, they passed through a long corridor, then entered another glass-like tube. After a rapid transfer, the dark-haired man felt as though he were rising like a rocket, with the surroundings speeding past too fast to make out clearly. Before he could ask anything, his body suddenly became lighter, and he found himself in a completely different scene.
It was a huge garden with a transparent dome. The starry sky above was deep and filled with twinkling stars. Strange-shaped plants covered the area, and the air was so fresh it seemed liquid. The two were in a corner of the garden. When they stopped, the floor beneath their feet glowed, and the tube they came through vanished without a trace.
“Strange, isn’t it? How could there be such a place on a warship?” Seeing the dark-haired man’s surprise, the emperor smiled faintly and spoke softly.
“No. There’s nothing strange about it. Your warship must have its unique features. Though this garden is exquisite, it perfectly reflects your elegance,” the dark-haired man replied cautiously, though he was puzzled.
Clearly, this garden was the Moorish emperor’s private space. Why had he brought him here? Just to express his gratitude from earlier?

Seeming to notice his confusion, the emperor smiled even more happily but did not answer right away. Instead, he continued walking with the black-haired man until they reached a magnificent pavilion in the center of the garden, then pointed upward.
“Take a good look. It’s about to begin. This is the greatest fireworks display the empire has seen in a thousand years. Missing it would be a regret for life…”
“What?” The black-haired man followed the emperor’s finger and immediately saw a stunning sight. In the distant starry sky, several huge fleets were rushing toward them. Among them, countless massive Moorish ships were clearly visible, like a group of ancient beasts showing their sharp fangs toward where the black-haired man stood.
The empire’s greatest rebellion had finally begun…