Ascent of Hero on the Dragon Throne

Very soon there was only Rocky, the emperor, Marcia, Alston and Priest Dean left on the Witch Palace.

"Basil, you have shown no remorse up to this point. On top of all that, you barged into the Witch Palace, wreaking havoc. I am very disappointed at you." The emperor said coldly as an effort to contain his anger while staring at Rocky. His face twitched and contorted, attempting to contain the rage at what he had just heard.

"I..." Just as Rocky was about to explain himself, he heard Marcia ask the emperor, her voice brimming with confusion. "Your Majesty, what did he do this time?"

The emperor's face darkened as he knew that he could not keep it a secret much longer with Marcia asking. Of course, it wouldn't be ideal for him to keep it from his own general. After all, nothing stayed hidden forever, so it was better for it to come from himself instead of others. Openness and transparency was the only way to go. However, the emperor was still extremely angry about what had happened last night, and so only told her a brief summary. His brows were knit together, clearly embarrassed and infuriated.

Marcia froze for a second hearing the emperor's word. She had never thought that Rocky would have done such a thing. Yet judging from Rocky's desperate attempt to save Lena, Marcia thought it was not that simple. The way she saw it, Rocky was a cynical man. But he was a cynical man with backbone, and he would never kick a man when he was down.

"General Marcia, you should have known by now that he is just a villainous, despicable man. He's utterly worthless, with no sense of honor." Alston cut in with much hatred and frustration in his voice. He would have killed Rocky if it had not been for Marcia's interference!

"If that is the case, he deserves a more severe punishment. How about abolishing his status as a prince again and send him away to the frontier. If he makes out of there, it will be for his own luck. And if he dies, well, then it will be that. That way, we can avoid an internal conflict in the royal family while showing the world your kindness and generosity," Marcia said, raising an eyebrow and looking at Alston, who was still fuming.

Rocky was surprised as he had assumed and expected that she would be on his side. He never thought that Marcia would propose his abolishment from the royal family and his further banishment to the frontier. He stared at her with much resentment emanating from his gaze.

What Rocky failed to understand was that what Marcia did was actually trying to save him. If it came to a trial by the royal family, it could end cruelly for him with a death sentence.

Alston and Priest Dean exchanged a look as they sensed that Marcia seemed to be pro

a told them another piece of shocking news.

The emperor was stunned at this new piece of information. He had never thought that Marcia would be this cruel to Rocky. Now both Alston and Priest Dean began to think that Marcia wanted Rocky dead as much as they did.

Rocky shouted at Marcia with hatred in his voice. "What have I ever done to you?"

"Do you hate me? Then hate me as hard as you can before you die. Remember, without the power of the Holy Dragon Bead, you are as good as dead being at the Gehenna Border." Marcia shot him a cold smile before she turned into a shadow and disappeared.

"Priest Dean, get your men ready and escort Basil out of the Palace City to the Gehenna Border. The rest is up to him from there." The emperor looked at Rocky with disappointment in his eyes before he left. The best he could do was not sentencing him to death right this instant.

"He is all yours now." Alston looked at Rocky with pure hatred burning in his eyes and then left for the Witch Palace.

Soon after that, a couple of royal spirit manipulators rallied before Priest Dean. These men had been his close associates.

"Get him to the military camp at the Gehenna Border as soon as possible, Make sure of it," Priest Dean instructed.

"Let me take my spiritual beast with me!" Rocky demanded at Priest Dean, his voice shaking with fury.

Priest Dean hesitated, before nodding slightly. His royal spirit manipulators nodded in compliance. They lifted Rocky, who was still completely bound and immobilized, with a stretcher. Uriah was placed beside him.

Rocky turned to look at the Witch Palace, which was growing smaller and smaller in the distance. He wondered if Lena indeed did not want to see him anymore. 'Do you really hate me this much?' he thought morosely, tears welling up in his eyes.