"This man is a traitor to the Wall Guard."
The words rang out clearly.
Shima Jiro, who had been kneeling and gasping for air, suddenly felt a chill grip his heart.
After all
He had come to the Wall for a single purpose: to seize control of it and exchange it with the Peony Mystic… for Chang'an City.
His father had once been the Crown Prince.
But due to certain "accidents," he had died.
So really, saying that Chang'an should have been his, wasn't wrong.
But he was alone.
There was no way he could challenge the might of the Empire by himself and reclaim what belonged to him.
Later
The Peony Mystic found him and took him in.
They carried out numerous covert missions together.
During one of those missions, Shima Jiro was captured after failing the assignment.
It was the Peony Mystic who rescued him.
And in return, proposed a plan: trade the Wall for Chang'an.
From then on, Shima Jiro came to the Wall.
This time, he had known about the demonic invasion of Guan City.
In fact, he had been warned by the Peony Mystic weeks ago.
He had made full preparations in advance.
So to say he was a traitor to the Wall Guard…
Wasn't entirely wrong.
This invasion was supposed to bring heavy losses.
But now
How did this stranger know all of that?
Though his heart was pounding
Shima Jiro's years of training and naturally composed nature helped him mask his inner turmoil.
Taking several deep breaths, he slowly rose to his feet.
He looked directly at Carl, his expression calm.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said flatly.
It fit his usual quiet, withdrawn personality.
The rest of the Wall Guard instinctively took his side.
"Traitor? That's impossible!"
"The Wall Guard would never produce a traitor!"
"Exactly!"
"Shima Jiro may be new, but he's one of us!"
"Don't spout nonsense!"
Not just the soldiers who had come with him
Even Su Lie stood with him.
After all,
Shima Jiro had contributed significantly to past missions.
He had fought side by side with the Wall Guard many times.
Su Lie himself had always admired him.
His intentions to promote Shima Jiro had been clear to all.
So now
When Carl accused him of treason,
Not only did the rest of the Wall Guard dismiss it…
Even Su Lie didn't believe it.
But Carl wasn't surprised by their reactions.
He turned to Su Lie, smiling faintly.
"General Su Lie, I understand that you don't believe me."
"Shima Jiro has fought beside you, shared life-and-death battles."
"It's unfortunate…"
"But I have the ability to read minds."
"I know what people are thinking."
As he spoke,
Carl turned to face the cold, unreadable Shima Jiro.
"You're wondering how I know, aren't you?"
"You've kept your dealings with the Peony Mystic so well-hidden, you thought no one would ever find out."
"It's a pity."
"I don't even dislike you. In fact… your background as the son of a fallen prince, I actually sympathize."
At those words
Shima Jiro's eyes widened.
The cold, composed mask he'd kept so carefully collapsed all at once.
Because
No one knew the truth about his lineage.
After arriving at the Wall, he had told no one.
Absolutely no one.
Even in Chang'an itself
Very few knew his true identity.
Could it be…
This man really could read minds?
"That's right."
Carl chuckled softly.
"I told you, I know what people are thinking."
"I know your true identity, and your secret schemes with the Peony Mystic."
"You knew long in advance"
"That Guan City would be attacked today."
"It was all part of your and the Mystic's arrangement."
"Su Lie would be demoted for opening Guan City to trade."
"And you, "
"Would gain recognition and promotion by showing up with reinforcements at just the right time."
With every sentence Carl spoke
Shima Jiro's expression darkened further.
The Wall Guard and Su Lie, who had just moments ago defended him,
Now looked at him with suspicion.
Seeing Shima Jiro's face, a creeping sense of dread formed in their hearts.
Before Shima Jiro could respond,
A voice suddenly roared from the crowd.
A violet-haired youth rushed forward and slammed a fist into Shima Jiro's face.
He grabbed Shima Jiro by the collar, furious.
"Tell me, is it true?!"
"Sheng…"
Su Lie recognized the youth and instinctively moved to intervene, but then hesitated.
And chose not to.
He too wanted to hear the truth from Shima Jiro's mouth.
Originally
Su Lie had suspected that this youth, not Shima Jiro, was behind the attack.
The violet-haired boy's name was Sheng, heir to the lord of Yucheng.
He had always admired Su Lie deeply,
To him, Su Lie was a hero.
The two had hit it off from the very first meeting and had a close bond.
In fact
It was Sheng who first proposed the idea of opening Guan City.
So now
Carl's accusation shook him to the core.
If it was true
His hero, Su Lie, would be disgraced and demoted.
And he
Would likely be framed as the one who orchestrated the invasion.
After all
The proposal to open Guan City had been his.
How could Sheng not be furious?
Shima Jiro, with a sharp wave of his arm, knocked Sheng's hands away.
BANG!
He struck Sheng in return.
The two weren't close, barely acquaintances.
There was no reason for Shima Jiro to let him off.
He threw back his head and laughed wildly.
"That's right!"
"Everything he said is true!"
"All I wanted, was to take back what belongs to me! Is that a crime?!"
In that instant
Shima Jiro's black hair turned blood red.
A wave of deep crimson energy, like a demonic abyss, erupted from him.
The shockwave blasted back the surrounding Wall Guards.
"I'm no different from a beast, true"
"But this is still my land!"
With a furious roar
Shima Jiro drew his sword and charged at Carl.
His speed
Not only surpassed that of ordinary humans…
It was faster than most demonic beasts.
In the blink of an eye, he was upon Carl.
He swung his sword downward with all his strength.
This man had destroyed everything.
Shima Jiro had to kill him.
As for the Wall Guards… he didn't want to fight them.
He would deal with them later.
But then
Shima Jiro froze.
His blade struck Carl's neck.
But instead of severing it
The sword shattered into countless shards.
"What…"
Before he could finish the thought
He saw Carl smiling faintly.
"Your story really is tragic."
"But I don't give enemies second chances."
As the words fell
All Shima Jiro saw was a flood of blinding red light.
In that final moment
For reasons he couldn't explain
His mind flashed back to his childhood.
To the day his grandfather had taken him from his father's arms, joy written all over his face.
In his ears, the voice echoed again:
"My nation, my home, my land, my people."
Finally… I can rest.
Goodbye, Wall.
To be continued...
Hey everyone!
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