As Bond Hampton's words fell, he raised his hand and rushed toward Casey and Night Orchid.
"Stop!" Duke Aiken Hampton, shouted in a deep voice.
"Your Grace, they killed my brother, and I must kill them!" Bond Hampton stopped in his tracks, his teeth gritted.
"Step back!" After taking a deep breath, Duke Aiken Hampton turned to look at Billy and spoke with a deep voice, "Commander Gardner, is it appropriate?"
"What's inappropriate about it?" Billy calmly responded. "Go ahead, speak your mind."
"Firstly, Sigmund Hampton is an envoy from our delegation. Even if he is guilty, we should handle it ourselves. You have no right to pass judgment on him." Duke Aiken Hampton replied, his brows furrowing.
"Secondly, his crimes do not warrant the death penalty. You are killing an innocent man!"
"You have quite the sense of humor," Billy said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. "Whether his crimes deserve the death penalty is for SHADOW to judge, and it's none of your business as an Orianan representative."
"Besides, he has offended a Glavalean woman, harmed Glavale citizens, and challenged Glavale's sovereignty. Do you think we have no right to execute him?"
"You are twisting the facts!" Duke Aiken Hampton took another deep breath and turned to a man from Central Sky Office. "Mullins, are you going to stand idly by?"
"Your Grace, SHADOW has a special status in Glavale, and none of us here have the authority to interfere in their affairs. I hope you understand." The man responded.
Though it sounded like passing the buck, no one dared to argue. SHADOW had established rules from the beginning, stating that no government department could interfere in SHADOW's investigations, or they would be seen as challenging the country's laws.
Duke Aiken Hampton let out a heavy sigh, his face turning increasingly grim.
"Billy, I heard that the Oriana delegation came with some demands for Glavale. Is that true?" Billy looked at the man and inquired.
"That's correct." The man replied. He knew this matter couldn't be avoided forever; it was bound to come sooner or later.
"Well, can you tell me what those demands are?" Billy continued to ask.
"Commander Gardner, we are currently discussing this matter across various departments. We'll definitely inform you once we have the results." A man of Special Patrol Squadron spoke up before anyone from the Central Sky Office could respond.
Billy turned to look at him, his gaze sharp as a blade. "Starting now, if I don't ask you a question, dare you speak nonsense again, I'll cut you down!"
Billy was already quite irritated by Oriana's demands, and he knew that someone was causing trouble behind the scenes. He didn't need to ask; these people were undoubtedly from the aristocratic families. The implication of the man's words was clear - he didn't want Billy to interfere, and this was challenging his bottom line.
"Commander Gardner, are you sure...?" the man's face changed color, his brows furrowing as he tried to speak again.
"Casey, cut him down." Billy said in a stern voice.
"I'll do it!" Without waiting for Casey to respond, Azure Dragon replied loudly, drawing his combat knife and swiftly moving forward. Since the earlier negotiation scene, he had wanted to use his knife, and he had a lot of pent-up anger to vent. Now, the opportunity had presented itself.
"Azure Dragon, you dare!" The man's pores opened wide, and his pupils shrank in cold fear.
"Trading the nation for personal gain, kowtowing to foreigners, you aristocrats are something else!" Azure Dragon spoke as he unleashed a blade aura.
The man, who was only at the mid-stage of Battle God, couldn't withstand Azure Dragon's attack. Before he could fully react, the blade aura flashed past his neck. He fell to the ground, gasping for breath, unable to utter a word. His head tilted to the side, lifeless.
A chorus of gasps filled the scene. Many people shuddered and involuntarily took a few steps back.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The War God's Homecoming