The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 473: The End of the Civil War

Aldrian was now in another place near the capital. It was actually one of the satellite cities directly connected to it. He looked down, watching the bustling activities of the people below and how the aftermath of his battle in the capital was affecting them. From what he could see and hear, news of what happened in the capital had already reached this place.

It was not surprising, as this city was one of the closest places to the capital.

Aldrian then ignored all of it and turned his gaze toward one of the grand buildings that stood out among the rest. It was a ten-story tower with a vast courtyard, and many people were entering and exiting through its main gates. At the entrance, a large sign displayed a name already recognized as a commercial behemoth across the empire.

Golden Swan Commerce.

It was surprising to think that Carlson Harris, the leader of Golden Swan Commerce, had escaped to this place. He was hiding in one of the organization’s branch offices. Aldrian’s eyes and senses, which could not be blocked by anything within his domain, detected that Carlson was inside one of the rooms. It seemed he was trying to contact someone using a communication artifact.

Aldrian smiled as he watched this, then instantly teleported beside Carlson. He grabbed him by the neck, slamming his face flat against the floor. Aldrian pressed his knee into Carlson’s back to hold him in place, then applied more pressure until he heard the sickening crack of Carlson’s spine breaking.

Crack!

"Akh!" Carlson cried out in agony. He hadn’t expected such a sudden attack, and the pain from his shattered spine, combined with his broken nose, was intense. Blood flowed from his nose, swelling on his face. But Aldrian gave him no chance to make another sound, instantly teleporting him elsewhere.

Through all of this, Aldrian still had one hand firmly grasping Grand Duke Donovan, who remained conscious and was still kicking, desperately trying to break free from Aldrian’s hold.

The moment Aldrian teleported, a few people entered the room. From their attire, it was clear they were the guards who had heard the commotion. They were stunned to find no one there, despite knowing their leader had entered the room. All they saw were traces of the broken floor and blood, which made them believe something had happened to their leader.

Panic set in, and soon, all the guards within the Golden Swan Commerce branch began spreading out across the city in search of their leader.

Unfortunately for them, their leader was no longer in the city. Aldrian had already returned to his mansion in Caritas. He teleported to the back of his mansion, where some members of the Fingers were hiding in the shadows. They were shocked by his sudden appearance, but their eyes widened in disbelief when they saw that Aldrian had brought two people with him.

They instantly recognized them as Grand Duke Donovan and Carlson Harris, the leader of Golden Swan Commerce.

Powerless against Aldrian, they writhed in his grasp, unable to do anything but be dragged toward the dungeon, which was not far from them.

"Aldrian! Young master! Don’t do this! You’ll regret it if you kill me now!" Carlson shouted.

"Aldrian, you will face disaster in the future. Don’t think you’ve won just because you’ve defeated us," Grand Duke Donovan said in a fierce tone.

Aldrian ignored them completely, but then his steps came to a halt as the members of the Fingers appeared instantly in front of him, bowing in unison.

"Welcome back, master," they said respectfully.

Aldrian nodded. "Good job. You guys caught a rat trying to sneak in. Now, let me deal with them first."

He then continued dragging them toward the dungeon, ignoring their loud ramblings. The Fingers watched as Grand Duke Donovan and Carlson were dragged out of sight. They couldn’t help but wonder what kind of fate awaited them.

They had heard the rumors and stories about Aldrian. He was like a devil when it came to dealing with his enemies. With the power he held, they couldn’t help but wonder what kind of torture those poor bastards would have to endure.

Arson arrived not long after, having sensed Aldrian’s sudden appearance at the back of the mansion. He wanted to greet Aldrian, but it seemed his master had already entered the dungeon, as he could faintly hear the echoed sounds of rambling from the two captives.

"Who did the master bring back with him?" Arson asked the second Finger standing beside him.

"He brought Grand Duke Donovan and Carlson Harris."

Hearing the answer, Arson was astonished. It seemed that Aldrian had swept up all the key figures from Wilmar’s faction: the strategist and the logistics coordinator, the main components that had allowed Wilmar to gain the upper hand against the opposition.

With this, there was no other possible outcome than the complete fall of the second prince’s faction. True to his prediction, not long after, news from the capital spread like wildfire. The civil war was over. For the first time since the conflict began, the emperor made an appearance and announced the end of the war himself.

He also declared that the second prince would face punishment for his coup and for causing the destruction of countless lives. The emperor further stated that all collaborators with the prince would be punished, including Grand Duke Donovan and the leader of Golden Swan Commerce, Carlson Harris.

Because this was a special case, where the imperial family itself had been harmed by the civil war, Emperor Raymond dared to announce the treacherous acts of Wilmar, who had collaborated with the devils. Many would now shun the prince, with little negative impact on the reputation or integrity of the other members of the imperial family.

This action served to show the people that the imperial family was determined to purge every traitor, even if they came from their own bloodline.

The emperor also announced that the mysterious swordsman, Aldrian, had given his support and was helping the imperial family and the people of the empire to restore order.

With the imperial family’s decision and Aldrian’s support, many people felt assured and did not mind what the imperial family would do next. They believed that justice would be enacted and that those who deserved to be hunted would face the consequences.

Although some people were skeptical about the imperial family, the name of Aldrian at least assured them that justice would be served.

The emperor’s announcement caused all the forces that had aligned themselves with the second prince to cease their activities and surrender. Scenes of thousands of troops returning to their respective territories or dropping their weapons spread across many parts of the empire after the announcement.

This caused many to cheer with joy, especially those from the opposition forces—it felt like a dream to them. Just a few weeks earlier, they had believed they would surely lose the civil war and end up dead. However, as if fate had been flipped, they had suddenly survived, and the second prince’s faction was disbanded.

After all of this, the name of Aldrian resounded throughout the entire empire. His name became a legend that would undoubtedly be written into the history of the Atria Empire for generations to come. With his power alone, he had stopped the civil war and prevented the wicked second prince, supported by the devils, from taking over the empire.

While the empire experienced yet another wave of change, the person whom many admired and shouted for was inside a dungeon. He stood in the room, looking at the three figures he had forced to sit in their seats.

Their seats were arranged in a triangle, allowing them to see each other clearly despite the dimness of the room. The only source of light was a candle placed above them, casting a gloomy atmosphere over the scene.

Wilmar, Grand Duke Donovan, and Carlson sat with their bodies tied to their seats, their cultivation sealed. Aldrian had used a spatial lock to keep them immobile and unable to speak. The only sound in the room was the sound of their breathing, which made the tension even more palpable.

They had been in this position for over an hour, and Aldrian seemed to be standing silently in the shadows of the room, where the light could not reach. After a few more minutes of silence, Aldrian’s voice finally broke it.

"I’m still thinking about how to make the wrath in my heart subside when I look at the three of you. Many thoughts have crossed my mind, but I still can’t decide which would be the best."

Aldrian’s figure finally emerged from the shadows, appearing behind Wilmar. He placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a tap. Wilmar, gripped by an overwhelming sense of fear, wanted to flinch, but he couldn’t due to the spatial lock.

The other two tried to glance at Aldrian and look at his smiling face under the candlelight, which now seemed chilling and demonic, the smile that would haunt them for the rest of their lives—well, if they still had lives after this.

"But I feel stupid for considering so many torture methods and having to choose, when in fact, I can just try them all on you," Aldrian said, still smiling.

Hearing those words, Wilmar and the others felt their hearts turn cold, as though they were being swallowed by an endless abyss.