Chapter 154: Kneel Down

"King of Dawn, I take back what I said years ago. In a sense, you are a worthy monarch." Daniel swirled his sword in a flourish, the blue-and-white brilliance of its edge too piercing to behold directly.

"For this, I grant you a final shred of dignity."

Daniel had to admit that this seemingly cowardly, incompetent, and absurd mortal king had taught him a lesson. Power was not the only path to kingship; cunning could achieve it just as well.

Playing the fool time and again, enduring seemingly humiliating and cowardly compromises, the King of Dawn had somehow dragged the situation all the way to this very day. They, who had once held the absolute advantage, were instantly hauled to the edge of a cliff.

The King of Dawn looked up at the three divine figures in the sky. His blue eyes grew ever purer, and deep within his fragile spirituality, something seemed to be on the verge of sprouting.

This transformation was so subtle that the three sovereigns in the heavens could not perceive it at all, nor would they have bothered to sense it deliberately.

To them, the King of Dawn was simply too weak. Were it not for the Sword of Dawn, he would be nothing more than a high-tier professional built entirely on accumulated resources. Lacking any practical combat experience, lacking any technique, lacking any true foundation, he was like a towering structure piled out of mud.

Seemingly tall, yet utterly hollow inside.

The king gazed up at them, his eyes filled with envy. Compared to a clown like himself, these were the true monarchs.

Supreme, absolute, doing entirely as they pleased.

And look at him by contrast: constantly worrying about rebellious lords, or pondering how to appease and cede territory to surrounding nations, while forever shielding Irene and Olina to keep them from drawing too much attention.

Ah, why am I not one of them...

The King of Dawn gripped the Sword of Dawn planted in the earth, his body trembling as he tried to stand. The three figures in the sky, fully prepared for battle, waited quietly without seizing the opportunity to attack.

Three against one mortal—and a non-top-three-tier one at that—was already shameless enough; kicking a man while he was down was simply a bridge too far.

Just as Daniel, Duchi Sheng, and Dasimun, monarchs of the three nations, waited for him to rise, all three suddenly froze, their faces locked in utter astonishment.

The King of Dawn had fallen to his knees. Both knees struck the earth, and his forehead pressed tightly against the dirt, like a wretched slave.

Dasimun was the first to recover, letting out a shrill, mocking laugh. "Hahahaha! Old fool, I thought you had some real backbone, but you beg for mercy just like that. What a worthless piece of trash."

"Respected Your Majesty Daniel, I am willing to cede the entire southern Carter Territory to you. Might you refrain from intervening in this war?"

The Carter Territory was the most fertile land in the kingdom outside the royal capital's core, accounting for one-third of the nation's grain production. Bordering the Hail Kingdom, where the king had continuously carved away land to appease neighboring states in earlier years, the southern region was precisely what the Hail Kingdom had long desired.

Ceding the entire south in one stroke would deal a crippling blow to the kingdom's foundation, shattering it beyond repair and rendering it incapable of maintaining the scale proper to a sovereign realm.

Daniel frowned slightly, feeling insulted. "King of Dawn, stand up and reclaim the dignity of a true sovereign."

He had just acknowledged the man a moment ago, only for him to prostrate himself like a slave the next—was this not a direct slap to his own face?

"Respected Your Majesty Daniel, if my dignity can ensure the survival of Dawn, I am willing to kneel a thousand times more." The voice of the King of Dawn was steeped in subservience and humility, entirely devoid of the bearing a king should possess.

Before Daniel could reply, the king pressed on, "Great Chieftain Duchi Sheng, I am willing to tribute two million stones of grain to you every year. I beg you for peace in Dawn, I implore you all to let Dawn endure."

His white temples were disheveled, his aged and broken body bent in a humble bow, and his forehead struck the earth heavily once more.

Because the king knelt upon the ground, all dignity was cast aside, even his most basic self-respect abandoned.

He had only a single purpose for living: to let Dawn survive. Beyond that, nothing else mattered.

In the distance, watching the scene unfold, Mark clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh, droplet after droplet of blood continually falling.

The surviving knights, having broken away from the battlefield, completely collapsed upon witnessing this sight. They sat paralyzed on the ground, staring at the spectacle in sheer disbelief.

A Xuanlü military camera captured the entire scene, instantly transmitting the intelligence back to the Eastern Frontier just in case the king would lower himself to grovel for his life. Though the probability was minuscule, precautions could not be neglected.

"Click, click, click, click. Not enough." Duchi Sheng slightly raised his chin, looking down at the King of Dawn from aloft.

"I hear your second daughter, A-something, possesses extraordinary beauty. As long as you strip her bare and send her to my bed, not only will I intervene in this war, but I will even help you beat up this fellow Dasimun."

"Heh, you grass-eater, you are as vicious as ever. Send the second princess of the Kingdom of Dawn to you, and it's questionable whether she'd survive the night." Dasimun exposed him without the slightest mercy.

Irene was the hope for the resurgence of the Kingdom of Dawn; the old man would never hand her over to Duchi Sheng.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than reality struck him hard across the face.

The King of Dawn said with an expression of ecstatic relief, "No problem. The moment I return to the royal capital, I will send Irene to Mianfu immediately."

Duchi Sheng touched his swollen cheek, falling into utter confusion. He had never expected the King of Dawn to actually consent to such a demand.

"Alas!" Daniel shook his head. Though he had realized the other's underlying intent upon reflection, he still could not comprehend the King of Dawn's actions.

"King of Dawn, we will not be fooled again. Please stand up and die with your dignity intact."

The behavior of the King of Dawn was nothing more than a rehash of old tricks, attempting to use empty promises of benefits to make them retreat. His days were numbered, and every vow he made right now was a lie.

The king remained silent for a dozen seconds before slowly lifting his forehead from the earth and raising his gaze once more to the sky. He let out a faint sigh; his aged face bore neither sorrow nor joy, and the turbidity in his pupils had vanished entirely, leaving behind an expanse of pure azure.

So pure it scarcely seemed human.

"You have left me no choice."

The crouching, submissive old man slowly rose from the ground, his movements labored, as though he carried an entire mountain upon his back.

That mountain was called a country, and his spine had long since been crushed beneath its weight.

The expressions of the three, previously at ease, shifted slightly. Their bodies instinctively tensed as their spiritual instincts shrieked warnings at them.

Danger!

They actually sensed danger emanating from this old king.

Rip!

A bizarre sound suddenly rang out, like coarse linen tearing beneath a blade.

Visible lines, large and small, abruptly fractured across the king's body. Some were tiny as a thumb-length, while others spanned the entirety of his torso.

His aged frame resembled a ceramic vessel cracked by intense heat, covered in a dense web of fissures. From these cracks seeped a crimson glow—not the color of blood, but a brilliant, eerie red light.

The wind began to howl.