120: Chapter 120: The Forced Removal of the Mad CEO

Ella Radiance stood right behind him, her azure eyes, which had always held scrutiny and loathing, were now finally consumed by pure terror.

She watched the black pillar of smoke that connected the heavens and the earth, her body trembling slightly and involuntarily.

"Stop him! Levi! You must send someone in to stop him!" Her voice was shrill, having lost its former composure. "That will destroy the entire city! There are still thousands of civilians inside!"

Civilians?

In Levi's mind, those words were quickly categorized and evaluated like an accounting entry.

Yes, civilians were assets, future labor, and sources of tax revenue.

But this asset was currently at immense risk of liquidation.

Forcing a way in to stop it?

That would mean throwing his most elite guards—high-value human capital that had already completed preliminary 'professionalization' training—into a powder keg about to explode.

This was a deal that had to be guaranteed to turn a profit.

He slowly turned around, ignoring Sir Kaelan's anxious request for battle, and instead locked his gaze onto Ella Radiance.

His eyes were terrifyingly calm, as if he were examining the performance parameters of a tool.

"Your Highness," he spoke, his voice exceptionally clear amidst the howling mountain wind, "you are a believer in the Holy Light, correct?"

Ella was taken aback by the sudden question and nodded subconsciously: "Of course."

"Very well." A cold arc curled at the corner of Levi's mouth. "What Valerius is channeling is Abyss Mana. And the Holy Light is its natural nemesis. Now, I need you, in your capacity as an Imperial Princess, to stand at the front and perform a large-scale 'Holy Light Baptism' for our forces and all survivors of Silvermoon City."

"What?" Ella almost thought she had misheard. "Holy Light Baptism is a blessing ritual, not an attack spell! Performing large-scale casting at the edge of such a mana storm will exhaust me!"

"I don't need you to attack; what I need is suppression." Levi's voice carried no emotion, as if he were reading an operations manual. "The stronger your Holy Light power, the slower that dark mana pillar will expand. This will buy us time and allow those in the city who are still hesitating to see clearly which side the divine radiance stands on."

His gaze moved past Ella's shoulder toward the crowds in the distance who had fled the city and were gathered at the relief center, watching in terror.

"They need a miracle, Your Highness. And you are that miracle. Nothing wins hearts more than witnessing a princess wreathed in Holy Light as doomsday descends. This is an innate asset of yours as a member of the Radiant Family; now, it is time to monetize it."

These words were no different from tearing the last shred of sacred faith in Ella's heart to pieces.

She had always believed her Holy Light power was a gift from the gods, a symbol of glory, but in Levi's mouth, it was merely an asset that could be traded, used for show, and 'monetized'.

Humiliation and anger welled up in her heart, but as she looked at the pillar of smoke constantly emitting an aura of destruction and the countless terrified faces below, she knew she once again had no choice.

Levi was right; using the most base logic, he had stated the only correct tactic.

Just as Ella gritted her teeth, prepared to accept this 'deal', a shrill scream suddenly came from the direction of Silvermoon City's closed gates.

Even at such a distance, the sound still pierced through the wind, clearly reaching the watchtower.

Levi raised his monocular, aiming the lens at the city gate.

A bloody scene came into view.

A group of soldiers dressed in city guard uniforms were attempting to open the gate to surrender, but another squad in black heavy armor—clearly Valerius's personal guard—were wielding their blades, ruthlessly slaughtering them.

Blood stained the stone slabs beneath the gate, and corpses were piled like mountains.

Valerius had gone mad.

He wanted to use the blood of these people to accelerate the completion of that forbidden ritual.

"Madman..." Sir Kaelan squeezed the word through his teeth, the veins on the back of his hand holding the sword hilt bulging.

A madman?

No, this was just a completely bankrupt, debt-ridden CEO attempting a final act of madness to drag everyone down with him before the company collapsed.

His only remaining chips were this city and the lives of everyone in it.

Levi lowered the monocular, his face devoid of any unnecessary expression.

He turned to the messenger beside him and issued an order.

"Notify the magic squad to activate Amplification Array Number Three and aim it at Silvermoon City. I will broadcast personally."

A moment later, a voice amplified hundreds of times and carrying a strange magical echo rolled over Silvermoon City like a thunderclap, clearly reaching the ears of every survivor.

"Attention all residents and soldiers of Silvermoon City. This is the Lord of Blackstone Territory, Levi Byron. Your City Lord, Valerius, has been declared effectively bankrupt due to poor management and an attack on the Imperial Princess. He is mentally deranged and is attempting to detonate the mana pool beneath the city, destroying your homes and lives. Please note, this is a meaningless act of self-destruction."

Levi's voice paused, giving the dead silence within the city time to digest, and then he dropped the real bomb.

"By following a bankrupt and crazed leader, all you will receive are negative assets and death. Now, in the name of Blackstone Territory, I issue a bounty: Anyone who can immediately kill Valerius and terminate the mana pool detonation, regardless of status, will receive a reward of three thousand gold coins. Their family will be granted official residency in Blackstone Territory and be exempt from all labor service and taxes for the next ten years!"

Three thousand gold coins! Ten years of tax exemption!

This condition was like a drop of boiling oil falling into a pot of boiling water, instantly igniting the flames of greed in every corner of Silvermoon City where reason still remained.

It was more inflammatory than any slogan of justice and more effective than any threat.

It instantly transformed Valerius from a high-and-mighty lord into a walking head worth three thousand gold coins.

Almost as Levi's voice fell, Evelyn's figure appeared behind him like a ghost, kneeling on one knee.

"My Lord, I have locked onto the location of the mana core in the City Lord's Mansion. Give me a squad, and I can get in."

"Your mission is not assassination," Levi said without turning his head, his gaze already returned to that ominous pillar of smoke in the city. "Valerius is now the enemy of the entire city. A qualified hunter does not steal the credit of the hounds. Your objective is to cut the crystal conduits maintaining the stability of the mana pool. What I want is not a violent explosion, but a controlled, slow leak. Downgrade his nuclear weapon into a dirty bomb for me."

"Understood." Evelyn's figure merged into the shadows again and vanished.

Below the castle, Princess Ella Radiance had already walked to the front of the lines.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, a blinding golden light erupted from her body, and a pair of massive wings composed of pure light elements slowly unfurled behind her.

A warm, holy, and peaceful aura spread out like a tide.

The dark clouds in the sky seemed to be torn apart by an invisible hand, and beams of golden sunlight pierced through the cloud layer, falling precisely upon her.

She chanted ancient prayers, and the Holy Light power formed visible golden raindrops, scattering toward Silvermoon City.

The moment that soaring black smoke pillar touched the Holy Light rain, it made a 'sizzling' sound like hot oil hitting ice, and its rate of expansion was visibly curbed.

Inside the city, countless civilians shivering in corners felt that warm power and saw the princess in the sky like a descending deity.

They raised their heads, and hope was rekindled in their desperate eyes.

A miracle had truly appeared.

Meanwhile, inside the City Lord's Mansion of Silvermoon City, it was a living hell.

Valerius's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a demon.

Before him was a massive magic array composed of complex runes. In the center of the array, a deep hole was constantly spewing black mana.

Several corpses of his personal guards lay at his feet, their blood slowly flowing along the lines of the array, making the black mana even more viscous.

"Not enough! Not enough!" he roared, grabbing an attendant who was slumped on the ground in terror, about to throw him into the hole of the array.

Just then, a crisp sound, like glass shattering, came from the energy room at the side of the hall.

Voom—

The entire array shuddered violently. The black smoke pillar that had been erupting steadily suddenly stalled and began to become chaotic, no longer gushing upward but instead spreading outward like steam that had lost its pressure.

The fanaticism on Valerius's face instantly froze, replaced by endless horror.

His final trump card, which he had prepared for ten years and was sufficient to level everything within ten miles, had failed.

It wouldn't explode anymore; it would only slowly leak like a toxic plague, polluting this land.

His chip for destroying the world was gone.

"No! NO—!"

Amidst the desperate roar, the heavy doors of the City Lord's Mansion crashed down.

Holy Light illuminated the dim and bloody hall. Ella Radiance, holding a longsword and bathed in golden radiance like a legendary Valkyrie, stepped inside.

Behind her were countless red-eyed soldiers and citizens wielding various weapons.

When she saw Valerius preparing to throw the last few innocent attendants into that ominous fire, the last shred of hesitation in her azure eyes vanished.

All along, she had been bound by the codes of nobility and the honor of the royal family.

Nobles could not be judged by commoners; a lord's life was sacred and inviolable.

These tenets were like shackles, filling her with contradiction and struggle when facing Levi's 'base tricks'.

But now, looking at this madman who had betrayed noble honor and used commoners as sacrifices, the string in her mind named 'Rules' snapped completely.

"In the name of the Holy Light!"

With a sharp cry, Ella's figure turned into a golden stream of light, instantly flashing past Valerius's side.

Pfft!

Blood splattered.

Valerius screamed as both his legs were severed at the knees, and he fell heavily to the ground.

He looked at his severed legs in disbelief, then up at the princess who was supposed to be his political ally.

Ella didn't spare him another glance, simply sheathing her sword and standing tall, her voice cold as she spoke to the mob pouring in like a tide: "This traitor is yours."

The angry crowd instantly drowned out Valerius's shrill screams.

When Levi stepped into the devastated hall of the City Lord's Mansion, the air still smelled of the scorched scent left by the conflict between Holy Light and dark mana, along with a faint smell of blood.

Ella stood to the side, silently wiping the blood from her sword, her expression complex.

The mob had already dispersed to fight over the vouchers for the three-thousand-gold-coin bounty.

Only a pile of unrecognizable flesh and Valerius's crooked crown, the symbol of his status as City Lord, remained on the floor.

Levi didn't even look at that pile of mangled meat.

He walked straight through the hall and unceremoniously sat down at the large black oak desk that had belonged to Valerius.

Various documents and smashed wine glasses were scattered across the desktop.

He casually swept these items onto the floor and took a pre-drafted parchment document from Evelyn.

The first thing he did was not announce victory or appease the people, but rather, with the posture of a project manager completing a project handover, he signed a document.

"Provisional Announcement Regarding the Bankruptcy Restructuring and Debt Trusteeship of Silvermoon City".

When the surviving chamber of commerce representatives, minor nobles, and city guard generals were summoned to the hall, this was the scene they saw.

The new conqueror was sitting in the old master's seat, reviewing documents.

"Gentlemen," Levi looked up and announced in a calm, businesslike tone, "I declare that, effective immediately, Silvermoon City has entered bankruptcy protection. All its external debts will be taken over by Blackstone Territory after an audit. In exchange, Silvermoon City will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Blackstone Territory. All original land and fixed asset ownership is voided and converted into renewable long-term lease contracts. My team will discuss the specific terms with you later."

The merchants looked at each other. A subsidiary?

Lease contracts?

These unfamiliar terms left them in a daze, but they understood one thing—their land was no longer their own.

However, before they could recover from the shock of this regime-change-level event, a set of orderly and heavy footsteps came from the hall entrance.

An official wearing the black robes of the Imperial High Court and a golden scales emblem on his chest appeared at the door, escorted by a squad of Royal Guards.

He was expressionless, his gaze as sharp as a knife.

"By secret decree of His Majesty," the envoy unfurled a golden scroll, his voice devoid of temperature, "the case of Silvermoon City Lord Valerius's treason is of great significance, and the Empire will dispatch a special task force for a thorough investigation. During this period, Silvermoon City will be temporarily taken over by the Empire. Levi Byron, Lord of Blackstone Territory, raised troops without authorization; while there were reasons, it is not in accordance with the law. You are hereby ordered to hand over all control of Silvermoon City within three days and depart immediately for the Imperial Capital to accept the Council's inquiry."

As the words fell, a deathly silence filled the entire hall.

Everyone's gaze focused on Levi.

The man who had just become the master of this city was about to be crushed by the Empire's machinery of power in the blink of an eye.

Ella's face turned pale instantly; she hadn't expected her father's reaction to be so swift and ruthless.

However, amidst all the sympathetic or gloating gazes, not a shred of panic could be seen on Levi's face.

He seemed not to have heard the envoy's words, merely picking up his lord's seal in a slow and orderly manner, dabbing it in red ink, and pressing it down heavily at the end of the newly signed "Silvermoon City Bankruptcy Restructuring Announcement".

The crisp sound of the seal being set echoed in the hall.

Only after finishing this did he look up, smiling at the Imperial Envoy at the door, his smile gentle and harmless.

"My apologies, Lord Envoy. You may have arrived a step too late. From a legal and commercial standpoint, Silvermoon City no longer exists."