“I… Thank you…”
September Nine looked gratefully at the two of them.
The Temporal Stasis was broken, and time began to flow forward again.
She didn’t dare offend either of them.
No matter what they planned, she was powerless to stop it.
Compared to those witches who possessed extraordinary abilities in innate talent and magic, she seemed quite unremarkable in these aspects.
She could neither unleash world-destroying power like Zanno, nor influence the entire Empire single-handedly like the Malice Witch.
Therefore, she rarely used her own powers as a witch, even though they were something even Zanno admired—Time and Space.
The previous Temporal Stasis and the opening of the spatial rift were merely the most basic manifestations of her witch abilities.
So whenever possible, she preferred to devote her time to developing magic devices, rather than wasting it elsewhere.
Simon waved his hand.
“September Nine, just focus on your research. Since the Chief Witch is willing to cooperate with me, the imperial capital is already under control.”
No matter how much of a threat there was on Pandas’ side, it couldn’t compare to Terrence and Zanno.
Simon looked at the polarized imperial capital.
Countless rays of holy light shone overhead, yet could not pierce the Black Fog shrouding the city.
Even though Terrence had completely perished and the End Chaos Bringer, Larodra, had vanished, the Black Fog that had risen for some unknown reason still lingered above the city.
Combined with the Regional Magic Array Alexia had activated earlier, the massive city was divided into countless isolated islands.
Fortunately, some of the magic devices September Nine had created were still functioning. Through contact with the Blood Knights stationed in the city, he could still determine the route of Pandas and their uprising.
Their target was undoubtedly the royal castle.
Because Pandas and his group had planned the uprising in advance, they had studied the ancient arrays within the capital, rendering the arrays ineffective against them.
Furthermore, their faction included a large number of citizens from the capital, making it impossible for Alexia to use lethal arrays.
The only ones who could resist them were the city guards, but even they were struggling and couldn’t possibly block their path precisely.
Even so, they still couldn’t enter the royal castle.
The Blood Knights within the royal castle had already vacated their positions.
“You’re curious about what trump card Pandas and his group are holding, aren’t you?”
Zanno looked at Simon, who was deep in thought.
“You might be overthinking it. They actually have nothing.”
“?
Simon turned his head to look at Zanno.
Zanno continued.
“Did you think Terrence appearing in the royal castle and forcing our Witch Council to show itself was so simple? He also ordered the undead to destroy Pandas’ secret base and escape routes.”
“Once this incident in the capital settles, you could easily trace most of them by following the clues Terrence deliberately left behind. Therefore, Pandas and his group had no choice but to revolt, or else they’d be gradually hunted down to extinction.”
“Terrence’s undead gave them the illusion that the capital had suffered heavy damage, and that the city guards and Blood Knights were too overwhelmed to deal with them.”
“Especially after the intervention of the Holy Paladins of the Church of Light, since anyone who knows Alexia understands she would never allow fully armed Holy Paladins to enter the city at will, even if it was to save the citizens.”
The appearance of a third party, the Church of Light, further highlighted the current weakness of the city guards.
“And don’t forget, the Black Fog can block magic and interfere with your communications, but it can also paralyze Pandas’ side as well.”
“So you can rest assured—there’s nothing to worry about.”
Zanno’s analysis left Simon incredulous.
But thinking carefully, it did make sense.
He’d made things too complicated, always assuming that Pandas and the others must be holding some kind of trump card to dare rise up at this moment.
He never considered that Terrence’s interference wasn’t limited to within the royal castle.
Simon had never thought about so much, nor could he figure it out in such a short time.
Looking at it now, whether it was Alexia, Terrence, or Zanno, the minds of those who became leaders were far beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
What was ten steps for normal people might be a single step for them.
“In that case, how do you intend to help me?”
Zanno replied calmly.
“I will shatter those people’s psychological defenses with fear, scattering them in all directions. Those who remain in such a situation need no further explanation, don’t you think?”
Fear is the most primitive instinct. If one can overcome it, it means their faith and loyalty are unshakable—such people would never be easily manipulated cannon fodder.
“Their magicians can’t possibly compare to mine, no matter how strong they are.”
Simon nodded, lowering his gaze.
The chimera beneath him charged straight into the Black Fog.
“Then let’s end the small talk here. We’ll meet again soon.”
When the chimera plunged into the Black Fog, the two beside Simon had already disappeared.
At last, he could clearly see the current state of the capital.
The Holy Paladins, dropped from the airship earlier, were struggling to resist the ever-emerging undead on the streets, trying to prevent them from breaking through the barrier created by the priests behind them.
At the same time, they did their utmost to rescue more people from the buildings.
In areas where Empire Army soldiers appeared, efforts to reclaim lost ground had already begun.
The arrival of Simon and the chimera was undoubtedly a beacon of hope for them.
Because they all understood that Simon’s presence here meant the situation at the royal castle was already under control.
After flying over the vast expanse of the city, the chimera finally found Simon’s target.
Just as he and Zanno had planned, the crowd that should have been marching toward the royal castle was now in chaos.
Although the leaders tried to maintain order, it was futile.
This group had been assembled hastily, and under the shock of terror, their psychological defenses collapsed completely.
But the other side clearly didn’t intend to give up.
After repeated shouts failed, they resorted to a strategy of killing as a warning, trying to force the crowd to move forward.
Because they knew all too well that if only they were left, Alexia would show no mercy.
The current calm was obviously out of consideration for these innocent people.
However, this only intensified the crowd’s fear, giving Zanno’s side an opening.
Seeing this, Simon’s gaze sharpened, and he stepped down from the chimera.
As he fell freely, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
“Is this really an uprising, or just a pointless farce? It’s so boring.”
The moment Simon left, the chimera began to change form.
It floated in the air like a giant coffin, and a wide Magic-Prohibiting Field spread outward from it.
The dragon was only one of the chimera’s many forms—its greatest role was helping Simon suppress magic in battle.
Besides, streets like this were unsuitable for such a large unit.
Simon alone was enough to subdue these people.