O'Neal deeply understood the peril of his current situation. He had already developed a reckless momentum, not caring what the outside situation was; he was determined to rush out!
It was unclear whether O'Neal's personal guards suddenly unleashed a surge of power, or if Bode's Palace Guards were subtly holding back, but under the fierce fighting and protection of his numerous personal guards, O'Neal broke through all the way to the main gate of the Imperial Palace, so smoothly that he could hardly believe it.
Now, O'Neal was certain that the situation outside the Imperial Palace wouldn't be much better than inside!
But he had already charged all the way to the Imperial Palace's main entrance; was he going to shrink back now?!
O'Neal's heart hardened, becoming ruthless. He abandoned his special assassin agents who were currently locked in battle with Night Raid, ordered his guards to protect him, and charged straight through the encirclement, out of the Imperial Palace!
Having fought their way out of the Imperial Palace with great difficulty, O'Neal and his subordinate guards felt as if they had finally seen sunlight after being deeply mired in a swamp; they breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
However, when they saw the situation outside the Imperial Palace, they immediately gasped.
Outside, the Imperial Guard completely surrounded the Imperial Palace, packed densely layer upon layer. The leading general was none other than Esdeath!
O'Neal and his many guards were greatly alarmed, quickly turning back.
Just as they turned, they saw the main gate of the Imperial Palace shut with a bang by the Palace Guards inside. It was closed tightly and securely, and all they could hear from within the Imperial Palace were the intense sounds of fighting and the pained screams of O'Neal's assassin agents being annihilated.
O'Neal's face couldn't have been worse at this moment. He slowly turned, looking at Esdeath, who was leading the army, his eyes dark and menacing, truly terrifying.
At this point, nothing more needed to be said; the situation was already set.
There was no need for them to swarm forward. Esdeath simply waved her hand, and lines of machine gunners stepped forward, forming a battle array to encircle O'Neal and his guards, ready to gun them all down if there was any resistance!
Seeing the rows of cold, terrifying machine gun muzzles, all of O'Neal's guards were filled with dread. They didn't even need Esdeath to speak; one by one, they threw down their weapons and raised their hands in surrender.
The mighty edifice was crumbling, beyond recovery...
However, O'Neal, deeply unwilling to accept defeat, still wanted to make one last desperate stand!
His last resort for this desperate struggle was the unique Imperial Arm on his head, an Imperial Arm capable of sealing an enemy's Imperial Arm!
If he could suddenly seal Esdeath's Imperial Arm, then unexpectedly rush out and take Esdeath hostage, there might still be a chance...
O'Neal's idea was wonderfully conceived, but Uchiha Madara had already informed Esdeath of all intelligence regarding O'Neal in advance!
Seeing O'Neal's suspicious expression, Esdeath immediately acted, instantly freezing O'Neal's body solid, leaving only his head unfrozen outside the ice.
With his hands and feet completely bound, O'Neal was greatly alarmed. Completely unprepared, Esdeath removed the Imperial Arm from his head.
And just like that, his last shred of hope vanished.
The frozen O'Neal was captured alive on the spot.
After O'Neal was captured alive, the fierce fighting within the Imperial Palace also drew to a close. O'Neal's assassin agents, facing Night Raid's formidable combat strength and the Palace Guards' encirclement, simply couldn't resist for long and were successively killed or captured.
As the last remnants of O'Neal's subordinates were captured, this swift operation finally drew to a close, achieving complete success.
That day, the entire Imperial Capital was under full martial law. O'Neal had the tendons in his hands and feet severed, and with chains piercing through his collarbone joints, he was imprisoned in the deepest level of the Heavenly Prison. All of O'Neal's subordinates were similarly imprisoned, and all forces under his command were brought under control.
Just like that, O'Neal, who once held immense power over the court and had been utterly tyrannical, completely fell from grace.
The next day, under the Little Emperor's decree, General Bode publicly announced O'Neal's crimes. He also pardoned everyone who had been persecuted by O'Neal and invited them back to serve the court.
On the third day, under the Little Emperor's decree, Bode appointed himself Regent General. From then on, Bode took overall command of all military and political affairs of the Empire, holding supreme power beneath only the Emperor himself. The Little Emperor, in effect, existed only in name.
In the following days, surviving loyal and capable ministers, who had been scattered across the country, gradually returned to the Imperial Capital. Everyone gathered together, celebrating the eradication of O'Neal on one hand, and dedicating themselves to serving the Empire once more on the other.
Amidst all this, there was an unexpected turn of events.
Among the returning ministers were some rigid, old-fashioned scholars. These scholars, upon seeing Bode proclaim himself Regent General and take overall command of the nation's military and political affairs, grew discontent. They even publicly reprimanded Bode in court, calling him "the second O'Neal," making the scene quite awkward for a time.
Faced with this situation, Bode, the man in question, didn't say a word. He simply led the ministers to the Little Emperor's bedchambers, temporarily opening the tight encirclement of the Palace Guards to allow the ministers to meet the Little Emperor.
Finally, these newly returned ministers saw the Little Emperor with their own eyes.
And the Little Emperor they saw was flying into a rage, his eyes bloodshot, his face filled with a cruel expression. He roared loudly that O'Neal was a loyal minister, proclaiming, "I will slaughter all of you!"
No one could calm the Little Emperor down.
Even that old scholar, his stubborn temper flaring, knelt before the Little Emperor and offered a death-defying remonstrance. As a result, he enraged the Little Emperor, who, in front of everyone, smashed a teacup onto his head, leaving him bleeding profusely, and even blinded him in one eye with a shard!
At this, the few old scholars were left speechless, and the hearts of the other ministers turned cold.
Everyone followed Bode, leaving the Emperor's bedchambers without a word, displaying a remarkable tacit understanding. They absolutely did not mention what had just happened, acting as if a person like the Little Emperor did not exist in the world.
In the following days, the imperial court affairs resumed. The first order of business was the execution of O'Neal and his subordinate cronies.
After a court debate, O'Neal was finally sentenced to death by a thousand cuts!
O'Neal's death brought immense public satisfaction, and the people of the Imperial Capital celebrated endlessly.
As for what happened next, there's no need to elaborate. The Empire was now riddled with wounds and neglected affairs, awaiting revitalization; all of it required reconstruction.
And all of this no longer had any relation to Uchiha Madara and Esdeath.
Of course, it also had nothing to do with Night Raid, who had achieved their goal and then quietly retreated.
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