Chapter 157: Xerath: Lightning Arrow, Lightning Arrow, and Lightning Arrow

Although Azir has a scholar's heart, Xerath still persuaded him that if he wanted to survive, he must learn to fight. Azir followed his advice and began to practice martial arts. The last time the oasis was attacked made him realize his ignorance of fighting.

Renekton was ordered to train the rapidly growing prince. Under his guidance, Azir learned to wield swords and guns, to command soldiers, and to read the ups and downs on the battlefield.

The young prince promoted Xerath, his only confidant, and made him his right-hand man. In order to better assist him, Azir ordered Xerath to spare no effort to acquire knowledge.

Both young men excelled in their respective pursuits, and Xerath proved himself to be a gifted student, always eager to learn and eager to learn. Before long, Xerath became Azir's confidant and right-hand man, a position no slave had ever held.

This position also gave Xerath a huge - or even excessive - influence, making Azir gradually unable to leave Xerath's judgment and decision.

In the following years, Azir and Xerath grew rapidly. Azir was learning to be an emperor, while Xerath was trying his best to pursue all the knowledge he could find.
At any price, from any source.

Xerath always kept in mind his childhood oath.

He unlocked the long-sealed library, delved into the forgotten secret chamber, and explored the mysteries buried under the yellow sand.

All of this was done to further his knowledge and ambition, both of which grew at an unchecked pace—Azir trusted him too much.

Rumors began to circulate around the court about his sneaking trips to unclean places, and whenever these whispers began to grow louder, he would silence them with his own cunning ways.

Azir never mentioned these rumors, and this silence was taken by Xerath as a tacit approval, tacit permission for him to protect his future emperor in his own way.

……

Even though Azir and Xerath are close friends, the differences between them are gradually becoming apparent.

Xerath had fulfilled his childhood dream. He had vowed that he would never become a victim of hard labor and whipping like other slaves, and now it seemed that he had achieved it.

Xerath knows that his fate is tied to Azir, so he will spare no effort to push Azir to the throne, both for Azir and for himself.

If Azir and Xerath are two sides of the same coin, then Azir represents the light on the surface, and Xerath represents the darkness on the other side.

Xerath's scope of study was no longer limited to the books in the Great Library. He began to secretly learn the dark magic found in the sands and tombs, even keeping Azir in the dark.

However, in Xerath's view, he was using his own methods to protect Azir.

Because of his trust and busyness, Azir turned a blind eye to the rumors against Xerath. It was Xerath who saved him, so Azir thought there was no reason for Xerath to harm him.

The audience was silent when watching the different behaviors of this pair of friends.

It is hard to say whether Xerath’s behavior is right or wrong. His power does not actually come from himself, but from Azir.

On the one hand, everyone understands that Xerath is trying to protect him and Azir, but on the other hand, everyone can also see his growing ambition.

However, what happened next made everyone have a deeper understanding of Xerath's unscrupulous nature.

……

During the years that Azir served as crown prince, surprisingly, his position as heir was not threatened as expected.

During these years, the Queen had been unable to conceive, and every fetus died in the womb before being born.

As long as the queen continues to be infertile, Azir's life will be relatively safe.

However, as the queen still failed to give birth to a new child, rumors of the existence of a curse began to spread around the court, and some even mentioned the name of the prince.

Just like the assassination, Azir was the biggest beneficiary. But Azir insisted that he was innocent and even executed some people who dared to speak out publicly.

But later, the queen finally gave birth to a healthy son.

But something happened that no one expected!

On the night the baby was born, a severe storm hit Shurima.

The queen's bedroom was struck by lightning again and again, and in the ensuing fire, the queen and her newborn prince all died.

Some people said that the emperor committed suicide out of grief after hearing the news, but soon news spread that the emperor's personal guards died in his bedroom, their bodies torn into pieces and shaped like charcoal, it was a horrible sight.

It is said that this was another assassination attempt on the Shurima royal family, just like the one that occurred in the oasis during the tour.

This time the assassination was successful and the emperor of Shurima died.

Thus, the only heir to the royal family, Crown Prince Azir, successfully succeeded to the throne and became the new emperor of Shurima.

……

However, this is just a rumor among the Shurimans.

What is the truth of the matter?
On the big screen, Xerath was walking slowly in the Shurima Palace.

Perhaps because of years of delving into those secret knowledge unknown to the public, his face has become dark.

Because of Azir's trust, Xerath possessed great power, and he also learned dark magic in secret.

The audience in front of the screen watched as Xerath used the magical powers he had learned, and the truth hidden behind the rumors was about to come to light.

……

Many years passed, and Xerath became more and more bold in using darker means, using the magical powers he had just learned to corrupt every fetus in the Queen's womb, making it impossible for the Queen to carry a baby safely.

As long as there is no second heir to the throne, Azir is safe.

But suspicion is inevitable as time goes by, and rumors about some kind of curse begin to appear in the palace, and Zeratul will ensure that each rumor will not spread for too long.

In most cases, those who voiced such doubts vanished without a trace. By now, Xerath's initial desire to escape slavery had morphed into an ambition to assume power, but he was still searching for excuses for his own conscience.

Every time he murdered someone he told himself he was doing it to protect the lives of his friends.

Although Xerath tried his best to interfere with the queen's childbirth, Shurima still welcomed a new prince.

However, on the night the new prince was born, Xerath used his growing magical power to summon elemental power from the depths of the desert, creating a terrible storm.

Xerath threw lightning arrow after lightning arrow at the queen's chamber, turning it into flaming rubble and killing the queen and the newborn prince.

The Emperor rushed into the Queen's chambers, only to be confronted by Xerath, his hands aflame with arcane energies.

The Emperor's guards attacked, but Xerath reduced them and the Emperor to ash skeletons.

(End of this chapter)