The silence in the palace hall shattered in an instant.
The eldest prince of the Orc Empire, who had sat quietly through Gavin Ward's negotiations, suddenly lunged across the floor toward his youngest brother.
"Brother!" the Seventh Prince gasped, startled, his voice cracking with disbelief.
In the blink of an eye, the eldest prince's jaw stretched wide. His fangs gleamed and then sank deep into the flesh of the Seventh Prince's neck.
"WAAHH!"
The younger prince's stool toppled over, clattering against the marble as he thrashed beneath the weight of his elder sibling. The eldest prince pressed him down, snarling like an animal, his face twisted with primal fury. Blood spurted in arcs across the floor as the fangs tore deeper. The Seventh Prince screamed once more, body writhing, then went slack. The youngest heir of the Orc throne lay lifeless, killed not by human weapons but by his own brother's jaws.
A dark pool spread across the stone floor, soaking into the Seventh Prince's silks. The eldest prince rose slowly, crimson smeared across his cheeks, and spat a ragged chunk of flesh from between his teeth. His breathing was heavy, feral.
Then he turned toward Gavin Ward. His voice was low but confident, edged with cruelty.
"Your Majesty, do not trouble yourself with his insolence. Since he would not agree, let his blood be the price. We six remain — and we are willing. His share will now be ours."
The hall trembled with the weight of that declaration. The eldest prince — his tiger head lifted high, lips still wet with gore — smiled with the unmistakable grin of a predator.
Gavin's expression barely shifted. Instead, his lips curled into a thin smile, and he brought his gloved hands together in applause. The sharp echo of clapping filled the blood-soaked hall.
"Well done," Gavin said with cool amusement. "If he is dead, then his portion of the empire will pass to you. The agreement states it clearly: the six princes, together with the earth orc clans under Vaum's command, shall divide the Orc Empire equally."
Straightening his uniform, Gavin adjusted his tie with one hand, then lifted the black officer's cap marked with the red dragon badge from the table. He placed it under his arm as he strode forward with easy confidence. His polished boots clicked sharply on the stones.
He approached the eldest prince, who now led his five brothers in kneeling before him. All six princes pressed their foreheads to the bloody floor, submitting not to their father's empire but to the human conqueror.
With deliberate calm, Gavin set the military cap upon the eldest prince's head. The sight was almost absurd: a beast-headed figure kneeling like a broken warrior, dressed in royal furs yet wearing the badge of Ross. Gavin bent slightly, patted his shoulder, and remarked, "Isn't this better?"
The irony of the words seared the air. The other princes knew well how mocking they sounded, yet none dared to answer.
Turning crisply on his heel, Gavin signaled to his officers.
"Let's go. Our work here is finished."
His boots splashed lightly through blood as he walked from the chamber. The Ross soldiers followed in tight formation, rifles at the ready, the rhythm of their march echoing like the beat of drums of conquest.
Behind them, the six princes remained kneeling. Their foreheads pressed to the ground in surrender, while at their backs the body of their youngest brother lay warm and lifeless, his blood slowly cooling into the stones.
From that moment, the Orc Empire ceased to exist as a single nation. It was broken, divided into seven parts.
---
The Division of the Orc Empire
Under Ross direction, the partition of the vast empire began immediately.
The richest, most fertile lands were granted to the earth orcs loyal to Vaum, who had sided with Gavin and betrayed their former masters.
The remainder of the territory, with its sixty million surviving orc citizens, was divided evenly among the six princes.
Thus, the massive empire splintered into seven separate kingdoms, each sworn as vassals to the Kingdom of Ross.
In the days that followed, long caravans of refugees trudged across plains and mountain passes. Under Ross supervision, entire orc clans were relocated. Earth orcs, once oppressed, now occupied valleys and farmlands where the soil ran rich. The six beast-prince rulers claimed their new realms, yet each bowed low before Gavin Ward, fearful of the thunderous weapons he commanded.
Meanwhile, in the rear, Ross forces had completed their campaigns against the Kingdom of Kiswell and the Kingdom of Lot, crushing their orc armies as well. Both monarchies had collapsed: their royal families executed, their nobility scattered. Tens of millions of common folk remained, confused and leaderless. Gavin seized this opportunity without hesitation. He declared them all subjects of Ross.
---
Spoils of War
The conquest brought extraordinary rewards.
Massive oil fields fell into Ross hands, fueling industry and war machines for decades to come.
The treasury of the Orc Empire was emptied: over one hundred million gold coins seized as indemnity, loaded onto wagons and guarded by soldiers as they crossed the border.
The seven new orc vassal kingdoms added to Ross's power, though Gavin knew their loyalty was shallow.
The six surviving princes bowed out of fear rather than devotion. Only Vaum and the earth orcs gave true allegiance, having cast their lot firmly with Gavin. For the others, Ross crafted a clever safeguard: a secret directive requiring them to wage small wars against each other, carefully contained. Whenever one kingdom grew too weak, Ross soldiers would intervene, not to destroy but to "mediate." This ensured no chance of reunification. The Orc Empire, once mighty and whole, would remain permanently divided, its claws broken.
---
Strange Discoveries
During the conquest, Gavin's forces uncovered evidence of dark experiments. Hidden deep within abandoned laboratories, they found hundreds of steel-blooded orc girls, victims of bizarre alchemical science. Like earlier captives, they were entrusted to Ross army physicians for care and study. Gavin noted them with cold calculation — another tool, another mystery to unravel.
---
A Personal Reflection
On the march home, Gavin rode in a command car, Lina curled warmly in his arms. She tilted her furry head against his chest, gazing up with bright eyes.
"Master," she teased, "in the palace hall earlier… you looked just like one of those villains from old stories."
Gavin chuckled. "Did I? And what do you think, Lina?"
She giggled and shook her head. "Lina doesn't care what others think. To Lina, Master is the greatest man alive. The kindest of all."
Her words softened him, drawing a rare, genuine smile. He stroked her hair. "A kind man, am I? Then so be it."
For a moment, Gavin let himself enjoy the warmth of her loyalty. But soon his mind turned back to ambition. His blood raced with anticipation as he summoned the strange system that had guided him all this way.
---
The System's Revelation
A translucent screen shimmered before his eyes.
[The Orc Empire is being divided. Once partition is complete, a reward will be issued.]
[The territories of the Kingdom of Lot and the Kingdom of Kiswell are fully integrated into the Kingdom of Ross. Population now exceeds ten million.]
[Congratulations, Your Majesty. You are now eligible to be crowned Emperor.]
[You may rename the Kingdom of Ross as the Empire of Ross, or choose another title.]
[Additional reward: One five-star lottery draw.]
[You currently have four chances to draw. Would you like to draw them all at once?]
Gavin's heart pounded. His lips curved upward in a grin too wide to hide. Empire! At last, Ross could rise beyond mere kingdom, and he, Gavin Ward, could stand crowned as Emperor.
For a long time, he sat in silence, breathing deeply, letting the truth settle into his bones. Then he whispered, "Yes. I will be Emperor."
Excitement blazed through him. But he forced himself to stay composed. To calm his racing heart, he turned to the lottery.
"Four draws, all at once," he commanded.
At once, an invisible wheel appeared, glowing with arcane light. It spun faster and faster, the pointer blurring as it circled. Gavin watched intently, every muscle tense. The wheel clattered to a stop, jerked forward again, then stopped a second, a third, and a fourth time.
Before him, four shimmering cards appeared, face-down, awaiting his hand.
Slowly, Gavin reached forward. His gloved fingers brushed the first card and flipped it over.
What he saw shocked him — a reward so great it made even the new title of Emperor feel small.
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