Nanket hauled his body out of the deep, man-shaped crater etched into the wall, struggling with every ounce of strength. He staggered forward, roaring as he walked, "She is your mother, yes, but she was also my lover—the only woman I have ever truly loved in my life! You damned wretch, where do you think you’re taking her? I’m telling you, she’s not going anywhere. She stays with me. I came here today specifically to take her away. Put her down. I warn you, put her down!"

Swallowing hard, his throat dry, Dukat threw back his head and erupted in mad laughter, as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. "Nonsense! You loved her? If you loved her, would you have allowed those vulgar, meaningless Roman women to torment her day in and day out? If you loved her, would you have permitted every member of the Holsam family to insult her at will? If you loved her, would you stand by and watch her get beaten, watch her poisoned to death? If you loved her, would you leave her lying in a place where she is forced into servitude even in death?"

Suddenly, Dukat moved. Shouldering his mother's coffin, he strode directly to Nanket and kicked his biological father away with tremendous force.

The heavy impact echoed through the air; Gu Xichen heard the sound of Nanket's abdominal muscles tearing apart.

"Gah!" Nanket spat out a mouthful of blood, crashing heavily to the ground. Pressing his hands onto the floor, he howled almost maniacally, "Of course, of course I loved her! If not her, who else would I love? Those ridiculous Roman women? Those Roman women were merely tools for me to pass on my lineage; I never loved them! There was only one woman I ever truly loved in my life, and that was Yiqiu!"

Nanket straightened himself with immense difficulty. He staggered a few steps forward, grinning wretchedly through the blood coating his lips. "When I captured her, I only saw her as an experimental subject for genetic mutation. I merely desired to father a genius descendant with her, a product of aberrant genes. But she possessed something that drew me in. A formidable warrior who had slain hundreds of our Holsam elites on the battlefield—after I raped her and she conceived, she... became beautiful."

The demonic markings beneath Dukat’s skin suddenly pulsed with blinding golden light. Thick veins bulged on his body, and a scorching wave of heat radiated from him.

"Not the foolish, vulgar, parasitic beauty of those Roman nobles," Nanket chuckled, a strange, rasping sound, "but the beauty of motherhood, the beauty of gentleness, the beauty of wisdom..." He laughed again. "Such a powerful female warrior, yet for the sake of the child in her womb, she could be so utterly lovely... She even forced herself to accept me, and what's more, she fell in love with me!"

"Lies!" Dukat forced the words out, one syllable at a time.

"I speak the truth!" Nanket sneered. "After she gave birth to you, I offered to let her leave. I was willing to send her back to the Earth Federation, but she chose to stay. She fell in love with me; she couldn't bear to leave me. Even though my wives and concubines cursed and bullied her daily, she never resisted. She possessed immense strength, yet she submitted meekly! She loved me, and it was I who caused her to endure so much."

Nanket took a deep breath and declared with unmistakable pride, "Among all the patriarchs of the Roman noble houses, I am the only one who made a female warrior from the Earth Federation fall in love with him. And I fell in love with her too. Her strength, her tenderness, her intelligence—she could even paint, practice calligraphy, and compose poetry. She was also an exceptionally skilled frontline commander. She was nothing like those vulgar Roman women; aside from the power struggles they excelled at, she was skilled in virtually everything."

"She loved me, and I loved her!" Nanket gazed with rapt adoration at the coffin on Dukat's shoulder. "That is why I have come today: to take her away from Mars. The Roman Kingdom has already occupied four of the thirteen consecutive stars. The new Roman Kingdom is about to hold its coronation ceremony, and every Roman noble and priest has traveled there. That’s why I seize this moment when the compound is empty to retrieve her."

"I will have her secretly interred in the new family mausoleum!" Nanket murmured gently. "Her coffin will rest beside mine in the future!"

Dukat’s body trembled with rage. Gu Xichen suddenly noticed a strange shift in the atmosphere. Almost instinctively, he commanded the six Guardian Golems stationed outside to cloak themselves.

"Fast one!" Gu Xichen muttered, then boomed out, "Then tell me, Nanket, Lord Holsam, what status does the mother of your eldest son, Mr. Bolbert, hold in your heart?"

Nanket Holsam let out a cold laugh. He said indifferently, "Bolbert is a good child; I love him. But as for his mother, I must say, my opinion of her is the same as looking at a pile of rotting flesh. You young people won't understand my feelings for Yiqiu; this Earth woman is the one I truly loved."

Taking a deep breath, Nanket looked at Dukat almost pleadingly. "Dukat, truth be told, in my heart, I love you more. But Roman tradition cannot be violated, so I had to be so harsh with you. Bolbert is my firstborn, my direct blood heir; he carries the noble blood of two electoral Roman families. But he is merely a tool for me to continue the line. You, Dukat, carry all my affection."

Like a peddler coaxing a child with a sweet treat, Nanket chuckled softly. "Look, Dukat, I love you because I loved your mother. For the first time in her life, she let me experience how beautiful the flavor of true love could be. You are the crystallization of my love with Yiqiu. Bolbert is simply the descendant my mother and I produced for power and tradition. You and Bolbert are different... You cannot do this to me. Leave your mother's coffin behind; she belongs here, by my side!"

Nanket’s smile bordered on obsequiousness; he even bowed slightly to Dukat, his trembling hands slowly reaching out toward him.

"My child, the child I truly cherish, will you deny your father?" Nanket said with a strained, dry laugh. "I am glad you returned safely. Your mother's spirit in the heavens protected you! Bolbert might not return; are you willing to take his place and become my heir?"

Coughing heavily a few times, Nanket expelled a thick glob of blood from his nostrils. He spoke urgently, "As long as you agree to a small procedure, just to make your genes purely Roman, I can use a unique privilege that only one king of the Holsam family can exercise once—I can make Duke the heir to the Holsam family!"

Gu Xichen gave a mocking, cold laugh. "Oh? That generous? Is your most beloved child not Bolbert? Is Duke truly the one you adore the most?"

Nanket looked sternly at Gu Xichen, stating very seriously, "My most beloved child is Dukat. It was because he lacked sufficient talent before, and due to Roman tradition, I couldn't show my love. But now that he has displayed enough talent, and since Yiqiu and I genuinely loved each other, I can make Dukat the heir to the family!"

"Clap, clap, clap," Gu Xichen applauded forcefully, then roared triumphantly, "Then, Bolbert, my old friend, you’ve enjoyed this good show long enough. It’s time for you to come out!"

Gu Xichen gave a strange, wry smile, turning to the dumbfounded Nanket. "Though I don't know the specifics of what happened, I must report responsibly that Bolbert’s current power even surpasses mine! Uh, that is not good news."

A faint spectral light shot out from the passageway. Bolbert, his face ashen, emerged from the glow clad in armor scarred and battered by time, its surface showing clear signs of ancient conflict. His dark gaze locked onto the bewildered Nanket, and suddenly he let out a series of short, sharp, dry laughs.

"Father, were the words you just spoke true?" Bolbert asked Nanket, his tone ice-cold.

Bolbert gestured with his hand. A thick layer of crimson pollen, previously spread across the ground, suddenly swirled up and condensed in the palm of his hand into a blooming Bird of Paradise flower. The Bird of Paradise—a symbol of the deepest yearning for a beloved! It seems my honorable mother truly was just a piece of rotten garbage in your heart."

Bolbert’s body shook almost imperceptibly. He suddenly roared at Nanket, "In your eyes, my honorable mother is just a piece of rotten meat?"

The violent sound wave transformed into a blast of white shock energy that roared outward. Nanket screamed as he was flung a great distance, slamming into the rear wall. This time, Nanket was embedded in the wall at least two meters deep. At least thirty of his bones had shattered; several shards pierced his muscle tissue, and white bone fragments began to protrude through his skin. Golden blood sprayed out like a steady stream, and Nanket instantly passed out from the pain.

"I am truly sorry for showing you the ugliest side of our family!"

Bolbert offered a solemn, respectful bow to Gu Xichen.

Gu Xichen returned the gesture with gravity. "It seems I'm not the only one blessed with luck. Your strength, Bolbert, is also astonishingly improved."

Sighing lightly, Bolbert shook his head with a look of sorrow. "What does it matter? I just received news. Three months ago, the previous King of the Roman Kingdom died naturally. Prince Heskjin, due to his immense merit in conquering four of the thirteen consecutive stars, has already become the new Roman King."

With a mocking laugh, Bolbert stated coldly, "Being manipulated like a puppet in someone else's hand—that feeling is truly awful. If everything had proceeded normally, the new King should have been me!"

Gu Xichen studied Bolbert deeply. "Your Majesty, the King, likely knew he didn't have long left over two years ago."

Bolbert sighed. "Yes, so he decided to sweep up the new generation's elite from the nine electoral families in one go! He was even willing to sacrifice two of his own sons just to ensure the success of his other son. Ugh, I... I feel quite unwilling to accept this!"

A violent fit of coughing erupted. Nanket, who had just passed out, revived as if he were a cockroach impossible to crush. He croaked hoarsely, "Bolbert, Dukat, my children, I am your father; you should..."

"Shut up!" Bolbert and Dukat roared in unison, both launching a simultaneous punch at Nanket from a distance.

With a sharp crack, Nanket's left and right ribs shattered simultaneously. He spat out another mouthful of blood and promptly fainted again.

"You seem to have other plans?" Gu Xichen winked conspiratorially at Bolbert, then cautiously began pulling Dukat toward the entrance of the passageway.

As they retreated, Gu Xichen said with a light smile, "However, whatever plans you have, they have nothing to do with us... Bolbert, don't be impulsive, absolutely do not be impulsive!"

The six Guardian Golems formed a tight circle, protecting Gu Xichen's party as they quickly withdrew into the passageway.

Only after Gu Xichen vanished did a large burst of white light erupt around Bolbert. A detachment of Doom Guard Knights from the Roman Chivalric Order materialized from the light.

"A very formidable combat machine!"

A flicker of surprise crossed Bolbert's eyes. He shook his head, then walked toward the unconscious Nanket with a cold smirk.