Chapter 2116 Announcement

The sparks of violence throughout Kandria had not gone unnoticed inside or outside the empire. The Underworld was accustomed to hiding in disguised fronts, allowing them to hide in plain sight. Thus, conflicts often broke out in the population centers, shocking the citizens of Kandria.

Yet, the Kandrian Royal Army was absurdly prepared. They came with the surgical amount of reinforcements that allowed them to completely suppress all resistance with such dominance that not a single civilian got hurt.

Normally, this was absolutely impossible.

It didn't matter how much intelligence the Underworld Sage had divulged. Conducting extremely perfect operations without a single civilian casualty was impossible.

The reason that Rael was able to succeed was because he had the Silas Clan on his side. It was impossible to overstate how powerful prophecy was as an asset.

There was a reason that the entire world had hunted the Silas Clan as hard as it did. Prophecy was a game-changer that allowed for the impossible to become possible. It was why Emperor Rael viewed the Silas Clan as a super asset and treasure that could allow the Kandrian Empire to rise above its peers.

First, he enlisted Matriarch Nephi and the Martial Masters of her clan to know exactly what level of information dissemination would be leaked to the Underworld and thus tip them off of the attack before it came.

He found exactly who he could tell and who he couldn't, thanks to knowing the outcome through prophecy.

This way, he was able to ensure that the Underworld never heard so much as a whisper of the plan ahead of time. They had been caught completely off-guard to a level that wouldn't have been possible without prophecy. The element of surprise played an enormous role due to how significant it was. It thoroughly ensured that the response of the Underworld was always sub-optimal and flawed, which killed any chance of an effective comeback.

That was the reason that things went more smoothly than ever thought possible.

Emperor Rael manifested a one-in-a-million outcome thanks to it.

So much so that when Emperor Rael announced the outcome of the targeted strike to the entire nation, the whole population base of the Kandrian Empire was utterly shocked.

[Citizens of the Kandrian Empire,

It is my greatest pleasure to inform you that across a span of seventy-two hours, from the twelfth to the fourteenth of Spring, the Royal Army of Kandria, upon my mandate, in a series of operations led by Grand General Aramoeous, has eliminated or captured any and all individuals part of or in association with the Carnil Mafia, the Dagonel Syndicate, the Feimia Mafia, the Schambiei Gang, the Jiteliana Family, and the Aggragor Syndicate.

These six criminal groups, colloquially referred to as the pillars of the Underworld, have a long and documented history of perpetrating drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, information theft, smuggling, and Martial violence, the details of which have already just been released to the public.

Today, they are no more.

We have eradicated the pillars of the Kandrian Underworld within a rapid series of targeted assaults, rooting out a cancer in this nation that has spread more misery than words could ever express. We have freed Kandria from the shackles of evil and vow to ensure that it never returns to the Kandrian Empire ever again.

I am pleased to announce to you that the ringleaders, the dons, will be executed publicly by beheading before all of you at the dawn of the twenty-first of Spring. Simultaneously, I express both my regrets and an oath of compensation to those who have suffered injuries or damage to property.

This marks the dawn of a new era for the Kandrian Empire.

A new era of unparalleled prosperity and power. An era I swear to usher in.

This is my oath to you.

This is my oath to Kandria.

It is an oath I intend to fulfill.

Glory to Kandria.]

The announcement struck every single person who read it like a hammer.

"Wait, is that what the Royal Army was doing the other day?!"

"No wonder they were so aggressive to that one company…"

"You're telling me they uprooted the mafias entrenched around the Kandrian Empire?! In three days?!"

The number of people who were initially skeptical was not few. However, even for them, reality would settle in soon. Unlike the average citizen, however, the elite, wealthy, and ruling class of the Kandrian Empire had much greater insights in regard to the sheer significance of what had just happened.

Their access to intelligence about the happenings within the Kandrian Empire allowed them to learn about the truth even before it had been publicly announced. That was the reason that they knew that each and every word of the announcement was absolutely true.

That truth was scary.

The fact that the Emperor of Harmony managed to erase the Underworld inspired nothing short of fear in the power blocs of the Kandrian Empire.

The Emperor of Harmony had always been scary, but his philosophy of harmony had always made it such that he was always palatable in his engagement with others that he sought to integrate. In the past, this included even the despicable Underworld, much to the chagrin of many. Yet, there was no other option.

Until, of course, the Emperor saw one and decided to go all out in an attempt to destroy them. And succeeded.

Not only was the feat of perfect success utterly shocking but to them it also represented a shift in the mindset of Emperor Rael. Gone was the man who was satisfied with maintaining a harmonious status quo to prevent civil war. The man who had woken up from his coma was a man who wasn't satisfied with the status quo.

It was reflected even in his announcement to the rest of the nation.

An oath to usher in an era of unparalleled prosperity and power.

This was not a light oath.

Especially coming from a man who did not speak flippantly.

Unbeknownst to them, it wasn't the Emperor who had changed as much as the opportunities before him.

Opportunities that most couldn't even begin to dream of.