100X Returns System: I Dominate the Age of Gods - Chapter 341. Victors Write History - 2

“People of Aris,” William said, his voice echoing through every broadcast crystal across the continent, “yesterday, I promised all of you that before the next sunrise arrived, the tyrannical rule of the Light Church and Pope Winston would come to an end.”

Then, without hesitation, he raised a severed head high into the air.

It belonged to Pope Winston.

The moment viewers recognized the face, silence spread across Aris like a wave.

Markets that had previously buzzed with arguments and speculation fell completely still; crowds froze where they stood.

Even nobles and rulers watching from their private chambers felt chills crawl down their spines.

No one could fully process what they were seeing.

Pope Winston was dead.

His head was being showcased on public display before the entire continent.

William’s expression remained cold and emotionless as he continued speaking.

“Sixteen years ago, this man used cowardly schemes and the use of an opportune moment to seize control of the Solaris Empire using his holy knights. Centuries ago, he had come from a faraway land seeking refuge; he had sworn loyalty to my grandfather, only to betray the very people who sheltered him.”

His voice hardened further.

“Even dogs understand loyalty, yet this man surpassed every limit of treachery, and if that was not enough, he tried to eradicate the whole bloodlines of the Sun and Moon clans, declaring us as heretics.”

William now spoke angrily before he dropped the head and kicked it like a ball towards the broadcast crystal; the head rolled slowly before coming to rest near the crystal, giving a close-up of an agonizing last expression on its face.

The gore sight made everyone shudder; the head was thrown as a warning to anyone who carried ill intent towards them.

William’s eyes swept across the audience beyond the broadcast crystal, as though staring directly at the continent itself.

Then he declared in a voice that thundered through every city of Aris:

“I, William Kaiser Solaris, son of the late Emperor Rudra Solaris and Empress Anastasia Luneia Solaris… have returned to reclaim what rightfully belongs to me.”

“The era of fear, deception, and forced obedience is over.”

William’s voice echoed across the entire continent through the massive network of broadcast crystals.

“The people of the Solaris Empire are no longer bound by the restrictions imposed upon them through threats, blackmail, and the abuse of religious authority by the Light Church. That institution is now nothing more than a relic of the past; the god of light, Lux, is nothing more than a myth created by the pope to reinforce and justify his own tyranny. If such a god truly existed, then the cleaved head in front of you all would be mine instead of this dog.”

His expression darkened further as he continued.

“The heads of the pope and every single deacon who resisted our cause will be carried and displayed throughout the empire in a public procession so that the people may finally witness the downfall of those who oppressed them for generations.”

A dangerous coldness entered his tone.

“And since Pope Winston delighted in violating the dignity of others even after death, he shall receive a hundredfold repayment for every humiliation he inflicted.”

The fury in William’s words was impossible to miss. Yet beneath that rage was something even more frightening—a sense of judgment finally being carried out after years of buried injustice.

The atmosphere throughout Aris grew heavier with every sentence.

William allowed a brief silence to settle before speaking again.

“From this day onward, the Solaris Empire shall once again fall under the rightful rule of the Solaris Clan. My mother, Anastasia Luneia Solaris, will bear the crown and take the oath to rule the empire.”

His voice remained steady and resolute. Only a few people standing near him understood that this declaration had not originally been part of the plan.

Earlier, Anastasia had insisted that William himself should ascend the throne. In her eyes, the empire belonged to him by right, and after enduring sixteen years of suffering, Anne reasoned that she deserved a bit of rest. She had long grown weary of politics and power. All she truly desired now was peace.

However, everything had changed after William’s brief private conversation with Titan Empire’s Rominus.

The discussion had lasted barely two minutes, yet it had completely altered William’s perspective. Rominus had reminded him of a simple but brutal truth.

What William wished to achieve could never be accomplished from the seat of an emperor.

An emperor ruled a nation.

But William’s ambitions were already moving beyond nations.

If he chained himself to a throne now, he would spend the rest of his life buried beneath administration, noble disputes, treaties, and endless political obligations. Rominus had made him realize that becoming emperor would limit him instead of empowering him.

Rather than taking the imperial oath, Rominus suggested something far more serious and practical.

William should create an entirely new authority for himself, similar to a primarch.

A position that justified acting beyond the boundaries of any single empire.

A role capable of influencing the whole of Aris.

And in the end, William had found himself unable to reject that reasoning; his immediate goal right now was to find the whereabouts of his father and consolidate his strength and grow his influence.

At the side of the pulpit, Anastasia shot him a sharp glare filled with unmistakable irritation, silently demanding an explanation for changing such an important decision without warning her.

William merely returned a faintly sly glance before continuing his speech as though nothing had happened.

“But before my mother takes the imperial oath,” he declared, “the people of this continent deserve to know the full truth. They deserve to understand how deeply the conspiracies poisoning this land truly run and why they have lost the strength their ancestors once used to carry.”

He slowly turned toward Anastasia and extended one hand toward her.

“I invite Empress Anastasia Luneia Solaris to reveal the hidden crimes committed by the so-called rulers and protectors of this world.”

William stepped back, surrendering the center of the stage to her.

As Anastasia walked forward, the irritation in her gaze only intensified. William already knew he would receive a severe scolding later. Public declarations of this magnitude could not simply be retracted afterward.

Still, he had no regrets; who could be a better ruler than his mother? And it was not the case that William was not going to invest his time in the empire, for the present moment before he gets hold of the whole continent, he would take the position of the crown prince of the empire.

He figured that operating in such a manner was more beneficial, as it saved him paperwork, and he could directly take action whenever he wanted.

The moment Anastasia reached the center of the pulpit, silver moonlight shimmered around her as she activated a spell.

Voice of the Moon.

The spell was used to influence the emotions of the listene even if she was lying. The spell enhanced every subtle inflection and every trace of grief, anger, and sincerity within her words.

Even the soldiers standing below unconsciously straightened as her voice spread through the Colosseum.