Chapter 6
The current Emperor, Lucius Draconic, was still young.
Only seventeen years old.
It was too harsh a reality for him to stain his hands with blood.
But that didn’t mean his hands were free of blood.
He had wielded the pure white sword “Rosmerta” enough times to handle it skilfully.
The man who had tormented him so relentlessly was certainly a treacherous chancellor.
He remembers clearly.
But to Lucius, that man was nothing more than a stepping stone.
He had severed his neck.
Blood splattered.
He still remembers the way the blood of that chancellor flowed calmly like a stream.
After that, he purged everyone else who dared to covet his throne.
He killed all those who attempted to usurp the throne.
At such a young age, without a proper foundation, he had taken up the sword to preserve his father’s legacy.
“Are your lives truly worth so little?”
Lucius shouted.
The power of the Emperor’s authority doesn’t end with mere words.
It is backed by real strength, a position that none could easily challenge.
Those who coveted that position.
It was enough to sense how rapidly they had increased after his father, the former Emperor, had passed away.
Arcanxia was the first to betray and leave the shadow of the Pentagon.
The four continents were supposed to be united under the name of the Pentagon.
They were all supposed to be granted the right not to be discriminated against.
He sensed that Arcanxia’s obsession with power remained unchanged, both then and now.
Kadan’s frost quickly spread.
The atmosphere shifted.
Every word he spoke froze the movements of Arcanxia’s soldiers.
Kadan, the head of the Balenos Family, was frost itself.
Touch him, and you die.
That’s how it felt.
It was like walking barefoot on thin ice.
The soldiers of Arcanxia drew their swords and slowly encircled them.
Srrrng—
It was a thin layer of ice, but it wasn’t without hope.
After all, this operation had been planned with the assumption that Kadan Balenos would be present.
They knew better than anyone that they were merely bait.
“We’re just….”
All they had to do was buy time.
To exhaust Kadan Balenos’s power as much as possible.
Otherwise, there was no way to hunt that monster.
Kadan smirked faintly.
“A face I’ve seen once long ago.”
“It’s been a while, King of the North.”
“I don’t like that title, Rahim.”
“But it’s the truth, isn’t it? Each continent has now declared independence from the Empire.”
“You’ve become a dog of Arcanxia.”
“I’ve always been a citizen of Arcanxia.”
“You were a citizen of the Pentagon.”
The two stared into each other’s eyes.
Their steadfastness reached out into the void and touched one another.
As Kadan slightly raised his sword in a defensive stance, Lucius also braced himself.
“…Where is your master?”
“I cannot tell you that.”
“Do you realize that your actions are treason?”
“We only act for our homeland.”
“The Pentagon is our homeland! Have you forgotten that we are all one nation?”
“Not anymore. At least, Arcanxia has declared independence.”
The Captain of the Guard.
No, the one disguised as the captain of the guard, Arcanxia’s “Mage Engineer Corps Leader” Rahim, answered Kadan’s words.
He pointed his sword.
The remaining twenty-nine soldiers all raised their swords and shields toward Kadan.
“Surround him!”
Clang.
The sound of armour clashing as they closed in.
“Must it really come to this?”
“If you hand over the Emperor peacefully, we will withdraw.”
“…There’s something more, isn’t there?”
“It’s up to you how you perceive it.”
“I don’t want to fight you.”
“I haven’t forgotten how you saved a mere soldier like me.”
“Then….”
“But I must follow my country’s orders.”
Kadan guarded Lucius as much as possible, remaining vigilant.
They had iron armour and weapons, while Kadan and Lucius only had two swords.
Of course, there was an overwhelming difference in skill, but there was always that “what if.”
“More than anything, there was a time in the past when Kadan saved him.”
Unlike those who survived the battlefield, Rahim had been awaiting his death, with half his shoulder gone.
But Kadan had brought a certain mage to heal him.
After receiving treatment, he miraculously survived and was able to wield the sword again as a knight.
“Do we really have to fight? The master of Arcanxia wouldn’t have been so foolish.”
“He has passed away.”
“What did you say?”
“Arcanxia is no longer the weak continent you once knew.”
Rahim stepped forward.
Kadan infused his drawn sword with frost, releasing a chilling energy.
The calculations for the runic language were complete.
It was more than enough to cast the spell.
And so, he sneered.
How pitiful it was, walking forward knowing they were bound to die.
“I’m sorry.”
He murmured softly.
“Ice Age.”
The moment he uttered the words in runic language.
As Kadan’s killing intent surged, the entire area began to freeze over.
Rahim, who had been disguised as the captain of the guard, raised his shield with all his might.
He calculated the runic language.
“Crusader!”
A radiant cross appeared in front of the golden shield.
The translucent barrier tried to counteract Kadan’s spell.
But the quality of the mana density was different.
Kadan’s Mana Flower had fully bloomed long ago.
The core was rotating and amplifying.
Kadan’s frost encased even the golden barrier in ice.
“You’re able to block it. As expected, it’s enhanced by Mage Engineering.”
“…Cough!”
“You’ve made good use of the remnants of a forgotten era.”
Rahim staggered.
A sudden chill swept through him, bringing dizziness.
Coughs burst from his throat.
His body rebelled against the rapid temperature change.
Thud!
With a bizarre crashing sound, Kadan’s figure vanished.
The sound still lingered in Rahim’s ears.
He looked around warily, his eyes darting left and right.
“Where did he go? Did he run away?”
Just a single second.
Within that brief moment, Rahim’s thoughts raced.
Lucius was nowhere to be seen either.
All he saw were the frozen and severed bodies of his fellow soldiers.
Rather than buying time, he had lost his forces.
If he returned to Arcanxia like this, he would surely be held accountable.
The mission had failed, and the number of soldiers had dwindled.
Rahim’s teeth chattered.
Soon, the trembling stopped, and a cold chill swept over him.
It felt as if he were falling from a great height.
“What’s this!?”
“Fleeing? That’s a disappointing thing to say.”
Kadan’s figure appeared before his eyes in an instant.
He felt ashamed for thinking that Kadan had fled.
Kadan hadn’t run away.
“Was it just too fast to see….?”
“Correct.”
There was no emotion on Kadan’s face.
It wasn’t the gentle expression he remembered seeing briefly in his youth before Arcanxia declared independence.
He was a monster emitting an alien mana.
Soon, a harsh slicing sound echoed in his ears.
“Traitors are to be eradicated. As always.”
“!”
Lucius’s pure white sword danced rhythmically, cutting through the air like waves.
An arm flew far away, spurting red like a fountain.
Blood gushed forth, staining the crimson walls even darker.
The ancient red walls, soaked in blood, created a new atmosphere.
The Emperor was fast.
The speed and weight of his pure white sword were in perfect harmony.
A famed sword reveals its true value according to its wielder.
Perhaps Lucius was even faster than Kadan.
Kadan’s expressionless face was terrifying.
Combined with his weathered appearance from experiencing countless battlefields and his frozen mana, it became even more fearsome.
Gradually, more frost gathered around Kadan’s sword.
“Monster…!”
“A monster, am I.”
“Your skill is as absurd as ever.”
“Even if you praise me, I have no intention of sparing you. No need to be so afraid. Isn’t this exactly what you were planning to do to me and His Majesty?”
Cold mana.
Mana that was different from ordinary mana.
A special power inherited from the ancestors at the Fountain of Souls.
Kadan was a blessed child of the Balenos Family.
“I won’t apologize. This is mutual destruction.”
“Damn it!”
“As you already know, our family is a bit special.”
“I should never have agreed to this plan!”
“You’ll feel comfortable soon enough.”
“It was already too late to stop the bleeding from his severed arm.”
He moved under the pretext of serving his country, but in the end, it was all just for those higher-ups.
“Do you regret it now?”
“…Yes.”
“You shouldn’t have done something you’d regret.”
“I had no choice.”
“You’re the one who agreed to the operation.”
“…That’s…”
“You killed the captain of the Imperial Guard and stole his armour. All of you. You must have been quite skilled.”
He nodded.
The pain was unbearable, but his extreme mental strength held on.
‘I just have to endure.’
If he could hold out.
If he could just buy time, the mission would be a success.
The time was almost here.
Arcanxia’s Mage Engineering, which they had been researching for the past five years, had reached an untouchable level.
A power that could even silence the Guardians of the Floating Island.
The research into Mage Engineering was becoming increasingly formidable.
Such a being would soon attack the Imperial Capital.
That’s why the mighty Kadan was an obstacle.
Stalling him even for a little was the best they could do.
Tying down Kadan’s movements.
That was their mission.
“When I saved you, you were a wise young man who knew how to make choices. Has Mage Engineering twisted you this much?”
“A great power sometimes saves people.”
“That’s why I chose to save you.”
“…That’s true.”
“Every choice comes with responsibility, young man.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Lucius gestured with his hand.
If they delayed any longer, the enemies’ objective would be achieved.
He wasn’t sure what they were after, but there was definitely something more behind it.
“Kadan, carry out the sentence.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Kadan’s sword came down coldly.
A holy light enveloped his body.
“For Arcanxia!”
“Struggling until the end, I see!”
Grinding his teeth, Rahim twisted his body.
The greatsword, wielded with his remaining left arm, shattered the frozen ground.
Shards of ice scattered.
Rahim’s eyes flashed amidst the sparks.
Rahim, gathering mana into his large frame, thrust his sword.
The body reinforced by Mage Engineering drew upon the blue mana powerfully.
“It’s useless.”
If Rahim had Mage Engineering, Kadan had his bloodline.
The body, inheriting the will of great ancestors, could easily deflect such a pathetic stab.
Mage Engineering.
How dare such relics of a bygone era target the Master of the North.
It was the height of insolence.
“You’re underestimating me too much.”
“Damn it, when are they coming!?”
“Kadan.”
“…Yes.”
Seeing Lucius’s gaze, Kadan pushed back his dishevelled hair.
His long white bangs were swept back.
There was no time left to waste.
Seeing the persistent enemy made his brow furrow instinctively.
He’d known for a while now that they were only trying to buy time.
But he hadn’t expected that they had delved this deeply into the research of Mage Engineering.
Directly injecting it into a human body was forbidden by the Imperial Law.
‘They must have severed trade and communications with the continents to prevent information from leaking out.’
Kadan clicked his tongue.
He swung his frost-laden whip to prevent Rahim from fleeing.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Kuhk!”
Rahim tried to block with his shield, but his right arm had already fallen limp.
He knew he couldn’t win against Kadan in front of him.
Even if he stalled for time, where was the reinforcements that should have arrived?
Rahim ground his teeth.
He felt anxious.
The anxiety turned into fear, and he trembled at the sight of the monster before him.
All presences disappeared.
He glanced to the side as if possessed.
He felt an overwhelming presence behind him again.
A desperate movement for survival.
Rahim twisted his body to its limit and swung his greatsword.
An intimidating speed.
The reinforced body sliced through the air.
But the result was the same.
“You’re not the only one who can enhance your body.”
“Body reinforcement isn’t something that requires Mage Engineering.”
“So, would you mind dying now? You’re starting to disgust me, like a cockroach.”
Lucius sneered.
Rahim fumed with rage.
It was the first time in his life he had been treated like a bug.
Even the highest nobles accepted him as a human.
A bug was less than a slave.
That’s why he was so enraged.
“…What did you just say?”
“Shh, keep quiet. You’re going to die soon anyway, aren’t you? Don’t waste your strength.”
“Even my own mother never called me a cockroach.”
“Well, what can I say? To me, you’re just a brown bug.”
Boom!
The impact shook his core.
The frost seeped into the surroundings and exploded.
“Your Majesty!”
“That sound?”
“It’s not from my magic. It’s coming from outside.”
The booming sound didn’t came from Kadan.
At the same time, there were continuous sounds of something crashing down.
“What is it?”
“…I’m going to finish off this cockroach right now!”
“That’s not the problem. Get down!”
Lucius frowned.
Kadan grabbed Lucius and threw himself to avoid the explosion.
Rahim, forcing his drooping eyelids open, sensed victory.
The Mage Engineering researched by the Grand Mage of Arcanxia could not be ignored.
Its product was now arriving.
Explosions.
With the approaching dark shadows, the red ceiling crumbled.
The Guardian of the sky, panting with its faded wings, let out a cry.
A Giant Humanoid figure twisted the neck of the massive bird and grinned grotesquely.
No, it was a statue that uttered runic language.
—
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