The light disappeared and the citizens who quivered in fear had disappeared along with it .
âTe, teleportation magic?!â
Peid Neil screamed with a startled expression .
âTeleportation?â
âMagic you say?â
Manus Persion and Aerea Britz dropped their chins after coming to themselves and it was evident that they were also startled . In addition, it was the same for the knights and soldiers who had been hiding behind the citizens .
When the citizens that had been stoutly defending their fronts disappeared, the soldiers took a few steps back unconsciously . Roan Lancephil shook his head with a faint smile .
âItâs not a teleportation magic . â
He in fact still couldnât use proper magic and could only use a few basic ones with the help of Brentâs Ring .
âSorry? But then that pillar of light just then wasâŠ?â
Peid asked back with a curious gaze . After some pondering, Roan replied with a calm voice .
âWell, if I had to put it, I guess it would be a form of divine arts . â
Hearing that,
âD, divine arts?â
Let alone Peid, Manus, Aerea and Vance Vonte widened their eyes once again . A divine art was an extremely special ability which could only be used by the priests who served gods . Unlike the sword arts, spear arts and magic, it wasnât something that could be learned just because they wanted to .
In fact, the only group of people that could currently use proper divine arts was the Devesis Church . Although the Tallian Church could as well, their scale was so small and weak that there werenât many priests that could use divine arts .
âHis Majesty Lancephil and the Church are on opposing sides thoughâŠâ
They shook their heads with curiosity but Roan made a faint smile when he saw the reactions of the crowd .
âI canât talk about Felius right now . â
It wasnât the time for that . Turning his head over, Roan stared at Reitas Persion . Like everyone else, Reitas seemed surprised due to the sudden disappearance of the citizens as well as the fact that Roan had used a divine art .
âRoan . You bastard really surprise me every time . â
He was truthfully in awe as his entire body shuddered in fear . In response, Roan shook his head with a smile .
âItâs still too early to be surprised . â
As soon as he finished his words,
Shrrk!
A gentle aura left Roanâs body . The aura gently breezed across in silence as the knights and soldiers of the Persion Kingdom felt the soft aura embracing their bodies . When they waved their hands, gentle breezes blew through their fingers .
However, Manus, Peid, Aerea and Vance situated behind Roan did not feel anything different . Suddenly, Roan who had been staring expressionlessly at the knights and soldiers reached forth with his right hand .
And then,
Paat!
The gentle aura and breeze leaving Roanâs body churned and suffocated the soldiers as it changed into a heavy, oppressive force . It felt like a tempest approaching .
Dududududu .
The earth and the air trembled .
âUh, uh, uh, uhâŠâ
âUuuu . â
With pained expressions, the knights and soldiers floundered their arms . All the soldiers and knights were in that state, including the ones standing on the rooftops with their nocked arrows .
However, there was a single person, Reitas who looked back at Roan with the same expression without doing anything, but it wasnât like he was fighting against the aura .
âNothingâs happening to me . â
He was in fact not affected by the astonishing aura given off by Roan and there wasnât any special reason behind it either .
âHeâs intentionally ignored me . â
Everything was according to Roanâs wishes .
Soon, Roan who had been standing still slowly carried his feet towards the knights and the soldiers . Whenever his steps approached closer, the aura being emanated from his body became all the more powerful .
âKuuk!â
âKuk!â
Finally, the soldiers who had not been trained in the laws of mana started kneeling down . The scene of soldiers all over the roads and rooftops kneeling down at once appeared magnificent .
âAhâŠâ
Unknowingly, Manus, Peid, Aerea and Vance let out low mutters . It looked like the sea was dividing and the mountains were being bisected . After a while, the soldiers who had been densely obstructing their vision all lowered their heads with knees on the ground .
âAll of you, stand up! Come to your senses!â
Reitas screamed from the bottom of his lungs but the soldiers who had already been suppressed by the pressure had no way of registering those words into their brains .
And finally,
âKuuk . â
âD, damn . â
Even the knights that had been forcing themselves started kneeling down . It happened in the blink of an eye and left only one knight standing .
âI, I⊠the Captain of the Persion Kingdomâs Palace Knight Squads will never kneel . Kuuk . â
The boorish-looking middle-aged man was the Captain of the Palace Knights, who called himself the right hand of Reitas, Viscount Marcus Zeller .
Roan stopped his feet right before Marcus .
âA great self-pride you have . â
He spoke casually and Marcus responded with a tight fist .
âKuuk . O, of course! I, I am the knight of Persion!â
The voice he forced out smacked the eardrums of the listeners . Hearing that, the knights and soldiers with their knees on the ground barely raised their heads to stare at Marcus . Within their eyes surfaced pride and respect but within Roanâs eyes, there was nothing but contempt .
âIt seems that the prideful knights of the PersionâŠâ
His voice was soft yet powerful .
âUse their own citizens as shields . â
Kung .
In that instant, Marcusâ face blanched and so did the other knights and soldiers staring at Marcus with pride and respect .
âT, thatâsâŠâ
Marcus immediately tried to think of an excuse but there was nothing that popped up in his head . With a faint smile, Roan shook his head .
âYou bastards have no dignity or honour . â
His words stabbed into Marcusâ heart as a chisel .
âKuuk!â
The legs that were barely holding up against the aura quivered greatly as he heard the final words of Roan being whispered into his ears .
âKneel . â
And,
Slam!
Marcus couldnât fight against it anymore and crumbled as the raised head dug straight into the ground .
âKuuk!â
âUuk!â
Other knights and soldiers also lowered their heads with groans .
âUhuhuk!â
Someone started tearing up .
Only when the situation changed did they realise what they had been doing . From the start, the most important thing to knights â more than their own lives was honour and dignity .
They had thrown away the important thing .
âHuhuhuk!â
âKuhuhuk!â
The tears spread quickly .
âThese fools!â
Reitas let out profanities and frowned .
âEvery one of them is weak and frail!â
He wanted to ask them in a loud voice what honour and dignity could ever do for them .
âIn the end, it is the law of the universe for the victors to monopolise everything . â
What would an honourable death do for you, and what could a life of dignity lead to? If you became victorious and laid hands on authority and wealth, honour and dignity would naturally follow â those were Reitasâ thoughts .
âFirst, I need to return to the palace . I canât fight against Roan Lancephil in this situation . â
Besides, although a little hateful, there were trustworthy ones hiding within the palace . After thinking up to that point, Reitas quickly turned his body and kicked off the roof .
Taat!
His shadow continued onwards to the palace located in the middle of the city .
âNo!â
Manus, Peid and Aerea reached out with startled expressions but Reitasâ speed was so fast that they did not even dream of catching up .
But then,
âTime for another surprise . â
Roan whispered to himself before casually carrying his feet .
Paat!
He then disappeared .
It wasnât that he was too fast for the eyes to catch, and had literally and perfectly vanished . However, that didnât mean that he used teleportation magic or divine arts either .
Paat!
When he reappeared, he was right in front of Reitas .
âHup!â
Reitas who had been vigorously escaping halted when he saw Roan suddenly appearing before him .
âH, howâŠ?â
Although there was no way for him to know, Roan had used a blink that was stored inside Brentâs Ring . Because Roanâs mana level, as well as his control, increased greatly, the power of the blink magic had been greatly improved .
Instead of giving a reply, Roan smiled and shot forth with his right fist .
Slam!
The fist smacked Reitas on his face .
âKuuk!â
Letting out a groan, Reitas flew backwards . Despite having instinctively reacted by pulling all his mana up, he couldnât hold his ground against Roanâs attack .
Kugung!
Along with a heavy sound, he rolled on the ground . Passing by the rooftop where he had originally been at, he rolled all the way towards the gates, in an extremely miserable, embarrassing manner .
âKuuk . â
He quickly balanced himself and stood back up . His chin was burning and his lips were bleeding but there werenât any major wounds on his body .
âThatâs weird since it definitely was a big hit . â
Staring at Roan in the distance, Reitas tilted his head but then,
âUnsheathe your sword . â
A low voice entered through his ears . He easily recognised the voice because it was,
âManusâ voice . â
Making a frown, Reitas turned his head around .
âMhmm . â
A low murmur escaped his lips . Right before him stood Manus, and it appeared that Roan had sent him rolling all the way until he was right in front of Manus with one punch .
âWas this his aimâŠâ
A bitter smile appeared on his lips as Reitas heaved out a long sigh .
âManus . Itâs aâŠâ
Before he could finish,
âUnsheathe your sword . â
Manus stopped him with a cold tone and took his sword out .
Cling .
The sound of steel dug into the eardrums as a cold blade appeared in front . In that instant, Vance Vonte who had been standing off to the back walked up .
âPrince Manus . Stay your hand . â
His hand moved to the sheathe on his waist but he couldnât take his sword out .
âStop . â
A sharp voice resonated and the owner of the voice, Aerea had approached before Vance could realise it and grabbed on his wrist .
âAre you trying to point your sword at Prince Manus right now?â
Hearing that, Vance bit his lower lips and Aerea flickered her two eyes .
âYouâve clearly seen just then what kind of person Prince Reitas was! And yet youâre still holding your sword up for him?â
Her sharp voice turned a level sharper and soon after, Vance let out a deep breath .
âI am someone who has already thrown away his loyalty . I do not wish to change my lord twice . â
A bitter smile appeared on Aereaâs lips as a reproaching light entered her gaze .
âYou are a person who doesnât know whatâs right and wrong . â
Aerea shoved her shoulder forward and threw a fist .
âHup!â
Vance kicked back and took a few steps back in front of the sudden attack .
âWhat are you doing!â
When Vance reprimanded her, Aerea took her sword out with a smile .
âYou can fight for Prince Reitas . Iâm going to fight for Prince Manus . â
As soon as she finished her words, she sprinted towards Vance .
âThis!â
Having no other choices, Vance took his sword out in retaliation .
Chang! Clash! Chang!
Sparks flew with sounds of steel . Because of the fight with Aerea, Vance who had been trying to mediate Reitas and Manusâ fight had to fall back .
âYou have a great subordinate . â
Reitas started a conversation with a grin .
âShe is not my subordinate . â
When Manus gave a short reply, Reitas frowned a little .
âThen what is she? A girlfriend? Did you guys promise marriaâŠâ
Reitas was in the middle of talking,
Sphat!
When suddenly, Manusâ sword dissected the dimension and stopped right before Reitas .
âReitas . Unsheathe your sword . I will punish you for driving the innocent citizens to death due to your personal gains and greed . â
With a stiff expression and voice, Manus glared at Reitas resolutely . However, Reitas shook his head with a faint smile .
âMy dear brother Manus . Do you really think you can fight with your brother with lives on the line?â
He threw his arms wide open and looked Manus . It seemed like he was telling Manus to swing his sword and stab whenever he wanted to if he could .
âManus . Youâre not fit to be a monarch . Leave the Persion Kingdom to me and youâŠâ
Before he could finish,
Sphat!
Manusâs sword once again divided the space as a strand of light followed the bladeâs edge .
Slash!
A vicious sound echoed as Reitasâ left wrist was cleanly cut off .
ââŠ?â
Widening his eyes, Reitas stared at his left arm . Everything happened too suddenly but more importantly, because it was something he had never been expecting, he couldnât do anything in response .
âT, t, thisâŠâ
Reitas finally moved the remaining arm and stuttered his words before turning towards Manus with a trembling body .
âWhat are you doing! Manus!â
A loud rebuke escaped his lips . While controlling the mana to stop the bleeding wound, he screamed again .
âYou! You bastard! Dares to cut my wrist!â
Reitas had his face turn crimson red and had completely lost his cool but on the other hand, Manus had an expression that appeared to be more relaxed and softer than before .
âUnsheatheâŠâ
His tone was also calm .
âYour sword . â
Twisting his wrist, Manus gave a gesture as cold killing intent left from his deeply sunk eyes .
âThis foolish bastard!â
Letting out profanities, Reitas took out the sword on his waist .
âThis time, I will surely cut your head off!â
His entire body emanated killing intent .
Sung .
The swords of Manus and Reitas touched each other and created a strange sound .
Click!
The gently falling blades interlocked and,
âDie!â
Reitas twisted his wrist and elbow while pouring out all his sword arts at Manus .
âHup!â
After taking in a short breath, Manus quickly retaliated .
Chang! Chachang! Chang!
A fierce battle unfolded as echoes of clashing steel were formed .
Gulp .
The soldiers and knights who had been forced to kneel after being suppressed by Roanâs aura barely raised their heads and stared at the battle of the two princes . Complicated feelings arose from deep within their eyes .
Likewise, Roan stood in their midst and stared quietly at Manus and Reitas . He could head in right now and cut off Reitasâ neck with one move . In fact, although it would be a bit taxing, he could take the lives of all knights and soldiers here but Roan did not move .
âThis is something that must be solved by Prince Manus . â
Before, he had let Manus take care of Reitas . At that time, Manus decided to put Reitas on an exile instead of killing him . Due to that decision back then, the Persion Kingdom had entered a severe state of confusion and too many people had lost their lives . Plus, most of the dead were innocent .
âPrince Manus . What decision and resolve will you make this timeâŠâ
Roanâs eyes sunk in deeply .
Chang! Chachang! Chang!
The clashing sounds of steel got louder and louder . The blades where the mana flowed dissected the dimensions and drew trails of light .
âDie! Manus! Die!â
Reitas continued pouring out profanities and his roars and screams overwhelmed the noises made by the steel . On the other hand, Manus was calm and the longer the battle went on for, the calmer he became .
It was then .
Kaang!
A sound different from before resonated . At the same time, Reitas who had been forcing Manus back bounced off to the back .
âKuk . â
Twisting his right hand, he let out a small groan as his palm ached from heavy pain .
âDamn . Why is he so strong!â
He was angry inwardly but couldnât show it . Making a forced smile, Reitas stared at Manus .
âNot bad . Indeed, your sword isâŠâ
But before he could finish,
âNow I get it . â
Manus let out some words and his soft voice filled the area .
âHmm?â
Reitas frowned in response .
âWhat do you mean?â
Curiosity was evident in his eyes . Manus breathed in deeply before replying with a clear voice .
âReitas . You have no rights to be the monarch . â
With a scoff, Reitas replied .
âHmph . That again? If youâre trying to talk about boring stuff like loving the citizens, tolerance of embracing the subordinates, honour and dignity or things like thatâŠâ
Yet again, Reitas was forced to stop his words because Manus interjected with a shake of his head .
âThatâs not it . â
He stared directly into Reitasâ eyes .
âReitas . â
A powerful voice .
âNot only do you not have dignity and honourâŠâ
His words turned into a blade and dug into his heart .
âYou have no skills . â
In that instant, Reitasâ expression crumpled .
âW, what?!â
His pride seemed to have been greatly attacked but Manus continued with a nonchalant expression .
âI canât leave the kingdom to someone like you who only babbles on without any skills . â
Pointing his sword at Reitas, Manus declared .
âReitas . For the Persion Kingdom, I will cut you down . â
At the same time, Manus kicked off the ground and ran in towards Reitas .
âT, this bastard dares do!â
Clenching his teeth, Reitas fought back .
Chang! Chachang! Chang!
Once again, the sound of steel resonated loudly and a fierce battle broke out yet again . However this time, the battle didnât go on for too long .
Sphat! Slash!
Manusâ blade perfectly cut off the segment linking Reitasâ armour . The armours fell off and revealed bare skin beneath it .
âW, wait!â
Reitas screamed with a startled expression but Manus did not stop his sword . It was definitely different from before as a gloomy aura filled Reitasâ eyes .
âManus!!!!!!!!â
He screamed with the loudest voice he could force and at the same time,
Stab .
Manusâ blade pierced through Reitasâ chest .
âKuhuk!â
Widening his eyes, Reitas let out a muffled breath as intense pain enveloped his entire body .
âKuuuk . â
The mana remaining within his body gathered towards his chest and thanks to that, he could barely avoid instant death .
âManus . â
The powerless voice was carried away by the wind as Manus bit his lower lips . He had decided to kill and followed through by killing him, but .
âItâs painful . â
Reitas was his blood-related brother who he had believed in and depended on all his life . Although he barely settled his quivering heart, he couldnât stop the lump of sorrow in his throat . Severe loneliness flowed past his eyes .
âM, Manus . â
With all his energy, Reitas forced out some words .
âD, do not soften your heart . T, t, this world is where the strong devour the weak⊠Cough . â
A clump of red blood escaped alongside his cough . While wiping his lips with the back of his hand, Reitas stared deeply at Manus but soon, he couldnât keep in open and forced them into a close .
His breath turned shallow as the lips muddled in blood twitched slightly .
âIn the end, the strong will monopolise everything . â
Those were the last words Reitas had left in this world . Those were words very fitting of Reitas .
Manus let go of the scabbard in his hand and couldnât dare to unsheathe it . Although it was his beloved blade which he had been using ever since he was young, he didnât want to grab it ever again . Staring at Reitas silently, Reitas whispered .
âThe winner monopolises everything?â
Manus shook his head .
âThat is not it . â
With a deep breath in, he stared at Roan who was still standing solid, staring back at Manus . Their heated gazes interlocked .
âI have already met a victor who is not like that . â
His quiet voice fell on the ears of the dead Reitas .
âI will save the world with himâŠâ
Power etched into his voice .
âAnd change the world . â
With a faint smile, Manus carried his feet and did not linger his mind with Reitas anymore . Roan saw Manus approaching him and gave him a smile .
âAre you okay?â
He asked softly and instead of a reply, Manus gave a nod . Taking a few steps back, Roan stared at the palace .