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The ground cracked under the burgeoning weight of the gathering mana. Even some of the knights bowed under the pressure. However, the place remained unbelievably quiet that one could even hear the sound of a pin drop.
One man commanded the day.
“The Dark God…”
“Duke Agnus? Why is he here…?”
Despite the short remarks, it was evident that the crowd was filled with overwhelming admiration for the person in question. Some even bowed or placed their swords in front of their chests to show respect. But no one could hide their shock.
Did he come here for his child? No, he wasn’t like that. Considering his mannerisms, or at least what he showed on the outside, he should never have appeared.
“Duke Agnus,” Duke Tremblin said, his usual neutral expression in place. “Did you come here out of your own will? I came here because of the Imperial Order. Surely you know what that means, don’t you?”
Duke Agnus didn’t answer. Duke Tremblin advanced on him with his brows furrowed together. He was only three steps away from reaching Duke Agnus.
“Move away—” Duke Tremblin requested.
“Joshua is… my son,” Duke Agnus finally broke his silence at that moment
Even Duke Tremblin’s calm broke as his eyes widened. Meanwhile Count Arie, silently watching from behind, licked his lips and smiled slyly. His interest was piqued.
“Is it so strange that a father is standing up for his own son?”
“...Are you serious?” Duke Tremblin radiated deadly energy as he stood among the confused crowd. “To stand against those empowered by an Imperial Order is equivalent to disobeying His Majesty himself. For formality’s sake, I must ask: are you willingly branding yourself as a traitor to protect your blood?”
It was nothing short of a disaster.
Anyone who knew of Avalon knew of Aden von Agnus. For decades, he had been the figure of admiration for all the knights within Avalon. He was a national hero who brought the country so many victories that they could drown in them. Even if he decided to retire there and then, his name would still be talked about for generations to come.
Duke Aden von Agnus, the Dark God, one of the great Nine Stars of Igrant.
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“Please don’t do it, Duke!”
“You’re the one we look up to!”
“This might be your personal interest, but please think about your household!”
“Your Grace, please!”
A truly bizarre situation ensued: numerous people raised their voices in an attempt to sway Duke Agnus's heart, but ironically, these people were still pointing their weapons at him.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is the father and son duo that I need! I feel too much ecstasy! Isn’t this so much fun, Duke Tremblin?” Count Arie let out a peal of laughter.
Duke Tremblin scoffed angrily.
“A lot of knights look up to you. Think carefully before you speak. I don’t want to lose my old rival like this…”
Instead of answering Duke Tremblin, Duke Agnus raised his ink-black sword. The might of the Dark God was truly a sight to behold. His black cloak fluttered away, revealing the pitch-black armor he wore beneath it.
It was clear that his mind was set.
“Your Grace…” One of the knights on the sidelines unconsciously called out as he fell to his knees. The crest on his chest marked him as a member of the Imperial Knights, but Duke Agnus was an idol for all knights, regardless of their affiliation.
“This is astonishing.” Duke Tremblin looked at Joshua and sighed. “What sorcery did you cast to bend a man with no blood or tears?”
Joshua’s eyes shook. Even if it didn’t show, he was also bewildered. He was the son of a concubine and the second child in the household. He couldn’t even dream of life outside the stable when he was growing up. Joshua spent his last life drifting from place to place doing mercenary work. Even right up till Duke Agnus’ death when he was killed by three of the Stars in the Battle of the Kraden Plain, Duke Agnus had never sought out Joshua even once.
So why was Duke Agnus being like this now? Did Duke Agnus somehow know that Joshua was living his second life? Did watching Joshua grow up make him regret the way he raised him?
Joshua’s eyes fell.
Regardless, Duke Tremblin continued to speak.
“Whatever the case, it doesn’t change my opinion. Can you see this?” Duke Tremblin held up a pitch-black object that was shaped like a wine glass. “This is the Holy Grail of the Hubalt empire. This is supposed to be pristine white, but it turns black in reaction to demonic power. As you can see, it’s been like this ever since Joshua showed up.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Duke Agnus’s low voice intoned.
“Huh?”
Duke Tremblin's eyes widened.
“This is not the country of Hubalt. Why do we care if there’s demonic power or not?”
“Seriously… are you kidding me?”
“Duke Tremblin, aren’t you already aware of it?”
Duke Tremblin didn’t bother masking his anger; he knew what Duke Agnus was referring to.
“No matter what we say, the people of the continent probably—”
“Stop,” Duke Tremblin muttered and clenched his fists. “Duke Agnus, how can you change so much? You feel like a different person now. Thinking is for the top ranks only; it’s not for minions like us. Enough talk!”
Perhaps he was trying to prevent Duke Agnus from revealing some things, but Duke Tremblin disappeared from his position.
His movements were every bit as impressive as what Joshua had shown in the Fourth Prince’s palace. He abruptly materialized in front of Joshua's face and swung his sword. The sawtooth edge leading the sword’s elegant trajectory leaped for Joshua’s throat. Regardless of Duke Tremblin’s age, his body oozed with power.
He did not, however, have a firm grasp of his foe.
Duke Tremblin flinched when Joshua’s body suddenly burst into flames. His spear was also engulfed in a halo of crimson fire, the flames lashing out at Duke Tremblin.
It was Magma’s power of annihilation.
No, it was actually Joshua’s own power combined with Magma’s power of annihilation that was scorching the air around him.
Duke Tremblin’s instinctive response was to parry the red spear, but the force of the impact rendered his entire hand numb. As he successfully deflected the spear that was aiming for his chest consecutively with his sword, Duke Tremblin lightly jumped into the air. Joshua did not miss the opportunity. Joshua spun, whipping his mana-infused heel toward Duke Tremblin’s head.
The attack was stopped, of course, with his sword. Duke Tremblin wouldn’t go down that easily. However, their clash created an unnaturally large explosion like that of the clash between high-level magic spells. The sudden tremendous battle that took place in an instant startled the bystanders.
Who was Duke Tremblin, after all? He was one of the continent’s Nine Stars. Together with the Dark God, they were considered the two walls that were hard to overcome. His age only cemented his legend; over sixty years old, and he still had this much power.
A living legend battling… a boy a third his age.
In a brief lull, Joshua took a few steps back and spoke.
“You’re mistaken about one thing, Duke Tremblin.”
“Huh?” Duke Tremblin was flustered by Joshua’s perfect defense.
“Did you really think that I retreated because I’m not strong enough? That I’m no match for an old duke because I’m young?”
“This kid—!” Duke Tremblin’s wrath was ignited by Joshua’s insults.
“Let me correct you now. You’ve got it all wrong.” Joshua pointed the tip of his spear at Duke Tremblin. “Before you worry about handling my father, you should worry about how you’re going to capture me first.”
“HAHAHAHAHA!” Arie popped up next to Duke Tremblin’s shoulder and burst into helpless laughter. “No kidding?”
Duke Agnus tried to intervene.
“Stop—”
“I don’t want to.” Joshua shook his head defiantly. “I have no intention of getting help from anyone, nor do I want to bring harm to the Agnus household.”
“You—”
“That’s the way I’ve lived until now, and that’s the way I plan to live in the future. So.” Joshua gave Duke Agnus a cold look, freezing him in his tracks. “Please move aside.” Joshua then called out, “Cain!”
“Y-Yes, Master?” Cain called out, flustered that his name was suddenly called.
“Make a way for us to escape.”
Cain boggled at him.
“Didn’t you hear me the first time?”
“No… NO! I will follow your orders!”
Duke Tremblin's eyebrows twitched as he questioned, “Do you actually think that you can get away unscathed?”
“Of course. That’s exactly what I intend to do.”
“This arrogant bastard—!”
The ground in front of Joshua suddenly cracked open and Duke Tremblin instinctively backed away. From the broken ground spewed the deadly fires of annihilation.
“That’s Thran’s Ulabis’…” someone muttered in awe.
“Such small tricks,” Duke Tremblin calmly asserted. He clicked his tongue and assumed his battle stance. He planned to cut through the flames and run after Joshua, but it was a fruitless effort.
“I told you to stop.” Duke Agnus interrupted.
Duke Tremblin frowned.
“Duke Agnus… You must—!”
“That’s enough.”
“What do you mean that’s enough? It’s an Imperial Order, and it stands above the country's laws! The voice of Avalon itself comes first before all laws! I won’t stand still if you keep acting like this!”
“This must be why this country is not moving forward.”
Duke Agnus’s voice was tiny, but Duke Tremblin heard it, of course.
“You traitor… How dare you…”
Duke Agnus cast a glance at Duke Tremblin, the latter’s murderous intent was evident. He then turned to look at the escaping duo.
Cain had turned to look back and met Duke’s Agnus gaze. Joshua, unlike Cain, never turned around.
‘So this is it.’
Duke Agnus gave Cain a light nod and straightened his back.
“Get out of the way!” Duke Tremblin hollered.
Finally, the two giants of Avalon collided.