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While the people of Igrant had expected the Continental War to happen, they had thought it would begin in Avalon since the madman Emperor Marcus resided there. However, what actually happened was unexpected.
It started in a very unlikely place.
The spark of war started in Hubalt, the country of peace. Previously, the two factions within Hubalt had kept their conflict in the shadows, but now, the Emperor’s army and the Papal forces met head-on.
***
In the capital city of the Hubalt Empire was the Great Hall of Hermes, a large temple that could fit a thousand people. But presently, even that appeared too small.
A violent altercation between two well-armed groups was currently taking place.
The leader of one group walked forward wearing a silver full-plate armor that gleamed brightly in the light. He was in his mid-forties, with short brown hair and a big body rippling with muscles, but what was particularly eye-catching was the bandages wrapped around both his hands.
“Sir Sebastian,” the man called out.
Someone from the opposing side walked out wearing pure white armor. It was one of the Nine Great stars and the symbol of Hubalt, the God’s Knight Chrysler Jean Sebastian.
“Zactor
”
“It’s been a long time.”
“Do you really have to do this?” Chrysler asked sadly.
Zactor, the Martial Emperor and another of the Nine Stars, stared at him before speaking.
“I’ve heard the news. Your disciple, whom you cherished, is still going through hard times.”
Clench.
Chrysler’s nails bit into his palm as he clenched his hands into fists.
Martial Emperor’s response had nothing to do with the question Chrysler had asked. It meant that further discussion was pointless.
“...Since it’s come this far, then no matter what I say, the situation will not change. Be careful. Even if we were comrades, the sword is blind.”
“That’s hardly fitting for someone with a title like ‘God’s Knight,’” the Martial Emperor remarked with a slight grin. “Let me show you something.”
“...?”
“While you were focused on training your students, I only focused on training myself. And in the end
”
Flash!
Martial Emperor’s fists erupted with a powerful burst of concentrated mana. It was a blinding aura even Masters would have a hard time creating, and yet, he made it seem as natural as breathing.
“This is an aura that is above the other aura,” he said, beaming. “This is actually even about that.”
“...!”
“In other words, this is the awakening state of aura. I call it ‘True Aura.’”
As the Martial Emperor concluded his speech, immense energy filled the Hall.
“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”
Step.
“You and me. Martial Emperor on the Emperor’s faction, versus the God’s Knight, the symbol of the Pope.”
Step, step.
“Who will be the last one standing in Hubalt?”
The Martial Emperor stopped merely ten steps away from Chrysler.
His grin became bigger as he commanded his men. “Knights of the great Hubalt Empire, heed me.”
“Yes, sir!”
“It is time for us to make a great leap forward for our new Hubalt.”
Thud!
The knights in silver all stomped their feet in unison.
“The first thing we need to do is get rid of the hypocrites who call for peace in God’s name.”
Schik!
The knights in silver drew their weapons all at once.
“Holy Knights! Take up your weapons!”
Schik!
The knights in white also drew their weapons and brandished them at their opponents.
The atmosphere was so tense; it wouldn’t have been surprising if a fight broke out immediately
“Lilith
” a hushed voice called.
At the back of the crowd of white knights, a beautiful silver-haired woman whipped around in shock.
“Ca-cardinal.”
Lilith blinked rapidly as her eyes landed on a middle-aged man dressed in priestly garb.
“Go back to Reinhardt.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone should be making preparations for the future in case something goes wrong.”
“Father!” she shouted. She completely forgot about the situation around her in the face of the man’s words. “Are you
 are you saying that I should escape by myself?”
He shook his head.
“I’m not telling you to escape. I’m telling you to ask the others for help. You need to unite the other kingdoms that are not the three great Empires.”
“But someone else can do that”
“You, as the leader of the Moon Gate, are the only one capable of accomplishing this.”
When he gripped her hands, she couldn’t protest any further.
“I know I am asking something difficult. And
”
“....”
“I love you.”
“...!”
It was the first time she had heard that since reaching adulthood. Her lovely features contorted in agony.
“Go.”
“I—”
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com".
“Hurry!”
She bit her lip for a moment, then turned around. Just as she did, the temple rang with deafening yells.
CLANG!
“WHAAAAAAA!”
The two factions of Hubalt’s supreme powers were going head-to-head.
***
While the fighting was happening in Hubalt, a meeting in Thran Principality was interrupted by a courier bearing breaking news.
“Your Highness!”
Seated on his throne, Ulabis immediately sensed that something was wrong.
“What happened?” he quickly inquired.
“An army of three hundred thousand Swallows has raided our territory! It is said that Baima, Teimun, and even the Bern borders were taken in less than half a day!”
The nobles of Thran were shocked as the messenger’s voice echoed across the Great Hall.
“Wh-what did you say?”
“Three hundred thousand?”
“That’s
 unless they went mad—”
Ulabis’s eyes hardened.
“Is Swallow saying they don’t care about the other nations’ reactions any longer?”
“Your
Your Highness.”
“What did they say?” Ulabis asked.
“They said it was revenge for their Master, the Wild King Duke Altsma
” the messenger stuttered.
“Revenge? Isn't this a preemptive strike?” One of the nobles fumed, his face flushed red.
“Well
 they said that after being on the brink of death, he died not too long ago.”
This was unexpected news.
The noble clammed up immediately. “Who is leading the enemy?”
“Your Highness?”
“Duke Altsma has fallen. I doubt it’s Marquis Australo since he just recently became a Master. So if it’s someone who’s above him, then
 Duke Eima?”
“N-no, Your Highness.”
“No? Then who
?”
“The leader of the attacking army is
 is
 the Grand Duke Lucifer, the man with the most influence on the Swallow Empire right now.”
The Hall fell into an eerie silence.
***
In the Imperial Palace of Avalon, Emperor Marcus sat on his throne in the middle of his immense throne room and laughed softly.
“Hehehe. Geschhard, have you heard the news?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“It’s a shame. I wanted to be the first to lead in an event that would be recorded in the annals of history.”
“In the end
 only the victor will be remembered,” Duke Tremblin responded.
“That’s true,” Emperor Marcus said, nodding. “So, what is Aden doing?”
“He went out to the Great Plains of Kraden first, Your Majesty.”
“That’s surprising. I didn’t think he would meekly follow orders like this.”
“I assume that he didn’t think he would be able to hold out for much longer with two Empires already on the move.”
“So that two of our pride and joy, the Stars of our empire, started moving together? Very good.”
There was a satisfied smile on the Emperor’s face.
“Go.”
“...Your Majesty?”
“Go and show the others Avalon’s potential.”
“As Your Majesty commands.”
“I look forward to hearing the good news of your triumphant success.”
Done speaking, the Emperor waved his hand dismissively, and Duke Tremblin turned around. But suddenly, the duke froze and then turned back. It was not a typical action for someone as loyal as him.
“Might I ask you a question, Your Majesty?”
“What is it?”
“You told me once before that you and he share a close bond.”
“Ah
 Hahahaha, that I did.” The Emperor laughed heartily; he seemed to understand Duke Tremblin’s point. “Were you curious about that?”
“I kept wondering
”
“I see. Well, that won’t do. After all, you have something important to do that will be remembered forever, don’t you?” the Emperor said, making his characteristically dramatic gestures. “Have I told you about Aden’s mother?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You didn’t find it strange? How could I know the story of a woman that I never met before? A stranger who died before I was even born.”
“That’s—”
Duke Tremblin started saying something before he grew quiet.
Now that he thought about it, it was odd.
That incident was so famous that there wasn’t any noble in the capital that didn’t know about it. And since it was related to the Imperial family, it made sense that the Emperor knew about it.
But it was strange that the Emperor, who was known for only being interested in fighting and war, knew even the most intimate details of the story

“Hehe. Are you curious? Do you want to know?”
Duke Tremblin paused, then responded without hesitation.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Is it not obvious? When I was growing up, all I heard about was Aden.”
“By that, you mean
”
“My father, the emperor at the time, abducted a woman from a ducal household because he couldn’t contain his perverted longings.”
“....”
“Like a dog in heat, he molested and abused her every night. She was treated even lower than a maid for many years as she was violated.”
Even though Duke Tremblin was renowned for his poker face, he couldn’t hold back the shock he felt at the Emperor’s words.
“And the child she gave birth to at that time
” Emperor Marcus’s mumbling lips curled into a wide grin. “Was me.”
“Your Majesty?!”
“It makes sense that you wouldn’t know. My father kept the matter a secret and killed everyone who was involved. Now, there isn’t a single person alive who knows about it.
Duke Tremblin stared at him, dumbfounded.
“You know, I’m curious whether I’m the only one who knows about this.”
“....”
“Do you think Aden also knows? Hahahaha.”
Still frozen like a statue, Duke Tremblin’s eyes widened in shock.
***
“Master, what is your next move?”
Joshua remained silent at Cain’s question.
“How about Reinhardt?” Icarus asked.
“Icarus?”
“I believe that right now, we need time. And, of course, we also need to acquire a clearer understanding of what is happening.”
“....”
“We need a place where we have allies and a location where we can reorganize. Is there a place better than Reinhardt for that?”
Theta stepped forward with a crystal ball in hand.
“If that’s the case, then it’d be better to go to the Magic Tower. As you know, we left behind some safety measures. And not everyone in the Magic Tower agreed with Evergrant’s thoughts. They could only go along with it because they were powerless.”
“But we can’t trust them completely,” Icarus asserted.
Theta shook his head.
“This is also an opportunity. Now that Evergrant has been defeated, what better moment is there than now to seize the Magic Tower?”
“That’s—”
“I know that we can win them over,” Theta said with confidence. Icarus could not find a reply.
There was silence for a while. Cain gauged the mood before speaking carefully.
“Well, shouldn’t we let our master decide?”
As if by tacit agreement, they all turned to look at Joshua.
“Master, it’s your decision
”
“....”
“Where would you like to go? We are willing to go along with any choice you make,” Cain said with confidence.
Cain straightened his back. True to his words, it seemed like Cain was ready to hear anything from Joshua.
Joshua stared up at the sky. No matter how much the future had changed, he was clear about where everything all began.
“Let’s not overcomplicate things.”
“Then you mean
?”
“Taking the easy way isn’t really my style.”
“...!”
“There’s no turning back. We charge forward”