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Three years was a time period long enough for weaker kingdoms to fall. The same held true for empires.
The civil war in Hubalt ended with the victory of the Imperial faction. It was inevitable that the country had gotten weaker from the infighting, and it became even more evident as the war prolonged.
Hubalt only won control of Reinhardt twice, and it was pointless to even talk about Avalon, who was in the middle of their own civil war. Swallow had sole control.
Around that time, there was a group that belonged to no nation who had to make a choice.
That was how the mercenaries…
***
It was just a single punch that flew straight. But that was all it took for the place to be swept up by a storm. The man held an indescribably immense power in his fists.
“I thought nothing could surprise me anymore…” Duke examined him intently. “Is that really you, Akshuller? I didn’t think I’d see you in a place like this.”
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com".
The man in question gazed at his frozen fist blankly.
He was a tall man, about two meters tall, with bulging muscles, and his hair was cut so short that he was almost bald, while his beard was so shaggy he could be mistaken for a bandit.
Duke Eima knew who was in front of him.
“Three Superhumans in one place… Oh, this is going to be fun.”
“You still think you can win?” Akshuller asked.
Duke Eima laughed in response.
“Either I’ve heard the wrong thing, or you’ve become so arrogant just because you’ve gained the title of ‘king.’”
Roaaaaaaar!
Duke Eima created another ice dragon. He smiled viciously as it roared overhead.
“Come to your senses,” Duke Eima rebuked Aksuller. “Confidence and arrogance are only separated by a thin line.”
“....”
“Even if you’re both called a king, you and Joshua Sander are in different classes. You are simply playing the part of being the commander of mercenaries, Mercenary King Aksuller,” Duke Eima spat.
Soon, Cain came up next to Aksuller and raised his greatsword.
“I will help.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“I had already expected that.”
“....”
“Aren’t you the sponsor of the Pontier Merchant Group? And since the most important person is stepping up, his escort should also step up.”
This time, Christian stepped up to stand on the other side
“We are running out of time. We need to finish this quickly.”
“You know, unlike what I thought, Holy Knights can be so cruel. How can you say something so cruel so easily? What if his pride gets hurt from what you said?”
“That’s my point.” As he said, it was indeed a provocation.
Cain glanced back at their enemy.
Duke Eima’s countenance had gone from viciously smiling to a dark expression.
“How dare you…”
“I’ll take the lead, so follow me,” Christian muttered to them before darting away.
Shing!
Duke Eima drew his sword with a graceful arc, and the surrounding area became cold. It felt like the north wind had suddenly come to Reinhardt.
Roaarrrrr!
Christian froze when he saw the ice dragon racing toward them with a goosebump-raising roar.
“So it seems like your head isn’t just a decoration. Hahaha.”
“May God bless me.”
Christian raised his sword, and a bright white radiance soon spread in front of him.
Hermes’s 4th Defense Spell, Holy Cross.
Bang!
The glowing cruciform defensive spell collided with the ice dragon.
Crack crack.
Christian’s eyes widened.
The ice dragon was defeated much easier than he had expected. Because of that, he thought he had successfully neutralized Duke Eima’s attack. He was also confident that he had been able to defeat the attack because there was nothing more he was confident in than his defensive spell. It might be different if he was attacking, but there were very few people who could defeat him when he was defending.
But there was a problem
“The ice is…?”
“That ice will slowly climb up your body.”
Christian frowned as the chill he had felt from the ice dragon colliding with his Holy Cross passed to his hands and inched up his arms.
But at that moment, there was a moment.
Boom!
Duke Eima’s relaxed expression disappeared as he stumbled.
Aksuller slammed his fists on the ground between Christian and Duke Eima and created an earthquake.
“Flip the ground over, big earthquake.’
“You—!”
“Look here too!”
Duke Eima flinched and then whirled around.
Clang!
He used the rotational force of his body to create enough power to block Cain’s sword with his own. The first strike was immediately followed by the dark steel blade slamming against Duke Eima’s again.
That technique was what Cain called the “Black Moon Slash.”
Clang! Claaang!
Cain’s blade danced and drew close to Duke Eima’s face instantly.
The two swords blurred and danced through the air.
Cain made excellent use of his advantage in reach. He resumed the attack while keeping a careful distance from his opponent’s short sword. Normally, Duke Eima would have closed the gap and stabbed his enemy’s vital organs, but…
Bang!
“Keugh!”
With the sound of a leather drum exploding, Duke Eima was pushed back.
The problem was, if he tried to get close, a massive fist would come flying at an odd angle to push him back.
‘On top of that, there’s that damned Holy Knight looking for a chance.’
After thoroughly cursing out Christian mentally, he yelled, “Promise!”
Whoooong!
A great hum answered his cry. The High Ice Spirit Promise had heeded his call.
“Get out of the way!” Christian shouted frantically. Cain and Aksuller started to retreat without hesitation.
Boom!
There was a loud sound, and the ice dragon smashed to the ground, giving way to an angry, raging snowstorm.
It was the type of storm where the cold automatically froze their body, and the snow-covered their view.
Duke Eima was known as the Ice Emperor thanks to one of his other hidden talents—the Ice Sword Second Form, Arctic Sunset.
“You worthless scums…” Duke Eima viciously snarled at the three men confronting him.
They were at a standstill, and that infuriated him.
Even if there were three of them and only one of him, he still believed them to be worse than himself.
To him, a well-trained knight like him was better than a thousand soldiers. He considered the soldiers no better than human shields, and that fact was slapping him right on the face at the moment.
‘Wait…’ Duke Eima paused. He looked further back, behind the three men. ‘That face looks somewhat familiar for some reason…’
The figure in the distance looked really unique.
Duke Eima's shifted subtly. He was deep in thought.
“Now that I think about it, you all are somehow connected to the Hero King. My doubts are clearing up…”
“....”
“Moreover…” Duke Eima’s attention honed in on Icarus. “I remember now, the one with the sky blue hair who looks more like a girl than a boy. The Heaven’s Brain, a strategist who served the Sanders family before… I believe the name was… Icarus.”
Icarus flinched.
“I find it very odd that everyone gathered here at Erhaim at the same time… it’s almost like it was planned… Tell me, what do you plan to do?” The corner of Duke Eima’s mouth curled up into a smirk. “Humor me.”
He stepped forward.
“What if, unlike the rumors, the Hero King didn’t die but only sustained injuries after the attack of the three Stars?”
He took another step.
“And what if it's the Pontier Merchant Group, one of the three greatest in the continent, that’s hiding him?”
“...!”
“How do you think the people of the continent will respond to that when their skin tingles at the mere mention of Joshua Sanders?”
Duke Eima continued to steadily talk into the silence.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s the truth or not since humans naturally have a strong inclination to believe what they want to believe. Is there anyone who could keep their composure after hearing the name of the Hero King?” Duke Eima shrugged. “I am not one to easily believe exaggerated rumors, but since I’m here to ease His Majesty’s worries, I’d like to go with the easiest solution—”
Bang!
Aksuller interrupted Duke Eima by slamming his huge fists together, buffeting the duke’s ears with a loud bang.
“They’re not exaggerated,” Aksuller stated.
“...?” Duke Eima gave him a bemused look.
“As someone who’s fought with both you and Joshua Sanders…” A smile flitted across Aksuller’s face. “You’ll never be able to beat him.”
“Ke…kekekekeke.” Laughter burst from Duke Eima’s lips, and then he stared at the sky. “It looks about right…”
“...?”
“Ah, I’m talking about the time.”
“....”
“I don’t like to be troubled.”
“What is he saying?” Cain muttered with a scowl as he listened to Duke Eima continue to say incomprehensible things.
“Who do you think is backing me?” Duke Eima suddenly asked. “He’ll be here soon.”
“You mean…” Christian realized what he was saying before everyone else.
He couldn’t help but wonder whether they were too late.
The atmosphere surrounding them instantly twisted.
Thud!
Icarus, a regular human with a regular body, fell down and started gasping for air.
Perhaps this was what people meant when they talked about an aura that sent chills down their backs.
Duke Eima watched the petite strategist convulse.
“The sky is really red today.”
“...It’s not what I’m thinking, right?” Cain looked over to the side. The expressions of both Aksuller and Christian were both grim. “He’s… really here?”
“Your expressions are a sight worth seeing! Hahahaha!”
Duke Eima shot a light into the air as he anticipated the three worthless scum in front of being eliminated at once.
While they had been arguing, they had slowly been surrounded.
“Hahaha… I wonder how the Allied Forces and Hubalt will react after today—”
“I’m more curious about your master’s reaction.”
“...!”
Duke Eima was startled at the new voice.
A large man dropped down from the sky.
Cain’s eyes widened as he stared at the broad back in front of him.
“H-how are you here?”
“Follow that child.”
The man who had suddenly appeared pointed to a house where a child was poking their head from around the corner of a shabby house in the alleyway.
“B-but if we do that, then…”
“Are you worried about me?” The man roared with laughter. “Have you forgotten our three-year record?”
“For the both of you combined, wasn’t it 159 losses and 159 victories?”
“We only lost 158 times!” Cain protested.
“It was only 158,” Christian affirmed with a straight face.
The man grinned broadly. He was like a teacher to both of them.
“Do not worry. I also have backup.”
“You mean—”
“Don’t worry about it…and…” He lowered his voice so only Cain could hear. “I think we’ll find your master this time.”
“...!”
Askuller watched them talk and then stepped forward.
“I will stay behind.”
“You think I’ll let you escape?” Duke Eima seemed to run out of patience as he stomped on the ground as hard as he could.
ROAR!
An ice dragon, much bigger than the previous ones, loomed above them.
“Go!” The new figure shouted to Cain.
“Damn it—”
Although he had deliberated for a long time, he moved quickly. He bit his lip as he turned around.
BOOM!
And then, all at once, the three warriors met in a brutal clash that shook the very earth beneath them.
***
“....”
Joshua carefully looked around.
It was completely dark.
The distant past seemed like it had occurred just yesterday.
The waving banners. The advancing soldiers. Allies and enemies entangled in a fight.
And… the image of him wielding his black greatsword.
“...Duke Agnus.”
Joshua slowly moved forward.
Darkness, deceit, treachery, goals, slander—he would eliminate all of them the moment he left his place.