Chapter 77 : Everyone Has Their Own Plans

Chapter 77: Everyone Has Their Own Plans

Ilunael.

Population: 2.3 million. The largest city in Norberju.

At its very center, the palace of Haarun bustled with countless warriors.

They had flocked from all over the Ailun region to protect Ilunael.

Before those stubborn and prideful warriors, the losers from the last battle were nothing more than criminals deserving death.

“Honestly, though. Even if he was a transcended Swordmaster, wasn’t he still an opponent we could take on?!”

Pink hair.

Barely twenty-three, a beautiful young warrior woman.

A new recruit who had already reached the level of High-grade Sword Expert at such a young age carried herself with bold confidence.

And she had every right to.

She was the youngest member ever accepted into Haarun’s Imperial Guard, renowned for being nearly impossible to enter.

A warrior who had never lost to anyone her age, who knew no fear.

Other warriors around her voiced their agreement.

“Exactly. And the enemy troops weren’t even elites, just some country bumpkin warriors from Kushan or wandering idiots....”

“Right! People like that, you could crush one-handed and still have the other hand free to beat Ransen!”

They couldn’t understand.

Why had Haarun lost to someone like Ransen?

“That’s what I’m saying!”

Irritation seeped into the voice of the pink-haired warrior.

It was clearly aimed at someone.

“No....”

“It’s because in that situation....”

The defeated soldiers from the Battle of the Hills of Tempests.

In the end, the accusation was that this happened because they had failed to properly serve Haarun.

Of course, the defeated ones had plenty they wanted to say as well.

“Ransen’s army just a bunch of bumpkins and fools? Ha! Did any of you actually fight them?!”

“No, Ransen single-handedly cut down the Cavalry Guards, ten members of the Imperial Guard, and even Lord Haarun himself—what were we supposed to do against that??”

But in the end, the words that rose up their throats never made it past their lips.

They knew if they spoke, they’d only get cursed out more.

The pink-haired rookie of the Imperial Guard raised her voice louder.

“Fine! I admit it, Ransen was way stronger than we expected. But so what? What’s our motto in the Imperial Guard and the Royal Protectors? Even if a Grandmaster of the Empire attacks, we crush them! Isn’t that it?!”

In other words, this pink-haired recruit was sneering, saying they hadn’t even been worth the food they ate.

She lumped in not only the barely surviving veterans, but even those who had already fallen in battle.

It was outrageous behavior. She ought to have been ordered to slam her head to the ground and had every bone in her body tenderized by iron boots.

And yet,

the most senior warrior present said nothing.

Because he too had been one of the defeated.

As all the other warriors glared with wide, blazing eyes, agreeing with the pink-haired woman, he simply could not bring himself to speak.

The arrows of blame now flew past the defeated ones and aimed even at the highest-ranking warriors.

“Honestly, all that talk about the Seven Champions of the Storm was a bit inflated.”

Someone muttered, and the pink-haired woman immediately pounced on it.

“Exactly! I was actually disappointed in Lord Zahir! I heard he lost to someone about my age?!”

The atmosphere suddenly chilled.

“Ahem!”

“Well, that’s a bit....”

For Zahir of a Hundred Victories was a respected figure who had proven himself in countless duels.

But the pink-haired warrior simply wouldn’t stop.

“What, did you all get stomachaches at the same time or something? Why else would you fight like that? Swordmasters, Grandmasters—whatever! You just shut your eyes and strike with everything you’ve got! Don’t you know joint assault?! Trust the comrades at your back! With all your strength! Focus every bit of your Aura into a single point!”

Her gaze turned toward the most senior warrior sitting silently.

The blame that had been indirect was now directed squarely at him.

The youngest rookie openly berating the most seasoned veteran—it was a strange sight.

The senior warrior, whose face bore a great scar, simply closed his eyes in anguish.

“No... I....”

What was this chick thinking, lecturing him?! Anger boiled up his throat, but in the end, he had nothing to say.

Defeat was defeat.

He merely twitched the scar on his face and stroked the massive axe in his hands.

“I’m... sorry.... You’re right.”

“Of course I’m right! If Ransen really does attack here, then I’ll be right at the front to show you all how it’s done!”

“You...!”

The senior warrior barely managed to suppress the surge of blood pressure.

He swallowed back the roar that nearly burst from his throat and let slip only a bitter murmur between his lips.

“...Good for you.”

*         *         *

Arot now felt certain.

He glanced around at his fellow mages from Kinalo and let out a refreshing laugh, as if announcing victory.

“Fufufu. At last, I’ve found the way!”

His comrades, too, laughed in childlike delight.

“Khkhkh. That’s right. With this, we’ve nothing to fear anymore.”

“Kehehe. Exactly! The reason we lost to Haarun was simply our own ignorance!”

Around a dozen mages.

They had once been mages of Kinalo, but after their defeat by Haarun, they became his subordinates.

And among them, Arot was the most gifted.

Above all, his chest swelled with pride that he had once again proven the greatness of magic.

“Heheh—magic is flexible. As long as you observe and analyze, there’s no enemy you cannot overcome.”

All the other mages nodded in agreement.

“Keheh! Even a Grandmaster is no enemy if we can study him properly!”

“Khkhkh—indeed. There’s nothing to fear anymore.”

They held grand dreams in their hearts.

Now, with Haarun’s very life or death uncertain, what they held in their hands was a mighty great spell—perhaps powerful enough to kill even Haarun himself.

They dreamed.

That as mages who had once surrendered, they could overturn the scorn they had suffered under Haarun.

That they could rise above Haarun and take their place as the true leaders of Ailun.

“Honestly, I hope Ransen attacks us right away. Keheh.”

“Khuhuh. Exactly. Then we can defeat Ransen, and with the warriors’ support and justification on our side, everything will change.”

Listening to his comrades, Arot smiled in satisfaction.

As expected of mages, they were all clever.

“Fufufu. Yes. That’s how we’ll take control of Ailun.”

“Kekeke—trading Kinalo for the whole of Ailun, what a profit!”

“Khkhkh. In the end, magic always wins.”

But just as their swelling expectations grew higher and higher, there came a sound like fire suddenly igniting.

KWA-KWA-KWANG—!

A thunderous boom shook the entire palace.

“An intruder!”

“R-Ransen! It’s Ransen!”

“Ransen has invaded!”

“Stop him!”

“Kill him!”

The warriors’ shouts rang in chaos.

The mages turned to each other.

Smiles spread wide across their lips.

“Fufufufufu....”

“Kekekekeke!”

“Khkhkhkhkh—!”

*         *         *

I had come to talk.

But since they wouldn’t open the palace gates, I had no choice.

KWA-KWANG—!

The massive gates guarding Haarun’s palace went flying from a single punch.

A heavy strike, backed by my transcended body, my Aura, and the strength amplification of the Magical Armor.

That was how our conversation began.

“Let’s go.”

I led my younger siblings through the shattered gates.

“Yes~!”

Daisy replied in a particularly cheerful voice. Was she simply happy I had brought her into real combat?

I still felt uneasy, but—well, she had Magical Armor, so it should be fine.

Step, step, step—

Past the outer wall, a broad road stretched toward the inner palace.

We were about halfway down that road when countless warriors blocked our path.

The unusual part was—behind those warriors, about a dozen mages lurked, chuckling “heh-heh,” “kekeke,” and “khkhkh.”

“Fufufufufu! You’ve come, Ransen!!”

One mage standing at the very front greeted me with a strangely fierce enthusiasm.

He spread his hand wide toward us.

And at once, every mage behind him thrust out their hands as well.

“Integrated Curse!”

Wooooo—!

The moment the spell manifested, the Magical Armor we wore began to tremble violently.

“Eh?”

“Urgh! W-what’s happening?!”

Panic spread across my younger siblings’ faces.

The Magical Armor suddenly went dead, the faint glow it had been radiating snuffed out in an instant.

The only suits still functioning were the ones worn by me, Katrina, and Catch.

“Urgh? This is weird?!”

“Hyung...! My armor...!”

But even Katrina and Catch weren’t unscathed. The light from their Magical Armor flickered on and off, unstable.

‘This is...?’

Even my own armor strained, as though something were pressing down hard on its output.

What had they done?

“Fufufu. How’s that?! No strength left, eh? This is the spell we discovered for catching Swordmasters! Now, sweep them away!”

Thud! Thud!

At the mage’s command, a countless horde of warriors advanced menacingly toward us.

Thinking the battle already won, the mages behind them jeered.

“Kekeke! A Swordmaster’s power comes from Aura, and Aura’s root is mana in the end!”

“Khuhuhu. When the [Integrated Curse]—a blend of countless curses—seeps in, mana and Aura get tangled together, bound tight. Khuhuhu.”

Oh, so that was it?

The [Integrated Curse] bound mana tightly, sealing off the output of the Magical Armor. That was the trick?

Impressive.

I had honestly looked down on modern magic...

‘But its power is stronger than I expected.’

Compared to ancient magic, perhaps its depth was shallow, but its raw output was formidable. The fact that it had silenced the essence of the Age of Magic—the Magical Armor—was proof enough.

But then,

“Hrrrgh—!”

Crack!

With a single burst of spirit, I shattered the curse suppressing my armor.

“Wha...?”

“Whaaa?!”

The mages in the distance gasped in horror.

What were they so surprised about?

Magical Armor had Armor Spirits.

As long as the wearer awakened its will strongly enough... a curse like this could be smashed apart with ease.

And so,

Boom!

I stomped down on the ground.

With the skill [Acceleration] layered with the Banroa Royal Sword Art’s charge technique, [Tempest].

KWOAAAANG!

The warriors blocking the way vanished in an instant.

When the scenery returned, the only thing before me were the wide-eyed faces of the mages.

Shhhh—

Behind me, a storm of crimson blood raged.

Thanks to my Magical Armor’s [Shield] being active, I couldn’t even feel what I had collided with.

But the warriors I struck had already been obliterated, turned into nothing more than a spray of blood.

I now stood before the mages who had been mocking from behind.

Their faces—eyes bulging, jaws dropped—were entertaining.

“Mages. What will you do now?”

The sound of hiccups. The stench of piss. The only redeeming sight was that the mage at the very front at least had enough sense to say:

“Th-the curse. Release it. Quickly.”

I rather liked the sight of them hastily dispelling the curses clinging to my younger siblings.

‘Hmph, maybe I’ll spare them?’

Instead,

“Now, you’re the ones holding this line. If even a single warrior from outside makes it in here....”

I didn’t even finish the sentence before the mages nodded furiously like madmen.

I patted the shoulder of the one at the very front and passed them by.

My younger siblings quickly followed behind me.

The warriors outside didn’t even think of blocking them, too stunned to react at all.

Well, the mages would take care of that side now.

We entered the Inner City.

A vast hall opened up, with enormous staircases curving along both sides.

And there, waiting for us, were what looked like hundreds of Experts.

The killing intent prickled sharp against my skin.

All of them had reached at least Mid-grade or High-grade Expert level—elites among elites.

‘Their number’s around six hundred?’

Wait—six hundred?

That was an incredible figure.

Even if I gathered every mid- to high-grade Expert warrior in Kushan City, they’d barely total seventy or eighty at most....

But of course, that wasn’t the real problem here.

I turned and asked,

“Want to go first this time?”

Before I even finished speaking, Katrina leapt forward.

“Glad~ly!”

Her hearty answer rang out behind her as she charged.

One after another, the other siblings followed in her wake.

“Kh—?! When did they get here?!”

“Wh-what?! My Aura Sword isn’t landing!”

“Just keep hammering! Don’t you know joint assault?!”

“No way! There are nearly twenty of them—how are we supposed to do joint assault like this?!”

“Share Aura and hold out!”

“No, they’re too fast!?”

“Th-they’re flying...?”

The warriors of Ailun, facing Magical Armor for the first time, were reduced to a chorus of confusion and panic.

My siblings fought steadily and well.

Strong, safe, reliable.

Yes. This was it. The taste of the ancients.

‘Then I guess it’s time I loosen up too.’

I had given them quite enough of a head start. I drew my sword.

Even with Magical Armor, six hundred was too many. Once the enemy adjusted, my siblings would end up in danger.

[Awakening of the Sword Spirit]

I activated the Magical Armor’s skill.

Mine was an A+ grade armor—the most outrageous output in the Lorraine Lab, short of the Dragon’s Magical Armor.

Wooooong—!

As the Sword Spirit entered its awakened state, countless Aura Threads streamed brilliantly along the blade of Banroa.

ZZZZZZZT!

With one sweep of my sword, dozens—hundreds—of threads of Aura carved everything apart.

So all I did was—

walk.

Shattered warriors floated up, then sank back down.

run.

Pulverized chunks of flesh scattered in every direction.

spin.

Amid collapsing corpses, terrified eyes quivered, trembling uncontrollably.

Blood. Blood. Nothing but vivid streams of blood.

Haarun’s once-splendid palace was painted over in dull shades of flesh and crimson.

A massacre wrought in only a few steps.

Warriors trampled and torn like ants trembled in terror.

They were six hundred Experts—numbers that should have been called an overwhelming force. But their opponent was wrong.

By modern standards, I was a Swordmaster. By ancient standards, a Peak Expert. And with the grotesque output of Magical Armor amplifying my specs, there was no way they could face me.

In this state, even Grandmaster Cain Manus himself would not have been my match.

All they could do was stagger back, terrified.

“U-uaaagh! Ransen!!!”

Oh—

But there was one warrior of spirit.

When all others froze in shock and fear, he alone charged, hefting a massive axe high.

‘Not bad.’

He was a High-grade Expert, and he gathered every bit of his Aura into a single point at the axe’s edge. Even a Swordmaster would take damage from such a blow.

Squelch!

So I honored him.

A warrior with a strikingly large scar across his face.

I drove Banroa straight into his heart.

Not a sweeping blow that cut down dozens with Aura Threads—just a single sword strike, for him alone.

That was the highest honor I could give.

“Grkkh... khhh....”

Still trying to swing his raised axe at me, he slowly collapsed.

I pushed against his chest with my foot, pulled Banroa free, and looked forward.

“Uh... uh....”

“M-m-monster....”

Some warriors crawled backward on their hands and knees. Others were already plastered to the walls. Still others scrambled to flee in panic.

All had lost the will to fight.

By then, my siblings had finished clearing their side and gathered behind me.

I passed through the frightened warriors without care and began ascending the stairs—

“Ah.... uhh....”

A warrior with pink hair stood before me, her whole body trembling.

Oh—

Another brave one?

But this one was... uncertain.

“Uhh... ahh....”

Though she boldly blocked my way, the moment she actually faced me, her body froze.

Clutching her longsword with both hands stretched forward, she trembled pitifully, unable to move.

Her eyes brimmed with tears.

From them, I could see so many emotions.

Fear. Rage.

And hatred and self-loathing for being unable to move a single finger against her enemy.

‘She looks young.’

Maybe around Jia’s age?

Twenty-two?

It stirred my heart for no reason.

Tap—

I walked past her indifferently, laying my hand briefly on her pink head.

“Don’t blame yourself. It’s natural.”

Fear. What could be more natural than that? I felt it too.

Rumble—my siblings swept past her side, following after me.

“Ahh....”

At last, I heard the sound of the pink-haired warrior collapsing as her legs gave out.

And then—

“Wow... that was badass.”

Mika Seitous. Our resident fifteen-year-old chuunibyou case had found something new to fixate on.

“Don’t blame yourself. It’s natural. Krrrrhhh—”

Mika expressed her deep admiration.

I truly could not understand this girl.

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