Vðlµmê 3, þår† 6: Èßßïñg - Apostle Down!

~7633 words

The daunting peaks loomed high above Orsted and Nanahoshi's head, their snow-capped majesty juxtaposed against the azure skies. 

Orsted, the current Dragon-God, knew the perils that lay ahead. After all, how couldn't he. He had lived the same scenario, over and over again. 

Orsted's long flowing silver hair seemed to shimmer in the fading sunlight. His eyes, a haunting shade of gold, held the wisdom of ages, and they sparkled with an otherworldly animosity and dread wherever he looked. 

Of course, this too, was because of the curse placed on him. An inherent curse that made every living being despise him----of course this too had exceptions. Like Nanahoshi, Julian Greyrat and someone else, who he hasn't met, yet. 

He was travelling with a Japanese girl who had somehow wounded up in this world, out of nowhere while she was having a subtle argument with someone on Earth. 

Nanahoshi, was a vision of grace and beauty. By her old-world standards, she was fairly beautiful with jet-black hair cascading like a waterfall down her back, and her expressive brown eyes shone with a mixture of curiosity and hastiness behind her pure white mask. 

Despite the challenges she had faced on her journey to develop a method to go back home, she maintained a resilient spirit. After all, she had a trusty friend who she could depend on. Even though she still hasn't realised how close she has gotten to that individual recently. 

As the duo made their way through the rugged terrain that led to the [Lower Jaw] of the [Red Wyrm Mountains], their footsteps echoed in the silence that enveloped the mountains. Each step taken, Orsted's watchful eyes were on his surroundings, ensuring her safety in the face of potential dangers. 

After all, he was her steadfast guardian, and his sense of responsibility towards her well-being knew no bounds. At least on the surface level. She never questioned it. Yet was the real intent behind Orsted's determination to protect her was mere sincerity or something else?

Their arduous journey had led them to this region that was still three days away from the teleportation circle in the [Lower Jaw]. 

Here, they decided to pause and set up camp for the night. The air was crisp, and the scent of pine mingled with the fragrance of campfire smoke. Orsted took charge of the campsite, ensuring it was secure.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow across the mountains, Orsted and Nanahoshi sat together around the flickering campfire. 

The fire crackled, its golden light casting dancing shadows on their faces. The crackling of twigs in the fire provided a soothing backdrop to Orsted's inner thoughts.

There were all too many thoughts that festered in Orsted's mind. And all of them rooted back to one individual. Not the one that he has been planning and failing to kill for the last tens of thousands of years, no, it was someone else entirely. 

Someone, who despite working with him for some time, couldn't win 100% of Orsted's trust. He had been alive for a long while now, arguably one of the oldest beings in the world. The decision that he arrived at was partly intuition and partly from experience by dealing with every kind of living organism---humans, monsters, beasts and demons alike. 

The conclusion----never fully trust the boy named Julian Greyrat. 

There were many things that eluded his comprehension, even after all these years. Part of the reason lied in the fact that it was the first time he was encountering Julian. And despite him having an advantage of thousands of years over him, there was a certain thing about him. It wasn't his power that could disrupt the reality around him, no. He knew damn well that he could kill Julian if he wanted to. 

It was the way Julian carried himself. Each and every word, each and every action, despite acting goofy and clueless, it felt like everything was being directed towards a single end goal. 

There were layers around him. The more he felt he peeled away, the more distance he felt from the reality. The only reason he didn't completely mistrust him was because of one simple reason. In no way was Julian under Hitogami's influence. The thought alone was enough for him to not kill him. 

As Nanahoshi ate a stew with genuine disgust on her face, Orsted looked at her. "Do you not like it?" 

"It's better than usual, but I think after the recent discovery I am unable to consume this garbage anymore." She complained and gingerly swallowed the lump of dry meat. It got stuck in her throat as she quickly washed it down with a huge gulp of water and breathed out loud. "I wish Julian was here." 

Orsted fell silent. Just like before, the appearance of someone new was steering the timeline into a rather different direction. "He is not your personal chef." Orsted spoke with subtle softness. It was a tone he used to use around her, trying not to discomfort her much. 

"He isn't, I know." She replied with a pout, looking down at the "delicious" stew by the world's standard but she saw it as nothing else that an abhorrent stir, deeming it a "crime" to call this a "meal."

"Tell me, Nanahoshi." Orsted's countenance hardened as he addressed Nanahoshi, who, unperturbed by his menacing aura, set her bowl aside. 

She meticulously brushed off the minuscule specks of dust from her skirt, meeting his intense gaze with unwavering eyes of her own. After all, the curse did not work on her. To her, he appeared not as a terrifying, trauma-inducing fiend, but rather as a slightly wrinkled man sporting a subtle frown.

"Yeah?" 

"Are you still steadfast about your decision to go back to your own world?" Orsted asked and crossed his fingers. His gaze was intense, enough to make anyone flinch. 

"I am working on the ways to go back." She replied. Her answer was elusive, ignoring the real essence of what Orsted meant. She didn't do it on purpose, the answer just came out as naturally as it could. It might be a lack of comprehension on her part, but regardless, it stirred something inside Orsted. 

"That was not what I asked." Orsted came out clean, saying what had bothered his senses by hearing an answering he wasn't hoping to hear. 

"It isn't? I am trying my best though....." her voice trailed off, ".....but hey! Julian is helping me out a lot!" She continued with vigour in her voice. 

Orsted noticed the newfound enjoyment Nanahoshi derived from Julian's companionship and couldn't help but allude to her prior commitments on Earth.

"You have started enjoying his company as of late. Have you forgotten about your affairs on earth?" Orsted mentioned and her expressions stiffened. She balled her hands into fists --- intense enough to make the colour from her slender fingers drain away.

"Affairs? There was nothing of that sort. And my relationship with him is platonic. Do not get any wrong ideas or conjure any misconception stemming from a lapse in judgment." She replied in slight rebuke, her voice slightly higher than the usual. She stood up and walked over to her camp and angrily laid down, slipping the pillow under her head.

"She picked up his way of talking. This might get troublesome." Orsted mumbled to himself. 

As he looked up at the starry sky, he replayed his close spars with Julian in his mind. He didn't have anything else to do. Since he was idle, this was the first thought that came to his mind. "He reached Emperor in one school in a year. I wonder how fast he can fully master it." He thought to himself amusingly.

Despite being the strongest, his evaluation of him was almost unreal. From his observations, he was Emperor in one school while King in the other two. However, for magic, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't advance the bottleneck of King Ranked Magic.

It wasn't that he couldn't understand the physics or chemistry behind it. His mana pool was too small to support Emperor or above Ranked Spells.

The diversity of spells pretty much ends when one reaches the [Saint Ranked] in the particular school of magic. From [King Rank] onwards, it is just a matter of pouring more mana into the [Saint Ranked Magic Spell] and either fortifying it or adding another aspect to it.

Julian's mana pool was only enough to support one or two [King Ranked Spells] before completely suffering a backlash like it did in his fight against Almanfi.  Although it was because a significant portion of his mana was wasted in him trying to defend himself against the calamity. 

The trump card that he possessed was his [Gravity Magic Manipulation]. He could use all three aspects of Gravity, namely-----Neutral, Attraction and Repulsion. Although he is not able to use them in tandem, to be able to wield gravity in such a way was already a rather impressive feat.

"If only he had a decent pool of mana." Orsted sighed out loud. Of course, since this phenomenon of being "invincible" came with its flaws. The "Neutral" barrier as shown in their fight before could be compromised in a few ways. 

> Attacks faster than the distortion of space-time. 

> Attacks faster than the activation time needed to coat the whole body. 

> Disturb magic used by a user with a bigger pool of mana than him. 

His mana pool was just a slight touch above average. This meant that a strong magician, given he has the knowledge of [Disturb Magic] can counter the Neutral Barrier. Of course, they still have to deal with a Swordsman who is Emperor Ranked in 1 and King Ranked in 2 schools. But the flaws were enough to overwhelm him. 

There was one person who came to Orsted's mind. Someone who was not only stronger than Julian but could also counter his barrier.

"I should send him to the Sword Sanctum." Orsted thought to himself. 

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The frigid claws of winter had firmly established their dominion over the entirety of Buena Village, and this time, their relentless grasp was particularly severe. 

Despite shutting the windows tightly and covering them with an insulator, the malevolent chill still managed to infiltrate the confines of our abode, like an audacious intruder insinuating its presence. 

Despite the raging cadence of the fireplace, there was a certain chill that seemed to nip at my skin as it failed to dispel the lingering cold.

The atmosphere was tinged with a pervasive sense of wintry desolation, and I found almost everyone cocooned in layers of blankets in their own respective rooms. The air had a crisp and biting quality that seemed to nip at my exposed skin like tiny, icy teeth.

Sighing, I looked outside the window. 

Outside, the landscape wore a shroud of snow, a pristine white canvas marred only by the delicate imprints of frigid winds. The trees, bereft of their lush foliage, stood like skeletal sentinels, their gnarled branches reaching desperately for some semblance of heat. 

Soon the trees that don't have it in them would wither away. That was just how everything in the world worked. It was the same for humans. Events, an alternative for seasons came and go in our lives. Sometimes, it feels like spring, sometimes beautiful and crisp autumn while sometimes like summers.

In the natural order of the world and everything, just like how spring doesn't last forever, happiness doesn't last forever as well. It worked the other way around as well. Winters and Summers representing Happiness and Sadness-----everything is a part of life. And nothing is eternal. 

Despite the bone-chilling cold, I marveled at the paradoxical beauty of it all, captivated by the ethereal dance of snowflakes drifting lazily from the heavens---if they ever existed. 

I felt a hand wrap around me and pull me in. Looking to my side, I saw Zenith---my mother's face as she smiled brightly. Her smile always seemed bright to me---literally and figuratively. She was a pretty woman. And I had inherited her features. Yet there was a certain allure to her. Maybe it was because she birthed me and raised me an indiscernible amount of love, I used to feel a foreign feeling in my chest.

A warm and fuzzy one. 

It almost made me feel dizzy in her presence. She was strange. I couldn't understand why they would love someone without any reason. The whole "unconditional love" was something that had stayed elusive to me. I understood how it worked, yet I couldn't really relate with it. 

But now that I was reborn and was in a new body, I felt it every now and then. 

While I was in a state of daze amidst my thoughts, I felt the grip over my shoulder tighten as she pulled me in and placed my head on her chest. She was holding me in a side embrace---albeit a very strong one. 

"It's so cold today, isn't it Julian?" She spoke in a soothing manner, her voice making my eyelids heavy. 

"It is." I replied shortly. It was indeed cold. "But mother, why am in your bed?" 

"That is what I want to ask her as well, tch." Paul, my father in this world grumbled from the other side. He had a sour look on his face, almost as if he had lost the most precious thing in the world. While it is understandable that he has a high libido, I still don't get why he is all riled up. Technically speaking, nothing is going to work in this weather.

He would probably end up disappointing her.  Putting that aside, doing anything sexual in this weather can also lead to both of them contacting a severe cold. 

"Paul!" Zenith almost screamed at him. Hearing her scream at him like this, Paul whimpered and jumped a step back from her. After a while of glaring at him that screamed "don't you dare either say that or touch me again!", she looked at me with a smile before looking back at Paul, "It is one of the coldest winters this village has gotten. Norn and Aisha are also staying with Lilia. Julian HAS to stay here."

"But he's a grown-up now. You see to be forgetting he has already beaten me and is a Saint Ranked Swordsman. You don't have to worry about him like he's some ki---"

"Even more reason for me to worry. He has been through so much when he is so little. So what if he is strong? He is still my baby and I love my babies more than anything!" 

Paul scratched the back of his head. "You're making it sound like I don't love them....." his voice trailed off. 

Yeah, you sound just like that. 

"Well, it is not like I really mind." Paul said and hovered atop Zenith. 

Wait..... is this guy seriously going to start doing it in front of me? 

Instead of what I had expected, Paul lifted me up suddenly and tossed me between himself and Zenith. "Well, it really is freezing cold. Being between us would provide you with more heat." He said with a rather happy look. "After all, your dad and mom are both really hot!" He finished with a wink. 

"Paul....." Zenith said in a calm voice but the creaking ominousity from it was enough to send a shiver down my spine. "What did I say about not saying vulgar things in front of the kids?"

"I- I am sorry." He apologised.

He was hopeless. 

Shortly after, Zenith hugged me again, pulling my whole body towards herself. Once again, she pushed my head between her bosoms. She smelled of faint lavender. There weren't soaps in this world but one way to remove odour and add a good smell to body was to soak fragrant flowers into hot water.

The gradual warmth that permeated from her and the faint flowery scent wafting off from her body made my vision double. It was oddly soothing. My body felt like it would melt away. She placed my head on her arm and gently stroked my head. "You know, Julian, when we were adventuring, there was this one time when it was snowing just like this!" She started whispering in my ear. 

"Mhmm." I replied lazily, swinging in a sleepy state. 

"You don't have to reply. Just listen." She rebuked and pinched my nose making the dizziness go away. 

"Hm." I hummed in affirmation anyways. 

"So, we were completing this A-Ranked mission of hunting down a [Red Leaf Tiger] in the [Ejin Forest]. I was a healer and your father, as you know was a frontline swordsman...." She continued on with her story. The story was about how they were trapped in a blizzard after completing the mission and how Paul had somehow convinced Zenith to sleep with him. 

Or rather, he promised to not touch another woman. Which he obviously didn't keep. 

Her grip over my hair used to get subtly harsher but it wasn't enough to disrupt my process of sleeping. Her voice had a marginal allure to it, like a siren's call. It made my consciousness flicker in and out of existence. As the story ended, my eyes were already closed but I could still hear a few things. 

"Good night, little Jules." She spoke, her voice as loving as ever, and I felt a supple kiss on my forehead. Her lips were a little dry, evident from the little prick but still the sensation was soft. The region where her lips touched felt warm, in contrast to the frigid surrounding. 

I felt a rustle from behind me. My eyes were closed but I felt Paul lean over me. "Oh? He is asleep." He spoke in a hushed tone before patting my head once. "Good night, Julian." He whispered. "I can't believe I have 2 sons of such high caliber! I guess my genes are too potent." 

I almost felt Zenith's eyeroll. "It has nothing to do with you. If anything, I wish they don't end up like you." 

Zenith sure knew how to NOT hold back. 

"Wait, wait..... I, uh......." Paul stammered. He should just give up at this point. 

"Go to sleep. You'll wake Jules up." She spoke and I almost felt anger swelling back into her voice. 

She's really scary when it comes to it. 

"Okay, okay......." Paul replied, "......but as soon as it stops snowing, I am going to unload everything!" He exclaimed. 

This guy......he is making my sleep go away. 

"Oh, shut up." Zenith replied and plopped back, making me bounce a bit too. 

"Hehe....also, Jules huh? I am going to tease the hell out of him tomorrow." 

Oh well..........shit.

However, I was sleeping, the static black in front of my eyes was replaced suddenly by a lingering, slow-motioned white mist. 

I opened my eyes, and my vision stayed the same. I looked around and then down at myself. The image of myself was flickering. The white gloves that I usually used to wear were getting replaced by a bare hand. A hand I knew too well. 

It was my own, or in simple words, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji's. 

Suddenly a man appeared in front of me. He was walking, grinning, but suddenly stopped and took a step back. 

The grin over his face vanished, contorted into a frown and then reverted back to a grin but it seemed like he couldn't keep up the facade so instead of grinning, he smiled subtly. 

"Well, well, if it isn't Julian Greyrat!" He spoke, his voice irritatingly close to my ears despite standing quite a distance away. 

"Hm?" I looked at him, trying to figure out who he was. He had distinct features, almond-shaped eyes with alternating colours. They felt like demon eyes. 

"Oho? This is strange. You can look at me." He spoke. 

"You're interfering so it is hard to keep it inside my memory." I admitted. His descriptions were clear, yet so vague that the moment they registered, I felt like I was forgetting it. 

Interesting. 

"Am I now? I am only trying to talk to you though! You shouldn't be so skeptical of people." The man spoke, his hands behind his back, "Oh, I am the Man-God by the way." He introduced himself. 

He kept looking at me for a while before frowning, "A bit rude, isn't it? Since you're here, you should introduce yourself."

"You provided me with your name. And you said my name before. Hence, there is no need for me to waste my breath over such thing." I replied, shrugging my shoulders. 

"Ahahaha, my bad, my bad." His laughter was sickening to hear to, echoing against the wall of my mind like some horrid, repulsive noise. "As I was saying-----"

As he was talking, I reached out for my sword. 

"Well, well, that won't work here. This place doesn't have physical aspects. It's a spiritual realm. Evident from how your inner identity is flickering."

"Hm?" 

"You are still contemplating about whether going back to your old ways or to hold on to the persona you've developed and convinced yourself of." He spoke with a delighted laugh, almost mocking. 

"You aren't the one who brought me here." I spoke, remembering the voice I heard before dying.

"Indeed. I am not. I didn't know about it until I heard about you from your brother." He explained. 

Rudeus is alive. Good thing......

"Well, we don't have much time it seems. Your mind is quite hard to interfere with. Do you min--"

Once again, he stopped midway as he saw me unsheathe my sword, "You don't have the answers to the questions I seek, so, I will say it once, respectfully, get out of my mind, now." 

"You don't have to be so hostile." He replied. 

The next moment I tore down the world around me. The space rippled and the look on Man-God's face turned into a sour grimace.

The next moment, the whole surrounding around me changed. 

I found myself in a room. A room full of debris and rubble from a collapsed roof. Rats scurried underneath my feet as I looked around. There was nothing left standing in the room, except an amethyst crystal. 

I walked over to it. 

Suddenly, my whole body felt a tremor. 

Was it rage? Sorrow? Rancour? 

I do not know. 

However, the sight of my mother looking at me from inside the mirror, with her lifeless eyes, my breath felt ragged. Suddenly, she raised her arms, placing it on the mirror from the other side. 

"Jul..... help me." She spoke with a neutral look, an empty husk of her prior self. As I walked closer, a huge snake rattled around her, hissing at me with a victorious grin on its face. 

It was a snake, but the grin on its face was similar to the guy called Man-God. The next moment, it opened its maw and swallowed Zenith. 

"Guhhhhhhh...." My eyes fluttered suddenly. I was sweating buckets and I felt bile rise up to my throat. My breath hitched as my chest heaved up and down, erratically. 

"Lord Kiyo. Are you alright?" Philip spoke from beside me, his eyes wide in horror.

I reached out for my throat. It was extremely parched. Wiping the beads of sweat from my neck, I straightened my back. It was all a dream. 

No. It wasn't just any dream. The first one was a memory, the second one was reality and the third one felt like a premonition. A splitting pain invaded my head as I felt something wet on my lips.

Touching them, I looked at my fingers. They were stained in blood. I used magic in my dream. Well, dream wasn't the correct term for it, but whatever it was, when I tore the whole place down, it seems like I damaged a part of myself. The Man-God did mention something about that place being a spiritual plane. 

"You're bleeding. Are you really alright?" Philip asked again, breaking the silence. 

"Hm? Oh yes, I am fine. I bit my tongue while I was dreaming." I replied casually and wiped the trail of blood from my mouth. 

A look of skepticism flashed over Philip's face, "Uh, oh..... ok. If you say so." He replied and slumped back. His eyes were focused entirely on me. However, they darted here and there whenever I looked back at him. 

He was fidgeting with his single hand, his finger curling and uncurling rapidly. "Do you want to ask something?" I asked. 

"Oh yes, actually...." his voice trailed off for a while before he pulled in a sharp breath, "....may I ask where we are going?" 

"City of Roa." I answered as his eyes widened. 

"Oh, I see....." he replied, hesitation palpable in his voice, "....but you said before that the blame would be transferred over to us anyways." 

"I did." 

"Are you returning me to be executed?" He asked, his hand balling into a fist beneath the wide robe. 

"No. I am helping you regain your place so you can hasten the process of rebuilding your city." I replied. 

"I- I see." His head slumped down as I looked outside the carriage. 

It was still daytime. The dream from before was still lingering in my mind. 

A loud sigh escaped my lips as I bent and placed my elbows on my knees. 

Man-God....huh? 

Seems like he got a way to interfere with me now. Hmm. 

(******)

After a few hours of breezy travel, we finally arrived in Roa. 

Taking swift and decisive action, I incapacitated Philip, rendering him unconscious, and found a dilapidated inn to sequester him away temporarily. After that I decided to make my way through the desolate remnants of what used to be a bustling market of Roa.

My destination was the Boreas Estate. 

As I ventured deeper into the heart of the city, the devastating impact of recent events became all too evident. 

Once towering and opulent establishments that adorned the main Bazaar had been reduced to naught, either vanishing altogether or crumbling into mere fragments of their former grandeur. 

The very visages of the city's inhabitants bore the unmistakable marks of despair and suffering, each face etched with the telltale signs of the harrowing ordeals they had endured.

Though the people's individual circumstances varied, a palpable and pervasive emotion pervaded their collective gaze—a lack of hope---a soul-crushing sense of despair. It was as though the light of optimism had been extinguished, replaced by a haunting darkness that hung heavily in the air.

Amidst the "seemingly" sorrowful tableau, my eyes caught an intriguing sight to the side. 

Rations and soldiers stood guard on the city's outskirts, but they were being obstructed from advancing further. 

The situation bore the hallmarks of a struggle for control over the city's reconstruction efforts. 

From the general outlook, it seemed like the Boreas House was trying to spend a hefty sum on rebuilding the whole region but someone else was interfering with it. The whole place seemed like an abandoned workplace. 

After a lengthy trek, I eventually found myself standing before the imposing gates of the illustrious Boreas Estate. The entrance was manned by a few guards, each adorned in resplendent royal armor, exuding an air of authority and vigilance.

I can already see myself being in trouble. 

"Identify yourself." One of the guards, clad in royal armour demanded.

"I am the North Emperor---Blazing Sword. I'd like to have an audience with Prime Minister, Darius Ganius Silva." I replied as a matter-of-factly. It was no lie. Although as embarrassing it might sound, this was the name I got as a result for using [Fire Magic] and [North God Style] in tandem.

The guards looked at each other. Although their faces were covered with a lustrous piece of metal, that was quite a pathetic excuse for a helmet, I could feel them scowling at me. "The Blazing Sword died 2 years ago. Return before we cut you dow---"

I swung my sword in a vertical curve. My sword cut down the guard in half with the ease of hot knife through butter. Blood gushed out like a fountain as halves of his body fell on either side. "I do not have the luxury of proving myself to every guard dog stationed on the gate." I spoke in a calm tone and sheathed my sword.

The other guard blinked before looking down at his dead companion. His eyes widened as he fell on his back, trembling. He was trembling so hard that his armor started to clatter, making a rather weird voice.

Jerking my head to the side, I motioned for him to run away. He quickly stood up and started to run outside the Boreas Estate. Once he was out, I threw the small dagger I had in my robe at him. It pierced his neck, bypassing the small opening in his armor.

As his life slowly withered away from his twitching body, I stood there until he was dead. "Haaah.... I wasted so much time again." I spoke to myself before heading inside. 

(**************)

3rd person perspective

In the heart of the imposing hall, a somber atmosphere hung heavy like a shroud, suffocating all hope and drowning the space in an unsettling sense of foreboding. 

The eyes of the gathered small crowd were fixed upon a solitary figure, bound by chains and held captive in the center. 

This man, with a name that once carried prestige and power, was now stripped of his glory and reduced to a condemned soul. The Liege Lord of Fittoa---Sauros Boreas Greyrat, once a revered leader, now faced the inescapable clutches of death.

"Sauros Boreas Greyrat. For the crimes of losing heavy property and civilian lives, you are hereby sentenced to death." A man spoke without the presence of a royal order. 

Sauros scoffed at the announcement but stayed silent, his head still up and looking at 2 figures. 

Two sinister figures loomed in the shadows, peering down from the grand balcony that overlooked the hall. 

The first, a corpulent, ugly man whose name was Darius Silva-----Prime Minister of Asura, exuded an aura of malevolence that seemed to devour the light around him. His cruel smirk betrayed a satisfaction in orchestrating this spectacle of death, where the man before him, no matter how fierce his spirit, was rendered powerless and helpless.

Beside him stood Pilemon Notos Greyrat, a middle-aged man whose face bore the scars of ambition and deception. Though he shared Sauros' name, there was no familial bond between them. Instead, Pilemon had engineered this grim fate for his namesake, weaving a web of deceit and treachery to condemn Sauros to the gallows and steal the reins of power for himself.

He didn't take any lingering moment to betray his initial candidate as well. In all sense, he was a worthless human, a coward who changed parties on first sight of danger.

From his elevated vantage point, Darius Silva sneered down at Sauros, relishing in the sight of the once-mighty leader reduced to a mere pawn in their wicked game. "Look at him," he hissed to Pilemon, "the great Sauros Boreas Greyrat, now a pitiful soul awaiting his reckoning. He thought he could lead, but he underestimated the true power that resides behind these walls."

Darius and Pilemon arrogantly talked with each other. 

Pilemon's lip curled into a sinister smile, betraying a satisfaction in his own machinations. "Indeed," he replied with a venomous undertone, "he was a mere puppet on strings. His illusion of control blinded him, and now he pays the ultimate price for his naivety. To think he could handle everything with brute force."

Below, Sauros stood tall despite his chains, a defiant glint in his eyes that refused to be extinguished. His face bore the fierce countenance of a wounded lion, his pride and honor refusing to be crushed by the impending darkness. 

The weight of betrayal and injustice rested heavily upon his shoulders, but he refused to show weakness, unwilling to grant his tormentors the satisfaction of witnessing his despair.

As the ominous words of his execution hung in the air, the crowd fell into a hushed silence. The grandeur of the hall seemed to magnify the solemnity of the moment, amplifying the weight of destiny bearing down upon Sauros.

Just as the man was about to cut his head, the doors flew open. A gust of skin-melting wind ensued straight after that made everyone recoil. From the other side of the door, a figure appeared. 

A tall, lean figure. He was wearing full black clothes. Black shirt and a long black robe over it that extended well below his knees, just above his ankles. His long white hair was sprawled all over his face, while his face was covered completely by a white mask with two streams of blood-red flowing down the eyes to the bottom of the mask.

"What is the meaning of this? Who are you?" Darius bellowed, his voice booming. 

The figure cracked his neck. "Darius Silva." His coarse voice echoed through the hall as he looked up and his eyes started to glow a pale shade of blue. "Does the word Man-God mean anything to you?" 

"Eeeeeh.....!" Darius suddenly shrieked and fell on his bum. Sweat poured out of his body. 

"I'll take that as a yes." The boy, Julian replied as he took a step forward. He placed his hand on his sword's hilt, and it opened with a click. 

"Seize him. Kill him. Right now. Everyone!" Darius screamed in a low-pitched shriek, prompting every soldier to attack Julian. More and more soldiers poured in from the balconies and other rooms as they filled in the whole room. There were around 200 hundreds of them, circling around Julian like a pack of wolves.

Julian looked at the man who seemed to be the leader of the soldiers. "You are the chief, yes?" He asked. 

"I am." He replied, creasing his nose as he looked at Julian in the eye. 

"You value your soldier's life as well, yeah." 

"Of course, I do." 

"No one has to die here, instead of that man." Julian spoke and gently pointed in Darius' direction. "Let me kill him. None of your soldiers have to die. Why must you die a meaningless death protecting someone as vile as him?" He asked. 

All of the soldiers present stomped the ground together, sending a tremor through the ground. "We are sworn protectors of Minister Darius. Such blasphemic words uttered from the mouth of a peasant such as yourself warrants nothing but death. Even death would be mercy for you." He spoke, raising his volume. 

Julian sighed, "Even if you lose your brothers-in-arms?" He asked one final time and tightened his grip over his sword. 

"We took an oath. We live by the oath. We die by the oath. Dying what we were meant to do would be the highest form of honour for us." He bellowed. 

A surge of mana went out form Julian. "Honor, you say?" He spoke with a certain cluelesness in his voice. "There is no honor in dying like a dog." 

"We w---" 

A shimmering streak of light blitzed pass the commander and severed his head. The soldiers had merely blinked, and the commander's head rolled towards their feet, tracing a bloody line in its wake. Julian was now standing between the soldiers in the frontmost row. "Just die peacefully." 

He swung his sword to the right. The soldier was quick to react and brought his sword up, trying to deflect the blow. 

"Water God Style, huh?" Julian mumbled under his breath before stopping the attack midway and kicking the guy in his crotch. He fell down on his knee and the next instant Julian kicked his head, ripping it away with brute force. 

The others had already recovered from the shock of their leader dying as everyone jumped on him. 

Julian let out an elongated breath as he lowered his stance and sheathed his sword.

[Water God Style --- Esoteric Art --- Celestial Mirage]

It was an ultimate technique for Julian. After being repeatedly countered and never being able to counter Orsted's [Sword of Deprivation], he made a counter-attack of his own.

It was fairly hard to execute. Although he could use magic to kill everyone, but he didn't want to harm the estate. Hence he decided to execute the incomplete technique of his own.

To execute the Celestial Mirage, it was prudent that he must first enter a state of heightened focus and awareness. Attuning his sense to the magical currents and the subtle shifts in the surrounding environment he was able to become one with his surroundings, blurring the lines between him and the world. 

Water God Style had a downside. That downside was the initiation of attack. Since Water God Style revolved around counter-attacks and deflection.

When an attack comes his way, whether it be a sword strike, a magical spell, or a projectile, he doesn't react immediately. Instead, he employ the art of provocation, subtly inviting the opponent to strike with their most potent and powerful attack. This provocation serves to lure the opponent into committing fully to their assault.

As the attack approaches, his heightened senses achieved through days of rigorous meditation, comes into play. Reading the flow of Magic, he could predict the path of the attack, and visualize the trajectory of the opponent's strike. At the perfect moment, just before the attack connects, he would unleash the [Celestial Mirage].

As the tens upon tens of men pounced on Julian, he closed his eyes. When one sense dulls out, the other heightens in response. Darvus' lips curled into a victorious grin as he was ready to see his soldiers rip Julian into shreds. 

The Celestial Mirage involves a swift and precise parrying motion that channels the user's energy into their blade. This energy forms an ethereal and mirage-like extension of the sword, allowing it to reach the attack at a seemingly impossible distance. The mirage-like extension moves with unparalleled speed and accuracy, intercepting the attack before it reaches the practitioner.

This involved with Julian's mana absorbing magical sword, was able to temporarily absorb mana attacks, while the extended ethereal blade could disarm the destructive force of Sword Styles. 

And the most crucial part was to counter-attack at the last instant, giving the opponent a false sense of victory. 

"Yes, yes, yes! Cut him down. Feed his pieces to the dogs!"

Just as the blade got into Julian's range of deception, he quickly twisted his body, violently and parried everyone's attacks. A series of clamors echoed in the hall as shards of broken swords fell and piled under the feet of those who had tried to attack him. 

Still not recovered from the initial shock, Julian capitalized on this moment and launched the counter-attack. 

His battle aura formed as an extension and cut everyone in the hall into two, separating their upper bodies from the lower ones. 

"Huh?" Darvus was flabbergasted. "Wait what...." He couldn't understand what he was seeing. The man in front of him sheathed his sword and straightened his back. 

"This is too imperfect." Julian talked out loud, ignoring the pool of blood beneath his feet as the whole floor was covered in a carpet of crimson. The stream of blood reached Sauros' knees who was still kneeling. 

Julian looked into his eyes for a moment before looking away. The chains that bound Sauros were still around him. Julian didn't free him. Instead, he walked over to him and kicked the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. 

"I-If you want to kill that old man, do it. I will a-allow you." Darvus spoke, noticing how disrespectfully Julian wiped his boots off Sauros' face. 

"I don't think you are in a position to make commands." Julian spoke and jumped up towards the balcony and landed in front of him. The single woman who was his guard beside him attacked but Julian punched her in the gut. Her armor caved in and her whole body curled like a ball as she lost consciousness. 

Julian lifted her and placed her gently against the wall. 

He treated everyone equally, but he still didn't kill the woman. 

"Well, now then..." Julian spoke with a sigh as Pilemon kneeled in front of him. 

"I- I swear I wasn't betraying Ariel-sama. I was just here to infiltrate their ranks and destroy them from within!" He said, whimpering and crying out loud. 

"There seems to be some confusion." Julian spoke as he stood in front of Pilemon, his uncle, "I do not care about Ariel. Neither am I associated with her." He explained before picking him up and threw him down from the balcony. He fell to the ground and landed with a loud thud, followed by a crunch. His arm shattered under his body weight. 

Julian was careful enough not to kill his own uncle. 

After all, he still somehow valued family. 

Maybe......

[L-Let the vast and blessed flame converge at thy command------- Fireball.]

In a one last attempt at defending himself, Darvus conjured a weak fireball. Julian swatted it away with his bare hands, deflecting it downwards. The fireball landed and exploded behind Pilemon, launching him into the wall. 

Seeing how he couldn't do anything, Darvus fell to the floor. The whole hall was silent, watching Julian stoop down and held his chin in his hand. Slightly, he slipped his finger under his chin and made Darvus meet eyes with him. From a normal perspective, it seemed like a rather good scene from a yaoi novel, romantic. 

"Tell the Man-God, Orsted sent his regards......" his voice trailed off as he remembered something, "....oh, and to not appear in my dreams again." 

Julian receded his arm and plunged his bare hand augmented in Touki through Darvus' chest, turning him into a donut. Splatters of blood flew all over his mask and caked his hair. 

Pulling his hand out, he held his heart in his hand and looked down at it. It pumped for a few times before dying out. Throwing it to the side, he landed down in the middle of the hall. 

Looking around, he saw onlookers, holding their breath in. His white hair was tainted with a few droplets of blood. He jerked his head sideways and got rid of the viscous liquid from over his head. 

Looking at the bystanders, spoke something under his breath. It would've been barely audible but the encroaching silence due to the lingering death of hundreds of Imperial Soldiers made it quite easy to hear. "Lord Helfaus Asura sent his regards." As he said that, muffled whispers spread everywhere. 

"This should be enough. Well then, I think I should go back." He spoke to himself and disappeared from there in an instant. 

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RUDEUS GREYRAT

Phew. That was a tedious journey. 

Hmmm? You don't know what happened? 

Well, let me give you a short version of it. 

After I turned 12, we travelled four months towards the Vassal State of the King Dragon Kingdom, namely Shirone Kingdom. There I met my little sister, Aisha and my other half/stepmother, Lilia. 

They were imprisoned by a prince who was rumoured to be a thief. Rumors said that he stole a royal artifact and was then imprisoned for a short while. As soon as he was released, he openly expressed his distaste for an individual named Julian Greyrat. 

I wonder what that little runt did to him. For all I knew, he was quite harmless. Although he was scary at times, he was actually quite warm. The little time we spent together, I could always feel like he was pushing me to my limits, to overcome my past traumas.

Just remembering those times makes my heart churn.

Well, back to the flashback.

The fat pig that was actually the seventh prince, Pax Shirone, laid a trap for me. He said it was hitting 3 stones with one bird.... or was it the other way around? Well, he seemed stupid as hell, so I won't complain. 

He wanted to lure Julian in by trapping me and hence Roxy would also fall in his trap. His obsession with Roxy seemed oddly unsettling to me but never mind all that. 

When I told him Julian had died, he threw a fit and locked himself up in a room, strategising a plan to lure Roxy in with some other plan. 

Meanwhile, I became "master" of the head-ripping prince, Zanoba Shirone and he ripped Pax's head......well, almost. 

Being freed from there, I came to know that both brothers were exiled to "study" in far away nations.

I finally reunited with my family. Aisha didn't seem to know about Julian, evident from how much she kept talking things like "I wonder how Big Brother Julian is doing" or "Big Brother Rudeus. Let me ride on your shoulders. Julian used to let us ride of hours!"

It kind of made me envious, but at the same time it made my heart wither. If only I was also present for my sisters..... they wouldn't have to suffer too much when they know about him. If only I wasn't busying feeling Eris up, maybe Julian would've still been alive.

Well, there was no need to beat around the bush. If it wasn't for Eris gladly letting me slip into her bed every other day, I might've fallen apart. I won't forget her kindness. Never. 

Well, my reunion with Aisha and Lilia was short-lived. I tried to act like an ideal brother in front of Aisha. Man-God had told me not to reveal my name to Aisha, but she figured it out herself. 

She really was clever. 

I didn't talk much with Lilia. After I told her about Julian, she just cried with a blank face and spoke. "It was against Master Julian's wishes that I do not turn Aisha into someone who would serve you both your whole lives. However, I never gave up on the idea. Even if he is no more with us, I want Aisha to serve you." 

I do not get what she means by serve but I agreed anyways. We'll get to stuff when we get to it.

  That said, it was time for us to go through the Lower Jaw of Red Wyrm Mountains. 

Somehow, I have a bad feeling about it. 

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Author's Note --- Well, that's about it for this chapter. Lemme know about your views and predictions.

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