421 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

**Chapter 421: An Unexpected Silver-Haired Mercenary** Just as the silver-haired mercenary abruptly entered the scene, the emperor's intentions of incinerating any intruder had to be held back this time. The emperor furrowed his brows, scrutinizing the man before him with intense focus. Much like Logan, he possessed the gaze that could discern the stature of a soul. His eyes widened in disbelief. “An Aura Master? Again!?” Harmon feigned composure, observing the emperor's startled eyes. 'He should recognize me.' Given his ability to perceive the quality of souls, the emperor would undoubtedly recognize Harmon’s true capabilities. Despite standing amidst a confrontation with not just a relic, but rightfully accursed beast Ricentia, outwardly, Harmon seemed brimming with unyielding energy. And it seemed his ploy had precisely hit the mark. The emperor’s gaze shifted to the place Harmon had come from. Harmon fought to suppress the growing anxiety within him. The emperor must be aware that he was the very superhuman who clashed with Galen. Meanwhile, at that moment, Galen Decaid, the imperial mages, and the queen of MacLaine were engaged in a one-versus-many battle. The queen, clad in an armor engulfed in flame-like aura, remarkably commanded the situation. The undulating red aura crushed every spell it encountered, like a relentless grinder. “Are they all monsters? How have they grown again so suddenly?!” Just as Galen bellowed, the mages found themselves dragged around with frustration evident on their faces. Seeing this, the emperor regained his composure. This silver-haired knight had left the queen to deal with the storm mage and came here. In other words, it implied that he hadn’t been able to deal with the storm mage. With calmness restored, the emperor soon noticed the knight’s lacking aspect. A soul that was subtle yet not complete. “Not quite there yet. Not complete. But... well, it's still absurd.” The emperor's black eyes roamed up and down, arriving at a conclusion. “Divine power... At your age with such skill, if you wield that much divine power, is it the holy sword? Your face is quite unlike what I've heard. How does the sword of the Sacred Kingdom end up here?” A clear air of reproach tinted his words, to which Harmon responded with a sly smile. “For certain matters, I had to disguise myself. Besides, our relations with the Empire aren’t exactly genial, are they?” “So you intend to obstruct me?” “Logan King is someone who must not perish here.” At Harmon’s firm answer, the emperor’s dark eyes were fixed on the holy sword. As the soaring blue power transformed his disguised silver hair and eyes to their original hue, the tip of his sword, directed at the emperor, did not waver for an instant. What broke this short standoff was a scream heard from nearby. “Aaaaah!” Even in the thick of battle, no one could ignore that sound. It heralded the death of Celine Bauer, the Tower Lord of Earthquakes. The one responsible for that demise— With what seemed a broken, dangling left arm, Aileen let out a cry filled with anguish. “Logan!!” Only then did she recognize the peril her companion faced, recklessly taking down a mage. Despite significant injuries, Aileen's movements grew even more fierce, the fiery blue in her eyes threatening to erupt. “Wait!!” The momentum of the fierce one-versus-many battle quickly swung to favor the solo defender. Witnessing this, a laugh unfitting to the situation escaped the emperor's lips. “Pwhaha, what a damned mess...” The aura of that female knight, reminiscent of rippling flames nullifying approaching spells, likely pointed to a defensive specialization. Such a trait generally suggested weaker physical abilities compared to other aura users. Yet, being an aura user still meant she was faster and stronger than the mages. An aura user emerged as the perfect nemesis to the mages. Moreover, that person was the queen of an enemy nation? “Hahaha...” The emperor burst into sporadic laughter over the unbelievable situation. Her age, seemingly akin to Logan MacLaine’s, only fueled his simmering ire. And if that weren't enough, standing injured, blocking his path, was the Sacred Kingdom's sword nearly crossing into aura master territory. Surrounding him lay the defeated imperials. “Aaargh!” “Kuh!” “Retreat...” The decisive blow that shaped this predicament stemmed from his deployment of a grand but futile spell using imperial treasures. 'How did it come to this?' A bitter laugh tinged with molten anger slipped into wild, frenzied laughter. “Hahaha, hahahaha!” Immersed in that deranged laughter, Harmon watched him with an icy gaze. Receiving that cold stare, the emperor gritted his teeth and ascended into the air. As the emperor, recklessly gambling with lives wasn’t his place. “Galen! We withdraw!” “Gasp!” Even Galen’s audible catch of breath seemed perceptible here. But soon enough, three mages began to retreat from the battlefield, while the queen, faster than a gale, charged towards the emperor or rather dashed towards her husband beyond. Peering down at the whole scene with a frigid gaze, the emperor raised his right hand, igniting a blue flame. “Don’t think this is over, holy sword.” Swoosh! With a swift motion, the surging wave of blue flames was hurled towards the holy sword and Logan. Simultaneously, the emperor darted through the air like lightning, commencing his retreat back to the main camp. The attack wasn’t meant to finish them off but merely to buy time for withdrawal. However. “Hwaaaaah!” “No!!” Boom! The emperor couldn't have foreseen the holy sword suffering grievous wounds from the diversionary attack, nor the woman clad in red aura armor spewing blood. “Withdraw!” The moment the emperor issued the command, the empire’s forces rapidly dashed towards the core camp. At that instant, they all displayed an unusual vigor not characteristic of a demoralized army. And as expected, the watching crowd erupted into cheers. “The imperial army is retreating!” "We've won!" "We’ve done it again!" "Woooooah!" The resounding cheers from the fortress of Kyle echoed long and loud over the ruined battlefield. * * * At that very moment, in the southern fortress of Armor, a different scene was unfolding. —Awooooooo! With a howl that dominated the battlefield, a monstrous creature over 20 meters tall, with three heads, emerged before the imperial forces. The beast, its body covered in torn wounds, glared with twelve blazing red eyes. As it opened its mouths, crimson beams shot forth, striking the rear of the imperial army. Boom! An attack of calamity struck the thousand mages casting the wall of wind. The grand spell was shattered by the impact, and over a hundred mages collapsed on the spot, spitting blood. —Graaaa! No one on the battlefield understood, but within Tyre's roar was an explosive anger. Had Logan been present, he would have recognized the meaning imbued in that voice. —A 'friend' was hurt because of me. While Tyre hesitated, Logan's friend had taken the full brunt of the dark one's explosion and had fallen. —Do not reveal yourself unless absolutely necessary. Overcome with surging wrath, Tyre had forgotten his promise to Logan and unleashed his overwhelming power against the approaching imperial army. A few strong ones might resist, but against the weak many, his true form was the ultimate weapon. The war needed to end quickly. —And his friend needed healing. Boom! "Aaargh!" "A monster!" With a single forward step, Tyre crushed dozens underfoot, sending dozens more flying through the air. Crash. Boom! Slam. The gigantic beast's rampage was an uncontrollable disaster for the average soldiers. The knights who might contest the creature— “Hold your ground!” “We will fight!” Zzzzzzzzing. Boom, boom, boom, boom. Were disintegrated the moment the intermittent crimson beams from the three heads struck them, dissolving as if salt in water. Amidst the devastated formations, volleys of quarrels and red explosives rained down, generating a mass casualty event. “Aargh!” “Generals, where are the generals!” As the forefront of the imperial army was collapsing helplessly— Those supposed to lead them or fight the beast were being relentlessly driven back by the frenzied attack of a red-headed youth. “This is absurd…” “This is madness…” “He was almost dead…” Rumores, Fabian, and Seventh Legion Commander Graeme had no choice but to focus on defense, their complexions pale. The one who seemed moments from collapse now suddenly surged in power, overpowering them instead. “Does this even make sense!?” Seven aura swords pounded from every direction. Clang! Clang! Slash. Boom! Even managing to block two each, the remaining sword thrusts still snaked through narrow gaps, continually pressuring them. The aerial blitz was relentless, but what unnerved them further was the youth's crazed red eyes, muttering the same words, expression blank. “It's my fault. I told him to go. Don't die, Viktor. Never die…” Words incomprehensible to them. They did not realize he referred to the corpse-like figure lying behind him, already reduced to tatters. “This lunatic…!” They couldn't continue to be pushed back. Having fought together for so long, Rumores and Fabian exchanged glances, coordinating a counteroffensive strategy. “Graeme!” “Hold him off for a moment!” “Wha... what!?” Regardless of Graeme Turner's surprised outcry, the two drew back, pooling their force energy to prepare their ultimate attacks. However. Boom! "Aaaaagh!" Graeme, who had become an unwitting barrier of flesh, could not meet their expectations. A never-ending wave of orange aura literally shredded him apart. Advertisements A fatal miscalculation. Engulfed in disbelief, Rumores and Fabian watched as their intended target raced towards them, flooded by his own madness, eyes blazing. And as if in answer to his desperate plea, the tattered body behind the attacker released a soft breath, shuddering ever so slightly. "I'm not… dead, you crazy… idiot. Hrk…” Just as the ragged figure began to slowly regenerate and sit up— Victory cries erupted from the southern fortress as well. —Awoooo! * * * Around the same time, in the northern fortress of Shield— “You unbearable old man!!” “Monster…!” The imperial superhumans of the elite guard, Chaperville and Fourth Legion Commander Drexler, stumbled back repeatedly, overwhelmed. Clang! Clang! Slash. “Ugh!” “Damned bastard!” Facing them was a grotesque warrior, embedded all over with pieces of shattered armor like metal shards. Each glint of his red aura drew fresh blood down its steel-lacerated flesh. From forehead to sole, there was scarcely a part untouched by injury, making the warrior appear drenched in blood. Such relentless pressure, such indomitable will, was fearsome beyond comprehension. “For the kingdom…” The warrior continued to repeat those words, his eyes devoid of any light, truly a marvel from beyond comprehension, seemingly neither alive nor consciously fighting. But it was undeniable reality. His boundless tenacity visibly boosted the morale of the MacLaine forces stationed in the fortress. Conversely, the imperial soldiers, having lost Commander Miles Malpin alongside the self-destructing black knights, were steadily pushed back. 'What are we supposed to do when our leader self-destructs!' Chaperville grit his teeth in frustration and fury, but it was already too late. The vengeance born from Miles Malpin's camaraderie, combined with neglect of proper force allocations, had spawned a calamity in Shield. And around that same time— Boom! “Pwahahaha. Farewell, sucker!” On the opposite side of the fortress wall, a massive colossus succeeded in severing its bitter tie with Third Legion Commander Blake Evenor. This pivotal moment tipped the balance of the battlefield decisively in one direction.