431 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 431 "The Aserian rabble are unnaturally organized, disrupting vital supply routes for our troops. It seems our campaign may face a slight delay." "Is that what you call a report?" In an instant, the tense atmosphere inside the command tent suffocated Galen, causing beads of cold sweat to trickle down his brow. His gaze flickered briefly to the high seat. The Emperor, clad in resplendent golden armor, exuded a palpable aura of dominance, yet there was something different about him—beyond the absence of his left arm. He hadn’t always been this way. In the past, even his formidable presence held an air of majesty and confidence. Now, what filled the void was pure, unbridled anger. "The Western Legion has held them at bay, so a few days delay shouldn’t be a prob—" Bang! "Even those few days inconvenience me to no end!" "I'll resolve it as quickly as possible," Galen swallowed his words. This inexplicable coordination left them no choice but to investigate the rabble’s true backers. Yet, such words were better left unspoken. The Emperor’s bloodshot eyes tolerated no dissent. "One day. I’ll give you one day. Don’t let any more wretched Westerners encroach upon imperial soil!" "Understood, Your Majesty." "I can’t stand the sight of any of you. Leave." After dismissing Galen and the guards, the Emperor sat alone in the center of the vacant tent, his expression hardening. Since that devastating defeat, nothing had gone his way. His recent outburst stemmed from that frustration. "How pitiful..." He was all too aware that he was venting his anger at the wrong targets. Yet, he couldn’t shake the shock of defeat. Born a prince, what had he ever pursued that he hadn’t achieved? The fierce contest for the crown prince title was daunting, but ultimately, he had conquered it. Inheriting the throne and the power of victory from his father twenty years ago had given him the confidence of a god on earth. The thought of relinquishing that power to his successor after thirty years of rule seemed unbearable. Thus, he had planned his life’s grand project—to etch the name Kaiser von Ares distinctly into history. Continental conquest. He had prepared for this nearly two-decade-long endeavor since ascending the throne. His peace policies were merely a precursor to his greater ambitions. Failure wasn't a possibility he had ever entertained, not even for a moment. Yet, to find himself so hindered? Even aware of how disgraceful it appeared, his fury refused to abate. "Logan McLane..." His teeth clenched. Advertisements Especially that one. Barely five years ago, he couldn’t even wield aura, and now he stood before him as an Aura Master. His growth defied comprehension, so much so that even he, for a fleeting moment, pondered the widespread rumor of a god-granted hero. Realizing he had entertained such thoughts filled him with even deeper self-loathing. "Weak, Kaiser..." About to rub his face in frustration, he suddenly became acutely aware that his right hand was his only functioning limb. "Sigh..." A dull phantom pain and a hollow sensation emanated from where his left shoulder used to be. Soon, flames reignited in his dark eyes. With such humiliation, how could he ever forget his anger? "A god-sent hero? Hmph, if that’s the case, I'll defy the heavens to kill him." The Emperor’s gaze sharpened, having seemingly made a resolution. "Your Majesty! Urgent news!" The messenger's report further twisted his expression as he entered the tent in haste. * * * "Kill them all!" "Who said that to who!" Boom! Clang! Clang! Boom! The great city of Lugenheim, in the southwest of the Empire, was under attack by the Kingdom of Gaia’s forces, her usual trading partner. Though the primary battlefield was the western wall, simultaneous assaults on both the southern and northern gates were enough to shake the Imperial forces. Swoosh! "Aaagh!" "Hold the line! Don’t let them advance south!" Western Fifth Legion Commander Valton Krasen stood firm in the center of the western wall, rallying his troops with a relentless shout. A formidable mid-level aura user and a venerated warrior. Thanks to his valiant efforts, Lugenheim managed, albeit strenuously, to fend off the advancing army of over a hundred thousand from the Kingdom of Gaia. The qualitative difference in equipment and training between the Imperial and Kingdom forces couldn't be ignored. "As long as I’m here, Lugenheim won’t fall! Bring it on!" With his booming voice and surging red aura, the mighty figure wielding a massive warhammer symbolized victory for the Fifth Legion. Then suddenly. "The southern front is collapsing!" "An unusual aura user! Commander!" "What!?" Valton looked towards the southern walls. The sole superhuman from the Kingdom of Gaia, Clay Merlon, was still there in his field of view. Clutching his beloved axe, he bided his time to climb the walls, evading Valton’s efforts to keep him at bay. Valton had repelled him multiple times owing to their difference in skill. Yet, Merlon, even while being a vexing opponent who couldn’t be killed or even seriously injured, earned his reputation as an axe master through awe-inspiring martial prowess. If so, who was this aura user at the southern gate? "Does Gaia have two superhumans?" – Aaaargh! – Mo, monster... The screams erupting from the south finally reached his ears. "If I abandon this position, who will keep Clay at bay...?" Yet staying meant certain collapse at the southern gate. It was time for a decision. "Eric! Peterson! Lawyer! Guard the X Master with your lives! I’m heading to the southern gate!" "Yes, sir!" "Leave it to us!" "We will hold the line!" The scattered knights responded almost in unison to Valton's orders. He gazed at them with wavering eyes. Seasoned top-tier knights, a figure like a legion’s leader, typically had mastered a technique that wouldn’t allow them to be swept away by the force of aura attacks. Though it couldn’t necessarily overcome aura, the three together could certainly hold their ground. Even under Clayton Merlon's assaults, which they had endured multiple times. 'Don't die.' He left those words unspoken, knowing they might crush morale. Valton gave a consoling pat on Eric’s shoulder, then sprinted along the battlements towards the south gate. His mission was clear: eliminate the enemy aura user there as swiftly as possible. "Out of my way, all of you!" Boom! Dashing to the south gate, he immediately witnessed knights of Gaia scaling the walls, slaughtering his men in droves. But there was something inherently wrong about these foes—something chillingly malicious that went beyond any enemy he had encountered thus far from the Gaia Kingdom. "That one, ah, not yet, right? Haha, for the Kingdom of Gaia!" "Hahaha! Indeed, for Gaia!" "All of you, die! Hahaha!" Advertisements Slash. Squelch. "Aaah!" Despite the familiar turtle emblem on their armor, these knights laughed maniacally, murdering soldiers with glee. Glancing around, Valton noticed scores of them exuding strange gray and black auras—an alarming sight he’d never witnessed before. Certainly, be it gray or black, such aura did not signify their ability to contend with a superhuman. It merely fueled his rage at the atrocities they were committing. "You damn bastards!" Boom! "Ugh!" His warhammer swung, transforming a few into unrecognizable bloody pulp mid-air. "The commander is here!" "Commander Valton has arrived!" "Let's drive them back!" That marked the turning point as the Empire's troops, who had been retreating in disarray, felt their morale surge. Naturally, the enemy would begin to withdraw in fear. Such had been the consistent pattern in all his battles. Yet... In the brief moment Valton turned to find the enemy aura user, believing the aggressors would soon flee... "A superhuman!" "The ultimate offering!" "He is watching!" "Hoorraaah!" Through helmet slits, faint glimmers of blood-red eyes propelled the kingdom's knights to recklessly rush towards him. 'These madmen!?' Even in prolonged warfare, soldiers could lose their sanity. But for aura-awakened knights, borne of hardship, succumbing to madness was almost unheard of. The frenzied onslaught from Gaia's knights had caught Valton off guard. Of course— Bang! The unexpected strike failed to penetrate his aura-enhanced armor. "Graaaaaah!" Creak. The weight of over a dozen warriors pressed upon him, yet to Valton's superhuman strength, they were no heavier than paper. Ultimately— Boom! Advertisements "Aaagh!" His enormous warhammer swung again, obliterating the attackers. "Yes, I’ll send every one of you straight to hell!" Boom! Spurred by nearly allowing a hit, a roaring Valton charged across the battlements, leaving the enemy in cries of anguish. Clink. A whisper-soft noise brushed past Valton's ankle. A swipe that barely grazed his armor's aura, hinting at its lethality had it struck deeper. "Tsk. Was that too shallow...?" "You sick bastard!?" Valton's eyes shot to the dwarf barely reaching his waist. A bizarre figure in leather armor, lacking even a helmet—a dwarf with an enormous head, his doughy face half concealed by a large purple mark, ageless and inscrutable. Grinning hugely with grotesque mirth, the aura radiating from the wicked dagger he wielded was something Valton couldn’t dismiss. ‘Blood-red aura!?’ How had this one approached unnoticed? "This old master is Ban Johnny. Remember that name, giant. It’s the one who’ll send you to meet him." For the dwarf’s sudden appearance, Valton responded with a swing of his heavy warhammer. Boom! "I’ll crush your skull, dwarf!" Fragments of the wall shattered and flew as Ban Johnny nimbly dodged, reeling back from the devastating impact. Emerging from those debris shards, a shadowy serpent grazed Valton’s cheek. Slish. A shallow wound. Battles with the warhammer often led to such minor injuries—mere badges of honor. Intending to ignore it and swing again, Valton hesitated. Buzz... Through the cut, a vile energy seeped in, spreading internally and hindering his movements with a dirtily insistent malaise. As Valton faltered for a moment, Ban Johnny’s grinning head ominously rose before him. "It's over." His dagger surged with blood-red aura, poised to strike. "You foul creature!!" With a surge of fury, Valton’s own aura shattered the tainted energy as his fist shot out. Thwack! Ban Johnny was flung away by Valton's aura-clad fist. "Hngk!" Advertisements Yet, the blood-red aura had already penetrated Valton’s armor, striking his chest. Ban Johnny, somehow maintaining footing on the wall, spat blood but smirked. "You’ll soon be..." Boom! The warhammer slammed down, shattering part of the wall with a violent crash. Rumble. "No way!!!" Whether rallying cry or sheer bravado, Valton charged, face flushed and containing the bleeding with astounding will, hurtling toward Ban Johnny. "As expected of an Imperial commander... Not easy, is it?" Snorting dismissively, Ban Johnny leapt clear of the warhammer's repeated strikes, withdrawing to a safe distance. He no longer planned to engage. Instead, he would wait for his aura, whispering beneath the rogue's skin, to snuff his life force. "Try and catch me, if you can!" With mocking laughter, Ban Johnny retreated, flicking his dagger as he went. A torrent of aura, dark as the black serpents that danced after him, fell upon the Empire’s forces, indiscriminately swallowing them whole. Slash. Slasht. "Aaargh!" "Ugh!" For a brief moment, the cries of terrified Imperial soldiers filled the air. The soldiers soon realized Ban Johnny's attacks, despite being imbued with aura's destructive power, left only shallow cuts—a deceptive relief that quickly gave way to horror. Moments later, their expressions twisted as they clutched their chests, faces paling to an ashen hue before they collapsed. "Gah!?" "Ugh..." "Argh..." Witnessing his troops drop in an instant, Valton's expression soured, turning grim. "Doesn't matter to me if you don't follow." Grinning slyly, the malicious dwarf wreaked havoc on that fateful day. Thus, Lugenheim crumbled, and the Empire's borders began to falter.