438 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 438 As the dark energy quickly filled the space, golden rays began to spread throughout. At first, the golden light seemed to be merely opposing the darkness, but shortly, it completely erased the dark space, dominating its surroundings. Rumble, rumble. Boom! “What the...!?” The formerly calm voice had vanished. Cassel Tower's master, who was vanishing and reappearing as if folding space itself, deftly evaded the expansive assault of the golden light that covered a radius of several dozen meters. But that was the extent of it. His black magic couldn't even graze Logan, dissipating prematurely, while the golden aura effortlessly shattered the defenses of the dark magic. Caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events, both were left in bewilderment. Fortunately, it was Logan who first understood the situation. 'Opposition... Now that I think about it...' Brief flashes of past encounters flitted across his mind, incidents he had dismissed as merely peculiar traits. When he faced off against Cassel Tower's magicians during the Allied Kingdoms' confrontation, they crumbled under his assault. Even Louisa’s mind-control magic scattered without any resistance against his force. Thus, he had vaguely realized his power was contrary to theirs, not just against lesser foes but even... 'Could it be the same with the Tower Master?' Why? Curiosity piqued him, yet more pressing was his rising intent. 'This is the chance!' What he once thought to be a meager force was surprisingly overpowering the enemy. There was no reason to hesitate any longer. Seeing the enemy's face turn pale and devoid of its mocking smile only solidified his resolve. “It was the same... How... heh heh...” The nonsensical mutterings from the Tower Master’s lips were not worth paying attention to. However, despite having the advantage of opposition, capturing the Tower Master was far from easy. Swipe. With a light swing of his sword, Logan unleashed a golden aura blade, spanning dozens of meters. It threatened to shatter the walls of the arena, yet as it touched the wall, it vanished as if absorbed. Logan displayed spectacular aura control, with an expansive attack range dominating the whole space. Still, the Tower Master's body seemed to melt into the golden aura and reappeared mere dozens of meters away, almost instantaneously. Recognizing this, Logan immediately launched another golden sword strike, sweeping the space, but only cut through the afterimage of the Tower Master. Logan’s mastery of aura allowed him to execute attacks that were nearly impossible even for superhumans to perceive and avoid, yet the Tower Master continued to evade them with nimble precision. Furthermore, even slashes imbued with the powers of spatial severance and soul-severance couldn’t prevent the Tower Master's superior escape. Though the Tower Master's face showed increasing distress with each fading and reappearing, Logan’s expression mirrored that frustration, covering every direction with his aura yet finding no satisfaction. ‘To move through space with such ease...’ It was like having the most delicious soup before him, yet only having a fork to eat it. Resigning to his magic’s ineffectiveness, the Tower Master focused solely on avoiding the torrent of aura blades, proving even trickier than soup slipping through the fork’s gaps. In that case... 'Why not just drink it directly!' Gritting his teeth, Logan drew upon the power of his fully recovered force core to its utmost limit. Just as he prepared to unleash his traits... “If you truly intend to fight to the end, then this old one shall simply disappear, Your Majesty.” With urgency hinting in his voice, the Tower Master of Cassel interrupted. Whirring. The aura focused on Logan’s sword, Lux, vibrated with regret, but even Logan had to concede at this point. ‘...I can't catch him.’ He could overwhelm him with opposition, but preventing his escape was impossible. The minute difference at this peak, despite his insight, held him back. He should have used his traits from the very start, aggressively pushing forward. Of course, it was unforeseen at the time. 'Damn.' The disappointment gnawed at him, but he had to maintain his composure. Logan forced a smile and nodded. "It was a valuable experience, Tower Master." "I feel the same way. Thank you, Your Majesty." Logan’s words were mere formalities, yet the slight flush on the Tower Master's smiling face was unsettling. It gave him an uneasy feeling, as if he had inadvertently provided a hint to a potential adversary. The situation where he had no choice but to smile felt all the more distasteful. “...My actions were too aggressive. I could not restrain myself after recently recovering from injuries. I apologize, Tower Master.” "No, not at all. Thanks to you, I have gained much enlightenment. No need to worry, Your Majesty." Logan’s expression slightly soured at the laughter. The Tower Master surely understood the intent behind the recent lethal attacks. Yet his submissive stance indicated that at least, for now, Cassel Tower had no intention of antagonizing him or the McLine. Whether it was due to their intrinsic motive or something gained moments ago remained unknown. “Thank you...” For now, he could only return the smile. At least he too had gained something from the encounter. After exchanging several attacks, he could theorize why the Tower Master’s magic crumbled so easily. It was more intuition than a deep understanding. The broadened power of his soul had discerned the subtle difference in a fleeting moment. ‘The Tower Master’s magic, or perhaps Cassel Tower’s magic as a whole, bears resemblance to divine power. It feels like a degraded version of the force scattered by the gods, shards of their will.’ It was likely that beliefs akin to worship in Zibric Cassel formed the fundamental basis of their magic. Yet, lacking a powerful entity to endow that core strength like divine power does, employing magic or sly tactics to wield the power of will made them easily succumb to the power of resolve. This intrinsic difference formed the extreme opposition. ‘Likely vulnerable to divine power as well. It's a wonder they managed to brainwash the former pope. Could it be due to a relic from Zibric Cassel...’ The discovery that belief in someone without divinity could transform into substantial power was indeed remarkable. Advertisements This revelation deepened his understanding of the "most fundamental power" and provided another clue to surmount the "barrier." 'Perhaps to acquire divinity, one requires not just a soul with lofty ambition…' The realm beyond Aura Mastery, which had seemed insurmountable after numerous attempts to utilize his traits, now appeared faintly visible. Furthermore, upon realizing that Cassel Tower's power could not withstand the power of resolve, Logan managed to genuinely smile. "I'm glad it was of help," he remarked. "So, shall we wrap up our discussion? To bring down that arrogant empire." "Of course." "I must decline participation in the battlefield for now, given the situation with the Holy Kingdom…." "Of course, as mentioned, we shall manage the western border..." The two men, who had only just been in conflict, were now huddled together, discussing plans for cooperation as if nothing had happened, even as they maintained their smiles despite knowing that they would eventually become adversaries. * * * The world had entered a period of unprecedented turmoil unseen for centuries. The McLine War, incited by the Empire’s declaration, and its shocking aftermath, along with the western invasion by the Ten Nations. War ravaged the continent from east to west, spilling enormous amounts of blood. Finally, when the defeated imperial forces from McLine joined the western front... – I will blow away the central imperial army with just a breeze! Commander Clay Malone of the Gaia Kingdom, claiming representation of the Ten Western Nations, openly mocked the empire. However, at this very moment... "Hail His Majesty the Emperor!" "For the Empire!" "Waaaah!" Amidst the Empire’s relentless and horrific onslaught, Clay had to shed tears of blood. "Damn it! Hold the line! Hold it!" His favored weapon, the Gilotine, unleashed a torrent of crimson aura, slicing through a dozen imperial soldiers who charged fearlessly. Yet. "Aaaargh!" "R-run away!" "Ugh..." Over seventy percent of the crumbling forces around him were his own troops. Though they had seized Lugenheim’s walls at a great cost and with covert aid, they were now collapsing, unable to withstand the assault. The fundamental reason was painfully clear. 'Curse it, why are there so many knights!?’ The empire's endless knight assaults were the core issue. The imperial troops defending against Gaia’s forces at Lugenheim barely numbered seventy to eighty thousand. Composed of remnants of the defeated Fifth Western Corps and parts of the imperial central troops, their size reflected the losses incurred in the war with McLine. Advertisements But remarkably, within 1.5 corps worth of soldiers, there seemed to be nearly 5,000 knights. 'Even back with the Fifth Corps, I thought there were too many knights, but this is excessive!' Considering Gaia's army numbered 100,000 with less than 2,000 knights, the disparity was absurd. Initially, Clay thought the empire might be disguising regular soldiers in knight's armor to bluff. Given the wealth of the empire, it wasn't impossible. But this hope was in vain. "Stop them!" “Screeeech!” “No!” All around, his soldiers were perishing. To soldiers, knights and superhumans were insurmountable foes. Whether they couldn’t even see the attacks before dying or resisted a few times before succumbing, the outcome was inevitable. A rumored weapon from the distant eastern continent capable of allowing soldiers to kill knights had seemed like madness to Clay. Without such a weapon, the gap created by nearly 3,000 knights was insurmountable, akin to facing a calamity. Of course, surrender was not an option. “Damn it!” Whirring. Clay gripped the handle of his favored weapon hard enough to break it, squeezing every ounce of force from his body. Though it strained his entire being, it was a moment to push beyond his limits. ‘I must regain momentum.’ And he was the only one capable of achieving that. “I’ll kill you all!!” Boom! A torrent of radiating aura burst forth, repelling the encroaching knights and gathering on his weapon, the Gilotine. As it transformed into a gigantic red axe, a deep voice, as cold as steel and more chilling than the wind, pierced towards him. ‘Army of Frost!’ Clay grinned viciously. He had accomplished his first objective. His formidable enemy, who had bypassed him to attack his own knights, now focused all their power on him. ‘If I can take him out…’ Crack. “Uwaaah!” With a cry akin to a battle hymn, he executed his practiced ultimate move, Giant Slayer, cleaving the sweeping blue wind in half. Or so it seemed. 'What?!' The sensation transmitted to his hands wasn’t the magical resistance that absorbed shock like a sticky web, but rather the solid feel of the stone comprising the castle wall. Advertisements Rumblings. Wheeee. With a thunderous crash, a section of the wall collapsed, and the split blue wind reformed right before his eyes. “To think something like this...” Following the cutting voice was an even sharper wind that slashed through. Swish. The faint tearing sound, announcing the end of his life, was minuscule compared to the impact of his strike. 'How could this be...' With scorching pain spreading from his neck, only one thought emerged. ‘Could such a small eastern nation fend off enemies like these alone?’ ...Impossible. That marked the end of Gaia’s Ex-Master, Clay Malone. As the Empire, buoyed by its early victory, began pressuring the Ten Western Nations, another startling declaration emerged from the eastern continent. – We shall mete out stern punishment to the ruthless empire that disturbs the peace of the world! The Sun of McLine, Logan McLine, hailed as the greatest sword on the continent, made his proclamation. At that very moment, McLine's legions began their march towards the eastern border of the Empire.