444 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

**Chapter 444: [Princess Louisa, handle the scrolls at the eastern wall. Their position is...]** Even without using the magic of the Cassel Tower, a magician should find detecting and removing scrolls an uncomplicated task. Logan sent the message reminiscing about the determination for war he had witnessed in Gerard and his daughter, yet he froze when he realized something. They weren’t at the agreed location. 'Though it's unsettling...' If he desired, he could locate them with focused effort, but wasting time during such a crucial moment was not an option. After all, they were just three people. Logan was confident he could swiftly eliminate them should they become enemies. Besides, he had completed the test of the ultimate power held by an Aura Master, known as 'Battlefield Domination.' He could maneuver the troops as if they were an extension of his own limbs. He could even slightly elevate their condition and morale at will. Moreover, his power wasn't wasted in the process. In fact, it felt replenished, as if the responses from the souls resonating with him elevated his own spirit to an unimaginable high. The legend of Aura Masters being war gods was no exaggeration, a truth he could feel from head to toe in an electrifying realization. Thus, now is the time... 'I will handle it myself.' Logan envisioned the placement of the enemy scrolls as he had last confirmed before the battle. There were no troops moving toward the western gate. The northern gate was entrusted to Luther and Wicken, the southern gate to the united kingdom forces. All that remained was the eastern wall. Granted, it was unsettling to think that the 5-circle scrolls placed at various points on the walls would merely hold collapse spells. Moreover, the peculiar mana that had been subtly shifting since earlier was an additional irritant. 'First, let's deal with the scrolls.' The moment his resolve set in, his body began to move with unmatched fluidity. In this state, he felt capable of taking down the master of the Cassel Tower without any special traits. With a confident smile, a golden streak shot toward the wall like a lightning bolt. “He’s moving!” “It’s Logan McLine!” “It’s the enemy king!” Those who had been observing him let out screams akin to dying cries. “Fire! Fire!” “Unload everything!” Pabababak. While the quarrels that had been poured toward the army shifted solely toward one man. Tadadadang. However, what should have been the absolute hand of death against any ordinary knight was effortlessly deflected by a golden shield, and the golden wind rapidly ascended the eastern wall, untouched in its speed. Simultaneously, a radiant golden light enveloped a corner of the wall, spanning dozens of meters. “Ah, no!” “Aargh!” “Scream!” In the explosion of light that momentarily turned their vision white, the imperial soldiers cried out in unison. Sgagagak. With their screams, the ‘mana-imbued papers’ hidden throughout the wall were torn to shreds in an instant. Pabababak. “The scrolls!” “They’ve noticed!” From afar, several mages screamed, yet Logan, who had orchestrated this scene, wore a distinctly displeased expression. 'Dammit...' He hadn't anticipated this from a distance. But a closer examination revealed one certainty. The 5-circle scrolls were draining the souls and blood of those dying near the wall. 'I thought only the Cassel Tower pulled such stunts?' Though fury from past traumas surged in his chest, he had no time for a fit of rage. Draining souls and blood, these scrolls served as offerings rather than triggers for magic spells. Instead of individual spells, all of it was meant as a sacrifice for one colossal magic. It was only now that he realized the flow of magic, which went unnoticed at the start of the battle, was converging on a single point, after casualties had occurred. “These vile bastards!!” Even after dispatching some of them, the disturbing flow of power only grew stronger, as though being controlled by someone. With an outraged shout, Logan began charging across the eastern wall. But his targets were not the imperial soldiers. “Hyah!” “Die!” The enemy knights foolishly charging at him. “My lord!?” “Your majesty?” In the heated clash between Victor and Ronian, the battles between master and Galen, and between Victoria’s golems and the mages. Even his wife’s duel with the Steel Mage was nothing more than a fleeting observation as he passed by. After assessing the battlefield with ‘Battlefield Domination,’ he was confident that victory was certain, having matched adversaries they could undoubtedly defeat. Instead, around him, the whip-like Blade cut through the air, destroying every scroll within a 50-meter radius as it moved wherever his senses led. As Logan obliterated the remaining scrolls with lightning speed, a ‘right hand enveloped in blue flames’ suddenly appeared before his eyes. Kwaaaang! From the unexpected collision came a deafening roar. “Argh!” “Everyone, get back!” In the shockwave that sent all nearby sprawling to the ground, Logan gritted his teeth. Through the dust, the dazzling sight of golden armor sharply caught his eyes, and suddenly, a middle-aged man with black hair and black eyes appeared right in front of him. “It never goes smoothly till the end, does it, Logan McLine?” At the man’s rigid words, Logan let out a groan-like utterance. “...Emperor.” As if in response to his low words, voices erupted from all directions. “Hurrah!” “It’s His Majesty, the Emperor!” “The Emperor has come personally!” From the breaking stalemate initiated by the imbalance among the superhumans. Amid this shift, imperial knights let out triumphant shouts. Just when the morale of the pushed-back imperial army visibly soared, instead of swinging his sword, Logan bellowed angrily. “Have you all truly lost your minds!?” The current events were entirely incomprehensible to him. The Emperor himself didn’t come alone, and with every superhuman except the Western Legion Commander deployed to Russfelheim, yet to have come himself? **What About the Western Front?** The west, where the Cassel Tower Lord is involved, is bound to collapse. What could the Emperor possibly be thinking, coming here? “...Thanks to you, I had no choice but to make a pact with the Empire's nemesis. Consider it an honor, Logan McLine.” The empire’s nemesis. When the image of the smirking Cassel Tower Lord flashed through his mind, Logan’s face twisted in distaste. The one who spoke of the weight of a covenant now pulls a deceit like this...? “Ha!? A pact? Nonsense! Do you truly believe that? He is...” “Yes. He claimed he promised to participate in the war with you. Just so far as 'participation.'” “Could it be...?” “Could it be? Have you truly failed to understand the covenant of a grand mage? If so, that's quite fortunate for me.” Logan's retort was drowned in the Emperor’s cold laughter. “...It’s better not to waste more time.” Thud. As the Emperor stepped forward, blue energy spread from his feet, shooting up as brilliant blue beams illuminating the eastern wall. “Whoa!” “What is that!?” “What on earth...?” The bizarre sight of everyone pausing their fights to gaze blankly at the beam was eerie. The massive flow of unfamiliar energy seized hold of their very souls. And Logan’s senses indicated that the Emperor’s energy was controlling the strange force 'collected' by the scrolls, directing it inward. Moments later. **Boom!** A mansion inside Russfelheim, near the eastern wall, exploded, and nearly fifty black knights emerged. - Emperor. - Your Majesty. - Long live!! A surge of lifeless vocalizations accompanied a menacing rise of crimson energy. At this sight, Logan’s complexion turned ghostly pale. Even if they are a temporary force of superhumans, that number... 'The tide of the battle is shifting.' Logan gritted his teeth and spat in anger. "...I never imagined a process like this." At his words, the Emperor smirked. "Had you realized any later, we might have reached a hundred. Truly a pity." Logan surmised he referred to the energy flowing through the scrolls. Yet, the shock of the unfolding situation left his mind reeling. “You condemn Cassel Tower’s tricks while employing the same? I suppose you’ve long since sold your conscience.” Logan no longer felt compelled to show the Emperor any respect. Despite his urgent and biting criticism, the reply he received was unexpected. “I lament that as well.” “What?” Logan couldn’t help but stare in disbelief at the Emperor. “There was a time they were once on our side. If not for their excessive greed, perhaps we would have already united the continent.” “By sacrificing human lives and souls?” Even with Logan’s blunt accusation, the Emperor answered calmly. “My ancestors stopped a grand demon, saving humanity. Thus, I have the right to judge humanity.” It was a serene voice, as if he indeed believed every word. Logan was momentarily caught off guard by the sheer audacity of treating people not merely as people but as objects at his disposal. "The world wasn't saved by Taron Ares, but rather by the Sword Saint. And before that, it was by Gibrik Cassel." A careless remark thrown out in disbelief. Yet the Emperor’s expression changed at these words. "...What?" The Emperor’s startled expression accompanied a halt in the flow of magic. Simultaneously, the movements of the black knights, seemingly ready to leap up to the wall, ceased. ‘Huh, what's this?’ Previously, they moved independently of the Emperor's presence? There seemed to be a weakness somewhere. ‘Is it a difference between the hastily manufactured ones and the prepared ones, or...?’ As soon as Logan realized this, his tongue naturally became looser. “...Are you unaware that your ancestor wasn't the one to save the world? Surely you knew?” “Don’t be absurd! What do you know...!?” It seemed any mention of Taron Ares was touching a raw nerve with the Emperor. If someone raised with such an outrageous mentality, brainwashed to believe the world and humanity were his, were to hear such things, it wasn’t unexpected. 'In that case.' He had to push further. Though the Emperor himself must realize, their battle was almost evenly matched now. A victor wouldn’t easily emerge if they fought tooth and nail. Logan felt confident he could use his trait ‘Enhancement’ to secure a decisive win, but he needed to reserve that for two crucial situations already. The repercussions made it unwise to act rashly. “Did Taron Ares not relay tales of the Sword Saint lineage?” The mention of something pressing unsettled the Emperor, his face turning ashen. “Taron Ares was merely an ally of the Sword Saint. And what he opposed wasn’t some grand demon; it was Gibrik Cassel.” “...What!?” “You don’t even know the name of the great demon your ancestor supposedly opposed? Is that why you cooperated with Cassel Tower? With the descendants of that demon?” “...Shut your mouth!!” Wooooong. Bursting with blue energy, as if reacting violently, only served to cement Logan’s suspicions. ‘He truly doesn’t know.’ Moreover, judging by his excessive reaction, the Emperor himself had some inkling. Whether the true history was erased during its transmission or deliberately by the royal family. If the very source of the Emperor’s pride was a distorted history, shaking it would crumble that calm façade. “Ares is humanity's savior! We are the rulers of humanity! How dare you spout such nonsense!" The leader, who once appeared so wise and formidable, in this moment seemed pathetically unbecoming. With keen senses, Logan tried harder to elevate his awareness, focusing on the magic linking the Emperor and the black knights. He felt he was close to pinning it down. But at that moment. "I will not spare anyone who utters such nonsense. I'll erase your kingdom first!" With a crazed look in his eyes, the Emperor summoned stones from the wall to clutch Logan’s ankles, while an invisible wind whipped around, restraining his entire body. At the same time, blue flames that would never extinguish began to engulf his front. It was time to make a decision. ‘The Emperor first!’ He would kill him. The moment his resolve solidified, a core emerged from among the nine forces orbiting harmoniously around his heart. His energy surged, and his spirit soared. The overwhelming power filled his entire body, instilling him with boundless confidence. In that instant, his soul, suddenly elevated, unraveled the solution to the problem he had agonized over for so long. "It’s over." As Logan stepped forward, all the magic binding him shattered, and a golden sword cut through the air.