465 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 465 "The Red King!" "Kill him!" Knights stationed atop the fortress wall charged towards Logan in unison. Logan, known as an Aura Master and even as a hero, was not someone an ordinary knight could contend with under normal circumstances. Yet, the knights charging at him seemed oblivious to this fact. To Logan, however, their ambition was plainly visible. - Defeating the enemy leader earns me the greatest achievement. A clear motivation, even if the knights themselves were unaware of it. Their courage as knights was combined with the madness of the battlefield. 'Fascinating.' Even amidst the urgency, Logan could read the intricate mindset of the enemy soldiers instantly. This was something he had never been able to do before. Once again, it was evident that he was growing through the battle. The problem lay in the fact that his current state was not normal. The fortunate part was having someone by his side capable of handling such situations. [Don’t worry about my side. Focus on attacking elsewhere.] Someone reliable enough to deliver that message to the allied soldiers. With a rumbling noise, the ground in front of and beside Logan sank sharply, and three stone golems emerged from those spots. The golems stood ready to confront the imperial knights charging from all three sides. BOOM! "Aaaah!" A 6-circle Master, Victoria, whose title 'Golem Master' was more fitting than 'Clayton,' conjured the magic spells. Her golems boasted strength and speed surpassing that of aura users of the same level, forming an impenetrable defense around her and Logan. "Your Majesty, are you truly alright?" "Yes. We need to wait and swiftly recover in case the Emperor makes a move." "Understood. I will protect you surely……." "It's the Golem Princess!" Gritting her teeth. Victoria paused momentarily as she was responding to Logan, unwittingly grinding her teeth. A name she had heard numerous times, one she could never get accustomed to, nor did she want to: a dreadful nickname. - Target him first. Victoria, now filled with rage, saw her command executed perfectly by the golems. BOOM! The hum of force energy. 'Hmmm.' Inside the brown protective shield created by Victoria. Logan began to sense his aura recovering rapidly while he assessed the battlefield. The strategy to turn the enemy's indoctrination against them worked flawlessly. The plan was feasible due to his own newfound strength and Victoria, an unparalleled genius. Moreover, there were the scrolls from the Cassel Magic Tower, imbued with the power of life, and crucially, the tower owner and other mages who could counteract the spells were absent. Why they hadn't shown up on the battlefield was unknown, but— 'It worked out splendidly, thanks to them.' The success exceeded expectations so much that the once-feared enemy asset, the 9th-class mage, had become significantly less threatening. Of course, not all uneasiness had vanished. He had already used his trump card to temporarily transcend into a god-like state. Meanwhile, the enemy, though a half-finished deity, had already cast two great spells. There was no guarantee they wouldn't unleash a third. Fortunately, the chance of that happening was slim. 'They won't cast a similar spell thrice. If they could, they wouldn't have brought an army.' Logan came to a conclusion similar to his mentor's. He felt somewhat reassured, believing he had inflicted internal damage when he crushed the first spell. Yes, everything was unfolding smoothly. '...Too smoothly.' Moments after that thought crossed his mind. Someone cloaked in blue magic soared high from the rear of the enemy ranks. Their presence immediately became the focal point of the battlefield as they hovered, distorting the atmosphere. Amidst the swirling blue magic, golden armor gleamed. - The Emperor! The gazes of soldiers advancing towards the main camp shifted skyward in unison. The Emperor dashed through the air, leaving a trail of blue magic towards the fortress of Rusfelheim. The massive army, previously caught in reverse indoctrination and barely surviving the Emperor's great spell, turned back to chase after him once more. Rumble. "Ha… damn this." The scene resembled a flashback to the Battle of Kyle Fortress, prompting a reluctant curse. Yet, the sheer power felt from this Emperor's appearance was on another level. All that remained the same was his own exhaustion, reminiscent of back then. "I will handle this. Your Majesty can retreat……." Despite Victoria's pale face as she stood ready to defend him, Logan shook his head, gently pushing her aside. "I've recovered a bit, thanks to you. Besides, I'm still stronger than you are right now." "But without Your Majesty…!" "I have a separate task for you." "What?" In response to her confusion, Logan conveyed his thoughts swiftly. [Head to the inner walls. And then...] The firm mental command conveyed instantly imprinted in her mind, faster than words. "Can you manage it?" "…Yes. Absolutely!" Advertisements Victoria's expression held a faint blush as she hurriedly dashed inside the fortress wall, then leaped into the air. Under her feet, stones that once formed the wall swiftly formed a staircase, guiding her descent to the ground. Ensuring these actions, Logan redirected his focus. Despite the absence of their master, Victoria, the golems continued dealing with the imperial knights. Beyond them, the Emperor, enveloped in a cascade of blue lightning, stood clearly in view, and strangely, Logan felt calm. This wasn't due to confidence in a sure victory against the Emperor. - We will win. - We have King Logan with us. - We are the strongest! It was the strength drawn from the hearts of allied soldiers fighting across different sections of the fortification, communicated to Logan amidst explosive sounds and screams. 'This must also be a kind of strength derived from wish and aspiration.' Now, he could faintly understand the essence of the power that had sent him to the past. This also accelerated his energy recovery, exceeding expectations; even as golems crumbled one by one due to the increased distance from Victoria, he felt no regrets. "The enemy is worn out!" "The golems have vanished!" "Charge!" The clatter. Upon witnessing the disappearance of the golems, the knights who had been charging towards Logan once again collapsed like straw as soon as a single golden streak swept past them. It was as if the God of Death had swept through a 30-meter radius, leaving a silent zone of demise in his wake, where the imperial knights, who had once bravely charged even amidst the rampaging might of the golems, stood frozen en masse. Gulp. The sound of someone swallowing nervously filled the air. "For, for the Empire!" One of the imperial knights, previously staring at Logan, suddenly turned and began charging in a different direction, as if that had been his intent all along. Logan clicked his tongue as he observed this, then turned his attention from the approaching Emperor to the spot where Victoria had just vanished. The previous command was something Victoria should have easily anticipated. Yet, she failed to hide her surprise when she heard the message. It was not strange. The battlefield, with its constant explosions and screams, forced her to narrow her focus, unlike Logan, who could observe the entire battlefield with calm determination. [Hurry up, Lia.] – Yes, Your Majesty. Even just before this battle began, battlefield control had been a one-way channel of communication. Yet now, he could hear Lia's distant reply. War God, Aura Master. It felt as if he was drawing closer to the true meaning of those titles. Even the Emperor, now close enough to be imminent, seemed less intimidating than before. [Logan MacLain! I'll tear you apart!] The Emperor's psychic command echoed in the minds of all present, its intensity far surpassing the initial shout due to the increased proximity to the fortress wall. Advertisements Whether due to the influence of special magic or the peculiarity of a half-divine great mage, the command exerted tremendous pressure on everyone, allies, and enemies alike. "Uggh!" "Noo." "Aaaah!" The battlefield's frenzy was momentarily overwhelmed, and bodies that had been moving busily suddenly stiffened. [I will handle the Emperor. Focus on dealing with the remaining imperial forces!] However, this command had no impact on the MacLain army, protected by Logan's psychic shield. If anything, it only served to intimidate the imperial knights who had painstakingly ascended the fortress walls. Thus, the Emperor's wrathful cry inadvertently worsened the already disadvantageous situation for the imperial forces. "Ahhhhh!" "Th-there he is!" "Damn it!" Knights, who had been holding out in hopes of the Emperor's arrival, collapsed in disarray. Yet, the Emperor, now radiating streams of blue magic, no longer seemed aware of his surroundings, his dark eyes fixed solely on Logan. [For rejecting humanity's rightful ruler, may your soul be burned to nothingness!] The Emperor's psychic command, filled with pressure, unleashed blue flames that filled Logan's field of view. Fortunately, as he had anticipated, it was not one of the 9th-class grand spells shown repeatedly before. Still, its range and power were not to be underestimated. 'It's 8th-class.' For Logan, who had not yet recovered even 30% of his original strength, it was a daunting spell to withstand. As Logan bit his lip in determination— – ROOOAR! With an ear-shattering beastly roar, a beam of dark crimson shot from the flank, striking the blue flames. 'Tir.' Although the flames only slightly reduced in range and did not lose power or speed— [How dare a mere beast!] It was enough to disrupt the mentally strained Emperor. Then, in that moment, a large divine barrier unfolded in front of Logan. 'Harmon!' The barrier, fortified with the enhanced divine energy borrowed from Licentia, enveloped a portion of the fortress wall. BOOM! The waves of blue flames, threatening to consume everything, collided with the divine power and detonated violently. "Aaaah!" "Save me!" Those swept away by the shockwave fared relatively better. Anyone touched even slightly by the splattered flame fragments... "What is this...?" Advertisements Fwoosh. "Ugh...!" ...vanished into a handful of ash without uttering a proper scream, leaving their comrades to scream in horror instead. "Ahhhhh!" "A devil!" "It's devil's flame!" Even amidst such chaos, the magic directed squarely at Logan remained undeterred. [Where do you think you're going, holy pest!] Ahead of the enraged Emperor's shout, a figure with red hair intervened. "Thump!" An all-too-familiar silhouette and presence. 'No!' For a brief moment, Logan felt his mind go blank. No, Aileen's abilities couldn't withstand the power contained within those flames. Her current level was far too distant to confront the Emperor. Even if it was merely the residual power of a shattered spell. 'I must handle it.' As Logan instinctively raised his sword... – Tired, aren't you? Don’t waste your strength. I’ll manage this somehow. Turning briefly towards her husband, the resolute gaze emanating from Aileen’s blue eyes conveyed a clear determination. Logan hesitated momentarily, but ultimately chose to trust his wife after a quick deliberation. A resplendent golden light began to form at the tip of his sword, as Aileen, enveloped in burning red aura, stood firm against the advancing blue flames. BOOM! Whoosh. "Now!!" At Aileen's shout from within the blue flames, a brilliant golden light burst forth. The ninth technique of the Sacred Sword Vision, Light Severing Slash (光靈斬). A force that neither fate nor chance could elude from Logan's eyes, directing its miraculous power towards the Emperor, whose magic now lay shackled.