Chapter 183
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
Chapter 183
A small red sword appeared majestically.
The Blood Sky Blades faced the massive golden sword.
It was like throwing an egg against a rock.
Yet, the Blood Sky Blade was a divine weapon, forged from the rarest mineral in the world.
Clang.
The sound of the golden sword shattering echoed.
The Blood Sky Blade hadn’t even made contact, yet it the “Divine sword of punishment” broke.
Once the golden sword shattered, a chain reaction followed.
The imposing, awe-inspiring golden sword completely disappeared.
Now, the Blood Sky Blade stood tall, exuding a dominating presence.
“What will you do now?”
“You arrogant fool.”
Kesh Meyer’s face twisted in fury.
Was Kane looking down on him again?
Anger surged within him.
It brought back the pain of the moment he had been slain by Kane Rehinar.
“Let’s see how long you keep up that smug face.”
Kesh Meyer’s army advanced toward the Fresia Empire.
The ground trembled.
At the enemy's charge, Fresia’s soldiers swallowed nervously.
In their eyes, the enemy was formidable.
“I will handle this,” Kane declared.
Retrieving the floating Blood Sky Blades, Kane ascended the fortress wall.
As he prepared to move, Isaac drew his sword.
“I’ll help.”
“Know your place,” Kane replied coldly.
Yet, there was a hint of concern in his tone.
“Are you… worried about me?” Isaac asked.
“If even a scratch were to mar His Majesty’s body, those people would tear me apart,” Kane said, motioning toward the central nobles.
The central nobles averted their gazes.
They might criticize him in his absence, but with him standing before them, who would dare point out any flaws?
He was the strongest warrior on the continent.
And his temperament wasn’t particularly mild either.
Crossing him could leave nothing but regret.
Avoiding eye contact was the wisest course of action.
“So please, stay here. That would truly help me,” Kane concluded.
Whoosh!
Kane surged toward the enemy.
As he disappeared, the central nobles began muttering among themselves.
“That insolent man!”
“How can a vassal act so irreverently?”
“Your Majesty, if you continue tolerating him, the dignity of the royal family will be diminished!”
At the nobles’ complaints, Isaac turned his head toward them.
“Are you willing to go and fight in Kane’s stead?”
“O-of course.”
“We, too, are armed and ready to protect Your Majesty.”
“Just give the order, and we’ll immediately charge forward and annihilate them.”
The voice of the central nobles trembled.
A tone lacking confidence.
In the presence of Emperor Isaac, retreating was not an option.
“Then go and fight. I will summon Kane back. Richard, order Kane to retreat.”
As Richard moved to carry out the command, the central nobles panicked.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
“We are here to support you, Your Majesty….”
“We’ve only ever handled rear support; leading the charge may be beyond us….”
They scrambled for excuses.
Cowardly nobles who hesitated in moments of crisis yet were quick to complain.
This was why Isaac favored Kane.
Despite Kane’s haughty demeanor, he fought directly and eased Isaac’s burdens.
“This is precisely the difference between you and Kane. If you lack courage, then keep your mouths shut. If you speak carelessly, the Lords of the Night might come and kill you without a trace.”
“Ugh!”
The nobles instinctively covered their mouths with their hands.
The Lords of the Night (Vampires) were a terror of the Fresia Empire.
They obeyed only Kane’s orders.
To them, rank held no importance.
Anyone hostile to Kane, regardless of their status, was killed.
Of course, they never appeared within the imperial capital.
But outside the capital, they revealed themselves freely.
Unless one planned to remain confined within the capital for life, it was wise not to provoke them.
“Well done. Keep your mouths shut like that. You almost lost your lives today,” Isaac remarked.
The moment his words ended, bats swarmed behind Kane.
The bats gathered.
Hundreds of shadows emerged.
The Lords of the Night appeared in the imperial capital.
* * *
“You’re planning to fight alone again.”
“When did you get here?”
“I am always by your side, my husband.”
It was Desdemona, the vampire lord and Kane’s first wife.
Her smile was absolutely bewitching.
The advancing skeleton warriors abruptly halted.
“Step back. The enemy is the resurrected patriarch of the House of the Sun.”
But Desdemona did not retreat.
“It is my duty to ensure my master’s safety.”
She unfurled her wings of blood.
An overwhelming surge of mana radiated from her body.
‘What a chilling presence. Has it been 10 years? Desdemona is no longer the same as I remember.’
As expected of a clan that wielded the blood mana, she was powerful.
As Kane had grown stronger, so had Desdemona and the vampire clan.
“With this, I guess I don’t need to worry anymore.”
Leaving her behind, Kane advanced toward Kesh Meyer.
“I’ll deal with you quickly and complete the trial.”
When Kane pointed the Blood Sky Blades at Kesh Meyer, Wendy let out a furious scream.
“Kane!”
Her eyes burned with bloodshot rage.
“You foolish woman. If His Majesty forgave your past, you should’ve lived quietly.”
“This is all your fault! You humiliated me and ruined everything!”
The more Wendy raged, the stronger her dark aura grew.
She once wielded the mana of the moon, but now there was nothing left but the dark aura.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
“So, you’ve turned to black magic.”
“It’s all to kill you. Prepare yourself!”
She shouted her threat.
Ten years ago, she had already been a sixth-class mage.
And now?
Born into the royal family, she had ascended to the eighth class.
To possess such power yet fall into corruption—what a foolish woman she was.
“You should be grateful you were born into the royal bloodline. If not, I would’ve killed you hundreds of times over by now.”
Did Kane’s words provoke her?
Dark rays of light burst from her hands.
Fwoosh!
When Kane’s Blood Sky Blades cut through the black rays, they dissipated powerlessly.
“Argh! I’ll kill you!”
Wendy went wild with fury.
Had she truly lost her mind?
Dozens of black tendrils erupted from her body.
The tendrils moved like tentacles, twisting and writhing.
Boom!
Crash! Bang! Bang!
The black tendrils lashed out at Kane chaotically.
Kane slashed at them with the Blood Sky Blades.
But the tendrils only multiplied.
From dozens to hundreds.
This was the power of black magic.
And with the revived strength of Kesh Meyer added to it, Wendy von Fresia was no longer who she once was.
“Hohoho! How does it feel? Do you sense my power now?”
She laughed maniacally.
It seemed she believed Kane was struggling, thinking victory was within her grasp.
As she leisurely approached him, a voice called out urgently:
“Watch out!”
From behind, Kesh Meyer’s shout echoed.
However, Wendy failed to react in time.
Splurt—
Blood sprayed from her cheek.
A red stream trickled down her face.
She touched her cheek with trembling hands.
“Blood?”
If it had ended there, it might have been bearable.
But when she saw her reflection in the icy surface beneath her, she screamed.
“Ahhhh!”
Her once-beautiful face was now scarred.
Not just a single wound—her face was slashed and torn in multiple places.
To someone who cherished her appearance, it was devastating.
“This isn’t a place for you to prance around. Step aside.”
Kane dismissed Wendy as if she were insignificant.
His true focus lay on Kesh Meyer.
Kesh wasn’t the type to charge in recklessly.
Kane was sure there was another move in play.
***
Kesh Meyer was quietly astonished.
‘I couldn’t react to his attack.’
Kesh had grown significantly stronger.
And yet, he had failed to follow Kane Rehinar’s movements.
This could only mean one thing—Kane was on a higher level than he was.
It wounded his pride.
He, a man who once ascended to godhood, felt inferior to a mere human.
‘You will never defeat me.’
Grinding his teeth, he stretched out his hand.
A massive greatsword materialized in his hands.
“Now it’s your turn to die.”
Kesh’s greatsword appeared above Kane’s head.
Boom!
The Blood Sky Blade clashed with the greatsword.
A powerful shockwave rippled outward, sweeping through the surroundings.
Those near the battle were caught in the force and hurled backward, slamming into the ground.
Crash! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, dozens of exchanges unfolded.
From the sky, swords of divine punishment rained down.
Kesh Meyer’s relentless assault left no room for Kane to counterattack.
“Are you holding back against me?”
The force of his strikes split the ground.
Even the once-impenetrable ice was sliced apart as if it were soft slime.
Boom.
Kesh reached out with his free hand, the one not holding the greatsword.
Using the vibrations from his stomp, he sent shards of ice hurtling toward Kane.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The onslaught left Kane on the defensive.
From the fortress walls, it seemed as if Kane was being steadily pushed back.
“Y-Your Majesty! The Blood Duke is being overpowered!”
“How can someone drive such a formidable warrior like the Blood Duke into a corner?”
“I never thought I’d see a day like this….”
The central nobles each muttered their disbelief.
None of them had ever imagined Kane being forced into retreat.
They had always envisioned him as someone who would mercilessly decimate his foes, not someone who could be overwhelmed.
Kane’s unparalleled strength was deeply imprinted in their minds.
Isaac, his gaze fixed on the battle, finally spoke.
“His opponent is the First Star who died ten years ago.”
“The Lord of the House of the Sun?”
“That young man? No, how is it possible for someone who died to return to life?”
Isaac didn’t respond to their questions.
“It must have been forbidden magic.”
According to reports from the royal palace, the Life Star had vanished.
The culprit? Wendy.
The only person who could have accessed the royal archives was his younger sister.
“That foolish woman has finally caused a catastrophe.”
Even familial ties could no longer shield her.
By resurrecting the Lord of the House of the Sun, Wendy had brought a grave threat to the Fresia Empire.
This was unforgivable.
Once this battle was over, sparing Wendy would be impossible.
Her crime was far too great.
As Isaac mulled over these thoughts—
Boom!
A deafening sound rang out.
“Your Majesty! The Blood Duke has fallen!”
“What are we to do now?”
“There’s no way we can handle that vast army….”
Isaac no longer registered the nobles’ panicked voices.
His mind was solely focused on the battle.
‘This is strange. There’s no way Kane should be falling back like this.’
It was odd that he was being pushed back at all.
To Isaac’s eyes, it almost seemed like Kane was intentionally retreating.
He doubted himself for a moment, wondering if he had misjudged, but no—he had seen it clearly.
Kane was pretending to be pushed back by Kesh Meyer.
‘What is Kane thinking?’
Isaac had never been able to read Kane’s mind.
Kane’s thoughts were known only to him.
While Isaac was tilting his head in confusion, a flash of light suddenly appeared.
A line formed in the air, only to vanish instantly.
It was so quick, so fleeting, that no one truly realized it had even appeared.
"Ugh!"
Kesh Meyer, who had been relentlessly driving Kane back, suddenly vomited blood.
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]