A vicious wind kicked up around us, thick with venomous magic. The palpable bloodlust from it sent a chill down my spine and caused the hair on my arms to stand on end.
I was totally overcome with...joy.
This was an obvious threat. He had crossed the line. He had done it. I didn’t have to.
All I could do was laugh. Things were moving a lot quicker than I had anticipated. But man, I’d been waiting for this day for ages. Now that he showed up on my doorstep to attack me, I had all the justification needed to fight back. Why? Because I would never forget. The sight of my village burning. The sight of those goblins swarming around Claire. The sight of this seaweed-headed bastard raising his spear with my father’s head on the end of it. The sight of my mother carrying me as she ran, taking so many night elf arrows to the back. Even as my memories eroded and faded with time, I would never forget any of that. How many times had I relived those scenes in my dreams? How many times had those nightmares tormented me?
My blood started to boil, but my head was surprisingly cool, immediately taking stock of our surroundings to figure out the best way to make use of this battlefield.
“You have nowhere to run.” Emergias snickered as he saw my eyes darting about.
Don’t get me wrong, you emerald bastard. I’m just looking for the most efficient way to kill you.
He had seven dragons and six demon warriors with him. All of them were viscounts or counts. That seemed to be the extent of his forces...but I also needed to be on guard in case he had any other men hidden around the fortress. Emergias was a real threat. I wouldn’t be able to pull my punches against him, but I also didn’t want to reveal my cards to any other potential witnesses.
“I have just one question for you,” I said with a smile as I reached my conclusion. “What exactly do you think I’m researching here?”
Apparently disappointed by my lack of fear, Emergias’s smile faltered. “The high-speed communication technology you’ve developed with the undead. It poses too great of a threat to the Izanis family.”
Aha, now it all made sense. Seems like the Evaloti Daily News had been discovered. He was right, that method of communication threatened to strip the Izanis family of their greatest leverage within the kingdom. He thought I was working on it here. No wonder this idiot had brought a bunch of his men to fight me.
What a moron. Unforgivably stupid.
“He doesn’t even realize the Demon King himself is unaware of it...” Ante sighed.
If the entire demonic kingdom started to use Enma’s communication methods, that would be a huge problem for the Alliance. So while it wasn’t my intention, I was technically working to protect the Izanis family’s position too. The whole thing was hilarious when you thought about it.
And so I burst out laughing, taking my hands off my sword to hold my stomach as I bellowed.
“Well, you’ll have to forgive me. There unfortunately seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding.”
Emergias continued to stare at me, eyes narrowing.
“I’m studying something entirely unrelated to that. But it’ll be quicker to show you. Come on inside, no need to talk out here.” I casually invited him in, opening the door and beckoning him inside.
Just within was a large hallway. There Hessel, Barbara, and Layla were lying in wait, ready to turn him into mincemeat.
Seeing the number of dragons they’d brought, I had Layla and the Swordmasters on standby, prepared to fight. Liliana and Claire were hiding deeper within the fortress, just in case. If I was worried about others hiding around the fortress watching us fight, the best bet was to have our battle indoors.
That being said, there were other witnesses to worry about that weren’t so hidden. Those being Emergias’s Izanis subordinates, and the dragons they’d rode in on. But they weren’t an issue. I’d kill each and every one of them. Adamas was trembling at my hip.
Suddenly, magic swelled from Emergias behind me.
“Anemos Turoviros.”
Be sliced to ribbons.
Blades of wind rushed ahead of me into the fortress.
†††
“Young master?! Is that not going too far?!” Hisuizia gave a strained cry at Emergias’s merciless sneak attack.
“I’m no fool. My brother would never laugh off that much provocation,” Emergias spat. “The look in his eyes made it clear he was plotting something. I could tell!”
“B-But...”
“I’ll take the responsibility for all of this! Capture the fortress! Dragons, stay on guard! Don’t let anyone escape!”
Bringing his spear to bear, Emergias cautiously stepped into the fortress. His subordinates shared a look before following him in, naturally forming up around him. The interior of the fortress was pitch-black. No matter how good their eyes were, demons still couldn’t see in total darkness. Emergias used Transmission mixed with his authority of Envy to seek out any enemies within the vicinity, only to come up empty-handed. Were they concealing their presence with magic? He had expected that their fight would be taken indoors, but the room was much larger than he had anticipated. It was a bit unsettling.
“Hisui, barrier.”
With a quick “yes sir,” Hisuizia swiftly danced in a circle. A Hunting Ground formed around them, protecting against magic, physical objects, and heat. Flowing through Hisuizia’s body was Sauroe blood. At the same time, one of Emergias’s other subordinates wrapped a ball of fire in wind and sent it flying forward, illuminating the fortress’s interior.
They were in a huge stone room, way more spacious than Emergias’s expectations.
He does have a dragon...!
This changed everything. Emergias drew out dark magic.
“Get ready for a—”
Before he could finish his warning, the attack arrived. A sensation like the atmosphere was being pulled taut. No sound accompanied it, but the bloodlust alone sent a shudder down Emergias’s back. His battlefield instincts were screaming with alarm. Something was coming. Emergias drew out as much magic from his body as he could, forming a defensive wall.
A roar split the air as something invisible bore down on them, severing the world in two. The sound of glass shattering coincided with the obliteration of Hisuizia’s barrier as the attack itself slammed into Emergias’s guard. Blood sprayed from the men to either side of him as their chests and arms were sliced apart. If Emergias hadn’t been on guard, he might have been in trouble himself. But despite such sudden, substantial damage...
I didn’t sense any magic at all!
It wasn’t a breath attack. It wasn’t even magic. Through his shock, Emergias realized what he had just experienced. It was the technique of a Weaponmaster. He had no way of knowing the attack was the work of Hessel the Linebreaker. It seemed like a Swordmaster’s attack, but he couldn’t assume that was the case. After all, what in the world would a human Swordmaster be doing in a demon prince’s fortress?!
And then, something writhed in the darkness, and the room immediately filled with light.
“Young master!”
Before Hisuizia’s warning even reached his ears, Emergias’s dark magic had billowed out around him. An earsplitting roar erupted from the far end of the chamber as the white dragon shed its magical concealment, unleashing a blast of white-hot breath. As powerful as it was, Emergias narrowly neutralized the blast by desperately pouring his magic into his defenses.