Episode 132

“It’s a real mess.”

Shiron thought to himself as he looked at the scene before him. Before arriving at the Alhyeon Room, he had sensed an ominous aura from the long corridor, suggesting that something was amiss.

And indeed, his bad premonition mostly came true.

The giant door opened to reveal a man seated on a throne.

Although the man was wearing a mask, identifying him was easy due to his withered branch-like arms, dry white hair, and the white staff in his hand.

That was Austin, wearing the Martial King’s Relic.

For a moment, Shiron wondered how he had gotten his hands on the Relic, but such trivial questions soon faded from his mind.

Whether the man wearing the mask was Henry or Austin, the fact that he must be killed remained unchanged.

However…

The people scattered around the throne could not be ignored. They were pale and bleeding profusely but still alive.

Their chests were faintly rising, and they were groaning in pain, so it was right to say they were ‘still’ alive.

Which made things complicated.

The enemy that must be killed immediately, and the people that must be saved. The Alhyeon Room he saw in the original did not have these trivial shackles, yet Shiron reminded himself of his purpose.

“To kill Austin.”

Shiron was aware of the presence of his partner, Seira. If it was her, who had been in sync with him for the past five years, she would act to ensure the best outcome without Shiron having to say anything.

“…Every time we face each other, you always have such nonsense to say.”

Austin spoke in a low voice.

“As if it’s not enough to want to beat the royals, you talk about killing the emperor… What kind of upbringing did you have? Did Sir Hugo teach you that?”

Austin rose from his throne.

“At first, I thought you were just a hooligan who forgot his place as a housekeeping dog. But now, I see you were a traitor harboring seeds of rebellion. Boland, you need not intervene. Father also dealt with traitors with his own hands, so I shall personally execute you.”

“Are you insane?”

Shiron grimaced and drew his holy sword.

“What have you been mumbling about all this time? It’s creepy.”

“What is that sword? I can feel an extraordinary aura.”

“…”

“Have you really gone mad?”

Shiron felt chills on his forearm, an unease he had never experienced before. The conversation wasn’t connecting. It felt like they were speaking, but something was missing in between.

“Are you scared? You’re not answering, so it must be so.”

“…It’s a holy sword, you bastard.”

Since the conversation was futile, Shiron deemed it unnecessary. He dashed forward, kicking the ground. Whoosh! A blinding light filled the Alhyeon Room. The room was already filled with cursed energy and his holy power began clashing fiercely with it…

-Crash!

Line against line clashed. The forces were evenly matched. The arms, decayed to the bone with only skin clinging, emanated a strangely powerful force.

“He’s become a monster.”

Shiron had suspected as much since he was wearing the mask… no, since Arak and Jard were found defeated. Austin now had perfect control over the Relic.

“As much as the Second Prince.”

Henry, using the Martial King’s Relic, was as powerful as an apostle. Shiron realized this after directly crossing swords with Austin. The only difference was whether one was sane or not.

The cursed energy polluted the air, a black pond formed around the throne, and every brush against the clothes felt painfully tactile… Thus, Shiron felt a sense of relief.

Seira couldn’t use it, and there was no time to persuade her, so Lucia wasn’t here either, but somehow he felt at ease even in a life-threatening fight.

“I can do this.”

Bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Shiron repelled all incoming attacks. Pillars of cursed fire rose from beneath his feet, fierce whips flew from all directions, and powerful slashes aimed to cut and crush his body.

He dodged, blocked, and repelled everything! Not just that. Whenever there was a gap, he swung the sacred sword with all his might.

Thud-

The attack connected.

If there’s no sword qi and no magic, so what? His breathing became rapid, feeling like his lungs would burst, and his eyes stung as if sand had been thrown in them, but so what?

“I can do it.”

Shiron took a deep breath and clenched his teeth. His sword strikes sped up. Austin responded to him. However, Shiron was a bit faster. Shiron did not allow attacks, but Austin did, albeit weakly. That made the difference. The space between them, filled with numerous attacks, was engulfed in a storm.

But Shiron wasn’t the only one who thought he could do it. Austin had the same thought.

“Could this really not be a dream?”

Spit!

“Given the pain, it’s not a dream.”

Thud!

The sensation of something sharp piercing through the side. Yet, Austin did not grimace. He had already experienced enough pain in life. His body, accustomed to pain and numb to sensation, could ignore such discomfort.

The feeling of being alive.

Austin felt intense joy.

Standing on two feet and making violent movements was a grace for him.

The opponent now was Shiron Prient, the nephew of Hugo Prient. The one who had saved the empire from the waves of demons several times… The lineage that his father cherished.

He was receiving the sword strikes of that man without anyone’s help.

Thud!

Born so improperly that he couldn’t even walk properly, and due to his detestable father, he couldn’t even breathe properly for thirty years of life. Yet, at this moment, he felt intensely alive.

Drip. Tears flowed from the face behind the mask.

Boland couldn’t be thanked enough. Yes, let’s also give thanks to Henry. After this fight, he would give thanks to everyone. He was sorry, Henry, why did father do that to him!?

“What?”

Austin felt a sense of incongruity.

Thoughts intruded upon his stream of consciousness…

He rolled his eyeballs hard, checking for the presence of the man who had been here just moments ago. Gone. Where had Boland gone?

“Did he run away?”

The presence of the skinny, pale man, who seemed to have a beard or maybe not, a sorcerer, had disappeared.

The feeling of ecstasy faded.

“How dare he swear loyalty and then betray me. He deserves to die, but I am different from my father, so I shall forgive him.”

Suddenly, anger surged.

“But, how dare he betray me. I can’t forgive that.”

Austin scattered death with his anger.

What was he thinking? Right, He was resenting my father. It’s all father’s fault. Austin’s face heated up.

Hot anger connected the broken stream of thoughts.

“You used me!”

“For Victor! To give my inexperienced son some experience! To delay the appointment of the crown prince and wait for my death!”

Crack-

The face under the mask twisted grotesquely.

-Aaaah!

“Die, you!”

Austin screamed. He wanted to live. To do so, he needed to kill the man in front of him. Even if his mind wasn’t fully there, his body fervently warned him of this fact. Finally, his mind recognized the crisis.

It was too precious an opportunity to be wasted so futilely.

However, his resolve was a bit late.

Distracted by other thoughts and not concentrating on the battle, his breathing became disordered while he shouted loudly. Shiron did not miss this gap.

Thanks to that, a larger gap was created, allowing for a bold attack.

Swoosh!

The sword of light cut through Austin’s arm.

“Aaghpaah!”

Austin howled. A single scream like the last gasp a dried-up old tree echoed throughout the Alhyeon Room. However, he couldn’t stop Shiron’s action to end it.

“Boland! Where are you! Are you a coward!”

“What?”

He suddenly came to his senses as he glared at Austin’s neck. Reflexively, Shiron leaped backward due to the goosebumps covering his body.

“Boland! It hurts too much! Don’t just hide, come out and help me quickly!”

Austin was looking for someone. Shiron checked his surroundings while maintaining a significant distance. He also extended his Ki perception to check for any unexpected reinforcements from the enemy. He then shifted his gaze from Austin, who was rolling on the ground cautiously.

“It was almost over.”

Should he retreat here? Swallowing his regret, Shiron suddenly felt a throbbing in his chest.

“Ptui.”

Shiron spat black saliva onto the ground. Perhaps it was the effect of being in a cursed space for too long. It seemed his lungs had been damaged. He only realized his body was deteriorating after the heat of the battle messed with his head.

“Boland!!”

But something was strange.

“Boland! Help me! Your Majesty, you must rise! What did I say? Yes, you must get up!”

Austin rolled on the ground, and as time passed, no other presence or sign of someone else was felt in the Alhyeon Room.

“But it hurts too much. I want to quit right now! You must overcome! You promised to become the emperor and make everyone regret… Right!”

“…”

“Ah! Yes!”

Austin screamed at the air, foaming at the mouth. Shiron felt an indescribable emotion watching him.

“It’s an order! Execute the traitor!”

As if defying the heavens, Austin stood up.