Clash!
"How dare you betray us? You were entrusted with the sacred duty of overseeing this tower. You bring shame to Aethelgard!"
Charlie roared as he charged through, his sword clashing with the guard's spear; the same guard who had just tried to strike Revan.
The guard remained silent, his expression apathetic, as he defended from the king's attacks. He gritted his teeth as he got cornered by Charlie's strength.
This was thanks to the king's Ancestral Sword, which he had summoned out of his [Spatial Storage]. The spear that the guard was holding was Legendary Class, but was useless against the Mythic Class sword.
Not to mention that the sword continued to absorb Vyr and amplify its attack power. Cold sweat trickled down the guard's face as he defended against Charlie's onslaught.
In another corner of the room, Vekas and Harmon were fixated in their own battle. Vekas unleashed a barrage of attacks with his black-coloured blade, which Harmon countered with his own dark blade.
Both of their handsome faces were degraded with unsightly expressions. Vekas was grunting with furrowed brows and clenched teeth, while Harmon was donning a wide, maniacal smirk, and his eyes carried a glint of bloodlust.
"You've gotten stronger... did you evolve into a semi-spiritual lifeform?" Vekas asked, his voice slightly hoarse as sweat covered his face, his bangs clinging to his forehead.
Harmon didn't reply. Instead, he amplified his sword with Dark Magic and clashed against Vekas's sword, sending him a few steps back.
"Hehehe, don't think that I am the same as before, General Vekas. My strength has grown beyond your imagination," he muttered in a sinister and crazed tone, his attack speed constant and deadly.
His silver eyes suddenly shone with a dark light, and a beam of this dark light erupted. Vekas immediately moved out of the light's way, a few strands of his hair damaged in the process.
Damn it! If I had been hit by that move, I would be as good as dead...
It confirmed his suspicions. Harmon was indeed a semi-spiritual lifeform now. As for how this happened, he wasn't aware.
He wasn't even supposed to be alive. He was killed by Cronos twice, and even his soul and body were destroyed irreparably. Yet, not only was he in front of him, but he had all of his memories and most of his previous personality. His insanity and bloodlust had increased, but he was mostly the same.
It was difficult to believe that this was just another soul occupying Harmon's body. The idea seemed improbable. The other soul wouldn't be able to know so much about Harmon so easily.
Vekas theorised that whoever took over Harmon's body was someone who knew him deeply or had accessed his memories beforehand. How else could they act like Harmon to the extent that they genuinely seem to believe that they are him?
"Lost in thought?" Harmon snickered, even though only a split-second had passed since his previous attack.
Vekas's pupils shrank to the size of a needle as he leapt away from his spot, where a spike followed a microsecond later. This was thanks to Harmon's [Land Manipulation].
Harmon had this ability before he was killed by Cronos the first time. In fact, Cronos himself also had this ability, so Vekas was obviously familiar with him.
His [Elemental Manipulation] also gave him authority over all land. Even if a small fraction of a pebble was present in the floor, then the entire floor could be manipulated. This was the basis of how Harmon could use [Land Manipulation] in this tower.
Since Harmon was using [Land Manipulation] to conjure spikes wherever Vekas went, the general had no choice but to jump around and avoid being stabbed. His [Appraisal] could tell that these land spikes had Dark Magic infused in them.
Dark Magic and [Dark Manipulation] were techniques that Harmon did not possess in the past. Dark Magic involves demonic practices, after all, so it is heavily looked down upon. This was now coupled with [Land Manipulation], which unsettled Vekas further.
As Harmon laughed crazily, his peripheral vision caught something flying towards him from his right. Raising his hand, he caught this projectile without effort. Looking at what was thrown at him, his laughter ceased as his eyebrows rose, his eyes widened in surprise.
It was a head. A decapitated head, belonging to the same guard who was currently facing the king. Harmon turned to where the head came from, finding Charlie standing there, glaring at him with an intense, piercing gaze, the headless corpse of the guard lying on the floor beside his feet.
"Interesting..." A smirk soon formed on Harmon's lips.
Vekas turned to Charlie, who had his Ancestral Sword ready, the magiprites on the sword glowing with Vyr. Turning to Revan, the general found him sitting on a random table, eating a burrito he seemingly got from thin air. He seemed unbothered, as if this entire situation was nothing but a show for him to spectate.
Before Vekas could think of anything else, the door to the room burst open. Countless men entered the room and surrounded them. No, they surrounded Harmon because these men were Aethelgardian soldiers.
Soon, Marcus emerged into the room, his long, dirty-blonde hair swaying as he strode towards them. Revan's eyebrows raised in slight surprise, while Vekas's eyes widened. This event was out of his expectations.
The prince had a smile on his face as he stopped a few steps before Harmon. "It seems that just as we expected, the rebels attacked. Thank you for falling into our trap."
Among the men were also the other three guards of the Spirit Connection Tower who were standing outside, their expressions apathetic. Belfer also stood beside Marcus, a pleased smile on his face.
Harmon frowned, but soon snickered. "Hehehe, did you really think I came unprepared?"
At this, Marcus's smile vanished from his lips. Just then, more individuals swept into the building from the open hole in the wall. They were clad in a black cloak, obscuring their features.
"Reinforcements!" Vekas exclaimed, raising his sword.
Charlie sighed, a small smile on his face. "These extra men are also not out of our expectations. Let's see which force is stronger. Care to enlighten us?"
With that, a battle ensued.
***
Cronos stood outside the Queen's chambers. Princess Sofamy was currently conversing with her mother late at night.
The king and Prince Marcus had gone on an important trip, though Cronos knew well that this was just an excuse. The real reason for their disappearance is that they are currently dealing with the rebels.
The excuse is what Queen Androma had told Sofamy to keep her from worrying. The princess cared a lot for her father and brother, after all. If she were to do something dangerous, it could end very badly.
Cronos was leaning on the door, standing guard outside and overseeing the surroundings.
Just then, a small circle formed on the floor in front of him. The headguard immediately became alert, his hand on the hilt of his sword. The circle then went further into the ground before coming back up with a note attached.
Cronos stiffened. He quickly used [Appraisal] to inspect the note, but found nothing wrong with it. Not even the slightest danger was present. Still, he was cautious.
Using [Land Manipulation], he lifted the circle formed on the floor that had the letter on it. The circle flew to him, stopping right in front of him. Manipulating this circular part of the floor further, he opened the note and read it.
"Come to the Western Weaponry. Come alone."
Cronos frowned. He had been summoned similarly into a secluded room like this once before. Could it be the same reason as before? He had no way to know.
Sofamy was still in the room. He couldn't leave so easily. Because of this, he decided to place this circle back into the floor and sealed it there, hiding any signs that it ever left the floor in the first place. The note was burned to shreds with Fire Magic.
After an hour, Sofamy finally exited the room, and Cronos escorted her back.
As she opened the door to her chambers, she turned back to the headguard. "Say, Cronos. You looked troubled. Something on your mind?"
Her tone was soft as ever, calm as ever, yet it caused Cronos to jolt inwardly.
"You may relax, my lady. Nothing is wrong," Cronos replied, to which Sofamy sighed before closing the door, leaving him alone.
Was she disappointed? Probably my imagination. It was a reaction she showed whenever he addressed her as "lady" despite her protests, yet he thought that this must be tiredness rather than disappointment... probably.
Leaving this small matter aside, Cronos continued his stride, his furrowed brows obscuring his delicate features slightly. His face was rather delicate compared to a normal man's, after all, though it didn't remove any manliness from it either.
He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. He knew that if it was a trap, he would most likely need to resort to using his full power. The king and Prince Marcus were currently absent; he was almost certain that the rebels would take advantage of this.
After a few minutes of walking, he finally arrived at Western Weaponry. The building was spacious from the inside, with weapons located in all of the walls, each one oozing with at least a bit of Vyr.
"Ah. Took you long enough." A voice suddenly erupted in the room, making Cronos jolt before looking around. There seemed to be no one, but a change soon occurred.
The ground in the centre of the building erupted as a man stepped out. He wore a black cloak, with only his mouth revealed, which was curled up to form a smirk.
Cronos immediately unsheathed his sword and held it out. In response, the man unleashed his oathweight, stiffening him immediately.
"Fret not, Headguard Cronos. I mean well," the man spoke, his voice deep yet soothing.
No, it wasn't that it was soothing, but that Cronos's mind perceived it as soothing. Sensing this, the Headguard realised that a technique was being used on either the voice or on his mind.
"Mean well? You seem to be among the rebels," he sneered, "give me one good reason why I shouldn't attack you right now."
"Hehehe, because I don't wish to harm you. Isn't that all?" the man snickered. He leisurely walked towards him, stopping a few steps before him. Bringing his hand up, a part of the ground rose in the form of a stool, where he sat down leisurely, as if Cronos wasn't pointing his sword at him.
Cronos narrowed his eyes. "What's your game?"
The man laughed in response. "Hahaha, game? That's not all we do. What I came here for is genuine, and that is to seek your cooperation."
"The last time you tried that, I killed one of your allies, remember?" Cronos sneered, his brows furrowed. His body was heavily stiff due to the man's oathweight, so movement was difficult for him.
"That's because the proposal previously wasn't appealing enough. This one will be." The man smiled, undeterred by the headguard's hostility.
Cronos spat on the ground. "Wasteful efforts."
"Wasteful? Oh, please, I wouldn't say that so lightly, especially since you are sought after by the grandmaster of all people." These words immediately made Cronos's heart jump.
"Grandmaster?"
"Indeed. The grandmaster always has a keen eye for individuals who can join the rebels, and you are a perfect fit. You seek Aethelgard's prosperity; we seek it as well. In essence, we are brothers and sisters, just from different mothers."
"Bullshit. You want to turn this vast empire into a republic and remove its history. How is that prosperity?" Cronos snarled, his grip on his sword tightening.
"Remove its history? Oh no! We will obviously preserve its history. We were born here, after all." The man's smile widened, though his eyes were hidden under the cloak.
"Plus, we don't consider Aethelgard as just a kingdom. No, we consider it to be everything around us. We firmly believe that Aethelgard will remain Aethelgard even if the monarchy is gone. Hell, even if there is no republic, this place shall remain Aethelgard!"
The man's enthusiastic voice seemed to have moved Cronos's heart. His gaze softened by a fraction, but his hair stood on edge.
"You seem to truly care for Aethelgard," he muttered, though he inwardly didn't fully believe this.
"Indeed!" The man exclaimed, "Understand that Aethelgard is what we care for! The people, the society, the land, the water, the relationships, the wealth, the history, the experiences, everything! We are only opposed to this wretched system of monarchy. Once it is gone, we will lead it to prosperity, to a better future!"
"And what makes you so sure that the future would be better by the destruction of this monarchy? What if it gets worse?" Cronos asked with narrowed eyes, but he secretly observed that he was subtly relaxing.
"Because we have been planning for decades," the man replied with a smile, "We have studied many systems. Monarchy, dictatorship, democracy, and so many more. Republic is the only choice we see with nearly zero corruption."
"Are you sure? Corruption doesn't spread because of the system, but its people. What are you going to do to people who commit corruption despite the rules?"
"Hehehe! Kill them, of course."
"That's done in this monarchical system as well. Your point?" Cronos raised an eyebrow.
"True, but our methods will obviously be more thorough. It will be such that even after thinking over it a hundred thousand times, a person would not dare to commit any form of corruption. The people in power will have such restrictions on themselves that corruption won't be anything more than a pipe dream."
"So rule through fear? Isn't that what a dictatorship does?"
"No." The man shook his head. "Dictatorship spreads fear to the civil masses, while our corruption check system is meant to pressure those with political power. We are solving the core root of the problem, right?"
"Many kings of Aethelgard aspired to do the same thing, yet corruption still exists."
"And why do you think that is? That's because they were still ruling over a monarchy! This shall be a republic! The system and laws implemented here are for the civilians' benefit, nothing more! We care about the civilians, as well as the strength, technology, finance, and social norms of Aethelgard."
Cronos sneered. "You are quite shameless to say this when many civilians have been slaughtered by you guys."
The man chuckled softly. "And? Sacrifices have to be made. Isn't that what the previous kings who tried to fix Aethelgard also did? In the end, we are merely choosing a more efficient method. Besides, most societies are still unharmed by us right now. We haven't even targeted other cities and provinces of Aethelgard, only focusing on Dimrath. Why do you think that is? It's to cause as little loss of life as possible."
The man stood up, sighing as his smile vanished. "I came here to tell you this, Cronos. Join us. Join us and make Aethelgard peaceful, free from corruption, free from ruin, free from worry. Imagine the benefits we'll have. Of course, drawbacks will be there, but the benefits will outmaneuver them by miles. In the end, this is the message I give you. Our grandmaster believes that you will soon feel that we are truly on the right path."
Before Cronos could even make a sound, the man suddenly burrowed himself into the ground, vanishing instantly.