By 4:00 AM, the cold mountain water from the bunker's underground spring was channeled into a stone basin. Both boys stripped off their blood-stained, dust-covered combat gear and took a quick, freezing bath to shock their systems awake.
Kairo submerged himself to his shoulders, his teeth chattering slightly before he exhaled a long breath, the icy water dulling the intense, burning pain of the void disease in his veins. "Ahh... now I'm finally able to handle this cold water a little bit better."
Leonhart plunged his head under, shaking his wet golden hair like a dog as he surfaced with a grin. "Yeah... completely cools your brain down. And it numbs the body pain from that explosion."
After drying off, they bypassed their torn leather armor, reaching into the royal storage chests they had plundered from Seraphina's estate layout. They both donned the luxurious, high-tier silk robes of the Land of Lust—deep crimson fabrics embroidered with fine gold threading that fit their twelve-year-old frames perfectly.
Kairo adjusted his wide, silk cuffs, looking down at the pristine fabric with an amused smirk. "Well... now I actually look like a proper prince."
Leonhart stretched his arms, enjoying the complete lack of heavy iron plates clanking against his ribs. "Yeah... I was getting so tired of wearing that heavy armor 24/7. Now that I've cleaned it and tucked it away, this fabric feels amazing."
Kairo walked back toward the tactical map chamber, his eyes scanning the security monitors one last time. "Are we missing anything else for the morning routine?"
Leonhart followed him, cracking his knuckles out of habit. "Yeah. We need to get our physical conditioning in. Let's workout."
Kairo paused, evaluating his remaining stamina reserves against the upcoming castle siege model. "Hmm... fair enough. Let's definitely do this. But we will execute the training routine during the night cycle when the kids are fully stabilized. For now... let's just get a little bit of rest."
Leonhart nodded, turning down his lantern. "Sure."
Leonhart sat cross-legged on the polished stone floor, his back perfectly straight as he stared blankly into the shadows of the security room. Beneath the smooth crimson silk of his new robes, his heart was hammering with a raw, suffocating intensity.
Damn it, he thought, his jaw clenching so hard it ached. I'm just a nobody right now. I lost over and over again on the border, I couldn't protect the line, and I had to rely entirely on Kairo's brain just to survive the night. But I will make sure I kill this King. I will prove to my father that I am absolutely nothing like my one hundred older brothers.
His fists tightened against his knees. I will definitely make sure this entire continent remembers my name. I will be the single warrior to bring this King down, no matter what structural price it takes. I, Leonhart, son of Lionheart, will break the throne.
"Oh, look at it," Kairo's voice cut through his internal monologue, entirely casual and dripping with analytical satisfaction. "The vanguard units have already reached the optimal sectors of the upper land. Now, I just need to execute my perfect macro plan."
Leonhart shook himself out of his thoughts, standing up and walking over to the rows of reflective mud monitors. "How exactly are you going to manipulate the entire capital court now, Kairo? Their network is completely down, but their military is still massive."
Kairo leaned against the main control pillar, a highly relaxed smirk touching his lips. "Don't worry. Just watch and see. And also, Leonhart? I think we need to physically pack up and go as well."
Leonhart blinked, his golden eyes widening in confusion. "Wait, what? Then why did we make this whole elaborate setup down here? Wait... is this entire room moving on its own?!"
The stone floor gave a microscopic, fluid shudder beneath their boots. The walls of the security bunker weren't static; they were smoothly gliding through the deep subterranean bedrock like a silent, high-speed train made of solid earth.
Kairo let out a dry, self-deprecating chuckle. "Yeah. It turns out I am an absolute idiot who didn't utilize this structural concept before. The earth itself is manipulating the surrounding density to make the entire room move through the mantle. We will physically reach the castle perimeter in exactly six hours. Until then, I will make sure you get a front-row seat to my perfect deployment plan."
Leonhart nodded, a slow, confident grin replacing his anxiety. "Okay, Kairo. Let's see it."
"Leonhart, first thing's first," Kairo began, pointing to a monitor displaying the burning ruins of the bridge corridor. "I was able to cleanly eliminate Seraphina's elite royal guards, who were absolute tactical geniuses. Do you know how?"
"How?" Leonhart asked.
"Because of her five half-brothers," Kairo explained smoothly. "I made them spill every ounce of structural information about this land's command chain. Seraphina didn't place the compliance curse of unloyalty on her youngest sister—the elite civilian girl . And that girl is currently guiding our narrative trajectory perfectly."
Leonhart furrowed his brow, leaning closer to the stone tablet. "Hmm, okay. So how is she going to guide us if she's an enemy asset? Won't she just betray us the second she gets the chance?"
"Exactly," Kairo smirked, his eyes flashing like cold stars. "I explicitly want her to betray me. If she doesn't betray me, that's fine. But if she does betray me, then the true parameters of my plan are going to work perfectly."
Leonhart scratched his head. "Hmm, so okay... what happens if she betrays us right now?"
Kairo gestured toward the central screen, where a live clone feed showed the civilian girl frantically kneeling inside the inner palace chamber. "Well, look at the screen. Right on cue, she just betrayed my coordinates and told everything directly to the King. I intentionally told that girl back at the lake that I am the absolute Child of Prophecy."
Leonhart looked at him blankly. "Hmm. So how does making them think you're a mythological figure help you destroy the entire land?"
Kairo's smirk turned dangerously sharp. "It's incredibly simple, Leonhart. Because I have already been systematically spreading rumors about the arrival of the Child of Prophecy since the very first hour we crossed the border."
"Oh... is that so?" Leonhart muttered, realization starting to spark.
"Yeah," Kairo nodded. "Think of the psychological metrics. I was able to completely defeat Seraphina, who was easily the smartest and strongest individual in this entire territory after the King himself."
Leonhart paused, his voice dropping. "Wait... what? She was the second strongest asset in this entire land?"
Kairo nodded flatly. "Yeah. If she and I were to engage in a raw, one-on-one magical duel without preparation, our stats would have lost. But her intellect was her undoing; she wanted to verify the parameters of the rumors herself. The specific rumor states that the Child of Prophecy holds the absolute authority to designate a new King—and that the specific person who successfully kills me will instantly inherit a power level vastly superior to any other lord."
Leonhart jumped slightly. "Wait, what?! Then why the hell are we going directly to the central sector? Isn't that insanely risky? Every noble in the city is going to hunt us down for that buff!"
"Hmm, that's exactly the point," Kairo laughed lightly. "Now look right there, Leonhart. On that screen, I have finally revealed my maskless face to the public grid."
He pointed to a large monitor showing the city's grand central plaza. "You remember when we were running away from the lower district citizens earlier, and I had my clones intentionally 'catch' me? I utilized the crowd's expectations. The ugly, monstrous mask thing I wore originally is working perfectly in our favor right now because, in their traditional mythology, the Child of Prophecy is supposed to look like a terrifying harbinger. But now, I've adjusted the aesthetic template. I made sure my active clones look incredibly handsome—and now, my elite subordinate, Leonhart... you are right there beside me too."
Leonhart stared at the monitor, his jaw dropping as the feed focused on the kingdom's grand, marble-pillared Drama Hall—a massive amphitheater packed with thousands of high-ranking nobles, wealthy merchants, and military commanders seeking distraction from the chaos.
"Wait a second, Kairo..." Leonhart stammered, pointing at the screen. "Why are your units standing right in the middle of the crowded Drama Hall? There are way too many high-level people in that single coordinate!"
"Let it begin," Kairo said coldly.
On the screen, the main entrance doors of the Drama Hall violently blasted open. The thousands of elite citizens inside gasped, turning their heads in unison.
With a synchronized, flawless physical motion, Kairo's advanced mud magic activated at maximum output. The air shimmering with high-tier emerald light as his constructs multiplied instantly. Where there was once just a single pair, there were suddenly fifty identical Kairos and fifty identical Leonharts stepping onto the marble stage.
Every single clone was perfectly modeled after their current appearance—dressed in matching, luxurious crimson and gold royal silk robes, looking incredibly handsome, their features sharp and completely radiating the aura of ultimate conquerors.
To the eyes of the terrified, confused crowd, these one hundred identical figures weren't dangerous foreign intruders. Because of the psychological layout Kairo had spent hours building, the people instantly associated these beautiful, powerful entities with the grand heroes who had allegedly just eliminated the hidden, monstrous intruders at the bridge.
Kairo stood tall inside his moving subterranean room, his eyes locked onto the chaotic, cheering, and terrified expressions of the high court nobles on the screens.
"I am going to take complete tactical advantage of the fact that we haven't revealed Seraphina's physical death to the public yet," Kairo whispered, a brilliant, terrifying smirk cutting across his face. "Let the final stage of the theater begin."