"I have changed…?"
How laughable.
The final memory Rio held of Lucivar—
was during the awakening ceremony.
The day everything ended.
The heir of House Valen stood before the entire kingdom…
only to awaken with no affinity.
No talent.
Nothing.
The day Rio became a stain upon the Valen name.
And after that—
Lucivar never looked at him again.
Not once.
No anger.
No punishment.
No acknowledgment.
Just…
nothing.
As if Rio had stopped existing entirely.
And now—
this man stood before me beneath the divided heavens saying—
You've changed?
Silence filled the skies.
I didn't answer him.
Didn't need to.
Because both souls inside me—
the Rio from Earth.
And the Rio from Aetheria—
now radiated only one thing.
Hatred.
Pure hatred.
As I gazed at the man before me—
a single thought consumed my entire existence.
I will kill him.
Killing intent surged violently from my body.
The atmosphere itself trembled beneath my rage.
Yet—
Lucivar's eyes never changed.
Those crimson eyes remained completely still as they looked at me.
Not anger.
Not surprise.
Not fear.
Only—
Disappointment.
That gaze alone felt heavier than the pressure of the Hydra.
And somehow—
that expression enraged me far more than hatred ever could.
"How pathetic."
Lucivar's voice remained calm.
Cold.
"Do you seriously not grasp the difference in strength, Rio?"
The moment those words fell—
a monstrous pressure engulfed me completely.
My body instantly crashed downward.
THUD.
My knees slammed against the shattered ground beneath me.
The rubble around me cracked further.
My eyes widened as my entire body froze.
I couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe properly.
Even lifting a finger felt impossible.
This pressure…
It wasn't normal.
My mind instantly understood it.
10 Star SS Rank.
The final stage.
A realm only a handful of monsters in the world had ever reached.
A level equal to Alaric Ryker himself.
Lucivar slowly gazed down at me silently.
"I suppose I had my hopes up for no reason."
Then—
he vanished.
My pupils shrank instantly.
BOOM.
A crushing impact struck my face before I could even react.
"COUGH—!"
My body was sent flying through shattered ruins before crashing violently into broken stone.
Pain exploded through my skull.
And Lucivar still hadn't used mana.
Not even once.
I barely tried forcing myself upward—
when suddenly—
a hand grabbed my face.
Then—
BOOOOM.
He smashed my head back into the ground.
The rubble beneath me cracked apart instantly.
My body already felt destroyed.
My mana circuits burned.
My vision blurred repeatedly.
Yet Lucivar's grip never loosened.
His crimson eyes remained completely emotionless as he looked down at me.
"Through the decree of the Astryx Empire…"
"…you will die here."
My breathing stopped slightly.
Then slowly—
Lucivar raised his free hand toward my chest.
My eyes widened instantly.
He intended to end it.
Not capture me.
Not arrest me.
Kill me.
My body desperately tried moving.
But the pressure crushing me made it impossible.
Lucivar calmly lowered his hand toward my chest.
Like ending my life meant nothing more than brushing dust aside.
No anger.
No hesitation.
Only indifference.
Before he could move his hand—
a small chuckle echoed from the side.
"Lucivar Valen…"
"…mind putting that child down?"
Lucivar's crimson eyes shifted toward the speaker.
A blue-haired man stood amidst the ruined battlefield with both hands behind his back.
A black mask covered half his face while a relaxed smirk rested on his lips.
Azrith.
Beside him—
Lumine floated silently in the air restrained by black mana.
"You must be Azrith."
Lucivar's voice remained calm.
Azrith smiled casually.
"Yes."
Lucivar slowly raised his crimson sword afterward.
"Why should I not kill this child right here?"
Azrith laughed softly.
"Oh come on…"
"…isn't he your son?"
"This trash holds no place within the Valen family."
"Hm~ quite cold."
Azrith's smirk widened slightly.
"Well…"
"I have my reasons for him staying alive."
He slowly glanced toward me afterward.
"After a bit of research…"
"…I came to an understanding."
"For some reason Rio Valen…"
"…whenever he's pushed beyond his limits…"
"…he always grows stronger."
Lucivar remained silent.
Azrith continued calmly.
"His potential easily reaches SS Rank."
"Then there are his other abilities."
"You're aware of it too, aren't you?"
"Rio Valen awakened with no affinity and the lowest talent ever recorded within a noble family."
"Yet now?"
"He reached A Rank at seventeen."
"He possesses every affinity."
"Even space."
"And that spirit inside him…"
Azrith's blue eyes sharpened slightly.
"…it's easily above Monarch Class."
"Isn't he quite the anomaly?"
Lucivar's expression never changed.
"That means nothing to me."
"His feats hold no importance if he dies right here."
Azrith nodded casually.
"Normally I'd agree."
Then slowly—
His smirk deepened.
"But there's one little issue."
Lucivar's crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
"You may not have heard…"
"…but your son is quite the big deal within the Verilian Empire."
Azrith slowly pointed toward me.
"His master is Aurelia Lioren."
"An SS Rank spatial user."
"He belongs to the Saviant Guild."
"And he holds importance to Elena Astra herself."
Azrith chuckled afterward.
"Even the Verilian royal family would side with him."
Silence filled the ruined battlefield.
Then Azrith's smile slowly sharpened.
"If Rio dies here today…"
"…I can guarantee Verilian will begin an all-out war against the Astryx Empire."
For a brief moment—
the atmosphere became completely still.
Then surprisingly—
Lucivar smiled.
A faint smile.
Cold.
Dangerous.
"Then send them all."
Even Azrith's expression froze.
Lucivar slowly raised his hand once more.
The pressure crushing the battlefield intensified instantly.
Killing intent surged again.
"..."
"Fine."
Azrith suddenly sighed.
"How about this instead?"
Lucivar's crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
Azrith's smirk slowly returned.
"As a contractor…"
"…I'll offer you a contract."
Silence.
Even the atmosphere seemed to still afterward.
Lucivar lowered his hand slightly.
"In exchange for Rio Valen's life…"
Azrith's blue eyes gleamed beneath the black mask.
"…I will arrange a duel."
"Three years from today."
Then Azrith spoke the next words slowly.
"Lucivar Valen."
"The Sword of Astryx."
His smirk deepened further.
"Against Alaric Ryker."
"The Sword of Verilian."
The pressure throughout the battlefield shifted violently.
Even Lucivar's expression changed slightly for the first time.
Not anger.
Not disappointment.
Interest.
Because those two names—
stood at the absolute peak of the continent.
The two greatest swordsmen alive.
One represented Astryx.
The other Verilian.
And despite ruling different nations—
neither had ever crossed blades before.
Azrith chuckled softly.
"A duel between the strongest."
"A battle the entire continent would watch."
He slowly spread his arms.
"And all you have to do…"
"…is let the boy live."
Silence engulfed the ruined battlefield afterward.
A duel between Lucivar and Alaric—
was something capable of shaking the entire continent.
Lucivar's cold crimson eyes stared silently at Azrith.
Azrith merely smiled back.
"..."
"Fine."
The pressure crushing the battlefield disappeared instantly.
Then—
Lucivar kicked me forward.
My broken body rolled across the rubble before stopping near Azrith's feet.
"COUGH—!"
Pain exploded throughout my entire body.
Nocturne—
or what remained of it—
rested weakly within my trembling hands.
The black blade was shattered.
Cracks spread across its surface completely.
Lucivar slowly placed his long crimson sword behind his back afterward.
Then he glanced sideways slightly.
"That child's mana circuits are nearly destroyed."
"I'm not sure why you find that trash interesting."
His voice remained emotionless.
"But uphold your side of the deal, Contractor."
Azrith didn't answer.
Lucivar no longer bothered waiting either.
The Sword Master slowly rose into the sky afterward.
Golden pressure distorted the atmosphere around him.
Meanwhile—
my blurred eyes slowly opened.
And the moment I saw him leaving—
something inside me broke.
"N…no…"
My fingers dug into the rubble desperately.
I tried forcing my shattered body upward.
Lucivar continued ascending silently.
No hesitation.
No glance backward.
Just like before.
Just like always.
Hatred surged violently through my chest.
"NO—!"
I crawled forward desperately through the rubble.
Blood spread beneath me.
Nocturne dragged uselessly beside my hand.
"LUCIVAR—!"
My scream echoed throughout the ruined remains of Valorheim.
Yet Lucivar never stopped.
Never answered.
The Sword Master simply flew higher into the dark sky—
before disappearing completely.
Rio's eyes slowly lost their glow.
The hatred.
The rage.
The killing intent burning moments ago—
all of it faded into emptiness.
Azrith dragged him across the ruined battlefield casually.
Yet Rio didn't respond at all.
His lifeless eyes remained fixed on the empty sky where Lucivar had disappeared moments earlier.
Silent.
Broken.
He had been completely overwhelmed.
Not just in strength.
But existence itself.
Everything Rio believed—
his hatred—
his revenge—
all of it had been crushed effortlessly beneath Lucivar's presence.
Nocturne's shattered blade scraped weakly across the rubble beside him.
Small tears slowly ran down Rio's face.
His fingers trembled violently against the ground.
And then finally—
his voice cracked apart.
"FUUUUCK—!"
The scream echoed throughout the destroyed remains of Valorheim.
Raw.
Broken.
inside Rio's shattered mind—
only one thought continued repeating endlessly.
Too weak.
He was still far too weak.
He had been absolutely crushed.