March

Rezhen was like a taut thread that might break anytime.

The moment Salavan, who’d even proven diplomatic ability, tried to seize the throne, the only resistance eldest son Zayl driven into disadvantage could manage was raising an army.

Zayl gathered soldiers with the royal Magus commander and faction power to drive Salavan.

His gamble that could leave him as a traitor seemed to succeed.

But that was a trap Ludmila, the military supreme commander, had dug.

The plan was to tacitly allow Zayl to employ even extreme means, then strike together the moment he raised an army to sweep him away.

“Other princes may be spared. But Zayl is dangerous. Rezhen will stumble over eldest son succession anytime. So I’ll create a board to legally kill royals.”

“Is this truly the only method?”

“Becoming king means you must resolve to cut even blood siblings’ flesh. If you will embrace it, Your Highness, I’ll respect that too. However, it’s hard to view choosing a roundabout path when victory is right before you as good.”

Ultimately, Zayl made extreme choices as Ludmila wished.

Rezhen entered civil war state, and all prestigious families smiled at Salavan.

The moment Ludmila tried to sever Zayl’s neck as if he’d been waiting, all nightmares began.

“I’m called Marquis Breia of Rakis.”

The one who blocked Ludmila stood before the military with a body massive as a mountain.

“Rakis supports Prince Zayl as of this hour.”

The two weeks stemming from those words were like hell.

When the military that had tried to seize Zayl’s neck rather began being pushed back, even Ludmila who’d been driving the royal Magus commander suffered fatal wounds from Breia.

A single S2 Magus overturned the battlefield’s momentum.

“I’ll grant title and gold to whoever kills Salavan!”

Rakis’s intervention drove the situation toward catastrophe.

Around then, Salavan heard the chaos appearing in the world.

“Rakis’s 13 Lords are driving each nation!”

Not only Rezhen but other nations also had 13 Lords openly active.

Was it arrogance to seize all nations?

Or did they plan to show off being a nation with this degree of influence?

Salavan couldn’t hide his dizzy feelings as the throne grew more distant.

Zayl was hiding a nature that cruelly dug into even the slightest gap.

He absolutely wouldn’t release Salavan once he began being driven into disadvantage.

Before Salavan joined the rear forces, Zayl finally found him.

“Personally, I don’t prefer this method.”

When Breia blocked like a mountain, Salavan glanced at Ludmila groaning in the carriage.

The state of his upper body wrapped in bandages was serious.

He couldn’t even speak to tell him to flee somewhere, because if he moved even slightly, blood seemed likely to spurt like a fountain.

He couldn’t even protect him.

Because Breia was the previous generation’s mercenary king who’d spread prestige before becoming Rakis’s marquis.

“Why does Rakis commit such acts?”

“Though it’s national importance, personally Rezhen is a place that gave me disappointment and despair. There’s an aspect I volunteered.”

“Don’t tell me… you hold grudges at His Majesty for not giving an S-rank guild?”

Breia didn’t deny it.

“It was my only wish. And since my junior accomplished this instead, I have no particular complaint, but Rezhen’s method of using mercenaries like hunting dogs from before was disgusting.”

“Isn’t Zayl also Rezhen’s royal?”

“But he’ll become Rakis’s puppet now. Your royals’ fate will also fully pay for past prices.”

“Won’t you be satisfied unless you get your hands on Rezhen?”

“So you should’ve joined hands when I desperately begged to create an S-rank guild. Then this situation would never have occurred.”

“Can you spare… Ludmila and others?”

Soldiers escorting the carriage gripped spears with fearful expressions.

After glancing at the feeble struggling, Breia wore a cold smile.

“Do you remember how you killed my comrades who struggled saying they didn’t want to become dogs?”

When Breia was still a level 7 mage, the nation dismissed him while he spread fame gathering mercenaries under him.

Taking advantage of Breia’s absence, they conveyed unreasonable requests to mercenaries, and they were ultimately annihilated.

Returned Breia resisted the royal palace in fury.

Though he finally rose to Magus realm, far from S-rank guild creation, they forcibly lowered mercenaries’ level and began using them like hunting dogs.

Breia, who despaired at reality he couldn’t change alone, received Chris’s summons and entered Rakis.

Salavan only heard facts known only to the current king and his confidants after Breia intervened.

There wasn’t the slightest room for negotiation.

Hostility toward Rezhen’s royals mixed with fury endured until now, emitting mana like a storm.

A helping hand arrived at that moment.

“Disappointing.”

All mana in the area vanished instantly.

An old gentleman who removed his fedora walked out leaning on his cane.

That lapel insignia was clearly the mage association.

“His Highness Pernok said Marquis Breia was a type more reasonable than other 13 Lords.”

“Pernok?”

“His Highness Pernok?”

Breia furrowed his brow, and Salavan’s face brightened.

Ruin blocked between the two as if drawing a boundary line while shouting.

“I’m mage association head Ruin Agnes, who came to help His Highenss Salavan of Rezhen at His Highness Pernok’s request.”

“I’ve heard your fame well!”

“I’ve stationed association members outside the forest. Please flee quickly.”

“I won’t forget this grace!”

“If gratitude, convey it to His Highenss Pernok.”

“Thank you!”

Salavan led soldiers while driving Ludmila’s carriage again.

When Breia gave a look, pursuers began following Salavan.

And remaining Breia and Ruin stared at each other.

“Marquis Gram should’ve definitely gone your way…”

“Don’t they say the dead are silent?”

“…The new association head’s skills are exceptional.”

“I didn’t live pointlessly enough to be evaluated by you.”

“In the end, Gram’s judgment was right. Words that he’d maintain close relations with His Highness Pernok. Though everyone was skeptical, it’s clear now.”

Breia, who nodded, circulated mana within his body.

“So I’ll pretend not to know just this once. Though I can’t help my junior become king, I have intent to spare surrounding people at least once.”

“Hehehe, they say Rakis’s arrogance is world’s best, but both Gram and you have insolence piercing the heavens!”

“Serve well by His Highenss Pernok’s side. It’s the last goodwill I bestow on you.”

“When both sides lack time, let’s stop wagging deceitful tongues.”

When Ruin struck his cane on the ground, silence rippled while covering all directions.

But it couldn’t extinguish Breia’s mana scattering light within it.

Not Magus Arts that constructs territory in space, but concentration’s method that condenses mana internally to maximize destructive power.

‘The density is thick.’

Mana difficult to easily extinguish continued condensing.

“Regrettable.”

And light clusters began rising from Breia’s body.

“I tried to avoid entangling with His Highness Pernok’s forces as much as possible.”

Light flashed in an instant.

Simultaneously, silence that swallowed space evolved to Loss, extinguishing all mana.

But.

Slash!

Following sound that pierced through silence, Ruin examined his shoulder.

Something sharp had cut his clothes.

‘Magus Arts that makes the body itself into a highly sharp weapon.’

It was the first time.

Someone who freely deployed Magus Arts within Loss.

‘A realm accomplished by repeating very simple processes hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times.’

Extremely delicate Magus Arts concentrated on just one thing made Ruin’s spine run cold.

‘It won’t be easy.’

Loss was hollow power that dug into mana’s gaps to extinguish it directly.

But Breia’s Magus Arts was a product of continuously compressed mana trying to give no gaps whatsoever.

Breia freely roaming within Loss’s space was the first incompatible existence Ruin met.

* * *

Owen who reached the seventh castle immediately led nobles toward the sixth castle.

“Enemies are before our eyes! When we have numerical superiority, why are we cowering!”

Nobles also actively followed Owen.

With an S2 Magus, royal Magus unit with many high-level mages positioned, and knights and soldiers nobles selected, it was a great army approaching roughly fifteen thousand.

When Owen led at the vanguard, nobles’ fighting spirit boiled up another level.

They thought they could finally kill detestable Pernok.

It was the third day since leaving the seventh castle like that.

Someone was blocking the path before the narrow gorge.

“I’ve heard much of your fame. Commander Owen.”

Wearing a robe while even wearing a mask.

He couldn’t tell who it was from just physique and voice.

“Then play with me briefly.”

When the unidentified elder drew a circle in midair, massive mana was sucked in instantly.

“…!”

It was a dramatic change.

Like calm waves flowing counter to a storm, the elder’s mana fiercely struck the great army from midair.

The first to react was Owen raising his ringed hand.

RUMMMBLE!

A barrier enveloping the great army blocked something striking down from midair.

At that weight, Owen furrowed his brow.

‘This Magus Arts… I feel like I’ve heard of it somewhere…’

He felt like someone had told him there was a special Magus Arts user who pressed down on the entire area.

But he didn’t clearly remember. He had no time even to squeeze out thoughts.

RUMMMMMBLE!

When pressure thickened, the barrier began shaking.

Owen’s eyes grew fierce.

When he clenched his ringed hand into a tight fist, pressure bounced into midair.

At that, the elder—Gram—wore a smile within his mask.

‘Reflector. A reflection territory Magus who bounces all Magus Arts regardless of type.’

Normally, places where Magi rampage become ruins.

This applied in war too.

If a Magus rampaged in the enemy camp’s middle, he’d sweep away even the mana of those who flocked to face him.

Pernok aimed for this and sent Gram, but Owen as expected didn’t easily allow confusion as anticipated.

‘To break a shield that blocks anything, I’d need to mobilize Breia, or I’d need to use my true heart…’

But Gram jumped into midair while pressing down his mask.

‘…Impudent bastard, to assign even such dogwork no matter how much he suspects me.’

Gram changed plans to appropriately pound Owen while entering the gorge.

“Pursue!”

When he entered the gorge while spreading reflection barrier, ambushed enemy forces shot arrows.

“Primitive bastards.”

While Owen wore a fishy smile, he sent quick ones upward.

Soon the arrow barrage stopped and one scout urgently came down.

“Hazy dust is rising beyond the gorge. Guessing, it seems to be Prince Pernok’s main force.”

“As expected, frontal collision? Confidence overflows. Prince Pernok!”

Owen recalled the Magus Arts that had pressured him.

Certainly, that person hadn’t used true heart.

Nevertheless, a seasoned Magus’s touch seeped out.

‘Handling Rakis’s 13 Lords must’ve been because he placed such a Magus by his side.’

But no matter how many S1s gathered, they couldn’t pierce this shield.

Walking fortress.

He planned to show Pernok that overwhelming shield’s majesty.

“We advance as is! If those bastards enter the castle, immediately switch to siege to break through, so don’t loosen tension!”

“Loyalty!”

Owen and the great army rushed toward prey.

* * *

After conducting appropriate surprise attack, he succeeded in drawing Owen’s attention here.

As Pernok said, they truly believed in ‘frontal victory’ like rock.

“If you can’t pierce the reflection barrier, don’t tear further and lure them.”

Though he’d thought he’d fight stickily with Owen’s main force, Pernok went one step further designing Plan B using Gram as ‘bait.’

“They believe I’m heading for the royal palace. Because my movements until now continuously drew the shortest route toward the royal palace.”

“Yet?”

“If we face Owen, next is the royal army. Perhaps Phillena’s guards might appear. Eight thousand five hundred isn’t enough. This fact never changed from the start. So we reinforce forces.”

That was the strategy where Gram held Owen’s gaze while Pernok detoured from the sixth castle.

“Flemyr headed for the royal army’s command center. I think the same. If we kill the general and staff, the royal army will easily be neutralized. And I can join the duke’s seven thousand forces to my side.”

As if ridiculing enemy thoughts that he’d strike in frontally, Pernok occupied the command center first rather than the royal palace, leading only a hundred elite mages.

“That Buckingham didn’t join Owen’s side means he might go block Flemyr. So if I head for the command center, I can weaken key enemy forces while simultaneously completing a formation surrounding Owen.”

Kill Buckingham along with Flemyr.

Execute even General McDonnell and subordinate staff, ride the momentum to collapse the royal army, and place the duke’s seven thousand under him.

And when Owen’s gaze focused on the sixth castle, Pernok raids the enemy’s eighth castle together with Flemyr.

If Gram appropriately confronts at the front, the Pernok-Flemyr alliance could occupy castles in order of eighth and seventh to strike Owen’s rear.

At that moment, if Gram struck out from the front, three Magi cooperating would complete formation surrounding Owen.

“If you can’t easily kill Owen, lure and draw him in.”

To drop Owen into a deeper swamp, Pernok used Gram as bait.

“They’ll definitely cross over. Because I proclaimed I was heading for the royal palace and continuously focused destination to the front. Moreover, even if a hundred soldiers slip out from these thousands of troops, it won’t even show.”

As those words suggested, Owen boldly dug in, perhaps thinking Pernok was pressured by momentum.

‘Because reflection barrier is a shield that thoroughly protects allies, he doesn’t even think of surprise attack. Then he’ll enter. With nothing to block, he’ll set his eyes ablaze and head for the sixth castle trying to catch Pernok!’

Owen’s Magus Arts was producing reverse effects of not considering other urgent situations because it blocked danger.

‘Prince Pernok… where did this bastard learn such bait tactics?’

From the first choice until now, it was meticulous conception that even Gram would’ve been fooled if he were in Owen’s position.

‘Kekeke. Fine, I’ll play along to the end.’

Gram appropriately conducted interception while continuously luring Owen.

The place where the main force held.

Into the dangerous swamp that would soon become his grave.

* * *

When Owen left the royal palace, Pernok had left the sixth castle.

And now, the royal army’s key point that thousands of forces surrounded.

He faced the fortress where the command center was located.

“I sense Magus Arts.”

Nauseating and ominous.

Sensing mana flows colliding alternately, Pernok drew his sword.

“We break through that place.”

Pernok rushed while striking Divine Punishment down into the fortress’s outer wall.