Awakening

The Great Gate consisted of three total gates.

It was the last line of defense heading to the royal capital, and possessed supplies and firepower to endure three months on its own.

Pernok broke through there alone where countless bombardments fiercely intertwined.

“It’s Prince Pernok!”

“Block him!”

Before long, the royal army broke through the first gate, and Pernok knocked on the second gate one step ahead.

No one could match Pernok’s speed. The heat surrounding Pernok was eerie to stop him saying it was dangerous.

Bang!

After cutting down the enemy’s heavy cavalry in one strike, Pernok absorbed spiritual power and spat nature type magic.

The number of magic falling like meteor showers from the air increased exponentially.

Magic in numbers exceeding the soldiers blocking the front bombarded the area indiscriminately.

Crack crack crack bang!

Neither enemies’ barriers nor striking-back magic could withstand Pernok’s single strike.

Though Pernok’s stored magic was also rapidly consumed, he showed no signs of regret.

‘It’s been a while.’

The tingling sensation flowing along the sword tip transmitted to the spine and made the five senses sharp.

Pernok, who’d prioritized subordinates’ growth until now, was crossing the battlefield after a long time.

The appearance of lightly shaking off blood while adding speed was like a ghost crazed by the sword.

That old appearance of trying to protect the nation alone in life approached within grasp.

Synchronization rate 63.5%

The synchronization rate that grew at once by absorbing Gram’s spiritual power and mana was already surging right before the second growth.

As if anticipating the future, the artifact too spat crying.

Rummmble!

Everything visible was swept away by Over Impact.

Nevertheless, the flesh didn’t tire and rather accelerated to sweep enemy lines.

‘The second molt isn’t far.’

This phenomenon where bodily strength endlessly rose was because the second growth approached.

Flesh and soul seeking new change mixed together to clear away this messy shell’s impurities.

Yearning for strength.

The stimulated desire accelerated growth.

“Your Highness!”

Flemyr, who rushed first leading the duke’s forces, examined the blood-soaked Pernok.

“How recklessly alone…!”

But Flemyr examining the wounds couldn’t continue words.

Because all Pernok’s blood belonged to enemies.

“We occupy even the last third gate.”

“Rest a bit!”

“If we hesitate, the royal palace guards might come. And now is just right. It’s ripening appropriately.”

Flemyr didn’t know what that was.

However, there was no proper justification to stop Pernok rushing out confidently.

Only Arisha catching up to Pernok’s speed asked secretly.

“Were you an S2 Magus?”

“Who knows.”

The time to measure level with mana was passing.

Synchronization rate – 64%

Perhaps it was because of Chris.

Thanks to instilling vigilance in himself who thought he’d have no rivals even growing moderately, he could shed magic without hesitation.

Spiritual power filled the place where he consumed magic used solely to protect himself.

Like removing rust stuck to a sword.

The flesh protected by magic was finally heading toward the second awakening friendly to spiritual power.

Arisha didn’t know this fact.

She merely recognized the fact that the untiring Pernok and the heat surrounding him strangely rippled to create dissonance.

‘I thought he was strong when I first saw him, but this is strangely different. It feels not like growing, but like reclaiming something lost.’

If a person changed in one moment, it might be words pointing to Pernok.

Pernok too was fully enjoying the seeping power.

‘Once the second awakening starts, it won’t matter if Arisha isn’t by my side.’

Means to escape from all dangers seemed to arrive before his eyes.

Synchronization rate – 64.1%

While facing the third gate’s soldiers, he thought.

That humans’ survival desire always strengthened after overcoming death crises.

Before long, that yearning urged him and rang out to devour more, more.

Like swallowing dry thirst, Pernok shot Over Impact with Circulation Link.

The bursting flash and allies following him’s joint work broke the third gate’s thick castle gate.

Pernok rushed into the middle of tens of thousands of great forces.

Synchronization rate – 64.3%

The sword seeking prey swallowed the Great Gate with storm-like momentum.

Illumina’s Great Gate could endure even several months against a Magus.

But the Great Gate without support forces, not even possessing one Magus, was helpless before forces led by Pernok.

When the artifact’s impact stronger than siege weapons transmitted, even the thick castle gate couldn’t endure long and broke away. After entering inside the castle, all processes were smoothly proceeding.

What the Great Gate feared was positioning siege weapons on those high castle walls to strike siege forces. But now that they’d entered inside, the walls became useless.

Rather, soldiers descending from walls were frequently cut down by the forces that entered.

Before even one day passed, the Great Gate overflowing with majesty fell to Pernok.

Around that time, one letter arrived to Pernok.

You really did well killing Vans.

I’m blocking the border well.

But I fear you might be swayed by the royal palace guards, so I’m thinking of detouring forces to join you.

Wait at the Great Gate.

When Pernok burned the letter, Flemyr approached and asked.

“Who is it?”

“Yuliana, she says let’s enter the royal capital together.”

“As expected, Her Highness Yuliana also tries to move.”

“We must make her keep guarding the border.”

“But if Your Highness occupies the royal capital first, Her Highness Yuliana might respond strongly.”

“Isn’t it rather good. We can cut her away with appropriate justification.”

“Will Your Highness truly dry up the seeds of this nation’s royals?”

“Doesn’t the duke know from seeing? If we leave rotted guys alive calling them royals, they’ll repeat the same mistakes before several years pass.”

“Then Queen Phillena…”

“We handle her together. Since Yuliana and I drew swords, the possibility is high of putting the remaining child Porla on the throne. We must cut the sprouts in advance.”

Porla was still confined inside the royal capital.

Now that Vans died, Phillena might try killing Pernok to put Porla on the throne.

“However, there’s one problem.”

“Problem?”

“The royal capital has a weapon left by the founding king.”

“It’s the first I’ve heard.”

“Because it was a secret transmitted to kings. But the previous king shared that fact with Owen, myself, and Queen Phillena. Telling us to take full authority instead and protect if the royal capital falls into danger.”

“Like a debauched king. So that weapon is dangerous?”

“Though not activated for hundreds of years, the previous king said it was a self-defense measure to use when great powers try swallowing the nation. He said it could easily kill hundreds of thousands of people.”

“Do you think even the High Priest can’t block it?”

“It’s a weapon to protect the nation from great powers. Though I can’t guarantee killing an S3 Magus, I think it has might to make absolute beings withdraw.”

Pernok indifferently nodded.

“That’s fortunate.”

“Yes?”

“I also happened to have something I wanted to test.”

Pernok commanded adjutants.

“After reorganizing here, we advance to the royal capital tomorrow. Don’t relax tension even a moment.”

“Yes sir!”

Adjutants reorganized forces, and Pernok refined his strength.

After occupying the Great Gate, he didn’t take particular measures.

Leaving only forces to monitor remaining remnant soldiers, he gathered remaining troops and finished preparations for departure.

The next day.

Bringing Flemyr and Arisha to both sides, Pernok advanced to the royal capital.

Phillena struck the armrest hard.

“The Great Gate fell?”

“I-I apologize, Your Majesty!”

“What on earth are you doing! My son died, and now this nation is about to collapse!”

“Yo-Your Majesty. Please calm yourself…!”

“Yuliana? The border garrison!?”

“Rezhen interfered so they cannot join. Princess Yuliana also doesn’t come here…”

“Aaaaaah!”

Phillena let out a scream close to shrieking and sprang up from her seat.

“Concentrate all forces on the castle! We don’t need the inner castle either! I’ll go to the outer castle, so know this and prepare everything!”

“However, Your Majesty. Right now there’s no Magus here to block Prince Pernok and Duke Flemyr! No matter how sturdy a castle, it’s merely powerless before a Magus!”

“There’s a method. I’ll bring it, so the chancellor prepare counterattack knowing this! And tell Porla to inherit the throne.”

“What does that…”

“Because of that bastard! The nation is meeting ruin! Our Vans was the only salvation, but he died unjustly, so the only one remaining is my lovely Porla!”

The chancellor’s body flinched.

After hearing the news that Vans died, Phillena had abstained from food and drink for one day.

And when she heard Owen was leaving this nation, she who emerged from the room wore thick makeup and held an eerie smile.

Now he seemed to understand.

Phillena’s mind was cornered to a dead end in a situation with nowhere to go.

“Prepare. Immediately!”

“Ye-yes, Your Majesty!”

When the chancellor withdrew trembling, Phillena immediately entered the royal palace treasury.

When she inserted the crown into the small door inside and turned, a hidden space was revealed.

Illumina’s self-defense measure she’d heard from the previous king slept there.

“They say the founding king was a master of Magus Arts that sealed something. He sealed all kinds of calamities, and among them were even things made into weapons to use for the kingdom. Inside the treasury, only one possessing the crown can open that secret vault.”

On the surface, it was a worn-out sword.

But the moment she pulled out that thing bound in chains, Phillena trembled as if receiving shock.

The intense will sealed in the sword transmitted the usage method to her mind.

A sword where the founding king sealed one calamity and extracted and contained that power.

Only once, but by swinging the sword, she could use part of the calamity.

“I must kill them all! All the demons blocking my and my child’s path!”

No castle existed anywhere that could stop Pernok who conquered even the Great Gate.

Without any interference, Pernok easily faced the royal capital.

While the royal palace guards positioned on the castle walls, Phillena wearing armor personally stood tall on the tower.

“Does a rotted bastard dare step foot on the sacred royal capital!”

The ominousness she gripped could be felt even from afar.

That sword gripped in those hands was surely the kingdom’s secret weapon Flemyr mentioned.

Beside Pernok who grasped the hideousness contained in the sword with Observation Eye, Arisha approached.

“It’s dangerous.”

Goosebumps rose even on her arms.

Even Flemyr couldn’t rashly command advance at the secret weapon difficult for even an S3 Magus to overlook.

Pernok walked alone into the middle of the battlefield where coldness hung.

“Your Highness!”

Pernok blocked the urgent voice by drawing his sword.

And he stood blankly on the wide field before the royal capital as if showing.

The bloodshot-red-eyed Phillena raised the sinister sword.

“You! If only you weren’t here!”

As if stimulated by her emotions, the worn sword turned pitch black.

“If only you didn’t exist, Vans would have inherited this nation!”

Pouring curses to die, Phillena threw the sword.

Though no power or speed was put in, the moment it floated in the air, pitch-black light burst from the sword.

Grooooar!

The indescribable, dirty, hideous thing roared.

It was a lump of pure power not composed of matter.

However, it where hundreds of years’ resentment condensed approached as violence swallowing the area while causing waves stronger than anything faced until now.

Darkness struck down Pernok like a pillar.

And Pernok lowered his sword.

Synchronization rate – 65%

Finally the moment of facing the second awakening, Pernok thought.

The first Spiritual Law contained power that directly punished souls in the Netherworld.

It transformed into nature that changed to lightning taking tangible form and interfering with matter in the lower realm.

Then how would the second Spiritual Law implemented in the lower realm unfold?

He realized the answer within the darkness he faced.

WOOSH-!

Everything penetrated through Pernok.

Pernok lightly extended his hand as if coming out for a walk.

Even stirring the darkness, his body didn’t receive impact.

It was literally the flesh’s transformation that flowed away all power.

Spiritual Law – Spirit Body Manipulation.

Spirit Body Manipulation that interfered with souls in the Netherworld reached the lower realm and ‘spiritualized’ the flesh.

Spiritual power from the living and spiritual power drawn from his own soul seeped inside and outside to make him spirit-body-friendly.

Why spiritual power reigned above all powers.

The spirit body demonstrated the significance of power transmitted from the beginning.

Because it simultaneously consumed spiritual power of the living and dead, the maintenance time wasn’t long, but in exchange, powers judged lower than spiritual power passed through him and struck bare ground.

Pernok who achieved the second awakening.

From now on, everything in the lower realm except spiritual power couldn’t interfere with him.

Arisha unhesitatingly revealed surprised air from beneath her veil.

“How…?”

Waves hard to describe in words struck down.

Even if Arisha, that thing which was hard to pass safely pierced a massive hole in the field.

But Pernok in the middle was safe.

What was absolutely impossible at his level occurred.

The abnormal phenomenon wasn’t only that.

The sword gripped in Pernok’s hand.

The artifact stimulated by the master’s awakening achieved the second evolution.

The energy formed on the sword began flowing riding Pernok’s entire body.