Chapter 16: Kneel or Die
After sitting down, I immediately asked,
"System, show me Velzareth’s description."
Then a translucent blue screen appeared before my eyes.
---
[Velzareth, Warden of the Void Path]
First Regalia of the Thirteen Eternal Armors
An ancient armor forged before recorded history.
Cloaked in darkness and marked by azure runes, Velzareth grants its wielder unmatched mobility and precision.
Current Ability:
Void Step
Allows instantaneous movement within 1 meter.
Current Compatibility:
Body Tempering Realm
---
"Wow..."
I stared at the description with shining eyes.
If this was only the First Regalia, then there were still twelve more waiting to be unlocked.
A thrill ran through my body.
"I’ll unlock all of them one day."
I clenched my fist tightly.
The image of thirteen legendary armors standing behind me flashed through my mind.
DINGGG!
The sudden notification nearly made me jump.
[Reward calculated from emotional influence: Aurielle.]
[Emotional State: Happiness / Minor Trust]
[100x Return Activated.]
[As this is your first intercourse with wife Aurielle, an additional 100x Critical Multiplier has been applied.]
For a moment—
I froze.
Then my eyes widened.
My mouth slowly opened.
"...No way."
I rubbed my eyes.
Then checked again.
"...No freaking way."
A grin spread across my face.
"Finally!"
"A 10,000x Return!"
---
[Congratulations!]
Due to the 10,000x Return Effect, your reward has been upgraded from F-Rank to S-Rank.
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[S-RANK FOUNDER’S PACKAGE]
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Rewards Granted:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
1. Blackstone Guardian Legion
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• 1 Silver Knight Commander
• 10 Bronze Knights
• 100 Iron Knights
• 1,000 Body Tempering Soldiers
All troops are absolutely loyal and battle-tested veterans.
---
"System..."
I laughed.
"You really know me well."
Just this morning, I had been worried about Roland’s army.
Now I suddenly owned one.
Not just soldiers—
An actual army.
For the first time since arriving in this world, I finally felt a sense of security.
Then I moved to the next reward.
---
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2. Mana Well
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A permanent mana spring capable of continuously generating high-density mana.
Effects:
• Accelerates cultivation speed
• Improves magical crop growth
• Enhances mage training efficiency
• Gradually increases territory mana density
---
A smile appeared on my face.
"Perfect."
Blackstone Highlands desperately lacked resources.
With this alone, the territory’s future would completely change.
Warriors would grow stronger.
Mages would develop faster.
Even ordinary crops would improve.
---
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3. Healing Spring
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A natural healing lake infused with life energy.
Effects:
• Accelerates injury recovery
• Removes fatigue
• Increases soldier survival rate
• Slowly heals minor illnesses
---
"Good."
I nodded.
This wasn’t just useful.
It was life-saving.
A territory constantly fighting monsters and bandits needed healers.
But healers were expensive.
This spring could save hundreds of lives over the years.
---
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4. Arcane Sky Tower
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A mobile floating mage fortress.
Capabilities:
• Advanced camouflage
• Long-range spell bombardment
• Aerial reconnaissance
• Mobile command center
• Autonomous flight
Can silently travel across vast distances without detection.
---
My eyes nearly popped out.
"That’s cheating."
I’ve seen floating mage towers in fantasy novels and comics.
Every single one was terrifying.
They could transport elite forces.
Launch devastating magical bombardments.
Spy on enemies.
And serve as mobile fortresses.
Kingdoms would start wars for something like this.
---
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5. Time Acceleration Chamber
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A special dimensional training facility.
Time Ratio:
30 Days Inside = 1 Day Outside
Functions:
• Soldier Training
• Mage Training
• Cultivation
• Research and Development
• Skill Mastery
---
"Huh?"
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...Time?"
My heart skipped a beat.
No.
Forget S-Rank.
If someone called this an SSS-Rank treasure, I would believe them immediately.
Then a terrifying thought appeared in my mind.
I sat upright.
"Wait."
"What if I put the Mana Well and Healing Spring inside the chamber?"
The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it became.
Soldiers could train for months.
Recover instantly.
Then continue training.
Mages could cultivate thirty times faster.
Researchers could spend years developing new techniques.
The entire territory could grow at an absurd speed.
"Amazing."
I couldn’t stop laughing.
For once—
The system had given me something truly insane.
Then another thought appeared.
I immediately shook my head.
"Actually..."
"I’ll use system rewards to become stronger."
"The soldiers can do the training."
I nodded seriously.
"Yeah."
"That’s words suite for a hero"
---
After leaving the reward screen, I began returning to the territory.
The afternoon sun slowly descended toward the mountains.
Cold winds swept across Blackstone Highlands.
Roughly thirty minutes later—
The lord’s estate finally came into view.
Then my footsteps stopped.
Smoke.
Fire.
Black smoke rose into the sky from inside the estate.
The distant glow of flames reflected against the surrounding buildings.
People had gathered outside.
Merchants.
Adventurers.
Travelers.
Local civilians.
Hundreds of them stood watching from a distance.
Not helping.
Simply watching.
Like spectators enjoying a performance.
My expression darkened immediately.
"Aurielle..."
"The mages..."
A bad feeling gripped my chest.
Then I heard nearby conversations.
"Looks like Blackstone Highlands is finally changing rulers."
A merchant sighed.
"Well, everyone knew this would happen."
"I saw Roland’s family army arrive last night."
Another man laughed mockingly.
"That exiled princess really thought she could hold this territory?"
"As long as her stepbrothers and stepsisters are alive, she never stood a chance."
Then his smile became disgusting.
"By now she’s probably Roland’s toy."
"That bastard is lucky."
"I heard she’s unbelievably beautiful."
"I’d pay anything for a single night—"
My eyes turned cold.
The world suddenly felt silent.
The man kept talking.
Completely unaware.
"And that useless Hero?"
Someone asked.
The same merchant snorted.
"A failure."
"Probably dead already."
"I bet Roland had him killed this morning."
Something inside me snapped.
BANG!!!
His head exploded.
Blood and bone fragments sprayed through the air.
The crowd froze.
For a heartbeat—
Nobody moved.
Then screams erupted.
"AAAAAHHH!"
"MURDER!"
"OH GODS!"
People stumbled backward.
Some fell to the ground.
Others ran.
Panic spread instantly.
I slowly lowered my blood-covered hand.
My expression remained calm.
Ice cold.
Then I spoke.
"The husband of Aurielle Valmont."
Silence.
"The Hero summoned by the Goddess."
More silence.
"Has arrived."
A chill spread through the crowd.
No one dared speak.
No one dared move.
STEP.
STEP.
STEP.
I walked forward.
People immediately moved aside.
An empty path formed before me.
Like subjects welcoming a king.
Ahead stood the estate gate.
Ten Iron Knights.
One hundred Body Tempering soldiers.
All armed.
All waiting.
The Iron Knights wore dark steel armor marked with Roland’s insignia.
Their faces were hard.
Scarred.
Experienced.
Yet I could see mockery in their eyes.
Because unlike the civilians—
They are not afraid of me.
I stopped before the gate.
The soldiers lowered their spears.
The Iron Knights unsheathed their swords.
Steel gleamed beneath the evening sunlight.
I looked at them calmly.
Then spoke.
"Answer my call."
A faint smile appeared.
"Velzareth."
BOOOOOOM!!!
Space shattered.
Dark-blue energy erupted from the void itself.
The surrounding air distorted violently.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
Black armor emerged from darkness.
Ancient.
Majestic.
Terrifying.
Azure runes ignited across its surface.
CLICK.
CLACK.
CLICK.
One piece after another attached itself to my body.
The sound echoed like the march of death.
By the time the final piece locked into place—
Even the Iron Knights had gone pale.
The helmet vanished.
I rested Voidfang upon my shoulder.
The black blade reflected the burning mansion behind me.
The soldiers tightened their grips.
Sweat appeared on several foreheads.
I activated mana.
Then shouted.
"EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE MY SUBJECTS—"
BOOOOOOM!!!
My voice exploded across the territory.
Windows rattled.
Dust fell from rooftops.
Birds scattered into the sky.
People covered their ears.
Several civilians nearly collapsed from the pressure.
The soldiers flinched.
I pointed my sword toward them.
"FROM THIS MOMENT FORWARD—"
"ALL TRAITORS WILL BE EXECUTED!"
"HAVE NO EXPECTATION OF MERCY!"
The wind roared around me.
Smoke billowed through the air.
"THAT’S WHY SURRENDER NOW"
The blackstone gate guards exchanged nervous looks.
But then—
"HAAAH!"
One of Roland’s Iron Knights charged.
A tall man with a scar running across his face.
His sword flashed.
The other knights followed immediately.
Trying to overwhelm me before I could act.
I sighed.
"Sigh..."
Then snapped my fingers.
SNAP.
The world trembled.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Massive magic circles appeared behind me.
They covered the entire road.
The earth shook violently.
The crowd screamed and ran.
The charging knights stopped dead in their tracks.
Their faces turned white.
WHOOOOOOOSH!!!
Armor clashed.
Boots struck the ground.
The Blackstone Guardian Legion appeared like a tide of steel.
One thousand soldiers.
One hundred Iron Knights.
Ten Bronze Knights.
And at the very front—
A Silver Knight Commander.
Her silver armor radiated overwhelming pressure.
The aura alone made Roland’s knights struggle to breathe.
The battlefield became silent.
The enemy soldiers stared in horror.
Their confidence shattered completely.
Their lips trembled.
Like they want to ask, does my offer still valid?
But I just smiled.
A cold smile.
Then raised Voidfang.
The gate guards looked at the legion.
Then at me.
Then at the Silver Knight Commander.
Their faces lost all color.
Fear filled their eyes.
And for the first time—
They realized they had chosen the wrong side.
[Chapter End]
