Chapter 181 - The End and The Beginning (3)
Henry emerged with the lightning.
There was no one that recognized Henry besides Von.
Von called out Henry’s name in a cheerful tone.
“Henry!”
“...!”
“...!”
Everyone seemed shocked by Von’s shout.
“That young guy is him?”
“...I see.”
“Henry?”
Everyone had different reactions.
In the case of McDowell and Valhald, they had heard of Henry beforehand from Von, so they had an idea of who he was.
However, this was not the case for Arthus’ knights.
Crowell, in particular, was the most surprised out of all of them.
‘Henry?’
Henry was a name he couldn't forget.
In a situation like this, a man with the same name as the great Archmage had suddenly appeared with a bolt of lightning, so of course Crowell was nervous.
With a murderous aura, Crowell demanded, “Who are you? Are you a wizard from the Magical Spire? Reveal your identity and what your affiliation is!”
“I don’t want to.”
“What?”
“What’s the point of answering that? You’re going to be dead soon anyway.”
“W-what did you just say?”
Henry’s response to Crowell’s questions was blunt.
Crowell couldn’t help being bewildered by such a confident response.
Seeing what was happening, McDowell burst into laughter while holding his stomach.
“Hahahaha! Hey Von, it’s just like you said! That guy’s seriously out of his mind.”
“See, I told you. He’s crazier than the Grand Duke.”
Henry turned his back and moved toward Von’s direction. He bowed slightly and said, “Nice to meet you. My name is Henry Morris.”
“I’m Valhald Gerakan.”
“I’m McDowell Curgs. Hey, but are you really the one and only disciple of the late Grand Duke?”
“That’s right.”
“Wow, I never expected the Grand Duke to have a secret disciple as talented as him! Even though he’s right in front of my eyes, I still can’t quite believe it.”
McDowell and Valhald had already heard the whole story from Von.
Henry smiled at McDowell’s unchanged personality.
‘McDowell is still the same as always.’
McDowell was as cheerful as the way he talked. He was a man who hated useless formalities and troublesome things.
Henry turned his gaze toward Valhald.
Valhald was the first sword in the empire and the first-ever Knight King. He usually displayed a serious countenance and had a solemn character. However, he now smiled warmly as he looked at Henry because he was genuinely happy that the late Grand Duke had nurtured a secret disciple all along.
Henry politely thanked them, “First of all, I’d like to say thank you for accepting my offer, but first, why don’t we deal with the uninvited guests before we get into details?”
“Good idea. You just wait here and watch. We’ll deal with them.”
Henry gladly complied with McDowell’s request.
McDowell sent Henry behind him and stretched his neck.
“Von, you handle the big guy over there. Valhald, you deal with Crowell. I’ll have to show them that fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”
“Huh?”
“What? Did I say something wrong?”
Contrary to his playful comment, McDowell had a sharp gaze and a fierce determination to fight.
Lupin frowned at being called a fool and placed his hand on the hilt around his waist.
“It feels weird because I keep calling out the Grand Duke’s name, but… Henry! Watch carefully. We’ll show you the true strength of the real Imperial Ten Swords, not those fake ones,” said McDowell.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Henry followed McDowell’s suggestion and decided to sit back and observe the skills of the real Imperial Ten Swords for the first time in a while.
Henry took a step back and watched the Imperial Ten Swords take their fighting stance, all of them looking vicious.
Incredibly furious, Crowell yelled, “Karas, step aside!”
“B-but, Sir Crowell, I can fight as well!”
“I told you to step aside!”
Although he had been blown away by the storm of Aura, Karas was still able to fight. However, because Crowell was genuinely angry, even Karas felt discouraged.
Karas kept his mouth shut and stepped back.
“McDowell, you’ve always looked down on me like that,” said Crowell, gritting his teeth.
“What do you mean I looked down on you? I was merely stating facts. Come to think of it, what sword were you back then? Were you the eight sword?”
“I was the seventh sword!”
“Right, you were the seventh sword! But either way, seventh or eighth, they’re both pretty insignificant.”
“Shut up!”
Crowell finally got fed up with McDowell’s ridicule.
However, McDowell was telling the truth. The only reason Crowell had managed to become the fifth sword was because Valhald and McDowell had given up their positions in the Imperial Ten Swords.
Starting with Crowell, everyone unsheathed their swords and released their Auras.
The moment McDowell was about to stop Crowell…
Boom!
Another hot storm of Aura struck Arthus’ three knights.
It was Valhald’s Aura.
He had unleashed a huge storm of Aura by swinging his sword once. This was Valhald’s main skill, Solar Storm.
Tzzzz!
“Arghhhh!”
A terrible scream could be heard in the midst of the storm, and hot steam rose into the sky.
The storm of Aura that Valhald had released was extremely hot.
“Wow!”
Henry gazed in awe at Valhald’s display of power.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen the Solar Storm.’
The Solar Storm was just one of the numerous skills in Valhald’s arsenal, but it wasn’t his defining one, so it hadn’t become his moniker like in the case of Sonic McDowell, whose ability to move at the speed of sound had brought him fame.
Valhald’s moniker was simply “Solar.” He had been called Solar Valhald during his time as the Imperial Ten Swords. He had received that moniker for the simple fact that his Aura was as hot as the sun and he could release an extensive amount of it.
The Solar Storm soon stopped. Valhald looked around with an expressionless face. Lupin and Elphun were trembling on the ground, scorched red.
The outcome was clear. Karas, Lupin, and Elphun were all peak Sword Masters, but Valhald had reached the top of the ladder as a knight.
However, Crowell was a bit different from the rest.
“Not yet…!”
“Oh?”
Crowell was the seventh sword among the former Imperial Ten Swords. He wasn’t like Lupin and Elphun.
Amused by this, McDowell said, “Wow, you’re a little different, hey? Maybe it’s because you’re from the same generation as us? Valhald and Von, you guys stay put, I’ll take care of this guy.”
“Sure.”
“Okay, why not.”
McDowell didn’t want Valhald to take away all the fun like he had already done with Lupin and Elphun, so he asked him to stay up.
McDowell gripped his sword and said, “Here I come.”
With a small warning, McDowell vanished. He moved at a speed that couldn’t be perceived by the naked eye.
Gush!
“A-argh…!”
Crowell finally regained vision on McDowell, but only after the latter’s blade had pierced through his heart.
McDowell whispered in Crowell’s ear, “Have you forgotten because it’s been so long? How dare you try and fight me with your pathetic skills?”
Gush!
McDowell pulled his sword out of Crowell’s chest.
Red blood gushed out from Crowell’s broken chest plate.
Having nothing to lean on, Crowell fell to the ground.
Thud.
Pointing his sword in a different direction, McDowell said, “Since your leader is dead, you guys should die too, right?”
“D-don’t kill…!”
Slice!
Right after Crowell’s death, Lupin froze in place and tried begging for his life, trembling from head to toes. However, McDowell swung his sword before he could even finish his pleading.
Thud!
Lupin, Elphun, and Karas’ severed heads all rolled on the ground. McDowell shook the blood of his sword and said to Henry, “You got all that?”
“As expected of the Imperial Ten Swords,” replied Henry with a satisfied smile.
Their overwhelming strength allowed for clean and sharp results.
This was the difference in power between the old and the new generation.
With this, Henry had successfully occupied the imperial palace.
All the subordinates of the Imperial Ten Swords were already dead, and the revolution was already taking place within the palace.
Now all that was left was…
‘Just him, right?’
Henry turned his head and looked at the unconscious emperor. Silver Jackson Edward II, the most powerful man in the empire, had fallen.
Henry gestured toward the emperor, who was tied with a rope.
Oong.
The emperor rose into the air.
Henry used magic on him.
When the emperor rose in the air before the four people, it was none other than McDowell who spoke first.
“I haven’t seen him in a while, but he looks even more disgusting.”
McDowell was no longer a knight and Silver Jackson was also no longer the emperor. Therefore, he was allowed to make even harsher comments.
Henry looked at the unconscious emperor with a cold gaze.
‘Silver…’
Silver was the nickname that the emperor had used to call Jackson on the battlefield when he was very young.
Silver Jackson had been quite intelligent as a child.
He had been educated and clever just like his ancestors, and everyone had praised him, saying that he would succeed the throne as a great king after Golden.
However, that future had turned out to be different.
When Golden had fallen ill and died early due to the curse of the Demon King, Silver had naturally become the new emperor.
Nevertheless, as the new emperor, Silver had pushed the boundaries of incompetence and showcased the depth of one's stubbornness. Engulfed by his own obstinacy, the emperor had created a terrible future.
Henry had climbed all the way up to this point only with the thought of revenge against the emperor and the Central Aristocrats. Right now, he had reached the point where he could kill the emperor with a single motion of his hand.
However, now that Silver was right in front of him, Henry felt very uncomfortable, like he was about to go insane.
‘Golden…’
Henry kept seeing a glimpse of Golden in Silver’s face. Silver was Golden’s only son, so it couldn’t be helped.
However, this was also the reason why Henry couldn't hate Silver as much as he wanted to.
‘I’m partially at fault too.’
Henry and Golden had been old friends. Thus, Henry had a responsibility to guide his friend’s child in the right direction before he was too far gone.
However, Henry hadn’t been able to do that.
At the time, Henry had been crazy about moving up to the next Circle after founding the empire, so he had spent most of his time in the spire.
Henry closed his eyes, and after much consideration, he came to a conclusion.
‘...All the more reason for me to put an end to this.’
Henry had ventured too deep into his errors, reaching a point of no return. Consequently, it was up to him and only him to rectify his mistakes.
Although the emperor, too, had played a part in this mistake, Arthus Highlander was the root cause of all of this.
Snap!
Henry snapped his fingers.
The emperor woke up due to the magic.
“E-eh…?”
Silver drooled as he regained consciousness.
His body and cognitive functions had deteriorated because he hadn’t been able to smoke while unconscious.
McDowell and Valhald frowned as they watched Silver.
“What the hell is wrong with him?”
“I heard he was addicted to cigarettes. I guess it was true.”
“...”
Each of them looked at him judgmentally.
Henry quietly raised his hand and quieted them down.
Snap!
He then snapped his fingers again, and emerald-colored mana surged forward, gently wrapping around Silver.
Silver fell asleep again, feeling as if he was being wrapped in a soft blanket.
Henry snapped his fingers again.
“Huh?”
Silver was back to normal and awake.
“W-where am I…?”
Henry had prepared healing magic for the Pink Swamp just in case there would be a situation like this.
Of course, this wasn’t a perfect cure. No matter how skilled Henry was, he was a wizard, not a priest.
Instead, he could get the heavy addict to act normal for a while.
Still floating in the air, Silver queried, “Valhald? McDowell?”
Silver recognized Valhald and McDowell and called out their names. However, the two stayed silent and just watched Silver.
The emperor was confused.
After he belatedly realized that he was floating in the air, he floundered and ordered to be put down.
“What are you doing?! How dare you do this?! Where’s Batz and Kinless?! Where’s Arthus?!”
However, Henry kept quiet and snapped his fingers.
Henry bent his head forward and then slowly raised it back up again.
“Y-you’re…!”
The emperor made eye contact with Henry.
What the emperor saw was none other than Henry Morris, an 8th-Circle wise old man who had stared at him at the execution site.
“H-h-how is this possible?!”
“Silver.”
“H-ha!”
Henry quietly called out Silver’s name.
Silver turned pale and started to tremble like an aspen tree being blown by the wind.
“T-this, this can’t be. I must be seeing things…!”
The emperor was not afraid of anyone in the empire except for two people. The two were none other than his father, who had passed away a long time ago, and Henry Morris, a wise old man who resembled his father.
“Silver.”
“Stop, this can't be!”
Henry called out Silver’s name once more, to which the latter shut his eyes tight, continuing to deny reality.
Henry quietly summoned the Colt Sword. There was no point in having a conversation anymore, since Silver acted like a complete lunatic despite having returned to a normal state of mind.
“Ha…”
Before swinging his sword, Henry let out a deep breath.
Silver’s death didn’t mark the end, but Henry believed that killing Silver would at least ease the sorrows of his comrades who had died first.
“Continue atoning for your sins in the afterlife,” said Henry.
Splat!
When Henry swung his sword, blood sprayed like a fountain.
Silver’s body dropped from the air.
“I’m sorry, my friend.”
Henry lowered his head and prayed. He didn’t pray for Silver, but for Golden and his comrades who had died first.
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