Chapter 2262 – The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into The Baek Family
A magnificent castle loomed ahead. It was larger than any castle I had seen in this world.
The capital of the Thorn Kingdom.
It possessed an imposing presence befitting a castle with over 500 years of history.
And that castle was surrounded by 100,000 Kairak warriors. It was the result of summoning all the forces from other battlefields to this place.
According to intelligence, the King of the Thorn Kingdom was holed up in the royal castle, unable to abandon it. If the capital fell, this war would be a victory for Kairak. There was sufficient reason to wage an all-out war.
“Unexpected,” I muttered.
The war chief, Sopong, responded to my words.
“What is it, Your Highness?”
“Shouldn’t they have surrendered by now? It wouldn’t be strange if the populace revolted?”
Those with any sense knew that the Thorn Kingdom had lost the war. It wouldn’t be unusual for them to revolt, capture the king, and hand him over to me to beg for mercy. But from what I could see, there was no sign of rebellion.
“The Thorn Kingdom has a deep history. That history is their pride. Even the common people hold that pride. Until the previous War King declared Kairak, they called us uncivilized barbarians. That useless pride is what prevents them from surrendering.”
“What a bunch of morons.”
I cursed with my mouth, but inwardly, I was pleased.
100,000 warriors were too many. There was a need to reduce their numbers, and this was the place to do it.
‘50% need to die for easier governance later. No, actually, I don’t really plan to govern much.’
In any case, I had to get rid of them after they were used.
“It’s time to end this tiresome war. Charge!”
Pooooooo!
The horn sounded, and the warriors roared as they charged.
Naturally, arrows and magic flew from the castle. I watched from behind with my arms crossed. Even if there were mages or transcendents, the nature of war in this world was mostly the same.
Arrows were largely meaningless, and magic was more like siege weaponry. High-ranking warriors would unleash sword auras to cut down magic before it could hit. This was quite effective.
‘Still, mages have an advantage on the battlefield. There’s the Archmage, too. That’s the same Archmage I saw before.’
Aura Masters, the great warriors, stepped forward to check the Archmage. Around the Archmage, another Aura Master, called a general, protected him.
It seemed that the castle walls were enchanted, as the warriors were having difficulty breaching them.
“Your Highness, are you not going to take action yourself?”
Sopong asked. I frowned and replied,
“I am the king. Watching is enough. Or do you want me to go down there and swing an axe in that sweaty place?”
“It seems you took that poorly. I did not intend to insult you, Your Highness. However, there are rumors among the lower ranks that the War King is a coward.”
“I haven’t been directly involved in the war recently. Investigate those who spread such nonsense. I’ll kill them as soon as the war is over.”
“…Understood.”
“Sopong, you don’t think that way, do you?”
“Of course not. Kairak is able to push Thorn this far thanks to Your Highness’s supplies. Only ignorant fools would doubt you. The war chiefs, including myself, know of your achievements.”
“Good to know.”
One hour.
I thought the castle gate would be breached in about an hour, but my expectations were off.
“…What is that?”
“Yes?”
“Can’t you see it? Enemies are jumping down from the castle walls and fighting the warriors. They’re fighting with only weapons and no proper armor, yet they’re overwhelming the skilled warriors?”
Sopong focused mana into his eyes and looked at the battlefield.
“…That’s strange. Their movements are clumsy. They’re clearly ignorant fools who’ve never wielded weapons. Yet they’re dodging and countering the warriors’ attacks. They don’t seem to be using aura.”
I needed to see more closely.
[Opening the Heavenly Eye.]
I looked at the enemies as if observing them. I could clearly see their facial features and even the patterns on their clothes.
“Their ears are pointed, they have three eyes, and their skin is rough like bark.”
“…Those aren’t humans.”
“Did such monsters live in the Thorn Kingdom?”
“There are no other races in the Eastern Continent. There was a purge of other races in the past, and they all migrated to the Western Continent.”
“Unless the Thorn Kingdom has gone mad, they wouldn’t bring monsters into the capital… So they’re human.”
They had turned humans into monsters. No, they were a bit lacking to be called monsters. Their physical abilities were outstanding, but that was it. The warriors were getting used to the enemies and regaining the upper hand.
‘What power did they use to transform them? It’s definitely not magic. I’ve never heard of such magic.’
The suspected power was the authority of demons. It was a power beyond common sense. Even if something like this happened, I could accept it.
‘Did demons really get involved? I can’t tell at this stage.’
Besides that, there were ancient artifacts. When strange things happened in this world, pointing to demons or ancient artifacts usually hit the mark.
Two hours passed.
The castle gate had not opened. 30,000 out of 100,000 troops had fallen. The enemies were now coming out of the castle to fight.
“Your Highness, this is strange no matter how I look at it! The enemies are definitely using evil sorcery! We should retreat and regroup!”
“Shut up, Sopong. Retreat is not an option. We will end this war here today.”
Sopong quietly turned his head. He didn’t look convinced, but there was nothing he could do. He looked up at the sky and suddenly shouted,
“Your Highness! It’s an enemy magic attack!”
I knew. I had already felt it before he shouted. Lightning manifested by magic was falling from the clear blue sky.
The thick lightning struck the ground and exploded. I had prepared in advance and protected myself with a protective aura. The protective aura surrounding my body trembled precariously like a candle in the wind.
‘If it wasn’t for the familiar lightning, my protective aura would have been pierced. Sopong… is dead.’
It wasn’t just Sopong. The escort troops around me were also torn apart by a single lightning strike.
I glared at the sky. With the Heavenly Eye open, I could see the artificial mana flow.
Pop.
An Archmage appeared in the sky.
“Well, well. You took a direct hit and are still unscathed. As expected of the War King. Impressive.”
“It’s the mage from before. You look very different? I almost didn’t recognize you.”
The court mage of the Thorn Kingdom, Archmage Biipu, had rejuvenated to his twenties. He had three eyes on his head, and his right hand, holding a magic staff, had three extra fingers, making it eight. Under his robe, tentacle-like things writhed.
“Did you sell your soul to a demon?”
“No. I have decided to serve Ompas.”
“Ompas? What kind of demon is that?”
“Ompas is not a demon but an ancient spirit. He is the one who created the Lerytree you were given.”
I was horrified as soon as I heard that.
“Damn it. My wife and daughter aren’t going to turn into something weird like you, are they?!”
“Haha. Rest assured. That will not happen. This is the price of power, and evolution. In the case of the Lerytree’s blessing, the price was paid long ago, so you only need to enjoy it.”
“If that’s what human evolution looks like, I don’t particularly want it.”
“Evolution is something that cannot be controlled. Your Highness, let’s end the war here. If you pay a reasonable compensation… Thorn is willing to end the war here.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Kairak will be destroyed.”
“Try it if you can. Isn’t that why you came to negotiate, because you can’t?”
“We prioritized negotiations because continuing the war would only result in losses. Since negotiations have failed… we must now see this through to the end.”
Biipu gestured. A living wind swirled around him. The wind soon became a storm, sweeping through the surroundings. Warriors were pulled into the sky and ravaged by the wind. Some were torn apart, some were crushed, and some fell.
“Hahaha! I can use this much magic without my mana decreasing! This is the power of Ompas! Isn’t it amazing?!”
The wind naturally rushed towards me as well. I resisted the wind with my protective aura.
“To wrap your body in an aura blade. What a fascinating way to use it!”
My protective aura was slowly being chipped away by the wind. I wouldn’t last long like this.
I summoned the Hwaryeon Flying Blade in my right hand. I could see the flow of the wind. More precisely, the flow of mana that created the wind.
‘It’s as messy as a child’s haphazard brushstrokes.’
I could see it clearly. Within this mess, the center that created the wind. Crackle. Lightning appeared in various places at that center. Dozens of lightning bolts rotated and bloomed in the shape of flower buds.
Thunder Stream Style (雷天流) – Myriad Thunder Blossoms (卍雷開花).
The lightning petals scattered in all directions, devouring the wind and seizing the space. Electricity flowed throughout the surrounding space, both on the ground and in the sky.
“The wind… ?!”
I kicked off the ground and leaped towards him.
Thunder Stream Style (雷天流) – Flying Thunder God (飛雷神).
Lightning grabbed and pulled my body.
Biipu, surprised by the faster-than-expected speed, used the magic stored in his magic staff. Blink. A short-range teleportation spell.
Thunder Stream Style (雷天流) – Falling Thunder (落雷).
I stepped on the air and fell like lightning to the ground. Biipu appeared where I was falling.
Red lightning cut through his waist and he fell to the ground. I straightened my bent knee and looked at the fallen Biipu.
“…How did you know where I would teleport with Blink? Did you read the future?”
“I can see the flow of mana. To see it means I can feel it. I read the small anomalies in the mana.”
“To have such a fraudulent ability…”
Thud.
I ended him by driving the Hwaryeon Flying Blade into Biipu’s head.
But I couldn’t rejoice just because I killed one of them. I could feel an enormous presence suppressing the surroundings from that royal castle.
‘Hmm. I don’t think I’ll lose.’
