77. Helmundt Extermination War (2)

The crimson whirlwind blew fiercely towards everyone.

The primal Transcended, momentarily surprised by its force, hastily retreated, creating distance between themselves and Arendal.

No matter how formidable the primal Transcended were, they lacked the confidence to face Helmundt’s Arendal in a head-on confrontation.

‘How absurd.’

Strength, speed, stamina.

Everything was in their favor.

Even Helmundt was ultimately just human, so his physical abilities were bound to pale in comparison to those who had reached the edge of Transcendence.

Furthermore, Arendal was a wounded beast.

His condition was likely poor, yet the fighting spirit he exuded seemed limitless, and the possibility of victory when crossing swords seemed nonexistent.

“Lord, we will join you!”

“Knights of Helmundt! Draw your swords, all of you-!”

Naturally, the knights of Helmundt also assumed their stances, joining the fray to protect Arendal.

“Stand aside.”

Conversely, Arendal rejected their aid.

“You’re in the way.”

At Arendal’s words, the knights of Helmundt hesitated, stopping in their tracks.

A deeply humiliating situation for a knight.

He was saying that their very presence would be a detriment to the battle strength.

“Understood.”

The knights of Helmunth retreated without hesitation.

If the Lord deemed it so, then so it was.

They were neither of the rank, nor position to question; they could only believe blindly.

Therefore, there was only one thing to do.

“Move out! Escort the non-combatants and the direct line!”

An aging, middle-aged knight raised his greatsword, gesturing outwards.

Judging by the screams and commotion from outside, the smoke rising into the sky…

It seemed the nearby village was also under attack.

The retreating transcendent beings merely glanced at the Helmunth knights fleeing.

They did not stop them, nor give chase.

Arundel was their only priority, a goal etched in their minds.

“Father—!”

“Young Master, you must go!”

Edel, the youngest, sobbed, reaching for Arundel, but Jonathan scooped him up and ran towards the outside.

The situation outside the manor was no better.

From the low-level transcendent beings, deemed unhelpful in Arundel’s subjugation, to the magical beasts they commanded…

They were massacring the nearby village; the Helmunth knights swiftly drew their greatswords, engaging them in combat.

“Heh heh! Hee hee!”

“……?”

Jonathan, witnessing the slaughter, giggled. He bit his lip hard, trying to suppress it.

But ultimately, he could not contain himself. He hastily pulled out a handkerchief, gagging himself with it.

“Wh-What are you doing?”

Edel looked at Jonathan, bewildered.

“Mmph mmmph.”

But Jonathan, his mouth already bound, could not reply. He simply gestured for Edel to stay close behind him.

* * *

“…….”

The royal palace, the guest chamber.

There, the Grand Master resided, under protection, surveillance, or imprisonment, depending on one’s perspective.

She remained steadfastly in her place, even as she watched Evergarde descend into chaos beyond the window.

Regardless of the Princess’s trust, she was, after all, under protection and surveillance during this time.

To move carelessly could only invite unnecessary misunderstandings.

‘Those fellows are there anyway. That should be enough.’

Not only Isaac and Sylverna, but also the direct line of Helmunts were in Evergarde.

Without much worry, she waited patiently for the chaos to subside.

Screech.

The locked door opened with an unsettling smoothness.

The man who entered wore a light smile, looking almost like a thief.

But that was a technique to lull the opponent into complacency, one that the Grand Master had directly taught.

“Damaen? I distinctly told you to wait at the Rocky Peaks.”

Damaen.

Her disciple, who had been with the Grand Master at the Rocky Peaks.

He scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.

“I grew worried when the Master didn’t come, so I came looking. I never imagined you’d be in the Royal Palace.”

“Hmm, how did you know I was here?”

The Grand Master folded her arms.

Sensing that the question wasn’t delivered in a particularly welcoming tone, Damaen cautiously opened his mouth.

“The patrons informed me. They said I should visit the Master.”

“……”

Just then, blue mana began to ripple right beside Damaen.

Then it took on a human form; that was their method of communication.

A consciousness body.

The consciousness was here, but the location of the body remained unknown.

A very unique, yet independent means of contact.

– We were surprised.

The faceless man who had arrived as a consciousness body let out a chuckle, but it wasn’t a pleasant sound.

Rather, it was closer to mockery.

– We asked you to persuade the man who broke Helmunts’s sword, but instead, you’ve become the Princess’s dog.

“You would do well to watch your words.”

The Grand Master, arms crossed, bared their teeth.

“I find myself, shall we say, less than pleased–”

– …….

“And a good portion of that displeasure rests upon your shoulders.”

– Are you implying you had reason to betray us?

“That tone grates. You, who promised to seek my friends in lieu of true cooperation, proved so lukewarm that I sought assistance elsewhere.”

– …We are still searching.

“Then, were you aware that the man who vanquished Helmont, as you say, is a disciple of my own brotherhood?”

The faceless man offered no reply.

The Grand Master, in turn, offered a mocking smile.

“Incompetent.”

– So, you will sever ties with us over this?

“Well, I find you no longer quite…necessary?”

The Grand Master shrugged.

To her, the faceless man spoke with a smile.

– Excellent, all the better. We, too, have changed our benefactor.

“Hmm?”

– From this day forward, the world will belong to the Ascendants. And our ‘patrons’ have resolved to support them.

“…You speak of betrayal, yet you betray your own kind.”

– It is for survival. Must we not preserve the human race?

“As cattle? A fascinating viewpoint.”

– You have experience in such matters, do you not? Perhaps you could offer some advice?

“…….”

The Grand Master’s mouth clamped shut.

However, the murderous intent radiating from her entire being was raw, unadulterated, and unlike anything witnessed before.

– Behold, today the Kingdom’s Sword will be broken. And before long, the Ascendants will begin their true work.

The Kingdom’s Sword?

Arandel Helmont?

The Grand Master’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The mention of Arandel momentarily unsettled her, but she issued a warning towards the fading consciousness of the man before her.

“Never let me see you again, or you’ll find death waiting.”

– Remember it well.

And like that, the faceless man vanished.

With a sigh, the Grand Master shook her head. Her disciple, Damaen, asked cautiously,

“M-Master. If Arandel dies, won’t war begin immediately?”

For the Transcended fear only Arandel.

However, the Grand Master shook her head.

“I have already crossed blades with Arandel. He is not one to fall so easily.”

“I-Is that so?”

“I have never seen strength like his-“

The Grand Master, seemingly longing for a smoke, smacked her lips before turning her gaze back to the window.

“The decision of life and death, rests solely in Arandel’s own hands, one might say.”

* * *

The sun slowly began its descent.

The thunder of hooves grew louder, echoing near Helmont at last.

The villagers, again fearful of some new horror, soon recognized the riders and their anxiety eased.

“Ah! Lady Lianna!”

“Oh, have you arrived!”

“Lady Lianna has returned!”

It was exactly two days after the Evergarde terror.

The royal carriage, the Pegasus, had been damaged, forcing them to travel here on horseback.

The horses, weary from the relentless pace, showed their exhaustion, but at least they had arrived.

Following Lianna were Isaac and Silverna, and Princess Clarice with her guard.

Their faces, understandably, were grim.

The number of Helmont’s knights seemed greatly diminished, and the people, scurrying through the ruined remains, looked like nothing more than field mice.

Even two days later, the corpses had not been fully cleared, a testament to the ferocity of the Transcended’s attack.

“Oh, you’ve arrived! Sister!”

Just then, Edel, who had been leading the village’s reconstruction efforts, came running, tears in her eyes.

Lianna dismounted and embraced her youngest sibling before asking carefully,

“What happened here?”

“Two, two days prior. The Transcendent came seeking.”

Two days prior.

It perfectly overlapped with the Evergard terror attack.

So their true objective was, indeed, Helmund.

“The so-called Primordial Transcendent were a whole five strong, they said. Yet, Father faced them alone—.”

What Edel relayed thereafter was astounding.

A battle that lasted a full day and a half.

Explosions, like the crash of relentless lightning, continued to reverberate, until the din of combat ceased just hours before they arrived.

“…The sky is still crimson.”

Isaac, who had been listening to the explanation from behind, muttered softly.

So much Red Descent had been unleashed that the sky visible beyond the storm clouds retained a bloody hue.

The mana in the atmosphere was intensely thick.

A testament to the fierce and desperate struggle that had unfolded.

The second son, Armin, was nowhere to be seen.

He wanted to know what had happened, but Arundel took precedence.

They passed through the village, heading straight for the manor.

“Please, Arundel. Please…”

The expression on Princess Klaris’ face, as she followed behind, had turned ashen.

Her muttering, as if a prayer, carried a palpable desperation.

“The kingdom still needs you.”

The moment Arundel vanished, the Transcendents’ assault would undoubtedly erupt.

However, there was still no successor ready to take Arundel’s place.

Praying that Arundel had been victorious, the supporting forces arrived at the manor’s entrance.

In truth.

Couldn’t it be said that the matter was already decided?

Isaac thought so as he approached the manor.

‘If, by chance, the Transcendent had won…’

The village below could never have remained unscathed like this.

It would have been reduced to rubble, everyone there greeting them as corpses.

That was why Isaac was wagering on Arundel’s victory.

That he single-handedly slew five Prime Transcendents, it was hard to believe, even so.

But.

Now it could no longer be called a mansion.

The instant they arrived at the ruins, with only the entrance remaining, Isaac had no choice but to believe.

Helmut’s pride, the rose garden, had already vanished.

The roses of the garden were all snapped by the aftermath of the battle, only the petals covering the ground.

And buried amongst those petals, the Transcendents.

So many Transcendents sprawled across the ground, and they had all met a gruesome end.

And.

The dark clouds hung like a curtain in the sky.

Beneath it, the man awaited them all.

Upon the ruins.

Arundel Helmut, sitting silently, slowly turned his eyes toward those who sought him out.

“Lord Arundel! You’re safe!”

The moment Claris cried out with a bright smile, Isaac’s arm stopped her.

“Isaac?”

“……”

He didn’t want to believe it.

No, it was more accurate to say he couldn’t believe it.

“Ah, Virdge?”

Liana, too, sensing an ominous feeling, voiced her question. But Arundel did not answer, and simply gazed at those who had come to him.

He was not dead.

Nor was he broken.

He was neither crushed, nor defeated.

He simply sat in silence.

As if awaiting the next battlefield.

His figure, sitting amidst the scattered rose petals, instilled a fear that surpassed even awe.

“I have been waiting.”

Arundel muttered in a low voice, reaching again for his greatsword.

“I, I, Isaac… that—”

Sylverna’s eyes flickered, a tremor betraying she’d seen a form akin to this before.

Isaac, too, found himself adrift, unable to grasp the ‘why’ of it all.

And yet, it felt dizzyingly like the worst imaginable future, realized.

But, what was done, was done.

“Brace yourself.”

He bit down hard on his lip, his hands settling on the swords at his sides.

For Arundel’s blood-red eyes were now tainted black.

Evidence, unmistakable, of subservience.