Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 133

Northward Expedition’s End

1

Thud! Rumble!

In the arid wasteland, a sound like thunder cracked through the clear sky, and a cloud of red dust billowed up. Within the red dust, eight hero-class Gigant Atlases [large, humanoid war machines], with the Avenger at their center, moved in a swirling motion, wielding their greatswords. Each time they attacked, impact auras tore through the air, and the sound of metal clashing echoed like thunder, accompanied by thick sparks.

‘Tch, this is not easy,’ Luke muttered, completely surrounded by the Baroque Empire’s Imperial Guard. He hastily thrust his greatsword forward, blocking Baron Curian’s surprise attack. Just then, an Atlas of an Imperial Guard member, rushing from behind, struck the back of Luke’s Avenger with a greatsword.

Clang—!

‘Damn, did I get hit again?’ Luke thought. Fortunately, the back armor was layered with shield magic, so it didn’t sustain significant damage. However, it seemed that it couldn’t completely block the full-force impact aura of a Sword Master, as a long scratch remained on the back armor.

‘Die, traitor!’ one of the guards yelled.

‘Hmph! You got lucky with a clumsy attack, and now you’re all puffed up!’ Luke retorted.

Kwaaang!

Luke quickly fired a Fire Explosion spell at the Atlas behind him, blocking the continuous attacks. Although he shook off the attackers, the encirclement remained firm, and the relentless attacks were fierce. The Imperial Guards attacked in groups of two to five, following pre-arranged paths, and then retreated. Conversely, when Luke tried to counterattack, those who were waiting joined in, blocking his sword or magic, maintaining a hexagram formation. Thanks to this, Luke had to endure a constant barrage of coordinated attacks, while the Imperial Guard could conserve their stamina and aura, giving them an advantage in the battle. It wasn’t easy to break through the encirclement using Blink [a short-range teleportation ability]. The moment he showed any sign of using Blink, an attack would immediately come.

‘Tch, is this the Great Superhuman Combined Formation? It’s more troublesome than I thought.’ In fact, similar formations existed in the Baroque Empire army and the Symphonia Kingdom army. However, they were not as systematic or organized as this. These combined formations were merely temporary measures to hold out until an ally superhuman arrived. But the Baroque Imperial Guard was not using a temporary measure; they were using a meticulously constructed combined formation designed to kill their opponent. And each individual’s swordsmanship was at the level of a Sword Master, not far behind Luke’s.

In response, Luke abandoned his previous swordsmanship and began to use the latter part of the Gold Sword technique in earnest. Whoooosh! The golden aura emanating from the Avenger’s greatsword, as if it would burn the world, made Curian and the Imperial Guards look surprised.

‘T-the latter part of the Gold Sword! The latter part should have been lost from the Lacan family, how…!’ Over 400 years ago, after the 6th head of the family, Saul de Lacan, was killed by a Hydra assassin, the latter part of the Gold Sword was secretly passed down only within the Baroque Imperial Family, who had stolen the secret. But how could Luke have mastered it? Surprised, they scattered and regrouped, blocking Luke’s attacks.

Clang! Bang! Crash! Each time they blocked an attack, an enormous shockwave, like an exploding shell, surged through them. Some Imperial Guards rolled awkwardly on the ground, but they managed to escape with the help of their comrades. The latter part of the Gold Sword was so terrifying that it completely reversed the previous battle situation. However, Baron Curian’s eyes were not so dark after exchanging several attacks and defenses. No, he was triumphant.

‘His latter part of the Gold Sword is not perfect!’ He knew this because he had often sparred with Emperor Rudolf, who had perfectly mastered the latter part of the Gold Sword. According to the Emperor, to complete the latter part of the Gold Sword, one had to reach the level of a Sword Sage and then gain an enlightenment. Otherwise, even if one used the latter part of the swordsmanship, its full power would not be unleashed.

‘Luke’s skills are stronger than I expected, but I can handle him! No, if I exploit his weaknesses, I can crush him with the Great Superhuman Combined Formation!’ Luke was using magic attacks in conjunction to compensate for the gaps in the latter part of the Gold Sword. But now that a weakness had been discovered, that was the end of it. Curian, judging that they needed to use their trump card to deliver a decisive blow to Luke, changed his stance and focused his aura on his greatsword. Then, the aura flickering on the greatsword changed to a different color than before.

‘That is?’ Luke’s eyes widened as he saw Curian’s aura turn golden, and then he gritted his teeth. ‘How dare you use the Gold Sword!’

‘Hahaha! The Emperor bestowed it upon us!’ Not only Baron Curian but also five of the Imperial Guards manifested golden auras. Although no one was skilled enough to master the latter part, they had properly mastered the first part.

‘I will end your life with your ancestor’s legacy!’

‘You shameless thieves!’ Luke quickly converted ether into mana and further strengthened the shield magic he had placed on his vital areas. However, the power of the Gold Sword surpassed the previous impact aura.

Clang—! Crack! Luke’s attacks began to be blocked by the much faster and stronger sword strikes. Conversely, the armor of the Avenger, which had allowed an attack, rang like a bell, and its joints screamed as if they were about to break. As the staggering Avenger tried to fly into the sky using Fly magic, the Atlases of the Imperial Guards jumped first and struck down with their swords. In response, Luke immediately used Blink, but in the process of narrowly avoiding the attack, he lost his greatsword. The skills of the Imperial Guards were more outstanding than Luke had thought. The Great Superhuman Combined Formation was also powerful, and he never expected them to have mastered the Gold Sword as well.

‘Tch, this is really not easy.’ Curian smiled slyly at his words, having barely escaped the crisis. ‘Hehehe! Even His Majesty the Emperor struggled for over two hours against the Great Superhuman Combined Formation. Do you think you, who are inferior to His Majesty, can withstand it?’

‘Indeed… it seems difficult like this.’ Luke readily acknowledged the power of the Great Superhuman Combined Formation. It really seemed impossible to defeat them with just swordsmanship and white magic alone. As if giving up, the Avenger slowly raised both hands.

‘What? Are you trying to surrender now?’

‘Surrender? Don’t be ridiculous. As a token of gratitude for pushing me this far, I’m going to show you something other than swordsmanship and magic.’

‘What do you mean?’

Crack! Rumble! As an ominous energy flowed from the Avenger’s hands, the Imperial Guards’ faces changed. ‘This is similar to the black magic that His Majesty used to employ…’ There were already rumors that Luke de Lacan had mastered black magic. Emperor Rudolf had even ordered Count Voltaire to spread the rumors even more. While Curian was wondering if it was possible, fierce sparks like lightning shot out from the Avenger’s fingertips.

Kwaaaang—!

‘D-dodge it!’ The violet flashes that had soared into the sky split into eight, pouring down on the Imperial Guards like lightning. It was as if violet lightning had struck. Curian and the Imperial Guards who had mastered the Gold Sword quickly dodged. However, the Atlases of those who could not were shattered by the violet lightning.

‘T-this is what the high-ranking demon summoned in the Imperial City used…’

‘That’s right. It’s Cowlen’s Thunder Bringer.’

‘C-crazy!’ Curian wanted to scream that it was impossible. How could a human use the abilities of a high-ranking demon! Even if he had mastered black magic, it was not something he could do. But he couldn’t deny the situation unfolding before his eyes. The violet lightning he had just seen was clearly the same as what the high-ranking demon, who had appeared in the Imperial City and caused chaos, had used. Luke, with a cruel smile, said to the trembling and horrified Curian, ‘Since you attacked me with stolen swordsmanship, I will crush you with stolen abilities.’ Now that he had explored enough, it was time to annihilate them all.

2

Luke had foreseen the Imperial Guards’ assassination plan. A spy from the Baroque Empire’s intelligence department, who remained in Sherwood—that is, a familiar [a magical creature bound to a mage]—had reported, ‘The Imperial Guard was asking about the location of the King’s residence.’ Therefore, Luke deliberately emptied the lord’s manor in Sherwood to wipe them out all at once. He had even withdrawn the servants and the escort knights. Of course, commanders, including Belik and Philip, opposed this plan, but Luke said this: ‘I plan to teleport them far away with a teleportation magic circle. It would be troublesome if our allies got caught up in it, wouldn’t it?’ At these words, the commanders, who knew Luke’s magical abilities well, eventually agreed without complaint, and the troops around the lord’s manor were also withdrawn. After the evacuation was completed, Luke constructed a magic circle in the lord’s manor that would send all the Imperial Guards flying. The problem was that the magic circle was different from ordinary teleportation magic circles. The magic circle, which had black magic formulas for summoning demons, contained the coordinates of the demon realm.

About 500 years ago, during Seymon’s time, Luke, curious about what the demon realm was like, had used the demon summoning magic circle in reverse to go to the demon realm himself. Luke was shocked by the harsh and unforgiving environment, from the air that made up the atmosphere to the water and soil, which were too harsh for humans to live in. Understanding why the demons had become so rough and strong, and why they coveted the middle realm, he quickly returned after a brief investigation. Why did Luke take the Imperial Guards to such a place? ‘Hehehe. Because if it’s the demon realm, there’s no one to complain even if I use all my abilities.’ When Luke sparred with the Sword Masters of Symphonia, except for Philip, he could not use abilities other than swordsmanship and magic. The moment he used black magic or demonic abilities, his vassals would surely cause an uproar. Luke was honestly stressed about using only half of his abilities. However, the demon realm was different. If he killed all the Imperial Guards here, there would be no one to complain. So, dreaming of stress relief and a perfect crime, he brought them here, but they showed him something interesting, which made him drag out the time longer than planned. That was the Great Superhuman Combined Formation that they had confidently presented. The Great Superhuman Combined Formation they were using was much more systematic and effective than what the Symphonia Kingdom army had learned.

‘This is quite useful, isn’t it? If I use it against Rudolf or Arsen later…’ He planned to build up his strength sufficiently before confronting his enemies, but things in the world do not always go as planned. In fact, he had failed once. If Karen had not turned back time and space with the power of time in the future, he would have lost everything after being defeated by Hiros, who claimed to be a descendant of Lacan. ‘So, I have to prepare. I need to secure all the means and methods to win.’ So, he changed his plan to wipe out the Imperial Guards at once and decided to steal their Great Superhuman Combined Formation. To understand how to maintain the formation and the attack and defense patterns, he deliberately used only swordsmanship and magic, inducing them to unleash all their techniques. No, he didn’t actually use only swordsmanship and magic. Although it was not reflected in his combat power, he used the ability of the fallen angel, Insight, which he had absorbed after thoroughly ridiculing them during the military parade before the war. ‘There’s nothing better than this for understanding and stealing an opponent’s abilities.’ With Insight, their methods were clearly visible to his eyes. Later, it was unexpected that Curian and some of the Imperial Guards used the Gold Sword, but the Gold Sword was not much different from the attacks they had shown so far, except that it enhanced the power of the Great Superhuman Combined Formation. Thinking that further exploration was meaningless, Luke decided to use all of his demonic abilities, as well as black magic, to wipe them out.

‘Thousand Bullets!’

Swoosh! Swoosh! As the ether globe in his heart transformed into a black circle, hundreds of violet spheres formed around the Avenger. The magic bullets, which flew faster than the speed of sound, fiercely pounded the Atlases of the Imperial Guards. Bang! Bang! Bang! As hundreds of magic bullets, with power stronger than cannonballs, poured down like a rainstorm, the armor of the Atlases was instantly turned into rags. At this point, the Great Superhuman Combined Formation was no longer effective.

‘Number 3 is destroyed! Number 7 is also half-destroyed!’

‘Lord Curian! Please come up with a countermeasure…!’ While the Imperial Guards were falling one by one, Curian, their leader, could not find a suitable method. It was only natural, as they had never trained to defeat an opponent who used black magic or demonic abilities. Fortunately, because they had the skills of a Sword Master and were riding hero-class Gigants, the Imperial Guards were able to avoid being annihilated instantly. Curian, who had been racking his brain, gritted his teeth.

“I’m sorry. I need you to clear a path.”

“Wh, what are you trying to do… Aaaah!”

Curian used his half-destroyed Atlas as a shield and charged towards Luke’s Avenger.

Thud, thud, thud!

“Hmph, using cheap tricks.”

Luke scoffed and focused his magic bullets on them.

While countless magic bullets pounded, Curian closed the distance and thrust his greatsword into the core engine of the Atlas he was using as a shield.

Fizzzz!

The destroyed core engine quickly turned red-hot and was about to explode.

“Wh, what… !”

Startled, Luke stopped his attack. Curian threw the Atlas away and leaped back with all his might.

KWA-AA-AAANG!

“Aaaah!”

The Atlas’s core engine exploded, and a terrifying shockwave shook the ground.

The Imperial Guards’ Gigants [large, humanoid war machines], unable to dodge in time, were tossed into the air and tumbled on the ground like tin cans. A cloud of dust soared high into the sky.

After a moment, the ground around the large crater trembled, and Curian’s Atlas emerged.

He had been lying prone when the engine exploded and had just gotten up.

“Hehehe. As expected, the explosion of a hero-class Gigant is quite powerful.”

If it exploded properly, it could wipe out a small castle as if it had been shaved with a razor.

That’s why riders were careful not to damage the core engine of their opponent’s Gigant as much as possible during Gigantic Duels [formalized battles between Gigants].

“Did that Luke guy get blown to bits? It would be nice if I could at least collect his head…”

While Curian was eagerly looking around to see Emperor Rudolf’s pleased face, the other Imperial Guards, who had been knocked down by the explosion, crawled out of the ruins one by one.

Their Gigants were a mess, but more of his comrades were alive than he had expected.

“Ugh, Curian, you bastard!”

“You should have said something before doing that!”

“Cough! More importantly… I’ve been feeling it since a while ago, but the air here feels too stuffy?”

“Yeah. Where the heck are we? Is this the desert in the west of the continent?”

The Imperial Guards, having abandoned their wrecked Gigants and climbed out of their cockpits, covered their noses and mouths, frowning as they looked around.

Then, they widened their eyes as if they had discovered something.

Their gaze was directed towards the sky.

Luke’s Avenger was slowly descending from the sky.

Although its armor was riddled with shrapnel, it didn’t seem to have sustained any major damage.

“Th, this can’t be! How?”

The most shocked person was Count Curian, who had believed he had defeated Luke.

He gritted his teeth as he watched the Avenger slowly walk towards him.

‘I don’t know how he survived that explosion, but he must have taken more damage than he’s showing. I’ll finish him off for sure!’

Gathering all his aura at the tip of his sword, he charged fiercely towards the Avenger and swung his greatsword down savagely.

“Die, traitor!”

Clang!

It was a full-powered strike.

However, instead of cleaving the Avenger’s head, the greatsword that struck it shattered in half with a metallic sound.

“Wh, how?”

“Hehehe! How? There’s always a way.”

Luke sneered at the dumbfounded Curian.

Just before being caught in the Atlas’s explosion, he had deployed a shield magic and simultaneously amplified his demonic ability, Build Up, into the core engine.

As a result, the Avenger’s outer armor became several times stronger.

That was why it had not been severely damaged by the core engine explosion, and why it was unharmed even after taking Curian’s full-powered attack head-on.

“Ugh, you demon! You’re a demon, Luke de Rakan!”

As Curian, unable to believe the reality, lashed out with accusations, Luke gave a cold sneer.

“Yes, a demon created by the likes of you.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Luke struck Curian’s Atlas with the Avenger’s fist.

Kwaang!

The Atlas, struck by the iron fist, flew dozens of meters before crashing to the ground.

The impact of the blow was so strong that the Atlas’s head detached from its body and rolled on the ground like a ball.

“Oh, no!”

The Imperial Guards, who had been watching the fight from a short distance, took a few hesitant steps back before fleeing.

With even Count Curian defeated, they had lost all their fighting power and will.

‘I’m not running away right now. I’m just trying to inform His Majesty that Luke de Rakan has gained demonic powers!’

‘His Majesty also struggled against the demons. We must inform him as soon as possible so that he can prepare a countermeasure!’

Luke pretended not to notice them as they ran away, making excuses for themselves.

However, Count Curian, the leader of the Imperial Guards, was different.

He broke open the hatch of his no-longer-moving Atlas and came out, scowling at his fleeing comrades.

“Ugh! Can’t you come back! You idiots!”

He believed that even if their Gigants were destroyed, Imperial Guards should fight to the end against the enemy.

“Come back right now! Or else…”

“Aaaah!”

One of the fleeing Imperial Guards was suddenly sucked into the ground.

Startled, the Imperial Guards stopped and quickly drew their swords from their waists, scanning the ground.

They sensed vibrations of something moving underground.

However, the ‘enemy’ was not only underground.

Demonic creatures, half-human and half-bird, emerged from the hazy sandstorm and attacked the Imperial Guards.

Kieeeeeeek!

“Wh, what is that! Aaaah!”

The Imperial Guards quickly coated their swords with aura and swung them.

However, their opponents were not monsters that could be killed for fun. They were Kinons, high-ranking demons that reigned as predators in the harsh environment of the Demon Realm.

No matter how many of their kind were cut down, they rushed at the Imperial Guards, baring their sharp teeth and venomous claws.

“Aaaah! Save me!”

Those who barely escaped the Kinons were grabbed by antlion-like demons and dragged into the ground.

“Hiiiik!”

Curian’s face turned pale as he watched his comrades being devoured alive and buried alive in an instant.

“Wh, where is this…?”

“Didn’t I tell you at the beginning? Welcome to hell. This isn’t the Middle Realm, it’s the Demon Realm.”

Curian was shocked by Luke’s nonchalant reply.

Although the environment was a bit strange, he had never imagined it was the Demon Realm.

Luke then ‘comforted’ him.

“Don’t be too disappointed. I’ll send the emperor you admire to this hell soon.”

“Ugh! Luke, you… !”

“Well, I don’t know if you’ll be able to live that long.”

With those mocking words, the Avenger gradually turned transparent. Luke, having finished his business, was returning to the Middle Realm.

“Wa, wait! Wait!”

In desperation, Curian tried to run and cling to the Avenger.

But Luke had already left, and Curian was left flailing his hands in the air before collapsing onto the dry ground.

Then, the demons, having finished their first feast, swarmed towards him.

Kueeeek!

Kieeeeeeek!

The demons fought fiercely to claim the last remaining prey, a delicacy they were tasting for the first time.

And the victor grabbed Curian’s neck and dragged him away.

“Aaaah! Save me! Please save me, Your Majesty!”

Count Curian’s desperate cries for help echoed pathetically across the desolate sky of the Demon Realm.

3

“Isn’t something wrong?”

“Don’t jinx it. No news is good news.”

The Symphonia Kingdom army commanders, who had entered the lord’s manor, were waiting for Luke to return.

They had been waiting, believing Luke’s words that he would throw them far away in some strange place, but as he had not returned for nearly two hours, they were slowly starting to worry.

Woo-oong!

At that moment, the Avenger appeared before them.

They were startled by the sight of the armor riddled with shrapnel, but they breathed a sigh of relief only after seeing Luke safely emerge from the cockpit.

“Why are you so late?”

Luke shrugged his shoulders and replied to Belik’s resentful question.

“I was going to come back right away, but those guys showed me something interesting. So I was a bit late because I was playing around.”

“Tch! I should have gone with you.”

Belik, who was not satisfied with the Gigantic Duel, grumbled and looked towards the north where the enemy camp was located.

“Anyway, what will happen tomorrow morning will be quite a sight.”

“It will be quite a sight. So, go to sleep now so you don’t oversleep.”

Belik nodded at Luke’s words and returned to his quarters. Luke and the other commanders did the same.

However, some of the engineering corps officers and soldiers unfortunately had to stay up all night repairing the collapsed wall of the lord’s manor.

As Luke had promised, the Barok Empire army camp across the river to the north was in an uproar the next morning.

“Wh, what! The Imperial Guards have all disappeared?”

“Yes, sir. No one saw when they left.”

Marquis Vanden slumped down in his seat at his adjutant’s words.

‘Damn it! How could those Sword Masters, the Emperor’s Imperial Guards, run away?’

After a moment of blank expression, he turned red with anger and gave an order.

“Find them immediately! Deserting the camp during wartime is a crime punishable by immediate execution!”

“But sir, if we do that, the soldiers’ morale…”

The already low morale could plummet even further.

“Ugh! That’s right. Find them anyway!”

At Vanden’s urging, the adjutant quietly organized a search party to track down the Imperial Guards.

However, even though it was kept secret, the rumor that the Imperial Guards had disappeared could not be stopped from spreading.

This was because the Symphonia Kingdom soldiers on the Sherwood walls were shouting and spreading the news.

“What are you guys doing? The Imperial Guards ran away at dawn!”

“You guys should pack up and go home too! We’re tired of fighting!”

At the enemy’s mocking shouts, the officers tried to calm the soldiers, telling them not to fall for the trick.

However, since the Imperial Guards, who had been showing off their presence until the day before, were nowhere to be seen, the camp could not help but be in turmoil.

“Did the Imperial Guards really run away?”

“Shouldn’t we also get out of here?”

The Barok Empire army was in great turmoil.

Although there were no deserters yet, the soldiers’ morale had dropped significantly due to the Imperial Guards’ departure, and it seemed like the army would collapse at any moment.

Vanden could not help but be furious when he heard this report.

“Damn it! These guys are determined to screw me over!”

Enraged, Vanden contacted Emperor Rudolf through magical communication and informed him of the Imperial Guards’ desertion.

He tried to take action before the deserters could spread false information, but the Emperor did not believe him at all.

– The Imperial Guards ran away? What nonsense are you spouting!

“I apologize, but it is the truth…”

– Shut up! I already heard from Curian that you engaged in a ridiculous Gigantic Duel to make up for your late arrival. What are you trying to do by slandering them!

Emperor Rudolf, who knew the Imperial Guards’ loyalty well, did not believe Vanden’s words at all.

Instead, he threatened that he would not let him off if he did not recapture Sherwood Castle.

‘Haa, are they really determined to get rid of me?’

A traitor is never trusted.

It’s because once someone betrays, they are suspected of being able to betray again.

Even though his position within the Baroque military was already shaky, Vanden, who had volunteered as the commander of the support forces, couldn’t help but feel bitter.

‘Should I just surrender to the Symphonia Kingdom?’

There’s no reason why he couldn’t betray a second time.

However, Vanden soon shook his head.

Even if he was a high-level Sword Master, they wouldn’t appoint someone who had betrayed twice to a high position.

Moreover, he had family and loyal retainers remaining in the Baroque Empire. If he betrayed, they would all be massacred.

‘Alright, in this situation, I’ll break through this crisis head-on! It’s not over yet!’

Vanden, thinking that the opportunity wasn’t completely gone, boarded his Hero-class Gigant [a large, humanoid war machine], ‘Yeti,’ and went out in front of Sherwood Castle’s gates.

“What is that guy?”

“Is he perhaps asking for another Gigantic Duel?”

While the Symphonia Kingdom soldiers on the castle walls were puzzled, Vanden shouted through the Gigant’s communication device.

“I am Marquis Vanden, the commander of this support force! Traitor Luke de Rakan, come out!”

“What? The enemy’s commander?”

Luke and the Symphonia Kingdom commanders, who had just come up to the castle gate, also heard his shout.

“Come out, traitor Luke! Don’t sacrifice your subordinates any longer, let’s settle this between leaders!”

“Shut up! Do you think His Majesty is so idle that he would bother with the likes of you!”

Philip roared at Vanden’s request.

He immediately turned to Luke and said,

“Your Majesty, please allow me to go. I will bring back the head of that shameless traitor right away.”

“No, let me go. I need to drag that trash out of the cockpit and beat him to a pulp on a rainy day.”

“I haven’t had a chance to go out yet. So, give me the opportunity!”

Following Philip, not only Belik and Count Ferrero, but also other riders requested to go out.

They all despised Vanden, who was infamous for betraying their teacher and father-in-law, Duke Butler, and wanted to punish him with their own hands.

The problem was that Luke felt the same way.

“I’m free, so I’ll deal with that guy myself.”

“Your Majesty!”

“That’s an order. Anyone who stops me will have to spar with me until they’re sick of it later.”

“Ugh…”

Luke’s subtle threat made everyone back down.

Sparring with the king, who had exceptional skills, was beneficial, but it was also just as grueling.

“But Your Majesty’s personal Gigant, Avenger, just went in for repairs.”

“There’s no need to use an orc-slaying sword to catch a goblin.”

With that, Luke went out on the Knight-class Gaius, not even the Hero-class Orion.

4

Thump, thump, thump!

Luke, who came out through the castle gate, pointed his greatsword at Vanden and shouted.

“Are you the Vanden who betrayed his father-in-law and sided with Rudolf? I’ll give you the chance to settle things as you wished, so go ahead and rampage as much as you want.”

Vanden looked surprised at those words.

“Are you really Luke de Rakan?”

“Why? Do you want me to prove it?”

After speaking, Luke lightly charged forward and swung his greatsword.

When Vanden blocked the greatsword with its flashing aura, he extended Gaius’s left hand and cast a spell.

“Titan Fist!”

Bang—!

The powerful 7th circle attack magic shattered the large shield that Yeti was holding, and the heavy Gigant was pushed back.

‘It’s definitely him! It’s really Luke de Rakan!’

The swordsmanship and magic he had shown once each.

As far as the world knew, there were only two Rune Knights [warriors who combine swordsmanship with magic] with this level of skill: Luke and a mercenary named Rephe, who had made a name for himself during the Holy Empire’s civil war.

Since Rephe, who had become a noble of the Holy Empire, had no reason to be here, it was definitely Luke.

‘Hehehe! What a stroke of luck!’

Vanden had a look of joy on his face.

In fact, he hadn’t had high expectations for the Gigantic Duel he had just requested.

He had judged that to cross swords with the rebel leader, he would have to kill quite a few Symphonia riders while continuing to provoke them.

But he had appeared right from the start!

‘If I take Luke’s head here, I can make up for all my failures so far. The Imperial Guards who screwed me over and the Emperor who decided to get rid of me won’t be able to ignore me!’

Vanden, imagining a rosy future, unleashed a fierce impact aura from his greatsword and swung it wildly.

“Die, traitor!”

Luke, who easily dodged Vanden’s attack, counterattacked by applying the latter part of the Gold Sword’s swordsmanship.

However, since it was an incomplete swordsmanship and the Gigant’s output was also low, he couldn’t subdue Vanden in one go.

Clang! Bang! Crash!

The two exchanged blows fiercely.

After fighting almost evenly, the two stepped back slightly and took a breath.

“Traitor Luke! You really have no fear!”

“Should I be afraid of the likes of you?”

“Hmph! You’re showing off just because you’ve gained some fame as a Rune Knight. That arrogance will be the death of you!”

“Well, we’ll have to see if it’s my head or yours that flies off.”

While talking, Luke secretly gathered his energy and unleashed a decisive blow.

It was the most powerful Cyclone Rage among the latter part of the Gold Sword’s swordsmanship.

Kwaaang—!

The golden aura that fiercely cut through the air struck Yeti’s left shoulder guard hard.

With a roar, the magic alloy armor shattered, revealing the joint.

‘Tch, he’s better than I thought!’

Vanden gritted his teeth at Luke’s powerful blow.

But soon, he smiled faintly and straightened his greatsword. Although Luke was stronger than he had expected, he never thought he would lose.

‘I was the first to gain fame among the young knights in the Baroque Empire. How could I lose to a brat who didn’t even exist when I became a Sword Master!’

Of course, Luke had improved his skills rapidly in recent years, but so what?

He himself had become a high-level Sword Master after receiving guidance from Emperor Rudolf after betraying Duke Butler.

“Die, Luke!”

Whoosh!

The impact aura from Yeti’s greatsword spread out like a blizzard, pure white.

With the determination to kill Luke, he had unleashed his signature move, ‘Blizzard Sword,’ from the start.

This swordsmanship, which Vanden had developed by applying a martial art from the southern continent called Ice White Divine Palm, had the property of extreme yin [a concept in Chinese philosophy representing cold, darkness, and passivity], enough to freeze everything within its attack range, and was notoriously difficult to deal with.

Crack!

The place where Vanden’s greatsword had grazed froze white.

“Interesting. You can create magical phenomena with aura.”

Luke, who quickly dodged the attack with Blink, went behind Yeti and struck down with his greatsword.

Clang!

With a sound like ice breaking, Yeti’s upper body shook.

But for some reason, Gaius, which Luke was riding, was sliding backward.

Moreover, white frost formed on the greatsword he had swung, and the blade was chipped in places.

Vanden, who had turned around, wore a triumphant smile.

“Hehehe. My Blizzard Sword isn’t just something you can unleash with a sword. You can also wear it on your body like an aura shield.”

“It’s more powerful than most ice magic!”

Luke frowned as a terrible chill flowed through his arms and into his body through the Gigant’s control device.

But it was only for a moment.

As he raised his magic power, hot heat rose from Gaius’s armor, and the frost in various places melted away in an instant.

The flames flickering from the chipped greatsword made it look like a magic sword.

“It’s an interesting swordsmanship, but it’s not like there’s no way to deal with it.”

After that, Vanden’s sharp attacks continued, but the Blizzard Sword couldn’t properly exert its power against fire magic, which had an opposing nature.

It might have worked against a normal knight who didn’t know how to use magic, but it was a swordsmanship that wouldn’t be effective for long against Luke, a Rune Knight.

However, Vanden was using the performance of the Hero-class Gigant Yeti as a stepping stone and unleashing the Blizzard Sword with all his might, so he wasn’t easily defeated.

In response, Luke created some distance and poured down long-range attack magic.

“Thunder Strike! Titan Fist!”

Each time the spell poured out of Luke’s mouth, various kinds of magic unfolded.

Then, Vanden canceled out the magic with an ice storm created by the Blizzard Sword.

“Hahaha! You’re backing away and only using magic, so you must be scared.”

“Well, you’re free to be mistaken.”

When Vanden sneered, Luke retorted and launched an Ice Blow.

When a huge chunk of ice flew towards him, Vanden sneered and tried to deflect it.

But before he could deflect it, Luke detonated the ice chunk first.

The shattered ice fragments scattered around Vanden’s Yeti.

At that moment, the ground around them, as well as Yeti, froze white.

Like a magnet, the cooling magic reacted to the Blizzard Sword, which had the same properties, and its power was amplified.

“Th-this!”

“Anything in excess is not good. It will backfire on you.”

Being able to hold a Hero-class Gigant with ice was only for a moment.

But that moment was enough to decide the outcome in a battle between superhumans.

Luke, who had deployed the Gigantic Gold Aura to the maximum, charged in like lightning.

That charge was like a golden phoenix with its wings spread, rushing forward.

Kwarururung!

“Kuaaaak!”

With a huge gust of wind, the powerful sword strike that flew in shattered Yeti’s armor and severed its limbs.

Vanden barely escaped from the torso that had been thrown to the ground like a ball.

“Kuh, damn it…!”

Luke, who approached Vanden, who was staggering with serious injuries, bound him with Hold magic.

‘As expected of a Sword Master, he’s not easy to kill. But what should I do with this guy?’

He didn’t want to just kill him like this.

Sending away the guy who had insulted him so much with a single blow was no different from showing mercy.

However, it was also impossible to curse him or extract his aura with Black Bind in front of so many people.

‘Ah! That’s it!’

After pondering for a moment, Luke had a thought that flashed through his mind, and he smiled wickedly.

“Vanden, I’m going to hand you over to Duke Butler.”

“Wh-what did you say?”

“I’ll give you a precious opportunity to apologize to your father-in-law, so be grateful to me.”

“N-no! I’ll surrender. No, I’ll pledge my loyalty! You can treat me like a dog or a cow, just please don’t hand me over to Duke Butler!”

As far as Vanden knew, Duke Butler was not someone who would ever forgive someone who had betrayed him.

He would probably be tortured in the most horrific way imaginable before he died.

Although Vanden belatedly begged for forgiveness, Luke no longer listened to his words.

“Th-the commander has been captured!”

“Uuuu! Retreat!”

The Baroque Empire army, which had witnessed Marquis Vanden being captured from afar, lost their will to fight and retreated.

The first northern expedition that the Symphonia Kingdom had carried out against the Baroque Empire ended there.