Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 122

9. Luke’s Identity Revealed

1

“Your Majesty, you’re back… Oh my!” Erewine exclaimed, greeting Luke as he returned to the forest clearing after a walk outside the castle. She was surprised to see Luke with a young girl and an old man.

While she didn’t recognize the old man, the young girl was familiar. She was the one who had saved Luke from the ether’s rampage [a destructive magical force].

“Where did you find her?” Erewine asked.

“I didn’t find her. She came to me,” Luke replied.

Karen, holding Luke’s hand tightly, seemed uncomfortable with Erewine’s gaze and hid behind Luke.

“She only says her name is Karen. The old man seems to be her companion, but he’s also silent, like he’s mute,” Luke explained.

Erewine’s gaze shifted to the old man. He met her eyes, gave a slight bow, and grinned. Despite his rough appearance with a beard and scars, his smile was gentle and kind.

Even Erewine, who was good at discerning people, didn’t sense any malice from him.

“He looks familiar… That’s right! He looks a lot like Commander Hwangbo Sung,” she remarked.

“Right? He even uses the Hwangbo family’s martial arts. He must be from the same lineage,” Luke agreed.

Luke and Erewine led the two into the castle. Philip and the agents, rising from their seats as the king entered, were startled by the unfamiliar figures.

Tense, they thought they might be from the Baroque Empire, come to capture them. They relaxed their grips on their sword hilts at Luke’s gesture.

“Kyaa! Who is she? She’s so cute!” Shirley exclaimed, seeing Karen.

Karen, perhaps scared by the strangers, clung to Luke and wouldn’t let go.

“Your Majesty, isn’t that the child we saw last time?” Philip asked.

“Erewine said so too,” Luke confirmed.

“I see. I didn’t get a good look at her then…” Philip said, examining Karen with a mischievous smile. “Now that I see her, she looks a lot like Your Majesty. Could she be a hidden daughter?”

“What nonsense are you talking about!” Luke exclaimed, jumping up as if it were absurd.

Since his reincarnation, Reina had been the only woman for him. Although they had secretly married, they hadn’t yet consummated their marriage. How could he have a daughter?

However, many others shared Philip’s thought. Moreover, Karen’s closeness to Luke made them look like a loving father and daughter.

“It’s suspicious, no matter how you look at it,” one agent whispered.

“I know, especially considering Your Majesty’s secret missions,” another added.

“Look at that. The court mage’s eyes are unusual, aren’t they?” a third commented.

“I wonder how Princess Reina would react if she knew…” a fourth mused.

Unlike the others, Belpar looked displeased. He approached Luke and spoke quietly.

“Your Majesty, I went to a nearby village earlier to check on the Imperial Army’s movements…”

“And?” Luke prompted.

Belpar glanced at the silent old man and continued, “There was a wanted poster for that old man among the Baroque Imperial Army in the village. The reward was higher than for most criminals.”

“Is that true?” Luke asked.

“Yes, according to the poster, he attacked an Imperial Guard knight,” Belpar confirmed.

Luke turned to the old man, who nodded as if confirming Belpar’s words.

Luke looked back at Belpar and asked, “Was his name on the wanted poster?”

“Yes, it said Oster,” Belpar replied.

‘Oster… That’s not his real name,’ Luke thought. The names of people from the Southern Continent had different pronunciations and systems than those of the Rhodisia Continent. Moreover, ‘Oster’ was an ancient word meaning ‘south’. Either the old man was hiding his real name and used ‘Oster’, or the Baroque Empire didn’t know his name and just called him that.

‘But why did he attack the Imperial Guard knight?’ Luke wondered. From his perspective, there was no reason to blame him. It meant he had fought against the Baroque Imperial family.

Of course, Luke understood Belpar’s concerns. They were still within the Baroque Empire, and it was risky to be with someone who had committed a major crime and was being pursued. There was a chance the Baroque Imperial Army would come looking for them.

“First, strengthen the perimeter. If things look bad, we’ll leave immediately,” Luke ordered.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Belpar replied.

After giving instructions to Belpar and his subordinates, Luke approached the old man, whom the Baroque Imperial Army called Oster, and said, “I have a few questions, so follow me.”

Oster nodded, and Luke temporarily separated Karen, who was still clinging to him. They entered an empty room. There were several empty rooms in the castle, so they could use any of them.

Luke sat facing Oster at an old, dusty table. He took out paper and a pen from his bracelet’s subspace and handed them to Oster.

“Can you write? Even if it’s in the Southern Continent’s script, it’s fine,” Luke said.

Oster took the pen and skillfully wrote a reply in the common language of the Rhodisia Continent.

– No problem.

‘He must have lived in the Rhodisia Continent for a long time,’ Luke thought. He immediately asked, “What is your real name?”

– I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you due to circumstances. You can call me what the Baroque Empire calls me.

Luke frowned at Oster’s answer. Even if they could communicate through writing, if he avoided answering like this, there was nothing they could find out. Still, he had to learn as much as possible, so he continued to ask questions.

“I heard you attacked an Imperial Guard knight of the Baroque Empire?” Luke asked.

– They attacked me and Karen first. I only fought in self-defense.

“Why did they attack you? And what is Karen’s identity?” Luke pressed.

– I can’t tell you.

Luke’s expression hardened at Oster’s evasiveness. He said, “I am Luke, the King of Symphonia. I am an enemy of the Baroque Empire, so I am willing to help you who are being chased by them. But if you are uncooperative like this, I cannot help you either.”

Oster sighed briefly and picked up the pen again.

– I already know about Your Majesty. You said you would help us, but in fact, we came to help Your Majesty.

“You came to help me? Who sent you? The Zhuge family? The Holy Empire? Or perhaps the Volga Republic?” Luke asked. More importantly, how did they know he would be in danger?

Oster wrote an answer and handed it to Luke, who was full of questions.

– I can’t say even if I want to. The more I talk, the more dangerous Karen becomes. Just by helping Your Majesty, you are already taking a considerable risk.

‘What does this mean?’ Luke was bewildered that a child who couldn’t even speak properly was taking a risk to help him. However, Oster’s eyes were too serious to dismiss it as a joke or a lie.

“What are you going to do from now on? Will you follow me?” Luke asked.

– That’s what I intend to do. Because the mission is not yet complete.

‘The mission is not complete? Then there’s still something left for me to help with, something that will put me in danger?’ Luke wondered. Was that danger due to the ether, or was it a different problem? Instead of resolving his questions, more questions arose, and Luke couldn’t hide his frustration.

2

Luke returned to Symphonia without resolving his questions about Oster and Karen. Thanks to using teleportation in succession with Erewine, the rest of the journey was not so tiring. Exactly one week after absorbing the ether, he finally returned to Brandon.

“Is this Brandon?” Count Ferrero asked.

“It’s not as big as Nemesis, but the atmosphere is much better,” Shirley commented. They were busy looking around the federation.

Brandon, having recovered from the war, was full of vitality in the streets and markets. They were actively carrying out civil engineering and construction projects to prepare for the growing population, such as building new houses and shops, and expanding roads and sewage facilities. However, despite such activity, the atmosphere was somewhat unsettling. This could be seen from the arguments in the taverns along the street.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” one person argued.

“But there were rumors like that before. It’s strange that he’s protecting the fairies like a demon king,” another countered.

“Damn it, what’s wrong with protecting them? Have you lost anything because of the fairies? Why would you believe the words of a con man…” a third said.

“He’s not a con man. He’s the real deal!” a fourth insisted.

Whatever it was, the citizens were arguing about a certain topic. Most of them were just simple arguments, but there were also situations where people grabbed each other by the collar and even started fistfights, causing the security forces to rush in.

‘What on earth is going on?’ Luke wondered, puzzled. He decided he would find out the details when he arrived at the royal palace.

“You have arrived, Your Majesty,” Zegal Soha said.

“You have worked hard,” Hans added. They had been waiting outside the royal palace after receiving prior notice, and greeted Luke and his party with delight.

“Yes, but the people of Brandon seem to be agitated. What’s going on?” Luke asked.

“That’s… Let’s go inside first,” Zegal Soha replied.

Luke was led by the two to the office. There, Sebastian, disguised as him, was present. Luke barely acknowledged Sebastian’s greeting and heard from Hans and Zegal Soha about what had happened in the meantime.

“What? Such a thing happened?” Luke was startled to hear that someone claiming to be a descendant of the hero Rakan had appeared and claimed that he had learned black magic.

At his question, Zegal Soha gritted her teeth as if she was angry just thinking about it. “Yes, he was very rude and arrogant, probably because he was a mercenary,” she said.

She knew that Luke had learned black magic. She had heard it from Hwangbo Sung when she was in the Zhuge family. However, she understood the situation because Luke had not been consumed by evil power and had fought to protect the family. But now, someone else claiming to be another descendant of Rakan had appeared and was making things difficult for the man who would become her husband, so she couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

Sebastian joined in, complaining, “He’s a very unpleasant fellow. I ran into him the other day, and he gave me a very unpleasant smile.”

At their complaints, Luke asked more about the man’s actions. “Did he do anything suspicious or strange?”

“I secretly kept an eye on him, and unlike when he first caused a commotion, he has been strangely quiet,” Zegal Soha replied.

“Hmm, is that so?” Luke tilted his head and turned to Hans, asking, “Where is he now?”

“He is staying at the Third Palace now. He said he would wait until Your Majesty arrives,” Hans replied.

“Is that so? I’ll have to meet him to see how great he is,” Luke said. He decided to go meet his rude relative. Before that, he ordered that accommodations be prepared for the people who had come with him: Count Ferrero and his family, Shirley, and Karen and Oster.

“Especially this child seems to be very shy, so please take special care of her,” Luke said.

“Understood. But Your Majesty, who is that child…?” Hans couldn’t help but ask, as she didn’t seem to be related to the Ferrero family. He was met with a shocking answer.

“She is Your Majesty’s hidden child,” Philip said.

“What, what! Is that true, Sir Philip?” Hans exclaimed. Did Luke really have a child outside? Then what about Princess Reina, whom he had married recently? It was a problem that could cause a major conflict between the couple, so Hans couldn’t help but jump up.

“Hahaha. Of course, I’m joking,” Philip replied.

At Philip’s good-natured reply, Hans raised his fist with a murderous face. He was now the Prime Minister and a Duke, maintaining his dignity, but Hans was once a knight representing the Rakan family and was a very hot-tempered person.

“Oh my. Please spare me, Your Majesty!” Philip cried, hiding behind Luke from Hans’s murderous aura.

Hans, having failed to punish him due to Philip’s quick movements, lowered his fist and said, “Eing, even if it’s a joke, don’t say such silly things! The royal capital is already in turmoil because of strange rumors…”

While he was grumbling, Erewine glanced at Zegal Soha. She thought she would be quite surprised, but surprisingly, she had a calm expression.

“You don’t seem to believe Sir Philip’s words,” Erewine said.

“No, I just thought, ‘Oh, is that so?’ Heroes tend to be womanizers,” Zegal Soha replied. She thought it was not strange that Luke, who was a descendant of a hero and a monarch who had founded a nation, had cheated on his wife.

‘Still, that child looks a lot like His Majesty. And she also has some resemblance to His Holiness the Pope,’ Zegal Soha thought, looking at Karen. Luke tried to entrust Karen to Hans, but Karen, who had grabbed onto Luke, clung to him and had no intention of letting go.

“Hey, how rude are you to His Majesty!” Hans scolded.

“Be good? I’ll play with you later, so wait for a while,” Luke said, trying to persuade her. Despite Hans’s scolding and Luke’s persuasion, Karen shook her head as if she didn’t want to.

Luke, with a troubled expression, looked at Oster. He thought that he, as Karen’s companion, would be able to take care of her, but he simply waved his hand, as if he couldn’t help it either.

“Geez, what a troublesome fellow,” Luke muttered. In the end, Luke gave up and headed to the Third Palace with Karen. Oster silently followed behind him.

3

Luke arrived at the Third Palace with Sebastian and several other officials. Hwangbo Sung, who was monitoring the outskirts with the Imperial Knights, discovered him and gave a formal greeting.

“You have worked hard, Commander Hwangbo Sung. I heard that you were almost in big trouble because of that Hirose guy?” Luke asked.

“I am ashamed, my lord. I will work harder to improve my skills,” Hwangbo Sung replied.

“Yes, that’s the way to be,” Luke said, smiling faintly and patting Hwangbo Sung’s shoulder. He entered the Third Palace. However, Oster, who was following behind Luke, stopped in front of Hwangbo Sung and began to stare at him. The two looked quite similar, like a father and son.

An interesting expression flowed into Hwangbo Sung’s eyes as he met Oster’s gaze. ‘A person from the Southern Continent? Could he be from the same Song Empire [a fictional empire] as me?’ he wondered.

Oster reached out his hand to Hwangbo Sung, who was tilting his head. ‘What is it? Is he asking for a handshake?’ Hwangbo Sung thought. There was no custom of shaking hands in the Song Empire. It was a ritual that came from the Rhodisia Continent and was only used when greeting people from the North. Considering that, this old man seemed to have lived in the Rhodisia Continent for a very long time.

‘Well, I don’t feel any hostility,’ Hwangbo Sung thought. There was also the fact that, despite it being their first meeting, it didn’t feel unfamiliar. They looked alike, and it felt like he had met a very close relative. So, Hwangbo Sung gladly took Oster’s outstretched hand.

Woo-oong!

‘No, this is!’ Hwangbo Sung was startled when he sensed the internal energy, or aura, emanating from Oster. A powerful thunderous energy.

It was an indispensable energy to use the Hwangbo Family’s Three Thunder God Fist.

But what was even more surprising was that Oster’s Lightning Energy far surpassed his own.

“Wh-who are you, sir? Are you perhaps an elder of the Hwangbo Family?” Hwangbo Sung asked Oster in his native language without realizing it.

Oster smirked, giving an inscrutable smile, which only made Hwangbo Sung’s confusion deepen.

‘The forms of the Three Thunder God Fist have been passed down through the direct line of the family. But no one has manifested the Lightning Energy since the Great Martial King.’ Hwangbo Sung thought. He was the one who had manifested that Lightning Energy after 300 years, reviving the Three Thunder God Fist.

Yet, there was someone in front of him who surpassed him.

“Could it be that you are the Great Martial King Hwangbo Woong…?” The moment he was about to ask that question, Oster’s Lightning Energy surged through their clasped hands and into Hwangbo Sung.

“Ah, no!” While Hwangbo Sung was flustered by the sudden situation, Oster’s Lightning Energy pierced through his mind.

“Kuh-ah-ah-ack!”

“Commander!” The guard knights who had been watching nearby rushed over when they saw Hwangbo Sung collapse after shaking hands.

As they drew their swords and tried to charge at Oster, Hwangbo Sung quickly got up and stopped them. “No, put your swords away!”

“But Commander, this man…”

“He didn’t attack me! So, stand down!” At Hwangbo Sung’s command, the guard knights lowered their swords for now.

Meanwhile, Oster strode into the Third Palace as if nothing had happened. Hwangbo Sung stared blankly at Oster’s back with a look of astonishment.

‘I can’t believe it! How can such a thing happen in this world… Am I dreaming?’ A moment ago, when the Lightning Energy had pierced his mind, a series of scenes flashed by like a revolving lantern. They had passed by very quickly, but Hwangbo Sung could vividly recall each and every one of them.

‘If this is true… then…!’ Hwangbo Sung clenched his fist tightly and rushed into the palace. If the information that had entered through the Lightning Energy was true, there was something he had to confirm.

4

‘No, this is…!’ Luke arrived at the reception room of the palace. There, he was startled to see Hiros, who looked exactly like himself… no, like the hero Rakan. But that was only for a moment, as he gritted his teeth.

‘Hmph! I wondered what he was, but he’s just a monster created by injecting a wraith into Rakan’s corpse.’ At first, he thought he was a true descendant because of his face, which was identical to the hero’s. But upon closer inspection, he was not human. Like the fake Seymon he had seen in the old Castia Kingdom, he was an undead created by injecting a soul woven from numerous wraiths into the body of the hero who had killed him five hundred years ago.

It was so well made that people were easily fooled, but it could not deceive Luke’s eyes, who had extraordinary spiritual power, enough to be called the Black Sage in the past. Moreover, he was a witness to history who had directly seen and fought against Rakan of that era.

‘Not only my corpse but even Rakan’s corpse has been turned into a monster…!’ Luke inwardly gritted his teeth at Arsen, but he approached Hiros with a calm expression and spoke. “Are you Hiros de Rakan, who claims to be the descendant of the hero?”

“That’s right. You must be Luke, the king of Symphonia.”

Luke’s retainers, who had followed him, looked indignant at Hiros’s arrogant tone. “How dare you…” Luke raised his hand to stop Philip from stepping forward. And he continued to speak, intending to hear what the guy had to say. “I heard you slandered me for learning black magic?”

“That’s right. A man who claims to be the direct descendant of the hero should work hard if he lacks ability, but to resort to cursed black magic is truly disappointing.”

‘He’s just spouting nonsense.’ The very existence of Hiros was created by mobilizing all the cursed black magic. Yet, he was shamelessly spouting such words, which was truly absurd. Luke suppressed his desire to cut off his head immediately and continued the conversation with him.

“Do you have any proof? You must be so confident because you have it, right?”

“Of course, I do.” Hiros gave a sly smile and pointed to Sebastian, who was standing behind Luke.

“Huh? Why Sebastian?”

“Because that guy is a demon, not a human.” Philip, who knew Sebastian’s true identity, felt a pang of guilt at Hiros’s words. ‘Has he been found out?’ Luke was the most flustered, but he pretended not to know. This was because Sebastian, who was one of the best in the demon realm when it came to the ability to use poison and shapeshifting, had never been exposed until now. That was the case even with Maron, who was called the nemesis of demons, and other priests.

‘Is it because he was created with black magic that he can sense demonic energy well? But no one will believe him if he just pushes with words.’ As Luke had expected, his retainers, including Hans, were not shocked but rather looked like they were saying, ‘What nonsense are you spouting?’ In particular, Maron, who was a priest, did not hide his displeasure. He thought that Hiros was treating him as an incompetent person who could not even recognize a demon.

“Hahaha. Your joke is too much. How can you accuse a perfectly normal person of being a demon?”

“A normal person? Can you still say that after seeing this?” Hiros took out something like white powder from the pouch he was wearing on his waist and sprinkled it on Sebastian.

Poof! The white powder turned into blue flames as soon as it touched Sebastian’s body. Sebastian, who was instantly engulfed in flames, rolled on the floor and screamed. “Ugh-ah-ack!”

“Sir Sebastian!” Startled, the retainers hurriedly tried to put out the fire on Sebastian’s body. But they were shocked to see Sebastian’s body shrinking. After a while, only a tabby cat wearing boots and gloves remained where the flames had subsided.

“Meow-! Wh-why is this happening!” Sebastian, who had returned to his cat demon form from his human form, was startled when he saw his face reflected on the marble floor. The retainers in the reception room were so shocked by his sudden transformation that they couldn’t close their mouths. The most shocked person was Maron. He sensed the demonic energy rising from Sebastian’s body and shook his head repeatedly with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t believe it.

Hiros spoke triumphantly. “Are you still going to deny it?”

‘Tch. To think he would use such a trick. Was that white powder earlier an artifact that forcibly undoes a demon’s transformation?’ As Luke had expected, it was an artifact created by the fairies in the ancient magic era. It was called the ‘Sand of Truth’ and was created to expose black magicians who hid their identities or demons who infiltrated the middle realm. Hiros had obtained this Sand of Truth from his master, Arsen, before coming here, and used it on Sebastian, whom he had been watching beforehand.

“Only a black magician can summon a demon from the demon realm. Who do you think summoned that demon who was acting as the king’s aide?” At Hiros’s words, the retainers turned their gazes to Luke. Except for Philip, Erewyn, and Jegal Soha, they were all looking at him with shocked and suspicious eyes. In this moment of crisis, Luke glared fiercely and shouted at Hiros. “You bastard! What kind of trickery are you playing!”

“Trickery? I’m revealing the truth…”

“Turning a perfectly normal person into a demon! You are the black magician who is using sorcery!” Hiros looked momentarily flustered at Luke’s rebuttal. He thought he had cornered him, but he didn’t expect him to counter so shamelessly.

“His Majesty is right! Why am I a demon? I’m a human! Quickly turn me back to normal!” Sebastian also chimed in with Luke’s words and complained. Then, the retainers’ expressions changed once again. They wondered if they had come to a conclusion too hastily.

“Could His Majesty be right?”

“He must be. To be honest, he’s too cute to be a demon, isn’t he? Besides, the amount of demonic energy emanating from his body is insignificant.” Everyone nodded at Maron’s words.

“I guess so. Demons are usually big and ferocious looking…” Sebastian was able to avoid suspicion thanks to his mismatched appearance and insignificant demonic energy, but he was inwardly hurt in his pride. But he couldn’t show it now, so he just wore a wronged expression.

“Who sent you? Was it Emperor Rudolf of Baroque? Or the remnants of the Veritas Magic Tower who escaped?”

“What? Are you accusing me now?”

“Accusing you? That’s what you’re doing. You’re trying to slander me like this to shake the Symphonia Kingdom!” As Hiros became agitated, Luke raised his voice even louder. There is a saying that the one with the loudest voice wins. It was a foolish saying, but it was also true to some extent.

“Do you think I still don’t know? The Baroque Imperial Family and the Veritas Magic Tower. Both sides have been working together to put a curse of black magic on our family and torment us for generations. And yet, you accuse me of being a black magician?” At Luke’s words, Hiros’s face turned red as he retorted. “You’re a truly shameless man. You should be repenting, but to show such a brazen face. Is that what happens when you learn black magic?” Hiros took out the Sand of Truth again and sprinkled it on Luke.

Poof! He thought that the blue flames would reveal the hidden demonic energy, but Luke was fine. It was natural that he was fine. Luke’s Black Circle had already been replaced by the Ether Globe. In other words, there was not a single trace of demonic energy left in his body now.

“Hmph, you’re playing a petty trick. Were you planning to turn me into a cat too?” At Luke’s question, the situation was completely decided that Hiros was playing a trick. “You vile man! Reveal your true identity!” Hiros shouted and suddenly swung his bastard sword at Luke. He thought that if he pushed him with force, he would use black magic to avoid death.

Clang! But Luke created a shield magic faster than he had expected. The bastard sword, which had collided with the shield magic, bounced off with a clear sound. “Wh-what?”

“Attack! He’s the one who tried to assassinate His Majesty!” Philip and the guard knights, who had not been able to react to Hiros’s sudden action, drew their swords in anger. But Luke stopped them from rushing at Hiros. “Stand back! He’s not an opponent you can handle.” At Luke’s command, the knights who were about to rush at Hiros stopped.

Meanwhile, Luke, who was looking at Hiros who had changed his bastard sword, inwardly gritted his teeth and clenched his trembling hands. ‘Damn it, he’s strong after all.’ A moment ago, Luke had mobilized magic power close to the 8th circle to deploy the shield magic. But Hiros had almost broken that magic. What was shocking was that he had not used the Gold Sword. Moreover, he had manifested Hyper Aura very momentarily, which Luke had barely sensed.

‘Is this what it means to be Rakan, even if he’s rotten?’ Anger rose more than fear. That anger was stirring his heart more fiercely than when he had seen the fake made from his own corpse before. It was because he remembered the past when his path had been blocked by Rakan, who had killed him. But he felt even more anger towards Arsen, who was playing a more insidious trick than Rakan, who was just a shell.

‘It’s no different from 500 years ago. Back then, he used the living Rakan, and now he’s using the dead one as a puppet!’ Since it hadn’t changed, he couldn’t forgive it either. “Come outside, Luke. I will punish you in the name of my ancestors.”

“Shut up. You’re the one who will be punished.” As Hiros went out to the backyard of the palace through the terrace, Luke was about to follow right behind him. But then, Karen blocked Luke’s path. Even when they had come to the palace, Karen had been clinging to Luke. Then, from the moment they entered the reception room, she had been hiding behind Oster and watching the situation all along.

“Stand back, Karen.” At Luke’s words, Karen shook her head as if she didn’t want to. Still, when Luke tried to go out, she grabbed him and opened her mouth with difficulty. “If, if you fight… you shouldn’t.”

“What?”

“If you fight, you will lose…” Karen, who was speaking while sweating profusely, suddenly trembled as if she had been hit by an arrow and collapsed. “Karen!” Luke, who hurriedly picked up Karen, sensed that the ether he felt from her had decreased much more than before. Moreover, her physique seemed to be smaller and more emaciated than a moment ago. But that was not the only strange thing.

“The one who cornered His Majesty. That man named Hiros was not human.”

“Can you turn back what has already happened? Did Emperor Rudolf research that?”

“Give me the power of time. I will pay any price.”

“Even if your existence is erased from the world, and you will wander forever in purgatory where only darkness and solitude remain, will you still obtain it?” Once again, a series of voices echoed in his head as if they were rummaging through it. Oster approached and supported Luke’s staggering body due to his throbbing head. He took Karen from Luke and shook his head with an earnest expression. He also seemed to think that he shouldn’t fight, like Karen.

‘Why, why…?’ Why were they telling him not to fight? Luke also knew that the monster wearing Rakan’s shell was not easy to deal with. But he couldn’t leave him like this. He had to shut his mouth that was uselessly blabbering, but he couldn’t let the corpse of the idiot Rakan be abused by Arsen like this. “What are you doing, Luke! Are you planning to retreat cowardly?” Hiros’s urging voice was heard from outside. At this, Luke turned his head away from Oster and shouted. “Don’t rush me. I’ll cut off your head soon!” Luke, who had shaken off Karen and Oster’s dissuasion, went out of the terrace.

‘Th-this can’t be!’ Hwangbo Sung, who had quietly entered the reception room and watched the series of events, was in shock. The situations he had just witnessed were almost identical to the scenes he had seen through Oster’s Lightning Energy. Luke and Hiros arguing, Sebastian turning into a cat, and so on. The only difference was that Oster and Karen were not present in this place. Hwangbo Sung already knew the reason for that.

‘You shouldn’t fight! If you fight, the lord… His Majesty will lose everything!’ Karen and Oster had come from a very distant place to prevent the end of the middle realm. Betting everything, making the impossible possible. But in the end, they could only watch Luke fight Hiros without achieving their wish.

(To be continued in The Great Steel Emperor Volume 14)

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