Chapter 190

Windmill dragged himself across the ground.

“Aiture…” he groaned. “Master—Master Hasegi…” He bit his cracked lips as he examined their supine bodies. Their breathing was weak, and Windmill himself was barely conscious. They wouldn’t be in this state if it weren’t for Joshua Sanders. “This sucks…”

Windmill snapped a look at the battle. The two combatants had obliterated everything in the vicinity during their fight.

“Everything we’ve seen… We need to tell the kingdoms as soon as we can.”

Arie’s abilities alone justified withdrawing. The fact that the snake-like man could topple three Masters at once was incredible, but it paled in comparison to what he’d said to Joshua.

“Avalon Empire… Emperor Marcus…” Windmill pried a bloody piece of shrapnel out of his collarbone with a pained groan. He clutched the dripping wound with one hand while he propped himself up with the other. He looked up.

The slitted eyes of Count Arie bron Sten of Avalon looked back.

“AHAHAHAHAHA.”

Windmill stared dumbly at him for a moment. Arie immediately lost interest and turned to the man lying next to Windmill.

“Holding your breath because—!” Arie lifted his rapier over Hasegi’s prone form.

“Stop!” Windmill weakly groaned. “Stop! He’s a marquis! You can’t just kill him—”

Arie grinned. “And you? You just tried to kill a Master of Avalon.”

“That’s— No, I mean—”

“Well, well.” Arie’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “If you’re going to die anyways, it might as well be sooner rather than later… Yes, that’s right.”

Windmill boggled at him.

“The continent will be bathed in blood soon. Those three kingdoms will be the first. Dryia, Fordran, Palentine… They’ll all be reduced to ashes, along with the ones who lead them…”

Windmill’s eyes trembled. “Don’t tell me… Avalon, the war—”

“Hmm… Would it be only Avalon, I wonder?”

Windmill’s eyes widened.

“But you’re here.” Arie’s smile remained fixed on his face. “And criminals need to be punished.”

Windmill vainly wished for Arie to disappear as his thin hands wrapped around Windmill’s neck.

“AGH—!”

“Stop bothering me and just go to sleep,” Arie muttered.

Windmill felt himself flying through the air until he hit the ground headfirst.

“Ugh—”

The last thing Windmill remembered before he lost consciousness was hearing “First… go away.”

His mind descended into an indistinct haze.

As Windmill departed the battlefield, the only thing on his mind was warning the kingdoms. The continent had been at peace for a long time—if the Continental War had started, it was important that the kingdoms were forewarned so that they could coordinate.

“AH—!” His eyes popped open. When he finally stopped trembling long enough to look down, he saw a thin rod skewering his heart. “No, no, no. I can’t get caught yet—Ugh!”

“Arie bron Ste—”

Arie’s form flickered like a ghost. His rapier was withdrawn, and then there was a pair of cracks, so fast they were almost simultaneous. Hasegi and Aiture received stab wounds like Windmill’s. It didn’t take long for them to stop thrashing.

It was over in the blink of an eye. Joshua didn’t even have time to move.

Count Sten looked up as the light faded from Windmill’s eyes. “The nuisances are gone. Let’s keep playing.”

“What the hell?” Joshua stared at him coldly. “Killing Masters from other countries?”

“I don’t think the Emperor will mind,” Arie laughed. “I don’t know about you… but I really like obedient dogs the most.”

Joshua recoiled. His worst fears had come true.

This was wrong. It was too soon.

Has fate been twisted because I went back in time…?

“Is the Emperor really considering a continental war?”

“Ahhh, Joshua, Joshua.” Arie let out a long breath. “Please don’t worry about that right now. Just pay attention to me.” His perpetually slitted eyes slowly opened to regard Joshua.

Joshua noted his eyes were grey, just like his hair1.

Given how Arie usually acted, this was definitely strange. He was practically drooling; after all, he’d been waiting for this feast for over five years. He wanted to take his time savoring the flavor, enjoying the fruits of his patience—but he couldn’t stand it for much longer. With this much power, it was obvious why he was in Reinhardt.

“A… little too dangerous.” A strange light passed through Arie’s now-open eyes, and a powerful energy swallowed the atmosphere.

Joshua shrugged aside his thoughts and hefted Lugia.

The fight was on.

Arie’s figure vanished like a wisp of smoke once again. He was stronger and faster than any opponent Joshua had met before. The small sword flickered as if to say, “This is how a rapier is used.” It lunged for his heart, forcing Joshua onto the defensive.

The sound of metal striking metal was replaced with booming explosions. There was no “reach” advantage—Arie’s blazing rapier struck everywhere.

Joshua’s feet kicked up plumes of dust as he was pushed back—

No.

He lowered his body, protecting his vital points from Arie’s probing blade, although the Count may have avoided aiming for them to draw out the fight.

If Arie had become his rapier, then Joshua would become the spear. He would kill anything in his way.

Count Sten’s eyes widened.

They became their weapons. The landscape faded away, replaced by a white veil; there was only Joshua and his spear.

And then there was no longer Joshua or his spear because they had become one.

“Haha!” Arie felt the impending danger and scowled. He slammed his feet against the ground, launching himself into the sky.

Jumping was not often used in one-on-one matches. It was impossible to avoid an attack in midair.

But, impossibly, Arie rose higher and higher, as if he was jumping off the air. When he finally stopped, he almost looked like he stood upon the sun as he stared down at Joshua. Then he fell, fast as lightning.

Blood rushed through Joshua’s ears as a flicker of silver descended toward him. One of the most beautiful sword skills on the continent originated from the Sten family. That single combo could change everything. The rapier danced like fluttering petals, drinking deeply of its opponent’s blood.

Joshua jammed Lugia into the ground, raising its point into the sky as he roused the power of destruction slumbering inside the spear’s haft. The fight with Ulabis had taught him that nothing was impossible. The Prince’s secret ability was crimson fire magic that flew so high it looked like it could rend the sky in two. Joshua knew how to use a spear technique just like it, and with Magma’s power of annihilation added…

Mana imposed itself on the atmosphere. A blaze arose with Joshua in the center.

If the petals form an inescapable net, then all you had to do was burn them away2. Bring out a dragon that will eat the fire and the earth.

A dragon rose into the air, cast from the unquenchable flames of annihilation.

Arie watched the dragon rise toward him with wide eyes.

And at last, the world was consumed by an earth-shattering explosion.

1 EDN: His eyes are the same color as his hair, just like everyone else in this novel? You don’t say. ↩️

2 TLN: When in doubt, use fire… i think? ↩️