Chapter 45: Subjugation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 45: Subjugation
“What in the world is…?” Noel muttered beside him, her gaze fixed on the sky.
They had seen rifts tear through dimensions and pour out spirits before, but the sight before them now was entirely different.
“It’s because whatever is coming out isn’t just ordinarily strong,” Aiden said.
Whatever lay beyond that rift—if it was indeed the ‘Empowered Spirit of the Lord Protector’—was powerful enough to cause such a cataclysm just by being summoned.
With that, Aiden kicked off the ground and broke into a run.
“Mr. Aiden? Where are you going?”
“There’s something I need to check.”
Leaving her behind, Aiden strode purposefully down the courthouse hallway.
Come to think of it…
The phenomenon itself was strange.
No matter how lofty the Lord Protector’s status was, not even Mayer—a paragon among superhumans who had defined an era—could influence the Material World beyond inflicting minor physical harm on Aiden.
And yet…
The spirit of the Lord Protector he’d seen before looked as if it retained all the prowess she’d possessed in life. This wasn’t merely a spirit manifesting in the Material World; it was as if the dead had actually been resurrected.
And if he focused on that anomaly… he could deduce the identity of the one responsible with frightening accuracy.
…There’s no way resurrecting the dead is that easy.
The problem was, there were bastards out there capable of forcibly twisting the world’s laws to pull off such a powerful spell.
The main enemies of the Main Scenario.
And according to Aiden’s guess… one of the two men in that room had ties to them.
He kicked the door open and strode into the waiting room. Inside, the Prince and the Administrative Minister stared back, their expressions flustered.
“Why are you—?”
Aiden’s cold eyes swept between the two of them.
Without a doubt, the Prince and the minister were behind this. At least, that was what Aiden believed. The moment the spirit had first appeared, they had launched a media blitz as if on cue. Now, the second things turned against them, the spirit reappeared to attack Noel.
That alone was more than enough to turn suspicion into certainty.
…Seriously cunning, aren’t they?
If the Pope stepped in and rendered their arguments moot, the solution was simple.
All they had to do was create an ‘incident’ so convincing it would prove even the Pope wrong.
It was the Harvest Festival, a time when the streets were teeming with people. The vengeful spirit of the Lord Protector attacking Noel in the middle of a main avenue would, in itself, serve as a potent counterargument to the Pope’s claims.
The Prince tried to say something through his confusion, but before he could finish, orbs of light bloomed around Aiden. They were cores formed from Dharmic Power, which he had simply conjured and condensed.
Suspended in the air, the orb rotated around him as he gave the Prince a swift glance.
No reaction.
“Your Highness.”
Despite the suddenness of the situation, the Prince answered, perhaps due to etiquette ingrained to his very bones. “…What is it?”
“You’re not completely rotten yet.”
“…?”
Having offered his assessment, Aiden immediately turned and approached the Administrative Minister.
And in that instant—
— System Message
▶ ‘Skill: Savior’s Oath’ reacts.
▶ ‘Public Enemy of the World’ detected.
▶ In accordance with ‘Restriction: Protect the World’, supernatural ability is enhanced!
The orb’s light expanded explosively. The Administrative Minister grimaced and shielded his eyes from the blinding radiance.
Watching him, Aiden let out a soft sigh.
The oath he had made to Urgan was to ‘Save the world.’ That meant whenever he faced a ‘Public Enemy of the World,’ the conditions of his Restriction were fulfilled, boosting his power.
“Right. I had a feeling it was you.”
“…What is the meaning of this?”
“Just a check,” Aiden said calmly as he dispersed the orb of light.
The minister knew nothing of the Restriction Aiden had bound himself to. So, while Aiden had just confirmed the man’s true identity, the minister wouldn’t yet understand the significance of his actions.
Then there’s no need to touch him just yet.
He would have to fight this man eventually.
But not right now.
The main enemies of the Main Scenario. In other words, the Demon Race. The forgotten ones who served the sealed God of Predation, Wonil.
He knew he would face them someday, but he hadn’t expected them to intervene so directly from the very beginning.
…So I’ll leave him be for now.
Antagonizing them now offered no benefit. It would only drive them deeper into the shadows, making them even harder to root out later. Simply identifying him was enough for now. That alone was sufficient to pinpoint the ‘cause’ of the Lord Protector’s transformation.
Sick bastard.
Distorting minds, seducing the weak, and corrupting souls—those were their specialties. They must have used those abilities on the Lord Protector’s soul, planting a suggestion to kill Noel.
Aiden’s gaze rested briefly on the Prince.
Now that he had confirmed the facts, his business here was done. All that remained was to go out and deal with that monstrous ghost knight.
“Your Highness.”
Still… he could at least offer this much. A courtesy for an enemy who had tried to maintain a shred of decency until the end.
“Honestly, participating in something like this makes you irredeemable in my eyes. But I doubt you agreed to it knowing the full story.”
“…Pardon?”
Aiden pointed a finger at the sky, now dyed an ominous color. As he saw it, the Prince had merely accepted a proposal from this creature wearing the ‘mask’ of the Administrative Minister. Though reluctant, he had likely approved it in the end.
So, this was a final piece of advice.
“Once this incident is over, think carefully about what you’re doing.”
“…”
“My advice? Don’t throw away what’s left of your humanity. This is your turning point.”
“…”
“Whatever you hope to gain, that path leads only to ruin.”
Aiden stole a glance at the Prince’s wide eyes, then immediately left the waiting room.
* * *
—…
From within the rift, a single hand emerged.
Compared to the vast tear in the sky, it seemed no larger than a pebble.
—…!
—!!!
Then, as if breaking out of a shell, it grabbed the edges of the rift and tore it wider. Visible through the torn void was the Lord Protector, clad in her familiar armor.
There was, however, a difference.
The armor, once pure white, was now stained a pitch-black. The eyes visible inside the visor flickered like twin crimson flames.
“W-What is that?”
“Call the guards! Hurry!”
“Will the guards even be enough?! Call the Knights!”
Amidst the spreading chaos, the Lord Protector—now fully emerged from the rift—snapped her head around.
…Directly toward…
Aiden and Noel, who were looking out from an open window.
A ruthless killing intent, originating from the Lord Protector, flooded the heavens and the earth. It was as if death itself had been given physical form.
Soon after—
—!!!!!!!!!!
Like a fired bullet, the Lord Protector slammed down from the sky. The moment she stabilized her stance… she stared directly at the courthouse window where Noel stood, as if she were her only target.
“…”
Inside, Noel’s expression twisted as she faced the figure.
…Again.
It was just like before. Theresa’s spirit was targeting her.
Why? How? What should I—
Her mind reeled, her judgment clouded—
And in that brief moment, she felt someone firmly grab her shoulders. Her drifting sense of reality snapped back into place, her vision sharpening.
Fumbling her words, she called out the name of the person gripping her. “…Mr. Aiden?”
“Dame Noel. Listen to me carefully,” Aiden said, his voice firm and rigid.
Truthfully, ever since a ‘Subjugation Battle’ had been flagged—unlike last time—he had expected something like this. A much stronger boss. A far more dire situation. Wasn’t that what the phrase implied? It was only natural that things would go wild from the start.
…Even wilder than he had anticipated.
And to escape this…
“I need a piggyback.”
“…Pardon?”
“—We’re running.”
Before Noel could even ask what he meant—
The Lord Protector lunged.
With every step, the pavement shattered. The sight of the armored figure charging toward them, radiating pure murderous intent, was like watching a mountain collapse in their direction.
“—!”
Noel knew exactly what she had to do.
Gritting her teeth, she grabbed Aiden and threw herself out the window. Having fled from the Lord Protector with a similar trick before, she adapted quickly. The only difference this time was…
—!!!!!!!!!!!!!
…the pursuer was a living calamity.
A brutal crash—Kwagagagak!—echoed from the sidewalk where they had just landed. The moment Aiden looked back, a chill shot down his spine. The armored figure was rushing at them like a demonic specter, crushing everything in her path as she charged forward in a straight line, heedless of any obstacles.
She was nothing short of a human-shaped tank.
“Dame Noel, faster!”
“Even if you tell me to go faster…!”
Noel sprinted, unleashing her Qi until the scenery blurred past, but the distance between them and the Lord Protector refused to widen.
If so, only one method remained: slow the enemy down.
“!”
Gritting her teeth, Noel drew her sword with her free hand.
Pure White Qi flared around her body. Because she was carrying Aiden with one arm, the trajectory of her slashes wasn’t perfect, but even so… even someone like Aiden could tell what an absurdly high realm her attacks belonged to.
Slashes swung at blinding speed, carving chaotic arcs through the air. Though he wasn’t the target, the gale blasting from her arm made it hard for Aiden to even keep his eyes open.
Each slash held the same power as the one that had cleaved a building in two. Attacks powerful enough to reshape the entire landscape poured from Noel’s single arm, several per second!
What the…!
He didn’t even have time to be astonished before an even more ridiculous scene unfolded.
From the Lord Protector’s sheath, her own sword was drawn to meet the assault.
And…
A chilling sensation ran down Aiden’s spine as he realized those glowing crimson eyes were tracking the trajectory of every single slash.
[I am steel—]
A murky voice boiled from beneath the armor.
At the same time, Pure White Qi pulsed around the Lord Protector’s body.
[I am blade—]
It was slightly cloudier than Noel’s Qi, but its momentum was undoubtedly equal.
[I am scale.]
That Qi wrapped around her blade—in the exact same manner Noel used it.
[Subjects of the Empire, fear not—]
And…
[—For I am here!]
The Lord Protector advanced.
She pushed forward, brushing aside the flurry of Noel’s slashes.
Every time her sword carved through the air, sparks flew as it collided with Noel’s strikes. She parried and shattered every single attack in that seemingly unstoppable storm of blades, steadily closing the distance.
While her speed decreased slightly, her advance—scattering every attack in her path—was terrifyingly majestic.
If he weren’t on the opposing side, it was a display of skill worthy of applause. She wasn’t known as the master who trained the Empire’s strongest knight for nothing!
What was even more absurd was Noel’s reaction. Despite painting the sky with strikes that would be a trump card for anyone else, she was already moving on to her next action, as if she had expected them all to be blocked.
—!!
—!!!!
The exchange of blows flashed continuously, the shockwaves alone making it difficult to keep one’s footing. Each collision would have shredded Aiden like paper if he’d been caught between them. It was absurd that such a fight could even happen while both were sprinting at full speed…!
These absolute monsters…! Aiden thought, gritting his teeth.
Come to think of it… he had never actually witnessed it before.
How superhumans—and among them, those at the absolute peak—truly fought. How they regarded a clash like the one happening right now.
Seeing this, he immediately understood why Mayer had scoffed at his request. If Aiden himself got caught up in a fight like this, lasting even a few seconds would be a miracle.
Unconsciously, his body trembled. Faced with a clash between beings so far beyond the bounds of common sense, his survival instincts were the first to react.
“Mr. Aiden, do you have a plan?!”
…And strangely, the very person locked in this monstrous battle was now relying on him.
Noel shouted, her eyes flashing fiercely as she looked back at him.
“Why are you even asking that?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t…!”
“Of course I do.”
“…”
“I’m just stunned you’d ask something so obvious,” Aiden said, a faint smile playing on his lips as Noel glared at him as if ready to smack him.
“First,” he continued, maintaining the smile, “we ultimately have to defeat her. And for that, we need a little preparation.”
“What kind of preparation?!”
“A wide-open space.”
To be precise… one with no bystanders to get caught in the crossfire.
“So I can blast her without feeling guilty.”
…Well.
What Mayer had forged for him was, in a sense, a cannon—one that was extremely difficult to fire. It had numerous conditions for proper use, was a simple single-target attack with no flashy combos, and offered no guarantee of hitting its mark.
But when all those conditions aligned…
“Then I win.”
It was, in its own way, a calamity.