Invasion (7)
The Baron of Vicander’s booming voice rang across the battlefield. “Isabel! You poor thing, trapped by that lowly bastard! Look at you—your face is gaunt. I’ll free you from his grasp at once!”
Everything seemed to favor him. There had been no resistance on the march to Vicander, the regional capital. The castle walls still lay in ruins exactly as they had been left. It was clear that the ruler of Lend was in such dire straits she couldn’t even muster troops or repair her defenses. Or perhaps she was so debauched she refused to spend any money on the territory. The baron firmly believed the latter—that Kang Geon, the ruler of Lend who held Isabel captive, was squandering the region’s resources on drink and women.
Though it had been a long time since Kang Geon granted Isabel dominion over the land, the Baron of Vicander couldn’t even imagine such a possibility. Dominion was simply too valuable, too important.
“He says he’ll set you free from me?” Kang Geon said, kneading Isabel’s ass with one massive hand.
The sight of the exquisitely beautiful Isabel being molested sent a powerful surge of lust through the baron. He decided then and there that he would make her daughter Ruby his slave and fuck her for the rest of her life.
“Should I let you go right now?”
“My only role is to please my Master,” Isabel answered sweetly.
Kang Geon liked the way she flattered him. Truth be told, she was so pretty that anything she did pleased him. Which only made him want to torment her even more.
“What should I do with that fool? Go on, ask me.”
“Please thoroughly ruin that man’s entire family so he may learn his proper place,” Isabel said, pressing her body flat against the ground in complete submission.
“You know exactly what I like, don’t you?”
“Because I am your slave, Master. While you enjoy yourself, I will conquer and control his territory so you can obtain whatever you desire with ease.”
To Kang Geon, power—whether political or financial—was merely a tool to satisfy his desires. Isabel, on the other hand, saw acquiring that very power as the ultimate goal of her life. He could easily sate his lust with her, and she could ride on his back to seize even greater strength at incredible speed. In that sense, they made quite the fitting master and slave.
“Hehehehehe.”
Kang Geon planted his foot on the back of Isabel’s head. She responded by vulgarly shaking her ass, practically begging to be fucked.
“Watch closely.”
With that, Kang Geon leapt from the wall.
The moment he was gone, Isabel rose to her feet. In his absence, she was the undisputed tyrant here. Her sharp, predatory gaze swept over her surroundings and immediately caught on one maid whose uniform collar was slightly askew. It was a tiny flaw, but Isabel would not tolerate it.
SLAP!
The maid collapsed from the full-force swing. A bright red handprint burned across her face.
“Fix your uniform properly. You think you can attend me with that kind of sloppy attitude?”
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
The maid dropped to her knees, begging for mercy.
THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!
Isabel stomped on her without the slightest mercy. Just as a whore relieved the stress she received from men by tormenting hosts at a host bar, Isabel took out her frustrations on her inferiors.
“Don’t give this bitch any food for a week. If she gets hungry, she can spread her cunt for beggars and beg for bread crumbs.”
Isabel was simply passing on what Kang Geon had done to her. The other maids dragged the fallen woman away by her arms. The rest kept their heads bowed as low as possible. When Isabel was in one of her rages, they didn’t even dare breathe too loudly.
Her razor-sharp gaze turned toward the battlefield outside the walls. Only then did the maids secretly let out sighs of relief.
BOOM!
Kang Geon’s massive frame crashed down in front of the Baron of Vicander’s army.
“Zatan! It’s your turn,” the baron ordered, sending out his most expensive mercenary first.
“Yes, my lord.”
Zatan stepped forward with bow in hand. His combat style relied on clones and blinding speed to confuse enemies before finishing them off with arrows that were nearly impossible to dodge. He was the natural counter to a glass cannon like Kang Geon.
As Zatan advanced, Kang Geon didn’t move an inch. Zatan was certain the man was nothing more than a rookie who had suddenly reached S-class. Every summoner who had climbed to S-class the proper way was a battle-hardened veteran. None of them acted like this—standing still without closing distance, without testing their opponent, without any probing attacks.
Yet Kang Geon simply wore a crooked smirk, watching arrogantly as if enjoying a show.
“Drunk on power you didn’t earn,” Zatan muttered, nocking an arrow. He drew the string and took aim at Kang Geon’s ear.
SWISH!
The arrow flew faster than a bullet, passing cleanly over Kang Geon’s shoulder in an instant. Because Kang Geon hadn’t moved at all, it looked as though he had failed to react.
“It’s over,” Zatan concluded, his vast combat experience telling him this fight would be laughably easy. In truth, Kang Geon had simply been curious about the man’s abilities and chose to observe.
Zatan activated his clone skill. Identical copies of himself appeared, swirled together in a blur, then scattered left and right. Identifying the real one would require at least A-class instant detection or insight abilities.
“Clones, huh? Might be useful to pick up.”
He briefly imagined using the skill to fuck multiple women in every hole at once. Still, he decided it would be more fun to pound them with his own cock.
A volley of arrows came flying—faster and more ferocious than before. They moved so quickly there wasn’t even time for the sound to reach him first. Yet Kang Geon instinctively knew these arrows could never pierce his defense.
THUDTHUDTHUDTHUD!
The sound of arrows hammering against skin filled the air. Kang Geon immediately regretted standing still. Not because he was injured—simply because it stung.
Even though the arrows failed to penetrate, Zatan didn’t panic. He had faced opponents who specialized in defense before, and most of them were hulking brutes like this one. Such enemies couldn’t dodge arrows, making them easy targets. And Zatan possessed skills capable of piercing even the highest defenses.
“Final Arrow.”
A sinister aura gathered on the shaft. It was difficult to fire in rapid succession, but just as the name suggested, this arrow was meant to be the last thing his enemy ever saw.
Zatan drew the bowstring back until the weapon bent like a crescent moon, then released.
BOOM!
The very space the arrow tore through warped and screamed. Kang Geon realized catching it with his body would be a poor choice.
His arm moved. It moved so fast it seemed to vanish.
Clench.
The Final Arrow was caught firmly in Kang Geon’s grip—thirty centimeters from his head.
Kiiiiiiiiiii—!
The malevolent energy trapped within the arrow howled as if trying to shatter him. Feeling like he was listening to a yapping chihuahua, Kang Geon simply squeezed and snapped the shaft in two.
Crack.
Zatan’s eyes widened in shock. “That’s S-class? Impossible!”
He fired three arrows at once. All three traced bizarre trajectories as they streaked toward Kang Geon.
Before they could reach him, Kang Geon’s figure disappeared.
A chill ran down Zatan’s spine. ‘Insane speed!’
He threw himself backward instantly.
KWAAAAANG!
The ground where he had been standing exploded. Kang Geon had somehow identified the real body among the clones and thrown a punch.
‘What the hell kind of S-class is this?! That fucking baron!’
Only now did Zatan understand. To this monster, destroying castle walls was as easy as breathing. His only remaining choice was flight. Even if it damaged his reputation, survival came first.
He dispelled his clones and ran with everything he had. At his top speed, escape wasn’t impossible.
But Kang Geon caught up in the blink of an eye.
Zatan sensed the killing intent closing in, yet there was nothing he could do.
Grab.
Kang Geon seized him by the scruff of the neck and hurled him backward. Zatan tumbled across the dirt until Kang Geon’s foot came crashing down on his thigh.
CRUNCH!
“KAAAAAAGH!”
The rock-hard thigh muscle turned to mush. The shattered femur splintered and tore through the meat.
“M-mercy…!”
“You tried to kill me. What mercy?”
Kang Geon stomped on Zatan’s hand so hard the ground shook. The hand flattened like a pancake.
“If you spare me now, I’ll repay you generously!”
“Not interested.”
SPLAT!
The other hand simply burst apart.
“GYAAAAAAGH!”
Blood gushed from Zatan’s body, quickly forming a crimson pool. Kang Geon decided to end it. Tormenting men was definitely less entertaining than playing with women.
THUD!
He kicked Zatan’s head clean off his shoulders. An S-class mercenary met a more pathetic end than a stray dog.
“W-what…?” The Baron of Vicander was visibly shaken. Zatan was not someone who should have died so easily. Had the baron not been a man who stood above ten million souls, he would have found it nearly impossible to even meet someone of Zatan’s caliber. An S-class summoner would be treated with respect in any kingdom. Anyone capable of toying with such a person like a child would undoubtedly be revered even in an empire.
There were many empires in Ferum. Anyone who ruled even a single region could call themselves emperor. But few were universally acknowledged—especially by dukes and kings. To be considered a true emperor, one needed to rule at least a hundred regions. Conquering a hundred regions was a dream beyond the reach of ordinary talent.
Someone like Kang Geon would never be treated lightly even by the emperors of such true empires.
“No! That can’t be! Zatan must have done something stupid, or that bastard must have a powerful item!”
People were not always rational. Those born into power, like the Baron of Vicander, were even less so. Even after watching Kang Geon crush Zatan, he refused to acknowledge the man’s strength and instead interpreted events in whatever way benefited him most.
“Kill him and seize his items! Whoever brings me his head will receive one hundred million laria!”
The baron’s commanders led their troops in a full charge.
“He chose the worst possible move,” Isabel sneered from atop the wall, mocking the Baron of Vicander.
First, the B- and C-class titled warriors under the baron’s command rushed Kang Geon. The plan was simple: drain his stamina, then have the A-class titled warriors swarm and finish him. But it failed from the very first step.
KWANG! KWANG!
A ferocious wave of destructive power erupted outward, sweeping through the baron’s army. Three hundred men died instantly. All it took was two casual punches from Kang Geon. The earth was carpeted in shredded chunks of flesh. A thick red mist hung in the air. Faced with hell itself unfolding in a single moment, even the knights stood frozen in terror alongside the common soldiers.