Sunlight on the Snowfields of the Homeward March
When the sunlight bathed the vast white snowfields on the march home, Rowen smirked from behind the knights. He didn't think they'd lose. But one could never drop their guard. Just in case, he'd asked Mio to defend the castle.
"No way, I wanna go too!" He recalled Mio throwing a tantrum like that. She was ancient beyond measure, yet so willful. Still, they couldn't leave Valenos Castle unguarded, so she'd understood. Besides, with her wide-area magic, she could surely protect it. Even if the enemy launched a surprise attack, their opponent was a hero who'd lived over a thousand years. They wouldn't approach carelessly.
Of course, that was only if they weren't northerners. To those who'd spent their lives in the North, the bone-chilling gale felt like a cool breeze.
Rowen watched the knights brace their swords and scan the horizon. Their numbers were still visible for now. Arrows of mana forged by magitech rained down like a storm. The knights chanted in unison, erecting a barrier of sacred spells.
"We're still in the lead."
"But they haven't committed their full force yet."
"...Same thought here."
"Yes, their main force is probably holding back, just like ours."
"Tch, if it weren't for those golems, we could've charged already."
"Couldn't Young Master smash them?"
"How many sacrifices before we even get close? For now, we toy with them—buy time."
Rowen gripped his Ice Blade in his right hand, silently vigilant. The snowfield, drenched in red blood, was a scene of hellish chaos. Yet orderly chaos. Those who'd endured Arahan's brutal training had the same unbreakable spirit as Uba.
"For the North!"
"Smith, snap out of it!"
"...Urgh. His Majesty warned us, but this magitech power... it's too strong."
"Their mana output outclasses ours."
"Doesn't matter! Press them! If we keep pushing until their main force shows, we reclaim our home!"
Roars of defiance mingled with screams. At the crossroads of hope and despair, Rowen smiled. He cast the wide-area buff Mio had taught him across the ranks.
"Holy Armor."
Frost-blue runes swirled around Rowen. They etched intricate patterns into the pristine snow.
⟨ Holy Armor ⟩
The enemy wouldn't notice. In the frenzy of battle, they had no time to scrutinize traces on the white ground—especially ones blending seamlessly with the snow. Rowen had calculated that much. Strength surged through the soldiers' bodies in an instant.
"...Your Majesty?"
"Perfect. With this—!"
"For the North!"
"Uoooooh!"
They charged in fierce straight lines. Swordsmen and spearmen turned to flashes, severing the massive magitech arms. They blocked incoming mana projectiles with unyielding spell barriers. The Arkanthian Imperial Army could only falter in confusion, their faces blank with bewilderment. Rowen felt disappointed at their dumbfounded expressions.
"Falling for such a basic ploy... even Father."
Of course, the golems were the wildcard. Beings he'd shattered a millennium ago, reborn through demonic hands. Even he might not have foreseen it. He wasn't blaming Kadan. It was absurd that the ones who'd killed him were crumbling to such a simple power gap.
Rowen laughed. A mad smile twisted his features. The thrill of a plan succeeding, results pouring in. Seeing the enemy panic, he sensed their main force wouldn't hold back much longer.
"So, what choice will you make?"
He spread his arms to embrace the wind. The biting cold felt invigorating. His gray-streaked white hair whipped in the gale. Rowen raised his right hand to the sky, then slashed it down.
"Fire!"
Thudududududu! The archers drew their bowstrings taut, unleashing in unison. Magical arrows erupted from their grasp—vicious mana projectiles arcing straight for the Arkanthian ranks overhead. There was a reason they hit true every time. Mio, who'd relied solely on wide-area spells, had learned the hard way in her fight with Tesiah two years ago: the need for single-target strikes. So she'd developed a new original magic: Aint, a tracking spell that locked onto targets. She'd taught it to the archers, forging the ultimate soldiers. No friendly fire, total enemy annihilation. Rowen didn't hide his satisfaction at the foresight.
"As expected of Mio. Teaching something like this."
"...Her again? Am I not helping...?"
"No, you've helped plenty. You trained these soldiers. I'm truly grateful."
"...Then I'm glad."
Arahan's face held a hint of pout. She'd often shown this exclusion when Mio came up—likely because she knew of his past life. A Rowen she didn't know. Stories she hadn't shared. Memories excluding her. The fear of losing him fueled her desperation. That's why she'd taken on soldier training despite scarce time by his side—to carve a place in his heart. Even after they'd grown close, his silence made her wonder, 'Does he hate me?'
But no. Rowen simply didn't know how to express it. With Mio's example, he was practicing restraint. He stroked her hair to ease her heart. Once she'd fixed his; now roles had reversed. Well, if it pleased her... Though he suspected she maneuvered him into it.
'Just my imagination.'
Rowen dismissed it as groundless worry, raising his arm again.
"So that's your choice?"
Thud! Thud! Far off, a colossal figure stomped forward. A giant? No, giants weren't that massive. Rowen knew its true nature. Likely everyone here did. The reason Arkanthia had conquered the North—their mainstay.
"Golem."
The massive harbinger of slaughter advanced at the head of their main force.
"You've shown your hand first. Victory is ours."
At that moment, pitch-black light pierced the haze, erupting vividly.
Watching the entire scene from Snowfall, General Claus made his decision.
"...Send out the golem."
"But it's been two years since Muron's link severed!"
"So you don't want to?"
"Th-that's—!"
Claus seized the soldier by the throat, slamming him down hard. The man's face contorted against Claus's knee.
"Cough!"
"Do it."
"...But."
"If it won't move, sacrifice your lives to make it. Are your heads just for show? You can power it with your mana."
"...Understood."
"Tch, just do it without the chatter."
Claus left Kadan's office, heading for the gates. He crossed the bridge and climbed the walls, using his magitech-enhanced arm to zoom in on the distance.
"Trash..."
They were being pushed back. He should've finished it back then. The corpses found in Albrin Forest two years ago had been gruesome. The same mana signature.
"That bastard... Kadan Valenos's illegitimate spawn..."
He couldn't help but laugh. In a world where bastards were culled, a mere illegitimate son had inherited his father's will and become king. As if the throne were child's play. And at just 18...
"What a joke...!"
Arkanthia feared a mere youth of 18. Because of the great mage at his side? No. It was the cub himself. The hostility and hatred radiating from him made even Claus's flesh crawl. That's why he'd decided. He knew it was inefficient. Since the higher-up's link cut off, the golem had been inert—its mana circuits severed. But it could move. Just pump in overwhelming mana.
...That was the problem. Despite his rage-fueled outburst, it would cost many lives. He'd barely claimed Snowfall as his own; Arkanthia's upper echelons had granted him governance for his merits. To lose to some bastard now? Absurd. A bad joke.
He gnashed his teeth. They had to force the golem to move. The power that killed Kadan. Awaken it, slay the son.
...It was their only path to survival.
Countless sword trails sliced through the snow. Behind Rowen rode a horde of knights on frost steeds. Those following the young lion. Their wish for a united North cleaved the darkness like light.
Screeech... With ear-splitting noise, the colossal statue stirred. Red light gathered, compressing into a point and firing.
Boom! Sacred shields blocked the blast. Kalia Rune chants rumbled like a great warrior's roar.
Rowen urgently called to Arahan.
"Arahan! The golem always slows after firing its beam. Can you bind it then?"
"It's possible, but can I manage?"
"You must."
His eyes burned with certainty. Arahan trusted that gaze. She leaped from her galloping horse, drawing the jet-black holy sword Rosbriel. Thick golden sword aura ignited with her resolve, compressing gravity to crush the golem.
"Rian Rose, proxy of the angels, commands: Align the laws of the world and manifest here."
Her cry echoed across the battlefield.
"Crusade Gravity!"
Angelic blessing fueled ultimate divine magic. Holy power transcended supreme spells, unleashing raw energy.
⟨ Crusade Gravity ⟩
As the long incantation ended, the sky split. A massive gravity pillar slammed down on the golem.
Rumble! It crushed the golem's frame. Under the overwhelming pressure, the ancient behemoth slowly shifted its gaze, tearing at the gravitational veil.
"All within expectations," Rowen sneered lowly.
"How many of you did I shatter in my past life?"
Rowen strode across the snowfield. No one approached—couldn't, even. Black veils and ice swords guarded him. Golden chains erupted from unseen space, binding the golem. Thick and unyielding. Arahan pulled with all her might, but it was only a matter of time.
"...Young Master."
"I know."
Rowen swung his sword down. Black sword aura rippled in a crescent wave, unstoppable. The first golem's arm crashed to the ground.
Rumble! An avalanche swallowed the earth. Soldiers naturally formed barriers. They followed Rowen, now facing the Arkanthian main force head-on.
"For the North!"
Rowen's shout drew thunderous roars from all. Voices raw with the grief of the homeless. The enemy quailed.
In that instant, Rowen recalled his past life's feat. The boy who'd swung his sword daily. His final mastery.
[Sky Slash]
Black energy fused with frost, cleaving the air. It froze the atmosphere, bisecting foes. A massive spiral vortex whirled.
"Come at me, Arkanthia. Pay the price for touching the North."
The king's exploit. With the colossal spiral, crescent sword aura exploded.
And so, at last—
Slash! It rent the heavens in two.