Assault on the Pentagon
At the time of the assault on the Pentagon, Emperor Lucius Dragnik was still young. Barely seventeen years old. It was a cruel reality for hands so unbloodied. And yet, his hands were far from clean. He had gripped a sword firmly enough to wield the pure white holy sword Rosmerta.
The man had undoubtedly been a vicious prime minister who tormented him. Lucius remembered it clearly. But to Lucius, he was now little more than a stepping stone. He had severed the man's head. Blood had sprayed everywhere. He could still recall the prime minister's veins flowing quietly like a stream. After that, he purged those who eyed his throne. He killed every last one who dared to usurp it. Without any true skill to his name at such a young age, he had taken up the sword to protect his father's legacy.
"Do you truly not value your lives?!"
Lucius bellowed. The power of the throne did not end with words. It was a position backed by real force, one no one could challenge. Those who coveted it had surged in number since his father, the previous emperor, had passed. Arkanthia had been the first to slip from the Pentagon's shadow, the traitors who broke free. The four continents should have been united under the name of the Pentagon. Everyone should have been granted equal rights. Yet Arkanthia had grown blind with greed for power, just as before—and now.
Kadan's frost spread in an instant. The air itself transformed. Every word he uttered froze the Arkanthian soldiers in place. Kadan, the head of the Valenos family, was thin ice incarnate. Touch him, and you die. That's the feeling it evoked—like walking barefoot across a frozen lake.
The Arkanthian soldiers drew their swords and slowly encircled them. Shring—but even on thin ice, hope was not lost. This operation had accounted for Kadan Valenos from the start. They knew better than anyone that they were mere bait.
"We..."
All they had to do was buy time. Drain Kadan Valenos's strength as much as possible. Without that, there was no way to hunt the monster.
Kadan sneered faintly.
"A face I once saw long ago."
"It's been a while, King of the North."
"I don't care for that title, Rahim."
"Isn't it the truth? The continents have declared independence from the empire now."
"You've become Arkanthia's dog."
"I've always been a citizen of Arkanthia."
"A citizen of the Pentagon, you mean."
Their eyes locked. Their unyielding resolves clashed across the void. As Kadan raised his sword slightly into a guarded stance, Lucius tensed as well.
"...Where is your master?"
"I cannot say."
"Do you know your actions constitute treason?!"
"We're merely acting for our homeland."
"The Pentagon is our homeland! Have you forgotten we're all one nation?"
"Not anymore. At least Arkanthia has declared independence."
The captain of the Imperial Guard—or rather, Rahim, the Arkanthian magitech unit commander who had stolen his armor and infiltrated—responded to Kadan. He leveled his sword. The remaining twenty-nine soldiers raised their blades and shields toward Kadan.
"Surround him!"
Clang. Their armor clashed as they closed in.
"Must it come to this?"
"Surrender the emperor peacefully, and we'll withdraw."
"...There's more to this."
"That depends on how you see it."
"I have no desire to fight you."
"I haven't forgotten the grace you showed, saving a mere soldier like me."
"So..."
"Even so, I must follow my country's orders."
Kadan stayed on maximum guard, shielding Lucius as best he could. They wielded iron armor and weapons, while he and Lucius had only two swords between them. Of course, the skill gap was overwhelming—but there was always an "if." Above all, this man had once been saved by Kadan. Unlike the other survivors of the battlefield, half his shoulder had been gone, and he had lingered on the brink of death. Kadan had brought a mage and saved him. Healed, he had miraculously survived and taken up the sword as a knight once more.
"Must we truly fight? Arkanthia's master isn't foolish enough for this."
"He has passed."
"What?"
"Arkanthia is no longer the weak continent you remember."
Rahim advanced. Cain imbued his drawn sword with frost, unleashing a chill. The rune calculations were complete. Enough for spellcasting. He sneered. It was pathetic, marching to certain death.
"Forgive me."
He murmured.
"Ice Age."
The moment the rune words left his lips, the area froze over alongside Kadan's killing intent. Rahim, disguised as the guard captain, thrust his shield forward with all his might. He calculated runes.
"Crusader!"
A radiant cross appeared before the golden shield. The translucent barrier sought to counter Kadan's magic. But the mana density was different. Kadan's Mana Flower had fully bloomed long ago. The core spun, amplifying. His frost encased even the golden barrier.
"You block that? Enhanced with magitech, as expected."
"...Cough!"
"Using relics from a forgotten age so well."
Rahim staggered. Dizziness hit with the sudden chill. Coughs poured out. His body rejected the rapid temperature shift.
Thud! A strange roar echoed as Kadan's form vanished. The sound lingered in his ears. Rahim scanned warily, eyes darting.
"Where did he go? Did he flee?"
One second. In that brief moment, thoughts raced through Rahim's mind. Lucius was gone too. Only his frozen, severed comrades remained. Far from buying time, they had lost their forces. Returning to Arkanthia like this would mean punishment. The mission had failed, and their numbers were decimated. Rahim gritted his teeth. Then the trembling stopped, and an icy gale assaulted him—like plummeting from on high.
"What!?"
"Fleeing? Such harsh words."
Kadan materialized before him in an instant. Ashamed, Rahim realized he hadn't fled.
"Too fast to see...?"
"Quite right."
Emotion had vanished from Kadan's face. Not the gentle expression from his childhood, before Arkanthia's independence. This was a monster emitting alien mana. Then, a savage slicing sound rang in his ear.
"Traitors meet their end. As always."
"!"
Lucius's pure white sword danced with cheerful rhythm, rippling like waves. An arm sprayed red, flying far away. Blood surged, thickening the red walls. The ancient crimson interior took on a fresh, bloody hue.
The emperor was fast. His swift speed meshed perfectly with the weight of his holy sword. A famed blade revealed its true worth with its wielder. Perhaps Lucius was even faster than Kadan. The emotionless Kadan was terrifying. His battle-hardened form, laced with frozen mana. Frost thickened on his blade.
"Monster...!"
"So I'm the monster."
"Your skills are absurd, as expected."
"No praise will save you. No need to fear. Isn't this what you intended for us and His Majesty?"
Cold mana. Alien mana unlike the ordinary. A special power inherited from ancestors at the spring. The blessed child of the Valenos family. That was Kadan.
"No apologies. We're even."
"Damn it!"
"You know our family is a bit special."
"I never should have agreed to this plan!"
"It'll be over soon."
Too late to staunch the spurting arm. They had acted for their "homeland," but it was all for the higher-ups.
"Regretting it now?"
"...Yes."
"Then don't do things worth regretting."
"I had no choice."
"You agreed to the plan."
"...That."
"You killed the Imperial Guard captain and stole his armor. All of you. You must have been skilled."
He nodded. The pain was too intense to bear, but he summoned extreme willpower. Just endure. If he held out, bought time, the plan would succeed. It was almost time. Arkanthia's five years of magitech research had reached untouchable heights. Power enough to neutralize even the Pentagon's guardians. Magitech shone brighter with each advance. Such a force would soon assault the palace. That's why the mighty Kadan was a hindrance. Tying his feet, even briefly, was paramount. That was their mission.
"When I saved you, you were a wise youth who knew choice. Has magitech corrupted you this much?"
"Great power sometimes saves people."
"That's why I chose to save you."
"...You did."
"Choices come with responsibility, young man."
Unable to watch longer, Lucius gestured. Any more delay, and their goal would be achieved. Whatever they aimed for, something lurked behind.
"Kadan, execute them."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Kadan's sword fell coldly. Holy light enveloped him.
"For Arkanthia!"
"Struggling to the end!"
He clenched his teeth and spun. His left arm swung the greatsword, shattering the frozen ground. Ice shards erupted. Sparks flew; Rahim's eyes gleamed.
Rahim dragged his massive frame, gathering mana for a thrust. His magitech-enhanced body drew blue mana fiercely.
"Useless."
If they had magitech, Kadan had bloodline. A body inheriting great ancestors' will could swat away such a thrust effortlessly. Magitech—mere relics of a lost age daring to target the North's lord. Utter blasphemy.
"You underestimate me too much."
"Damn it, when are they coming?!"
"Kadan."
"...Yes."
Catching Lucius's gaze, Kadan swept back his disheveled hair. His long white bangs flipped back. No more delays. The persistent foe furrowed his brow naturally. He had sensed early they sought to stall. But he never dreamed their magitech research ran this deep. Direct implantation into the body was forbidden by imperial law.
They cut trade and news with the continents to prevent leaks.
Kadan clicked his tongue. Then he lashed out with icy whips to prevent escape.
"Where to."
"Gah!"
He tried to block with his shield, but his right arm was already gone. He knew he couldn't beat the Kadan before him. Where were the reinforcements, even if he bought time? Rahim ground his teeth. Unease gnawed. It turned to fear, trembling at the monster. All presences vanished. Dazed, he glanced aside. A fierce presence surged from behind once more. Desperate for survival, Rahim twisted his body to its limit, swinging the greatsword. Threatening speed. Enhanced flesh cleaved air. But the result was the same.
"Body enhancement isn't unique to you."
"Something like that—I could do without magitech."
"Then die already? You're starting to disgust me like a cockroach."
Lucius's mockery. Rage boiled. Never before treated like vermin. Even nobles had acknowledged him as human. Cockroaches ranked below slaves. All the more infuriating.
"...What did you say?"
"Shh, be quiet. You're dying soon anyway. Save your strength."
"Even my mother never called me a cockroach."
"What can you do? To me, you're just a brown bug."
Boom! Impact shook his core. Frost dyed the surroundings and burst.
"Your Majesty!"
"That sound?"
"Not my magic. It's from outside."
This roar wasn't from Kadan. Sounds of something crashing continued.
"What is it?"
"...I'll purge this cockroach now!"
"That's not the issue. Get down!"
Lucius frowned. Kadan pulled him close and dove, dodging the explosion. Rahim fought closing eyes, sensing victory. Arkanthia's archmage's magitech was no joke. Its fruition approached. Explosions. Dark shadows neared as the red ceiling crumbled. The Pentagon's guardian flapped faded wings, shrieking. A massive human—no, a statue—twisted the giant bird's neck with a grotesque grin. It uttered rune words.