Chapter 65. Battle at the Castle Gates
Battle at the Castle Gates
"You filthy bastard...!"
Lucian's eyes burned with murderous intent. The sight of his own maid being violated right in his own castle was enough to shatter his reason. He wanted nothing more than to rush forward and snap the bastard in half.
Just as he was about to lunge, Kara reached out and stopped him.
"My lord, calm yourself. Killing him now will only cause more chaos. Leave subduing him to me."
Before the words had even fully left her mouth, Kara shot forward like a black panther.
Whoosh—!
The sound of the wind being sliced was barely audible.
Just as Kaelus lifted his head in pleasure, a long, razor-sharp rapier grazed the back of his neck, cutting through the air.
"G-Guh?! Wh-What the hell?!"
The prince's face drained of color, frozen in shock. He could still feel the icy chill of the blade that had just skimmed his throat.
"Shut up. If you open your mouth one more time, I'll put a hole through your neck."
Kara's eyes were as cold as ice. The gaze of a killer who had stabbed countless opponents to death in the arena. Kaelus, trembling in terror, stopped thrusting and clutched his bleeding throat.
"Kaelus. You're finished."
Lucian strode forward, grabbed the prince by the hair, and hurled him into a corner of the office like a sack of garbage.
Crash! Thud!
The prince tumbled pathetically, but the hallway outside remained eerily silent. The guards stationed there had already been dealt with by Lucian and Kara.
"Sniff... sniff..."
The young maid, now moved to the sofa, curled up naked, trembling violently.
Between her pale thighs, streaks of red blood and translucent white fluid mixed together, trickling down. Lucian draped his coat over her and snarled at Kaelus.
"Call off the rebellion and disband your forces now. If you don't, I'll crush your dick and shove it down your throat."
Lucian's threat was no empty boast. His hand was already gripping the hilt of his sword.
But Kaelus spat out a mouthful of blood and grinned viciously.
"Keh... Count Lucian... I'll give you credit for having the guts to come after me like this."
He staggered to his feet.
"Do you really think threatening my life will work? If the rebels disband now, we're all dead anyway. The die is already cast. And..."
Kaelus' eyes narrowed like a snake's.
"Shouldn't you be somewhere else right now? Your precious women... Belial took them."
"...What?!"
Lucian's heart plummeted.
"Did you think hiding them underground would work? Belial has an uncanny nose for your scent. By now... your women are probably screaming in that dark mage's lab."
Thud—!
He didn't need to hear another word. Lucian's fist smashed into Kaelus' jaw.
The prince collapsed without even a scream, knocked out cold.
"Tie him up! Carry him like the trash he is and follow me!"
Lucian handed the prince off to the soldiers and sprinted like a madman.
His destination was the underground shelter.
Lucian knew the castle's layout better than anyone. He pushed through hidden walls, cut through servant passages, and descended to the third basement level in the shortest time possible.
His heart pounded as if it would burst. Please, please let them be safe.
When he opened the concealed door to the shelter, familiar air rushed out at him.
"My lord!"
"Ah, my lord! You're alive!"
Maria burst into tears and threw herself into Lucian's arms. Nancy, Ari, and Ella also collapsed in relief, sobbing.
But Lucian's eyes were searching for one more person.
"Lord Lucian..."
Sophia stood a step back, her face pale, tears streaming down her cheeks. A faint glow around her was fading.
"Sophia! You're safe! Thank goodness... Thank goodness."
When Lucian moved toward her, Sophia shook her head and spoke in a voice thick with despair.
"I'm sorry... I failed."
"What are you talking about?"
"Riri... Riri was taken by Belial. I tried to stop him, but... those tentacles..."
"...!!"
Lucian's mind went blank.
Riri.
The youngest, the most fragile, the most timid of them all.
Now in the clutches of that monstrous dark mage?
"GAAAH!!"
Lucian punched the wall in a fit of rage. His bloodied fist trembled.
There was no time.
Outside, the allied forces were waiting for the castle gates to open. Inside, Rimeyer and the others were fighting desperately to make that happen.
"Kara!"
Lucian barked his orders.
"Take the maids and Sophia through this secret passage and escape. Wait in the forest outside the castle, assess the situation, and regroup with the main force."
"My lord! You're going alone?!"
"I'll join Rimeyer, open the gates, and wipe them out. And... I have to find Riri."
"Lord Lucian...!"
The maids cried out, but Lucian's eyes were already burning with resolve.
"Please... come back safely! We'll wait for you!"
Leaving behind Maria and Nancy's sobs, Lucian turned back toward the surface.
As much as he wanted to stay with them, every second counted if he was to save Riri.
Riri... That poor child... Belial... I'll tear you apart!
Lucian sprinted toward the castle gates.
Any rebel soldier who stood in his way was beheaded before they could even react.
Slash! Thud! Splurt!
"Guh—!"
"Wh-What the—?!"
The soldiers fell without even a chance to be surprised.
In Lucian's wake, only a trail of crimson remained. This was no heroic charge—it was the desperate, vengeful path of a beast who had lost something precious.
The area before the castle gates had devolved into absolute chaos.
The original plan had been to stealthily eliminate the guards and open the gates, but that plan had failed for the most absurdly trivial reason.
Rimeyer, emerging from the secret passage and sneaking toward the gatehouse.
Just as she drew her sword in the darkness, poised to slit a guard's throat—
A spider the size of a palm, having fallen from the ceiling of the secret passage, crawled right into the gap in her armor—specifically, between her breasts.
"KYAAAAAH!!"
She was the Royal Knight Captain, the Frozen Executioner, but the unexpected sensation of insect legs skittering across her bare skin was too much.
Her scream tore through the silent night, waking the rebel soldiers.
"Enemy attack!! The gates!"
"WAAAAAH—!!"
Soldiers poured out of the barracks, some in their undergarments, others half-dressed in armor, weapons in hand. In an instant, the plaza before the gates was swarming with hundreds of enemies.
"Tch, if it weren't for that damn bug...!"
Rimeyer bit her lip hard.
Her scream had turned a covert infiltration into an all-out battle. As the Royal Knight Captain—no, as a warrior—she wanted to crawl into a hole and die from sheer embarrassment.
"Ha... How can I call myself the Royal Knight Captain after this...?"
Her self-loathing quickly transformed into bloodlust.
"Die, all of you!!"
Slash! Crunch!
Rimeyer's sword danced.
Every soldier touched by her blade froze solid before being sent flying. Her frost-covered sword cut through the rebels without pause, not even giving them time to bleed.
"Execution on sight!"
She mowed them down like autumn leaves, venting her frustration with every swing.
Behind her, a desperate struggle was unfolding.
"Hold the line! Turn the winch!"
The guard captain, wielding a massive tower shield in one hand and a heavy mace in the other, stood before the gate's control mechanism.
Clang! Crash! Thud!
He deflected arrows with his shield and crushed the skulls of charging cavalry with his mace.
Behind him, two suicide squad soldiers strained with all their might to turn the massive chain winch.
Creak, creak...
The heavy castle gates began to rise, inch by inch.
But the enemy's resistance was fierce.
Thwip!
"Guh—!"
One of the soldiers turning the winch collapsed, an arrow embedded in his shoulder.
The remaining soldier struggled alone, but the weight was too much—the winch began to slip.
"Hold on!! Just a little longer!!"
The guard captain roared as he pushed back the enemy with his shield.
The wounded soldier gritted his teeth and forced himself up, gripping the chain with his bleeding arm.
"GAAAAH!!"
The gates inched upward again. But the enemy kept coming.
"They're multiplying! We're going to fail at this rate!"
No matter how many Rimeyer cut down, sheer numbers were overwhelming them.
Then, the sea of soldiers parted as a group of elite fighters emerged.
Swordsmen in ornate armor and battle mages in robes.
The Second Prince's personal guard.
"That's her! The Frozen Executioner, Rimeyer!"
"Surround her! Avoid direct combat—bind her with magic!"
The guard captain was experienced. They kept their distance, bombarding Rimeyer with spells and javelins.
Fwoosh! Boom!
"Tch... Cowards!"
Fireballs and ice arrows rained down around her.
She deflected the spells with her sword, but the elite swordsmen closed in from all sides, gradually pinning her down.
Clang!
Sparks flew as blades clashed.
Rimeyer was dragged into the kind of messy melee she hated most. Her armor was smeared with soot, sweat and blood obscuring her vision.
"Ugh, how dare they?!"
Her sword flashed like lightning, bisecting two swordsmen at the waist—but a mage seized the opening and hurled a fire spell at her legs.
"Look out!"
At the last possible moment—
A red streak shot from the darkness, intercepting the fire spell midair.
BOOM—!
And with ragged breaths, a blood-soaked man stormed onto the battlefield.
Lucian, having subdued Kaelus, confirmed the maids' safety, and sprinted here like a madman.
"Pant... pant..."
He gasped for air but immediately assessed the situation at the gates.
Thanks to the guard captain and the soldiers' desperate efforts, the gates were now about a meter off the ground. There was still hope.
Without hesitation, Lucian lunged behind Rimeyer.
Splat!
His holy sword lopped off the head of a soldier about to strike her.
Back-to-back, the two stood.
"You're late, Lucian."
Rimeyer shot him a glare.
But her voice carried a hint of relief.
"Perfect timing, don't you think? The star of the show always arrives fashionably late."
Lucian smirked as he adjusted his grip on his sword.
Excess mana, still unspent, rose from his body like a red haze. His fury over Riri's kidnapping had turned him into a killing machine.
"Let's wipe them all out."
The arrival of Count Lucian.
His overwhelming presence froze the rebel elites in their tracks.
The kingdom's two strongest swords were now aimed at their throats. The scales of battle began to tip once more.
