Chapter 45

The guards leap, but they can't even pass the small sword swing they make towards the throne.

Their swords don't pierce the first step, and their bodies are prevented from advancing as they hit an invisible barrier.

Seeing the situation, Elizabeth puts her hand on the sword hilt. However, along with the tremor that runs through her whole body, comes hesitation.

August tilted his head slightly.

"Well, firstly, could we talk? I believe there's been some misunderstanding..."

Taking the sword from the wall, Ethan looks towards the king as he sheaths it.

"A misunderstanding...? What should that mean?"

"Well, first off, it's ridiculous for you to threaten me to end this war when I didn't even have the choice to avoid it in the first place."

"You're saying that..."

August extended his neck.

"Yes, this war was imposed on us. We're just defending ourselves."

His eyes wandered around the hall. The strongest knights of his kingdom, those responsible for his protection, are powerless to even approach the man in front of them.

"Look at yourself. And now look at these men. Who would be crazy enough to continue a war knowing such a disparity in our abilities?"

Ethan looked around. Knights so weak that probably Aiden and Riley would be enough to deal with all of them. Indeed, the continuation and prolongation of this conflict make no sense at all. After all, considering everything he saw until he arrived in that hall, only one man could pose a real challenge to the others for some time... This war really makes no sense at all.

"But you killed the kingdom's sword, the difference couldn't have always been so great."

"The kingdom's sword... Ah, the overall commander of the demon knights? No, according to the reports I received, he didn't even show up on the front lines."

"He didn't show up...?"

August raised one hand and signaled to the knights.

"Yes. Honestly, for us, that was very good. Imagine, thousands of my knights died just to kill his direct subordinates, what would have happened if he had come personally?"

The knights returned, carrying four long boxes in their hands.

"Look. They are all silver swords. None black like yours."

Inside the boxes, shiny silver blades and black hilts bearing the mark of the white dragon; the swords of the demon knights' captains.

Ethan looked at August.

"These might not be the only ones..."

"Yes, indeed. But why would I lie? Honestly, if you forget about us and simply focus on resolving your own internal problems, it would be much better for me, wouldn't it?"

The swords rose into the air and floated towards Ethan. The blades, the hilts, and especially the dragon, all, without exception, are identical to those found on Clovis and Carlos's swords.

"But if it wasn't you, who else could have done this?"

"Well, that's something I can't say. The ancient books say that there are other immensely powerful kingdoms around us, but... even if they really exist, I don't think they would be idle enough to come here just to kill a single demon and then leave without anyone seeing them."

The tension in the hall is almost palpable. The knights shudder, knowing they are unable to deal with the man before their eyes, and Elizabeth, with her hand on the sword hilt, tries to convince herself to act if something happens again.

"Sir!"

The doors of the hall suddenly open, and with a desperate look, the leader of the royal knights bows before the throne. His long black hair falls towards the ground, and his fists clench tightly on the floor.

"Forgive my intrusion, Your Majesty. But an urgent message has arrived from the Village of Fertile Waters."

"From the Village of Fertile Waters...? Is it about the cold affecting the crops?"

"No, sir, this... The city has fallen!"

August suddenly rises, his face contorted in confusion.

"Fallen?! How is that possible?! What happened, tell me?!"

"The Frost Peaks! The creatures from the Frost Peaks have descended from the mountains in masses and are attacking all the cities in the east of the kingdom!"

"The entire east!? How did you..."

Suddenly, the ambient mana fluctuates, and the air in the castle becomes thin. Breathing becomes a luxury and staying upright even more so, as the kneeling knights feel an indescribable weight on their backs.

Black wings emerge, and the hall's glass shatters.

August raises his head and immediately trembles. So much rage... such pure and destructive hatred directed entirely towards him.

"Who are you...?"

His fist on the sword hilt clenches, but the blade is not drawn from the sheath, and blood trickles from his lips. As the icy air finally reaches the castle's interiors, his black hair sways, and his gray eyes boil in fury.

"Ethan... we need to go now. The barrier... it's been breached."

Ethan rises towards Carlos immediately, and black wings appear on his back.

"Don't forget what I said. The war is over."

The two exit through the shattered glass, and as they place their hands on their chests, the knights breathe deeply again when the air once more reaches their lungs.

With Carlos's departure, those eyes remain engraved in his mind, and August collapses on the throne with his legs trembling.

"What are you all doing?! We're under attack! Summon all remaining knights, now!"

Above their heads a blue sky and beneath their feet a white world. The entire kingdom had been enveloped in snow, and with his eyes, Ethan could see that strange mana now seems to be everywhere.

"I thought you were going to kill him..."

As the mana around his body slowly fades, Carlos sighs.

"Not yet... It won't be that quick, nor painless."

His flights are swift, and it didn't take long for them to cross the lands of Camelot.

Passing over the destroyed canyon that connects the kingdoms, everything had been taken over by the creatures from the Frost Peaks. The newly rebuilt wall of Duskwood City had already been destroyed, and the creatures continued to claim territory.

"These monsters are..."

"Yes, ice dragons... Unfortunately, Aiden was right. They exist..."

Approaching the Black Forest, a desperate yet unique sight unfolds before their eyes.

The skies merge, and the red and blue moons cancel out the brightness of the yellow sun. Walking, the creatures traverse the forest, and flying, the dragons dominate the skies.