Chapter 123: Destiny (I)

Before the wedding ceremony, against time…

At a secret base of the Leon Revolutionary Army.

Behind Greg, who was resting on his long sword with eyes closed, someone appeared.

“Commander.”

Hearing the voice calling him, Greg opened his eyes. It was Baron, who should have been staying at home quietly behind him.

Greg smiled wryly at the old title. “Commander? I quit being the captain of the royal guard over twenty years ago, you know.”

When Baron first joined the royal guard unit, Greg had been its leader. When Greg left with Page and escaped from the continent, he passed down the position of captain to Baron.

In response to Greg’s criticism, Baron slightly shook his head. “Even so, you will always be my eternal commander.”

“It’s fine. We’re growing old together, so what does it matter… More importantly, is everything ready?” Greg waved off Baron’s concern and looked over his shoulder.

In the spacious underground hall, eighty royal guards and three hundred soldiers of the Leon Revolutionary Army stood in orderly ranks. The reason for gathering nearly four hundred troops in one place was Louis’s advice:

In Greg’s memory, Louis had been smiling brightly. Recalling the ‘job’ entrusted by his friend, a smile spread across Greg’s face as well.

He turned back to Baron.

“By now, the wedding ceremony should be starting, shouldn’t it?”

“I imagine so,” Greg replied.

Baron nodded slightly before hesitating and asking, “Um… but…”

“What is troubling you?”

“You’re certain we don’t need to send any reinforcements to the palace?” Baron’s question was filled with concern.

The royal guard unit was already understaffed, yet all but ten of them had left the palace. As someone responsible for the safety of the royal family, it was natural that he would worry even if this was done with the king’s permission.

Greg waved his hand reassuringly. “There’s no need to fret about that.”

“But…”

“There are individuals there who are more than capable—far better than a hundred or even two hundred members of the Royal Guard Corps. I’m confident His Highness will be well-protected.”

“Who on earth is this powerhouse? Who could possibly be…”

“That’s…” A wince of pain crossed Greg’s face.

Ouch…

He inwardly groaned, recalling the time he’d been knocked out by his twin. Lacking the courage to reveal the truth, he hedged his answer.

”…Yes, such a person exists. A true master, so set your worries aside. I vouch for their abilities without reservation.”

“If you say so, Danjang-nim.”

As they continued their casual chatter…

“D-Danjang-nim!”

One of the squad members rushed over and bowed deeply before Greg. The member took a moment to catch their breath before urgently reporting:

“The enemy soldiers are on the move!”

“Are they heading towards the palace?”

“Yes, sir!”

The report brought a look of grim satisfaction to Greg and Baron’s faces. They had finally arrived at the moment they’d been waiting for.

Greg sheathed his long sword at his waist.

Finally… The chance to set everything right is here.

He had waited so long for this day. Turning to Baron, who followed closely behind him, he spoke:

“Well then, shall we go pay our respects to some empty houses?”

“Oh, I can hardly wait,” replied Baron, his eyes gleaming with anticipation as he nodded.

Soon, four hundred soldiers led by Greg and Baron set out on their mysterious mission.

And before long…

Piuuuuuum! Bang!

A signal flare once again lit up the sky above the Frenche Palace. This time, however, it was not the same color as before—it was a vivid turquoise.

Boom! Boom!

Strong vibrations reverberated through the air.

In Bernium Palace, Louis stood on the roof with his eyes quietly closed.

Fin gazed at Louis with awe. His amazement was understandable; he had been involved in planning this operation from start to finish. Having witnessed everything firsthand, Fin knew just how far-fetched the events unfolding in Bernium Palace were.

From the unique technique used to shrink the palace itself—

To the spatial compression trap that caused vacuum explosions—

And finally, Louis’s ability to manipulate Pablo as both decoy and judge of situations…

“This is incredible…” Despite serving such a master, Fin couldn’t help but marvel at Louis’s genius. Although Pablo did most of the running around, it was Louis who orchestrated every detail.

Pin’s admiration for Louis grew as the four pillars began to glow with light. Each pillar represented a different sacred scripture. He had no idea how someone could cast so many at once from such a distance. All he could do was marvel at the sight.

During his time in the Tower of Wishes… Lord Louis has truly grown.

The use of hidden triggers instead of conventional casting must have been inspired by the principles behind crafting talismans within the tower. While Louis hadn’t experienced significant growth like increasing his tier, he had made remarkable progress in utilizing sacred scriptures effectively.

Meanwhile, Pablo continued pushing back the enemies. Although they were weakened by Louis’s spell, their sheer numbers meant that Pablo still needed to give it his all.

Suddenly, Pablo sensed something was off.

What’s going on?

He felt like he’d plunged into a hot spring; his entire body burned with heat. The elemental energy swirling around him created an inexplicable chill that coursed through his veins.

Bam! Bam!

With each strike of Louis’s hammer, the elemental energy fluctuated wildly, sending waves of pleasure crashing over Pablo.

“Yes!” He grinned widely as he lost himself in battle, driving relentlessly at his enemies.

“S-stop him!”

“Form ranks!”

Trapped within Louis’s magic barrier, their opponents scrambled to erect defenses against Pablo. As they charged headfirst toward them, he resembled nothing so much as an enraged bull.

Louis couldn’t help but marvel at the sight. “Wow, he’s raging like a mad bull.”

At this rate, just as Pablo had predicted, everything would be wrapped up within fifteen minutes.

“We can leave this place to Pablo now. Then we need to start tidying up the situation outside…” As Louis muttered quietly to himself…

Fwiiiish—Bang!

A blue-green flame blossomed in the sky beyond the palace walls of the capital city.

The corners of Louis’s mouth curled upward at the sight.

“What impeccable timing.”

Klank-klang.

Pablo’s hammering reverberated loudly before suddenly falling silent.

“It took exactly fifteen minutes.” Just as Louis smiled smugly, one of his twin sons stirred from sleep and rubbed his eyes.

“Louis… Are you done yet? I’m bored…”

“When will it end?” The other twin groaned, stirring restlessly due to sheer boredom.

Louis gently stroked their heads while they grumbled about being bored out of their minds.

“It’s almost over. Just have to take down their leader.” Louis looked toward where the wedding was taking place as he spoke.

Around twenty people remained in the wedding hall: Levans, his close associates, and a small contingent of guards.

Boom! Clang!

As the resounding echoes subsided, their faces broke into smiles.

“It seems they’ve apprehended him.”

“Took longer than I thought.”

“Tsk, who knew capturing one man would take so long?”

“He may be huge, but he must have been quite skilled at evading capture.”

Not for a moment did they entertain the possibility that Pablo might have eluded them. They were certain he’d soon be dragged in, covered in blood.

Just then…

Scritch… scritch…

A strange sound came from outside the wedding hall, like something scraping against the floor. All eyes turned towards the door.

At that moment, something flew through the broken entrance.

Thump.

“Ugh!”

What landed precisely in front of Levans was none other than a person—a soldier groaning with limbs twisted at grotesque angles.

“Huh?!”

“W-what’s going on?!”

Everyone turned their startled gaze towards the door from which the figure had fallen.

And there stood…

“Hey.”

It was Pablo.

His once-white wedding attire was now so stained with blood that it was impossible to find even a hint of its original color. The war hammer he carried dripped crimson, having absorbed the life essence of four hundred souls.

Squelch, squelch.

Pablo stepped onto the carpet laid out for the bride and groom. With each footfall, he left behind a bloody trail.

The guards who had remained behind to protect the noble guests rushed forward, forming a human shield between Pablo and the terrified onlookers.

“Stop right there!” They drew their swords, bracing themselves defensively.

Finally, when the distance between Pablo and Levans had narrowed to about ten meters…

Pablo grinned savagely. “I told you I’d be back, didn’t I?”

“You bastard…” The mere sight of Pablo’s smirk was enough to freeze Levans’ face in an expression of horror.

The assistant standing beside him looked at his subordinate, whose limbs were twisted unnaturally as he lay sprawled on the ground. “Wh-what happened?” he stammered.

“E-everyone… w-we’re annihilated…” With that, the man lapsed into unconsciousness.

Though they couldn’t ask for more information due to his loss of consciousness, those few words were sufficient. The assistant’s face paled, and his shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

The sight of Pablo covered in crimson blood, coupled with the word “annihilated,” painted a vivid picture of what had transpired.

A terrified nobleman screamed, “S-stop him! No, kill him!”

At this panicked cry, seven warriors charged towards Pablo.

And then…

Whack.

One guard flew through the air after a hammer-like strike to his gut.

Whack.

Pablo advanced another step, sending yet another guard flying.

Whack-whack.

Step by step, with each movement, more of Levans’ guards crumpled to their knees.

Louis’s eyes gleamed as he observed this spectacle.

Hmm? What’s this now?

The ones who had charged at Pablo earlier were all low-tier powerhouses—third tier, no less. Yet they fell so easily, in an instant. Louis realized what was happening when he saw Pablo’s refined movements.

He’s trying to break through that wall?!

Pablo had already been stalled before the barrier of second tier. Now he was attempting to surpass it through repeated battles.

Meanwhile, Levans watched Pablo’s unstoppable advance, his face growing grim.

He commanded the three warriors guarding his side:

“Step forward.”

These men were Levans’ last line of defense: each a high-tier warrior of rank 3, considered the most skilled among those serving Levans.

“At once,” they replied.

Shing!

The trio drew their swords and advanced at his command.

Louis found himself torn.

What should I do? Help him? Or not?

Normally, Pablo couldn’t hope to win this fight based on his current abilities. However, he was now just a step away from breaking through that wall. With a little push here, he could potentially ascend another level.

For that reason, Louis decided against intervening.

This is your lucky break. Let’s see if you can finally overcome that barrier.

This moment presented an opportunity for Pablo, who had been stuck at tier 3 for over ten years—a chance truly once in a lifetime.

Meanwhile, Pablo was experiencing something strange.

“Ah…”

The enemy was approaching. Instinctively, he realized these were no ordinary adversaries. Yet somehow…

I don’t think I’ll lose.

Pablo closed his eyes. In any other situation, closing one’s eyes with enemies at such close proximity would be suicidal, but for some reason, it felt like the right thing to do now. As soon as he did so, he sensed the power surging within him.

This is…

It was the elemental force that had been with him for a long time, crying out:

Let me out! Let me out!

It sounded almost like a child’s whining. The corners of Pablo’s mouth began to curl up slightly.

Do you want to play now?

For forty years, ever since first grasping the hammer and learning magic, Pablo had meticulously honed this elemental force. Now, all of it started converging towards its peak. At the same moment, Pablo opened his eyes.

He closed his eyes for merely three seconds. In that brief moment, the enemies had reached him.

Pablo smirked as he observed the three fierce warriors charging towards him with menacing force.

He then shouted at his elemental power:

If you want to play around so badly… why don’t you go wild?!