CHAPTER 54: THE KING'S DECISION AND THE FINAL FRONTIER
ONE DAY BEFORE THE NEXAN BATTLE – PALACE MAIN CHAMBER
There were only two people in the room. The heavy curtains were drawn, blocking even the slightest hint of light from outside. King Swain was not sitting on his throne. Instead, he stood at the head of the large table covered with maps, looking at the man before him with the demeanor of a commander.
Commander Amper stood at attention, waiting for the King's every word.
Swain's voice echoed in the dimness of the room: "Amper. Listen to me carefully now."
"Command me, My King."
Swain touched the map on the table. His finger pointed to the borders of the Ice Kingdom. "War will begin soon. Perhaps tomorrow. King Task has gone completely mad, he knows no bounds. First the war with Ashura in Layern Valley... and now us."
He paused for a moment, his eyes locking onto Amper. "But we have one advantage. His army is tired for now. They just came out of a battle. If we look only at the physical aspect of fighting, on paper, we will win."
He moved his finger across the map, this time pointing to different locations. "But the Ice Kingdom mages and most importantly... Morde will be involved in this war. That means we become equal."
A momentary tension appeared on Amper's face. The name Morde had made the air in the room even heavier.
Swain took a deep breath. His next words were the heaviest sentences that could be expected from a king: "But if we start to lose the war... I cannot hesitate. I am a king, and a king has no chance to hesitate. Know this..."
His eyes were sharp enough to pierce through Amper.
"If we start to lose, I will release the power of the Infinite Fortress. "
Amper's eyes widened like saucers. "WHAT? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, MY KING?"
His voice trembled, his hands clenched. "King Reacherd and his ancestors forbade the use of that power! This would be our disaster! Perhaps all of Nexan would be destroyed! Even more importantly, the captive demons inside would be released!"
He took a step forward, his voice rising: "You know better than we do how powerful they are! The proof of that is that one of those demons resides in your body! Even that demon arm, in its passive state, is incredibly powerful! If it were fully released, no one could stop you! And knowing this, you would still release the power of the Infinite Fortress?"
Swain did not respond to Amper's outburst. He just listened. Then, slowly, he began to speak. His voice was calm, but heavy. There was the weight of a mountain in his words.
"Listen, Amper. I understand your concern. But you also need to know this..."
He walked over and looked out the window at the invisible horizon. "I am a king, and I have to think about the good of my people. If the situation comes to that point, I will give you a signal."
He turned and looked into Amper's eyes. "The moment I release the power, you will have five minutes. Within five minutes, go to the secret room in the palace and give the same message to all city-states at the same time. Let them flee. Each city-state has a passage. Let them pass through that passage to other countries, to Hortex, to Ashura, wherever they can go."
Amper's face had turned deathly pale. Swain continued:
"At the end of the five minutes, the explosive power of the Infinite Fortress will be released, and likely the entire kingdom will be destroyed. The demon Akashan within my body will also be freed. When that happens, if you haven't left, he will kill every survivor. Know this and carry out my orders completely."
He paused for a moment, adding his final words: "Know this and execute my orders flawlessly. I, King Swain, have never lost a battle in my life. This war will be no different."
PRESENT DAY – NEXAN – URUG BATTLEFIELD
Amper's eyes suddenly opened.
He remembered his conversation with King Swain from the day before. The words echoed in his mind one by one. He had finally come to.
When his consciousness returned, he couldn't believe his eyes.
Before him, in the middle of the battlefield, two titans were clashing. King Swain and Morde were fighting to the death.
Amper looked around in astonishment. "What is this?"
Everything was blood red. The ground was soaked with blood, the sky had turned crimson as if sharing in this bloodshed. And right in the middle, the war of kings...
"King Swain is fighting Morde?" Amper murmured, trying to grasp reality. "That means things have come to the point King Swain mentioned. He was probably waiting for me to wake up."
He tried to stand, his body aching. But his will was stronger. "Now that I'm awake... I must do what King Swain said."
He rose with all his might and immediately began running towards the palace at full speed. His massive body allowed him to pass through the entire battle without difficulty. As he ran, he crushed and killed several Ice Kingdom soldiers. Their screams were lost in the noise of battle.
King Swain, while clashing with Morde, found a momentary gap and saw that Amper had come to. There was indescribable relief in his eyes.
"Finally, Amper. Finally. " he murmured. "Now I can get serious."
His eyes darkened. He spread his arms wide.
"CROW CURSE! "
Again, crows began to swarm around Morde. But this time they weren't infinite. Exactly one hundred pitch-black crows attacked Morde at full speed.
Morde tried to fend them all off with "Black Defense." But the crows were incredibly fast.
"Damn it!" Morde snarled, trying to counter attacks coming from all directions. "They're too fast! What kind of power is this? I feel so helpless against it!"
He gritted his teeth. "But I won't give up! My name is Morde! I do not lose!"
He gathered all his strength. "BLACK SHOCK! "
In wave form, he sent a black shockwave at the crows with all his might. The crows were affected, some dispersed. But they had already fulfilled their mission. They had distracted Morde, drained his energy.
The battle continued with all its savagery. Everyone was cutting each other down, no one showing mercy. Both sides were suffering heavy losses. The Nexan army, despite being larger in number, was being pushed back.
A Nexan soldier called out to his comrades: "Hold on! King Swain himself is fighting! We cannot flee! We are soldiers of the Nexan Kingdom!"
Another added: "Exactly! Fight with all your might! Don't you dare run away in fear! I'll kill anyone who runs!"
On the Ice Kingdom front, morale was high. A soldier shouted: "Come on! They're retreating! With all your strength, one last effort! Go!"
Another: "Keep going! King Task and Morde are helping us! It's impossible for us to lose!"
Upon these words, the two armies clashed head-on once again. War cries began to be heard everywhere. But this no longer meant anything. Because the war had entered its final phase. And the end was very near.
Meanwhile, Kai was clashing with a company of Ice Kingdom soldiers. He was surrounded, but there wasn't the slightest fear on his face.
"Come on then." he said, in a cold voice. He made a gesture with his hand. "Soul Sword. "
A pure white sword formed in his palm. It radiated light. He swung it with all his might. In a single stroke, he destroyed the entire company surrounding him. The soldiers collapsed to the ground as lifeless bodies.
Kai continued to advance. Towards Morde and King Swain.
Captain Terex and his crew were still fighting with all their might. But the number of enemies around them never diminished.
Captain Terex called out to his two men: "Yusin! Gusion! Listen to me carefully!"
Yusin and Gusion answered in unison: "COMMAND US, CAPTAIN! "
Terex fixed his eyes on them. There was that solid determination expected of a captain in his voice. "I think we will lose this war."
Both of their eyes widened. But Terex continued: "But we will not run! King Swain is Po's friend! And Po died for Swain! Po was also my friend! If necessary, I am ready to die for him!"
His voice rose, calling out to his entire crew: "What about you? Are you ready to die for me?"
A moment of silence. Then, Gusion and Yusin, and the entire crew, shouted at the same time: "WE ARE READY, CAPTAIN! "
A proud smile appeared on Terex's face. "GOOD. "
PALACE – SECRET ROOM
Amper had reached the secret room in the palace. He was out of breath, but he didn't have a second to waste.
In the room stood Mosh, the communication device. It was much larger than normal. Amper approached the device. He understood.
"So this is why it's larger than normal." he murmured. "To send a message to all city-states at the same time. King Swain... you truly are a king deserving of great respect."
And he pressed the button.
The Moshes of all the rulers in all city-states rang simultaneously. In astonishment, they answered.
"Hello?"
"Hello? Who is this?"
"What's happening?"
Amper's voice echoed in all Moshes at the same time: "City-state administrators, this is Amper. Listen carefully to what I'm about to say and follow this order to the letter. This is directly from King Swain."
He paused for a moment, then delivered the heaviest news: "King Swain will release the power of the Infinite Fortress. "
Screams rose from all Moshes simultaneously:
"WHAT?"
"WHAT DOES THIS MEAN, AMPER?"
"IS HE GOING TO KILL US?"
Amper's voice hardened: "This is King Swain's absolute order! Evacuate all your cities immediately! Flee to other kingdoms! Otherwise, you will all die! Do as I say immediately! And be quick!"
He turned off Mosh. He paused for a moment, then ran out of the room. Back towards the battlefield.
When he exited the palace, the scene before him was a complete disaster.
The Ice Kingdom army, with the support of their mages, had crushed the Nexan army like paper. The Nexan army was almost scattered. Everywhere there were dead, wounded, fleeing soldiers.
But Morde and King Swain were still clashing.
Morde attacked again with all his might. He formed his black sword in his hand. "BLACK SWORD – BLACK CLEAVER! "
He sent an attack that could cut through the air at King Swain.
Swain responded instantly. Two black wings suddenly appeared on his back. "BLACK WINGS! "
He took flight instantly. The attack hit another direction instead of him, raising a huge dust cloud.
From within the dust cloud, Swain attacked with all his might. With the momentum from his wings, he advanced towards Morde at incredible speed. His hand had shaped into a claw.
"DEMON CLAW! "
Morde countered. He clenched his fist, gathered dark energy. "BLACK FIST! "
Swain swung his fist at Morde just as he hadn't fully gathered his power yet. Morde did not retreat.
The two fists collided.
BOOOOMMMM!!!
The explosion shook the entire battlefield.
HORTEX – HOLY LANDS – INTERNATIONAL HUNTER COMMITTEE
SECRET DUNGEON
The Forbidden One-Demon's red eye was fixed on Gunn Lee. His voice asked with a thousand years of hatred: "Who will die? "
Gunn Lee answered, trying not to show his fear: "The Five Elders will tell you that, not me."
The Forbidden One-Demon's voice carried a threat mixed with curiosity: "Why did the Five Elders awaken me after a thousand years? Is the situation that serious?"
Gunn Lee repeated with the same expression: "As I said, Forbidden One. The Five Elders will tell you that."
The Forbidden One-Demon thought for a moment. Then, with saliva dripping from his mouth, he spoke: "Mhhh... Finally I am somewhat free. Finally I can commit massacres again. Come on then, let's go to the Five Elders."
Gunn Lee objected: "We can't just go like that. The people will flee immediately if they see you."
The Forbidden One-Demon's eye narrowed. "Are you mocking me, old man?"
Woli, trembling, intervened: "S-Sir... It would be better not to anger him."
Argus added, his voice barely coming out: "I agree with Woli, Sir."
Gunn Lee maintained his composure. "Don't worry, I have no intention of angering him." He turned to the Forbidden One: "Forbidden One, don't you have teleportation power? I'm sure you can take us there instantly."
A momentary surprise appeared in the Forbidden One-Demon's eye. "How do you know that?"
A thin smile appeared on Gunn Lee's lips. "I know many things about you, Forbidden One-Demon. But you know nothing about me."
The Forbidden One-Demon's body tensed. "Hmmm... Is that so. Then prepare to die."
Gunn Lee immediately took a combat stance. "Try it."
The two were locked on each other. But the Forbidden One-Demon suddenly relaxed. "Tsk. Not worth fighting you. Let's go to the Five Elders first, then we'll fight to the death. HAHAHAHAHHA! "
His laughter echoed in the dungeon. Saliva dripped from his mouth, clearly showing how hungry he was.
The Forbidden One-Demon stepped completely out of the dungeon. His appearance was terrifying. He wore pitch-black, mystic medieval clothing. His entire face was covered in bandages. Except for one eye. That eye glowed with all its redness.
"Let's go then. "
He raised his arm.
"TELEPORT! "
They vanished instantly.
NEXAN – URUG BATTLEFIELD
BOOOOMMMM!
At the moment of the explosion, a massive black-red energy wave rose. Everyone had to squint their eyes. The ground trembled, the sky split.
When the energy wave subsided, Morde had been pushed back, almost on the verge of kneeling.
Morde was breathless: "Huh... That was a pretty powerful attack. I guess it's time to use my final technique too."
King Swain momentarily turned his face to Amper. Amper nodded. The mission was complete.
Swain thought to himself: So the mission is complete. Morde has one more move. When he does that, I will release the power of the Infinite Fortress. It will probably be an attack powerful enough to make me do this.
Morde gathered all his strength. He struck his fist on the ground. The red glow in his eyes intensified like never before. He shouted with his entire being:
"COME ON THEN! LET'S BEGIN THE FINAL BATTLE, SWAAIINN! "
His fist touched the ground. Black energy burst from every crack in the earth.
"DOMAIN – ACTIVATE: SHADOW REALM! "
The darkness began to swallow everything.