Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World - Chapter 82

Incoming Danger
Henry’s voice seemed to be as cold as ice, sending shivers down Elton’s entire body. When he turned around, he could see a black-haired young man in his mid-twenties with a kingly demeanor that couldn’t be hidden by the rags covering his body. The man’s face was sharp and well outlined, a fire seemed to be burning inside those grey eyes, which were looking at Elton with a concealed fury, masked by an apathetic smile.

The image of Grok lying on the cold ground with organs almost dropping to the ground, struggling to breathe as his blood painted the snow beneath him, ignited an undeniable fury within Henry. This was one of his soldiers, and someone had dared to do this to him. Deep down, he believed that he alone held the right to take action against his soldiers, and those who dared to soil his honor should perish. The arrogance and image of a king laid on the capacity of protecting his subjects.

Henry’s fist clenched around his sword, its blade chipped all over from hitting continuously against the boulder, as he took a deep breath, deep enough to fill his lungs completely. He took the raw Mana from the outside and guided it using the Sun God Technique, directing it from his lungs to his heart, using his Mana Circuits as pathways. The heart functioned like a furnace, where the Mana could be transformed into Elemental Mana, if the user had the right lineage and affinity, and then stored until it was used.

Normally, these pathways worked as one-way streets, where the directed Mana had to be utilized, without any way to return to the heart for reuse. This demanded a high level of control from the user, as sending large amounts of unnecessary Mana could result in its loss. Unlike most Techniques and lineages, the Sun God Technique, combined with the Stahl family’s blood, appeared to create a circular pathway.

This combination allowed those of Stahl’s blood to establish both an outgoing and a returning path, greatly reducing Mana consumption to at least half that of other practitioners. However, the creation of these new Mana Circuits, which most humans were not naturally born with them, was accompanied by an immense burning pain that was accompanied by the strengthen of the muscles with the Fire Mana. Those Mana Circuits seemed sturdier than the normal ones.

Unfortunately, the construction of new Mana Circuits and the reinforcement of muscles meant that pain was greatly amplified, which led to only a few members of Stahl’s lineage to succeed in enduring the painful process. When he looked back, Henry thought that he only survived this excruciating part thanks to the merge of two souls, which provided him with enough willpower to endure everything.

“Because of this daring act, disrespecting me and my soldiers in my own land…” Henry said coldly, not minding putting on a hood to hide his features – “You shall die.”

The king directed the Fire Mana into his sword, causing it to be covered in some type of quiet flames, which slightly melted the snow around him. Henry didn’t concern himself with the enemies approaching from behind him, who were trying their best to rapidly climb the slope, fully trusting that his soldiers would take care of it, especially with their drained stamina. The only thought in Henry’s head was to take that man’s head.

“I need to get away!”- This thought erupted in Elton’s mind as his intuition’s voice transformed from a mere whisper to an urgent scream, urging him to escape as swiftly as possible. He scanned the surroundings, confirming that his soldiers were still hundreds of feet away, unable to immediately stall the man.

The only way out of this situation was going up or going down the mountain and both ways were blocked. He needed to formulate some plan.

“Who are you?” – Elton asked with an air of arrogance, his gaze seemingly fixed on Henry. However, in reality, his eyes were scanning the surroundings for an escape route. Unexpectedly, it seems like he didn’t recognize the king of these lands.

Henry didn’t bother with an answer and only looked at the man with a royal fury. He kept his silver sword lowered and sprinted at full speed toward the men, the blade almost licking the ground. As he moved, the snow melted beneath him, tracing a long trail that resembled the tail of a dragon. The Fire Mana surged through Henry’s Mana Circuits, burning his muscles, granting him with enough strength and speed.

He closed the distance between himself and the fat man in mere seconds, his grey eyes concealing the redness that resembled the fury of a fire god. His sword vanished in a diagonal slash, aimed to cleave from the man’s chest to his shoulders. The sudden sword’s attack made Elton realize that while the fire surrounding his sword seemed denser, Henry’s fire sword seemed to greatly concentrate, and a lethal intent radiated from the blade.

He had no way to dodge and no time to look for a way out. Elton understood that there was no exit, and his only option was to fight, something he had been avoiding ever since he got himself a tittle. He rather preferred to use subjects under him to enter the fray than to enter himself.

Elton swiftly raised his sword and parried Henry’s attack, the impact of both fire swords created a beautiful contrast with the white snow covering the surroundings, sending sparks all over them. When the swords connected, Elton felt as if a whole mountain had fallen unto him, a powerful shock that nearly knocked out the sword from his grip. The heat emanating from both blades was enough to draw a circle on the snow around them, sending snow all over.

The swords briefly entwined in a fierce deadlock, but soon, for the first time in his life, Elton felt himself being pushed back. Despite his utmost effort in channeling Mana to his legs and arms, Henry’s blade was drawing nearer to his skin. The enemy was ready to kill him in any given opportunity.

In a desperate bid to survive, Elton’s heart exploded with Mana, directing every bit of Fire Mana that his circuits could take, increasing the volume and the pressure on his whole body. It was so sudden that Elton could slightly feel his pathways cracking, but he had no other choice if he wanted to survive.

Suddenly, Henry could feel that his enemy’s strength had experienced a sudden burst, pushing him back and creating a brief gap between them. A few moments ago, Henry could swear that the enemy was much weaker than him and he could easily kill him, but he still managed to get away from him.

“Damn you! It’s all because of you!” – Elton furiously screamed, sensing that his Mana Circuits were shattering with the huge influx of energy – “I will make you pay!”

At that moment, Elton wasn’t a rational being anymore, only a beast that wanted to take revenge on the person who disabled him. There was no way that he would continue being held in such a social status or even survive with his countless enemies without the power to fight back.

Elton lunged forward in a frenzy, his sword arcing toward Henry in a retaliatory and vengeful attack. However, Henry’s reflexes were as sharp and swift as his blade. With a calculated step, he utilized the melted snow beneath him to his advantage, effortlessly dodging the bow while launching a counterattack. Henry’s attacks were still fueled by fury but controlled by a calm heart. He wanted to end this man’s life, but he would never put himself in danger.

The clash of their swords echoed in rapid succession throughout the mountain, creating a dance of steel and fire as they exchanged parries and strikes, creating some sort of spectacle on top of the mountain. Henry’s movements were precise and calculated, whereas Elton’s attacks were could only be considered as crazy, fueled by brute force.

Suddenly, amidst the music of strikes, Henry’s body twisted with a blurring speed. His legs swept in a semi-circular arc and threw snow toward Elton, shrouding the man’s vision. The fat captain, out of reflex, closed his eyes, something forbidden in such a fight. At that moment, in the blink of an eye, a red blade thrust through the snow, piercing Elton’s heart.

-x-

Down the mountain, on top of a tree, Leier was closely watching the mountain’s path, waiting for anyone who tried to run away. Suddenly, her peripheric vision captured a mass of soldiers approaching her position.

“Luak’s soldiers” – Leier murmured, her eyes wide open as she tried to think about the reasons that led such a contingent of soldiers to set out of the camp.

However, her doubts were soon answered as her gaze landed on a blue-haired woman leading them. Zuna…the woman who dared to play with her king, trying to take away his lands.