The moment when the sword king and the light king disappeared everyone from the empire's side were alarmed.
The sky king landed in front of Conrad, creating a crater from the impact.
"Where have you taken them?!"
Shortly after, Hasshule appeared as well.
"Max?"
"Hi~"
Porphirios step up to explained them what happened.
"Just as what our master said he challenge both the light king and the sword king. They were just transported into a different space for their battle. That is to ensure that no one would really interfere and so that this place won't end up getting destroyed"
"If your master wanted to fight so badly then was it right for him to kill thousands of people?!"
The sky king bursted in anger.
"While he is fighting the two kings, by himself, it doesn't change the fact that master did declared war to the empire. Is it not natural to take care of the strongest ones before conquering a place"
The grand and other sword masters arrived, as well as the 1st regiment that Christopher leads.
Both Porphirios and Max charged towards the reinforcements as soon as they were within range.
"I'm sorry big sis! I still have things to do!"
Just like that the war began.
Though Porphirios is currently the strongest among the spirits that Michael has, he can't fly. Against the sorcerer king and the sky king who can freely fly as they like he'd be in a great disadvantaged since he also fights at close quarters.
"I can see why master said that you are the fastest one in this world"
"That's because of my skill"
For the two, it was no problem for them to kill their opponents at all.
Porphirios is a spirit who doesn't have a vessel. This makes him immune to all natural physical attack and he only needs to deflect the magic that are directed towards him.
As for Maximos, using his skill
As for the other group who are also fighting, it was a battle in the sky.
Conrad is fighting with the sky king while Hasshule is fighting with the other three superior rank spirits.
The sky king and Conrad's power was equal. They negated each other's attack with equal force.
The two knew that it was all just a farce. If Conrad wanted to he can end this fight in less than ten minutes, which the sky king knew very well. His lighting which can penetrate all kinds of barrier and shield is more than enough to beat the sky king.
The sky king is known as the inferior version of Troy. Both have an extreme wide range of attacks but the difference between power and lethality was like heaven and earth.
Infuriated by Conrad's behavior, the sky king let out all of his power use the skill
A covenant is formed when one received the title of king, this bind that person depending on what he or she is ruling of. Meanwhile, the skill
The sky which represents one's freedom, this is what he governs. As the ruler of the sky, the sky king Reginald doesn't have his own freedom.
Upon using the skill
His black hair turned white as the clouds and tattoo like patterns appeared in his body which then emanated a ray of golden light.
They were far from the city so he let out everything.
Countless tornadoes formed and end up destroying everything around him.
"I, too, have that as well. Master said that time will be rewinded again so using it for another time won't hurt"
The price to pay for using this skill is to lose half of your remaining life. Conrad have already used it once when he forcefully grew plants around him and the titan king when they were inside the dueling grounds.
After murmuring these words the monkey king's hair turned gold and blue lightning covered his body.
The dark clouds, on top of the monkey king, created numerous thunderclaps per second and did not disappear despite the countless tornadoes around them.
And so, the two fought seriously this time without holding anything back.
While the two kings were having a fierce battle north-west from the capital of Lorazio, the three superior rank spirits and Hasshule were fighting north-east from the capital.
...
After landing, the two were already on their battle stance.
"What kind of trick are you playing at after challenging a knight to a duel?!"
"I did it so that so one would be able to interfere on our fight. Now, let me ask you this Duke Exousia, why do you want Marcellus and Layla to be together? What kind of crooked schemes are you and the imperial crown prince planning this time?"
Even if I were to fight them seriously I'd only lose against either the sky king or the sorcerer king without relying on chaos points. It is hard to earn chaos points so using this method would be better for me.
"I don't have the obligation nor do you have the right to know about our family matters!"
The light king sheathed his sword.
"I don't think you are planning on fighting us so I'd like to ask you spirit king: Why are you attacking the empire? Is it because they didn't let the sorcerer king, who is the student of the magic queen participate on the war between Maigrema and the western continent?"
"No" I took off my gauntlet, showing them my mark. "It is because the empire is dabbling on black magic. And as the hero, chosen by the gods, it is my duty to stop it. Which is why I went to great lengths to get their attention and gather the 'kings' of the empire in one place"
"That doesn't justify why you killed so many innocent civilians!"
"Christopher Avarion, the ones that I killed yesterday were people who were committing such inhumane acts. Why would I involved innocent people, huh?!"
It was all thanks to Ella that the people that I've killed had black colored souls though.
"That is..."
Christopher looked at the sword king with doubtful eyes.
"Do you seriously believe what that guy is saying?!" The sword king yelled.
Though it is possible for me to defeat Christopher since I am immune to the holy attribute thanks to the gods' blessings, it would be hard to persuade him if we weren't alone. Which is the reason why I brought the two here.
I just need a bit more to pull him to my side.
I let out my holy attribute.
The two were shock to see the amount of holy attribute I emitted, they had the same expression as Morfes back then.
Christopher knelt down in front of me.
"It is an honor to meet you. I... no, we from the holy kingdom Aigreos are happy to see the arrival of the hero who will unite this world"
Ello did said that this guy had a lot of patriotism in him so I shouldn't be surprise about something like this.
"No need to kneel down. We are equals"
As if.
"Thank you"
He then pulled out his sword and pointed it towards the sword king.
The sword emanated an annoying bright light that I was so sick of ever since I got here.
"As the commander of the 1st regiment of the holy kingdom and as a servant of the gods, please give me your orders"
I step up and said, "It's fine. I need to show you what I am capable of at the least, right? Also, my name is Michael"
"I understand" He then back away and sheathed his sword once again.
Tens of thousands of souls were harvested when Maigrema fell. And I put all those souls into my [Agility]. I'm confident that I won't die from fighting him.
Michael pulled out a katana, made by Alister, from his inventory.
I pulled out the jar with worms from my clothes and gave it to Chris so that the worms won't die here.
"Surely the sword king won't lose to someone whose specialty is long range magic"
[You don't though]
Why is the system commenting on what I'm saying?
"As if"
The sword king covered his entire body with mana.
"So be it"
While I am currently one of the strongest in this world, the real problem is uniting all the kingdoms. If I can't unite them I'll just destroy them.
Our swords clashed.
Though I did learned the sword technique from the genius spoiled girl from the sword clan in my world, the sword king is still more experience at using a sword, which is only natural.
"I am honestly disappointed"
We've been at it for about five minutes already and yet nothing surprising is popping up. It is normal for him to block my attacks even if I were faster than him with his experience, but overall, he is mediocre at best.
If he was part of the sword clan in my world, he'd be rated as a master. That's it. Even the genius bitch is better than him.
"System, why is he so weak despite being a king?" I whispered.
[Answer: There are titles that jump around individual to individual as long as the requirements are met. Additionally, a title cannot go to someone else as long as the title holder is still alive]
"So even if someone is better than him at this field, as long as he's alive it won't go to the rightful person"
[That is correct]
Even if the standards differ, the power gap is too big.
"Are you really the sword king?"
Even though I can see the title above his head, his skills are rather disappointing.
"What does a guy who only received powers from the gods understand about hardships and effort!"
"For your information, the gods gave me the power of 'Healing' and to create a 'Soul contract', that's it. My swordsmanship is purely based on my own skills"
I had to experience several life-and-death just to learn this so you don't have the rights to say I only got it by receiving a blessing from the gods.
After the disappointing fight I drag the sword king inside the library so that Chris won't see what I am about to do.
"Sign this slave contract will you"
"Ha! Why would I do such a thing?!"
Just like what I did with the monkey king, I pulled out his pants and showered it with the worms that secretes a very painful mucus to the skin.
He died after ten minutes due to the pain.
I resurrected him.
Confused as to how he was still alive he yelled in fear.
"Forbidden magic?" He mumbled under his breath.
"Yes, that's right"
He look down and look up at me again.
"There's no point in torturing me"
"And why is that?"
"Because of the blood pact"
Blood pact?
"So you're saying that the records of the aristocrats in the empire of Lorazio are bounded to the royal family is true?"
"That's right. Only those who have the title of duke or higher have this which is also the reason why there are is only a few records of civil wars happening in the empire"
Wow. I thought it was only a legend.
The granddaughter and the first emperor were the founder of the empire and to make sure that no vassal would betray them a forbidden magic was casted to the three which are now the three duchy of the empire.
And since it is a blood pact their descendants carries it with them.
Based on the reports I received from Ella more than half of the nobles in the empire are descendants from the three vassals of the first emperor.
"How many people from the empire know this?"
"Only the head of the three dukedoms, the emperor and the crown prince know about this"
"How come you can tell me about this then?"
"We are not allowed to disclose this information to anyone in this world. But you didn't came from here, right"
That actually make sense.
"Then I'll give you a painless death"
I slashed him into pieces.
Now that the legend from the books are true if I ask him to accompany me he'd die a painful death from all of his organs bursting apart slowly due to the forbidden magic casted from their ancestors.
I toss his body away and went out.
"Where is the sword king" Chris ask.
"Due to the forbidden magic that the emperor use on him, he died"
Though it was me who killed him, it would be better to die a painless death than a painful one. Unless you are psycho, I don't think anyone would choose the latter.
"Right, can you say 'I surrender' so that we can get out of here"
Before being able to say "I surrender" Michael beheaded Christopher.
...
What the hell happened here?
Craters all over the place. Giants hills in the east. Tornadoes in the west. Mountains of corpses in the south. The whole place was a wreck.
After talking with my spirits I decided to go to the location where the sorcerer king is.
"Stop!"
The three superior rank spirit and Hasshule stop midair.
"The three kings are dead. The sword masters and the mages from the empire, as well as the 1st regiment from Aigreos are dead. So stop this futile resistance already"
Tears began to fell down her cheeks.
"Why? Why are you doing such things?"
She could have beaten the spirits if they were the type to fight at close quarters. But they were only using long range attacks, hindering her movements thus making it impossible for her to help anyone.
"Why does it matter to you? Once time is rewinded again, they will be alive again. They won't remember what had happen"
I walk towards her in the air.
"Of course, you'll remember all of it. I am not asking for you to join my side. I am only saying that I want to ask a favor. Do that and I shall protect the empire"
I can't destroy it, if the empire were to vanish from the map, chaos will spring out from all over the world.
I pulled out a handkerchief and gave it to her.
"And how would you do that?"
"I will make Layla the empress. With the support of the sorcerer king and the duchy of Exousia and Adifagos I am sure that she will become the empress"
"The three duchy are loyal to the crown prince"
"But Marcellus, the young duke, isn't. He is loyal to Layla. As for the Adifagos, they are easy to manipulate if I were to put their business all the way down"
"But the-"
"If you are worried about the blood pact it won't activate as long as it is for the empire"
A silent victory.
She wasn't able to find any fault in what I've said.
After that, the two of us exchange information.
The reason why the duke of Exousia bear the title of 'Sword king' is because he was the the current best 20 years ago after poisoning his brother.
According to Hasshule, the sword king now should be the young master of the Exousia duchy which is Marcellus.
"Do you not feel anything after killing a righteous and innocent man like Christopher Avarion?"
"What do you mean?"
"Both the light king and the sky king are innocent and kind. Does killing them not make you feel anything is what I am asking"
I already knew from the beginning that the two were indeed pure hearted.
"It is called being logical"
I stood up.
"For someone like me who've already lost his emotion, my only way of living is to based on logic. So I do not feel anything for their deaths and is using it to my advantage for the future. That is all"
After exchanging important info Hasshule and Max went to the duchy of Terpan to gather information regarding history.
The reason is because the demon king is said to be sealed in a coffin which is located there.
A small country is said to be the final place where the hero and the demon king fought which is now a part of the duchy of Terpan.
"Here is the corpse of the sky king"
Conrad said with a missing arm.
After tossing the body of the sky king I healed his wound, making a perfect recovery.
The body of the sky king, sword king and the light king were together at the center of the magic circle.
After the summoning a superior rank spirit came out.
With dazzling golden hair and crimson jewel like eyes, she knelt down in front of me.
"I, Lorea, wishes to serve you until your last breath. Will you please give me the honor of standing alongside you?"
The same vow as Pori's... the difference is that she is examining what kind of person I am.
"I accept"
Afterwards, we looted the entire capital will all sorts of things that I'll need for the future, rather, when time rewinds once again.
Gemstones, ball clothes for both male and female, a lot of money and documents. I toss all of it inside the library since going back to Astel would only waste my time. It is a pity that I won't be able to meet the kid that Jinx and Nrowe met though.
...
Just before I resurrected Max, Nrowe called and gave a message from Aira.
She said that "Go to the Devil's rainforest which is located west from the imperial palace of Lorazio. There is a divine beast that will be either dangerous or beneficial to you master depending on how you deal with it. Know that the divine beast there is stronger than the queen of the frost wyverns"
If I am correct the Devil's rainforest is infamous for how many wild and demonic monsters are living there. With the size twice bigger than the amazon rainforest in my world it basically covers the entirety of the western continent.
Because of this the empire of Lorazio, Maigrema, and the kingdom of dwarves agreed that they'd only enter the forest which is under their jurisdiction that was agreed by all parties.
I arrive at the Devil's rainforest after three days. I was busy practicing telekinesis so Nia and Soliare took turns on transporting me from the capital to here.
Going through the forest was easy but hard at the same time.
The spirits guided me towards the divine beast living in this rainforest but the monsters and beasts were not really fond of my presence there.
The huge ones were no trouble for us, the real trouble were the insects. Normal insects that carries poison within them.
Because of this Clementine gladly ate them all up.
"Why are you here?"
We stop.
A woman's voice resonated through the rainforest.
Little by little, the figure from the horizon became clearer as the woman approach us.
"I am the Lunar king, Omorfae. What have you come here for, Spirit king?"
She, she has the same face as the woman that Kavon showed me several days ago.
"To meet you. I have someone who can see the future and said that coming here would be beneficial"
Judging from the vibe I'm getting from her... isn't she at the same level as Troy?
She sighed as she gently sat down on a chair that appeared suddenly.
"You must have signed a contract with Kavon which states that you won't hurt me, right?"
"How did you found out?"
I sat down.
"Mana doesn't lie. As the ruler of mana I can freely communicate with mana thus knowing what is happening outside of here"
"Judging from your words, I suppose you are not allowed to get out here, no, to be more exact you simply can't"
She laugh.
"How sharp. As the ruler of mana I don't possess any mana in addition to that I need to be somewhere where there is a high concentration of mana to live. And this forest is the perfect one"
We then talk about trivial matters such as what are the current trends in the world regarding clothes and food and about the true nature of the Devil's rainforest.
Days pass by as we leisurely took our time getting to know each other.
"Do you want to know what you have sign as the spirit king?"
"You mean the king's covenant?"
"Yes"
"As the ruler of life I can't control my own soul"
"Well, partly. The real thing that will be taken away from you are your emotions"
"But I don't have emotion nor do I want to have any"
"Exactly. And since you don't have any from the moment you took your first step onto to this world, the effects were reversed. Instead of robbing you of emotions, slowly but surely, you'll bear all of them"
What?
"Happiness. Sadness. Anger. Love. Everything"
"What do you- ugh"
Sharp pain bursted all at once.
"Farewell. I do hope you visit me sooner the next time once time rewinded again"
Just like that, I opened my eyes when the pain faded away and saw snow falling down.
The place I was first at, in the kingdom of Astel.