Previous: [New Person]
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A massive army of guards was taken down by a single man. Mino smirked, knowing just how strong Raden was.
Raden, overwhelmed by the need to see his son, smashed through the gate and stormed inside.
"What are you doing?!" one of the guards shouted.
"I'm here to see my son," Raden replied impatiently.
"Who are you talking about?" the guard asked.
In frustration, Raden grabbed the guard by his uniform and lifted him off the ground.
"His name is Raiden Gleanford," Raden said.
The guard was shocked to hear the familiar name.
"You mean... the royal bodyguard of the crown princess, Raiden Gleanford?!" the guard exclaimed.
Raden's eyes widened as he processed what he was hearing.
"My son is the royal bodyguard?"
The guard nodded.
With that, Raden dropped the guard to the floor and looked up at the sky with a proud expression.
"That little cocky brat!! He made me proud!!" Raden shouted to the sky, a smug smile spreading across his face.
Mino, who had been watching, smirked. He sure knows his genes, she thought.
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***
In the Granbell estate, I am doing house hold chores like usual.
Hey, Raiden." The sudden call made me jolt slightly. It was Elizabeth.
"Umm... Elizabeth-san, what is it?" I asked, unsure of what to say.
"The thing is... my marriage has been canceled."
"What?" That caught me off guard.
"The thing is... Charles has gone missing..."
Oh, that guy... I thought.
"I understand, Elizabeth-san. It's already late. How about we continue this in the morning?" I suggested.
"I guess you're right," she replied. With that, Elizabeth walked back to her room.
"I think I should go to sleep too," I mumbled under my breath.
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***
I was awakened by the sudden sound of an explosion. I rushed to the window to look outside.
A huge plume of smoke was rising from the capital's gate.
"What's going on...?" I muttered.
Suddenly, a guard burst into my room.
"We need reinforcements, now!" he shouted.
"Huh?" I was startled. "What's happening?"
"There's an intruder. We need your help."
Without a word, I followed him to the gate.
At the gate, I saw a man and a familiar feminine figure.
As I approached, I caught a whiff of something nostalgic.
"Dad?!" I called out, my voice filled with disbelief.
Raden snapped out of his thoughts and turned toward the sound.
"Raiden!" he called back, his voice filled with relief.
I ran to him and hugged him tightly, refusing to let go.
"You dumb old man, you dared to abandon us."
"I'm sorry," Raden apologized.
"You better not leave us again!"
"I won't!"
As I hugged him, I glanced at Mino, who was smiling.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
She just laughed.
"I'm just here to accompany Raden."
"Accompany Dad? What do you mean?"
Before she could respond, Raden suddenly lost control.
"What's happening to me?!" Raden screamed in pain as something began to take over.
His eyes started to bleed, turning red, and he looked like he was activating his beast form.
I was in total shock. I couldn't stand there and do nothing.
Analyzing...
Failed.
Retrying...
Failed.
After several attempts, a notice appeared:
Individual Raden has been controlled. There is nothing to save.
I was in complete disbelief as Raden let out an ear-splitting scream, his aura exploding out of his body.
Mino, her eyes wide, tried to intervene.
"What's happening?!" she screamed.
This clearly wasn't what she had expected.
Notice: Catastrophe-level threat detected.
Mino noticed it too and immediately sprang into action.
She shouted at me, "Hey, kid! You want to save your father? Go get your Excalibur!"
"What?!" I hesitated, torn by the fact that this was my father.
"Ah... whatever!" I growled.
I activated my beast mode and prepared my Excalibur.
"Rahhh!" Raden screamed again, his voice piercing.
Mino and I both charged at Raden, but he swung his scythe at us.
My thought acceleration activated, and I blocked the attack with my Excalibur.
Melt Slash is already obtained. Use it?
Of course!
With that, my Excalibur glowed, its abilities enhanced.
Raden struck again, but I blocked it. Somehow, Melt Slash wasn't effective against that cursed scythe.
"I don't know what the hell is happening, but I'll stop whoever's behind this," I declared.
Mino, who had been thrown back by the shockwave, walked back to my side.
"Seems like someone is controlling your dad."
"I know."
"Buy me some time. I'll analyze and find out who's pulling the strings."
"Huh? How long will it take?"
"Just about... 15 minutes."
That pissed me off. "What?"
"You're impatient, aren't you?"
"Whatever... just hurry up," I said before turning back to Raden.
Without another word, I dashed at him and prepared to strike.
Raden blocked the attack with his scythe again.
The air was filled with the clashing sounds of my Excalibur and Raden's scythe.
Mino worked hard to analyze the situation.
What is this?... she thought. She wasn't going to back down.
Analysis complete. Individual Raden is controlled by the individual Lucifer.
"What?" Mino finally broke her silence.
"What's wrong?" I asked, even as I continued fighting.
"It's not supposed to happen. Tsk, whatever."
With that, Mino charged at Raden and knocked him unconscious with a strike to the back of his neck.
I was shocked by the display of power.
An S-rank's power? I thought.
"But what's actually wrong?"
"Seems the Demon Lord is the one behind this."
"Oh."
There are Demon Lords? I never knew.
"Alright, but why did you knock him out?"
"I'm going to take him to the Demon Lord myself and demand an explanation."
"Well... whatever."
"We don't need an explanation" a cold voice sent a chill down my spine, scaring me to my core.
A hand pierced through Raden's chest. At that moment, I was utterly shocked.
"Lucifer! What the hell are you doing?!" Mino shouted, clearly furious.
"He was getting in my way... and you're next, Raiden Gleanford."
I swallowed hard. This was the man who had killed my father.
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Next: [Olivia]