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Chapter 118

“Y-Young, YOUNG MASTER!!!!!”

The leader of the Black Spear unit knew he had to move quickly, but his body wouldn\'t cooperate. In that moment, the person he was supposed to protect died.

That person was the son of his master— the heir who would one day inherit the McCarthy family.

He had failed to protect someone of such importance.

"You crazy bastard!"

The Black Spear unit leader was so shocked he turned pale. After all, Valdemar, the person they were guarding, wasn’t someone who would easily die here.

His mind went blank.

At that moment, the leader shouted,

"Kill him! If we don’t bring that man’s head back, we’re all dead men!"

The order to kill was given. They had failed their mission. To survive, a fallback plan was necessary.

The only option left was to kill Kane Rehinar and return with his head.

There was no other choice.

The leader of the Black Spear unit steeled himself, radiating murderous intent. His spear was aimed at Kane. Their resolve was clear— they wouldn’t let him leave this place alive.

But…

Their wish wasn’t granted.

Blood shouldn’t have been spilled in Kane’s presence.

Yet blood poured from Valdemar’s pierced throat.

BloodSky Blade flowing with Blood mana sliced-

Thwack—

Valdemar’s pierced neck was severed, spraying blood like a fountain.

That was just the beginning— the beginning of this place turning into hell.

Kane converted his BloodSky Blades into a spear.

Valdemar’s blood gathered around the spear,

At that moment it began glowing red.

Kane turned it towards the ground and was slammed it down forcefully.

The blood energy spread in a circle, radiating outward.

The Black Spear unit members were swept by the wave of blood mana.

The leader of the Black Spear unit, who had been relentlessly thrusting his spear, slumped to the side.

He died without even realizing his body had been torn apart.

The rest of the Black Spear unit met the same fate.

The elite force, made up of fighters having atleast 4th-class strength, couldn’t withstand the blood wave.

Especially against Kane, who had now fully realized his power.

They didn’t stand a chance.

The ones farthest back sustained less damage, but they too would die all the same.

In fact, dying earlier would have been a mercy.

After the Blood Wave came the skill Blood Void.

As Kane stretched out his left arm, the living and the dead alike…

Their blood, fluids, and mana were drawn towards his hand.

"Ugh…."

As their skin shriveled, bones shattered with a sickening crunch.

Their joints twisted grotesquely.

It was as if their entire bodies were wrung out like towels, drained of every last drop of fluid.

No, this wasn’t the end…

He spared just one.

Someone had to deliver the news to Count McCarthy.

Kane slowly walked towards the Black Spear unit soldier trembling at the very back.

“Ugh… Don’t, don’t come any closer, you monster!”

Fear filled the soldier’s eyes.

“Go to Count McCarthy and tell him this: that this is the price for sending only his son to confront the Guardian Lord and the Duke of Fresia Empire, when he\'s just a mere Count of the kingdom. If he has any complaints, tell him to bring his army and face me directly. Got it?”

“…You’re… letting me live?”

“Is there anyone else left to deliver the message to Count McCarthy? No matter how hard you look around, it seems like you’re the only one.”

Everyone else was dead, and he was the sole survivor.

Surrounded by dismembered bodies and scattered remains, the soldier couldn’t hold back his nausea any longer.

“Uuugh!”

“Oh, and tell them to come back quickly and clean up all these fucking corpses. It’s bad manners to leave such a mess in front of someone’s house, don’t you think?”

With those words, Kane turned away, converting the spear back the Bloodsky blades and sheathing them.

Though Kane was unguarded, the soldier couldn’t dare to attack. A surprise attack would only lead to his own death. Then there’d be no one left to report back to the family.

With a heavy heart and body, he began his return to the McCarthy Camp.

* * *

It had been a while since Daniel visited the Blue Merchant Group.

As he was inspecting the affairs of the group, a group of elders came rushing in urgently.

“Administrator! We’ve got a serious problem.”

Recently, Daniel had stepped back from managing the Blue Merchant Group. He had resumed his duties as the Chief Administrator of Rehinar’s estate, thanks to Kane unexpectedly pushing all responsibilities onto him. Still, Daniel would occasionally come down to the territory, just like today, to personally check on the facilities.

“What’s the issue? Why are you all in such a rush?”

“The Young Master has caused another incident,” one of the elders said, out of breath.

“And this time, it’s a big one,” added another.

Daniel responded with a calm tone, clearly used to this sort of news.

“When has the Young Master not caused trouble? Don’t worry too much.”

“This time, he killed the heir of McCarthy family, the diplomatic envoy.”

“…Ha, ha…” Daniel let out a bitter laugh.

"How long has it even been since the Aiden affair ended…?"

This was indeed a grave matter. Aiden was the younger brother of the current Lord and the brother-in-law of the Emperor. Kane had not only detained him without allowing him entry into the estate but had gone further and killed him.

Though the common people hadn’t yet learned of the incident, Daniel knew that if word got out, chaos would ensue.

But before they could even clean up the aftermath of that disaster, another bombshell had dropped.

“Isn’t this too dangerous?”

“The Young Master is making enemies left and right.”

“I can understand taking down one enemy and then making another, but we’re already facing hostility from three powerful factions.”

The Duchy of Dyer in the Lyceria Theocracy.

The Stein Dukedom

The McCarthy County of Hatzfeld.

All three were major powers. If they attacked at once, even The Young Master wouldn’t be able to defend against them so easily.

“Chief Administrator, it’s time to give some advice.”

“While The Young Master may have bested Aiden, he lacks political finesse. This is something that needs to be pointed out to him.”

Daniel nodded. He agreed.

It wasn’t about stopping The Young Master’s actions entirely, but it would be wiser to eliminate one enemy before turning to the next. If he kept making enemies indiscriminately, it would be impossible to handle in the long run.

Slowing down The Young Master’s pace seemed to be the right course of action.

At the same time, another thought crossed Daniel’s mind.

“Tell me, do you really believe The Young Master would do something like this without thinking it through?”

“Hmm…”

“If it were just a show of power, he would have faced backlash long ago.”

“I agree. Ever since the incident with Philiaec, The Young Master’s actions have never seemed simple, even if they appeared that way on the surface. He has layers of strategies, ones that aren’t obvious until he reveals them himself.”

“You’ve got a point, Head Administrator. Simplifying complex matters often makes them harder to understand.”

“Exactly. That’s why I’m curious. Did the Young Master have a particular intention behind this as well?”

The elders, too, began to reflect deeply.

The Young Master was highly skilled in commerce.

That meant he was likely just as skilled in political maneuvering.

In the realm of dealing with others, knowing when to push and pull was key.

Politics and commerce were mirrors of each other.

If one excelled in commerce, they were bound to possess great political acumen.

“Still, we must at least have a discussion with the Young Master.”

“As vassals, we can’t remain in the dark. To assist him properly, we need to understand his intentions.”

“Let’s go see the Young Master. We need to hear his side of the story.”

Daniel stopped what he was doing and set out to find Kane.

---

At the McCarthy Military Camp.

Inside the tent, a heavy silence hung in the air.

Count McCarthy’s face was flushed red, and it seemed like he was about to explode.

And, as expected, his rage soon burst forth, crackling with murderous energy.

“Again… say it again!”

The surviving Black Spear unit soldier gritted his teeth and responded.

“Y-Your son… he… he was killed by the enemy, my lord…”

“He went as a diplomatic envoy! So why is my son dead?!”

The Black Spear soldier, tears streaming down his face, relayed the events as they unfolded.

With each word, Count McCarthy’s fists clenched tighter, so tight that blood began to drip from his hands.

When the explanation was over, his fury erupted fully.

“I will not let this go unpunished!”

His violent aura turned the tent to ash.

The very air around him grew unbearably hot, as if his murderous intent would burn everything to the ground.

“Summon all of McCarthy’s forces!”

“We’ll leave only the bare minimum in the estate and gather the rest.”

“Did I say to leave a minimum? Bring every soldier, every vassal. Scrape together every ounce of defense we fucking have.”

Count McCarthy’s rage showed no sign of abating.

His beloved son, gone. Killed while on a diplomatic mission.

What parent could remain calm in such a situation?

The fact that he was able to issue orders to gather the troops instead of charging straight to Rehinar himself was remarkable in itself.

“Shall we display the family’s crest?”

There were only two occasions when the McCarthy family’s symbol was raised to the sky.

One was when the kingdom was in peril, signaling a call to arms.

The other was when the family’s very survival was at stake.

This was clearly the latter.

Count McCarthy had made his decision: a life-or-death struggle with the Rehinar family.

This had now become a war where one side had to die for it to end.

Flames burst into the sky, illuminating the family’s symbol—a burning spear.

Four days later, McCarthy’s vassals arrived, leading their troops.

With expressions of grief and fury, they crossed the border.

Count McCarthy, the Count of Hatzfeld, led over 10,000 soldiers, hastily gathered but still a formidable force.

As a border lord of a newly emerging power, the sheer number of troops was overwhelming.

At the head of the army, Count McCarthy pushed forward, cutting through the darkened lands with his seething magical power.

Their overwhelming presence caused even the mutated monsters to retreat before fully revealing themselves.

A menacing aura radiated from the McCarthy forces.

Even after days of forced marches, their momentum showed no signs of faltering.

Another four days passed, and the western gates of Rehinar came into view.

"Set up camp in the forest," ordered Count McCarthy.

His troops obeyed, constructing a massive military encampment among the trees.

---

From a distance, Kane observed the vast army.

He could feel the wrath emanating from the McCarthy camp. Their fury was palpable.

“Daniel,” Kane said casually.

“Yes, Young Master?” Daniel responded.

“In war, the side that lets their emotions take over is bound to lose. Do you know why?”

“Because their vision narrows,” Daniel answered.

“Exactly. Look over there—where have they set up their camp?”

“They’ve chosen the Demon Forest.”

“Count McCarthy may not be as skilled as his father, but he’s tactically brilliant. However, he’s too blinded by the death of his son to think straight.”

While the forest provided cover, it wasn’t ideal for a large army. An open plain would’ve been better.

The forest was vulnerable to fire.

And the McCarthy family, being the bearers of the Fire Rune, had chosen a terrain that would weaken their own strength.

“But they control the fire mana. Wouldn’t a fire attack be ineffective?” Daniel asked.

Kane let out a small chuckle.

“Normally, yes. That’s why they feel safe in the forest. But they’ve made a grave error.”

“And what mistake would that be?”

“They assume there’s no one here with a stronger fire rune than theirs.”

“Of course. That’s a natural assumption,” Daniel said, puzzled.

“That’s exactly why they’ll lose,” Kane replied, his smile widening. His eyes narrowed into crescent shapes, gleaming with mischief—and even madness.

Daniel’s eyes widened as realization struck.

“Surely not…!”

“They don’t expect anyone in Rehinar to wield a higher-level fire rune than theirs,” Kane said, his tone dripping with satisfaction.

Not just one, but two individuals within Rehinar possessed superior fire runes.

“That’s why you called Mikhail.”

Kane shrugged with a grin, confirming Daniel’s suspicion.

Mikhail wielded the Fire Bond and had the breath of the true dragon, a power only Count McCarthy could hope to match.

For the McCarthy forces, it was a disaster waiting to happen.

And Kane himself was no slouch.

His Fourth form of Blood Rune the Blood Oath, was paired with the Breath of the Blood Phoenix.

Even if Mikhail’s attacks were blocked, Kane’s own assault would be unstoppable.

McCarthy had no idea what was about to hit him.

“Tonight, we’re going to topple a pillar of Hatzfeld,” Kane said, his violet eyes gleaming with intent.

He was already starting to activate the Blood Phoenix’s breath, preparing to strike.