The Mad Spearman of the Northern Front - Chapter 270

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Mad Spearman of the Northern Front (270)
KUUUUAAAAAANG!
The air itself tore asunder.
Those stepping into the Imperial Palace instinctively lowered their bodies.
The deafening roar that assaulted their ears and the crushing pressure that bore down upon their shoulders made it clear this was no ordinary attack.
It felt as though heaven and earth had split apart—a colossal Strike so immense that space itself twisted in its wake.
The central section of the Imperial Palace cleaved diagonally, revealing an enormous severed surface.
Structures of stone and metal intertwined were sliced through like paper, launching skyward through the gap, and through that rupture, the night sky began to reveal itself.
“…What?”
“What in the…”
“….”
The night sky visible above the Capital—a city in the throes of rebellion—was impossibly clear and profound.
Starlight cascaded brilliantly, and the deep Darkness blanketing the heavens gazed down serenely, as though nothing had transpired.
At that sight, Sedrian could no longer contain his gasp of astonishment.
“…Is this even possible?”
The foundational framework of the Imperial Palace was reinforced with Orichalcum, a metal boasting unparalleled durability.
As the most secure location within the Empire, the Imperial Palace had been constructed by mobilizing every technological resource the Empire possessed.
Yet that very structure had been destroyed—no, severed—by a single collision originating from within.
Sedrian’s gaze traced the severed surface.
Not brutally destroyed and torn asunder, but cleanly sliced with surgical precision.
Even if one were to search the entire Continent—no, the entire Empire—who could accomplish such a thing?
And it was Carbain who felt the shock of this incomprehensible sight most acutely.
“This is…?”
He was an 8-Star Warrior who had traversed countless Battlefields.
He possessed the power to reduce an entire city to ash in a single night and could stand alone against tens of thousands of Troops.
Yet the spectacle unfolding before his eyes transcended even Carbain’s frame of reference entirely.
‘Could I…’
accomplish such a feat?
That question surfaced first.
But gazing upon the severed Imperial Palace, he could not quickly answer with certainty.
It was merely a building that had been cut.
‘But the Imperial Palace… operates on an entirely different scale.’
It was incomparable to anything else.
Yet at that sight, Svein wore a bittersweet smile and spoke.
“It appears… the outcome has been decided.”
Carbain turned his head.
“Surely… you don’t mean that power belongs to that young man?”
Brief silence.
But it did not linger.
To Carbain’s question, Svein answered without hesitation.
“Yes, it is Arteon.”
The answer came with unwavering certainty.
“There is no one else in the Empire capable of manifesting such an Aura.”
That name hung in the air like a specter.
And at that response, Carbain’s gaze turned once more toward the severed cross-section of the Imperial Palace.
That youth whom he had believed to have reached the 7th Star….
“Surely… he has not attained the 8th Star—the Realm said to mark the limit of humanity…? That youth?”
Carbain’s voice trembled with barely contained shock.
The situation was too surreal, the implications too staggering to maintain composure.
Yet to Carbain’s question, Svein merely turned his gaze inward toward the Imperial Palace.
The faintest smile played at the corners of Svein’s lips.
“You will see soon enough.”
Svein spoke with the ease of one who already knew the ending.
At that response, Carbain swallowed silently.
His throat had gone dry.
The Realm he had honed throughout his lifetime now stood before a new standard.
And in that moment.
Kuoong!
A heavy, thunderous sound of something collapsing.
All three sets of eyes snapped toward it simultaneously.
Just as Svein had said.
“…you will understand if you look.”
Carbain and those gathered there could not hide their tension as they moved their steps toward the interior of the Imperial Palace.
* * *
Kuguguguguguguguung!
An enormous tremor erupted, and something impossible unfolded before their eyes.
“…Hah.”
Never did I imagine I would see the sky from within the Imperial Palace.
Baolent gazed upward in disbelief.
But then.
Crack!
With a sound like something fracturing.
“Cough!”
Baolent spat blood and dropped to one knee on the Ground.
His Armor was crafted with a considerable mixture of Mithril, renowned for both its durability and high Mana conductivity.
And he had always maintained a Barrier of Aura to intercept enemy attacks….
‘To be overwhelmed so… so helplessly…?’
Me, of all people?
Yet considering the Power that had torn away a section of the Imperial Palace itself.
“…Why did he spare me?”
He had held back at the final moment, withdrawing his full power from the strike aimed at me.
At Baolent’s question, I regarded him with an unflinching gaze.
And then I spoke, my voice carrying a finality to it.
“Because I found no reason to kill you.”
“…What did you say?”
Baolent rose from his position, confusion etched across his features.
Or rather, he attempted to rise, but the searing pain from his wounds caused him to furrow his brow and collapse back down.
“Ugh!”
Though he had not lost his life, the wound inflicted by that single strike ran devastatingly deep.
Crimson blood pooled beneath Baolent’s feet, forming a small puddle, and his vision grew increasingly hazy.
“You… you wretched creature…! How dare you… mock me…!”
Though his consciousness was slipping away, Baolent summoned superhuman willpower and forced himself to his feet.
He raised the Sword he clutched, leveling it toward me with trembling resolve.
“Kill me…! Only by killing me can you leave this place.”
“….”
But I understood that this was his final, desperate struggle.
He could barely lift his Sword, let alone move with any real intent.
It would have been possible to kill him and depart, as he suggested.
“You must face the consequences of what you have done.”
Without hesitation, I turned away from Baolent.
Though I spoke of his reckoning, the truth remained—I had found no reason to take his life.
‘Even if he remains my enemy.’
The path he had walked for the Empire was one of Glory, and the power he possessed could not be allowed to fade away so meaninglessly.
Baolent watched me turn and walk away, my form unsteady.
He could have swung his Sword at my undefended back as I departed.
“….”
Yet he could not.
‘The Sword….’
It was far too heavy.
No—his heart was too heavy.
As Baolent watched me turn away, he realized that the very foundation of the power and conviction he had upheld all this time had crumbled.
Whoooooosh!
The cool night wind of the Capital swept through the severed cross-section of the Imperial Palace, carrying with it a chill.
The sky above was beautiful, as though stars themselves were about to pour down, yet it stood in stark contrast to the darkness consuming Baolent’s heart.
And so….
‘My liege.’
Baolent hung his head low, consumed by despair, unable to take even a single step forward.
* * *
Ragged breathing filled the narrow confines of the Secret Vault.
“Gasp… gasp…!”
Count Adrian Valenluke swept his hand across the drawers lined along the vault’s wall, scooping up jewels and Gold Coins with crude haste.
Crimson rubies and sapphire blue gleamed beneath the lamplight.
These were treasures that should have adorned the necks of the Empire’s noble ladies, shimmering with elegance in the Imperial Palace’s grand halls.
Now they were merely the burden of a fugitive.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
My hands trembled.
I couldn’t tell if it was rage or fear.
If only there had been more time.
If Belkakrode’s rebellion had succeeded perfectly.
‘I could have controlled this Empire with my own hands.’
I wouldn’t have seized the throne directly.
But I could have become a Prime Minister wielding power greater than the King, or the true power broker moving everything from the shadows.
I had come so close to that position.
It was within arm’s reach.
And yet….
‘To crumble like this…?’
The reverberations of battle erupting throughout the Imperial Palace and the Capital had reached deep into this Mansion.
Despair pressed heavily upon my shoulders, but still I did not surrender.
All I needed was to survive.
If I could hide myself underground relying on Nocturne’s power, another opportunity would surely come.
I gripped the bag tightly and rose to my feet.
All preparations for escape through the Secret Vault were complete.
Though for now, I had to retreat in such shameful fashion.
‘I will… I will return without fail.’
I clenched my teeth and swore my Revenge.
But that was the moment.
Scrape.
A short, dry sound.
“Krrgh!”
“…!”
My body flinched first.
My heart sank.
At the sound from beyond the door, I froze and lifted my gaze toward it.
An oppressive silence followed.
Creak.
Then slowly, the door opened.
Dawn light streamed long into the vault.
Against the backlighting, a woman’s silhouette emerged with stark clarity.
Neat attire, eyes cold and composed.
Behind her stood a man holding a blood-stained Sword.
At that, Adrian’s eyes wavered.
“….”
I had seen that face before.
And the memory struck like lightning.
“You… are you from Shadowteon…?”
The Woman’s lips curved upward ever so slightly.
“I am Rishiven, Trading Company Head of Shadowteon. It seems we meet in rather unpleasant circumstances, Count.”
Her voice was composed.
It was the manner of someone exchanging pleasantries at a social gathering.
Cold sweat beaded on Adrian’s forehead.
“Why are you here…? No, how did you even get in?”
He swept his gaze around rapidly.
The Nocturne Assassins should have been stationed throughout the Mansion.
But instead of answering, Rishiven took a step forward.
And Rishiven spoke, looking at Adrian.
“I received orders to ensure you depart safely on your long journey.”
“What?”
Adrian’s voice cracked.
“What are you saying! Where are the Nocturne Assassins! Kill these people!”
But no one responded to Adrian’s cry.
A cold silence followed, and Rishiven’s gaze grew even colder.
“You are an important person. I shall see you off properly.”
The moment her words ended, Keyton standing beside her burst forward like lightning.
Adrian dropped his bag and stumbled backward.
“Wait!”
Thud.
Something cold pierced through his chest with a dull sensation.
Keyton’s Sword had penetrated directly through his Heart.
Adrian’s eyes widened in shock.
His mouth opened, but only air escaped from his throat.
An expression of disbelief.
He had always been the one moving pieces across the board.
He was not meant to fall so pathetically to someone’s Blade.
‘Just… like this….’
Blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth.
His legs lost their strength.
Thump.
His knees buckled first, and his body crumpled onto the carpet.
Crimson blood spread across the silk, and jewels spilled from the Secret Vault scattered across the red stain.
‘Is this… the end…?’
Injustice, rage, and unfulfilled ambition swirled together as his pupils hardened into glass.
When the light finally vanished entirely from his eyes, Rishiven gazed down at what remained.
Confirming that his breath had ceased completely, Rishiven turned away.
“Now we await Lord Arteon.”
A whisper, barely audible.
Stepping out from the Secret Vault, the Mansion’s corridors were already lined with corpses.
The Nocturne Assassins were no exception.
Shadowteon’s Blade had carved deeper still through the Shadows.
Emerging outside, the eastern sky burned crimson.
The sun was rising now.
Rishiven paused, watching that light for a moment.
And this sun would….
‘Where will it illuminate.’
Rishiven turned his gaze toward the Imperial Palace.
Whatever came to pass, Arteon would not fail.
Soon after, Rishiven turned his steps toward the Imperial Palace and spoke.
“I go to attend to Lord Arteon.”
“Yes!”
With the affirmation, dozens of figures began to follow in Rishiven’s wake.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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