Chapter 348: Who’s Crazier? (1)

Watching Keter casually offer him a drink, Dust finally understood the strange sense of unease he had been feeling.

Keter does not consider us enemies.

At first, he thought the feeling came from fear of Keter’s martial prowess, or perhaps the tension of impending war. But it wasn’t either of those. Now, Dust was certain that even while facing four Primes, including himself, and the elite forces of the allied families, Keter wasn’t the least bit nervous.

“...Will you answer one question?”

Dust suddenly felt extremely exhausted. An overwhelming weariness washed over him. Keter took a sip of whiskey and gestured for him to continue.

“Have you reached the eight-star realm?”

Dust thought that the only reason Keter could be this relaxed was that he had reached the level of eight-star. Of course, that was absurd. Becoming a Prime before the age of twenty was already unimaginable, but to surpass even that? Yet nothing else could explain his composure.

However, Keter shook his head.

“Not yet.”

“Not... yet.”

It sounded like Keter knew that he would cross that threshold soon. Dust slowly extended his hand.

“I feel like drinking.”

“And I feel like not giving you any.”

Keter finished the whiskey by himself and yawned.

“Was ten minutes this long? I’ll have to keep that in mind next time.”

“...”

Keter’s complete disregard for the Primes before him left Dust’s mind blank.

What am I supposed to do now? Be angry? Apologize? Fight? Run?

Nothing felt certain. He realized something else: what he felt was not fear but helplessness. It was the certainty that nothing he could do would work against Keter and that if Keter wished, he could kill him at any moment.

A thin line of blood trickled from the corner of Dust’s mouth. It was not his body that had been wounded, but his spiritual wound had manifested physically.

For decades, he had trained without rest. While others celebrated and enjoyed the pleasures of the world, he swung his sword. He lived with a single purpose: to grow stronger.

He swung his sword and meditated for decades. He fought on battlefields with death at his side to attain enlightenment. What this yielded was Authority and the realm of Prime. It was not luck or coincidence.

Dust believed he stood among the ten strongest in the world, but facing Keter, he realized something.

I’m still a frog in the well.

The other three Primes, who had just finished their ten-minute meeting, reached the same conclusion: they were no match for Keter, and that he had merely been playing with them.

“Ten minutes are up.”

Keter’s words sounded like a death sentence. Rajis stepped forward as the Primes' representative. This was not because he was the strongest but because he could speak with Keter.

“Keter. You grow stronger by the day, to the point it feels unreasonable.”

“That’s life. At first, I thought mine was a cursed one, but living it proved otherwise.”

“We understand you can face all four of us alone. However, you must also admit that it was possible because we focused solely on you.”

The allied Primes had targeted only Keter, not Sefira’s army. What Rajis was saying was that if they ignored Keter and attacked Sefira, Sefira would not survive. Of course, Keter understood this. The proper response would have been to concede the point. Instead, he looked at them like he didn’t care.

“Consideration in war? Anyone listening would think you issued a formal declaration and mobilized properly. Rajis, your shamelessness grows by the day. That mask of righteousness is slipping.”

“If two of us hold you here while the other two attack Sefira, can Sefira endure it?”

“

Tsk

. Kid, that’s not how you make threats. Let me show you.”

Keter’s brazen attitude made their faces harden. This was not how they expected the script to unfold, but they could not retreat now. They had to prove it was possible since only then would negotiations be possible. What they wanted was a draw—for them to withdraw without either side fighting to the bitter end.

To force a stalemate, there’s only one way.

Then as agreed...

Suddenly, Rajis and Zerphi rushed Keter. At the same time, Dust and Magon leaped toward Sefira. It was known that Sefira had no Prime. External forces supported them, but none were Prime-level. Thus, the two most destructive Primes headed toward Sefira. If they went all out, they could slaughter tens of thousands in a minute.

Of course, killing that many would end possible negotiations. However, it would also give them the upper hand and a chance to start a new negotiation, so they intended to kill about a thousand in the blink of an eye. That would change Keter’s mind.

As if to prove they had not been standing by in a daze, the archers of Sefira did not panic even as the Primes charged toward them. Calmly, they did what archers were meant to do: nock, draw, and release. Individually, their arrows were insignificant, but hundreds and thousands of them... That could change the outcome.

Then, a rain of arrows fell upon the Primes. Their power varied. The soldiers’ arrows could pierce iron plates, while knights’ arrows could pierce steel shields. However, the one thing they had in common was that they did not have the power to harm Primes in any way. There was no need for Dust and Magon block or dodge. With Aura Armor active, they could ignore the arrows entirely. They should have, but...

“Something’s wrong.”

A chilling sensation made Dust and Magon deflect the arrows with their swords. Hundreds converged, but deflecting them was trivial. Of course, they were doing so effortlessly since the aura within them was weak.

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

Then, by chance, one arrow grazed them.

Slash.

Blood trickled down.

“...?!”

“...!”

They could not believe it. It had been an ordinary arrow, and they were wearing Aura Armor. Even if it struck, the arrow should have bounced off, yet they were wounded.

They halted their charge. Realizing Sefira’s archers could injure them, a reckless advance was impossible.

“Common sense doesn’t apply to Sefira.”

“We will use Authority.”

Though early, they activated their powers: United Wind Demon, the caller of the hurricane, and Absolute Supreme, which created thousands of swords.

Arrows were heavily affected by the wind. At a distance, even a light breeze can alter the trajectory. A hurricane made shooting impossible. Of course, Keter’s arrows were unaffected as they were imbued with Ein, but Sefira’s archers wouldn’t be able to withstand such winds.

Roar!!!

The United Wind Demon swept over Sefira. Sefira’s archers struggled to even stand, but steadied themselves and nocked arrows.

Dust stared in disbelief.

They’re shooting inside a hurricane? Are you all as powerful as Keter or something?

Keter was special, so he would understand if Keter did something like that, but Sefira’s archers preparing to release their arrows was absurd. However, they still released their arrows. Just when Dust was about to scoff...

Whoosh!

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The arrows flew through the hurricane.

“What?!”

“This is impossible...!”

The arrows were unaffected by the hurricane. This was thanks to Alakir, the God of Wind. Though unintended, Keter had kidnapped Alakir, the fading god, and forced him to become Sefira’s guardian. Those who served him gained a blessing: immunity to wind interference. Thus, even within a hurricane strong enough to uproot trees, their arrows flew straight.

“I will step in myself.”

Magon advanced with the swords created by Absolute Supreme. He could control each individually. He intended to block the arrows and counterattack, but that didn’t go as planned.

Crack!

The swords shattering against arrows sounded like breaking glass.

“...What?! Why?!”

Even if Keter’s arrows carried Ein, Sefira’s did not. Magon could not understand why his swords were breaking.

The two were flustered as they were struggling against Sefira’s arrows, even while using their Authority. However, they couldn’t back down now, and they drew deeper on their power. The hurricane from United Wind Demon intensified, strong enough to sweep people away. The swords from Absolute Supreme shifted from interception to attack.

As they were about to unleash their attacks...

“Have you still not realized? You have no chance of victory.”

A single voice echoed across the battlefield. Floating alone above the wall stood an archer. He had noble features and long ears. Endymion, elf and guardian of Sefira, had revealed himself to the world.

* * *

Dust and Magon recognized Endymion at once and immediately recognized that he was a Prime.

“Sefira... had a Prime?”

“You mean they’ve been hiding him all this time...!”

Strictly speaking, Sefira had not hidden him. He simply kept himself concealed. However, Endymion was not one for idle chatter and got straight to the point.

“The reason your Authorities do not work is my domain-type Authority. You understand what that means.”

A domain-type Authority: though it could only be exercised within a limited area, its power was far greater than that of unrestricted Authorities.

“A domain-type Authority...!”

“So it was active from the very beginning.”

The two men understood immediately why Keter’s arrows had been so powerful and why the Sefira archers’ arrows struck with such force. It was all because of the elf before them. His Authority had clearly elevated the very rank of the arrows themselves.

“My name is Endymion, Guardian of Sefira. Will you withdraw now, or continue?”

At his ultimatum, the two men clenched their teeth. They had never expected Sefira to possess a Prime.

“Do you think they’ll understand if you put it that way?”

At that moment, Keter stepped up beside Endymion.

Dust and Magon turned around, wondering what Rajis and Zerphi, who had been engaging Keter, were doing. The two were barely standing, gasping for breath, and covered in clear marks from Keter’s blows.

“Ha, so even two of them couldn’t buy time.”

Keter rose high into the air—so high that everyone had to tilt their heads back to see him.

“Let me give you a piece of advice. If you want to negotiate with your opponent, you don’t threaten them. You notify them.”

“...?”

The four Primes and the allied army swallowed hard.

“Look behind you. While you stood there gawking, Kundeline’s Freak Troopers cut off your retreat.”

“W-what?!”

“It... it’s true!”

The family alliance had been well aware of Sefira’s external forces. They had assumed those forces were not actively involved, yet they were. And the notification was only beginning.

“Your main camp has already fallen; Baen’s airships took it. Do you understand now? You are completely surrounded. You have no home to return to and no reinforcements coming.”

“...!”

Murmurs rippled through the ranks. Not just the soldiers, but even the Primes’ faces had gone pale. The commanders looked anxiously toward Daul, the commander-in-chief, unsure what to do.

Daul, who had been watching the battle between the Primes, ground his teeth. Everything Keter said was true. Their retreat was cut off. Their main camp had fallen. It was a complete defeat, one beyond excuse.

He steadied his breathing. It was time for him to step forward. But before he could, Keter’s voice rang across the battlefield.

“This isn’t a negotiation. It’s a notification. Drop your weapons and lie face down immediately. Do that, and you’ll live and be treated as human. One minute. Anyone still standing after that will be considered to have chosen to fight to the end.”

Exhaling slowly, Keter descended to the ground, landing directly before the Primes of the family alliance.