Side Story Chapter 256

“There was nothing special about him,” Bel grumbled as he shook the blood off of his fist.

Tremblin hadn’t moved an inch since he’d landed. It wasn’t really a surprise—he was over one hundred years old and the constant battle meant that he hadn’t slept in days.

Bel heard a faint sound that prompted him to immediately throw a kick upward. It slammed into a red spear, leaving his leg trembling.

“You’re Selim Sanders.”

Not many of Bel's opponents had left a lasting impression on him. That made the twenty-year-old boy in front of him very special. Even if Selim was the Martial God’s son, Bel would have forgotten about him long ago if it weren’t for his prowess.

“The older brother is better than the younger brother,” Bel noted.

It was well known that the Martial God had two sons; of course, Bel had already met both of them. However, he couldn’t even remember the other one because he had completely lost interest right after he discovered that the second son used a sword as his main weapon despite being the Martial God’s son.

“I’m going to kill you.”

Selim’s cold voice heralded several spatial distortions appearing around Bel. He knew what the distortions meant—they were a sign of Selim’s Mind Spears. Although he was already aware of Selim’s progress, Bel couldn’t help but feel impressed when he saw it with his own eyes.

“Indeed... it would have been an interesting fight if you had trained for just ten more years.”

Bel’s evaluation would have come as a surprise from anyone who knew him. When it came to martial arts, Bel was the pickiest person in the world. This was the second-highest evaluation he’d ever given. Obviously, it needn't be said who had received Bel’s highest approval.

“The more I learn about you and your father, the more interesting you two are.” Bel smiled crookedly.

“Keep wagging your tongue and I’ll tear it out,” Selim threatened.

As if punctuating his words, one of his invisible spears shot toward Bel like a lightning bolt.

Bel blocked the attack by simply holding up his finger.

“...Huh?” Bel tilted his head in confusion. He could feel a stinging sensation near his ankle. When he looked down, he discovered a miniature Mind Spear. It was so small that he wouldn’t have been able to sense it at all unless he had been looking for it.

“...Your aura control ability is this precise?” he exclaimed. Compared to guiding a massive object, it was much more difficult to control something that required precision. On top of that, Selim had attacked Bel using the miniature Mind Spear without it being detected by an Absolute like Bel.

“You’re a genius.” Bel grinned, baring his canines. “Alright then.”

Bel pulled the leg he had been using back in and then slammed his heel into the ground like it was an ax, destroying all the numerous Mind Spears around him.

“I’ll blow up your head,”Bel declared, and launched a flurry of jabs. Masses of aura flew toward Selim.

Selim eyes were sparkling. The fatigue had disappeared from his face.

‘I can nullify those attacks,’

he thought, readying his spear to match Bel’s fists.

But then, Selim was astonished to discover that he couldn’t move his spear at all. It was as if it had been glued in place. When he focused his mana into his eyes, he saw foreign energy clinging to his spear.

-I know a thing or two about precise aura control, too.

A split second later, Selim had already mustered his aura to break apart the bindings, but the momentary delay gave him less time to counterattack. In a battle between warriors as strong as Selim and Bel, a moment’s hesitation could cost them their lives. Selim was in trouble.

As Selim was preparing his counterattack, he heard flesh being cleaved apart. His head tilted in confusion. Although Bel was using aura, such a sound wasn’t normally heard when one was struck with a punch.

“...Please take command of our forces, Your Highness. I’ll deal with him.”

Selim stared at the familiar back that had appeared before him.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

“Duke Tremblin...?”

Tremblin was standing in front of Selim, enveloped in a blazing cloak of aura.

“Wait...” Selim’s eyes slowly widened as he realized where the all-to-familiar fire was coming from.

“True mana... You’ve chosen this place to be your grave, haven't you, old man?” Bel asked, confirming Selim’s doubt.

“D-Duke Tremblin. Why would you—”

“I don’t want to say this, but we aren’t strong enough to defeat him right now, Your Highness,” Tremblin said without turning to look at Selim.

Selim bit his lip because he also knew that it was a miracle that they had held out this long. Now that Bel had arrived at the battlefield, protecting the fortress was a lost cause.

“Give up the fortress and reorganize our forces in Arcadia. Avalon’s Palace itself is also a grand fortress, and Arcadia has never once been lost once in Avalon's entire history.”

“But...”

-Yeahhhhhhh!

Before Selim could retort, a thunderous shout echoed from outside the fortress’s walls. It was getting closer; the bulk of Hubalt’s forces were forcing their way through the breach. Bel and the Martial Knights had torn through their fortifications.

“...We don’t have any more time, Your Highness. The casualties will only increase at this rate. Arcadia must be close to sorting out the aftermath, so you need to brace for the enemy’s attack with the queen consorts.”

“No.” Selim shook his head. “I’m going to fight with you. I’m not leaving you here alone.”

“Please pardon my rudeness...”

Tremblin stopped listening to Selim and walked forward, drawing deeply upon his aura. The closer he got to Bel, the more radiant and fierce his true mana arose from him, like a flower reaching the height of its bloom right before it withered.

“Are you done talking?” Bel asked.

“Thank you for waiting until I did.”

“Well, the Sword Emperor deserves that much respect, I think.”

Smiling, Tremblin fixed his grip on his sword. Instead of holding his saber only with one hand like he usually did, Tremblin gripped it in both hands and pointed it at Bel in a textbook form.

“Knights of Tremblin, hear me!” Tremblin shouted using his mana. “We will buy His Highness as much time as possible to get to safety. That means this place will become our grave today. If anyone wishes to save their life, speak now!”

The knights stopped fighting each other for a moment and had been blankly watching the fight between the two Absolutes. They trembled for a moment before snapping to attention.

“None, Your Grace!”

“This place will also be my grave without a doubt!”

“Hurray for Avalon! Hurray for His Highness Selim!”

“Please protect our families back at home!”

As he listened to their shouts and pleas, Selim bit his lip so hard that it bled.

‘This is all because I’m weak. I’m weak...’

Still, he couldn’t abandon these people and run off on his own.

“Your Highness!” Tremblin shouted. “Wake up! Your life isn’t yours alone! The lives of everyone in Avalon depend on your every action!”

“D-Duke Tremblin...”

“Please, go!”

It didn’t take long for Tremblin’s voice to be muffled by his mighty aura.

“...Shit.” Selim reluctantly turned his back on the duke.

Tremblin’s knights had already thrown themselves back into battle against the Martial Knights with no regard for their lives.

“Stop him! Don’t let the Prince of Avalon run away!”

“No! You’ll have to go through us first!”

The bloody battlefield erupted with renewed violence. The Black Knights couldn’t take it anymore and were about to join in on the battle.

“Retreat!” Selim ordered. “Don’t let our people’s sacrifices be in vain. The Black Knights and I... will retreat to Arcadia.”

In contrast to the storm of aura raging over the battle, it was suffocatingly silent around Selim and the Black Knights. The Black Knights bit their lips in frustration, but their lord’s command was absolute in war. Even if they didn’t like it, they had to obey his orders.

“Yes... Your Highness.”

Selim glanced back at the battle. Maybe because Tremblin was using his true mana, the fight didn’t seem to be one-sided anymore.

‘I’m going to wait for you, so please come back, no matter what...’

Selim thought.

It didn’t matter if the fight cost Tremblin his mana hall. As long as Tremblin was alive, Selim would find a way to help him recover.

* * *

“Before we get to it, let me tell you an important fact.” Grand Duke Lucifer licked his lip with his bloody red tongue, his eyes gleaming wickedly.

“An important fact?” Kireua was ready to initiate his attack but Lucifer’s words made him pause.

“You know that each of the Seven Evil Sins possesses a different ability.”

Kireua was aware. In fact, he already had a lot of experience with using Greed’s abilities.

“So?”

“Do you know what the Wrath’s abilities are?”

“...I’ll have to find out.” Kireua gathered more mana, knowing that there was more harm than benefit in talking to a person like Lucifer.

“Well, let me explain. It’s—”

Lucifer fell silent and blankly stared at the sword protruding from his chest. Kireua had left an image of himself to fool Lucifer and used the Shadow Mobilization Technique Shadow to get behind the Grand Duke, allowing him to run his sword straight through Lucifer’s chest.

“You’re awfully talkative for a grand duke,” Kireua spat, annoyed.