Chapter 97

Invitation

I couldn't even remember the last time I had been pushed into a defensive stance.

At the very least, ever since I'd earned the title "Lionhearted," I was aware that such a thing had never happened again.

So, this bout with Magnus was an utterly shocking experience for me.

Like a composer drawing notes onto a score, I weighed my rhythm against his. Both of us exchanged sword techniques without yielding an inch.

And the more we traded blows—

I was the one being pushed back.

"……!"

—This is ridiculous.

Sparks flew as our weapons clashed. The air was filled with shrieking bursts, like the screams of the dead.

With every clash, I poured out my massive reserve of supernatural power—so much so that people called me a walking power plant. But the one facing me didn’t budge in the slightest. In fact, it was as if he were daring me to keep up, increasing the output of his own power with every single exchange.

It felt like I was facing a mountain. In a battle like this, he felt even more monstrous than Katya—overwhelmingly so!

"Nice! You're doing well!"

And to top it off, he laughed loudly, like he still had room to spare.

"I haven’t met anyone who could hold out this long in a while! Not bad at all!"

Echoes of death and destruction resounded from the edge of his greatsword with each strike.

A clean vertical slash down the centerline. A basic downward swing.

But the destructive power it carried was anything but basic. The massive sword, radiating grotesque energy, came crashing down toward where I stood.

Of course, I wasn’t foolish enough to be taken out by a single strike like that. With a concise movement, I deflected the attack and immediately twisted my body to launch a counter.

"But!"

However.

He read it perfectly.

He seized the opening in the moment I was about to turn and charge. He snatched up that brief breath between movements.

With one hand still swinging his greatsword, Magnus grabbed the nape of my neck with the other. My movement came to a complete halt.

"That's about your limit, huh?"

His voice came coolly from beneath his visor.

"Not bad, but not great either. Feels bland."

"……Kgh……!"

"I was hoping to meet the real deal. Your husband, I mean."

"What… did you just say—?"

Even while panting, I managed to question him.

What on earth had this man just said?

"If His Holiness is that interested in the man, then he must be hiding a bag of tricks. I’m curious too."

"And what are you planning to do… if you meet Aiden?"

"What else? It’s obvious."

Magnus answered without hesitation.

"Kill or be killed. Until one of us is finished. You can be there to witness it if you want."

This man—

Was he saying he’d kill Aiden right in front of me?

"……."

Her mind went completely blank. From the base of her spine to the core of her heart, fury surged like a wildfire, as if her entire body were being consumed by a blazing inferno.

"…He doesn’t want anything like that. All he wishes for is to live a peaceful life—!"

"Whether he wants it or not, that’s none of my concern."

Magnus scoffed as he replied.

"If he doesn’t answer and tries to run, then I’ll just crush him. If he’s that much of a coward, then I’ll make sure to kill him right in front of your eyes—"

In that instant—

Her vision flickered.

"---!"

Noel herself couldn’t understand how it was even possible.

But in the next moment—

She had thrown off the arm gripping her neck and slammed her foot into Magnus’s abdomen.

This time, even Magnus showed a flicker of surprise. Just as Noel had never lost when it came to the sheer amount of supernatural power, this man had likely never once been overpowered in a test of strength.

"-----!!"

She didn’t even know what sound escaped her mouth. The qi surging from her entire body began to glow with a golden light.

Then—

With a roar like a beast, her fist drove into Magnus’s face, which had been lowered from the kick, carrying a terrifying force.

-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It wasn’t just a punch—it was like a bomb had exploded. The shockwave tore through the air, loud enough to split ears.

It was a primal blow, so raw that she had even forgotten about her weapon.

And yet, that alone was enough to shake Magnus’s body—who had endured countless sword strikes like a mountain—as if he were about to crumble.

Blood and flesh scattered in every direction.

"-!"

Staggering backward, Magnus caught his breath as he stared at Noel.

She was clearly different from a moment ago.

Pure white qi. And now, interwoven with it, a golden light wrapped around her body. She looked like a completely different person.

Her eyes had no focus. It was clear the strike hadn't come from a conscious mind.

And seeing her like that—

"…What the hell."

Magnus chuckled as he adjusted his greatsword.

"You could do it if you wanted, Lionhearted. Why didn’t you use it before?"

His eyes flared again with the thrill of battle. He was about to dive into a second round—

"Enough. That’s far enough."

—But he never got the chance.

The Pontiff had arrived at some point and stopped him.

"He accepted the offer. There’s no reason to keep fighting, is there?"

"—Is that so?"

As soon as he heard those words, Magnus’s posture deflated, visibly losing interest.

At the same time—

Noel, still wrapped in that golden qi, snapped back to her senses and turned toward the Pontiff.

The moment her eyes regained focus, the golden light around her dissipated in an instant.

“…Did you say Aiden accepted the proposal?”

“Yup. Both sides agreed without any hard feelings. I’m satisfied, and so is he.”

The Pontiff said this while yawning.

“Take good care of your husband and bring him along, Lionhearted. Departure is tomorrow.”

Hearing those words, Noel’s eyes trembled uncontrollably.

▣

“…Everyone.”

“…”

“Is everyone all right?”

Morrigan cautiously looked around as she spoke.

Naturally, no one gave her a proper response.

Katya was lost in her own thoughts, Noel in hers, and Aiden was staring blankly out the window.

'…I lost.'

Noel looked gloomily at her chipped sword.

Her duel with Magnus had been, to put it plainly, a loss.

Sure, there was a moment where she made a comeback, but she wasn’t foolish enough to deny that in terms of skills and power as a warrior, Magnus had surpassed her.

‘But what was that…?’

What felt strange was the very fact that she’d been able to counterattack Magnus at all.

It was a mysterious power unlike anything she’d ever experienced. That golden aura that rose from her body without her even realizing it.

‘Golden…’

It was the same color as the aura Aiden had unleashed back when he saved the Capital.

Why had it manifested in her as well?

“…”

As she recalled that, she glanced over at Aiden, and he met her gaze right away.

“Is there something you’d like to say?”

His voice was casual, like nothing was out of the ordinary, and that made a sharp ache rise in Noel’s chest.

‘…If only I had been stronger.’

At the very least, if that had been the case, Aiden wouldn’t have had to accept such a ridiculous demand. She could’ve driven the Pontiff’s group out and come up with a proper countermeasure.

She had promised herself to keep this man safe from danger and return him unharmed to his family, but now that vow felt meaningless. She was forced to confront her own helplessness.

No doubt, she had some share in the reason Aiden had gotten forcibly dragged into something he didn’t want to be involved in.

‘…Somehow.’

Noel lowered her eyes and muttered to herself.

‘I have to protect Aiden. No matter what—’

While she was stewing in that resolution, Aiden was thinking—

‘This worked out great for me.’

…That, and nothing else.

---

Quest Info

◈ Act II, Blasphemy

-Chapter 1, Proof of Worthiness

▶ The succession ceremony to choose the new Pontiff is about to begin. Prove you are worthy of participating in such an event!

▶ Clear Condition: Pass the ‘Preliminaries’!

The beginning of Act II had come around much faster than expected, but it was always bound to happen eventually.

In that sense, the current situation was actually better than anticipated.

‘Might as well get involved with the Pontiff directly.’

Though he needed to be wary of being manipulated at their whim, the Pontiff’s attitude was anything but hostile. Aiden still had to figure out their ultimate goal, but for now, they’d promised him a number of conveniences in exchange for accepting this task.

After all—

The reason Aiden was going there had little to do with whoever became Pontiff.

As always—

He was going there to save people.

"……."

If Imperial Capital Fracture in Act I focused on the chaos within the Empire, then Blasphemy, the title of Act II, clearly pointed to a slew of events involving “gods.”

It was also far more troublesome than Act I.

The reason being—

‘At least the incidents in Act I were clearly defined…’

Just as the title “Imperial Capital Fracture” implied, Act I centered around dealing with a concrete incident in the capital. It was clear what to prepare for.

By contrast, Act II was about—

‘Rooting out traitors from within.’

The process of selecting the next Pontiff was equivalent to appointing the next head of state—long, complex, and fraught with peril.

And throughout Act II, people would keep dying.

The perpetrators? Traitors who had collaborated with demonkind to forcibly eliminate members of the royal family, the Holy Crown Kingdom’s most crucial assets.

Even Meyer had warned him: the succession rituals in the Holy Crown Kingdom were infamously brutal. Though they’d been toned down over the years, there were still plenty of “tools” that could be twisted for exploitation.

During the course of Act II, most of the royal family would be slaughtered by an insider bent on collapsing the kingdom from within.

‘…It’s gonna be rough. Real rough.’

And even just reading over this summary made one thing clear.

Act I, despite its straightforward setup, had already gone off the rails. Act II, on the other hand, had always been packed with unpredictable variables—even in the original story.

Given how much harsher Aiden’s current reality was compared to the original, anything could happen.

With that in mind, building ties with the Pontiff and entering the scenario with insider access was a major win.

It meant he could intercept events before they spiraled, gain access to high-level intel, and root out the real villain with support from the very leadership of the Holy Crown Kingdom. Connections didn’t get more useful than that.

As Aiden mulled over these thoughts, he let out a yawn.

‘…So, it begins again.’

With that thought, he leaned back in his seat—

—and caught sight of Katya sitting across from him, still as a statue.

"……."

Noel had seemed a bit down earlier too, but—

This was different.

‘She doesn’t even seem lucid.’

The closer they got to the Holy Crown Kingdom, the more Katya’s eyes seemed to lose focus.

“Katya.”

At his words, she turned her head with a stiff creak, like an ungreased machine.

“Yes.”

“Are you all right? You seem unwell.”

“Yes.”

“…Are you agreeing with the first part or the second?”

“Yes.”

“……”

…It might be better not to talk to her at all.

---

System Message

▶ Act II entry confirmed.

▶ Individual Quest for ‘Katya Heinkel Craven’ unlocked.

▶ Clear it to receive rewards.

Once again—

A system window popped up, stealing his attention.

‘An individual quest, huh…’

Come to think of it, there had been mention of these before. They were also a requirement to unlock one's Unique Trait: Origin.

He’d completely forgotten about them due to the lack of updates, but it looked like something had triggered this one—likely because Katya was central to this episode.

---

System Message

▶ Clear reward: Receive the target’s ‘Remnant’!

"……."

…Now that was unexpected.