Chapter 746

“Ian!”

Ian, who had been flying ahead, turned back at Nakina’s call. The flames of Ardo had already spread toward the castle walls.

‘Did Vanusa manage to persuade him?’

But the thought was quickly dismissed. His movements clearly showed his determination to stop General Bariel. If he had decided to side with Vanusa, he would have acted differently.

Knowing what that meant, Nakina’s voice dropped slightly.

“Do you think Vanusa is dead?”

“…I don’t know. It’s hard to say for sure.”

If Vanusa was still alive, the situation would become more complicated.

Why hadn’t Ardo pursued them but instead returned to the castle walls? Since Tolrun had no wizards, the only defense was for the sorcerers to unite their powers against the enemy, wasn’t it?

“Ian, look ahead. Soldiers are pouring out.”

At Hale’s gesture, Ian’s gaze returned to the front. Thousands of soldiers were flooding out from the palace and the adjacent barracks. They were heading out to confront Bariel’s forces. Their formation and momentum were anything but ordinary.

“Hold them back.”

“Yes, understood.”

“You all conserve your energy. I’ll handle this.”

The longer the siege dragged on because of them, the more it would strain Bariel’s forces. After all, Ardo and the fire elemental sorcerers were already defending the walls.

No matter how many magic swordsmen were on their side, it was crucial to end the battle quickly. The longer it lasted, the more ordinary soldiers would fall exponentially.

Ian lowered his altitude, followed closely by Hale, Nakina, and Tomi.

Whoosh!

“Gah!”

“Ma-magic users!”

“What? Where?”

“There! In the sky!”

Someone spotted the approaching sorcerers and pointed upward. Countless heads turned simultaneously.

But no one could pinpoint exactly who or what they were facing.

Boom!

Ian suddenly dropped into the middle of the formation, triggering a massive explosion.

A cloud of dust rose around him. Those barely clinging to life struggled to stand amid the shattered remains of their comrades.

Something sticky and hot soaked their bodies, but there was no time to identify it. As the dust slowly cleared, the cause of the blast came into view.

Swish—

“…!”

A boy landed on one knee.

When he lifted his head, his golden eyes flashed fiercely. A murderous aura radiated from him—neither fully beast nor human.

“Ma-ma—!”

“Magic user! Run!”

“Anyone who runs will be beheaded! Hold your positions! Draw your weapons!”

Shouts erupted everywhere. Chaos reigned.

Ian knelt, placing both hands on the ground.

Crack!

The earth beneath his hands split and burst apart.

From the fissures, endless amber-colored Idgal surged upward. It stretched out like a whip, wrapping around the soldiers.

“Whoa.”

“Don’t just stand there gawking—raise a shield!”

Crackle! Bang!

Sharp thorns sprouted endlessly from the Idgal, piercing the bodies of soldiers who couldn’t dodge in time. Those trapped inside froze in panic. The energy rippling around Ian showed no sign of fading.

His flashing golden eyes seemed to say: Even if you beg for mercy, this is in front of the palace—you can’t stop now. Just accept your fate and die.

“Iaaaan!”

“Ian!”

“Oh my, heavens!”

Whoosh!

As soldiers’ bodies littered the street, familiar voices called out. Beric and the sorcerers who had defected to Bariel’s side.

They looked momentarily stunned by the blood-soaked scene but quickly waved their hands nonchalantly—not in greeting, but signaling to continue.

“Ian! Don’t stop—keep moving! The palace has noticed us. There are sharp, precise attacks, but also powerful blows that can shatter the ground!”

“That bastard wants us inside the palace? Like the Masantar Temple, there must be something inside.”

“Beric, who told you to enter the palace?”

“Vanusa’s friend.”

“Ardo? That guy? Is Vanusa dead?”

“No, he’s coming.”

Tap tap tap!

Vanusa lagged behind, inspecting the ruined street. Beric, growing impatient, slung his sword over his shoulder and warned her.

“What happens if you step outside the shield?”

“Okay! Okay, I get it! But this is just too much!”

“What’s too much? This is war—kill or be killed.”

She approached, panting, her face drawn. Unless they moved through the waterways, she couldn’t keep up with the mobility of the sorcerers and magic swordsmen.

Ian wiped the blood from his chin with the back of his hand and looked at Vanusa.

“You’re alive.”

“Yeah, thanks to you.”

Gratitude mixed with resentment welled up inside him. If only the palace had fallen, why did innocent soldiers have to die like this?

Ian heard her silent reproach but turned his back, pretending not to notice. If she wanted to stop this, she should have persuaded or detained Ardo to let the walls fall faster.

“Go.”

Ian took a step, then stopped abruptly. Hale and the sorcerers passed him by, confused. Beric tapped Ian’s shoulder, curious.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

Ian answered calmly, but inside he was deeply unsettled. His stomach churned, and a sharp pain scratched at his heart.

It was a pain he’d never felt before—more confusing than painful. He took a moment to steady his breath, and the pain gradually subsided.

“Ian?”

“It’s over.”

Not just words—it really was over. The pain had faded. Ian resumed walking, leading the sorcerers forward.

“The streets are quiet.”

With soldiers crumbling helplessly, what could the townsfolk do? They hid in their homes, praying, or quietly fled toward the outskirts.

Ian passed the empty boulevard and caught sight of the palace in the distance. It felt like a long time since he’d last seen it, even though not much time had passed.

“We’re back.”

Beric seemed to feel the same. Memories of when they came searching for Filia flashed vividly.

The palace’s ochre walls remained unchanged, but so much else had.

“They said they’d give us a grand welcome, but now it’s unclear if they want us in or not.”

Creak.

Beric lightly pushed the palace gates with the tip of his sword. Not a single ant stirred. It was suspicious, and Beric smiled as he looked back at Ian.

“Well, Ian? What do you think?”

This felt different from the Masantar Temple. Entering the puppeteer’s stronghold meant every step could be a matter of life or death.

“Ian, it looks dangerous to go in. Why not just blow the whole building up?”

“I agree. I’m confident I can do it.”

“…No need to fall for the enemy’s provocation. If we crush it, how could that thing possibly hold?”

“Exactly! Let’s show them there’s no point hiding! Right, Vanusa? Forget the historical traditions—we should just take our own path.”

“…I don’t care about that. Buildings can fall a thousand times over. Especially if they’re stained remnants of a bloody history.”

“Then it’s settled! Ian!”

“Let’s crush it!”

Boom!

Beric kicked the gate decisively. A wooden plank thicker than a man flew off. The sorcerers spread out, forming magic circles at their feet.

Ziiing! Ziiing!

“Ian, this time we’ve got it!”

“Yes! Watch closely!”

Their magic circles merged, combining their power. The sorcerers confidently spread their palms and chanted in unison.

“[Shatter].”

Golden incantations formed a massive sphere, slowly rising before arcing toward the palace.

Smash it to pieces! No matter how skilled the enemy, they couldn’t stop this…

Bang!

But then, something invisible pierced the sphere precisely.

Half of the group had never seen it before; the other half recognized it from earlier—the indiscriminate attack outside the walls. A colossal force that crushed the earth and reached the sky.

“Gah!”

“Damn it!”

Whoosh!

The magic circle, crushed exactly in the center, burned away to ash.

A strong wind swept through, but the sorcerers were caught off guard and took the full brunt. Ian was watching—this was humiliating.

“What was that? A Tolrun curse?”

“That’s the attack we mentioned earlier! Outside the capital, it was blind, but now it’s aimed properly. Must be because it’s the palace.”

“Again! Do it again!”

“Y-yeah! Good! We can only do that three or four times anyway.”

“Let’s go!”

Beric shook himself, rallying the group.

But the sorcerers couldn’t gather their magic circles like before.

“It’s coming again!”

The fact the attack landed meant they were in the king’s line of sight.

Drawing and combining magic circles while moving was nearly impossible unless you were highly skilled. Besides Ian, maybe one of the three could manage it.

“Shield!”

“…!”

They had to make a choice: raise the final assault or set up a protective barrier.

Flash!

Something sparkled in the sky. Seeing it meant an attack was coming straight down on him…!

BOOM!

Ian precisely struck the point where the attack was about to land with an Idgal spell, shattering it. In the blink of an eye, three or four more rained down in quick succession, but Ian calmly and swiftly hit every one of them.

Sharp shards of broken Idgal flew through the air, and the mages raised their sleeves to shield their faces.

Swish!

Idgal dust scattered like snowflakes. The scene looked like a grand festival celebration.

“…”

After a moment of silence, the mages cautiously lifted their heads. Everyone except Ian and Beric remained hunched over, frozen.

“Is it… over?”

“It’s transparent. Really. After three or four times, we can take a short break.”

“No one’s hurt, right? Ian, th-thank you.”

“Oh, well. We were going to try this time. Ahem. But if you want, we can break it again. Magic circle, ready!”

“No, that’s enough.”

Ian stopped them with a light gesture.

“This isn’t a decision I can make.”

“…Excuse me?”

“The Emperor is entering, isn’t he?”

Destroying the royal palace—the symbol and heart of the enemy nation—was a matter for the Emperor’s will. Especially since it was tied to ending the war.

Ian elegantly rolled up his sleeve and tapped the remaining door panel. It creaked weakly as it gave way.

“The king’s power has already been limited. So now, entering the palace isn’t as dangerous as before. When was the last time we saw an attack outside the walls?”

“Not long ago. Before sunrise.”

An hour or two at most. Maybe less, but enough.

As Ian moved forward, Beric grabbed his arm.

“Wait. Not you, Ian. Vanusa, you lead.”

Since Vanusa knew the palace layout well, it made sense. And what if Ian got hurt going first?

Vanusa opened his mouth in surprise but quickly nodded. He had no reason to refuse.

“Fine. Damn it, alright. Everyone, stay close. We’re moving to the king’s quarters.”

With that, Vanusa strode into the palace.

They passed through barren grounds with not a blade of grass in sight, and no sign of life until they reached the main building. Vanusa stepped into the main hall and glanced back. Beric was the first to grumble.

“Damn, it’s empty. Maybe the king just ran away after all?”

“Beric, shh! Keep your mouth shut.”

“This is the main lobby. The palace itself isn’t that big…”

Then—

A faint shimmer appeared before their eyes. Tens, maybe hundreds, of razor-sharp threads stretched taut across the entire central hall.

And—

Snap!

Vanusa’s face and body brushed against the threads, slicing through him slowly and silently, as if he didn’t even realize the pain.