The subjugation army had set up their main camp at the foot of the mountain, from where they could see the entirety of Strauss Fortress at a glance. The commanders of each company gathered to discuss the day’s battle.

"The resistance is fiercer than we expected."

"The problem is the undead mixed in with the enemy forces. The siege isn’t proceeding as we trained for."

"That’s right. Normally, when we fire arrows and spells, the enemy would hide behind the walls."

Typically, that would be the moment to drive the soldiers forward. But the enemy showed no signs of retreating despite the fire arrows and spells, and it wasn’t merely a matter of their toughness.

The situation itself had gone awry. As a result, despite three days of relentless assaults, they had failed to breach the walls.

Sir Hermann, a blue knight and officially the strongest knight in the current Ethriel Kingdom, turned to Karnak. "What do you think, Sir Karnak?"

Some might find it strange that a mere blue-tier aura user was called the kingdom’s strongest knight. But it wasn’t an exaggeration. Besides the Strauss family, the kingdom lacked true powerhouses.

It wasn’t that only the Strauss lineage produced mighty warriors, but sooner or later, even those from other houses would end up serving them. After all, one had to swim in deep waters to grow into a giant.

As they said, in a land without dragons, hydras would become calamities. But here, dragons, hydras, and drakes had all once dwelled together, only to vanish at once, leaving ogres and trolls to be hailed as the mightiest.

In any case, Sir Hermann pressed on. "I believe it’s time we try a different approach."

Since assuming the role of the subjugation army’s commander-in-chief, Karnak had, surprisingly, issued only the most conventional orders. He had simply stuck to standard siege tactics that anyone with a basic understanding of warfare would know.

But it wasn’t as if people placed their hopes in Karnak’s exceptional abilities as a commander. Rather, they were hoping to see the overwhelming power of magic he had demonstrated at Harthol City.

Though none dared say it aloud, their expectations were clear. Isn’t it about time you showed us something?

Well, Karnak had intended to act soon anyway. The long-awaited message had finally arrived last night through the Twilight Order.

—Elezar and Dreltein have not left the empire.

Even after taking command of the subjugation army, Karnak had refrained from moving recklessly. He suspected from the start that the Strauss rebellion was a trap meant for him. The real question was: to what extent?

If this were merely something orchestrated by the future Leven alone, he could handle it. But it was a different matter entirely if Elezar and Dreltein were involved as well.

To be sure, he had kept a close eye on the empire’s movements. And now, he had confirmed that Elezar and Dreltein were still within the Lacania Empire. The chances of this information being false were slim. Both were such towering figures, pillars of power, that their absence would not go unnoticed.

Honestly, I’m a bit curious. Just what important matter is keeping them holed up in the empire like that?

He would have to look into that later. For now, he needed to deal with the matter at hand.

Adjusting his posture, Karnak spoke gravely. "I will draw out and scatter their forces. Once they are spread thin, we will strike the walls." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The company captains, hearing this, looked puzzled. "And how do you intend to create such an opening?"

Karnak answered their curiosity. "We bait them with something they cannot resist."

"And do we have such bait?" they asked.

With a faint smile, Karnak pointed to himself. "Yes. Me."

***

Sir Jeremy stood atop the western wall of Strauss Fortress. His gaze lay beyond the ramparts. Suddenly, he felt a flicker of doubt.

What’s this?

The subjugation army had fiercely attacked the fortress from all sides today, only to retreat as furiously as before. Sir Jeremy had assumed the day’s work was done. Yet, the retreating forces were once again on the move.

They once again charged, led by heavy cavalry and infantry. No matter how he looked at it, they seemed intent on launching another assault. Well, that was possible. The sun had yet to set, and there was still time for another push before the evening meal.

But still...?

Unless they had come up with some drastically different tactic, the outcome would likely be the same. Though something did seem a little different. Narrowing his eyes, Jeremy peered into the sky above the subjugation army.

Who’s that?

A young man in a mage’s robe was rising into the air. He was still far enough that neither arrows nor magic from this side could reach him. Likewise, it was out of range for his spells to reach them as well.

Even so, the distance was close enough for Jeremy to make out the man’s face. And so, Sir Jeremy had no trouble identifying the mage’s identity. It was the very heretic who had been tormenting the Black God's Cult with brutal fervor as of late.

Karnak Zestrad!

***

Karnak slowly advanced toward the eastern side of the fortress, drifting through the air by flight magic. As he drew closer, activity on the ramparts grew frantic. Archers nocked arrows to their bows, and mages, wands in hand, waited for Karnak to enter their range.

Just before crossing into their effective range, Karnak came to a halt. He spread both arms wide.

An immense surge of mana flowed from the Anti-Time-Space Transcenders hanging around his neck through his entire body.

"Rise, spirits of the earth!" At his clear and resonant voice, mounds of earth rose up all across the ground outside the fortress walls.

In the blink of an eye, nearly fifty golems filled the battlefield. And that was only the beginning.

"Come forth, pillars of the world!"

Dozens of elemental giants—of fire, water, wind, and earth—revealed their colossal forms, letting out thunderous roars. This was becoming something of a signature move for him: a mass summoning of golems and elemental spirits.

The mages of the subjugation army's magic corps looked up at Karnak, suspended in the air, with faces full of awe.

"My goddess..."

"How is that even possible?"

They all knew well enough that Karnak, at such a young age, had already reached the astounding height of seventh circle magic. Yet even with that knowledge, the sight before them defied belief.

Summoning elemental giants was seventh-circle magic, and already far beyond their wildest dreams. Even just the golem summoning alone was overwhelming. Not even the combined efforts of their entire magic corps could match the number of golems Karnak had summoned on his own. His mana reserves and control over it were nothing short of extraordinary.

"So this is what a true genius looks like..."

"We’re seeing a future archmage in the making..."

Sensing their reactions, Karnak let out a bitter smile. I suppose it is too fast for my age, isn’t it?

If they knew he had already reached the eighth circle, they might very well go mad with shock. Regardless, he leisurely began to maneuver his forces of spirits and golems. Thanks to his ascension to the eighth circle, he could now wield seventh circle and lower spells with far greater ease.

"Move out." At his command, the spirits and golems advanced in unison.

The infantry used the giants as shields and steadily pushed forward as well. Watching this orderly advance, the company captains were filled with both admiration and confusion.

They clearly understood the sheer, earth-shaking power of Karnak’s magic. They also grasped how much more favorable the siege had become with the elemental spirits and golems leading the charge.

But didn’t he say he’d be the bait?

What exactly did he mean by that?

They soon had their answer. The fortress gates of Strauss, which had been firmly sealed until now, burst open, and a squadron of knights poured out. With thunderous hoofbeats, the knights charged across the ground.

Their target was clear. They rode in a straight line, heading straight for Karnak.

They opened the gates... because of Sir Karnak?

Why on earth?

Targeting the enemy commander is strategically sound, but still, at a time like this?

While the company captains were left bewildered, Karnak simply nodded as though he had expected this all along. "Yes, they wouldn’t just sit back and let me be, would they?"

***

People were under a misconception. They believed Emil Strauss’s goal was to overthrow the Ethriel Kingdom and spread the Black God's Cult across the land. But the truth was somewhat different.

Even if the rebellion were to fail, the Leven within Emil would have little cause for regret. He cared nothing for the downfall of the Strauss family. The uprising itself had already achieved its purpose from the moment it began. Enough blood had been shed, the world had been thrown into chaos, and the people’s faith in the church had been eroded.

His true aim in orchestrating all of this was none other than Karnak’s two Anti-Time-Space Transcender. It didn’t matter if the entire subjugation army were annihilated. The plan would be a failure if Karnak escaped. Conversely, even if the Strauss family were utterly destroyed, capturing Karnak alone would be a victory.

As he fiddled with the pendant around his neck, Karnak let out a sly grin. They saw me use this. Of course, they’ll do whatever it takes to secure it.

Meanwhile, the knights bearing the Strauss banner were thundering toward the front lines of the subjugation army at terrifying speed. The thunder of hooves grew louder and louder. Clouds of dust billowed up, obscuring the view.

A middle-aged knight drew his sword at the front of the charge, and a dazzling silver aura radiating from the blade. The knights of the subjugation army cried out in shock.

"A silver knight?"

"It’s Sir Kairon!"

There were only four silver knights among the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.

Marikus, captain of the royal knights of Felmayer Kingdom.

Elyder, the strongest knight of Atringen Kingdom.

Lucian, the guardian knight of Altail Kingdom.

And Kairon, who, while nominally under the banner of the Ethriel Kingdom, was in truth a loyal vassal of the ducal house. He was the mightiest knight of the Strauss family besides the Martial King Gellard. He now stood before their very eyes.

Swinging his sword wreathed in silver aura, Kairon roared out a command. "Break through!"

At once, crimson and azure aura blades erupted from the ranks of knights. There were nearly thirty in total. The knights of the subjugation army could only stare in disbelief.

By the heavens...

Thirty aura users?

The subjugation army itself had only twenty aura users. Even counting every aura user in the Kingdom of Eustil, the total barely reached a hundred. Yet here was a single family mustering so many.

It was a vivid demonstration of the overwhelming power of Strauss. And yet, alongside their awe, an uneasy question gnawed at their minds.

Why...?

Why are they still loyal to a fallen ducal house?

If this had been a simple rebellion, it would have been easier to accept. But Emil Strauss had declared his intentions plainly: To serve the Black God, Tesranach. To follow him was to embrace heresy. No matter how deep their loyalty ran, it was not a decision they could have made lightly.

Surely they can’t all have turned to the cult...?

While such thoughts churned in their minds, the Strauss knights clashed head-on with the subjugation army. Elemental giants let out earth-shaking roars, and the golem battalion swung their massive stone limbs in unison.

Slashing clean through an elemental giant with his silver aura blade, Kairon bellowed once more. "Ignore them! We have only one target!"

Each elemental giant and golem was certainly formidable on its own, but they lacked the cohesion of a human army. The Strauss knights slipped skillfully through the gaps between the golems, charging straight toward Karnak.

Hovering in the air, Karnak’s eyes gleamed. Now.

A blinding flash of magic exploded toward the advancing knights. Yet the attack failed to inflict real damage. They had anticipated it and deftly avoided the blast. His Arcane Strike had done little more than scorch a patch of barren earth. Not that it mattered.

This was merely the signal. Go, Varos!