Around Karnak’s neck hung the three Anti-Time-Space Transcenders. The immense chaos mana flowing from them pierced through dimensions, exerting its influence even upon beings beyond this world.

With flames, the fire giant surged skyward. With gales, the wind giant circled through the air. The water giant roared as it cascaded fiercely, while the earth giant stamped its massive foot down upon the ground. Using the time his companions had bought him, Karnak succeeded in summoning his signature elemental giants all at once.

And even that was not the end of Karnak’s spell. The summoned spirits fused together, transforming into even larger giants. Fire and earth, water and wind entangled, erupting with a turbulent roar.

El Ragna Terrastia and El Aqua Silpherion, the titanic fused elemental giants appeared. Their sheer presence and massive forms made the central courtyard of the fortress, large enough to hold a military parade of hundreds, feel cramped and narrow.

Future Leven blinked in surprise. "Huh..."

He already knew Karnak had such magic. He had seen it from afar during the assault on Strauss Fortress. But seeing it up close like this was something else entirely.

He doesn't just perfectly control the spirits. He even forces them to fuse together? How is that even possible?

He had heard the rumors that this man, Karnak of the Eustil Kingdom, was exceptionally gifted in elemental magic, but he hadn’t expected it to be to this extent.

But wait... doesn’t he also dabble in necromancy?

When he first regressed to this era, it had been Karnak's necromancy that had driven him out of his younger self's body.

So he's an immensely powerful mage, but also skilled in elemental magic and necromancy alike? The more I see, the more unfathomable he becomes.

While future Leven was briefly lost in thought, Karnak, pointing his wand, issued a command. "Go, my elemental legions!"

The elemental giants thundered forward. Their magical force swirled in a storm of power as they stomped across the earth. And that wasn’t all.

Varos and the other aura users swiftly circled around to attack future Leven from behind, planning a joint assault with the elemental giants.

Purple chains stretched out, while brilliant blue aura blades danced in an intricate display of swordsmanship. The warriors closed in on their target while enshrouded in glowing aura, and the distance between them closed in an instant.

Alius, too, planted his staff firmly into the ground and focused his mind. "Hatoba, grant us your light, that we might pierce through this trial!"

A grand holy light rained down like a storm of arrows upon future Leven's head. The overwhelming offensive surged from every direction, and future Leven adjusted his grip on his twin greatswords.

"I’ll deal with them first." Then, he casually swept his arm through the air.

It was a simple motion, yet imbued with the essence of Delphiad Swordsmanship, the ancient style passed down through generations of the Strauss family. The swing was deeply etched into both Gellard's body and Leven Strauss’s soul.

Golden aura flared, and the true power of the martial king revealed itself. First came a magnificent horizontal slash.

—Severing the Dark Cloud!

The golden shockwave swept over the onrushing elemental legions. Before the overwhelming blade of light, even the mighty elemental giants were mowed down like common weeds.

Roars, screams, and deafening explosions tangled together in a maelstrom of noise. Next followed a devastating overhead strike that seemed to split the very heavens.

—Storm of the Wilderness!

Serati and Leven’s faces turned pale.

No!

This is!

A colossal curtain of light, reminiscent of the war hammer of a battle god, came crashing down from above. If they charged in any further, they’d be crushed like insects before they could do anything.

"We have to block it...!"

They hurriedly retreated and swung their aura blades to brace for impact. Even so, the immense force of the shockwave swept them all into the air. The entire party was tossed aside like boats caught in a hurricane. And last came the piercing thrust, as if to skewer the entire world.

—Radiance of the Dragon!

A golden flash split the very landscape. Everything in sight distorted as a golden vortex filled the air, swirling before his eyes as it hurtled toward him.

His face pale, Karnak thrust both hands forward. "Force Arcane Field!"

It was the strongest eighth circle defensive magic he could currently use. The golden vortex crashed against the curtain of power and transformed into raw destruction. The impact shook the entire fortress to its foundations with terrifying force. Only after a long moment did the deafening roar finally subside.

Karnak staggered in place while struggling to catch his breath. He had come dangerously close to death.

Right. This is what fighting a martial king was always like...

It had been so long that he’d almost forgotten, but now that he was face-to-face, the memories came flooding back. Even when he’d been known as the Monarch of Death, it had taken everything he had to barely bring down the Four Martial Kings. And now, he was even weaker than back then...

Sheathing his swords, future Leven let out a cold laugh. "The wise never turn their eyes away from reality."

Even after displaying such overwhelming power, his breathing remained steady. He hadn’t even used his full strength yet. "Well? Are you ready to kneel now?"

***

Future Leven, in Gellard’s form, stood towering before them. He surveyed the field with an arrogant gaze. He made no move to chase them down to finish them. It was arrogance befitting a martial king. He was deliberately waiting for their will to break.

Varos scoffed. After everything I’ve been through, you think I’ll crumble that easily?

He lunged forward, enshrouded in purple aura. Future Leven immediately counterattacked. Gold and purple aura clashed repeatedly as the two exchanged blow after blow. Of course, it wasn’t much of a fight.

Every time Varos’s energy clashed with that golden aura, it shattered like glass. And yet, he did not fall. Each time, he swiftly regained his stance, escaping disadvantage and swinging his blade anew.

Future Leven couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration as he parried Varos’s slash. He is truly a master.

Of course, anyone would say so. To have reached the level of purple aura in his early twenties was remarkable. But even considering that, his mastery felt too polished.

How is this possible at his age?

And that wasn’t the only surprise. With a shout, Varos’s blade started shaking violently. The purple glow of his sword abruptly shifted into a dazzling silver, and light as soft as moonlight yet sharp as a blade filled the courtyard.

"Silver aura?" For a moment, future Leven’s eyes wavered.

How? He couldn’t understand it. This technique was a minor trick used by martial kings to conserve their aura. But it wasn’t something one could master simply by practicing. It was impossible for anyone else to use it, even if they were blessed with immense talent. Only those who had once reached the pinnacle, the golden aura, could use it.

I’ll need to look into this one.

He had to spare him. It would be a waste to kill such a promising prospect. Future Leven’s attacks dulled slightly, and thanks to that, Varos managed to hold his own and keep the fight balanced.

Present-day Leven didn’t miss the opening. He slipped skillfully to the side, his sword gleaming with blue aura as he thrust it forward in a sharp strike. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"You bastard!" he screamed.

What followed was the essence of the Delphiad swordsmanship, passed down through the Strauss bloodline. Naturally, it didn’t work at all. Both of them were Leven Strauss. However, one wielded an immature form of the art, while the other had reached its ultimate pinnacle. There was no comparison.

Even so, present-day Leven held his ground. That was thanks to a slight shift in future Leven’s thoughts. There’s no particular reason to cling to that body, but...

After all, he had already claimed Gellard’s body. Returning to his original one wouldn’t make him any stronger. If anything, it would just waste precious time.

To inhabit his younger body and ascend once more to the martial king’s level would take an excruciatingly long time. Besides, Gellard’s undead body was not something just anyone could wield.

Even if Gellard’s soul had been erased, the aura of the martial king still lingered within his body. Only a soul of equal stature could control and wield it. Simply put, without the soul of a martial king, it was impossible to make use of Gellard’s body.

That was why he had told Maloka he didn’t need his own body. But now that it was right in front of him, his mind began to shift.

Might be useful as a spare, just in case.

Gellard’s body required the soul of a martial king. In other words, a soul of Leven’s caliber, someone other than him, could also make use of it.

What if something went wrong?

What if Dreltein or even Malican Thun met with an accident? What if they lost their bodies before they could return and ended up as wandering wraiths? At that point, Gellard’s body would become an invaluable vessel.

In the past, he had never even considered such a scenario. Who would dare imagine the soul of a martial king could ever be harmed?

But Karnak had done it. In fact, that was why this bizarre situation had arisen in the first place, with the two Levens facing each other with blades drawn.

And what had happened once could happen again. In that sense, it felt like a waste to destroy his original body now. If he secured present-day Leven, he could hand over Gellard’s body to them and return to his original vessel himself.

I’ll need to keep that body alive too.

***

Future Leven’s ambitions didn’t end with Varos and present-day Leven. The gray-haired girl sprang forward, her brilliant blue aura unleashing a wild flurry of attacks.

With a clear cry, her dazzling sword strikes tore through the air. It was the Tascal swordsmanship, a style from the central region of the Eustil Kingdom. She had learned it from Serati.

Future Leven let out an admiring breath. "Well, well!"

It wasn’t the Tascal style that impressed him. Frankly, such a style wasn’t even worth the attention of the Martial King of Delphiad. But the skill of the girl wielding it was another matter entirely.

"Truly astonishing," he exclaimed.

Her movements were sharp, and her control of aura flawless. Her movements were perfect in every way. It was almost absurd how a third-rate sword style could become so refined.

Of course, the truth was, the style had already been half-reconstructed in Lapicel’s hands. Varos, too, had made significant modifications along the way.

But to future Leven, who knew nothing of these circumstances, it was simply shocking. "How could she have reached such heights at her age? What master did she meet?"

No matter how divine one’s talent, experience could never be wholly substituted. As someone who had climbed to the pinnacle himself, he knew this better than anyone. Naturally, he felt an irresistible urge to keep her alive and unravel her secret.

As he engaged Lapicel halfheartedly, future Leven’s gaze flicked to the side. Hmm?

A red-haired beauty was charging toward him with fierce momentum. He scoffed before swatting aside the strike of blue aura. It was the same Tascal style, but compared to the gray-haired girl, it was pitifully lacking.

Everyone among Karnak’s group seemed distinct in their own ways—except this woman. This red-haired girl alone seemed to have no particular strengths. She was simply pretty and had a fine figure. That was all.

Of course, beauty had its value in various ways, but to future Leven, it meant little. What desire could remain in a body that had already died?

I’ll just kill this one.

Golden aura swirled, and a barrage of murderous slashes rained down upon Serati. She barely managed to dodge the onslaught while grinding her teeth.

A wave of inexplicable resentment surged within her. What the hell! Why is he only doing this to me?