the era of calamities-Chapter 103: His Highness, the Footstool

For a brief instant, Renard’s fingers grew slick before he regained his composure and seized his axe with such force that his knuckles turned white.

" How is this possible? "

Was it the poison, corroding not only his body but also gnawing at his mind?

Was death rushing toward him so quickly that it was stealing away his will to fight?

If these thoughts had nearly extinguished Renard’s thirst for battle, the despair he saw in his men forced him into introspection.

What if they truly were doomed?

What if it was true that they were nothing more than condemned men walking toward their deaths?

" Nevertheless... " Renard breathed.

His voice was weak, yet it carried.

" It is true that if we retreat, your brothers, your sisters, your children, your parents, my son... our city will die. "

He lifted his axe and rested it on his shoulder, then slowly removed the helmet of his armor.

When his knights saw his eyes, a heavy silence fell over the ranks.

They felt shame.

Without caring in the slightest, Renard continued.

His voice grew stronger and stronger as he advanced slowly through his men, snapping them back to themselves with a pat on the shoulder, a light tap on the head.

" And if we must die, then let us die with honor.

We are the knights of Eterniti.

Never in history have we turned our backs on the enemy.

Never in our tales have those who fought to the very end been dishonored in the eyes of their own. "

Renard’s words breathed new life into them, turning the sparks in his men’s hearts into raging flames.

When he had walked the entire line and stood before them, not a trace of hesitation remained among the knights.

Though the situation itself had not changed in the slightest, they had found themselves again.

" For Orion, for Invictus, for the King! " cried one of the knights, and the rest followed.

Without knowing who had started it, their boots began pounding against the earth, swords clashed against shields, spears struck the ground.

The uproar was such that, for a brief moment, the Calamities surrounding them seemed less terrifying.

---

Elsewhere.

Exa watched the scene unfold.

And when she saw the fervor radiating from her humans, she shuddered , not with fear, but with ecstasy and had to restrain her primal instincts to keep herself from charging in and slaughtering them all.

" It’s both exhilarating and dangerous, " she muttered, then, fearing that her own subjects might fail to resist the urge to plunge these humans into despair, she commanded:

<< Let webs cover this city and its surroundings like a cocoon >>

At once, the surrounding ether transformed into enormous spider webs, enveloping Orion and its outskirts.

The Calamities were brought to a sudden halt.

All except one, who was allowed to pass.

(" Indulge yourself, my son. Learn from your mistakes. Become the King you are meant to be. ")

---

Helion leapt down from above and landed before the knights of Orion just before his mother’s webs covered them.

The moment his limbs touched the ground, his senses swept the area, informing him of the number and strength of each of his opponents.

Nearly two hundred Initiates and a Master stood before him.

Yet he, who held only the rank of Count, did not retreat.

After all, he was a prince, heir to a lineage that had evolved over a millennium.

Simple humans could not possibly pose a threat to him, regardless of their numbers.

" Kneel! " he commanded.

(" How do beings so vile, so miserably human, dare even lift their eyes toward me? ") he thought.

Yet less than a second after uttering those words, he felt a weight upon his head and found himself slammed to the ground, unable to understand what had just happened.

Even the Calamities watching from above could not perceive the action that unfolded in less than a thousandth of a second.

Only the two Marquises, by virtue of their rank, saw Renard , who, as if mistaking His Highness for a mere minor Calamity, used his royal head as a stepping stone to leap forward, without even sparing him a glance.

Faced with this, the two Marquises remained frozen, horrified by a gesture that crossed every boundary of the unthinkable.

---

Renard wasted no time on a mere minor Calamity and leapt into the air, straight toward the webs imprisoning them.

<< Sigma Mode >>

<< Celestial Axe >>

The image of a semi-transparent axe projected itself above him and seized the web with power comparable to that of a missile.

And though the blade managed to tear through the web, it took less than a thousandth of a second for it to regenerate, as if nothing had happened.

Undeterred, Renard pulled back his axe for another attempt.

However, before he could strike again, he felt a murderous intent coming from behind him.

Without turning around, he simply swung his axe backward, sending Helion crashing to the ground once more.

---

Helion found himself on the ground for the second time in a single minute.

Four of his limbs had been severed this time, and the rest were too shattered for him to rise.

But despite his damaged body, it was his mind that suffered the most.

Born a prince, son of the King, no one had ever dared treat him this way.

Even Dukes and Duchesses showed him a minimum of respect.

All nobles beneath him begged for his favor and never failed to shower him with praise.

Who could have imagined that a mere human would reduce him to such a state, with such ease, as if he were nothing more than a wretched insect?

Wretched insect.

The thought crossed his mind, and an unimaginable fury surged within him.

" An insect, me? Never! I am Helion Anthropoda, prince of the great kingdom of pest !

Who dares compare me to a miserable insect? "

His cry unleashed violent winds that hurled back the knights approaching him.

It was as though the surrounding ether itself were reacting to his emotions.

" You pitiful humans, for making me endure this disgrace, I swear I will exterminate you down to the very last one! "

As his actions followed his words, his body began to transform.

<< Authority: True Form >>