"That sword... is mine."

The owner of Blood Raven answered the Sword Saint.

The ancient figure's closed eyes parted partially taking in the image of Rune with quiet assessment. His hand continued stroking his long white beard in a meditative rhythm.

'Okay... so what the fuck is the Sword King doing here?'

[No idea. Guess they hired him.]

'Haha, funny. In case you didn't register it, I might end up dead.'

[My deepest condolences. It's been nice knowing you.]

'Fuck you! I still have the AP card.'

[You'll die later if you use it here. There's a time limit of one hour for the card's functioning.]

'Why the fuck are you telling me this NOW?!'

"Hmm... it's surprising you have your aura totally concealed within just five circuits..."

The wise figure's observation pulled Rune back from emoting to the air.

"Well... uh..." Rune stuttered.

A clumsily made-up lie wouldn't work on the current strongest being in Ravencourt.

"You might as well possess as much aura control as I do," the Sword King analyzed calmly.

'Look at this guy... saying his Sovereign(II) is the same tier as Emperor. Egotistical bastard.'

But Rune couldn't say that aloud. Obviously.

"If not higher."

The wise one added.

'Oh. I take that back.'

"So... um... we came here to retrieve our weapons. Can we... go back?" Rune asked, despite knowing the answer.

Ilya and Lydia, the ones closest to the ancient figure, started backing away slowly. As if distance would change anything.

Merin began getting up slowly, her breaths still ragged and uneven.

Sera, standing behind Rune, watched the ancient form in quiet awe. She could sense similar frost mana radiating from the Sword King. It was like a cub watching a lion for the first time.

"I don't think I can allow that..."

The Sword King's tone sounded genuinely disappointed as if he regretted not being able to fulfill the young man's request.

"You see... I am ordered to eliminate any and all intruders."

That simple, casual sentence from the ancient figure made Ilya and Lydia coil defensively.

Merin's final hope of escaping alive vanished. It was evident in her dead, hollow eyes.

'Yeah. Figures.'

"Rune..." Ilya whispered beside him, her voice trembling with fragile hope. "Cass should be on her way here with the Obsidian... she'll arrive at dawn."

Rune couldn't bring himself to tell her that Cass arriving would simply add another number to the body count of the ancient demon before them.

'I see... so Selka's transfer point is set at the castle.'

Indeed. That was why Selka could immediately teleport to the castle just like she'd done when retrieving his ingot.

But that only worked one way, with a twenty-four-hour cooldown.

'But still... if Cass gets here and holds this monster off long enough for the demons and Dominion to arrive... I can use the AP card and finish them all within that one-hour time limit.'

His logic was solid. It might even be the only way to escape this predicament alive.

But he'd forgotten to consider one simple, critical thing.

Who would hold the Sword King off until the Sovereign(IV) wielder arrived?

"You young prodigies have so much life ahead of you... it pains my old heart to have to kill you."

The Sword King's earnest words sounded genuinely sad.

'Wait... did I just see a tear fall from his face? Is he really crying?'

[Very good, Rune. That's exactly what you should be pondering about right now.]

Nexar's jab made him realize he didn't have many seconds left to live if he didn't do something... anything.

Among the five humans facing the Sword King, only Rune could muster any mental strength to articulate words.

The Sword King's mere presence had already pressed down on their mental states reducing them to nothing but raw panic.

"Wait, wait... since we're already dead anyway..." Rune either decided to quench his curiosity before dying, or wanted to go out with a philosophical bang. "Can you tell us what the most loyal hound of the throne is doing running chores for the Saytans?"

Either way, the Sword King decided to grant his wish even if words like "hound" and "chores" were arguably disrespectful to someone of his stature.

"That's interesting... I don't remember telling you children that I work for the throne."

The Sword King said it like he found the conversation genuinely intriguing.

'He'd probably call me "child" even if he knew my true age.'

Rune was right. The ancient figure before him was around three hundred years old... approximately three times Rune's actual age.

"Am I wrong?" Rune asked, forcing a hesitant smile and hoping the Sword King would choose to play along.

"Hmm... you're not wrong." The wise one stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose I can tell a thing or two to dead men walking."

The Sword King decided to indulge him.

"You see... I'm under a kind of obligation to serve the Saytans."

'What?'

Rune was genuinely surprised by the Sword King's revelation.

'There's no way he serves someone who's not on the throne!'

[Wait a second and let him finish,] Nexar reminded him not to rush to conclusions.

Rune dug deeper into the Sword King's phrasing.

'He said "kind of"...'

"What kind of obligation?" Rune inquired carefully.

The Sword King pondered for a moment before concluding it was safe to tell things to someone whose heart would be pierced in mere minutes anyway.

"I am under orders from Emperor Izar Vrenholt... to protect this estate and look after the late Emperor's body."

Rune's mind strained at the name of the Emperor's right hand.

Ilya froze completely.

"Isn't Izar the Emperor's right hand...?" she asked, her mind drawing multiple conclusions searching desperately for some solid argument against what her gut had already decided was the truth.

Rune and Merin had reached the same horrifying conclusion.

"His Majesty Izar Vrenholt... if my memory serves correctly, used to work for the late Emperor. That is correct."

The Sword King's words made all other possibilities lose their meaning.

'What is happening?!'

Rune looked toward the horizon. The night was reaching the end of its reign... just as the late Emperor had.

Soon it would be dawn. Cass would arrive any minute.

'Yes... if I could just...'

Shick.

"RUUUNEEE!!!"

Sera's scream tore through the night's silence like a blade through silk.

'Huh...?'

Rune's mind froze.

He looked down.

Blood Raven, his own sword, was now buried deep inside him.

He lifted his head slowly. Blood oozed from his mouth, warm and metallic.

He found the Sword King looking at him with genuine pity in his ancient eyes.

The Sword King's form blurred in Rune's failing vision.

He fell to his knees... strength abandoning him like water through cupped hands.

With no energy left to keep looking up at the pity-filled eyes above, Rune's vision dropped to the ground.

The last thing he saw before darkness claimed him was a slender arm catching his falling body.

Blood Raven... the sword that had faithfully served him across lifetimes had pierced the heart of its owner.

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