Chapter 239

“Until when do we have to keep up with this shit?”

“Until that bastard dies, what else?”

Kane, a guard at the mansion, muttered as he laughed with his companion and brought a cigarette to his lips.

Around them there was nothing but mountains and monsters. Nothing to enjoy.

They had been living like this for three years.

When Kane managed to get in with the second prince, he thought he’d hit the jackpot. But after three years in that post, he was starting to think that “golden thread” was just a rotten rope.

‘Damn first prince—can’t we just kill him already?’

At first, he was shocked to hear the prince’s condition, but not anymore.

He was just an addict, a burden that kept him from living a normal life.

Killing him would be better for everyone.

‘And still, what a tough bastard—even if he got out, it wouldn’t be a bed of roses waiting for him.’

He clicked his tongue and blew out smoke.

“Huh?”

At that moment, he noticed movement outside the wall. Something was crawling in the darkness.

For a second, he thought it was a monster, but as it got closer, it was clearly a person.

He didn’t ask, “Who’s there?”

If someone showed up in the middle of those deserted mountains, it could only mean one thing.

An enemy.

They had been warned someone might come eventually. He just never thought it would be now, so many years after the prison site was built.

Fweeeet—!

Kane blew his whistle.

“Stop right there!”

His partner drew his sword and shouted.

“Whoa, sorry. I’m a slash-and-burn farmer, got lost in the hills—never imagined there was a mansion here. If it’s not too much trouble, could I spend the night?”

He looked miserable—worn-out clothes, tired expression, submissive voice. He genuinely looked the part.

But a farmer wouldn’t be wandering alone, especially not in a monster-infested place like this.

“Who sent you?”

“Sent me? No, I was monsters attacked us, I got separated from my group and fled here. Please, help me reunite with them.”

The man was even crying, pleading with such a convincing story that for a moment, it almost seemed real.

Meanwhile, he kept inching closer without Kane or his partner noticing.

And when almost all the knights and soldiers of the mansion gathered at the entrance—

“Forty-two… yeah, I think that’s almost all of them.”

The man’s expression changed.

Flash!

A flash of light pierced them. Kane barely had time to react.

Clang!

A black dagger shot out, but was deflected at the last moment. Still, a deep scar was left in the ground where the man had been.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

A giant over two meters tall appeared, growling.

“You’re still listening to that crap? Chop off his head already!”

“Yes, sir!”

Knights and soldiers surrounded the intruder.

The man barely dodged and locked eyes with the giant.

That aura, sharp as blades, vicious and repulsive.

“This wasn’t part of the plan…”

The Black Turtle was sweating cold.

Could he kill him? Didn’t seem possible without a high cost.

“There’s no choice.”

He could only buy time until Aint arrived.

“Kill everyone—except him!”

Immediately, the Black Turtle agents sprang from their hiding spots, attacking from all sides.

***

Mage Jordi was dazed.

What the hell? What’s happening to me? Why am I on the floor? Why is my arm twisted?

“W-Wait! Don’t kill me! I don’t know anything! I was just following orders!”

“Orders for what?”

The masked man murmured in a chilling voice.

“T-That is…”

Suddenly, Jordi clutched the syringe he had.

“You think I’ll talk, trash?!”

He lunged forward, trying to use his momentum.

Crack!

“Aghhh!”

His jaw shattered. The syringe clattered to the floor, broken.

“If you really were just a pawn, I’d let you live.”

The intruder’s voice sounded gentle, which only made it more terrifying. He grabbed Jordi’s head tightly.

“But you have corrupt magic inside you…”

You’re a corrupt.

So you must die.

Crunch!

That was the last sound Jordi heard.

“…He’s dead.”

The first prince’s eyes widened at the corpse.

“That easily…”

The torment that had haunted him for years had ended in an instant. A feeling of release washed over him.

“Aint Armian… I’ve never heard your first name, but I know your surname.”

Armian. The bloodline of the hero who defeated Colomo and the demons, founding the Empire.

“So you’re his descendant.”

“I am.”

“I’ll be blunt. I’m ready for anything now.”

The deaths, the confinement, the madness—it had all broken him. Antenor Linelt wanted nothing more than to escape that hell.

“I can believe anything.”

That he was innocent.

That the corrupt had used him.

And that Aint Armian was there to save him.

He needed to believe it. Even if it wasn’t true, he wanted it to be.

“I’ll ask you again. Who are you?”

“I’m Aint Armian.”

“And why did you come here?”

“To save you, Your Highness.”

“Even though they say I’m a mad murderer who killed the kingdom’s nobles?”

“That was a deception by the corrupt, who brought you to ruin.”

“……”

Like a ray of light, like a lifeline, those words soothed the prince’s battered heart.

A tear rolled down his cheek.

“…I’ll believe it. Even if it’s not true, it’ll be my truth now!”

“Thank you.”

“What should I do?”

“We’re getting you out of here. There’ll be some noise…”

Clang!

“Aghhh!”

“Kill them!”

The screams and clash of weapons already echoed outside.

“Don’t be afraid. We’ll get you out.”

Aint lifted Antenor onto his shoulders and jumped out the window. He landed softly like a feather and ran toward the Black Turtle.

But then—

Boom!

A massive sword came crashing down vertically.

The impact shook the earth, sending debris flying everywhere.

— Corrupt magic! Thick, disgusting!

Blocking with one hand, Aint looked up at the giant who towered over him.

The aura of corruption he gave off left no doubt—he wasn’t even trying to hide that he was corrupt.

“Who are you?”

“That filthy power… I know who you are. Since when did the Armian family—the imperial family—become thieving rats?”

The giant growled.

— A dangerous opponent. Where the hell did this monster come from?

Gardner gave a warning. Even without it, Aint already felt it.

The corrupt magic pouring from the giant was denser than that of any corrupt he had ever faced, except the demons themselves. A monster. And not just any monster—possibly even more terrifying than Rahnas, the rank 1 beast.

Aint tensed, and at the same time, his heart pounded fiercely.

Fighting someone strong was always a risk, but also the best kind of experience.

It had been that way when he fought Andromalius, when he battled the chimera left by the First Emperor, when he killed Rahnas, and when he faced Andrealphus.

He had never had easy enemies. But thanks to that, he had continued to grow.

“Hand over the prince now. That way I’ll cut your neck quickly and painlessly.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Aint slowly raised his sword but didn’t charge immediately. If he did, the First Prince could be caught in the crossfire.

After so many years of being drugged, he was weak; even a small shock could be dangerous.

At that moment—

“Aint-nim.”

From the shadows emerged a masked figure. It was the Black Turtle.

“Leave the First Prince to me, and in return, avenge my men.”

“Vengeance?”

“Yes. To avoid that monster, I had to slaughter the rest, and we took losses too.”

What he said was true.

Of the nearly fifty knights and soldiers, not a single one remained alive—they all lay like corpses.

“When…?”

The giant’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Capturing him alone would be impossible without losses. That’s why I ask this of you.”

Speaking as if his mission was already complete, the Black Turtle didn’t wait for a reply. He took the First Prince and retreated.

“Damn worms you dare mock me…!”

Boom! The giant stomped the ground. A wave of corrupt magic shook the earth.

“No one’s leaving here alive.”

A flash. From his feet, a magic circle spread, enveloping the mansion.

It wasn’t ordinary magic.

— A demon’s circle…

Gardner muttered with a shiver.

In an instant, the formation covered the entire building. The bodies of what once were knights and soldiers turned to ashes, absorbed by the spell.

In the end, a complete barrier was formed.

“Could it be…?”

“Yes. Exactly what you’re thinking.”

The giant growled and threw his massive sword to the ground.

“From the start, I was the only real guard here—because I alone am enough!”

His body began to swell, growing even more. His skin turned black. His armor twisted and shattered to pieces.

— The seal!

A strange mark glowed on his wrist—the seal of a contract.

— It can’t be…!

— Careful! The contractors of the Colomo bloodline aren’t ordinary opponents!

They were beings above the normal level. Some rivaled Royal Knights or Archmages; and those closest to the Great King Colomo even challenged demons themselves.

It was history from a thousand years ago, but even now, they remained formidable.

And that overwhelming pride he displayed—even in front of the natural enemy of the corrupt, the Armian heir—was not unfounded.

Three meters. Four. Five. The giant grew like a titan, and the corruption grew thicker.

“Die.”

He threw a punch. It was so simple and light it seemed like nothing.

But the impact was anything but light.

Boom!

The ground cracked open into a massive crater. The mansion shook with the shockwave.

The Black Turtles screamed as they were flung through the air.

And yet—

Aint still stood.

With both hands, he held his sword against the giant fist, unmoved even a centimeter.

White aura burst from his blade, opposing the black tide.

The colossus stepped back.

“Seems like in your calculation of ‘I alone am enough,’ you didn’t count on me.”

Aint’s tone had changed. His arms were shaking.

With just one clash, he understood how hard this would be.

But he couldn’t lose. Not to a corrupt. Not to the bloodline of the Great King Colomo.

If he wanted to restore the name of Armian, fear was not an option.

“You said that if I surrendered and handed over the prince, you’d tell me who you are.”

Let me make you another offer.

“If you kneel and tell me everything, I promise you a quick and painless death.”

“You damn insect, how dare you…!”

“Tell me. What are you to the Great King Colomo?”

“How dare you soil his name with that filthy mouth?!”

The giant launched another punch.

The battle had begun.