Reborn As Noble-Chapter 624: The Last Card ( )

Gurdan eyed Kirim suspiciously.

"Make sure..." he growled, voice low and firm,

"...they can defeat the one Garius sent."

Kirim’s smile didn’t fade.

He bowed slightly, hands still behind his back.

"Oh~ don’t worry, my liege..."

His voice was confident and smooth.

"They are far stronger than the ex-human hero—

Kenjirou."

Gurdan blinked.

Then he laughed.

"OH?"

He leaned forward, intrigued for the first time in hours.

"Good!"

His clenched fists loosened.

"Very good...!"

Kenjirou, the summoned hero who once dominated entire nations.

The blade that shook whole battlefields.

Even now, his name echoed in military tales as the pinnacle of human fighters.

If Kirim’s creation could surpass that...

Then maybe—just maybe—I still had a card to play.

"Begin the final phase."

Gurdan grinned, sharp and toothy.

"Let’s see if Garius can still smile when his monsters meet mine."

Kirim chuckled softly, barely a whisper of amusement.

"Don’t worry, my liege..."

He raised one finger, calm and confident.

"If it’s just Alf... or Hesbeirn... even if Alf comes with his wife—Erinnette, the so-called battle maid queen—"

He waved dismissively.

"They won’t even be able to scratch one of them."

Gurdan narrowed his eyes.

"How can you be so sure?"

Kirim stepped forward, slow and steady.

"My liege... You’ve already fought Kenjirou, haven’t you?"

Gurdan’s brows furrowed.

"Yeah. So?"

"And you devoured his Celestial, didn’t you?"

Gurdan exhaled roughly.

"Yeah. But the only damn problem was..."

He clenched his jaw.

"...I couldn’t devour him."

"Exactly," Kirim said, eyes gleaming.

"Because he was protected by divine power."

He raised a hand and curled his fingers inward.

"You couldn’t devour his body—because of that divine weapon sealed onto him."

"Now..." Kirim lowered his hand.

"Enough of that, my liege."

He leaned in close, almost whispering into Gurdan’s ear.

"Imagine this."

"Imagine if the ones we prepared..."

His lips curled into a cruel smile.

"Have power twice that of Kenjirou."

Silence fell.

Even the Celestial inside Gurdan stirred—interested.

Gurdan’s heart pounded once, heavy in his chest.

His lips curved into a slow, savage grin.

"...Twice, huh?"

Gurdan smirked.

Sly. Dark. Almost unhinged.

"Good..."

He leaned back into his throne, fingers tapping the armrest slowly.

"If these things can truly defeat Alf... Erinnette... and even Hesbeirn..."

His voice turned into a low growl—

"...then they can stall Garius. Keep him busy. Distract him."

His eyes narrowed.

A cruel grin spread across his face.

"While I take the final step..."

"I’ll be the one to strike him down—"

His voice rose with anticipation, eyes wide with madness.

"—and devour him for his power!"

The Celestial inside him stirred again, purring in approval.

"Yes... Yes... I want to taste it... the power of the man who once sealed me."

Gurdan laughed softly, a quiet laugh that sent chills down even his own men’s spines.

"Soon, Garius..."

"Soon, your genius... your empire... your legacy..."

"—will all belong to me."

Meanwhile, in the Human Kingdom—

Inside the grand palace, beneath shimmering chandeliers and velvet drapes,

King Edmund was enjoying his feast—

Roasted meat, exotic wine, and light music playing in the background.

Until the heavy doors swung open abruptly.

A breathless elite knight burst in, kneeling instantly.

"Your Majesty!"

Edmund didn’t look up immediately. He slowly chewed, swallowed, then raised his hand.

"Hmm... rise, my knight."

His tone was casual, but his eyes sharpened.

"What do you have?"

The knight stood.

"Our wyvern unit encountered heavy resistance... at the Dwarven stronghold—"

But before he could finish—

Edmund raised his palm, a silent gesture.

The knight promptly shut his mouth.

"This means..."

Edmund leaned back in his seat,

"...Garius’s youngest son is now deploying his personal magic-tech arsenal."

His lips curled into a slight smile.

"So he’s trying to surpass our air dominance..."

"Hmm."

He turned slightly.

"Arnold."

A tall man stepped forward from the shadows—confident, smirking.

"Yes, my liege?"

Edmund’s gaze sharpened.

"Status on our preparations to counter this boy?"

Arnold smirked wider.

"They’re ready, my liege. All of them. It’s only a matter of when you want to deploy."

"No... not yet."

Edmund waved a lazy finger.

Then his eyes went back to the elite knight.

"Status on our special disguise unit embedded in the Dwarven capital?"

The knight lowered his head.

"The survivors have returned, sire. But..."

He hesitated.

"...over twenty were killed by Armand’s youngest son."

A flicker of irritation flashed across Edmund’s face.

"Hmmm... figures."

He tapped a gold ring on his finger, eyes narrowing like a hawk.

"That boy..."

"He’s just like Garius."

"That boy..."

Edmund chuckled quietly, amused.

"He’s dangerous—just like Garius."

He twirled the wine in his goblet.

"Both of them... have a special talent that none of our mages, knights, or so-called prodigies can match."

His grin darkened.

"The kind of talent you’re born with, not trained."

He leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on the grand armrest.

"And Garius is bold, isn’t he?"

A pause. A smirk.

"Sending his youngest son into enemy territory... without backup."

He scoffed.

"But knowing him... I’m sure Gumarak’s Celestial is already sealed by that boy."

Edmund tapped the armrest with his finger.

"Which means... Gumarak is no longer useful to me."

He waved one hand lazily, looking to his left.

"Gilmon."

"Yes, sire?"

"Status on our special disguise unit inside the Halfling Kingdom?"

Gilmon bowed slightly.

"They’ve blended in, Your Majesty. All units are awaiting your next order."

Edmund smiled thinly.

"Good. Then... let’s begin preparations, Gilmon."

He turned to the other side.

"Arnold."

"Yes~?"

Arnold responded with his usual amused tone.

Edmund’s gaze sharpened, voice heavy with purpose.

"Prepare the Seventh."

The whole room fell into a brief silence.

Arnold’s grin grew slow and deliberate.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Edmund stood from his throne, and the room grew quiet with his movement.

He stepped forward, his voice cold and steady.

"We’ll test the Seventh in this mission."

His fingers clasped behind his back.

"Let’s see if they can stop—or at least distract—Gurdan and the Celestial inside him."

He turned toward the flickering war map on the wall, its enchanted projections showing the Dwarven capital and the Halfling Kingdom’s territory.

"If the Seventh can stall him... without taking damage... even while he’s using his full Celestial power..."

A slow, crooked smirk tugged at his lips.

"...then they’ve proven their worth."

He faced Arnold, eyes locking onto him.

"I will take Gurdan myself."

His voice darkened further.

"Devour him... and his Celestial."

He walked back to his throne, taking a sip from his goblet of blood-red wine.

"If I can’t reach Stage Six because Gumarak’s Celestial is sealed..."

He lightly swirled the drink.

"...then five Celestials will still be enough."

He raised his goblet slightly, as if to toast the future.

"Enough to crush Garius when the time comes."

Arnold bowed slightly, eager and amused.

"As expected of Your Majesty... always thinking ten steps ahead."

( End Of Chapter )

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