Chapter 208 𝗯𝗲𝗱𝗻𝐨𝐯𝗲𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The Mercenary King couldn’t believe his eyes. A knight had to be A-Class before he could form an Aura Blade. However, those who could wield it like an extension of their own body were few and far between. The Nine Stars and Twelve Superhumans were prime examples of those talented few.

“You— How…? How did you learn that?” The Mercenary King muttered in disbelief, but he quickly recovered his wits upon realizing something as he said, “No, no… Now that I think about it, it’s only natural…”

The Mercenary King recalled the face of a certain someone who looked extremely similar to the young man in front of him. Ah, yes. Aden von Agnus. He was Joshua Sanders’ father, so it made a lot of sense.

The Mercenary King quickly found an explanation for his conundrum, but another burning question popped up as he muttered, “But how did you do it? How did you manage to maintain Aura Overlay on a weapon you have already thrown?”

The characteristics of an Aura Blade would differ based on its wielder’s mana and talent. However, Aura strengthens power, scope, and defense—it didn’t allow someone to use a knight’s mana hall and a mage’s mana circle at the same time.

Aura wasn’t like mana, where it could linger on where it was applied.

“Hmph!” someone snorted.

The Mercenary King turned to look at the one who snorted.

“A Superhuman? Hmph, what a joke. Master isn’t even a Superhuman just yet, but he’s already stronger than you.”

“What?”

“You laughed at us, claiming we wouldn’t understand, but now, you’re just as dumbfounded as we are.”

“...!” The Mercenary King’s eyes widened as if he had come to a realization. At that, he stood up and said, “You’re employing some kind of trickery on me. Yes, because an Aura Overlay would always disperse once the weapon left the wielder’s hands.”

The Mercenary King hefted his axe once more. He was dumbfounded earlier, seemingly stuck in a conundrum. But now, he was smiling. He seemed confident that he had seen through Joshua’s tricks.

All of a sudden, Cain and Leo de Grans’ eyes widened.

“His Aura is burning…?”

“What is this feeling?”

The Mercenary King’s mana was a distinct red color. Years of specialized training could change the color of one’s mana. The Mercenary King’s weapon looked like it was covered in flames, and even the surface of the axe’s blade changed.

It seemed as if the weapon itself went through a qualitative change.

“This is the final form of Aura Overlay, where it all comes together. Come on, I’ll show you how it’s really done!” The Mercenary King shot a glance behind him, where Marquis Crombell and his knights were watching. “Withdraw the knights.”

“You mean…”

“This is a fight between the predator and the prey.”

“...!” Marquis Crombell shivered.

“Once I’m done cutting off the heads of their… totems, Peril Castle will surrender of its own will.” The Mercenary King turned to look at Joshua and asked, “I’m sure you want this as well, right?”

“You’re as confident as the rumors say.” Joshua smiled slightly before looking at the Wilhelm Knights. “Did you hear that?”

“I wish I hadn’t, but now, it’s too late. I will be forever haunted by it,” said a middle-aged man as he pushed his way out of the knights with a sigh. His leonine mane of hair immediately gave his identity away.

“Lion King?” said the Mercenary King with a frown.

“Long time no see,” replied the Lion King. Of course, he paid respects by bowing slightly.

The Mercenary King’s expression turned cold. “I was wondering why the Wilhelm Knights showed up. I had no idea that you were the one standing behind the Pontier Family. Should I take it that this is the collective will of the free knights?”

“Don’t get me wrong.” The Lion King shook his head and said, “I’m not involved in the fight, and I don’t plan to be involved. I’m here because a Battle of Superhumans requires a public notary.”

The Mercenary King went silent at the Lion King’s words. Eventually, he said doubtfully, “You traveled all the way here—you traveled a thousand miles just to be a public notary? Do you really think that I will believe that?”

“I mean, you’ve seen it as well, right?” asked the Lion King. “You already saw what he can do, so I’m sure you’ll believe me if I say that I’m here because I’m interested in Joshua Sanders. That much is plausible, right?”

“...” The Mercenary King didn’t say anything.

The Lion King shrugged and added, “I don’t care if you believe it or not. But it is the will of the Wilhelm Knights, and unfortunately, I can’t force them to change their will because I am no longer their monarch.”

“...” The Mercenary King remained silent. He had always been a man of reason, so he had always believed that no one in this world would do something without a sufficiently good reason.

This was the Mercenary King’s belief. After all, he valued logic more than anything else. In that case, why? What would the Lion King obtain after all this?

The Mercenary King combined all his wisdom and knowledge to find the answer to that burning question, but he could only shake his head in the end. After much deliberation, there was only one reliable answer.

‘It doesn’t matter…’

The potential gains were small, and the losses were huge. The Mercenary King was also sure that Avalon’s madman of an emperor wouldn’t just let the Lion King do whatever the latter wanted to do. That madman would soon deal with the Lion King.

With all that said, the Mercenary King knew that there was no way he could take victory home if the Lion King jumped into the fray in a two-versus-one scenario.

“Marquis Crombell,” said the Mercenary King.

“T-tell me what you need…!” replied Marquis Crombell.

“I’m afraid that we will have to postpone the decisive battle.”

“W-what are you…”

“It will happen, but for now, we have to spread the news. Tell everyone that the Battle of Superhumans is happening here, with the Lion King as the public notary. Divide the army into three and send them home using different routes.”

“...!” Cain’s ears pricked up. His eyes widened at the realization that this was what Icarus and his master were talking about the other day. It seemed that they truly had the whole thing figured out already.

“Cain…”

“Yes?” Startled, Cain turned to the familiar voice.

“Have you noticed anything?”

“W-what is it…?” Cain stuttered. He could still remember how Joshua said that he had to look closely at the latter. Eventually, Cain managed to compose himself and spoke,?“I saw Master using Aura to enhance your physical abilities. I also saw Master using Aura to create a morale-boosting sound…”

”It was my first time seeing the way Master used Aura, so I’m not sure if I saw it right…”

“I still have more up my sleeves,” said Joshua. Afterward, he turned to look at the Mercenary King.

The morale-boosting sound wasn’t that amazing. In addition, it wasn’t the only thing sound could do to influence the battlefield. What Joshua had displayed earlier was basically a type of ‘soundwave attack.’

The most powerful soundwave attack could reach even the distant eastern continent.

Of course, the strongest wielder of soundwave attacks were the dragons. They had the ability to transform their wills into words, and their words would become weapons that would instantly kill those unfortunate enough to hear them.

‘I’m going to show you another way of using it…’

“How about this?” said Joshua while staring at the Mercenary King. “The victors of this territorial war shall be decided by our duel.”

“What? What?!” Marquis Crombell kicked up a fuss from behind his protective cordon of knights and shouted, “What kind of nonsense are you—”

“All right,” said the Mercenary King.

“...!” Marquis Crombell stared wide-eyed at the Mercenary King.

“Didn’t you decide to let me handle this war?”

“That’s…” Marquis Crombell bit his lips.

“Trust me,” said the Mercenary King. With that, he turned to look at Joshua without even waiting for Marquis Crombell’s reply.

“Are you even allowed to end this war with just a duel?”

In response, Joshua revealed something in his hands.

One day, many years ago, it was given to him in front of Duke Agnus—a pendant of solid gold about the size of his palm. In the middle of it was a beautiful and immaculate depiction of a golden owl, the emblem of the Pontier family.

“Like you, I also have the right to decide on something major,” said Joshua.

“Great!” The Mercenary King revealed a sly smile. He amplified his voice with magic and shouted, “Back off, mercenaries!”

“H-hey…!” The mercenaries responded by retreating like a tide. Marquis Crombell was stupefied at the sight, and he couldn’t help but call the Mercenary King out.

However, the Mercenary King ignored Marquis Crombell’s calls and shouted once more, “Marquis Crombell’s Knights, stand aside!”

“We shall stand aside,” said the knight next to Marquis Crombell.

Joshua pointed his spear at the Mercenary King and asked, “Do you want me to say something?”

Cain, Leo de Grans, the Wilhelm Knights, and the Lion King retreated upon hearing Joshua.

“Of course not…” said the Mercenary King as his best friend, Axe Taorin, was once again engulfed in the raging flames made from his aura.

Seemingly in response, a thin cloud of white smoke enveloped Joshua.

“Aura Force? You can still use it?”

It was about time. All that was left to do for this war to end was to cut off Joshua’s head.

The Mercenary King pushed his thoughts aside and stomped. Even from far away, the audience could feel the tremors running through the ground, and it made them feel as if the Mercenary King were standing right next to them.

In the blink of an eye, the Mercenary King’s axe was already coming for Joshua.

Joshua naturally defended himself as a burst of lightning and flames inundated the plains. When the audience could finally see what was going on, they saw a cloud of white smoke in front of Joshua’s mouth.

Joshua opened his mouth and whistled.

“...!” The Mercenary King’s seemingly-unquenchable Aura flickered. His eyesight blurred, and the world around him started spinning out of control.

Joshua’s soundwave attack went beyond what an ordinary noise could do. A mere whistle from him actually interfered with the Mercenary King’s senses. The Mercenary King felt like he was in an inverted world with the plains on the ceiling and the skies on the ground.

The Mercenary King felt like he suddenly arrived in a different dimension.

At last, Joshua’s attack could finally be heard in the form of a loud explosion that collided with the Mercenary King, sending the latter flying away and rolling pathetically on the ground.

“...”

A deafening silence blanketed the plains afterward.