Chapter 120
As the Special Task Force Commander abruptly rose from his seat, the atmosphere in the assembly chilled rapidly. His panicked demeanor left no doubt that he had committed the ‘grave sin’ as Yan had claimed.
But the Commander had no leisure to care for the scrutinizing eyes of the nobility upon him.
‘When on earth…?’
He had received no report of the Crown Prince leaving the palace. Yet, how could the Prince appear at the hearing with a test subject in tow?
A thought flashed through the Commander’s mind—a figure who had returned from the training grounds, one who could roam anywhere without suspicion.
And he ground his teeth in anger.
“…Kyle, that madman.”
It was his order to the Royal Knights to immobilize Yan and the Chief Instructor that had led to this debacle.
The Commander bit his lower lip as he saw a middle-aged man following the Crown Prince and the test subject into the room. Known to be a palace-affiliated mage skilled in mental magic, his presence meant only one thing.
‘They must be here to read the test subject’s memories and uncover the human experimentation conducted by the Special Task Force.’
He was cornered.
As the thought of everything being washed over him, cold sweat began to trickle down his body.
The Crown Prince, having reached the podium, seated Lia and began to announce loudly to all present.
“Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests and officials attending this hearing. I shall now reveal the horrific atrocities that have transpired in the shadows of our Empire!”
All eyes in the hearing were drawn to the Crown Prince’s declaration.
Though he wielded no sword, the heir to the throne, who would succeed the Emperor, was about to cut down the Emperor’s right hand—the Commander.
Following the Prince’s speech, it wasn’t just the Commander; many nobles and bureaucrats could be severed in succession.
The Crown Prince began to unravel the evidence he had gathered—from the locations where human experiments were conducted to the participants, all under the orders of the Special Task Force Commander.
“Madness!”
“How dare someone who feeds on the Empire’s coffers commit such a forbidden act?!”
“Expel him at once! Drive him out immediately!”
The nobles were aghast, glaring and denouncing the Commander fiercely.
The Commander clenched his fists and surveyed his surroundings.
Duke Beowulf seemed indifferent, as if it mattered not what became of him.
Lord Wigor glared solemnly.
And Count Zion, who had thoroughly betrayed him, met his gaze with a sly smile.
Then…
The Commander’s eyes stealthily glanced at the Emperor seated at the highest position.
The Emperor looked at him but soon averted his gaze indifferently.
It was a cold abandonment.
The Commander bit his lip hard.
He harbored no resentment towards the Emperor who had treated him like a dog all these years.
Instead…
‘I must not trouble His Majesty until the end!’
If the test subject’s memories were read, it could lead to a situation that would embarrass the Emperor.
To prevent that, the best course was to destroy the evidence and perish from this place.
The Commander’s gaze fell upon Lia, who was flustered and fumbling on the podium.
The Crown Prince was commanding the mental mage to peer into Lia’s memories.
Lia met the Commander’s gaze and shivered.
“Ah, aah…”
Her face paled as if she had committed a grave error, shrinking under the intense murderous intent in the Commander’s eyes.
The Commander subtly bent down, reaching for the dagger hidden in his thigh.
Crack.
‘No matter what, I will kill that test subject!’
If her memories were read, the situation would spiral out of control, potentially tarnishing the great Emperor.
With that final thought, the Commander’s eyes flashed dangerously.
Bang!
His foot slammed down hard on the floor, shattering the tiles.
Crash!
The shards flew, cutting the skin of the nearby nobles.
“What is the Commander doing in front of His Majesty the Emperor!”
Not content with just breaking the tiles, the Commander drew his dagger.
The watching nobles widened their eyes in shock.
“What in the world…!”
“Run… Run away!”
The sudden action sent the surrounding nobles into a panic, scrambling to escape.
Even those far away sensed the ominous atmosphere and quickly rose from their seats.
“Can’t you stop this at once!”
“Guards! Royal Knights! Is there no one else?”
“It’s a riot! The Commander has incited a riot!”
Among those people was Count Zion.
‘That madman!’
Though he had betrayed him, Zion had not anticipated such a disgraceful outburst from the Commander.
Having never shied away from the dirty work for the Empire, he had expected the Commander to be subdued without resistance.
‘If he goes berserk, I too could be in danger.’
Count Zion, particularly guilty of wronging the Commander, quickly joined the ranks of other nobles without protest and fled the hearing.
The Emperor watched silently as the hearing turned into chaos.
Then, the Captain of the Royal Knights, who had been standing still as a statue behind him, bent forward and said,
“Your Majesty, shall I take care of this?”
The Captain, a formidable force comparable to a Marquis, could easily quell the commotion caused by the Commander.
The Emperor raised his arm to stop the Captain from stepping forward and shook his head.
“No. Let the Commander vent his anger a bit.”
“…Your Majesty?”
“After all, he has served under me for decades. It wouldn’t be right to send him off without letting him release his frustration.”
With an indifferent face, the Emperor rose from his seat and exited the hearing through a door only he could access.
The Captain of the Royal Knights tilted his head in confusion at the Emperor’s words, not quite understanding.
But soon, he bowed his head and followed the Emperor out.
As the nobles, bureaucrats, and even the Emperor swiftly left the hearing, Yan, the Chief Instructor, and the Crown Prince remained.
The Commander glared at them, grinding his teeth.
“You lot… have truly made a mess of things.”
“Should we have been executed here instead?”
The Chief Instructor chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.
Leon looked at the Commander with a heavy gaze.
“Commander, it feels like just yesterday when you gave a long speech about the sacrifices of the Special Task Force members. To resort to such actions… Aren’t you ashamed as their superior?”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, you should be the one ashamed.”
Leon’s face contorted.
“What?”
“To not even know who the true loyalists are, those who have burned their entire being for the Empire…”
“Enough with the nonsense. Can’t you calm that temper down right now!”
“Ha.”
The Commander let out a scoff and suddenly raised his head.
Then he bellowed loudly.
“Everyone, come in! We shall now suppress the vermin that gnaw at the Empire with force!”
As soon as he finished speaking…
Crash! Bang!
Men in black uniforms broke through the glass windows of the hearing and stormed in.
The Chief Instructor and Yan grimaced upon seeing the uniforms.
“…Special Task Force members.”
“I know.”
The uniformed Task Force members immediately stood straight and placed their fists near their hearts.
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty!”
Dozens of Task Force members shouted the motto in unison, their spirit overwhelming even the most formidable knightly orders.
Leon shouted at them with a loud voice.
“Do the Task Force members not realize what the Commander is doing right now!”
But there was no response from the Task Force members; their gaze was fixed solely on the Commander.
The Commander surveyed his loyal members and then swiftly turned to point at Yan and his group.
“Take down those over there.”
“…What about His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“Subdue him if possible. If not, just stall for time.”
“Loyalty!”
“Thank you, everyone.”
“Loyalty!”
Not just one or two, but every member present shared the resolve to stand united with the Task Force Commander, ready to shatter like jade in this very place.
As the order was given, the Task Force members began to dissolve into the air, their forms blending seamlessly with the void.
Yan, witnessing this, heightened his senses, tension gripping him. Only those who had mastered the secret art of stealth, the Dark Heaven Technique, could achieve such a feat of concealment.
This meant one thing.
‘All these dozens of Task Force members… they’re all high-ranking officers…’
In his past life, Yan had only once mobilized officers to such an extent during the suppression operation in Armenia.
Yan’s mind raced.
‘This could actually work in our favor.’
All the officers supporting the Task Force Commander were gathered here.
Meaning, if they survived this encounter, it would be much easier for the Chief Instructor to take control of the Task Force later on.
But that was a concern for another time.
Returning to the present situation.
No matter how strong the Chief Instructor and Leon were.
Currently, both he and the Chief Instructor were bound by mana-restraining handcuffs.
And their opponents were the elite of the elite within the Task Force.
Without breaking the mana restraints, they were at a disadvantage.
That’s when it happened.
The Chief Instructor suddenly burst into maniacal laughter and shouted.
“Ahahahaha! Yes, come out like this! Only then can I tear you apart! How bitter it would have been if you had meekly accepted the handcuffs.”
With a surge of power, he glared at the Task Force Commander with eyes filled with madness.
Crack!
The mana-restraining handcuffs binding his arms crumpled and then shattered helplessly.
The Task Force Commander and Leon let out cries of astonishment.
The Chief Instructor’s known strength was around that of a fourth-grade knight.
Mana-restraining handcuffs were designed to seal even superhuman fourth-grade knights from using mana.
They were also physically indestructible, with robust durability.
Yet, the Chief Instructor had broken them?
“How could someone who’s just reached superhuman strength break mana-restraining handcuffs?!”
“Damian… you!”
The Chief Instructor, with a smirk, looked at the astonished Task Force Commander.
“Do you see how much I’ve honed my blade?”
The Task Force Commander swallowed hard.
Even in their recent clash at the Task Force headquarters, he hadn’t noticed that the Chief Instructor had reached the third-grade realm.
‘Could it be that he was holding back even then…?’
What a venomous man.
“But it doesn’t matter. Even if you’ve been hiding your strength, it will only delay the inevitable.”
The Chief Instructor laughed at the Task Force Commander’s words and then shouted loudly.
“Instructors, all of you, come in!”
At his command.
Boom! Bang!
The doors installed throughout the hearing hall were smashed to pieces, and a group rushed in.
They flew to the Chief Instructor’s side with such speed they appeared as mere black lines.
The Task Force Commander watched them.
At a glance, their numbers were no less than the Task Force officers he had brought.
“So many rebels gathered here.”
The Chief Instructor mocked the Task Force Commander.
“Your leadership was only ever this much.”
“…What did you say?”1
The Task Force Commander’s eyebrows twitched.
The Chief Instructor shouted powerfully.
“Kill them all!”
At his command, the instructors launched themselves with incredible speed.
Their target was the Task Force officers.
Clash! Clash!
In an instant, the instructors, each drawing their weapons, began their assault on the Task Force officers.
The Chief Instructor glanced at Yan.
Swoosh.
A black blade, emerging from the Chief Instructor’s shadow, shattered the handcuffs binding Yan’s wrists.
“You help the instructors take those guys down.”
Yan gave the Chief Instructor a sidelong glance.
It was clear that to gain the upper hand, he should join the Chief Instructor against the Task Force Commander.
‘But judging by his expression, that seems unlikely.’
The Chief Instructor’s face had transformed into something demonic.
Yet, he seemed to revel in the situation.
Yan eventually turned away, raising his mana.
“Don’t die. It would be such a pity to die after coming this far.”
The Chief Instructor smirked.
“Now that I can finally have my revenge, I can’t die.”
Hearing this, Yan immediately pulled Ascalon from his spatial pocket and charged forward.
Thud!
His form dashed into the fray between the instructors and the Task Force members.
The Chief Instructor watched Yan, then turned to look at Leon.
“Your Highness, lend your strength there too.”
“Damian, even as a third-grade, it’s too much for you to face the Task Force Commander alone…”
“Brother.”
Leon’s eyes widened.
The Chief Instructor, who had disappeared, had never called him ‘brother’ when facing him.
But Leon knew well that the Chief Instructor resented him, so he had said nothing.
Yet now, his brother, after decades, was calling him ‘brother’ for the first time.
The Chief Instructor smiled faintly at the stunned Leon.
“Please take care of my disciples and subordinates, brother.”
At those words, Leon nodded heavily.
“Alright, I understand. Don’t die.”
“Yes.”
“I mean it.”
“I got it.”
With a determined face, Leon nodded and then looked towards where Yan had charged.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a golden aura burst from his entire body.
Boom!
His feet shattered the stone floor as he launched himself at incredible speed towards the battlefield.
As Yan and Leon departed, the Task Force Commander spoke.
“You think you can face me alone?”
The Chief Instructor’s lips curled up.
“Of course. The tastiest bite is mine to savor.”
“Hahahaha!”
The Task Force Commander laughed heartily at the Chief Instructor’s words.
Then, regaining his composure, he looked at the Chief Instructor with calm eyes.
“Do you think you can beat me?”
Suddenly, a summoned dark dragon coiled around the Task Force Commander, roaring.
Screeeeech─!
The dragon was so massive that it seemed to fill the empty hearing hall, its eyes as unsettling as a serpent’s.
The Chief Instructor, far from being afraid, chuckled and slightly bent his knees.
He reached into his shadow.
Whoosh!
The shadow grew to fill the hearing hall, then quickly began to retract to its origin.
And then.
Ssssshhhh.
It took the shape of a sword and adhered to the Chief Instructor’s hand.
It was the Black Shadow Sword he had developed independently, in place of the Dark Heaven Technique.
Crack.
The Chief Instructor stood upright, gripping the Black Shadow Sword.
The Task Force Commander frowned.
It was as if the Chief Instructor’s eyes were bleeding red—a trick of the light, or perhaps it was the murderous aura, the momentum, or maybe even tears of blood.
One thing was certain.
He was furious. Violently so.
The Chief Instructor’s grin reached his ears.
“Can I beat you? Of course. I’ve longed for this day more than any other.”
“…This day?”
The Chief Instructor spoke with more joy than ever before.
“Yes, the day I avenge my mother.”
The day that had driven the young Chief Instructor to persevere, to run without giving up.
The distant day he had longed for had finally arrived.
The Chief Instructor’s body flew fiercely towards the Task Force Commander.
“Let’s begin!”