"The audacity!" Lord Henry paused.
He seized my hair and drew my head toward his face.
"Listen closely. In this world, there are only two sides: you are either strong or weak."
Lord Henry directed his sword at Lucy.
"Scums like you who can't even wrestle a disabled deer have no rights. It is your duty as someone weak to be trembled upon by the strong."
The veins on my forehead extended across my face, resembling a violent, thick lightning spark.
I was looking at Lord Henry like I was about to eat him.
"Fuck you and your bullshit. Don't give me all of that crap. I am weak and you are strong, who gets to decide that?"
Lord Henry released his grip on my hair and stepped back. He lifted his boots and brought them down forcefully onto my face.
He leaned in closer, pressing his leg against my face. "Don't forget your pitiful life is in my hands." His sword drew nearer to my forehead, its sharp tip piercing my skin and drawing blood.
"I have an idea," he declared.
"I will give you an option, a path to escape death."
Lord Henry instructed the guards to unfasten the chain that bound my wrist. He then approached and positioned himself to my right.
He seized my right hand and placed his sword on it. "Robert, bring that lady over here."
The knight swiftly pulled Lucy away from the molten gold and brought her to my location.
"Slave." Lord Henry placed his hand on my shoulder, his smirk as polished as his diamond rings. "You have a choice: kill that lady over there and live, or sacrifice yourself to save her."
I inhaled slowly, letting the silence stretch between us. Then, I chuckled. Soft at first, then louder, until it echoed through the hall like a cruel joke.
"Lord Henry," I exhaled, turning just enough to meet his gaze.
"Is this what passes for intelligence among the nobles now? Threats wrapped in theatrics? You really think this is some grand test of my loyalty?"
I tilted my head, watching the flicker of irritation in his eyes. "That I'll shatter under your clever little plan? That I'll betray myself, her, just to amuse you?"
I took a step forward and stood beside Lucy. "You wanted to trap me between two evils. But the real mistake was thinking I could be trapped at all."
My hand extended the sword he had given me, my fist steady as it pointed directly at his throat. "My options are not limited to two. There is a third option, which is for you to perish by my hands."
The moment the words left my lips, ten knights, clad in full suits of armor, materialized from thin air and encircled me.
They aimed their double-edged swords at me, their faces concealed by helmets devoid of openings for eyes or noses.
[You have cleared the hidden requirements to activate your unique skill 'AURA']
[Do you wish to proceed?]
YES ▣☚
NO ☐
In the blink of an eye, dark clouds manifested in the evening sky, and a black beam of light descended from the heavens.
The dark light struck my body like a thunderbolt, causing it to shimmer with fierce electric lightning.
My veins pulsed with raw power, and my muscles tensed as the aura expanded, wrapping around me like a living flame.
Violent crackling streams of black lightning twisted through the air. Sparks burst from my skin, searing the ground beneath me, their jagged forms tearing through the floor with chaotic, untamed force.
The ten knights who had surrounded me began to shake like their legs were made of snakes.
Lord Henry collapsed onto his back, landing on his buttocks, his hands desperately clawing at the ground as he attempted to run from me.
The crowd in the town square stood in disbelief at the sight before their eyes.
Those among them with little to no mana lost consciousness and collapsed, resembling fish out of water.
I wrapped my left arm around Lucy and pointed my sword at Lord Henry.
"It is the duty of the weak to be trembled by the strong, you say."
Lord Henry urinated on the spot and threw his empty hand at me. "Robert! Robert! Kill him, I want him dead right now!!!"
Robert approached me silently, calm enough to balance a raindrop on his nose.
"You are a thousand years too early to challenge me," he declared.
He raised his sword and firmly grasped the hilt with both hands. "Let me show you what true power looks like."
"Aaaargh!"
A wave of translucent red lightning sparks gushed out of his body, and his crimson eyes glowed with red light.
The sheer force of his aura sent ripples through the air, distorting the space between us.
The cobblestones beneath his feet cracked and splintered, unable to withstand the overwhelming surge of energy radiating from his form.
The knights who had once surrounded me now backed away. But I didn't flinch. I stood firm even as the ground trembled beneath us.
Robert exhaled, "You will regret standing against Lord Henry."
I smirked, tilting my head slightly.
"Regret?" I let the word roll off my tongue. "You speak of regret as if you've seen the depths of true strength."
The storm overhead roared, lightning slashing across the sky. My aura expanded further, swallowing the town square in darkness.
"Let me show you what fear true strength looks like."
Before we could engage with one another, a lady wearing a flowing black kimono adorned with beautiful red and green patterns appeared in the sky above us.
She was holding a black umbrella that shielded her from the mist.
With a single slash of her sword, the clouds tore open, revealing the warm rays of the golden sun.
Then, she dropped.
Gravity pulled her down like a comet as she slammed onto the stage. The shockwave rippled outward, forcing both Robert and me to stagger.
Her long, flowing hair swayed gently in the breeze, its light green strands catching the golden glow of the sun.
Two elegant horns curved from her forehead. In one hand, she carried a black parasol umbrella, while in the other, she wielded a sharp sword, its blade shaped like a crescent moon.
"Enough," she demanded. "This battle ends now."
The lady sheathed her sword, her eyes shifted to the entrance of the Colosseum.
"In the presence of Her Majesty, Queen Violet, violence is forbidden."
At that moment, I observed that soldiers wearing metallic armor reminiscent of ninjas had encircled the Colosseum.
A red carpet was rolled out from the entrance, spinning until it reached the stage in the middle of the hall where I stood.
A lady in a royal-themed gown of white and crimson stepped forward, her silver hair cascading like a waterfall.
At her sides, two female guards marched in perfect sync, clad in red military uniforms.
As Queen Violet moved along the red carpet, the entire Colosseum held its breath.
The embroidered fabric of her gown barely moved, as if the wind itself hesitated to brush against her.
The soldiers lining the top of the colosseum dropped to one knee, their metal armor clanking in perfect synchrony.
I could feel it.
Not her aura, nor her magic. But something far more daunting.
Authority.
She owned the space without lifting a finger. The whispers of the crowd had died before they could even be spoken. The storm above did not dare to rumble. Even my own breath felt like an intrusion in her presence.
She stepped onto the stage, eyes locked on the battlefield that had nearly unfolded before her.
Then, without raising her voice, without wielding a weapon—without a single hint of force—she spoke.
"This battle ends now."
And in that moment, it did.