Return of The Martial King

Chapter 226

Teslon smirked coldly as he gazed at the runaway slaves in front of him.

The slaves, huddled together in a single spot, trembled in fear. Before them stood the walls of Zeppelin, while walls of fire surrounded them on the left, right, and rear. With no path of escape, their reaction was inevitable.

From atop the fortress wall, Philena's voice reached him through a messaging spell.

“I’ve surrounded them as instructed, Teslon.”

Teslon, no longer just a mere martial artist but now a high-ranking mage, cast the same messaging spell to reply.

“Well done, Philena. That staff of Multi-Replication is remarkable.”

“Yes, it truly is an amazing artifact.”

While it was true that Philena was an exceptional mage for her age, the overwhelming power of such magic was beyond her usual capabilities. The astounding feat was entirely due to the artifact she had received from the Sage of Silver—the ancient and forbidden artifact known as the Staff of Multi-Replication.

This artifact, classified as too dangerous to leave the Sage’s domain, held the incredible ability to replicate the caster’s magic up to sevenfold.

Magic worked by rearranging mana through formulas to twist reality and create powerful effects. As such, even if vast amounts of external mana were supplied, magic itself could not exceed the inherent power of its formula. In simpler terms, a fireball cast by a mage with triple the mana capacity would not inherently have three times the strength. They could, however, cast the spell three times while their opponent could only manage one.

But with the Staff of Multi-Replication, a single spell could be cast seven times simultaneously. This was the reason Philena was able to blanket the entirety of the Chatan royal palace in an immense fog of magical energy.

‘Strictly speaking, the staff merely replicates Philena’s Fire Wall spell sevenfold.’

Naturally, such incredible power came with a steep penalty.

“You’ve used it twice now, so that leaves three uses, right, Philena?” Teslon asked for confirmation.

Philena nodded. “Yes. After that, it won’t work again until the staff recharges its mana.”

“Three uses left... that should be enough for this battle.”

Philena suddenly glanced down from the fortress wall, furrowing her brow in annoyance.

“By the way, where are the other soldiers? Shouldn’t they have surrounded those slaves by now?”

Teslon clicked his tongue. “Normally, yes.”

Teslon and his party, having obtained various artifacts from the Guardian of Silver, Serelein, immediately began investigating the movements of the Duchy of Antares. In truth, it was Serelein's mysterious "information-gathering ability" that discerned the situation, and Teslon's party simply received the intel. Regardless, they learned that Repenhardt was targeting the slaves of Chatan Principality, specifically those in Zeppelin.

Despite Repenhardt's efforts to keep his plans as secretive as possible, large-scale operations like this inevitably leak information. While the exact details of his strategy remained unknown, the approximate date was predictable. Teslon and his group arrived at Zeppelin early and prepared for the impending threat.

Issuing an emergency alert to the entire garrison wasn’t an option. If Repenhardt noticed any unusual activity, he might abort the operation entirely.

Thus, preparations were made to maintain a facade of normalcy while focusing on rapid response in case of an incident. Only a few key commanders were informed about the possibility of slave unrest. The rest of the forces were organized so that, when the time came, they could quickly mobilize to predetermined locations.

With the advanced warning and careful planning, the army in Zeppelin should have been ready to apprehend all the runaway slaves throughout the city. However, when the moment arrived, the forces failed to act as expected.

“Damn this useless Chatan army! They can’t even execute the orders they were given ahead of time!” Teslon ground his teeth in frustration.

There was a common saying used across the continent to mock undisciplined soldiers: "You’re like the Chatan army!" Teslon now painfully understood the origin of the phrase.

‘But how could all the soldiers be so inept?’

It might have been forgivable if only the lower ranks were in disarray...

‘But even the knights—how could they all be so sluggish? Even the so-called "Zeppelin Knights," the city’s elite, are only half-responsive.’

To make matters worse, Hajil Gong, the royal court mage, had also failed to report or act. As someone who was no longer just a martial artist but a high-ranking mage himself, Teslon knew better than anyone.

If the archmage Hajil Gong had cast any magic, the effects would have been noticeable no matter where he was in Zeppelin. Yet no matter how much Teslon sharpened his senses, there was no trace of magic to be found.

Philena carefully broke the tense silence.

“Still, Teslon, do you really think even the top knights or the royal court mage of an entire nation would be so lazy as to delay like this? Couldn’t it be that the other side has done something?” Philena asked cautiously.

“What kind of trick could cause something like this?” Teslon shot back.

“True, that doesn’t make much sense either,” Philena admitted.

In the end, even Philena chalked up the situation to the inefficiency and high level of bureaucracy within the Chatan Principality. Without knowledge of Karl’s involvement, their speculation could only go so far.

“Well, at this point, we’ll have to give up on the others,” Teslon sighed before his expression sharpened.

“Anyway, the only thing that truly matters is the Demon King. As long as we catch that elf girl, she’ll make a perfect bait!”

Teslon’s cold, dark eyes focused on a distant figure: a brown-skinned elf girl frantically using spirit magic to hold back the heat.

*         *         *

Shhhhh…

A pure, white chill spread across the surroundings. Iniya held her rapier tightly, concentrating intently. Her aura skill, Breath of the North Sea, had begun consuming the flames from Philena’s Fire Wall.

The heat gradually abated, and the runaway slaves visibly relaxed.

“Hah… Hah…”

“I think we can finally breathe.”

“It feels like we’ll survive now. It’s not so hot anymore.”

However, Iniya didn’t seem particularly relieved.

‘Ugh, why can’t they just stay still in one place? Would it kill them to let me handle it?’

In controlling the mist of frost, Iniya had reached the level of a master. She could freeze only what she wanted within the mist’s range, leaving unaffected what she didn’t intend to touch.

The problem was that the “things” she needed to protect kept moving about randomly. Every time the runaway slaves bustled around and interfered with her control over the icy mist, it disrupted her attempts to subdue the flames. This forced her to continuously recalibrate the flow of aura particles, draining her focus and energy.

Thanks to Iniya, along with Siris and other non-human warriors who also worked diligently, the intensity of the Fire Wall’s heat had significantly diminished. While the ground remained scorching hot and the group was still surrounded, at least the runaway slaves were no longer in immediate danger from the heat.

As soon as the heat subsided to a manageable level, Iniya withdrew her aura and turned her gaze toward the city gate. If they were to escape this place, they would have to head toward that gate. Regardless of whether the female mage Philena had set up the encirclement, retreating was not an option in their current situation.

‘Well, I guess I’ve dealt with the worst of it for now.’  

It was rare for a figure of speech to so perfectly align with reality.

Iniya and Kadamyte calmly set their sights on the young human man standing in front of the gate—Teslon. Their eyes met, silently exchanging their resolve. To break through the gate, they would first have to deal with him.

“Huh-ahh!”  

Kadamyte moved first, leaping forward. Raising his halberd high, a blade aura manifested along its edge, transforming into a massive gleaming light.  

“Hnghh!”  

Iniya followed, lowering her stance and gliding forward like a shadow. Her rapier gleamed with a silvery blade aura, extending like a piercing spear.  

Teslon drew his sword from his waist. Rotating his shoulders and elbows in harmony, he snapped his wrist, focusing the aura of his entire body into a single point. A golden blade aura spiraled fiercely, emitting a deafening roar like a drill.  

“Spiral Blade!”  

The three streams of blade aura collided midair. With a resounding explosion, a shockwave of vibrant aura rippled in all directions. Buildings crumbled, cracks spread across the fortress walls, and the destructive aftermath wreaked havoc everywhere.

The problem was that the runaway slaves were caught within the radius of the devastation.  

Siris frantically crossed her hands and shouted, “Come forth, my steadfast ally! Terratus!”  

The cobblestones of the plaza were torn apart as a towering stone giant, three meters tall, emerged to shield against the shockwave. The combined power of the three aura users was so immense that even the aftereffects of their clash carried catastrophic force. Terratus managed to block the blast, but cracks spread across its entire body, and moments later, the summoned being crumbled and vanished.  

Gritting her teeth, Siris shouted furiously, “Can you both be a little more careful when fighting? Are you trying to kill the very people we’re saving?”  

Iniya, Kadamyte, and Teslon all retreated simultaneously, landing on the ground and assuming defensive stances. Kadamyte offered a wry smile.  

“Ah, my apologies. I wasn’t thinking.”  

Iniya remained silent, her sharp gaze fixed on Teslon. Something about him felt off.  

‘He’s strong, but not overwhelmingly so—not to the point where he’s impossible to handle.’  

When aura users exchanged even a single blow, they could roughly gauge each other’s strength. Iniya had assessed Teslon’s level—it was impressive, but not far beyond her own. Considering his age, his skill was truly extraordinary. However, given that the Duchy of Antares already had two aura users in their twenties, it wasn’t something unheard of.

That’s why Iniya was puzzled.  

‘At that level, I could handle him on my own, couldn’t I?’  

It wasn’t as though defeating him would be easy, but she also didn’t feel like she’d lose if she fought seriously. Moreover, she had Kadamyte, the dwarven aura user, by her side. No matter how skilled Teslon might be, he shouldn’t have been capable of handling two aura users simultaneously.  

Yet, his expression betrayed no sign of nervousness. His gaze remained condescending, as if mocking them both.  

It was then that Teslon suddenly discarded the sword in his hand.  

“Your skills are better than I expected for a worthless slave race…”  

Despite being at a disadvantage, he had even thrown away his weapon. Kadamyte blinked in confusion.  

“What’s this? Is he surrendering?”  

Iniya chuckled faintly.  

“I’ve never seen anyone surrender so arrogantly.”  

Teslon gestured to the air and called out.  

“Philena!”  

“Yes, Teslon!”  

From atop the fortress wall, Philena tossed down a rectangular box. The box landed with a thud and immediately opened, releasing a brilliant light. Uncertain of what Teslon was planning, Iniya and Kadamyte tensed, lowering their stances slightly.  

Teslon strode toward the box, his steps confident, a triumphant smile forming on his lips.  

“I never intended to face you all with this pathetic body alone. Let’s not waste time on unnecessary pretenses.”  

As he stepped into the radiant light emanating from the box, it enveloped his entire body. Teslon’s voice echoed through the brilliance.  

“Equip! Adamandril Suit!”  

With a mechanical whir, fragments of a massive steel giant, disassembled and stored within the box, rose into the air. Siris frowned at the sight.  

How could such a massive object fit inside such a small box?  

‘Is that something like an Infinity Pocket? But one with a spatial compression ratio that high?’  

Teslon stretched out his arms and legs toward the floating components.  

Whirrrr!  

With the sound of screws tightening, the parts of the steel giant assembled over Teslon’s body, piece by piece, covering him completely. When the light finally faded, the figure of the young human man was no longer there.  

Instead, standing in his place was a colossal steel giant, more than twice Kadamyte’s height. The metal behemoth glared at the two with glowing eyes, raising its gleaming metallic fists. Teslon’s voice emerged, cold and mechanical.  

“I’ll teach you your place, servants of the fallen Demon King.”