Return of The Martial King

Chapter 235

Teslon's sharp eyes narrowed in anger as he retorted, unable to conceal his fury.  

“What nonsense are you spouting, Demon King! Do you think I would betray humanity just to save my own life?”  

“If it were the old you, such a thought would indeed be unthinkable. But what about now? After taking someone else’s brilliant mind, wouldn’t your perspective have changed as well?”  

Repenhardt calmly continued his questioning.  

“Do you still believe that I controlled them with magic? Do they still appear to be moving as if corrupted by demonic energy?”  

Teslon clamped his mouth shut. A faint groan slipped through his tightly sealed lips.  

“Urgh…”  

He knew now. He understood better than anyone that Repenhardt was no longer the kind of mage who could be called a Demon King.  

“You yourself are a high-ranking mage now, Teslon. If you still think they were born as mere slaves to humanity, you wouldn’t have been able to master magic to your current level with that simple mind of yours. So I ask you again, do you still believe they were destined to be slaves by nature?”  

Teslon’s expression contorted further.  

Though he hated to admit it, he couldn’t deny it.  

The other races had not fallen simply because of the Demon King’s control. Teslon, more than anyone else, knew that the current Repenhardt was incapable of such acts.  

Even so, the other races continued to act, dreaming of freedom. The meaning of this was crystal clear.  

Repenhardt drove the nail deeper, aiming his final question at Teslon’s increasingly troubled face.  

“Think carefully with that head of yours, Teslon. Do they still seem like beings corrupted by my magic?”  

Teslon nodded reluctantly.  

“You’re not wrong…”  

Repenhardt’s eyes gleamed. Teslon was finally acknowledging his words!  

Just as a smile of relief began to spread across Repenhardt’s face, Teslon’s cold voice cut through the moment.  

“That’s why they’re even more dangerous…”  

“Huh?”  

Teslon’s two eyes flared, black flames burning intensely within them.  

“That’s why their existence is even more unacceptable! If they’re not merely corrupted by demonic energy, then isn’t that their true nature?”  

Recalling memories from his past life, Teslon shouted with conviction.  

“Doesn’t that mean humanity must subjugate them all the more?”  

He knew. He understood all too well the nature and power of the other races under the Duchy of Antares.  

Having clashed against Repenhardt countless times in his past life, Teslon had experienced it firsthand.  

“Elves and dwarves who live several times longer than humans, orcs who seem born purely for battle, trolls with strength and regenerative abilities far surpassing humans!”  

At the time, he had brushed off such thoughts without much consideration, but now it was different. If that strength wasn’t due to the Demon King’s power, but rather the innate abilities of the other races—  

“Isn’t it only right to crush them and eliminate any future threats?”  

Repenhardt’s expression soured at Teslon’s words, laden with resolute conviction.  

As expected, no matter how much sharper one’s mind became, their perspective on the world didn’t change so easily.  

In a world where survival of the fittest was the unchallenged truth, where the strong devoured the weak, such thinking was only natural for humans of this era.  

Repenhardt muttered to himself, frustrated.  

“...Why can’t they think differently? Why can’t they see the possibility of coexistence…?”  

At this, Teslon scoffed dismissively.  

“Hah? Why should we even consider coexistence? Humanity already reigns as the dominant force on the continent. If those creatures regain their strength, our territory will inevitably be encroached upon. The world is finite, and humans already occupy its rightful place. If they grow stronger, wouldn’t humanity’s domain shrink to just a fifth of what it is now?”  

With unwavering eyes, Teslon stared directly at Repenhardt.  

Repenhardt sighed at Teslon’s steadfast attitude.  

“Haah…”  

The world is finite, and if the other races rise, humanity’s territory would shrink to a fifth, would it?  

“Don’t you realize that encountering the new cultures and ideas of the other races doesn’t shrink humanity’s world to a fifth but expands it fivefold instead?”  

“What nonsense are you spouting, Demon King?”  

As Teslon stared incredulously, Repenhardt clicked his tongue in exasperation.  

It wasn’t fair to blame Teslon alone. Most humans of this era were trapped in the same shortsighted mindset, measuring the world solely by territorial boundaries.  

“Convincing you is hopeless…”  

If there had been even a hint of willingness to reconsider, as with Prince Carsus, Repenhardt might have considered taking him captive and persuading him over time. But Teslon was unyielding, making it seem impossible.  

Furthermore, unlike Prince Carsus, Teslon was not only an Aura User but also a 7th Circle Mage. Capturing someone of such caliber was no simple task. If he regained his strength, the consequences could be catastrophic. The risk was simply too great.  

“What a shame, Teslon.”  

Clicking his tongue, Repenhardt once again emanated a deadly aura.  

"It seems you and I are destined to be irreconcilable enemies."  

Through his blurring vision, Teslon forced a faint smile.  

"I am human. Isn't it only natural for a human to side with their own kind?"  

He then looked at Repenhardt with an expression of incredulity.  

"In fact, you’re the strange one, Repenhardt. Aren’t you human too? Why do you stand against your own people?"  

Repenhardt let out a hollow laugh.  

‘If I had truly opposed humanity, do you think I would’ve ended up like I did in my past life?’  

If his goal had been to eradicate humanity and create a world solely for the other races, he wouldn’t have suffered such a fate. Before it ever came to that, he could have destroyed every capital city and densely populated human region with consecutive 10th Circle spells, annihilating them entirely. Instead, he had tried to coexist with humanity, only fighting off the invaders, and yet he had been met with ruin.  

"I am human. Naturally, I side with humanity."  

Whoooom!  

Repenhardt’s fist began to radiate a golden glow.  

Teslon chuckled faintly and closed his eyes.  

A fierce aura of destruction surged around Repenhardt’s fist. His resolve hardened as he gazed at what was once his own body.  

It was still a shame to lose it. But precisely because it was so valuable, leaving it alone would only invite a greater threat later.  

‘When it’s time to let go, you must let go. I can’t repeat the mistakes of my past life.’  

Having made his decision, Repenhardt prepared to deliver the final blow. His fist was poised to strike when—  

"Stop!"  

A sharp voice rang out from the distance, and at the same time, a surge of powerful magic rippled behind him. Repenhardt frowned slightly. It seemed to be that mage who had been fighting Iniya.  

‘Did Iniya fail to finish her off? Well, given how injured she was, it’s no surprise….’  

Without much thought, Repenhardt shifted the direction of his prepared Chain Strike Blast. He decided to eliminate the mage first. Teslon was already on the verge of death, so changing the order wouldn’t cause any problems.  

But as he turned to face the incoming mage—  

“Huh?”  

Repenhardt’s eyes widened in shock, his fist freezing mid-attack. The mage’s face was far too familiar.  

‘Philena?’  

*         *         *  

A woman in her late twenties soared through the air, her robes billowing behind her.  

The spell that allowed one to fly freely like a bird, Fly, was an advanced 8th Circle magic. Yet this female mage was displaying speed on par with Fly using only lower-level spells.  

Using the Levitation spell, a 5th Circle floating magic, to lift her body and combining it with Wind Walk and Air Bomb for directional control and propulsion—this seamless combination of spells was something Repenhardt knew all too well. It was based on the Theory of Magical Situation Control, a concept he himself had devised in his past life when he was still a low-circle mage.  

In this era, only one person was familiar with that theory.  

‘The mage Iniya mentioned... was Philena?’  

He had briefly seen her following Teslon in the past but never expected to find her here. More importantly, the massive Firewall that had surrounded the western gate of Zeppelin was far beyond the level of magic he knew Philena was capable of casting.  

‘I naturally assumed it was someone else….’  

Though flustered, Repenhardt withdrew the Chain Strike Blast he had prepared. After all, he couldn’t bring himself to kill a childhood friend from his memories.  

Taking advantage of the pause, Philena began chanting a spell.  

"Thunder God's Hammer of Wrath! Lightning Blaster!"  

A brilliant bolt of lightning streaked toward Repenhardt, aimed directly at his crown. As Repenhardt instinctively activated his aura to defend against the magic, Philena swung the staff in her hand and shouted again.  

"Multiple Replication!"  

The falling lightning replicated itself mid-air, splitting into eight bolts that consecutively struck Repenhardt. Using the Staff of Multiple Replication, Philena had replicated the Lightning Blaster seven additional times.  

“What the—? What is this?”  

Startled, Repenhardt raised both arms. The overlapping magic created a power so overwhelming that it was impossible to block with a simple aura guard.  

"Spiral Guard!"  

Golden aura surged around him, deflecting all eight bolts of lightning. However, the sheer force of the strikes pushed Repenhardt’s massive frame several meters backward, even as he defended.  

Explosions echoed in rapid succession.  

Boom! Boom! Boom!  

In that moment, Philena landed beside the collapsed Teslon. Without hesitation, she positioned herself in front of him, shielding him from Repenhardt as she maintained a wary stance.  

She shouted, "Teslon! Are you okay?"  

There was no response. Teslon, who had been barely holding on, had finally succumbed to his injuries and lost consciousness. Philena’s face turned pale.  

Lowering his Spiral Guard, Repenhardt clicked his tongue.  

‘What’s with that ridiculous artifact?’  

As someone who had reached the pinnacle of magic, he immediately understood. The devastating multi-chain magic Philena had just used had originated from that small staff in her hand.  

‘It’s not a simple magical amplification talisman. She chanted one spell, and it multiplied into seven more? Is there really an artifact as absurd as that in the world?’  

Pointing the Staff of Multiple Replication at Repenhardt, Philena shouted with a trembling voice,  

“St-stand down, Fist King!”  

Philena steadied her shaking legs with difficulty. Although she aimed the staff at him, it was all a bluff.  

She had already used the Staff of Multiple Replication twice during her fight with Iniya. The lightning attack she had just fired at Repenhardt was the last it could handle.  

‘And yet, not a single scratch on him after that... What kind of monster is this?’  

But she couldn’t let him notice. Forcing herself to remain calm, Philena glared at the towering figure of the Fist King, Repenhardt, her icy gaze unwavering.  

“You will not lay another finger on this man!”  

Her voice was cold as ice, and Repenhardt’s expression hardened.  

He was shaken.  

The childhood friend he remembered fondly from his past was now glaring at him with intense hostility.  

A face full of hatred, a look he had never seen before—not even once.  

“Philena…”  

A flicker of surprise passed across Philena’s expression.  

‘How does he know my name?’  

When she thought about it, it wasn’t entirely strange. Just as she was familiar with the names of Repenhardt’s subordinates, it was plausible for him to know the names and faces of those around Teslon.  

Still, there was something about his expression that felt off.  

Though he was an enemy, his face displayed an odd mixture of longing and confusion, with no trace of hostility.  

He simply stood there, visibly at a loss, frozen in place.  

‘What’s going on? Why is he acting like this?’  

Philena quickly regained her composure. This wasn’t the time to be dwelling on such questions.  

For some reason, her opponent didn’t seem inclined to attack.  

‘This might be my chance to escape….’  

Carefully watching for an opening, Philena slowly knelt beside Teslon. Repenhardt, still dazed, made no move to stop her and continued to stare blankly.  

Thump, thump, thump.  

Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as she steadied her breath. She placed her left hand on Teslon’s chest and pulled out a small feather from her robe.  

Philance’s face lit up with relief.  

‘Yes!’  

The magical energy flowing from the feather finally drew a change in Repenhardt’s expression. His eyes sharpened, and his demeanor shifted.  

He recognized the artifact immediately. He had seen that feather before when he had encountered Jade.  

“Huh, what’s that?”  

At this rate, he was about to lose prey that he had already cornered!  

The realization jolted Repenhardt into action, and he lunged forward desperately. He had no intention of hurting Philena—he only needed to grab her arm and pull her back….  

But Philena was just a fraction of a second faster in activating the Feather of Return.  

Flash!  

A blinding light engulfed Repenhardt’s vision, and his outstretched fingers grasped nothing but air.  

“Urgh!”  

When his sight cleared, both Philena and Teslon were gone.  

Only the shattered remains of the Adamandril Suit lay scattered on the ground.  

“Damn it…”