“Grrrrr…!”

Drakan lost his cool after having his tail sliced off. His dragon-like ferocity, which he had displayed during his past battle with Kang Chul-In, had awakened.

“Roar…!”

The same went for Amur.

The tiger general, with fur standing on its end all around his whole body, flashed his sharp canines.

No!

Lucia foresaw the disaster that was about to happen.

Rampage?

That was good.

The more beast-like a demi-human was, the more powerful he was during a rampage.

That, however, only held true when the opponent was ‘decently strong.’ This was just like how a rampaging Drakan and Amur could never defeat Kang Chul-In!

They will both die!

Lucia thought.

Chuk!

She then immediately rushed in between Drakan and Amur and smashed them with her shield.

Bang,

Bang!

Both Amur and Drakan were sent flying. They crashed onto the ground several meters away from her.

We have to run no matter what!

Lucia displayed no bravado.

Psst!

She immediately dashed away,

If she confronted the white knight, she would die before seeing Kang Chul-In’s face again.

“Running away, huh?”

The white knight spoke in a disappointed tone.

Psst!

He then made his move as well.

His target was Lucia’s back.

His light-speed sword pierced through space towards Lucia.

At that moment.

Clang!

A metallic whip parried the white knight’s blow.

“...!”

The white knight faltered momentarily.

Brrrrr…!

Sword.

The hand holding Arondight, the famous sword, shivered uncontrollably.

The whip’s power was that great.

“Fast.”

A low and heavy voice could be heard.

“Y-your Majesty!”

Lucia turned back and shouted in delight.

“Don’t be ashamed of today’s loss.”

Kang Chul-In, who appeared out of nowhere, told Lucia.

“It was an expected loss.”

“But your Majesty...”

“You guys are no match for this bastard here.”

“...!”

“I will deal with Brynhildr, the white knight.”

Kang Chul-In turned around and faced the white knight.

***

While the greatest generals of Pangaea were battling at Laputa’s west...

Crack!

Alex Rothschild had the highest quality crystal ashtray smack his forehead.

“You useless bastard!”

An elderly gentleman with white hair and a short beard reprimanded Rothschild.

David Rothschild.

He was the current head of the Rothschild family, and also the father of Alex Rothschild.

“How much gold do you think you’ve squandered so far?”

“...”

“Even after all that, what did you say? You need more sponsorship?”

“...”

“How much longer do I need to trust and support you before you finally show some results? How much longer!?”

His scolding was justified.

After Alex Rothschild had become a lord, the Rothschild family had sponsored a heavenly sum of gold over the years.

The sponsorship was so much that it even made gold’s price on Earth rise exponentially.

“I’ve never imagined you to be this useless.”

David Rothschild glared at his son with total condescension.

Brrrr…!

Alex Rothschild’s body trembled as if he had an epilepsy.

Do I… do I really deserve to receive this kind of treatment…? Me, Alex Rothschild!?

He had always been portrayed as the perfect heir to the Rothschild family. Nobody doubted that he was the next head of the family.

However,

Kang Chul-In…!

He really had bad blood with the demon with black hair. His life couldn’t possibly be in a worse state than this.

This is my limit...

Rothschild had run out of options.

He harbored hatred and rage against Kang Chul-In, fear of getting killed, and his vengeance for Lee Gong-Myung.

He even performed a genocide that could induce a rebellion. Rothschild was on the brink of madness.

Now, even his father was pressuring him.

“This is your last chance.”

David warned.

“If you squander any more resources and drag our family’s good name through the mud, I will no longer recognize you as a member of the Rothschild family.”

“...!”

“Bring me results, son.”

It was his last warning.

“If not...”

At that moment.

Bang!

Alex Rothschild grabbed his father by his throat.

“Kuhuk…!”

David Rothschild groaned in pain. He couldn’t breathe due to the incredible grip strength.

“Even you are cornering me, father.”

“S-Son…!”

“Do you even understand the situation I’m in? Huh?”

Alex Rothschild increased his grip strength.

“Keuuuuuk…!”

“I’m so sick of it.”

“Keuk…!”

“Everyone is patronizing and mocking me. And Kang Chul-In, that fucker… he’s toying with me, even now.”

Strictly speaking, Kang Chul-In was not toying with Rothschild. He always aimed to kill the latter, who never failed to slip away like a cockroach.

“L-Let… go… o-of… me first… s-security… guard...”

David Rothschild’s face was now blood red. He struggled to breathe.

“You should have comforted me.”

Rothschild had gone insane to the point that he couldn’t even recognize his own father.

C-Crack!

With a horrifying sound of twisting bones and muscles, David Rothschild’s body fell limp.

“...!”

Alex Rothschild woke up in shock.

“F-Father…!”

He came to the sudden realization of what he had just done.

***

Nothing has changed.

Kang Chul-In recalled a nostalgic memory as he faced Brynhildr.

This powerful opponent was the same, be it in the past or present.

His pure white armor with a golden pattern was the highest-rank epic item called the ‘Almighty Silhouette Set’. It was superior to the ‘Flaming Revenge of Bali Set’, which Kang Chul-In wore in the past.

And the sword...

Arondight was on par with Fragarach, a sword which Kang Chul-In yielded in the past.

In other words, Brynhildr possessed most of his items from the past. That was impressive considering that the Great Summoning happened just two years ago.

There was just one item.

He doesn’t have that yet.

A ring that emits a brilliant spark.

The Sonic Ring, a constituent of the Trinity Impact, was nowhere to be seen. Kang Chul-In was extremely disappointed.

“Kang Chul-In…?”

Brynhildr spoke.

“Are you really Overlord Kang Chul-In?”

“Apparently so.”

Kang Chul-In replied with a smirk.

Chuk!

Brynhildr raised and pointed Arondight at Kang Chul-In. It was a silent signal for a face-off.

As expected.

Kang Chul-In laughed.

Brynhildr had always been like this.

He was a man of few words.

He always hid behind the white armor and refused to reveal his identity.

Even his voice could potentially be fake.

“Well, bring it on.”

Kang Chul-In, however, did not dislike this attitude.

In fact, he liked it.

A swordsman spoke through his sword.

There was no need for long commentaries when the strongest characters in Pangaea were about to battle.

Bang!

Kang Chul-In dashed towards Brynhildr with a sonic boom trailing behind him.

***

“These cunning bastards...”

Unlike Kang Chul-In who rushed immediately to the frontlines, Kwak Jung chose to stay in Laputa.

His duty as a tactician was to strategize, not to be physically present on the battlefield.

“Damn it, why are there so many of them?”

Kwak Jung frowned as he confirmed the enemy’s strength with a satellite map.

They had over 40,000 soldiers.

Overlord Albrecht Vilhelm and Ao Xin had each contributed 20,000 men to form the first Gullveig Coalition troop. Laputa wasn’t too comfortable with that.

Both the Full Metal Dragon and Zeppelin are under repair, damn it… we also don’t have any tactical weapons to use...

No matter how hard he brainstormed, he couldn’t find a simple method to annihilate the Gullveig Coalition army.

“If nothing works, just trample on them.”

At that moment, Kwak Jung recalled Kang Chul-In’s words.

“Sorry? What do you mean by ‘trample’?”

“The castle will be in shatters… but that’s better than enduring through an arduous fight.”

“N-No way…!”

“There’s quite some cash incoming, so do it if you are really driven into a corner.”

Kang Chul-In’s proposal should never be used in normal circumstances. However, it could be a good solution in times like this, in which he had to focus on internal affairs.

“Argh, I don’t know anymore!”

Kwak Jung shouted.

“Departing, ready to depart!”

It wasn’t a fire attack.

It wasn’t a surprise attack.

It wasn’t a distraction, either.

What Kang Chul-In had suggested was to make Laputa, the flying fortress, float… and then to drop it on the heads of the enemy soldiers!

***

Clang,

Clang!

Kang Chul-In and Brynhildr exchanged blow after blow. The atmosphere was incredibly intense.

He’s strong…!

Kang Chul-In was surprised.

Not only did Brynhildr possess most of his high-class items from the past, he also boasted a formidable battle prowess.

…This guy is a genius.

Kang Chul-In and Kwak Jung had evolved over time with hard work and some innate talent, but it was different for Brynhildr.

He had mastered the art of swordsmanship in a mere span of two years. That was real talent.

Of course, his limited potential would prove to be his downfall in the future.

Clang!

Kaiforce and Arondight collided.

Bang!

The mana from the two of them collided to release a tremendous shockwave.

“...”

“...”

The shockwave knocked both Kang Chul-In and Brynhildr back by 10 metres each.

“Just like the rumors, Overlord Kang Chul-In.”

Brynhildr spoke with pure admiration.

“You are strong.”

He seemed genuinely surprised.

“Those rumors are nothing.”

Kang Chul-In grinned.

Rumors tended to exaggerate things, but it was the opposite for Kang Chul-In’s case. The rumors underestimated his true power.

Not only did he possess the [Full Moon] buff and the [Spell Thirst] ability, but he also powered up using the Overpower Bracelet.

With these three upgrades, even Brynhildr would be no match for him.

“Let me show you.”

Kang Chul-In swung his Kaiforce mischievously and prepared himself to dash towards Brynhildr.

Wait a second.

Kang Chul-In stopped.

If he killed Brynhildr here, the Trinity Impact could never be his. How could he possibly know where the Sonic Ring was?

Kang Chul-In pondered.

He had two options.

The first option was to kill Brynhildr, a potential source of danger, right now and thus weaken the Gullveig Coalition. The other option would be to let him live and steal his Sonic Ring in the future.

Each option had its boon and bane.

It would have been ideal if he could kill Brynhildr and take his ring immediately, but Brynhildr wasn’t wearing the Sonic Ring as of now.

Kang Chul-In grasped Kaiforce more tightly.

“Let’s just...”

At that moment.

Wiiingggg!

About 3 kilometres away from them, space began to warp in the sky.

• Hue hue… I will burn you bastards into crisps!

Kwak Jung’s voice rang through the magic-engineered loudspeaker.