Chapter 335 : Chapter 335
Chapter 335. The Rest… Is Up to You (2)
It was a rather strange sight.
Although the tide of war had improved significantly, this was still a battlefield.
It was a chaotic pandemonium where life and death intersected.
But Patrick, regardless of such things, was just silently looking at the Hegemon King.
The Hegemon King, in front of Patrick, had his sword aimed but could not recklessly charge.
Although his reason had been eroded, he could feel it.
The vast difference in level between himself and Patrick.
Patrick looked at the Hegemon King with a blank expression and said.
“What's with that look?”
“……”
“I said, what's with that look?!”
The moment Patrick roared.
The Hegemon King reflexively charged forward.
It was not so much seizing an opportunity as it was a convulsive counterattack, like a cornered mouse charging at a cat.
However….
Still, the Hegemon King was the Hegemon King.
The giant King's Sword fell towards Patrick's head.
“Young Master!”
April shouted urgently.
Patrick had not taken any action until just before the Hegemon King's attack reached him.
She, who knew the Hegemon King's skills well, could not help but be horrified.
However….
POW!
It was as if a large bubble had burst.
The Hegemon King's blow, the Lord of Sword, which boasted an invincible strike on the battlefield, burst the moment it touched Patrick's sword.
And Patrick, at a speed so fast that even April's eyes would miss it, charged and grabbed the Hegemon King by the scruff of the neck.
And then….
“You imbecile!”
CRACK!
Patrick punched the Hegemon King squarely in the face.
Although it was a punch thrown without even using a sword, the Hegemon King, who was hit by it, was sent flying far away and crashed.
And Patrick, looking at the Hegemon King, frowned and said.
“Damn it, if it was going to be like this, I should have just killed you back then.”
“……”
“I didn't give you a chance because I wanted to see this mess.”
The Hegemon King, broken and staggering, rose to his feet.
Patrick just looked at the Hegemon King with a pitiful gaze.
Looking at his still-unfocused eyes, Patrick sighed and said.
“First, I need to bring you to your senses. It seems we can't even talk right now.”
And Patrick walked towards the Hegemon King without hesitation.
Although he was just approaching by walking normally, the Hegemon King, sensing danger from it, immediately counterattacked.
Grab!
Before he could even swing his sword, Patrick had already closed the distance and subdued the Hegemon King's wrist.
He was just holding his wrist, but with this alone, the Hegemon King's whole body stiffened and he could not move.
And….
“I'm still not good at this.”
Patrick said in that state.
“It's probably going to hurt like hell.”
And Patrick pushed his divine power into the Hegemon King.
At that….
“Aaaaaaaaaargh!”
A scream full of pain erupted from the mouth of the Hegemon King, who had lost his senses.
Regardless, Patrick continued to push his divine power into the Hegemon King's body.
He had to push out Jonsa's demonic power that had penetrated to the bone marrow and find the Hegemon King's personality that existed deep within.
And in that process, Patrick could see everything about the man named Cierion Baisus Yusef.
* * *
His childhood, where he was ostracized by the royal family but grew up under his mother's protection.
It was the only period in the Hegemon King's life where he could feel a sense of peace.
[Mother. Like this?]
[Lower your center of gravity more. Yes. Like that. You're doing well.]
His mother was originally a knight.
She had no interest in royal politics, and her only pleasure was teaching her son her sword.
For Cierion, that time learning the sword from his mother was also the happiest.
But at that time, neither mother nor son could have known that it would become the seed of a tragedy.
[Oh…, he is a true genius.]
[Your Majesty. Prince Cierion will surely become a 7-Star knight in the future. I guarantee it.]
At the tender age of ten, Cierion first felt aura and laid the foundation for the 1st Star.
The king was greatly pleased and began to keep his young son, whom he had not paid any attention to until then, close.
At that, the other queens and brothers felt a serious sense of crisis.
All the brothers aiming for the next throne had united in their intention to crush the bud named Cierion.
A short while later.
In the end, the mother and son had to be exiled to the eastern frontier under an absurd false accusation.
And in the middle of their journey into exile, pursuers tried to end their lives.
And….
[Run away, Cierion.]
[Mother! Mother!]
[Sir Karvan! I entrust my son to you!]
[…I will protect him even at the cost of my life.]
[Mother!]
[Become a great king, Cierion.]
And his mother, to save the young Cierion, stayed behind alone to fight against the pursuers.
Her back, turned to protect him.
That was the last image of his mother that Cierion remembered.
After that, he arrived in the east.
It was a barren land where they lived day by day, neighboring the Great Forest.
There was no respect for Cierion, who had arrived as a son of the royal family, and there was no one to trust except for his only ally, Matias Karvan.
But Cierion stubbornly survived even in adversity.
And as Cierion grew, people began to follow him one by one.
The swordsmanship his mother had left him and his natural charisma that attracted people had, before he knew it, made Cierion the ruler of the east.
Cierion, who had arrived with only a single knight, had grown into a powerful warlord who ruled the entire eastern part of the Yusef Kingdom.
In that process, he had gained many people, but he had also had to lose many.
[Damn it! At this rate, when will I ever be able to change this country?]
To Cierion, who was enraged by the wall of reality, Noah Gregory, the illegitimate son of the Gregory family, said.
[Your Highness, no matter how lofty your ideals, you need power to realize them.]
[I know that too. But it's impossible to squeeze out any more military power than this from the east.]
With limited human resources and casualties mounting from the struggle against monsters, it was impossible to create more military power than what they had now in the east, no matter how he thought about it.
At that time, Noah said.
[…It's not that there is no way.]
[What did you say?]
The method Noah suggested.
It was a forbidden method.
He didn't know at first.
He was told that he would just receive a special procedure created by mages.
When he was later told that it was to join hands with the black mages, he was greatly enraged.
Matias was greatly enraged and tried to kill Noah.
However….
[Stop.]
[Your Highness, are you going to forgive Noah?]
[I have no right to forgive. From now on, we are accomplices.]
[Your Highness….]
[We will just be together until the end.]
He had asked himself countless times.
Was there really no other way?
Was there really no other way than to join hands with the black mages?
However….
[The time for choosing has passed.]
What had already happened could not be undone.
He could not get off the carriage he had already boarded.
Even if what awaited him at the destination was hell, it was enough if, in the process, he could carry on his mother's will and save the suffering people of the east.
[Even if the destination of this path is hell, I will walk it.]
After strengthening his resolve.
Cierion's steps were unstoppable.
With the help of the black mages, he strengthened the entire military power of the east and took over the country one by one by seizing the weaknesses of the influential nobles.
However, to ascend to the throne, having been far from central politics for so long, he needed a reputation that he could show off to the public.
[Your Highness, Arcana will be held this year. Considering Your Highness' age, it seems participation will be possible.]
[Wasn't that only for academy students?]
[Your Highness' name has been on the academy's roster all along. You just haven't attended under the name of on-site guidance.]
[That's good.]
Due to Noah Gregory's thorough preparations, Cierion was able to participate in Arcana.
And there, he saw him.
[Who are you? Who are you to act so familiar? Huh?]
[This bastard, an adult is educating you, where do you get off throwing a tantrum?!]
[Alright. A contest of who gets hit well and who hits well!]
At first, he had thought, 'What kind of guy is that?'
Looking at his actions, he seemed like a hopeless madman, but strangely, watching him was also exhilarating.
Especially when he was beating up the prince of the Magellan Kingdom, he had burst out in cheerful laughter for the first time in a long time.
‘After I conquer the Kingdom of Atronia in the future, maybe I should keep that friend by my side instead of killing him?’
The feelings of Cierion, who was thinking this, turned to horror in the final match against the Imperial Sword Saint's grandson, Garcia.
[Ah…. Ahh….]
The true skill Patrick showed in the finals.
Although he had only shown a small tip of the iceberg, it was enough to ignite a fire of longing in Cierion's heart.
If he could just have that man by his side, he would fear nothing in the world.
He would be able to immediately sever his ties with the black mages and realize his ideals with pure, righteous power.
If he had his way, he wanted to propose recruitment immediately, but….
[It is said that the Empire offered a county and the third princess.]
[So?]
[He is said to have refused.]
[Haha….]
Although the Empire had made such a groundbreaking offer, Patrick had refused.
It was exhilarating, but at the same time, it was a pity.
Right now, he was just a prince of the Yusef Kingdom.
He could not offer better conditions than the Empire, and he had no personal connection with Patrick.
[A pity. Truly a pity.]
It couldn't be helped.
First, he had to take care of things in order.
To contain a great man like Patrick Schneider, he himself had to become a vessel worthy of him, didn't he?
[We are returning. First, I will take the throne.]
[Yes, my lord.]
It was a long way around, but he vowed that they would meet again someday.
After that.
Cierion smoothly took the throne.
He had secretly prepared for difficulties, but it was too easy.
Although a civil war broke out later when his brothers rose up, he had never considered it a threat.
After that.
He met Patrick again.
During his knight's training journey, he personally went to him, who was shaking the entire continent, and proposed recruitment.
However….
[Why did you dabble in black magic?]
It was a blow as if he had been punched in the solar plexus.
Patrick knew his shame, which no one else had seen through.
And….
[I will not help you.]
[I am different from you.]
[Even if the intention is good and the purpose is for the good of all, if the path is wrong, then everything is wrong.]
A firm refusal.
At that time, the Hegemon King already knew.
That his path and Patrick's were different.
But having come this far, he could not go back empty-handed.
Therefore….
[Double Dragon. As a fellow swordsman, I challenge you.]
He challenged him to a match.
Hoping that he could gain something by crossing swords with him.
As a result….
[Congratulations, Your Majesty.]
[Congratulations.]
[You have finally broken through the wall.]
There was a harvest.
Lord of Sword.
The sword of certain victory that had become his symbol and brought him victory on the battlefield.
It was a sword he could never have obtained if he had not risked his life to challenge Patrick.
After that….
Cierion, no, the Hegemon King walked an unstoppable path.
He brought down the Flame Kingdom, and after that, he won the war with the Kaisar Kingdom and annexed the Decator Kingdom.
Before he knew it, he had conquered three nations and become the king of a huge, powerful country that encompassed the northeastern part of the continent.
His country had become powerful, and his dream was getting closer.
And above all, the biggest change was….
[Ka… Katherina.]
[Hold him.]
[…….]
[He is our child.]
He himself had not known.
He had never dreamed that becoming a father was like that.
Katherina bin Flame.
He had not married her because he loved her.
He had only married her because a political marriage with her was necessary to peacefully annex the Flame Kingdom.
However, because he couldn't help but feel pity for her, who had lost her country and family because of him, he had always treated her with an excessive amount of polite courtesy as a wife.
And she had given birth to his child.
And the moment he held that child in his arms….
[Ahh….]
He was overwhelmed with an indescribable emotion.
This small life held in his arms was so precious, and his wife, who had given him this precious being, was so lovely.
He would not regret giving his life to protect these two.
And above all….
[I have to decide now.]
He could not pass down his own faults to his son.
The Hegemon King decided to cut ties with the black mages.
And while carrying out a large-scale purge, he also made thorough preparations for a counterattack from the black mages.
And….
[Noah, Matias. I have a favor to ask you in case something happens.]
[Please speak, Your Majesty.]
[If I am defeated by the black mages and become their puppet, you must kill me by any means necessary. And please take care of my wife and son.]
[Your Majesty, how can you say such tragic words?]
[Just in case…. It is only to prepare for a 'just in case' situation.]
If possible, he had hoped that such a thing would not happen.
But….
In the end, that worst-case scenario happened.
No, come to think of it, it was bound to happen.
[You are tenacious in holding on, but this is the end. Hegemon King.]
[You… bastard….]
There was no chance of winning from the beginning.
The opponent was far more cunning and thoroughly ruthless than him.
Even the Hegemon King had not known that they had placed a restraint on him with an Outer God's artifact from the beginning.
From here, the Hegemon King's consciousness became hazy.
[Your Majesty…. Kugh….]
The last thing he remembered was the figure of Marquis Noah Gregory, aiming a gun at him with tears in his eyes.
It's okay. It's okay, so shoot.
He had wanted to shout.
But the Hegemon King at that time was at his limit just by controlling his body to stop.
And Noah….
[Your Majestyyyy….]
Could not pull the trigger.
Although he was known to the world as a cunning strategist with sly wisdom, called the Hegemon's Serpent, his loyalty to the Hegemon King was real.
After that, he was barely conscious until Matias Karvan safely escaped with his son and wife.
But after that….
[You are unnecessarily tenacious. I'll have to do some work to make you a perfect retainer.]
Jonsa personally began to modify the Hegemon King's body and soul.
And from that point on, the Hegemon King's soul completely sank into the abyss.
Deeper… deeper….
“Wake up already.”
“…Double… Dra…gon.”
Until this very moment.