The black sun hangs high

Chapter 121 Engraved in History
Krautz, a Valley-class military mage belonging to the Fifth Jaeger Regiment, stood quietly beside Zeke Ernst.

Throughout the entire Kingdom of Walter and even the entire Lovi Plateau, the frail old man beside Klaus, who had just killed his own son, was the person he admired most.

In the past, Klaus had almost been purged and punished by Merlinle and the Legal Committee for his excessive obsession with necromancy and his unauthorized experiments with forbidden magic. It was the army of the Kingdom of Walter that gave him a place to stay. Since then, Klaus, who had come into deep contact with Walter's military theories and ideas, preferred to identify himself as a soldier.

He valued the rules and regulations that mages had to follow more than the rules and regulations within the military.

Although Klaus, like all the soldiers of the Water, had long sworn allegiance to the Kingdom, this action did not diminish his respect and reverence for the "Three-Clawed Falcon".

After Klaus led the soldiers of the Fifth Jaeger Regiment into the venue on Princess Sofia's orders and successfully arrived at the lounge, he felt even more awe for this frail old man who desperately needed bodyguards and protection.

Among the nobles of Walter, there were quite a few who dared to harm their own brothers, sisters, parents, and children. However, such brutal acts were often accompanied by struggles for minor gains and status.

At least from the kingdom's perspective, that's how it is.

This is the downside of the nobility—while these large families can always cultivate the elite talents needed by the Kingdom of Walter, some ideas and habits rooted in their blood can also create a lot of trouble.

For the Kingdom of Walter, such power struggles are actually not important; they are merely futile internal conflicts. Especially in the current tense situation, the kingdom would rather see these nobles die on the battlefield than let them disappear inexplicably in family feuds.

However, Klaus could not see these traces in Zeke Ernst.

As old Zeke slowly put away the revolver, Klaus saw only unwavering determination on the old man's face.

Klaus knew that Yerevan's death was not due to a mere power struggle within the family, but rather to some more important and "greater" interest.

Under the old man's forced command, Klaus cast the necromancy "corpse puppet," a spell he hadn't used in a long time, on Yerevan's corpse.

Then, the young secretary, who had already written his will, received memory-altering magic, and had received promises from both Zeke Ernst and the Fifth Jaeger Corps, took the broken cane and resolutely marched toward death.

It was an invitation to the Black Sun Society.

Now, the corpse of Yerevan, who "personally" opened the door and openly appeared on the faces of the rebels, has become Zeke Ernst's declaration of war to the Black Sun Society.

Before the two maids, who were acting as monitors of the society, could react, Erevan's corpse, under the manipulation of Klaus's necromancy, was already charging towards the crowd, and then, buried within his body, the "corpse destruction spell," which was considered forbidden magic by Merlinler and the Legal Committee, immediately took effect.

With a nauseating sound of flesh shattering, Yerevan's body exploded.

Under the influence of this cruel magic, the explosion from a corpse is almost indistinguishable from that of a real alchemical bomb.

Fragments of clothing, flesh, and bones swept across the entire corridor in an instant, propelled by magic.

The Society's monitors and their armed guards were well-prepared. They carried not only various weapons but also simple magical rituals for self-protection. As the debris swept in, the protective rituals on everyone's bodies were forced to activate, and numerous semi-transparent magical barriers rose up on their own, blocking out the deadly flesh and debris.

At this moment, even though the traitors who came here did not know what had happened, they all knew that they were in an extremely dangerous situation.

The two Society Watchers reacted swiftly, charging towards Zeke Ernst's lounge before Klaus's next spell could even take shape. Two specially made crystal guns fired with astonishing force.

This firearm is essentially the same as, or even superior to, the weapon used in the Salem massacre that successfully penetrated the royal shrine and killed Prince Havid and his wife. Under its fire, most existing protective shrines would become ineffective.

However, these bullets, which contained a dangerous luster, were forcibly stopped a few meters away from Old Zeke and Klaus. They had no way to penetrate the new arcane device brought by the Fifth Jaeger Regiment. Therefore, these expensive crystal bullets could only spin helplessly in the air and eventually lost all kinetic energy, turning into clumps of magical debris.

Moreover, the two Society Watchers' thrusting Silver Swords were also blocked. The insurmountable magical barrier created an astonishing impact the moment the blades struck, quickly knocking the two charging figures back into a corner of the room.

Meanwhile, the soldiers in the corridor who had once been loyal to the Ernst family but had now become Yerevan's personal guards received a different kind of "treatment".

These traitors from the Ernst family and the Kingdom of Walter had just recovered from the shock and blood mist caused by the "Corpse Destruction" spell when they saw at the end of the corridor that the disguise spell set up by the Valley-level mage was instantly stripped away by a series of bullets.

Behind the makeshift metal fortifications, the soldiers of the Fifth Regiment were on high alert. As they pulled the triggers, the new revolver rifles created a dense hail of bullets in an instant. The protective devices of the rebels at the forefront were shattered on the spot, and then the metal bullets mercilessly tore through their bodies and crashed into the targets further back, spraying blood.

These former guards were also elites who had retired from military camps and battlefields. Their equipment was equally excellent. So, several soldiers immediately took down the expensive Demon-Slaying Silver Shields that had been reinforced with multiple layers of ritual on their backs and worked hard to put them together, instantly forming a temporary physical barrier.

The soldiers, now under cover, immediately launched a counterattack. Although their weapons were not the latest firearms, they were high-quality, incredibly powerful new crystal guns, each bullet capable of creating a massive explosion and impact far exceeding that of metal ammunition.

However, the Jaeger Regiment soldiers behind the temporary fortifications were not flustered.

Faced with the enemy's counterattack, the foremost archers quickly retreated to the rooms on both sides. A heavy metal machine that had been prepared in advance was pushed forward, and under the protection of the metal fortifications and the ceremonial area, two young operators quickly took their positions.

After a brief silence, a series of continuous, muffled, explosive cracks echoed through the city of Borden. This steady and powerful sound, like a hammer striking a nail, was like the heavy footsteps of time, stomping heavily on everyone's hearts.

That was a sound etched into the entire history of Vaan. The soldier in charge of operating the weapon was only twenty years old. His shooting record in the mercenary group wasn't particularly outstanding, but he was quick-witted and could always learn all the new equipment and weapons very quickly. And now, he was fascinated by the steel monster in his hands.

The heavy body, forged from jet-black metal, has a barrel that must be operated with both hands, is engraved with numerous magical runes, and has a sleeve inlaid with a series of magical crystals...

With each roar and tremor, it throws out metal cartridge cases. The bullet belt made of earthworm skin feeds one cheap, standard bullet after another into the slot as the trigger is pulled continuously. Under the action of that terrible structure that combines precision mechanics and complex magic, the bullets tilt out of the barrel inside the slide.

The continuous, frenzied firing caused the metal barrel to overheat due to friction, but the magical ritual within the metal sleeve quickly took effect, calming the agitated liquid in the tank and releasing a large amount of steam from the opening on the right side of the gun.

The Demon Silver Shield fortifications, which were originally strong enough to withstand the explosion of crystal bullets, collapsed rapidly under this unprecedented impact. When the physical protection at the front collapsed, the people hiding behind it immediately became the most miserable human targets.

The young shooter's eyes began to turn red, not because he was engrossed in the killing, but because the blood mist created by the burst of bullets had already covered the finite world before him...

In the lounge, Zeke Ernst leaned comfortably in his wheelchair, his eyes half-closed. The continuous gunfire and the howls of the wounded but not dead seemed to be the most beautiful music in the world. In contrast, the two Society Watchers, suppressed by the arcane arts and Klaus magic, looked like comical clowns dancing clumsily to the music.

"Marshal, as you can see, the Royal Magic Workshop and the Alchemy Association immediately began developing the new arcane instrument after receiving your suggestion. Although its effectiveness is not yet perfect, it is still much better than the old model."

Were the old rituals really that bad?

Zeke chuckled: "I don't think so. In the fight against magic and magical power, today's rites may not be comparable to the royal rites of the past. But that's how the world develops. New bows and arrows will inevitably create new shields and armor... That's the foundation of our existence."

"You're right."

Klaus nodded in agreement. At that moment, the magical beast he had summoned, made of bones and clay, was dismantled and defeated by two Black Sun Society monitors working together. Seeing this, Klaus touched his nose with some shame and was about to continue casting magic when Zeke raised his hand to stop him.

“I know His Highness won’t just send you here… You don’t need to finish everything. You can leave these tricky problems to more professional people, which will save you a lot of trouble.”

Before the words were finished, intense magical fluctuations appeared on the wall on the other side of the lounge. Then, on the wall that the ritual could not fully cover, the "Arcane Portal" spell, which only a very few spellcasters authorized by the Law Council could learn, quickly took shape. From the magical gate that connected to another space, a tall and thin figure slowly walked out.

“Mr. Zeke’s decisions and wisdom always open my eyes.”

The royal butler of the Wotel family, who always accompanied Princess Sophia, ignored the two enemies who were standing close by and instead gave Zeke a very proper bow: "Your Highness has much to learn from you."

“Finn, you don’t need to be modest on Her Highness’s behalf. She has already done an outstanding job.”

The mountain elf smiled gently, then looked to his side.

He recognized both maids; they had been taking care of old Zeke for the past few years, only leaving temporarily due to regulations when visiting the royal family or attending important meetings like these…

"Your courage is truly..."

Finn shook his head: "You should have told His Highness earlier that if you put yourself in danger, it would be very difficult for the whole kingdom."

As they spoke, terrifying magical power far exceeding that of ordinary lake-level and valley-level mages began to stir within the building. The soldiers of the Ymir Legion, who had meticulously counted and monitored all the noble members participating in the meeting, began to enter and take over the entire building in an orderly manner.

Inside the room, Klaus pushed old Zeke's wheelchair to a corner, where, under the watchful gaze of General Ludwig's portrait behind them, they began to quietly appreciate the magical performance presented by the royal butler and chief mage.

Of course, this magic show was not glamorous at all.

Finn's use of magic had a strong military flair. Under his magical manipulation, a large amount of clutter in the room was forcibly condensed into two terrifying hands with astonishing power. They easily shattered the magic released by the two maids and cornered them. Then, two "brain spikes" formed by high concentrations of magic were unleashed.

With the support of high-intensity magic, these two stream-level spells actually broke through the magic resistance of the two maids who had taken large amounts of magic potions. Under the severe mental shock that was enough to kill an ordinary person, they were forced into a brief state of confusion.

The next instant, a cruel and effective "limb destruction spell" descended, instantly turning their limbs into irreparable dust. Then, various suppressive and restraining spells such as "will stripping" and "magical restraint" were applied, completely trapping them in a cage of magic.

Having finished his work, Finn turned around and explained apologetically, "Your Highness was really in a hurry, so I apologize, I used a little too much force."

"It doesn't matter."

Zeke Ernst sighed: "But I cannot see Your Highness now. Please take me back to the manor. I still have a lot to take care of there... If Your Highness is in a hurry, you can come to the manor to find me as usual."

...

I've been out all day, and only start writing at night.
Because of my hand problems, it took me so long to finish this.
I'm asking for leave in advance (I'll be on a plane all day tomorrow, and I'll try my best to write, but I might not have a chance to update because I won't land until after midnight ORZ).

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(End of this chapter)