◈ 309. [Side Story] Good brothers (2)
A river flows in the middle of the continent.
The name of this river that separates the southwest from the northeast of the continent is Iris.
The ecliptic New Terra is a great river that flows through the adjacent inland sea to the eastern open sea, and is the lifeline of civilization that made the central part of the continent rich and fertile.
For the Everblack Empire, which greedily devoured the center of the continent, this river
is the actual ruling area of New Terra, the ecliptic, and also an absolute line of defense that cannot allow outcry.
All over, all over… … .
To the west of the river a series of troops appeared.
A spear that pierced the enemies of the empire for a long time and a shield that blocked foreign enemies.
Imperial Army 1st Corps.
Since its inception, these units, called ‘Pilgrims of the Border’, have never left the border area and are now heading to the ecliptic.
“… .”
The commander of the 1st Corps at the forefront, the commander of the military power of the Empire, and the 1st Prince.
Lark ‘Avalanche’ Everblack slowly slowed down his horse when he saw the river. The knights and troops under his command also slowly stopped.
Lark raised a silent gaze and looked ahead. In front of him was a huge bridge built to cross the Iris River,
and Chuck! chuck! chuck!
There was a group of troops occupying the bridge.
Imperial Defense Army.
A standing army directly under the imperial family in charge of outer defense and internal security of New Terra, the imperial capital.
As an independent unit that even Lark, the military leader of the Empire, could not issue orders, their commander was.
“Long time no see brother.”
Fernandez ‘AmberKeeper’ Everblack.
The Minister of Government of the Empire and the commander of the Aegis Special Forces. and the second prince.
Fernandez greeted Lark from the saddle. Unlike his older brother, who was fully armed, he was dressed as a regular civil servant.
“Why did you come all the way here? I understand that the whole of the Principality of Bringer is not stable yet.”
Inside the monocle, the dark red eyes of the second prince fluttered with laughter.
“Or did you rob the Duke of Bringer and rob the Dragon Blood without me knowing?”
“… .”
“Even if that is the case, to come back with the entire 1st Corps. don’t you know? Only the Ecliptic Defense Forces are capable of military activities in the ecliptic.”
Larc was silent. I just stare at my brother who spits out in a sonorous voice.
“I don’t want to say this, but brother.”
Fernandez hesitated as if he was afraid to speak, but then he declared smoothly.
“Inside this river is the realm of the ecliptic. The moment you lead the troops over this bridge, you cannot help but be suspicious of treason.”
“… .”
“In order to prevent my older brother from being misunderstood, my younger brother Bulcho inevitably blocked the road like this. Will you understand?”
“Fernandez.”
Lark, who had been silently staring at his younger brother for a long time, finally spoke.
“Are you aware of the fact that there is a disturbing movement in the ecliptic?”
“yes? A disturbing move?”
“okay. So I came here to find out the truth myself.”
Fernandez, who had tilted his head, burst into laughter before long.
“Are you talking about the secret powers? Aren’t I doing my best to stop that disturbing movement?”
“What if that secret power doesn’t actually exist?”
When Lark spat out, Fernandez’s smile hardened slightly.
“Everyone with the Aegis task force… What if it’s your own play?”
“older brother. I don’t know who heard that nonsense from you.”
Fernandez raised both hands with a light sigh.
“Would you be a little sad if this younger brother made the work he has been working on for the past seven years in one fell swoop?”
“… I’m sorry, Fernandez, but I have no intention of talking to you anymore.”
Purreung-
The huge warhorse ridden by Lark let out a rough snort. While sweeping the horse’s mane to calm it down, Lark chanted coolly.
“I need to see Obama. Where are you?”
“You don’t know. Obama is still connected to Everblack Everblack. To protect the empire.”
Fernandez grinned.
“There is no way you can know anything about the outside world. On the other side of the other side, you must be fighting a never-ending battle with these gods.”
“… .”
Larc closed his eyes.
okay… If my father could normally see state affairs.
This empire would not have been eaten away from within the country.
“The outside of the country is for my brother, and the inside is for me. Didn’t Obama trust me? Then we should do well. In their respective places, in their respective roles.”
“… .”
“This is your last warning, brother.”
When Fernandez hits his hand,
Goo Oh!
An airship that flew in from the other side of the sky floated behind Fernandez.
It was an airship belonging to the Imperial Defense Force. The ferocious sound of the engine resounded from the steel body of the flying ship.
“It can still be reversed. It is enough for you to guard the outside of the country and for me to rule the inside. As Obama wishes, we can remain righteous brothers.”
“… .”
“Beat the troops. And please go back to where your brother should be. If you do, I will keep this a secret. Obama will never know.”
Then, Lark took a deep breath.
“I am Larque ‘Avalanche’ Everblack!”
He let out the Lion’s Roar.
The roar was so loud that the waters of the Iris River swayed and rippled on the other side.
The flagship Imperial Guard soldiers flinched back and retreated.
“He is the first son of His Majesty the Great Emperor, the heir by right, and the legitimate military leader.”
Sreung-!
Lark, who drew a longsword from his waist, growled like a tiger.
“You have no right to stop my journey to the zodiac. you guys get out of the way I will go to the ecliptic myself and find the real weightlifter.”
“… .”
“Fernandez. If you are truly innocent, trust me and make your way. I’ll find out the truth and if I’m wrong, I’ll be punished myself.”
Fernandez laughed bitterly.
Lark was truly a human being and a reliable human being.
‘It’s not me.’
The problem was that he wasn’t innocent.
All of Larc’s suspicions were correct. There had never been a secret force in the ecliptic from the beginning, and Fernandez conspired against it.
And Lark, who noticed much faster than expected, rushed to the ecliptic.
‘Where did you get the information from? who?’
Fernandez narrowed his eyes.
But that wasn’t what mattered now.
Preventing the avalanche in front of them was a bigger problem.
“… If you don’t get out of the way even after saying this.”
The longsword of the first prince was pointed forward with a flash of light.
“I will count all of you who stop me as weightlifters.”
undefeated knight.
strongest human.
There is no way that the Ecliptic Defense Forces are unaware of the first prince’s history in front of them, as well as the first prince’s loyalty and devotion to the empire.
They did not step out of the way and each raised their weapons forward.
Block foreign troops heading to the ecliptic.
Because that is the reason for their existence.
“Open-!”
Taat!
When Lark kicked the horse’s belly, the huge warhorse kicked forward as if it had been waiting for it.
The knights closely followed the First Prince, who rushed forward while fluttering his white cloak.
Behind them, the soldiers of the 1st Corps rushed silently, casting cold gazes.
Doo doo doo!
Seeing his brother and the knights rushing across the narrow bridge, Fernandez whispered in a low voice.
“older brother. I repeat.”
The second prince waved his hand toward the sky.
“There are no personal feelings.”
Geeeeeeing-!
Accompanied by a shrill engine sound, the airship spewed fire from the thrusters behind it.
The magical sparks that erupted from the magical furnace instantly accelerated the main body of the airship and made it rush towards the enemy lines at a speed that was unbelievable that it had come from its large and heavy body.
clap clap clap!
The front of the airship flying towards the 1st Corps was deformed, revealing the muzzles of dozens of mana cannons.
The non-empty warship was going to fire after approaching the range and leave.
Overwhelming firepower, unbelievable mobility, and transcendent defense provided by dozens of overlapping defensive magic.
A flawless weapon equipped with all three elements, including firepower, mobility, and defense. This is the essence of modern magical engineering.
It was nonsense that the price of one boat was equivalent to the annual budget of a small country.
Even though such a strategic weapon was tearing through the air and approaching, Lark did not blink an eye. Rather, he crashed into the front of the non-empty ships.
All right! All right! All right!
Lark’s favorite horse was a famous horse among famous horses.
With a rough turejil, the horse broke away from the ranks and went ahead, and Lark kicked the saddle and rose as soon as the airship reached the nose.
Tutu tu tu tu!
Dozens of mana cannons spewed fire from the front of the airship. Hundreds of cannon ball-sized magic bullets rained down.
But
flash!
Kwagwagwang!
When Lark swung down a single sword horizontally, everything exploded in the air.
Lark could clearly see the wide-eyed pilot sitting in the cockpit of the airship.
Lark whispered softly as he straightened his sword.
“sorry.”
fault!
The tip of Lark’s sword, which was mounted on the body of the flying ship, was inserted into the bow of the flying ship.
Blue sword air shimmered at the tip of the sword, and the sword sword and defense magic collided with each other, sending red sparks in all directions.
But in the end, it was Lark’s sword that won. The longsword split the defensive magic and was deeply embedded in the body of the flying machine.
Lark grabbed the sword and ran away.
Tsuka go go go go-!
Larc ran from the head to the tail of the flying ship at terrifying speed and cut the back of the flying ship with the inserted sword.
Taat!
When Lark retrieved the sword, he jumped down with a light motion and climbed onto his saddle.
Kwakwagwagwang!
The flying ship that crashed to the other side exploded in pieces, creating a huge flame.
At this absurd inaction, all the soldiers of the Capital Defense Force opened their mouths. Fernandez, who had been watching dejectedly, murmured softly.
“This is a bit too much.”
As Fernandez murmured, Lark had already come in front of him.
***
The Imperial Guard has been annihilated.
Lark’s strength was enormous, but the difference in fighting power between the 1st Corps and the Imperial Guard was also significant.
The 1st Corps, which has lived its entire life fighting against foreign enemies in the border area, and the Imperial Guard, who have been working hard to maintain public order while staying in the Imperial City.
There was an obvious gap in combat experience and proficiency.
It was the latest technology such as flying ships to make up for this lack of power, but it was no longer meaningful now that it was cut in two by Larc’s sword.
Even in the midst of this, Lark subdued most of the Imperial Defense Forces without killing them.
Those who resisted to the end were slain, but those who surrendered were captured.
He still didn’t consider them enemies.
“Let me ask you one question, Fernandez.”
Lark asked coldly among the Ecliptic Defense Forces that had been subdued.
“Even if I understand everything else, I can’t understand this one. I want to ask you directly.”
Fernandez was also chained.
The 2nd prince did not show any resistance from the beginning. When the airship crashed and the tide turned, he quietly raised his hands and waited for his brother.
Lark approached his younger brother with a sword and gently asked him a question.
“Why? Why did you arrange this?”
“… You won’t understand.”
Even in this situation, Fernandez smiled bitterly as he heard the moderate brother’s voice.
“The ‘good’ people like you who are whole, righteous, and believe in the warmth of the world… … I don’t understand that this world is wrong.”
“what?”
“In that sense, Ash would rather communicate with me.”
Thinking of his youngest brother who was not here, Fernandez giggled.
“He always knew… That this world is twisted from the very beginning.”
“What the hell is that… .”
Lark couldn’t follow that.
hooked!
It was because Fernandez, who jumped at the sword he had pointed forward, stabbed himself in the neck.
