Chapter 76: Battle in the Black Mist

At dawn, the mist seeping through the forest was mystical.

The fragrant scent of grass and the refreshing air.

Watching the mist subtly settle in, one could experience a fragment of nature’s wonder.

However, beauty lies in moderation.

Thick, dense fog was unpleasant.

If that unpleasantness went beyond a limit, it became fear.

A blurred vision where not even a single step ahead could be seen.

The sticky moisture clinging to the skin.

Direction became impossible to discern, and comrades standing right beside suddenly vanished from sight countless times.

That alone was overwhelming, but the unknown timing and place where enemies might suddenly appear made it worse.

The fear only grew stronger.

Kyaaah!

A scream echoed from somewhere.

The clashing of armor and the heavy thud of something large hitting the ground.

But the direction was impossible to gauge.

It seemed to come from the left one moment, then from behind the next.

This was a sensation never experienced before.

Even with prior notice, this was how intense it was.

The symbol of terror, the Black Mist.

Only now did it begin to sink in that they had entered its territory.

“Hold your positions! Don’t panic! This was expected!”

The only fortunate aspect was that they didn’t need to push forward recklessly in such an unreasonable environment.

That was the given order.

Slowly, very slowly advancing while surrounding the Ba’al Forest widely.

So, countless Imperial soldiers were aligned behind, moving steadily.

But when people move, there is always a presence.

Even with such a large force gathered, the sensed presence was minimal, raising doubts.

‘Were they truly all following properly?’

‘Or had some scattered and fallen behind on their own?’

Constant suspicion lingered.

Then.

“Grrrraaah!”

A massive hand suddenly emerged, breaking through the fog.

“It’s a Ma-in!”

Soldiers swiftly formed their formation.

Their response was quick.

They were structured precisely for this.

Within the limited field of vision, soldiers and knights mixed to handle as many situations as possible.

And this front line was particularly exceptional.

“Do not engage!”

A flash of light appeared on the ground, and suddenly a man stood atop the monster’s head.

Before anyone noticed when he swung, the drawn sword had already passed through the monster’s neck, pointing toward the sheath.

Only when his body lightly landed on the ground did the monster’s head drop with a thud.

Royal Knight, Damon Lieefte.

A master of the exquisite quick sword and a skill that allows him to leap short distances freely.

“Sir Lieefte.”

“As expected of a Royal Knight…”

Having a Royal Knight nearby, within his own unit, naturally instilled confidence in the tense fog.

However, the expression of Damon, the Royal Knight focused ahead, wasn’t as hopeful as the others’.

Being one of the core forces of power, Damon knew roughly the outline of this operation.

The longer the fog persisted, the greater the damage to their forces.

They would rapidly tire, and mental exhaustion would swell beyond control.

Even trying to break through the fog toward the core with Sword Saints and other elites was out of the question.

Once that was understood, all the Black Mist forces would relentlessly cling to them.

They could easily become isolated in a sea of endless fog.

There was only one simple method.

To clear away this white mist.

If not for this eerie fog, they could have quickly pushed through and overwhelmed the enemy.

And Damon knew the one who was preparing to do just that.

Far away in the mist-filled distance.

‘By now…’

The operation must have already begun.

“You don’t look nervous.”

A faint nod in response to the Sword Saint’s words.

***

Standing side by side in the dense fog, Vitalianus gazed into the distance.

“That Airlights fellow… was hardly in a reliable mental state. You know that, right?”

Behind them, knights stared at the scene with tense faces.

They too roughly understood the situation.

The Sword Saint and Guardian Knights standing together signaled that this place would soon become a fierce battlefield.

“Definitely not in a sane state.”

“But what did you put your faith in to carry out this operation? If it succeeds, victory will be easy, but if it fails, aren’t you the one who’ll be in the most danger?”

“Faith… huh.”

‘Who knows. What exactly was he trusting?’

Unable to speak honestly, Hio vaguely evaded the question.

“Let’s just say… it reminded me of old times.”

“As always, a shallow answer.”

“Then how about you, Vitalianus? You’ll soon be meeting Atawolf again.”

“I couldn’t be better. It’s been a while since I felt such tension; it reminds me I’m alive.”

Despite his words, Vitalianus’s expression remained consistently calm.

***

After a brief silence, Vitalianus was the first to speak.

“Magician. What is your goal?”

A somewhat sudden question amid the tension and silence of the fog.

Hio didn’t answer immediately.

He sensed there was more to come.

“When I was young, I wanted to be the best. I imagined achieving that with a friend.”

Vitalianus’s calm monologue spread through the mist.

“As I got older, I wanted to live for another man’s glory. Callias Verden—what a bold and magnificent man he was.”

He still gazed serenely into the distant fog, unreadable.

“So I achieved it. With a single sword, I earned the title of star and became the best. That man who always wished for glory became the emperor who ruled the continent and would be remembered forever.”

“You must have been happy after accomplishing everything, Vitalianus.”

“Hahaha! Of course. Without a doubt.”

Vitalianus’s laughter faded, and the silence returned.

The fog thickened more and more.

“But the human heart is so treacherous. After achieving everything, I suddenly felt emptiness. Perhaps that’s why old friends come to mind belatedly.”

“…Belatedly.”

“Anyway, that’s why I tell you to set your goals as high as possible. Only then can you burn brightly like a flame your whole life.”

“That’s already a pretty high goal. It can’t get any higher than this.”

“You say that, but now I’m curious. Could you share just a little?”

“There are many long-winded goals… but if I had to pick one, it would be to prevent this world from perishing.”

Vitalianus’s gaze shifted toward Hio, apparently surprised by that answer.

They stared at each other for a moment.

“Hahaha! That’s truly an incredible goal. It makes the goals I set seem trivial.”

Ignoring Hio’s sincere attitude, Vitalianus burst into laughter.

Hio didn’t mind.

That was exactly the answer he had hoped for.

***

After laughing for a while, Vitalianus stopped and looked forward again.

Though his laughter ended, a smile lingered on his lips.

As if relieved.

“That was a pleasant conversation, Magician.”

Then he slowly drew his sword.

A brilliant golden light radiated from it, symbolizing a hero.

“Now, let’s get ready.”

Through the thick fog, a black shadow briefly passed by.

Darker than the fog everywhere, a black mist was rolling in.

The dark fog symbolizing the villain.

At the same time, Hio took a step forward and summoned his will.

Skill: Thunder Emperor activates.

Dark clouds covered the sky above Ba’al Forest at dawn.

Eyes blazing white-hot, with small lightning crackling around his body.

The knights lined up behind confirmed this and raised their own auras.

No one dared to speak rashly.

The trembling earth, the eerie howls—

The dreadful sight of the pale fog slowly turning black was visible.

Tension rose until it reached its peak.

Swoosh! A streak of black light shot forward.

Blocking it was golden aura.

Ka-bang!

The clash of two forces pierced sharply through the Ba’al Forest’s fog, echoing far away.

Amid it, Vitalianus’s low voice sounded.

A smile still played on his lips.

“Atawolf.”

In response came a voice that was hardly human.

Low and sharp, it sent shivers down the spine of those who heard it.

His expression was twisted with rage.

“Vitalianus.”

Ka-bang!

The collision of power signaling the start of battle. Thunderous roars followed one after another.

Ka-bang!

And amidst the explosions—

“…Hello?”

Hio found himself facing a woman who suddenly appeared before him.

“Finally, we meet.”

In her large eyes shimmered a jewel-like crimson.

It was Airlights’s arrival.

“I love you.”

At her usual confession, Hio responded by unleashing dozens of lightning strikes at once.

***

Thud, thud—massive monsters crashing down, all were Ma-in.

“Stop them!”

The knights resisting were no less formidable.

They were elite Imperial knights, selected for the fiercest battlefields.

But they were not only facing Ma-in.

“Die! Die! Die!”

Hundreds of humans kept pouring in between and behind the Ma-in.

Most of them had eyes filled with a crimson glow, as if possessed, marked criminals with bounties.

Amid the clash of monstrous roars, human screams, shouts, and tremendous energy bursts on the battlefield—

“Airlights.”

Hio stood facing Airlights.

Ka-bang!

Lightning continued to strike nearby, accompanied by thick smoke.

A smokescreen to deceive Atawolf’s eyes and a cover for their moves.

“Facing you directly like this, my heart is pounding. This must be love, right?”

Ignoring the screams and noise around, Airlights placed a hand on her chest and slowly approached.

Hio shook his head coldly.

“It’s not love. Anyone’s heart would race on a battlefield like this.”

Her small face, large eyes with double eyelids, and thin but thick eyebrows formed a harmonious white purity.

Yet the crimson glow in her gently curved eyes gave off a chilling feeling.

“Anyway, you have to come with me, Hio.”

With a coy smile, Airlights closed the distance slowly.

Ka-bang!

Not even twitching an eyebrow amidst the falling lightning.

“Airlights, the moment Atawolf lowers his suspicion, you also must release your power and remember—we have to move to find the Artifact.”

“Yeah. Got it. Don’t worry.”

Ka-bang!

Finally, Airlights reached right in front of Hio.

Being a head shorter, she looked up at him with her eyes.

Her black hair swayed softly.

Hio retracted the Thunder Emperor skill.

“Let’s begin.”

“Yeah. Good.”

Thick fog and rising dust clouds.

Screams, shouts, and the overwhelming noise of battle.

“I love you.”

Airlights wrapped her arms around Hio’s neck.

Their breaths mingled in the narrow space between them.

Hio’s indifferent eyes looked down while Airlights’s eyes gazed up.

“You don’t know how much I’ve wanted to have you, Hio.”

Their eyes met, slowly being consumed by the crimson energy.

Hio’s pupils gradually stained the same color.

[Hidden Trait: Can’t Live Without Style! activates]

Instead of pushing it away, he calmly accepted the crimson glow.

Slowly, very slowly, the desire seeped in.

“I wanted it but couldn’t have it. My heart races whenever I think of it.”

At the barely touching, tense gap, Airlights’s shining eyes questioned brightly.

“This is love, right?”

With a wide smile, she slipped into his embrace.

“Yes! That’s right! I love you too!”

Ka-bang!

The clash of swords, the explosion of aura and black fog, screams and shouts, passion and cries of excitement.

…And from some point on, the thunder and lightning ceased to be heard.

The dust clouds slowly settled, and when they completely cleared—

There was no sign of Hio or Airlights anywhere.

[Hidden Trait: No Violence Allowed! (Endurance: 291 / 1000)]