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Chapter 165

In the hands of Duke Carl was a sword made entirely of water—a Water Sword, a weapon that could be crafted by a 3rd-Class Mage.

But what he displayed was far from ordinary.

The air grew cold.

The mana that naturally flowed through the surroundings gathered in Duke Carl’s hands.

His Mana Heart showed no visible activity.

‘Is that what he meant by a Natural State?’

A Natural State.

The term referred to an ability to draw power directly from nature itself—a feat only the most extraordinary of humans had managed to achieve.

And now, Duke Carl was demonstrating it.

"I thought I might somehow manage to defeat one of the top 4 among the twelve star lords, but... as for Father, I’m not so sure."

It wasn’t because of their close relationship.

He genuinely couldn’t tell.

Kane himself had not reached the Natural State, so he couldn’t say anything with certainty.

“Now you don’t need to worry about me, right?”

“Yes, it seems so,” Kane replied.

“Then let’s take a trip together. It’s been a while.”

At those words, Kane shook his head.

“Father, you must stay here.”

“The danger to the Fresia Empire is also a danger to Rehinar.” Carl told Kane.

“That’s exactly why I’m saying this.”

“If both you and I leave at the same time, who will protect Rehinar?”

“Then you stay here.”

“Are you saying you won’t even give me a chance to grow?”

Kane persisted, countering each point.

Duke Carl would undoubtedly be a great help if he moved.

However, they needed to prepare for emergencies.

If the floating city of the Meyer Family decided to target Rehinar, the damage could be catastrophic.

The floating city posed a massive threat; it could bombard any area within its range.

Thus, it was important for at least one of them to stay behind.

“Are you confident?”

“Of course. I’ve already crossed many mountains, and only one remains.”

At Kane’s resolute reply, Duke Carl stared at him intently.

Then, after a moment, he nodded.

“Don’t get hurt.”

“You don’t have to worry.”

His father’s gaze was filled with concern.

“Then, I’ll be on my way.”

Kane and his party swiftly headed toward the Fresia Imperial City.

As he watched Kane’s retreating figure, Cedric spoke up.

“He is truly admirable.”

“A lot has happened to him over time,” Duke Carl replied, his deepened gaze fixed on his departing son.

* * *

Fresia Empire’s Imperial City

An emergency alert had been issued.

The city was in chaos due to an unidentified object hovering in the sky.

People were gripped with fear.

“What is that thing…?”

“I heard the Tower Master detected a Mana Core reaction coming from it.”

“A Mana Core engine? Isn’t that something only found in weapons like Magitech Cannons?”

“That’s right. They say the energy readings from that thing are nothing ordinary.”

“What in the world is happening?”

The citizens spent the entire day in anxious uncertainty, staring at the ominous speck in the sky.

Those with sharp instincts—or rather, the spies from the Meyer Family—were already prepared to escalate the confusion.

“It’s time to begin.”

“Make sure to terrify them.”

“That’s my specialty.”

The individuals lurking behind buildings dispersed quickly.

Suddenly, screams erupted from various directions.

“Ahhh! Th-that’s a floating fortress! Why would a weapon capable of destroying the continent appear in our Fresia Empire?!”

“We’re all going to die! That weapon will kill us all!”

“We have to escape... If we want to survive, we must leave this place!”

“Aaaahhh!”

As one person screamed, panic spread like wildfire, plunging the city into chaos.

The Meyer Family spies\' efforts to incite turmoil were remarkably effective.

Ancient weapons, tales of devastating bombardments from the sky—rumors swirled like a storm, and even those who had remained calm began to panic.

“Ha, there’s no way they won’t succumb to chaos,” one spy chuckled.

They continued their theatrical performance, driving the people deeper into fear.

* * *

“Your Majesty! There’s a serious problem!”

Isaac, who had issued the state of emergency and was donning his armor, was approached urgently by the commander of the Black Heaven Knights.

“What is it?”

“People are attempting to flee the Imperial City. The collapse of order has already led to numerous casualties.”

“What are the soldiers doing?!”

“The crowds are so out of control that even the soldiers seem helpless. Some of them were even attacked by the civilians.”

“Everything was fine until now. Why is this happening all of a sudden?”

Isaac stepped outside.

Screams filled the air.

Order had long been forgotten.

The people were desperately trying to flee the city.

“There must be someone orchestrating this chaos. Find them immediately.”

The Black Heaven Knights mobilized.

Isaac himself left the palace.

“Soldiers, use force if necessary to restore order!”

This was no time to focus on the object in the sky.

If the chaos among the people continued unchecked, the city would suffer even greater losses.

Order must be restored.

If that black speck in the sky turned out to be an enemy, they would need to stand together to fight it.

“Summon the Tower Master.”

Before long, the leader of the mages appeared before Isaac.

“You called for me?”

“Have you figured out what that is?”

“It is as the rumors suggest—a floating city.”

“A floating city?! It’s already troubling enough to face a floating fortress, but an entire city in the sky…”

Isaac couldn’t finish his sentence.

The technological gap was overwhelming.

Who could have anticipated the emergence of a floating city?

“Isn’t there a way to intercept and bring it down?”

“That is impossible. If the massive rocks attached to the city fall, it would be akin to stars crashing down.”

“You’re saying it could cause catastrophic damage if we attack it from below?”

“Even if the mages create a defensive barrier, I cannot guarantee it would block everything.”

“Is there no solution?”

“The only viable option is to infiltrate the floating city.”

“In that case, we’ll need to ascend. Teleportation is out of the question without coordinates, so the only option is wyverns. Prepare the wyverns.”

Wyverns resembled dragons but were fundamentally different.

They were beasts raised by the Dragons—a far cry from the noble creatures themselves.

They only resembled dragons in appearance.

They could neither speak nor use magic.

Thus, they were often used as a means of air transportation.

Wyverns were also easy to tame, making them ideal for human use.

Isaac, accompanied by the Black Heaven Knights, mounted the wyverns.

“Your Majesty, take this and drop it anywhere you see fit.”

“A portal coordinate marker?”

“Yes. We will follow shortly behind you.”

“Understood.”

Without delay, Isaac soared into the sky.

He rapidly closed the distance toward the floating city at an incredible speed.

Then suddenly—

A powerful beam of light shot toward Isaac and the Black Heaven Knights.

“Ah!”

Isaac quickly maneuvered to dodge, but it was too late—his wyvern had already lost one of its wings.

“Your Majesty!”

The commander turned his wyvern to save the falling Isaac.

Another series of beams followed immediately after.

“Evade!”

But these were no ordinary beams.

They moved with overwhelming speed and destructive power, as if fired from a Mana Cannon.

“At this rate, we’ll die before we even get close! We must retreat!”

Hearing the commander’s urgent warning, Isaac bit his lip.

Aerial combat was proving impossible.

Skill alone wasn’t enough to overcome this challenge.

“Damn it! We’ll find another way!”

At Isaac’s command, the Black Heaven Knights retreated to the ground.

Even the wyverns, usually unmatched in the skies, were powerless against the Mana Cannons.

If they continued as they were, it was certain they would lose their lives before even approaching the city.

“I need to find a way…”

Isaac racked his brain, desperately considering every possibility to reach the floating city.

* * *

Above the skies,

First Star who was controlling the floating city, curled his lips into a smirk.

“The insects are making a futile effort.”

First Star\'s mana powered the magic cannons.

The floating city moved entirely under his control.

Its destructive power was determined by his strength.

And with the amassed oblivion energy he had gathered thus far, First Star could obliterate the capital of Fresia in an instant, if he so desired.

“Lord First Star, the enemies have turned tail and fled. What are your orders?”

“We’ll reduce the capital of Fresia to ashes,” he said, his smile laden with murderous intent.

“We’ll prepare immediately!”

His subordinates placed their hands on magical orbs.

Cannons hidden beneath the stone floor of the city emerged.

As they manipulated the orbs, the cannons pivoted toward the imperial capital.

But that wasn’t all.

More cannons appeared, all aimed squarely at Fresia’s capital.

“Preparations are complete.”

“Set the output to 20%. Target: Fresia’s capital. Fire.”

At First Star\'s command, his subordinates infused mana into the magical orbs.

Mana concentrated within the cannons, and beams shot downward.

Multiple rays of light struck the empire of Fresia.

Boom!

KRAAANG!

The capital trembled violently.

A protective barrier erected in the sky intercepted the beams.

CRACK!

The sound of fracturing echoed.

The mages of the Mage Tower desperately constructed layered barriers to hold the attack at bay.

“The first barrier has collapsed!”

Another sound like shattering glass followed soon after.

“The second barrier is down as well!”

The mages fought with everything they had.

Despite their efforts, the destructive power of the beams was overwhelming.

“The third barrier is—”

“The fourth barrier has also fallen! At this rate, we’re in danger.”

Two beams still remained.

One beam dissipated, leaving only one final strike.

“The fifth barrier has been obliterated! We can’t hold on any longer.”

At last, the mages were thrown backward as the sixth and final barrier disintegrated.

The pillar of light pierced directly through the heart of Fresia’s capital.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion roared, sending a storm of dust and debris into the air.

“No… this can’t be!”

The Mage Tower Master struggled to his feet, overwhelmed by despair.

The central district had taken a direct hit from a single beam of light.

The devastation would be unimaginable.

But then, something astonishing occurred.

As the dust clouds settled, a staggering figure emerged, swaying but standing firm.

The surrounding area was almost entirely intact.

The mages took a deep breath of relief at the sight.

"This weapon… it\'s far too dangerous."

Isaac exhaled deeply, using the Breath of the Moon to cool his overheated body.

"Your Highness! Are you alright?"

Isaac wavered momentarily but managed to steady himself.

“If it would just come down from the sky, I could crush it to pieces myself.”

His teeth clenched in frustration.

The overwhelming power of the weapon was terrifying.

If another strike came, even he wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

Having experienced its force firsthand, he was more certain than ever.

“That thing should not exist.”

“I have to admit, I was completely shocked as well. The destructive power is beyond imagination.”

“This is going to cause chaos.”

And, as expected,

The citizens, realizing the magnitude of the Mana Cannon’s strength, descended into panic.

"Do we have any way to get up there...?"

“We haven’t figured one out yet.”

“Hopeless, then?”

For Isaac to admit such a thing meant the situation was dire.

“Your Highness! It looks like they’re preparing another strike!”

“Your Highness, at least you must take cover immediately!”

As the Black Heaven Knights shouted,

An all-too-familiar voice echoed in Isaac’s ears.

At the same time, another pillar of light descended from the heavens.