Chapter 389: I’m the Crazy One In This Kingdom (2)
What should one do when meeting someone who introduces himself as a madman? Normally, the best option was to avoid them. But if one couldn’t run, there was only one thing anyone could do: strike first.
Keter was leaning against the wall, standing casually on one leg. Meanwhile, Marquis Mejai had taken the optimal stance to thrust his sword. The speed advantage created by this difference was beyond imagination.
From the very first move, Marquis Mejai aimed for Keter’s neck. He didn’t even consider subduing him because he could already tell how strong Keter was. But his judgment was wrong.
Clang!
“…?”
Marquis Mejai doubted his own eyes. His sword carried an Aura Laser, an ability of a six-star Grandmaster that could slice even orichalcum, which was said to be the hardest substance in the world. Yet it couldn’t cut Keter’s neck. The sensation transmitted through the sword into his hand was something he had never felt in his life.
“How can this be…”
The veins in Marquis Mejai’s arm bulged. The aura around his blade intensified further, but Keter simply stared at him, as if waiting for him to continue.
Crack!
Marquis Mejai’s augmented aura shattered. The impact traveled back into the blade, causing it to break apart into fragments that fell to the ground. He alternated his gaze between the broken pieces and Keter, then took a step back. Keter wasn’t just a madman; he was an overwhelmingly powerful one.
Keter had fought countless life-or-death battles against Transcendentals and even survived battles against gods. On top of that, Survival of the Fittest, the cultivation technique he practiced, made him stronger the more he survived.
Now, simply existing granted him an invincible body that could ignore augmented aura. Unless it was divine power wielded by Transcendentals or something of the same nature, no one could even scratch Keter’s skin.
Keter bent down and picked up the broken sword fragments. Marquis Mejai swallowed nervously.
Crunch, crack.
Keter put the fragments into his mouth and chewed them, as if they were candy.
“…!”
Marquis Mejai was shocked. He had thought he had only stepped back once, but somehow he was already pressed against the wall. His will wasn’t weak enough to retreat just because he faced someone stronger. If he had to die fighting, so be it.
But Keter’s sheer abnormality shattered his understanding. The fact that Keter hadn’t even used violence made him even more terrifying.
The final straw was watching him chew the broken sword like candy. At that moment, Marquis Mejai truly felt fear.
“I’m Keter of Sefira.”
A completely normal introduction following utterly abnormal behavior. Already overwhelmed, Marquis Mejai’s voice trembled.
“S-Sefira? Keter?”
He had never seen him before, but the name was well known.
Sefira’s Divine Bow, Keter. His stories were so famous that everyone knew of him.
“I heard you died ten years ago, my lord…”
He addressed Keter with respect without even realizing it. Keter accepted that naturally.
“As you can see, I came back alive.”
Having no intention of explaining his situation, Keter closed the distance instantly. With nowhere left to retreat, Marquis Mejai steadied his trembling body and waited for what came next.
“And you’ve got two choices.”
Slowly, Keter raised his fist. Marquis Mejai couldn’t help but imagine it: what would happen if that bare fist, which could shatter aura, struck him?
“Will you agree quietly, or do you want to take a few hits first before deciding?”
“A-agree to what, exactly?”
“Are you going to land a blow on Rukan or not?”
The wording was crude, but the intent was clear. That was precisely what made it more confusing. The world alliance army had just been crushed. The Demon King’s momentum was rising. This wasn’t old news—it had happened only hours ago. They had countless wounded to treat, and now had to deal with the chimera threat. Even that was urgent, and yet Keter was talking as if launching a second attack.
That’s suicide.
Though the world alliance army had a fancy name, the other nations hadn’t sent their most elite forces; at best, it was just a couple of their bigger troops.
Despite fearing Keter, Marquis Mejai spoke his mind.
“That’s a meaningless tactic. It’s not even a gamble that might work, just a guaranteed failure. It will only get our forces killed.”
“I know. And Rukan probably knows too.”
“…?!”
“That’s exactly why we’re doing it.”
“If you have another strategy, I’ll gladly hear it. If it truly has a chance, the Mejai family will follow Sefira.”
“A strategy? There isn’t one.”
“Do you not trust me?”
“Yeah, but that’s a separate issue. There really isn’t a strategy.”
“Then what is the point of this?”
“You don’t need to know. Just choose. Will you hand over your troops quietly, or after getting beaten?”
“I acknowledge your strength. I likely couldn’t even manage to leave a scratch on you. But I’m not so incompetent that I would send thousands of my men to their deaths out of fear.”
“Yeah, I can see that. But you know something? People who aren’t afraid of death are more common than you’d think.”
As Keter agreed with him, the fear that Marquis Mejai had momentarily forgotten crept back in, like dark clouds gathering before rain.
“But here’s the thing. Even if you’re not afraid of death, you’re still afraid of the fist right in front of you.”
“V-violence won’t change anything.”
“That’s what everyone says at first.”
Rolling up his sleeves, Keter gave him a warning.
“Don’t scream too loud. If others come running after hearing it, they’ll get beaten too. What did they do to deserve that?”
It was a terrifying threat, but Marquis Mejai remained resolute.
I am the head of a Masters of Swordsmanship family. Do you think I’d endanger my men over mere pain?
He had trained in swordsmanship since age two and fought on battlefields since age seven. He had lived every day with injuries—bones crushed, muscles torn, even fighting with severed limbs. He had even undergone torture resistance training. No matter how much Keter beat him, his conviction would never break.
Three minutes later, three thousand of the Mejai family’s army joined Sefira’s army.
* * *
“Sefira is gathering an army, and their commander is Keter, the Divine Bow who disappeared ten years ago.”
This rumor spread on its own, even though no one intentionally spread it. No one believed it, but there was one person who believed it the moment he heard it.
“Keter… that bastard actually came back alive.”
In the royal audience chamber, Rukan sat upon the throne that had once belonged to Queen Lillian. Though he bore the title of Demon King, his appearance was nothing like one. There were no horns, no sinister aura—only an extraordinarily handsome man who could captivate hearts. It was a stark contrast to his unstable state ten years ago when he had relied on the Godfather’s help.
“Alkione. This isn’t what you promised.”
At Rukan’s mutter, a voice came from the shadow of the throne.
“What do you mean, not what I promised?”
Alkione emerged from the shadows, looking incredibly frail. He had already been old ten years ago, but now his back was completely bent, and he could barely stand without a cane. His drooping eyelids made it hard to tell whether his eyes were open or closed. He looked so aged that it wouldn’t be surprising if he fell asleep today and never woke again. Yet Rukan snapped at him.
“You promised you would deal with Keter for good!”
Rukan shot to his feet, a gray aura erupting from his body. Though his appearance seemed normal, he had accepted a power that was neither good nor evil; it was chaos itself.
Alkione stroked his sparse beard.
“Yes, I did. And didn’t that allow Your Highness to reach this point without major trouble?”
“So you deceived me.”
“Perhaps we simply had different perspectives. But does that matter? Ten years ago, everything about you was uncertain—your power and your forces. But now, things are different. You have the support of malevolent gods and evil gods, and you hold the advantage over the world. Are you truly afraid of someone like Keter?”
Rukan knew Alkione was provoking him, but the anger boiling inside him made him give the answer Alkione wanted.
“Even if there were hundreds or thousands of him, it wouldn’t matter. I’m just irritated that you deceived me.”
“Heh, my apologies. I’m old and forgetful, so I sometimes forget to explain things properly. Still, as compensation, I can ensure Keter is permanently erased, even now.”
“…Death is too light a punishment for him. I’ll keep him alive and make him suffer forever.”
Even Rukan found his current emotions unfamiliar. When he had achieved a great victory against the world alliance army, he hadn’t even smiled. He felt no joy, and even hearing of his allies’ deaths stirred no sorrow. Yet for some reason, just hearing Keter’s name reignited a spark of emotion within him.
It’s not like I’ve known him for long.
He had only met Keter once or twice. And yet, whenever he thought of him, irritation welled up. It fascinated Rukan.
The greatest obstacle in my life was clearly Rakan, but the one who annoyed me the most was Keter.
Ever since becoming entangled with Keter, nothing had gone smoothly, and troublesome situations kept arising. As a prince, there had been nothing he couldn’t do, but he had failed to deal with Keter and Sefira. That alone gnawed at him.
Why didn’t I kill him myself back then and leave it to the Godfather?
Rukan blamed his past self. If he had acted personally instead of sending the Four Lords, he could have killed Keter for certain.
“Godfather, where is Keter now?”
Rukan addressed Alkione with respect again.
Understanding his intent, Alkione answered, “The Chimera Legion is still unstable. Could you wait two more days?”
“No. I won’t entrust important matters to others anymore.”
“…Surely you don’t mean that?”
Alkione lightly grabbed Rukan’s sleeve, looking troubled.
Smack.
Rukan forcefully shook his hand off.
“I don’t need an army. I’ll go myself and cut off Keter’s limbs.”
