On the same day Verdia and Eris went into labor, another event shook the world.
While the two daughters of the Beast God were coming into the world, the royal family of the Kingdragon Kingdom was exterminated.
The news arrived quickly through the communication devices kept by the members of the Iron Legion stationed in that kingdom.
There were several details about the situation, but the main message was simple. Almost the entire royal line had been decimated — simultaneously.
It was a tragic event, undeniably. But for Rygar, it was something more than that.
That was because this event had never existed in Oldgar's Timeline.
That alone was enough to put him on alert, because if something like that had changed, the influence of Hitogami was almost certain.
As a political ally, the Kingdom of Gaia had the duty — and the right — to intervene, mediate and, if necessary, impose order.
Without delay, Weys Adoldia, the Sword King and one of the founding leaders of the Iron Legion, received from Rygar the mission to lead a diplomatic and military delegation to the Kingdragon Kingdom.
Alongside him would go Pursena Adoldia, the Beast Princess, and Jino Britz, the Martial Emperor.
It was a learning opportunity for the two, since they lacked experience in general.
Before departure, Jino made sure he would have time to return.
Nina was about to give birth, and he did not want to miss the birth of his child.
But, since they would travel mounted on Red Dragons, the trip would be swift. He had enough time to complete the mission and return.
---
After several days of travel, the group crossed the borders of the Kingdragon Kingdom.
The capital was shrouded in smoke. Burned flags.
The delegation landed before the gates of the Kingdragon Royal Castle.
And to everyone's surprise, who received them was not a general or a diplomat — but a child.
The sound of the dragons made the few guards shrink, tense and frightened.
Weys jumped down calmly. He wore the Legion's standard silver armor, marked with engravings of a wolf and the symbol of the Beast God.
The scars, the thick beard and the long hair gave him the aura of a war veteran.
The child approached with surprising poise.
"Vice-Commander of the Iron Legion's Armed Force, Weys Adoldia," he said, bowing slightly.
"It is a pleasure to welcome you to our Kingdom. I apologize for not being able to offer a better reception... we are with our hands tied."
Weys raised an eyebrow.
The boy had light-brown hair, blue eyes, and wore noble clothes, though wrinkled and stained.
A short sword hung at his waist.
Weys crossed his arms, watching him for a moment.
"You... could you be one of the four survivors of the royal family — the Twenty-Seventh Prince, Richard Kingdragon?"
The delegation exchanged glances. They knew, from the communications sent, that four members of the royal family had survived, and that the distress call had been sent by one of them.
But no one expected the said prince to be merely a child.
The boy nodded firmly.
"I am, sir. But now only my sister and I remain..." he hesitated for a moment, clenching his fists.
"The other two survivors were found and executed during the internal insurrection."
A brief silence settled.
Pursena perked an ear, her keen instinct picking up something.
"I'm hearing soldiers approaching," she said, her eyes narrowing, "and there are many. They're coming from inside the palace... are they your subordinates?"
The prince averted his gaze for a moment. It was already strange he had received the delegation outside the castle.
The boy's voice grew more serious, but laden with sadness.
"The castle was... taken during the insurrection. The current ruler is Jonk Honnar, son of the former Chief of the Royal Guard. He took advantage of the chaos after the death of his father and the royal family to stage a coup. He now proclaims himself Regent of the Kingdom."
He bowed his head.
"We... would like to ask our allies for help to retake the castle. We are few, and our soldiers do not have the strength to defeat Jonk's army."
The guards around lowered their heads, consumed by shame. It was humiliating to see their prince beg for help — but they knew they had no choice.
The Sword King took a deep breath.
"I understand," he said calmly.
Then, he turned to Jino.
"Jino. Retake the castle. Capture the usurper and his subordinates. Execute all enemy soldiers who cross your path. Keep them alive if possible, but don't hesitate if you can't."
"Understood," answered the Martial Emperor.
In the blink of an eye, Jino disappeared like a blur.
At that time, Jino Britz was recognized as the second-strongest man in the Kingdom of Gaia, just below Rygar Adoldia — the Beast God himself.
But on that mission, Weys was the commander, so he would follow his orders.
Weys turned to Prince Richard, who was still kneeling.
"Do not bow, boy. The Kingdom of Gaia will not press you. You are the crown prince of this country. If you want to win the support of others, keep your head up and show strength."
The boy raised his face, surprised. For a moment he hesitated — and then nodded seriously, clenching his fists.
"Pursena," Weys continued, "follow the prince to his hideout. Heal the wounded and bring them back to the palace."
"Understood!" replied Pursena.
Weys looked at the rest of the troops.
"Half of you, follow Pursena. The other half, clean the traces that Jino will leave. No traces. No enemy escaping. No unidentified bodies."
All answered in unison:
"Yes, sir!"
The Iron Legion moved in an organized manner.
Weys, for his part, remained standing for a moment.
His eyes turned to the Magic Tower, near the castle. According to reports, everything had started there.
The place where Magic Prince Philip began to act strangely. Weys was determined to discover what had led to the current events.
If he wanted to understand what had happened, that was where he should go; with that in mind, he set off toward the tower.
---
Meanwhile, inside the royal castle, chaos reigned.
The castle that had once been the symbol of the glory of the Kingdragon Kingdom was now a den of degradation.
Shouts, laughter and the sound of goblets breaking echoed through the corridors.
Drunken soldiers staggered, prostitutes danced over marble steps stained with blood, and the bodies of the former guards still hung from ropes on the columns.
It was a grotesque scene.
Then, the air distorted. And a cutting wind swept through the main corridor. The torches went out for a moment.
When the light returned, Jino Britz was standing at the entrance to the hall.
The soldiers nearby froze. Some tried to raise their weapons, others just looked confused.
But the Martial Emperor did not wait.
Only the dry sound — crack — of a body splitting in half.
Then another.
And another.
Each strike was lethal.
He advanced through the corridors with great speed, his senses covering the entire castle.
He knew exactly where each enemy was — their positions, intentions, even the rhythm of their breaths.
And so, one by one, the drunken, the traitors and the cowards were being eliminated.
When he reached the Throne Room, the slaughter had already silenced half the castle.
There, seated on the throne stained with wine and blood, was Jonk Honnar, the self-proclaimed Regent.
He was a robust man, with a close-set beard and eyes red from drunkenness, but even in that state, he was strong.
Two of his subordinates accompanied him — both Saint-level warriors, using the North God Style.
Upon seeing Jino enter, Jonk rose, his sword resting on his shoulder.
"Who are you?! How dare you invade this King's royal palace?"
Jino did not answer for a moment, as if he were looking at an idiot.
"I have to take you alive, so I'll give you a chance," he said calmly. "Surrender at once."
For a brief moment, everyone was silent. But Jonk's laughter echoed, loud, drunken and full of contempt.
"SURRENDER TO ME?!" he shouted, spitting saliva.
"To a brat holding a kitchen knife?!"
The three charged simultaneously.
But, to Jino, it was truly ridiculous. He cut three consecutive times.
His first cut split Jonk's sword and severed his arm.
The second tore off the leg of one of the Saints.
The third cut the eyes out of the other warrior.
In a few moments, it was all over.
Jino did not kill them.
He mutilated the three — cutting their tendons and leaving them agonizing on the floor.
Then, he turned to the soldiers who still resisted, killing them one by one.
Those who fled, he pursued and exterminated.
Those who surrendered, he ignored.
The entire massacre from the moment he entered the castle lasted eight minutes.
The empty throne. The floor, red.
Jino Britz, the Martial Emperor, remained standing in the center of the hall, unscathed.
And as he watched the mutilated survivors writhing, Jino cleaned the blood from his sword and began his interrogation.
---
In half a day, the situation in the capital of the Kingdragon Kingdom had been completely stabilized.
They say that, in politics, force cannot solve everything.
But this, Weys thought while watching the horizon from the castle balcony, applies only to limited force.
When force is absolute, there aren't many things that can be obstacles.
And that's exactly what happened.
With Jino, Weys and Pursena at the vanguard, no resistance survived for more than a few minutes.
The traitors who tried to regroup were dispersed. The undecided nobles declared loyalty.
Jino, in particular, was especially efficient.
He was like an arrow; he crossed the capital from end to end, eliminating centers of rebellion, executing insurgent leaders and clearing every street taken by looters.
When the sun set, the Kingdragon royal family's banner fluttered again over the castle.
The young Prince Richard watched in silence, not fully understanding what he had witnessed — he only knew that the Kingdom had been saved.
It was then that, with the territory pacified, Weys ordered a full investigation into the massacre of the royal family.
They needed to discover the motives, the circumstances and the real parties responsible for the incident — and, more importantly, how Hitogami was involved.
-----
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