Chapter 210: New Formation, Unit 6 (5)
The moment of confusion was brief.
"By your command!"
"By your command!"
Squad Leader Gorito and Hanata responded loudly, then began sweeping through the Blood Wolf Swordsmen alongside their unit members.
Later, the Judgment Hall might protest, claiming they had been in the middle of an investigation. But Theo was making it clear that he was willing to shoulder the political pressure that would come with it.
That meant Theo truly valued Selperd and Arin, and naturally, morale soared to the heavens.
Swoosh!
"No matter how grand this noble house event may be, if you try to oppress us in this manner, we will not stand idly by!!"
Diego roared, his voice filled with magic power.
In truth, he was quite flustered.
It wasn’t just that their hideout had been discovered so easily.
Even if it had been exposed, with the Judgment Hall involved, he had expected the White Armored Dragon Cavalry, no matter how powerful, to act with caution.
That way, he could buy as much time as possible by making excuses and delaying the situation.
'Especially since that newly appointed Young Lord must have all sorts of political concerns on his mind by now yet he dares to pull something like this…!'
That brat actually had the audacity to go this far.
Did this mean he didn’t care about the support of Gardner, one of the Six Snow Families?
How did he plan to handle the consequences later?
As if reading Diego’s thoughts, Theo smirked coldly.
"If you won’t stand idly by, then what?"
"It was the White Armored Dragon Cavalry who struck first! This means Gardner will not hesitate to use force in self-defense. Are you saying you don’t mind if your forces get injured? Lord Ranke! Should we consider this an official declaration of war against Gardner?"
Diego thought threatening them might improve the situation, but Bracken merely shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
"The moment we decided to support the Young Lord, his will became our will."
"You…!"
"And besides"
Bracken suddenly grinned viciously.
"Since when did some mere heir of Gardner think he could bare his fangs at the Head of Ranke?"
"……!"
‘I made a mistake!’
Only then did Diego recall Bracken Ranke's personality. He hurriedly tried to say something to justify himself.
Gardner and Ranke had long maintained a tense rivalry, but they had rarely clashed outright.
Both sides knew that if they fought, they would only bring about mutual destruction.
At most, they would try to obstruct each other’s plans whenever possible.
They had always made an effort to at least appear outwardly respectful.
But the way things had unfolded, it looked as if Diego had just barked orders at Bracken as if he were some subordinate.
Bracken wouldn’t even be in the wrong if he decided to lunge at Diego right then and there.
"Let's squeeze everything we can out of those Gardner bastards. What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and escort our guest!"
Bracken’s tone sounded just like some back-alley mafia boss.
But his meaning was crystal clear capture Diego and use him as a hostage to demand ransom from Gardner.
"Ahaha! I can't wait to see those smug Gardner bastards squirm!"
"Been a while since we had a proper feast let’s enjoy ourselves!"
With the White Armored Dragon Cavalry and now Ranke joining in, the Blood Wolf Swordsmen present here were hopelessly outmatched.
"Young Lord!!"
In the end, all the Blood Wolf Swordsmen's gazes turned to Diego.
"Block them! No matter what!"
Diego used his subordinates as human shields and immediately bolted in the opposite direction.
This wasn’t just an escape.
It was to ensure Theo never discovered his use of the artifact, as Kinkarnon had strictly warned him.
'This orb, at least…!'
Diego clutched the white orb hidden inside his robes tightly.
"What a disgusting display."
Theo clenched his teeth, letting out a dry chuckle as he looked at the Blood Wolf Swordsmen blocking his way.
So, Diego was trying to slip away to avoid the situation altogether?
A man who claimed to be fit to rule had this little sense of responsibility?
And to make matters worse there was a faint blue glow radiating from Diego.
He had an artifact.
Which meant there was no way Theo could let him escape.
Hummmm
Theo released a wave of killing intent, instantly making the Blood Wolf Swordsmen freeze in place.
BOOOOOM!
Swiiiish!
With a powerful kick, Theo propelled himself high into the air, soaring over their heads in an instant.
"N-no!"
"Stop him!"
"Stop him? How? You dare stand in the Young Lord’s way?!"
The Blood Wolf Swordsmen tried to respond, but Theo’s men had already engaged them, throwing their formation into chaos.
And before anyone realized it, Theo had reached Diego.
The blue glow grew even clearer.
"Damn it!!"
Sensing Theo’s presence closing in, Diego twisted his body midair.
In his right hand, his sword pulsed with Aura, crackling like a raging current.
'At this point, I might as well take him down…!'
Diego never believed the rumors that Theo had passed the Advanced Swordsman test or that he was on the level of a Dragon Gate Swordsman.
After all, how could a boy who had only just turned sixteen possibly be that powerful?
Perhaps the Head of Ragnar had gone senile that thought suddenly crossed Diego’s mind.
Theo’s biological mother had once been a stunning actress whose beauty had even shaken the empire.
So how precious must her son be in his eyes?
Countless noble families had already collapsed after complicating their succession line for the sake of their beloved youngest child.
Surely, all of Theo’s supposed achievements had been fabricated by Kyle.
That was why Diego decided he would utterly crush Theo here and now, overwhelming him with an undeniable gap in skill. He would dismantle Theo’s reputation and shift all public support toward Kinkarnon.
Theo, who became Young Lord under Kyle’s favor, versus Kinkarnon, who earned his title as Soaring Dragon purely through his own ability.
It was obvious whom the public would side with.
And while he was at it, he could eliminate Selperd as well, since he had aligned himself with Theo.
It was the perfect chance he could become Kinkarnon’s key contributor while also removing an eyesore.
<Gardner’s Secret Art – Blood Wolf’s Fang>
Fwoooosh!
Diego clenched his teeth and activated his technique.
CRASH!
But the moment his aura ignited, his sword shattered into pieces.
‘…What?’
An outcome he hadn’t expected in the slightest.
Diego’s eyes widened in shock.
Shriiip!
Drake’s Blade severed Diego’s right arm in one clean strike.
Splurt!
"ARGHHHH!!"
And that wasn’t even the worst of it.
Zap! Zap! Zap! Zap!
Four swordsDragon Slayer, Moon-White, Spirit Mausoleum, and Dragon Spiritblazed with light and shot toward him.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thwack!
Three pierced his limbs. The last stabbed straight into his abdomen.
"Ghkk…!"
Diego collapsed to his knees, coughing up blood.
His pupils trembled violently.
How…?
His gaze, filled with disbelief, lifted toward Theo.
How could there be such an overwhelming gap in skill?
At the same time, another thought dawned on him he needed to negotiate with Theo.
If Theo wanted to save Selperd and the others, if he wanted to learn how to use the artifact, he couldn’t kill Diego.
So Diego tried to speak
Schlik!
But Theo mercilessly struck his head.
‘Why…?’
Diego’s eyes clearly asked that question.
「There’s no reason to spare someone who caused trouble for my subordinates. If necessary, I can just put Selperd in your place.」
Only then did Diego realize
Just how deep Theo’s foresight ran.
-He planned to use this as an opportunity to seize Gardner itself!
Then, it was only a matter of time before the Gardner family was overturned.
Regret crept in, but his thoughts were cut off there.
//slw yellow [‘Skill: Hatchling Synchronization’ is activated to search and detect the Relic of the Primordial Dragon.]
Swish!
At that moment, a white orb floated up from Diego’s cracked chest.
//s_win blue
//win_h [Orb of the Chain Prison]
· Type: Artifact
· Effect: Seals strong individuals
//e_win
The blue light shone more intensely than ever.
It was proof that this was a relic of the Primordial Dragon.
Theo used psychokinesis to bring over the [Orb of the Chain Prison] and attempted to release the seal.
However,
//slw [The seal cannot be opened.]
//slw [It is contaminated due to an unknown cause.]
‘Just like with the Dragon Spirit’s Cursed Blade.’
As expected, this relic also showed clear signs of its seal being forcibly broken.
In the end, to resolve this, he had to find Kinkarnon.
‘Still, reversing an activated spell is possible, right?’
『If I couldn't even do that, I should abandon my pride as the last remaining dragon.』
With Lodbrok’s help, Theo forcibly canceled the previously activated spell.
For a brief moment, an excruciating headache struck him, and his Upper Dantian burned intensely. But soon, a pitch-black darkness opened in midair, spitting out the people trapped inside.
They were all wrapped tightly in black chains.
Their bodies hung limp, as if they had fainted.
Among them were Selperd, Arin, and the other missing members.
“Selperd!”
“Arin!”
“Are you alright?”
“Where is this…?”
Selperd barely regained consciousness and looked around, only to spot Diego’s severed head rolling near him.
He quickly grasped the situation and clicked his tongue.
“Theo… I didn’t think you were this cruel.”
“Huh?”
Theo looked at him, confused by his words.
“When you chopped this bastard’s head off, you should’ve left a piece for me.”
So that’s what he meant.
Fortunately, Selperd was still the same.
Theo let out a small chuckle.
* * *
The suppression was quickly brought to an end.
With Diego dead, the Blood Wolf Swordsmen, expecting to meet the same fate, attempted to resist however they could.
“Drop your swords, you bastards!”
Without even taking a moment to steady himself, Selperd let out a powerful roar, halting the movements of the Blood Wolf Swordsmen.
“Second Young Master……!”
“Are you idiots really planning to follow Diego to the grave? Just drop your swords and surrender!”
“But!”
“If you return to the family like this, you won’t be welcomed by the family head? So what? You’re just going to die in vain instead?”
The Blood Wolf Swordsmen hesitated without realizing it.
The usual smirking Selperd was nowhere to be seen. Instead, they saw the commanding presence that only the heads of the Gardner family could possess.
“Can’t you see it for yourselves? That rope you were clinging to was already rotten. If Theo takes the throne? Every single one of you is screwed, you morons. So, are you going to switch sides or not?”
There was no fool among them who failed to understand what he was saying.
Selperd had just declared his intent to become the head of the family.
And if his backing was Theo?
It was as good as settled.
“I don’t like you guys either, you know? But we have to save the family first, right?”
Truthfully, Selperd had no intention whatsoever of sparing the ones who had sided with Diego and tormented both him and his mother.
But what choice did he have? If the resistance continued, someone from their forces or the Ranke family could end up injured.
Moreover.
- Since things have come to this, why not just go ahead with it?
There was also Theo’s wicked "persuasion."
- I’m not doing that, you bastard.
- This is an order from the leader of Squad 6.
- Squad 6? I was never transferred there!
- No. You are now.
- When?
- Just now. I brought you over using my authority as the Young Lord. I’ll reject any objections.
- ……
- If you still refuse, should I just command you using my Young Lord's authority?
Selperd was exasperated by the sheer absurdity of Theo’s bureaucratic maneuvering, but at the same time, his heart pounded with excitement.
If he could become the head of the Gardner family— a position he once loathed— and stand by Theo’s side.
If, through that, they could make the House of Ragnar the greatest family of all.
What could be more rewarding than that?
