Chapter 420: The Puppet Master

Riveria Kingdom, Fort Sunflower.

"Warriors! The time has come to unleash the fire within! Today, we rise up against tyranny and oppression! We fight not only for our freedom but for the freedom of generations to come! We will tear down the walls of slavery and exploitation! No longer will we stand idly by while our brothers and sisters suffer! We will take this kingdom, make it ours, and establish a new order of justice and righteousness! Let the battle cry, and let our enemies tremble in fear! For we fight not only for ourselves but for the very soul of humanity! May our Lord bless us!"

Kaecilius Silvanus, the slave entrusted with taking over the strongest kingdom in Sol—Riveria, roared. After years of dedication and planning, the time had finally come as the iron was hot, and the hammer was ready.

Kaecilius raised his arm while holding a sword. "Say it with me! Let's carve a new world! Death to the King! Death to the old ways! The Lord has paved the path, and we merely have to walk—May the holy light enlighten us!"

"May the holy light enlighten us!"

"May the holy light enlighten us!"

In unison, the slaves raised their voices and joined in a solemn chant with Kaecilius.

"But who shall be the king once we win?" a loud, questioning voice came from the back of the crowd. "Who will be the ruler of this vast kingdom?"

"Kaecilius, of course! He's our General. He's the one who showed us the path!" Another slave blurted, wasting no time. "If not for him, many of us would have been dead. Furthermore, didn't he help so many of us? Sent money to our families while we served as slaves? Who else but Kaecilius the gentle be our new King?"

"True!"

"Who, if not him?"

"Kaecilius is my king!"

"King Kaecilius!"

"King Kaecilius!"

The slaves had chosen their King with a slight push at the right time from a certain slave in the crowd. After that, everything went according to plan, just as intended.

...

While the situation boiled up in Riveria under the King's nose, things were much more open in the Highland Kingdom after the war declaration.

But the real battle only began when Vinland Markinson, the Darkness elemental Grand Wizard, entered the Highland Kingdom to battle. He came alone despite knowing the King Highland and Queen Highland were both Grand Wizards.

His reason for confidence was the element that he had mastered. Darkness was an element that could only be defeated using the Light element.

However, what Vinland should have accounted for was that Sylvester was a close ally of King Highland. Hence, all the ways to deal with the darkness were already given to the King. All that was left now was to see how effective they were.

The two Grand Wizards met on the battlefield near the border of the Highland Kingdom and The Patch. King Atrox Highland, in his majestic shining gold armour, red cape, and magic staff, appeared much stronger than the dark-robbed Vinland.

"You shouldn't have blocked the river." Vinland roared.

King Highland stood in front of his soldiers with folded arms. "But the same rules don't apply to you? You diverted the water from Snake River and made a new tributary so you could have water. Where is justice in that?"

Vinland's eyes turned red in anger. "That is not the same! That is a matter between the Sorrow Kingdom and us. We won the war, so we hold the rights over the water that flows within that kingdom."

King Highland chuckled and prepared to fight. "In that case, I have the right to do whatever I desire since the dam was built inside my territory."

Vinland gritted his teeth and, in low grunts, prepared to attack. "You brought this upon yourself, King Atrox. I did not want to make the queen a widow, but if you desire it, so be it!"

Clap!

Vinland clapped his palms together, tapping into his massive reserves of Darkness elemental magic. As he met the gaze of the King, he unleashed a strange dark light that expanded like a ball.

But it didn't do anything to anyone as it eclipsed all those around Vinland inside the ball of Darkness. The ball kept growing and, eventually, grew so big that it swallowed the whole Highland Army and The Patch's army — of course, King Highland as well.

"Welcome to the Domain of Darkness, King Highland!" Vinland roared.

Inside the giant orb of Darkness, nothing was visible as Darkness took all over. However, contrary to The Patch's somewhat scared soldiers, the soldiers of the Highland kept a constant, confident grin.

"Haha, so this is the famed Domain of Darkness. I heard you could create a Domain without reaching the rank of Supreme Wizard. What a waste of talent, honestly." King Highland clapped and praised Vinland.

"But, I came prepared! Boys, do it!"

Boom!

All of a sudden, multiple cannonball shots resounded in the dark field. A moment later, elaborate and beautiful fireworks appeared in the sky. They burned slowly and illuminated the entire dark field. All could see each other with that development.

"Sons of Highland! Attack!" King Highland roared and sent the army to fight.

Meanwhile, King Highland walked towards Vinland while cracking his fingers. "Let's begin!"

Vinland gritted his teeth, seeing his domain not being as effective. But still, it was his domain, granting him a few special privileges.

Woosh!

With a flash, Vinland vanished from his spot and reappeared beside King Highland. In one swift motion, he threw a punch enveloped in an aura of darkness that landed squarely on the King's chest.

The impact shook the earth with a thunderous boom, sending Highland hurtling through the air. But the King simply laughed and waved his hand, conjuring a massive wall of earth that halted his fall.

Unfazed by the attack, Highland emerged from the rubble unscathed and strode forward, his cape fluttering in the wind.

"Strong, but not enough," he taunted.

Suddenly, like a flash of lightning, Highland charged toward Vinland with astonishing speed. But Vinland was ready, raising his palms and summoning a horde of shadowy creatures to protect him.

"Foolish move!" Highland's voice boomed through the air.

He shattered Vinland's defence with a single strike and sent him reeling backward. But before he could recover, two small crystals fell at his feet and exploded in a blinding flash of light.

Vinland gasped in shock, realizing too late that his opponent had come prepared.

Then, laughing triumphantly, Highland closed in and engaged him in a brutal clash of strength and skill.

The earth trembled with each blow, and the clash of their powers echoed across the land.

The two wizards clashed with opposing powers, sending shockwaves through the air and destroying the landscape. Vinland conjured up tendrils of Darkness that snaked toward King Atrox, but Atrox used his Earth magic, creating a rock barrier to shield himself.

Again, using the light crystals and inching closer, King Highland got a hold of Vinland's long black hair and swung him in the air as if he were a mere weightless child.

Thud!

Vinland fell a few meters apart, growling like an injured lion. He then rose, sneered, and raised his arms, summoning the dark energy surrounding him, concentrating the entire domain onto his palm like a small orb of black energy.

The soldiers stood in the old destroyed terrain again under the bright sky. But the fight was far from over.

"No one has ever survived this, Highland. It was nice meeting you!" Vinland roared and gently pushed the black orb of energy.

At first, the black orb just hovered in its place. But a moment later, it shot off into the air, straight up to the sky.

Intrigued, King Highland waited for the attack to come. However, a minute passed, and nothing happened. Then, ten minutes passed, and even then, nothing happened.

Bzzz...!

However, in the eleventh minute, the ground began to shake. Everyone looked towards the sky and felt their feet turn cold. The Highland army and even Patch's army had the same reaction.

"Haha! Fight this, Highland!" Vinland mockingly shouted and stepped away.

Right above in the sky, thousands of giant meteors covered in dark energy had appeared, all burning with a blazing inferno. There was nowhere to run, for each meteor was the size of a castle.

The earth shook violently. King Highland, on the ground, at the epicentre, saw his soldiers were within the range of the falling meteors, and if he didn't do something, Highland's entire army would be gone.

But, to Vinland's dismay, he didn't get the reaction from the former he hoped for.

"Hahah! You buffoon! It seems you forgot which element I mastered!"

...

At the same time, in The Patch, the first face-to-face confrontation took place as the two armies prepared to battle.

The Peasant Army looked tiny in front of the massive enemy forces, but still, without any fear, Sylvester stood at the front in his armor with no helmet. His hand held the spear of infinity, and on his face was a strange confidence.

"W-We won't survive this." Count Bradley muttered.

Sylvester chuckled and began to walk forward toward the enemy army. "Worry not, Count. Stay here and manage your soldiers, please. Archbishop Nelson, watch me. I kept my disguise only to ensure The Patch didn't feel too threatened by my real identity and brought all their might here."

All eyes focused on Sylvester as he continued to walk toward the enemy lines. With each step, something began to happen to Sylvester's body. His dark hair slowly began to turn bright blonde and much longer. His skin tone became lighter, and his eyes turned golden once again.

The Grand Duke of The Patch and Grand Wizard Einarr sat atop an elephant and saw Sylvester's true form approaching.

The Grand Wizard stood up and shouted, "Who are you, boy? Do not come closer, or I will end this war before it begins. You puny peasants dared to lay your filthy feet on my land! Unacceptable!"

Sylvester, however, stopped after reaching the middle of the field. He then bowed his head, gave a church salute, and sang a hymn.

♫O' foolish mortal who refuses to see reality.

Why do you desire to test your mortality?

This battle is merely a puny formality.

For the Lord has already seen your immorality.♫

♫Raise your arms if you desire doom.

Your defeat, you should already assume.

For peace and forgiveness, there is left no room.

Come, raise your arm if you long for your tomb.♫

Blonde hair and a halo behind the head. That was all the proof anyone needed to guess Sylvester's true identity. While the peasant army knelt in prayer, along with Archbishop Nelson, the enemy side clamored in confusion and fear.

"This is a violation of Article 12B!" Grand Duke Victor Zee Maverick roared. "The Church cannot meddle in noble matters!"

Sylvester bobbed his head in agreement and pointed the tip of his spear at the Grand Duke. "I understand, Grand Duke. That is why, under the light of Solis, I invoke the Holy Law and make a formal challenge for Duel Under Faith! The one to lose shall die, and the one to win shall face no repercussions, for the duel is holy and approved by the Lord!"

Silence ensued after Sylvester's words. In response, the Grand Duke of Patch jumped off his elephant and walked over to Sylvester while clapping.

"Haha! You are Sylvester Maximilian, the bard? You are as brave as I heard, foolishly brave, if I must say. You wish to challenge me? A grand wizard? Do you not understand why the Duel Under Faith is so rarely invoked? Not even the Pope can interfere, and if you die, it will be accepted under the holy law!"

Sylvester stood motionless. He loosely held his spear in his hand like a simple walking stick. His red cape billowed in the wind, and his blonde hair danced around his face, but his expression remained calm and collected.

"Grand Duke, I believe you are mistaken about my challenge!"

"Hah! I knew it. You can't be serious about challenging me! Just leave, and I will forget this happened." The Grand Duke turned around to return to his elephant.

But Sylvester was not done.

"I invoke Duel Under Faith against both of you, Grand Duke Victor Zee Maverick and Grand Wizard Einarr!"

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