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Chapter 168

"Are you saying you can grant such power?"

Kane\'s question was met with a sly smile from First Star.

"Of course. I am the first human to ascend to godhood. Bestowing authority upon you is an incredibly simple task."

"Can I get a taste of it? I feel like I\'d need to experience this so-called power to even consider it."

"I can give you a taste, yes. But divine authority is only granted to those who serve a god. As you are now, it’s impossible. You\'re hostile toward gods, including me."

"So, you\'re saying you can\'t give me the power? Doesn\'t sound impressive to me. What\'s the point of power if you can\'t give it to a chosen individual?"

First Star trembled at Kane\'s words.

Such arrogance in his tone.

It was as if Kane was saying he didn’t need divine authority at all.

First Star wanted to tear him apart, but he suppressed his rage.

Securing someone like Kane was exceedingly rare.

Calming himself, First Star spoke with deliberate composure.

"If you join hands with me, wealth, power, and women—everything will be yours. You’ll have the chance to rule over this mortal world. Are you really going to throw that away so easily?"

He tried desperately to persuade Kane.

But Kane was someone with no attachment to this place.

Even if there were people here for whom he cared for, they were basically from another world.

His only wish was to return to his reality.

That was why First Star\'s persuasion was futile.

"There\'s no guarantee you can provide that opportunity. A human pretending to be a god offering divine authority—what kind of fool would believe that?"

"..."

First Star\'s eyes flared with a fiery intensity.

Another rejection.

He realized persuasion would no longer work.

"You foolish man, you’ve cast aside the opportunity to dominate this world. Don’t come crying when you regret it later."

"Yeah, yeah. Can we just end this? I\'m tired of looking at you."

"You insolent fool!"

First Star disappeared.

He reappeared before Kane, swinging a massive greatsword.

Clang!

Kane countered with his bloodsky blades.

The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward.

Cracks began to form in the structures of the floating city.

The buildings had been constructed with absurdly high durability to withstand magical attacks, leaving only traces.

They were even inscribed with protective enchantments.

Yet, the clash had caused visible fissures.

Thud!

Boom, boom!

The vibrations continued.

Mikhail and Isaac, who were also on the floating city, sought shelter inside a building to avoid being caught in the chaos.

"This place might collapse. We should retreat further back."

"...I can’t tell if this entire place is going to come crashing down."

The two moved to a safer location.

Even moving was a challenge.

The currents created by the clash of powers pulled everything toward them.

Only by countering with mana could they escape the vortex of wind.

"Ah! Kane\'s been hit!"

Isaac exclaimed in shock.

Kane had been slammed into a building by First Star’s greatsword.

Yet, he quickly stood up and retaliated with a blood slash.

"Don’t overreact. Kane won’t lose."

"Phew, my heart almost stopped."

"How does someone as timid as you plan to run a country, Crown Prince?"

Blata teased, making Isaac slump in embarrassment.

"Sir Blata, I’ll never be as powerful as Kane, will I?"

"Why the sudden self-pity?"

“To make the empire flourish, I need to wield great power, just like His Majesty the Emperor does now.”

Blata patted Isaac on the shoulder.

“The Crown Prince will create a powerful nation—a nation even greater than the one the current Emperor has built.”

Blata could see it clearly.

Isaac, as Emperor, would make the Fresia Empire the most powerful of all nations.

This vision came from The Eye of Blood Prophecy, a power that began to return to Blata as his strength gradually recovered.

“It’s reassuring to have Kane with us. He’s not just the hero of Fresia but the hero of the entire continent. It’s a great boon to our empire,” Mikhail interjected.

“Doesn’t that concern you, Your Highness?”

“What concern?”

“If the Young Duke is hailed as the empire’s hero, wouldn’t his reputation overshadow yours? Though I serve the Young master, I can’t help but worry about this.”

Having someone more famous than the Emperor often led to predictable outcomes: jealousy, envy, alienation, or even elimination.

Such measures were often necessary to uphold the authority of the Emperor and the empire.

“Kane is like a brother to me. Even if he surpasses the empire in greatness, I wouldn’t mind. In fact, isn’t the Guardian Lord already more renowned than His Majesty within the empire? I trust Kane wholeheartedly now.”

Isaac had once abandoned the Rehinar family, treating them merely as a tool to track down traitors. He sought to extract as much value as possible from the fallen family to stabilize the empire.

It was a grave mistake in hindsight.

The once-disgraced Young Duke of that family had now become the hero destined to save the continent.

“And I’ve got a plan,” Isaac said, grinning slyly, his excitement barely contained.

Blata and Mikhail exchanged glances, as if they both had the same thought.

Simultaneously, they spoke:

“The Second Princess!”

“The Second Princess!”

“How did you know?”

Blata shook his head, smirking.

“I’ve been with Kane constantly. It was obvious the Crown Prince was trying to pair him with the Second Princess. Mikhail must have known too, right?”

“Your Highness calls the Young master through the Second Princess instead of contacting him directly, It is a widely known rumor at the Rehinar Military Academy.”

“Is that so?”

Isaac’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, his face filled with excitement.

“So, Have the rumors reached Kane?”

“This doesn’t seem like the time to discuss it,” Mikhail noted cautiously.

“No, tell me now!” Isaac responded decisively.

He was utterly oblivious to the fierce battle raging between Kane and First Star.

What truly mattered to him was how the rumors about Kane and his younger sister were spreading.

“This is the empire’s most pressing issue, so tell me immediately.”

Mikhail and Blata shook their heads simultaneously.

What an absurd man.

Even amidst the chaos, his focus was on Kane and his sister’s potential relationship.

“There are whispers about it,” Mikhail admitted reluctantly.

“What are they saying?”

“They’re saying that the marriage between the Young Duke and the Second Princess might soon be finalized.”

Thud!

Isaac slapped his knee, a triumphant expression on his face.

“What scandalous rumors these are! My poor sister will have a hard time with marriage prospects now. How will she deal with this rumor constantly following her? Don’t you agree, Sir Blata?”

“We could just silence them with force…” Blata began thoughtlessly, but Isaac interrupted.

“Sir Blata, our royal palace is stocked with all the dishes you enjoy most.”

Isaac slyly recruited Blata to his side.

“…In that case, Kane is at fault. If a woman of marriageable age is the subject of such rumors, he ought to take responsibility,” Blata conceded.

And thus, Isaac’s solution was clear: Kane would become the Second Princess’s husband.

No bond was stronger than that of blood ties. In reality, political marriages were often arranged to end wars.

Having the continent’s hero, Kane, as her husband would be the ideal outcome for both the royal family and the Second Princess.

This alliance would provide the empire with its most powerful ally, eliminating the risk posed by Kane’s fame surpassing that of the empire.

The benefits were immense.

“As expected, Sir Blata, I trust you. Once this war is over, we’ll proceed immediately,” Isaac declared with firm resolve.

This had been his thought from the very moment he met Kane.

He had always intended to push for this but had mistakenly left the matter in his sister’s hands. Now, he decided it was time for him to take charge personally.

“Shut up and look over there!” Mikhail shouted, pointing ahead.

First Star summoned the Sword of Divine Punishment once again.

Hundreds of massive golden swords materialized in the sky.

First Star’s disheveled hair and rage-filled expression made his intentions clear: he was ready to destroy not just Kane but the entire world.

“How dare a mere mortal think he can withstand my power?”

“Your lines are so fucking repetitive they’re boring. It’s like this game was made without effort. No wonder the players all quit.”

Having lived in this world for some time, Kane had come to understand its flaws all too well.

The dialogue lacked variety.

Enemies should react differently when they died, but their responses were always the same.

It was almost as if the game had been made without any care.

Players had picked up on this instantly.

Even Kane, now part of this reality, found the enemy dialogue predictable.

It was a glaring issue, especially since this was his current reality.

‘If I block that attack, I bet his response will be the same again.’

Kane could already guess what First Star would say next.

“What nonsense are you babbling to yourself?”

First Star swung his massive sword from afar.

The Swords of Divine Punishment in the sky began descending.

“If I block all of those, I won’t come out unscathed,” Kane muttered.

He activated Blood Pact.

The fifth-form of Blood Rune emerged, and massive purple wings formed behind him.

Then, just as quickly as they appeared, the wings vanished.

Even the bloodsky blades in Kane’s hands disappeared.

A single word escaped his lips:

“No Blood.”

Flash!

In that instant, Kane’s eyes glowed, and with the sound of shattering glass, the Swords of Divine Punishment disintegrated, falling to pieces.

Shhh…

First Star\'s Oblivion Knight armor also disintegrated, revealing his face, his eyes trembling with disbelief.

“This is impossible… How can a mere human shatter the power of a god?”

The armor on other parts of his body also crumbled into dust.

And it didn’t stop there—his very body was turning to ash, vanishing piece by piece.

“No… this can’t be…”

First Star let out a desperate wail, his expression twisted in utter disbelief.

He had risen to godhood, fully expecting to subjugate the heavens beneath his feet.

To die in such a meaningless way now was unbearably unjust.

“Pfft!”

But Kane wasn’t unscathed either.

Though his ascension to Blood pact granted him immense mana, it was still limited.

The notion of infinite mana was only a metaphor—even gods couldn’t wield boundless power endlessly.

And Kane was no god; he was human.

Using Blood Dance’s final skill came with catastrophic destructive power, but it demanded the entirety of his mana reserve.

The strain on his body was inevitable.

Kane fell to his knees, coughing up blood repeatedly.

“Urgh… I can’t… fall here…”

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stand.

It wasn’t over yet.

The floating city was linked to First Star.

With his death, the energy source keeping the city aloft was gone.

Which meant…

“Gah!”

“We’re tilting!”

“We’re falling!”

The remaining members of the Meyer Family screamed in panic.

“Blata!”

Kane shouted for Blata.

Blata, who was beside Isaac, was also screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Ahhh! We’re going to die!”

Kane’s voice echoed in Blata’s ears:

[You’re the only one who can do it. Move the floating city.]

Blata, still mid-scream, snapped out of it. His eyes sharpened, a sudden seriousness overtaking his panic.

[Leave it to me.]

As Blata’s eyes gleamed with determination, something extraordinary began to unfold.