Palace Master of the Human-Demon Palace, Divine Oracle Spear Kaus.
He was a member of the Zodiac Twelve Palaces, but was more famous as the master of the Martial Palace.
The Martial Palace was a palace bestowed by the Emperor upon the Zodiac Twelve Palaces, guaranteeing extraterritoriality and the right to independent operation. They were free to do as they pleased, but as martial artists of the Zodiac Twelve Palaces, they naturally devoted themselves to training and took in disciples to leave behind their enlightenment.
However, Kaus had run a dojo even before becoming one of the Zodiac Twelve Palaces. He was a case where he taught his disciples, had his power and ability recognized, and was subsequently bestowed the Martial Palace. The Qigong Masters raised by Kaus all reached high realms, and Kaus's reputation rose along with them.
Although he was very selective in taking disciples, a high success rate was proof of excellent foresight. Kaus was a figure respected as a Grandmaster while also being a member of the Zodiac Twelve Palaces.
Such a man was lying discarded like trash, having lost his limbs.
"Maiden Palace Master?"
Kaus discovered the Sword Empress and raised his body with his one remaining leg. Perhaps because he was a master of Qigong? Despite having no arms and legs, he walked over, skillfully maintaining his balance.
"I heard you left your post to find the Sword Saint who went missing in the Demonic Federation. Did you hear the news late and join in?"
Hmm? Left her post to find the Sword Saint? It was true that the Sword Empress was looking for the Sword Saint, but she didn't leave her post because of that...? Was there some kind of error?
The Sword Empress, seemingly catching on to something, spoke.
"Did the Celestial Scorpion Palace Master say so?"
"Yeah. Antares, who returned from the Demonic Federation, reported it as such. Even the Zodiac Twelve Palaces deemed the pursuit of the Sword Saint necessary and didn't issue a recall order."
Kaus, looking at the Sword Empress's appearance, let out a hearty laugh and said.
"Seeing how you phrase it, it seems he covered for you again. Uncharacteristically attentive boy. Pretending to be calculating while only taking losses."
It seemed Antares, who had escaped from the Demonic Federation, hadn't told the truth. There were many witnesses, but he surprisingly managed to keep their mouths shut.
"Human-Demon Palace Master. Why did you come here?"
"Don't you know yet? To fight the Human King."
"It doesn't suit you. It's been a while since you stepped down from the frontlines."
"This is a battle that stakes the fate of the Empire, I can't just skip it because I stepped down from the frontlines. Also, there was the earnest request of Duke Sangguk."
Duke Sangguk. Among the Empire's Three Ministers, he was the minister in charge of governance and internal affairs. As a minister, it was entirely possible for him to make a request that was practically an order to the Zodiac Twelve Palaces.
However, it was strange that it was Duke Sangguk who did it, rather than Duke Taeui, who was in charge of defense and foreign affairs.
"This war was the intention of all Three Ministers. Duke Taeui for the Empire's national prestige, Duke Yulhyeong according to Imperial Law, and Duke Sangguk, counting the Empire's gains, planned the war. I accepted Duke Sangguk's request among them and participated in this war. The result, as you can see, is a devastating defeat. There wasn't even a proper battle; the Four Palaces of the Zodiac crumbled without much resistance."
He smiled self-deprecatingly and spoke with a stiffly hardened face.
"Run, Maiden Palace Master. You can't win against that. Even if you're the Sword Saint."
"..."
"The Giant Crab Palace Master was cut in half, the Treasure Bottle Palace Master was crushed by mystery. As the Human-Demon Palace Master, I was struck by an iron stake and ended up like this. The only one left is the Lion Palace Master. But he won't hold out long. He will also be defeated."
Even if he stopped the bleeding with Qigong, his words were gradually getting shorter, perhaps because the wounds were deep. For someone whose limbs were gone, he had spoken quite a lot. How pitiful.
But I was a bit curious.
"You're telling her to run without fighting? Even though she's one of the Zodiac Twelve Palaces?"
It seemed Kaus had perceived me as an object or something like scenery until now. He was surprised to see me speak.
"I thought you were a lightning rod shaped like a person, but you were alive?"
"I guess it's my constitution. Anyway, why should the Maiden Palace Master run? She is the most outstanding in one-on-one combat among the Zodiac Twelve Palaces. Shouldn't she join forces with him even now?"
"Defeat is already decided. There's no need to increase the sacrifices."
"If you're not going to increase the sacrifices, how are you planning to deal with 'Nuna'? The Four Palaces of the Zodiac, the Mobile Magic Tower, and the Southern Army of the Empire. How are you going to deploy more forces than this?"
Even at a glance, I could tell the Empire had invested considerable forces. It wasn't to the point of an Empire collapsing crisis, but if they lost this force cleanly, it would be safe to call it a defeat. 'Nuna' was such a powerful existence, an opponent they should negotiate with rather than fight.
I felt they should have tasted that first, but not everyone in the world is a regressor. The Empire should have had a taste too.
And how would the Empire act after getting a taste? If 'Nuna' were the King of Sin, fighting against her would be the only option, but if not...?
"And military operations should be under Duke Taeui's jurisdiction, so why did you accept Duke Sangguk's request to participate? What mission did you receive from Duke Sangguk?"
No need to ask. I already know the answer. Though I didn't hear it here.
"Let's go."
"Huez. Any further is truly dangerous. The Human King is already engaged in battle. We might get swept up in it too."
"We have to go since we've come this far. Otherwise, any way to oppose her will disappear completely."
Approaching Nuna, who has become extremely sensitive from battle? It's dangerous. I know that too.
But I have to. The current Nuna is different from the King of Sin. She is wandering to find the part she lacks.
If Nuna's void is filled exactly as the Saintess arranged, I won't be able to do anything.
I walked forward, ahead of everyone else. Shey looked back and forth between the Sword Empress and me at my arbitrary action, then soon made up his mind and followed me.
Rumble, rumble. Enduring the intermittent lightning strikes with my body, I walked toward 'Nuna' beyond that sandstorm.
When was it? That Regulus felt such an emotion.
Regulus of Leo. He was always a strong one. Even before reaching the Principle, no one could match him, and after reaching the Principle, he was the undisputed strongest. The world was like a toy, and everything was just boring.
He thought he would remain submerged in boredom and just let his lifespan run out, but right then, a wall called the Sword Saint appeared before him. Regulus wouldn't admit it, but it was a great fortune for him.
Thanks to the wall called the Sword Saint, Regulus tried something called effort. He trained until he vomited blood, racked his brains to devise strategies, and conversed with trainers and scholars brought to the Martial Palace, squeezing out all his potential to overcome the wall before him.
The current Regulus, having reached the position of Lion Palace Master, was leagues above his past self. He was much stronger now, having internalized it into his body, than when he forcibly suppressed Qigong with sheer force. He was overwhelmingly stronger now, having learned flow and form, compared to the past when he blindly swung his sword relying only on strength and Qigong.
However.
The existence before him could not be judged even by Regulus's common sense.
"What...! Is this sorcery...!"
The atmosphere sweeps across the earth.
Two concepts, so massive they bear the prefix 'Great', intertwine with each other. In the massive friction, the charged particles become electrified and discharge, passing between the clouds and the earth's surface. In the process, the torn air produces light and a sonic boom.
It is complex, intense, and capricious to explain in detail, but we call it very simply.
"Just, lightning."
Common Lightning.
It is not a technique, not magic, not Qigong. Just ordinary lightning as the name suggests. A discharge phenomenon caused by the imbalance of charged particles between the earth and the sky. It can happen anywhere, a common natural phenomenon that can be seen anywhere.
The Human King summoned that ordinary lightning at will. Just by casting her gaze, lightning strikes there. Simple lightning strikes.
"Aaaaagh!"
However, even that simple lightning is more than enough to kill a human.
Lightning strikes down on the heads of the approaching humans. It courses through the blood vessels near the skin, tearing through the body in all directions, burning the heart and nerves before passing through.
Such lightning strikes as easily as breathing. Those who cannot protect themselves with Qigong are struck down by the routine and chronic lightning. Before the infinite power of Mother Nature, armies and forces were meaningless.
"It's fast and convenient. It even selectively strikes only those holding weapons."
"...Keuk!"
If they threw away their weapons, they might be safe. But that meant surrender. They couldn't order the Imperial Army, who had to die for the Empire, to surrender. If they were going to surrender just because their lives were in danger, why train an army in the first place? Soldiers always stand on the battlefield prepared to die.
However, no matter how prepared they were to die. Was it right for them to die so meaninglessly? Was it right to give an order to march toward that death?
In that brief moment, Regulus had all sorts of thoughts. And the conclusion was always one.
"I will take the lead first!"
He just needed to win against the enemy commander.
If he crushed the enemy with the Principle of the Precedence Sword, he could prevent any further deaths. Winning would solve everything. Regulus raised the Precedence Sword and headed for the Human King.
The Human King casually swung her axe to meet it. For a casual swing, it contained an abnormally intense ferocity. The Precedence Sword and the axe collided in mid-air.
'Definitely! The Precedence Sword is effective! Even if she is the Human King, she can't withstand my Precedence Sword for even a single exchange!'
The Precedence Sword takes priority over everything. The form of the sword never changes, neither before nor after the collision. That 'absoluteness' twists common sense and distorts phenomena.
When armies clash, no matter how large the difference in forces, sacrifices are bound to follow. An army is ultimately a collection of soldiers, and the soldiers on the front lines inevitably have to die or get hurt.
The same holds true when swords clash.
A collision, viewed microscopically, is ultimately the crashing of particles against each other. No matter how solidly bound they are, particles crush each other and push back upon collision. In that process, breaking and shattering is inevitable.
However, such common sense does not apply to the Precedence Sword.
While maintaining its perfect form, it only destroys and tears apart the target of the collision. The only thing damaged is the opponent. It doesn't stop. It doesn't break. The Principle of the Precedence Sword may seem simple, but in result, it is like a sword that cuts and destroys all things.
As long as Regulus possessed the Principle of the Precedence Sword, he was the strongest.
The strongest slash swallowed even the Human King along with her axe. A roar larger than lightning rumbled along the sword.
'But...!'
However, the entire world, excluding the 'Precedence Sword', was on the Human King's side.
The wind wrapped around the Human King. The earth supported her. The lightning flowing through the axe momentarily changed its alchemical structure, causing the axe to sink in and swallow the impact of the Precedence Sword.
'I felt a sense of alienation when cutting! The physical properties of the axe changed!'
Even the Sword Saint doesn't receive the Precedence Sword head-on. Yet the Human King, without avoiding the absolute slash, clashed head-on and only seemed to have a slightly sore wrist.
"What a strange power. I'm clearly stronger, so why am I being pushed back?"
There was no agitation or tension in the mumbling Human King. Only curiosity and bewilderment remained. Regulus resolved more firmly.
'Now, while she's steeped in arrogance, is the only chance! If I miss this, she'll become an even more dangerous monster!'
Regulus thrust the Precedence Sword into the ground and shouted.
"Lava Sword!"
The Precedence Sword crushes even the earth. The pressure momentarily applied by an unstoppable force is infinite. Rocks and sand are compressed by pressure defying common sense, melting into lava in an instant.
The Precedence Sword shatters and breaks a radius of several hundred meters. Strata snap and bulge as the earth shatters like glass. Finally, it was as if the world had entered its twilight. All creation burned as if today were the last day.
It was a sword technique that Regulus could only use once in his lifetime, as it left irreversible scars on the earth.
The debris that shot out from crushing the ground scratched Regulus's body. Even his sturdy body bled.
However, Regulus didn't care and scattered the lava.
"Uwooooooh!"
The lava, crushed and momentarily turned liquid, is liberated. The slash of the Precedence Sword melts the earth, crushes it, and scatters it. The red-hot land surges like a wave and sweeps over the Human King.
The application technique utilizing the properties of the Precedence Sword, Lava Sword. It is a technique that destroys the earth to remove footholds and sweeps the front with molten rock. It is indiscriminate destruction on a different dimension from fire. Just grazing a single drop of lava scattered by the Precedence Sword is enough to melt a body.
Moreover, the one wielding it was Regulus, and what he wielded was the Precedence Sword. The lava scattered from the tip of his sword easily exceeded the speed of sound. Each tiny grain shredded the sound, attempting to subject the Human King to the same fate.
"You're using a different method too?"
However, the world was already on the Human King's side.
The earth, the wind, the lightning, the steel and iron, the waves, even gravity. They all reversed their laws to protect the Human King.
The ground moved on its own, moving the Human King away from the turmoil. Even without taking a single step, the Human King had already widened the distance.
Against the pouring lava, the wind changed its properties. It discarded its freely scattering nature and bound itself together viscously like water to receive the lava.
The massive gravity pulled the lava that had lost its speed. Unable to reach the Human King, it plummeted to the ground and seeped in.
Against the remaining lava that still hadn't lost its momentum, lightning imbued the axe. Moving the iron at the speed of lightning, it struck down the flying lava one by one.
The shattered lava sparkled into countless particles, praising the Human King.
She manipulated all the principles and laws that humanity had discovered and learned while writing history. The meaning of these words was far greater than one could fathom.
She was the pinnacle of all humanity.
No, the arithmetic sum of mankind.
Naturally, Regulus couldn't win. No other human could win either. If he too was human, the Human King would be able to wield that human's power as well.
"Haha..."
The war, which he thought had staked the Empire's fate, was truly meaningless. Since victory or defeat was already decided. The sacrifices would have no value, and the blood would have no reward.
It would simply be recorded as a rebellion of humans who failed to recognize the king's return.
"Then I will. Try a different method too."
The Human King put an end to this meaningless fight. Regulus felt the world catastrophically changing around him. He reflexively extended the Precedence Sword, but didn't even know where to place that small iron bar.
"Aaaaaaaagh!"
Regulus swung his sword wildly and screamed. That was all he could do.
The world denied Regulus's survival.
Demonic God's Law.
A single death.
It was an ordinary death that could be found anywhere.
Regulus of the Lion Palace, one of the Zodiac Twelve Palaces. A Master who reached the Principle. The Precedence Sword. The strongest human.
His death, too, was ordinary like everyone else's.