Chapter 205
Generally, the divine protection flowing through the royal bloodline naturally applies only within the kingdom where their rule extends. It couldn’t be otherwise, as the king is only recognized as such within the kingdom.
Common sense dictates that the royal protection couldn’t meaningfully exert power outside the kingdom’s jurisdiction, even if it were possible, it would be highly inefficient.
Thus, when Maria first invoked the royal bloodline and issued a command, people thought she was wasting her time and simply watched idly.
But now, at this moment, the royal protection Maria manifested seemed to break free from the constraints of foreign land and activate. Even though it wasn’t a neighboring country like Catalonia, but rather the southern and northern ends of Hiberia, separated by vast distances.
Accompanied by immense tangible and intangible authority, the assembly, as if bound by a promise, shed all chaos, tension, personal emotions, and individual gains and losses, and began to move to realize Conra’s plan as per her command.
“What, what is this?”
“She clearly isn’t the ruler of this land!”
A mere royal, not even a king, in a completely foreign land, issuing the ‘power of the king’ to unrelated individuals who aren’t even her subjects—the assembly was astonished yet carried out their tasks flawlessly.
Calculating the time required for spell completion, ritual site deactivation, and the minimum time needed for spell reversal.
Preparations for assisting Conra’s spell reversal were made, and once Conra succeeded, the groundwork for dispelling the spell was laid.
During these preparations, it was confirmed that, as the elderly spellcaster had said, the reversal had to be completed within the time it takes a dwarf to take seven steps for the dispelling spell to be effective.
The time was unbearably tight, but Conra silently nodded, showing he could do it.
Somehow, it had to be done. Holding onto desperation and a sliver of hope, everyone began to move. But just then, news that shattered the atmosphere arrived with a near-scream.
“It’s taking too long to deactivate the ritual site! At this rate, we won’t complete the deactivation before the spell is finished!”
In short, the ritual site on Fontasierra Hill was originally prepared to crown the Duke of Asturias as the next Supreme King by drawing the sword. It was a Land of Mystery to select a worthy king.
Normally, the ritual site would only be completed by drawing the sword. Once drawn, it would function as a symbol of the Supreme King’s authority.
But since no one had drawn the sword yet, the ritual site remained active. The complexity and robustness of the ritual site, accumulated over Hiberia’s history, were beyond the imagination of ordinary spellcasters.
Thus, forcibly deactivating it required significant time and effort.
The conclusion was that, in the current state, deactivating the ritual site before the summoning circle was complete was impossible.
Hearing the report, everyone stopped. They had been moving under Maria’s commanding authority to assist Conra’s plan, but with no immediate way to execute it, the authority driving them was severed.
Maria looked around and saw despair and confusion on everyone’s faces. It was as if they had just realized the lifeline they were holding was rotten.
The only one showing a different emotion was the middle-aged spellcaster who had earlier opposed Conra’s plan.
He silently chuckled, a vile smile on his face as if saying, “I knew it.”
Unable to bear his despicable smile any longer, Maria turned her gaze to the rock where the sword was embedded.
With the summoning circle confirmed, the evacuation of civilians and guests was complete. Thus, the rock was deserted except for a few spellcasters assigned to deactivate the ritual site.
With everyone who had lined up to draw the sword now evacuated, there was no expectation that anyone would step forward to draw it now.
Realizing the situation was dire, Shirdas Rampal and Ramon Perez de Manres, who had stayed by her side until the end, advised her.
“Everyone has evacuated. Your Highness, please hurry and take cover.”
As the sole heir of Catalonia’s current king, Ramon Berenguer IV, and the only successor to the Catalan throne, Maria couldn’t be lost here. Their resolute eyes conveyed this determination.
Despite their earnest pleas, Maria seemed to half-listen, staring intently at the rock where the sword was embedded. Then, as if making a decision, she moved.
“Your Highness!!!”
Ignoring their shocked cries, Maria leaped onto the rock and swiftly moved to the embedded sword, Liberatus Calabrum. In that moment of everyone’s bewilderment, her delicate hand grasped the hilt.
The next moment, the sword was effortlessly drawn without a sound. Maria lifted it high into the sky. Immediately, as if returning to its rightful state, the ritual site’s deactivation process began.
“What are you all doing? Move quickly!”
The elderly spellcaster who had earlier informed Conra of the time limit for spell reversal woke the dazed spellcasters. Regaining their senses, they began assisting the ritual site deactivation, while others prepared to immediately deploy the dispelling spell once Conra’s reversal was complete.
Then it happened.
{Kill the enemies! Quench our thirst with their warm red blood!}
{The Grand Sorcerer is with us! Sacrifice your lives to fulfill his wish!}
Krrrraaaah!
Kek, kekk!
Kwaaaak, kwak!
Demons leading various monsters began their assault. Their intent was clear.
{Don’t let them succeed in the spell reversal!}
{Attack the hostages! Distract them!}
They attacked the spellcasters preparing the reversal and dispelling spells while sending a force to attack the evacuated civilians and guests. It was a ploy to disrupt the spellcasters’ focus.
But at this moment, everyone present was already under Maria’s ‘authority,’ fully dedicated to their tasks. Not a single spellcaster lost focus. Moreover…
“You bastards! You’ll have to step over my corpse to pass!”
“Face my blade! I am Kihano, the Iron Knight of Navarra!”
Those with less to do in spell-related tasks, having diligently trained in Reverse Muscle Technique and martial arts, and spellcasters with spare capacity, along with clergy from the Church Order who had escorted the two bishops, stepped forward.
Under Maria’s commanding authority and protection, they moved rationally and effectively, displaying unwavering courage and fierce combat. Whether against spellcasters or civilians and guests, the demons’ offensive was completely thwarted.
Meanwhile, Maria raised the sword higher. The dismantled ritual site transformed into light enveloping Liberatus Calabrum. Her senses, having reached the state of Wu Xin Dong, felt the infinite authority and power of the land concentrated in the sword.
Suddenly, Maria realized how the ‘protection’ within her could exert influence in a foreign land on unrelated individuals.
‘Ultimately, all authority of those ruling as monarchs in Hiberia originates from the Supreme King of Hiberia.’
Hiberia’s history stems from the Reconquista of the first Supreme King, Aurelius. All royal authority is rooted in Aurelius’s enfeoffment of vassals.
Thus, even if the authority is fundamentally limited to land and subjects, if the Supreme King’s sword recognizes it, it can transcend those limits. After all, this land is Hiberia’s territory, where the Supreme King’s authority reigns.
‘The one to draw the sword was predetermined.’
Thus, the sword of selection transferred its authority to the rightful one, allowing influence even in foreign lands. Maria sighed in disbelief. What if she hadn’t drawn the sword? Were they planning to let it end with no one drawing it?
As Maria pondered, the situation rapidly progressed.
“Reversal complete.”
True to expectations, Conra, unshaken by the ritual site’s interference, found the gap in the spell. From the moment Maria drew the sword, he achieved this in the time it takes a dwarf to walk six yards, leaving just one yard of the time limit!
With Brantley’s Qi Men Dun Jia calculations aiding him, this feat showcased Conra’s extraordinary senses.
Simultaneously, the spellcasters, having received the reversal results and gap coordinates from Conra, began launching dispelling spells. Tailored to Conra’s reversal, these spells swiftly penetrated the gaps in the sinister summoning circle, disrupting its flow.
{No!}
{Stop them! Even if it costs your lives!}
“Where do you think you’re going? Face the light’s retribution, you evils!”
“Return to where you belong, vile creatures!”
The demons tried to block them, but to no avail. The two bishops and their clergy, knights, and spellcasters hindered them. With their last-ditch effort to protect their hideout failing before their eyes, the demons could only wail in despair.
Meanwhile, the relentless dispelling spells, like eels finding a hole, sufficiently shook the nearly completed summoning circle. Maria, with her Wu Xin Dong insight, clearly sensed this.
‘The dispelling spell is disrupting the summoning circle’s completion, but a decisive blow is still lacking. This…’
“Can I deliver the final strike?”
Realizing she could provide the decisive blow, Maria looked down at the sword of selection, Liberatus Calabrum, in her hand.
By drawing the sword to select the next Supreme King of Hiberia, she had gained immediate authority over Asturias and incomplete authority over all of Hiberia, which would naturally complete upon her ascension as Supreme King.
The sword in her hand now swirled with the tangible light of her authority as the Duke of Asturias. And this land was none other than the Duchy of Asturias, a rightful territory of Hiberia.
Protection is fundamentally based on the monarch’s destiny to rule the land. Thus, using the power of destiny to remove the threat to Hiberia and the Duchy of Asturias would be the rightful and accurate use of protection.
The summoning circle threatening the duchy above and the demon army invading Asturias provided the perfect justification for the sword in her hand to deliver rightful retribution.
Maria realized that the protection enveloping the sword functioned similarly to her innate bloodline’s protection. This meant she could wield the sword’s protection with her Wu Xin Dong insight.
Whoooosh―――!
Facing a visible threat, the highly activated protection roared like a beast ready to fight. Handling such raging power was something she had mastered through her training.
Determined, Maria raised the sword. Her stance was that of the Unmoving Heavenly Pillar, connecting heaven and earth with a single sword.
As tangible particles of royal authority scattered, Maria’s raven-like hair fluttered. Her consciousness deeply immersed, her human skill aligned with the harmony of heaven and earth, setting the direction of power.
Suddenly, Maria recalled the moment her senior had once cleaved through the end of a world. The sword of selection in her hand now traced a trajectory splitting heaven and earth, just like Conra’s strike back then.
+++++
The light’s slash piercing through the twilight was enough to silence all chaos. The exercise of royal authority, responding to the harmony of heaven and earth, was the ultimate form of power manifested as a slash.
Those who recognized this shed tears of emotion. Those who had wielded royal protection themselves were moved by the perfectly executed ideal of power, while warriors who had honed their skills marveled at the profound depth of the slash.
The protected civilians felt an inexplicable tranquility and relief from the light safeguarding them.
The elderly spellcaster muttered unconsciously.
“When the first Supreme King, Aurelius, first raised his sword to display his authority, glory to the vassals, peace to the people…”
The slash only struck the crumbling summoning spells, leaving the dispelling spells untouched. It even bolstered the dispelling spells, providing the lacking force to completely dismantle the already crumbling summoning circle.
Watching the last remnants of the summoning spells scatter under the light of royal authority, everyone realized they had overcome the calamity.
The demons’ assault was also successfully repelled. Seeing the summoning spells disintegrate before their eyes, they lost their will to fight. Though significant sacrifices were made, the land had survived to see another day.
Moreover, they had witnessed legendary heroes and the great next Supreme King in action, and realized they had been part of that moment.
Overflowing with boundless joy from their Dantian, people began to cheer.
“Wooaaah!!!!”
“Glory to Aurelius’s royal authority―――!!!”
“May glory be to the nations of Hiberia―――!!!”
Amidst the euphoria, relief, and sense of victory, the cheers seemed endless. Indeed, if nothing else happened, a festival celebrating the dead and the living’s glory would light up Fontasierra Hill through the night.
If nothing else happened.
{Well, well, I never thought you’d pull this off. I must have underestimated this generation of humans.}
Suddenly, a voice tore through the cheers, reaching their ears.