Rayne’s Reckoning

The Thunder Battle Lord was one of the six Battle Lords who had followed the Empire’s Emperor in conquering the Kingdom ten years prior.

In that devastating war, the Empire suffered the loss of four Battle Lords, while the remaining two endured severe injuries; one was permanently crippled.

The crippled one was none other than the Thunder Battle Lord himself. Upon his return to the country, his rank reportedly plummeted to that of a Battle Lord, and his status fell drastically, compelling him to open a martial arts hall merely to survive.

“Indeed. My master’s kindness to me is as vast as a mountain, yet over the years, he has endured countless cold glances and scorn… I must restore his honor.”

Rayne’s face was etched with unwavering determination.

In his view, for a high-ranking Battle Lord to challenge a War Lord was undoubtedly like throwing an egg against a rock—an act destined for no return.

However, Mizuki Aoi knew that Saintess Haizhu was currently in a precarious state, barely able to hold her own against even a Battle Lord-tier puppet. How could she possibly triumph against Rayne, a genuine Battle Lord?

She absolutely had to find a way to prevent this from happening.

“This is far too dangerous!” she exclaimed, feigning concern for Rayne’s safety.

“No, it’s almost too safe,” Rayne chuckled self-deprecatingly.

“The capital is protected by the Vermillion Bird Grand Formation. I might be eliminated before I even utter a word. Only here do I stand a chance of confronting the Saintess directly. After all, your Saintess is likely the only one on this continent who can see through that fellow’s hidden magic.”

Mizuki Aoi felt a slight ease.

Saintess Haizhu’s detection abilities likely hadn’t recovered either. This meant the possibility of her finding this location was extremely low, thus alleviating concerns about not being able to defeat Rayne.

“You’ve been running for quite a while; you must be tired. Go rest now. Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone else approach you.”

Mizuki Aoi nodded, but before she could even step into her tent, she noticed the distant patrol personnel rushing towards the puppeteers’ tent, their faces etched with urgency.

“Miss Mizuki, please stay close to me,” Rayne said cautiously, conjuring a defensive barrier to envelop the pink-haired girl. Together, they approached the puppeteers’ tent. “What has happened?” he inquired.

“A Kingdom patrol squad is heading this way,” the puppeteer in charge explained with a hint of impatience.

“Pursuers?”

“No, it’s likely a local patrol squad, probably stumbled upon us by accident. Please take Princess Mizuki back to rest; we’ll handle this.”

‘How do you intend to handle this?’ Rayne ignored the other party’s attempt to direct him.

‘Naturally, we’ll eliminate this patrol squad.’ The person in charge couldn’t help but frown.

‘Does that fellow know about this?’

“That is His Eminence, the High Priest! Mind your address,” the person in charge snapped. “Such a trivial matter requires no disturbance to His Eminence!”

‘What if something goes wrong? Besides, if a patrol squad goes missing, do you think the Kingdom won’t send a large force to search for them?’

“It takes time to discover a missing squad, and more time to search. Or are you suggesting we let them stumble into the formation before we act?” the person in charge retorted with dissatisfaction.

It had to be said, the person in charge’s judgment wasn’t entirely flawed.

Even if the High Priest’s concealment magic was powerful, it merely obscured everything within the formation, creating a realistic illusion that made people believe all was normal.

If someone were to forcefully intrude into this seemingly normal area, they could still be discovered.

Therefore, resolving the imminent accidental encounter was undoubtedly a superior approach compared to fearing a later search by the Kingdom.

Furthermore, no one could guarantee that the squad wasn’t maintaining communication with their command. If they were only dealt with at the last moment, the risks they faced would be far greater than merely exposing a single squad.

‘My point is, we could withdraw immediately, avoid their route, and prevent any complications.’

“Enough! Your task is to protect Princess Mizuki; do not presume to dictate our actions!” The person in charge completely lost patience, waving a subordinate over to escort them out. “You two, please return!”

As the two parties were merely collaborators, and Rayne was not an arrogant or overbearing individual, he could only lead Mizuki Aoi back to their own tent.

‘These fellows are far too careless in their work!’ Rayne sighed and cursed. ‘Now, we can only hope that squad quickly changes its route.’

Mizuki Aoi also held this hope.

Having understood the High Priest’s true capabilities, her sole wish now was that no one would find them.

Beyond that, she shared Rayne’s sentiment: she did not wish for innocent people to be caught up in this.

Unfortunately, her hopes were destined to be dashed. Just ten minutes later, grim news arrived from the front.

“What? The puppeteer we sent was killed?”

The person in charge’s eyes widened in shock. “No, it’s pursuers! Prepare for battle immediately!”

However, just as the puppeteers finished their preparations, the reconnaissance personnel informed them that the enemy had fled.

“No, that’s wrong! They’re going back for reinforcements! Chase them!”

By the time Rayne arrived to understand the situation, it was already too late.

To ensure the enemy’s elimination, the person in charge had dispatched seventy percent of the puppeteers, even deploying a Battle Lord-tier puppet provided by the Empire.

“This is a trap! Call them back immediately!” Rayne urged.

“Silence! This doesn’t concern you!” the person in charge snapped, exasperated. He didn’t want the High Priest to awaken only to find that he couldn’t even handle a minor issue.

“You fool!” Rayne could no longer restrain himself. “The Kingdom possesses communication artifacts! There’s no need to flee if they merely want reinforcements!”

“Then all the more reason not to leave any witnesses!” the person in charge stubbornly insisted.

In his view, the patrol squad had merely been fortunate enough to eliminate a single puppeteer. Believing their strength insufficient to face reinforcements, they had fled.

Therefore, their course of action should be to silence the witnesses and then relocate.

While this reasoning seemed plausible, Rayne felt his vision darken upon hearing it.

“How could a patrol squad possibly eliminate a Martial Lord-tier puppeteer? This was clearly a premeditated attack! What are you thinking?”

“Silence! His Eminence’s concealment magic is infallible!”

Rayne finally understood. To the person in charge, the High Priest was akin to a deity, utterly incapable of error. Thus, his deductions were based on the assumption that their whereabouts remained undiscovered.

However, reality quickly proved him wrong.

The pursuing puppeteers soon fell victim to a wave of interference in a certain area, losing their combat effectiveness and being either captured or slain by the enemy.

Subsequently, the enemy approached directly, as if they had known their exact location all along.

“Damn it! Everyone, attack! Don’t fear the interference waves; that thing has a limited range! Maintain your attack distance; our combat strength surpasses theirs!” The person in charge immediately deployed all remaining forces.

Rayne led Mizuki Aoi to the High Priest’s tent.

He was deeply asleep, but surprisingly, he showed no urgency, instead instructing a servant to deliver words of encouragement to his subordinates.

“You… you only care about your own safety, don’t you?” Rayne realized the High Priest intended to send his subordinates to their deaths to deplete the enemy’s strength.

“Naturally. Only Princess Mizuki and I are destined to return to the Divine Dragon Continent. Why should I lament the sacrifice of their lives?” the High Priest stated calmly.

Rather, his criteria for selecting subordinates were not based on ability, but on loyalty and their willingness to die for him.

At that moment, an object suddenly flew above the camp, then scattered dozens of “projectiles” like a celestial maiden showering flowers.

Gazazing at one of the projectiles that landed not far from the tent, Rayne instantly recognized it as an interference wave emitter.

Soon after, screams from others, including the person in charge, echoed from nearby.

“Old man, it seems your plan has failed.”

Looking at the High Priest’s grim face, Rayne rose with a smile, patted Mizuki Aoi’s head, and gestured for her to stay put.

“Please, be very careful!”

Rayne, however, shook his head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll hold back…”

Without waiting for the pink-haired girl to utter words of protest, he walked towards the attackers.

This was neither arrogance nor a lie.

Rayne had long seen through Mizuki Aoi’s pretense, but from her perspective, her actions were justified.

He also knew well that his act of abduction was a profound lapse in the spirit of chivalry.

But as he had said before.

For his master.

To draw out Saintess Haizhu.

He had to fight.

“Be careful…”

Stepping over the scattered Sakura Nation remnants lying horizontally and vertically, he strode to the center of the battlefield.

Rayne placed his hand on his waist, adopting a stance of gathered power, and then—

“Thunder Draw Sword Art, First Glimmer of Lightning!”

In an instant, only dazzling lightning remained between heaven and earth.