He had always been confident. However, his confidence had no special reason. It was just that he had never been defeated by anyone in his entire life. The veteran knights, the high-ranking mages that people called “human weapons” during wars... Everyone had ended up kneeling down on the ground after Zactor had thrown his punch.
His confidence had reached the zenith after he had defeated Chrysler jean Sebastian, his biggest rival and one of the Nine Stars.
“I have the Empire under my control, so it should be the continent next,” Zactor had said.
After Zactor had taken the helm of the Empire, the Hubalt Empire’s next move was decided: unifying the continent. As the “Holy” Empire, Hubalt had been crying out for peace, but it had suddenly turned into a warmongering country. Of course, Zactor had met some obstacles before starting the war because the Pope, his savior and the person whom the people called His Holiness, had opposed the idea until the end.
* * *
“Give up now,” Zactor said.
“Zactor, you bastard...!” The Pope scowled at him.
“I defeated Sebastian, so I have sole authority on this matter. Wait.” Zactor tilted his head. “You aren’t seriously hoping that our Hubalt Empire meets the same end as the Avalon Empire, are you?”
“We’re priests who serve God, but you’re going to start a bloodbath all over the continent?!” the Pope shouted, his voice full of spite.
Zactor shook his head. “I didn’t believe in god to begin with.”
“Are you kidding me...!” the Pope growled.
“We call our country the Holy Empire and all, but it’s still an empire in the end. Wouldn’t it be a good thing if we mark the other country with our flag and spread God's word?” Zactor shrugged.
“Are you seriously hearing yourself? It’s all my fault. I’ve taught you wrong!” The Pope covered his face with his hands.
“His Holiness—no, Father.” Zactor smiled faintly.
“Shut up! I’m not changing my mind. If you and the Emperor are still determined to start a war, I’ll do everything in my power to stop you both,” the Pope declared.
“...So that is your final decision.” Zactor nodded. “Then I guess I could consider myself a bastard now.”
“What...?” The Pope frowned.
“I’m planning to lock you up in a prison cell myself, Father,” Zactor said with a smile.
“You bastard!”
That day, Zactor locked the Pope, his father, in the dungeon.
“Kekehahahaha!” Zactor laughed again and again as if he had gone mad.
Joshua used Magic Spear Arts, Level 8: High-Speed Spear, thrusting his spear like a storm. He brought down every single aura ray flying toward him, even though there were at least hundreds of them.
That wasn’t all. Using the momentum, Joshua pushed Zactor back over ten meters.
“Keugh!” Zactor was hit in the lower abdomen, where his mana hall was, and went flying.
The gigantic man collapsed in the center of the colosseum.
“...Agh!” Zactor trembled for a moment and then coughed up blood, but the blood was black, indicating that his internal injuries were quite serious. However, he didn’t give up. He forced himself to stand up in spite of his wobbling legs. “Huff... Huff...”
He collapsed again.
After collapsing and standing dozens of times...
“ Wh... y...” Zactor choked out.
Then he fainted.
“Oh my god...”
The citizens of the Hubalt Empire watching the fight were rendered speechless. They were utterly shocked by the sight.
Although they clearly outnumbered Joshua, the citizens lost their will to fight completely—there was no way they could defeat such a monster. They had seen the fight with their own eyes, but they still couldn’t believe it. The Martial Emperor Zactor had been their idol forever and the greatest Absolute in the Hubalt Empire—no, in the continent, but...
“You all are the same,” Joshua said.
The Hubalt knights flinched, realizing that the monster was looking at them.
Joshua was the man who had gone up against a million soldiers and now defeated the knights’ idol. He was the Hero King—no, the Martial God, Joshua Sanders.
“Aren’t you all ashamed of yourselves?” Joshua chided. “There are so many of you, but you immediately tuck your tails between your legs after your master loses.”
Some knights clenched their fists from the stinging wound to their pride, but they still couldn’t bring themselves to attack Joshua. They knew that they had no chance of winning against Joshua Sanders, but they still felt bad deep in their hearts.
“You all knew that it was wrong,” Joshua accused them. “You should have stopped your master using any means necessary, even if it cost you your lives. A knight that feels scared of their master when they should have trusted and relied on their master? Isn’t that too pitiful?”
They were well aware of their fear. Their master had backstabbed his father without hesitation, so the knights didn’t need to wonder what their master was going to do with his subordinates. Who would be able to trust and rely on such a master?
“The Martial Emperor... really lost?” a Hubalt knight mumbled.
Everyone was brought back to reality as the silence was broken.
The word “lost” left a deep impression on them.
The knight dropped his sword. Today, the Second Sky of the continent had been utterly defeated before all the Hubalt knights.