Centaurus had just one rank 5, only four rank 4s. The pillars of the Duchy had always been the rank 3s.
Despite its expanse and population, it had only a limited of these. Even if the 500 billion population was searched, one wouldn't find more than a hundred rank 3s.
The official number was always less because a lot of rank 3s when facing the end of their lives would go into a secluded retreat for one last try or just give up the divine paths altogether and live a normal life.
In everyone's minds, even if the sky fell, they would be there to hold it up. For a province like Barix, rank 3s were supposed to their rulers. But thanks to Lord Jorand's unexpected resources, they become important fighting forces.
Even though they were disadvantaged against the Duchy's forces, thanks to the traitors that emerged at unexpected moments, the province's rank 3s now had a definitive edge.
"You beast! The admiral saved your life and you betray him? Even animals are more grateful than you!"
An old woman spat blood as she fought a younger man. He was her adopted son who she fostered with lots of love and care.
Before her death, the only thing she wanted was to see him marry and hold her grandson.
But the family she always thought she had, the happiness that never left her, all of it collapsed today.
"Saved my life?" The young man's teeth chattered as he glanced at the remaining rank 4s from the Duchy.
The admiral and the prime minister, both were fighting against a bald man from the province. He was emotionless like a machine and matched both of them equally.
He's enslaved by the life strands and was the strongest man other than the Duke. If not for him holding back the two officials, Akira and Jorand would never be able to force the Duke to his current state.
And he wasn't just holding them back, he was actively injuring them. The prime minister was relatively fine but the admiral was slowly growing exhausted.
As he blocked a deadly swing of a sword and fell back, the admiral's eyes met the young man's for a moment and widened as if he saw a ghost.
"W-What are you…"
The green scales that grew on the young man's neck shut up the old woman.
"That animal once killed a space city and took his minions to rape many women. I'm his bastard."
"No, don't slander me! I've killed people in that city because they hid spies of the Alliance." The admiral yelled despite being in a difficult situation.
"Do you think I'll trust you? I have your blood flowing in me." The young man spat in disgust.
"I…I lost a son when I wa—"
"Shut up! You vile beast!" The young man unsheathed his sword and rained a torrent of attacks on his adopted grandmother. It's as if he was pouring out all the anger at his father on her.
The old woman who fought him valiantly until now found the strength in her arms falling.
'I-If what he said is true, then m-maybe we deserve…'
It wasn't just this young man, every traitor had a very convincing reason for betraying.
Listening to why they were pushed to such a despicable move, the duchy warriors felt their resolves fall.
…Were they really defending such a horrible regime?
A sense of revulsion slowly rose from their hearts.
"Pay for your crimes. Siding with a sinner is still a sin." The young man glared at the admiral and his hand blurred.
The sword in his palm rotated like a top and reached his mother. The old woman exhaled deeply and closed her eyes. The spear in her hand dropped to the ground and the sharp blade reached her neck.
"Die!"
BOO—sssss~
The exploding sound of the wind died off in an instant and a feeble, struggling sound came out.
"Y-You…" The Naga young man's eyes nearly bulged out as he saw a palm holding his sword's blade.
Just a bare palm holding the sharpest edge of his blade.
…What the fuck was this?
The Naga young man instinctively dropped his sword and jumped back.
"A very touching story." Varian flipped the sword and threw it with a casual gesture.
The space around the sword collapsed and the time flowing around the sword improved, speeding it up to a ridiculous degree.
The inconspicuous powers of matter and energy that Varian left at the handle of the sword began to act. The sword's handle melted away and the blade accelerated even further.
Even though all of these powers were only rank 2 by themselves, a Mystic's strength, space and time's assistance as well as matter and energy's acceleration changed the level of this attack completely.
If Varian used any of these pair of powers separately, the best he could do was kill a high rank 2 and severely injure a peak rank 2.
But when imposed together, in the eyes of every other rank 3, the sword just blurred from Varian's hand.
When they noticed the trajectory of the sword and turned their gaze, the sword had already severed the Naga man's head and sliced through a dozen Barix rank 2 warriors.
"G-Gian!" The old woman sobbed in a heartbreaking voice and looked at Varian with a mix of emotions. Unsurprisingly, there was an unconcealed hatred in her eyes.
After hearing the misery her adopted son had gone through, she felt he had died unjustly and that Varian was siding with the bad guys.
But Varian sneered without the slightest apology. "If you want to play justice and evil, go to kindergarten. Barix ruined so many innocent lives for the so-called revenge. They have no moral standing to speak of."
Varian could've picked any side to help. Initially, he was inclined to help Barix as Centaurus seemed like the greater evil.
But before any other thought arose, the silhouettes of the family that ran the inn of Ubiq flashed in his mind.
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