Chapter 963: Heavy Weighing Thoughts
"We'll see how long you can keep that arrogance," Aurelius said coldly as a gale of wind burst from his sword.
Izroth kicked off his back foot and created some distance between himself and Aurelius.
At the same time, a vortex of wind several meters wide began to swirl around Aurelius.
"Windstorm Fourth Style: Restless Cyclone!" Aurelius roared as he swept his sword down before him.
When he performed this action, the wind vortex instantly expanded in all directions.
Every place the wind vortex passed became riddled with deep cuts as the ground in its path was completely destroyed.
In addition, almost immediately after he launched his attack, Aurelius shifted his stance as a mixture of the lightning and wind elements converged at a point above his head.
Bzzzt...!
Several waves of violent electricity discharged from the mixture of elements as the Storming Bulwark that encompassed Aurelius seemed to grow in strength.
"Windstorm Third Style: Storm Chaser."
The moment Aurelius spoke, the elements of lightning and wind above his head sped into his sword as the two became one. He stomped his foot on the ground while he simultaneously drove his sword into the earth.
Rmmmmble!
When Aurelius' sword entered the earth, it felt as though the entire outskirts of the Netherly Shadow Fields started to tremble.
Then, out of nowhere, several twisters materialized. Each of the twisters had strong winds that could easily slice through tough metals. In addition, there was a powerful source of lightning flowing throughout its core.
Every time the twister completed a full rotation, which roughly took less than half a second, it released a terrifying bolt of lightning that contained a heavy sword intent.
...
Meanwhile, with the sudden arrival of the intense tremors and the atmospheric changes, the soldiers under Aurelius looked on in awe and fear.
"Is this the Prime Eques' true strength?" One of the soldiers commented as he struggled to keep his balance due to the trembling earth.
"How could the Prime Eques of our Order be weak?"
"But, it looked like he was in a tough spot just a second ago..."
"Hey, don't be an idiot. Our Prime Eques was probably just playing with that guy. Now that he's serious, that guy doesn't stand a chance."
Despite the hectic environment, the soldiers casually chatted among themselves.
After they witnessed Aurelius' power firsthand, their confidence rose to a new level. Having a Prime Eques like this, was there even a need for them to be concerned over the outcome of this fight?
Vincent glanced over at the soldiers, who relaxed their guard.
"We are not here for a time of leisure! Keep your wits about you!" Vincent scolded with a visible look of disappointment in his eyes.
After his stern words, the soldiers stopped their casual chatter. But, several of the soldiers present seemed displeased with how Vincent spoke to them.
"...Tch, he's just from a minor noble house that serves the Windstorm family. If it wasn't for the Prime Eques, then..." One of the soldiers muttered under his breath.
The soldiers who followed Aurelius were all from higher-standing noble families of the Tempest kingdom. After all, not just anyone could be by the side of someone from the Windstorm family.
However, Vincent was different from the rest of them. He came from a minor noble family that served under the Windstorm family for many generations.
That minor noble family was nothing special. It had no sort of political power. Furthermore, its combat potential was not particularly high compared to others of similar standing. But, it was still not a family that could be touched, thanks to being under the Windstorm family.
Vincent returned his gaze to the battle ahead. He furrowed his brows as a frown soon found its way onto his face.
...
After Aurelius used the Windstorm Third Style: Storm Chaser and Windstorm Fourth Style: Restless Cyclone, the battlefield had become a total mess.
The earth had been leveled and scarred. There were also numerous burn marks from the lightning thrown out by the twisters, while any resemblance of nearby plant life had been decimated or damaged beyond regrowth.
The twisters conjured by Aurelius lasted for nearly ten seconds before finally dispersing. At the same time, the wind vortex also vanished as the atmosphere began to revert to its previous state.
Aurelius swept his gaze over the aftermath of his destruction with a grin.
"In terms of raw destructive power, the third and fourth styles are ranked the highest among the Windstorm Sword Styles. Combined with the Storming Bulwark, there is no way that arrogant bastard could have survived." Aurelius said to himself.
After he scanned the surroundings thoroughly, Aurelius was unable to find a single trace of Izroth.
But, even after destroying Izroth, Aurelius still felt annoyed whenever he remembered that carefree look on his face.
"Didn't you say my family's swordsmanship was useless against you? Weren't you speaking so boldly not long ago? Now, look at you! You've become nothing but the dust beneath my feet! Hahahaha!" Aurelius laughed mockingly.
Ranazera released a small sigh as she watched everything that unfolded.
"Second brother, what is it that you saw in such a person?" Ranazera thought to herself with a troubled expression.
She then uttered to herself, "Even after all this time, I still cannot grasp what went on through that head of yours. Second brother... Did I not make the right choice...?"
Ranazera always struggled to understand her brother's intentions. But, ever since Izroth told her of his encounter with Robinarzin, she felt as if she had finally started to get a grasp on it. Unfortunately, the feeling was transient.
This battle, the war, the current state of her Tempest kingdom... Even now, the sixth princess still held her doubts and suspicions about it all.
However, among all that doubt and suspicion, there was something that bothered her. It was constantly gnawing and scratching in the depths of her mind during her whole journey with Izroth. But it was not until the moment he disappeared that Ranazera experienced a strange sense of emptiness.
Obviously, the two were by no means close. They could not even be considered acquaintances, let alone friends. Nor did she abruptly develop romantic feelings toward him. Not to even mention the fact that he was someone from an enemy kingdom who captured her against her will.
But still, despite all that, there was an emptiness present. Though it was not as though Ranazera was oblivious to the cause.
That gnawing and scratching in the depths of Ranazera's mind came from some words Izroth had previously said to her.
"I may have close ties to Amaharpe, but the side I stand on is that of the Mortal Realm."—these were the words that stuck to Ranazera.
However, the words alone were not enough for it to dwell on Ranazera's mind for this long.
The tone of his voice, the look in his eyes, his demeanor—all of it revealed someone who meant what they said wholeheartedly. There was no veil of lies or false niceties, only a simple truth that was solidly stood by.
In truth, a part of Ranazera was envious of Izroth's straightforward nature. As a princess of the royal family of Tempest, she always dealt with people who were deceptive and untrustworthy. They either wanted something from her as a princess of the royal family or because of her ties to the people of Tempest.
That's why meeting someone like Izroth, who did not speak half-heartedly, was a nice change of pace. But was that really all there was that bugged her?
No, there was something more. Ranazera realized that somewhere along the way, she, too, had been sucked into that world of deception and lies. Everything that Tempest did, she told herself that it was necessary for the greater good. But she knew that was a lie. Even with the little influence and popularity that she had, it was always about doing what was expected of her by the royal family.
Though was that really the correct choice? This question had been on her mind ever since she heard of her second brother's "defection" to Proximus.
Her second brother was someone once loved by the people of Tempest. Now, his name was being used as a curse, and the blame for the war beginning had been shifted to him. All because he tried to do what he believed to be the right thing.
"My second brother knew the potential consequences of his actions, yet he still chose to follow his heart. I... Can I at least take a step forward in my own direction for the greater good that I believe in...?" Ranazera thought to herself as she clenched her fists.