The same man. The same calm. The same way of striking without hesitation, without emotion. The one who had trapped me. The one who had created this entire situation from scratch. The slave market. The death of his own brother in the chaos he had provoked. Everything came rushing back at once, like a logical sequence I had refused to see.
But I could say nothing.
I had already acted impulsively. I had attacked Kara without thinking, blinded by anger. If I shouted the truth now, I would look like a madman. A noble incapable of controlling himself. I had to stay calm. Understand what this bastard really wanted.
I raised my head.
Kaiser stood between me and the half-beast. He placed his hand on her head and patted gently.
"Youâve grown, Kara."
I felt my heart tighten.
âThey know each other...?â
My mind rejected the idea. Logically, Kaiser was the mastermind behind the slave networks. How could he be allied with a half-beast? Something didnât add up. My reasoning was cracking, but I couldnât put my finger on it.
Kara herself seemed confused. She pushed his hand away with a sharp gesture.
"Who are you?"
I tried to stand. My legs trembled, but my endurance still held. This wasnât the first time I had taken such a violent hit. My father never held back during training. Yet this one had left a different mark. More precise. A lingering taste of humiliation.
Kaiser smiled and slipped his hands into his pockets.
"As a bodyguard, itâs supposed to be the other way around. But today, Iâm going to protect you."
{Ps: Kaiser, wearing The Predatorâs mask, had offered Kara to become his bodyguard in the future.}
Kara froze. Her gaze wavered.
"Itâs you? Itâs really you?"
"Yeah. But no need to talk now. I donât want to cause unnecessary trouble for the Donoghan."
I gritted my teeth.
"But youâre the one who promised we could get revenge. That bastard is the one who wanted to buy me!"
I saw Kaiser frown slightly. He shook his head.
"Iâll try to sort this out, Kara. Stay back."
He advanced toward me.
My blood boiled.
"Kris Donoghan, this matter seems to be a misunderstanding with my friend."
"There is no misunderstanding!"
Kara shouted as she tried to stand, but she stumbled immediately.
"Go rest."
Kaiser struck the back of her neck with a sharp gesture. Her body collapsed instantly. A magic circle appeared beneath her and carried her out of the battlefield.
I lost control.
"Shut up !"
My voice trembled, laden with rage.
"Youâre trying to play the virtuous one? Everyone sees the accusations, but you donât even try to dispel them. Do you take me for an idiot? Youâre in cahoots with her. I understand everything now. You want to tarnish my reputation!"
He looked at me without raising his voice.
"Future duke, I have respect for you. But if you slander like this, it will be difficult to clear up the accusations."
Steam escaped my mouth. My fists shook. I no longer heard the surroundings. There was only him.
That bastard.
I didnât know why, but I wanted to see him fall. See him lose that calm. See him panic. He had even used a half-beast to humiliate me in front of everyone.
"I canât let this slide."
Something broke inside me.
My vision blurred. The anger surged suddenly, violent, uncontrollable. My aura exploded without me trying to contain it. I felt my body temperature rise. My muscles contracted. My birth tattoo began to burn.
The last thing I clearly perceived was my hair gradually turning white.
*End of point of view.*
***
Kaiser blinked, surprised.
"...A protagonist remains a protagonist."
Krisâs scarlet aura erupted wildly. The trees around him began to burn. The ground cracked under his feet. An overwhelming pressure spread in all directions.
Kaiser immediately activated Aura Repulsion. An invisible wave pushed back the heat and pressure, protecting the area where Kara had disappeared seconds earlier.
At the center of the terrain, a crater was forming. Deeper and deeper.
Kaiser analyzed the situation without moving.
The Pendragon lineage had just awakened.
Not completely. But enough to change the level of the fight.
âIf you truly mastered that, Iâd be in deep shit,â Kaiser thought calmly.
âWho would have thought that in a situation like this, he would awaken his Pendragon lineage and even fuse it with his Art. For now itâs instinctive, but this Draconic Lion transformation is one he would have in hell. At the academy, heâs not supposed to have this transformation.â
Kris had white mane-like hair with his Dragon tattoo fully ablaze; the aura surging toward him could only mean one thing right now: he was an A-rank warrior, a minor level superior to Kaiser who was an A- rank warrior.
Iâd really be in deep shit if he truly mastered it. Fortunately, he probably wonât be able to use the Pendragon gravity magic, and heâs a bit in berserk mode so zero combat intelligence.
Kris slammed his spear into the ground. An explosion of flames erupted. Kaiser leaped backward and used a brief Repulsion to rise, avoiding the impact zone. He landed to the side, already analyzing the next move.
Kris charged.
His speed had increased. His strength too. The spear came down from high to low. Kaiser dodged with a precise step, struck the flank with a punch charged with aura. The shock pushed Kris back, but didnât slow him.
A new attack. A horizontal sweep. Kaiser jumped. Dash. He passed over the flaming tip and struck with a knee to the shoulder.
Kris growled but continued.
Every spear strike destroyed the terrain. Every movement wasted his energy. Kaiser, on the other hand, stayed clean. He struck joints, points of imbalance. He wasnât trying to win quickly. He was trying to exhaust.
Kris roared and attempted a direct thrust. Kaiser used short-range Repulsion. The spear was deflected. He followed with an elbow to the jaw, then a kick to the abdomen.
Kris retreated several meters.
Kaiser slowly raised his eyes to the sky.
A black drone hovered at a good distance above the battlefield, silent, its sensors aimed at them. He knew exactly who it belonged to.
"Sorry, Miss Isabella... but Iâm going to have to fight your brother seriously."
His smile didnât disappear, but something changed noticeably in his attitude. His body straightened. His shoulders stabilized. His breathing became regular. He completely stopped moving unnecessarily.
Then he concentrated his aura.