In dealing with the target, the use of daggers or poison was out of the question.
Of course, even if traces of an assassination were discovered, the Shadow had confidence that no evidence of the Shadow Squad would remain—but there was always the possibility, however slim.
If his method were somehow revealed, it could trouble his lord.
Moreover, he had already once disappointed his lord before.
Thus, the Shadow chose the most certain method.
He would channel his aura into the body of the Second Son, tearing apart the Mana Rods within.
On the surface, it would look as if the death were natural, leaving no trace. And even if a trace were discovered, it would appear as if an inexperienced Second Son had lost control of his aura and caused the accident.
The Shadow gently raised his hand above Ian, who sat quietly.
“There will be no pain, Second Son.”
Even for someone he had to kill, this was the only younger brother of Grand Prince Alex Lichtenauer.
At the very least, he would not inflict unnecessary suffering.
“Farewell.”
The moment the Shadow attempted to push his aura into Ian’s body—
Snatch!
“?!”
Ian had grabbed the Shadow’s wrist, his eyes blazing like a volcanic eruption as he glared at the Shadow.
“Who are you?”
What happened was something that could not possibly occur, not even in a million years.
Just before the Shadow attempted to ambush Ian.
“Phew! Feeling relaxed, aren’t we?”
Ian, having soaked in warm water for quite some time, returned to his room and sat upright on the bed.
“The fellow who owned this body, Ian… quite an interesting constitution, indeed.”
Outwardly, his body appeared frail, without a hint of muscle—the very image of weakness.
But Lucas’s soul did not worry about that.
Muscles grow naturally with proper nutrition and exercise.
Of course, innate physique matters, but with proper training, it could be developed sufficiently.
More important, however, were the Mana Roads.
Mana Road.
A channel through which the grace of the atmosphere, the mana, could be absorbed and refined into aura, granting power to the body.
Such a path could not be changed merely by effort.
Not only was it impossible for the talentless, but even among the gifted, differences in innate levels created obvious gaps.
The body’s original owner, Ian Lichtenauer, astonishingly,
Had every Mana Road within him completely blocked.
That he had survived until now was nothing short of miraculous.
Even simple movements in daily life must have been arduous.
For Lucas, who now inhabited this body and dreamed of revenge on Siegfried, despair would have been normal.
Yet his face expressed nothing but awe, as if seeing a legendary creature in reality.
“So, the Solar Severing Veins… I thought this constitution existed only in theory, yet here I am experiencing it firsthand.”
The Solar Severing Veins.
A congenital condition in which the body is filled with yang energy from birth, preventing the organs from harmoniously circulating energy.
Since the internal balance is impossible, mastering the martial arts of the Lichtenauer family, which required intense physical movement, was naturally unachievable.
Thus, Ian Lichtenauer had been cursed as a direct descendant of the martial family, incapable of learning their arts.
However.
“You are lucky, Ian. You met someone like me.”
Or perhaps, Lucas thought, I am the lucky one.
He had been practicing the martial art best suited for the Solar Severing Veins.
“Fuuuuuh…”
Taking a steady breath, Lucas—Ian now—introspected, sinking deep into his inner self.
‘So, this is the Solar Severing Veins.’
Beneath the surface of consciousness.
As his inner form materialized, the energy of the Solar Severing Veins blocking his body manifested before his eyes.
Nine chains, twisted like the scorching sun, bound his Mana Roads at multiple points.
“Solar Severing Veins… I’d heard the name, but… twisted as hell.”
Examining the interior, Ian realized why the Solar Severing Veins had become a legend in Agena—not because it didn’t exist, but because those who were afflicted long ago perished.
For the Mana Roads to be bound this tightly and for him to still live was astounding.
Perhaps no one in all of Agena could ever untangle such tightly wound Mana Roads.
Except him.
Lucas, the Overlord of the Northern Continent, had mastered a martial art called Blood Iron Chain Technique, a style based on extreme heat.
Though his former life Lucas’s talent with Mana Roads had been average, he had possessed a naturally yang-strong constitution and innate divine strength.
With that alone, he could fully unleash the power of Blood Iron Chain Technique and leave his mark in history.
Then, if he were to wield the Blood Iron Chain Technique using the heat of the Solar Severing Veins—said to embrace the energy of the heavens—
What might its power be?
‘…Perhaps not just revenge against Siegfried and his followers, but I might surpass even my former life’s limits.’
…Gulp.
Ian could barely contain his anticipation.
Was it just his imagination, or did the viciously twisted chains now look like ribbons wrapping a gift box?
‘No, it’s not imagination.’
This was certainty.
Vwoooom!
Slowly.
Suppressing his swelling emotions, he began to operate the Blood Iron Chain Technique, very carefully.
It was not to destroy the Mana Roads with its destructive nature.
If he tried to pierce through the Mana Roads without first untangling the chains, every Mana Road would be shredded along with the chain’s end.
Some time passed.
When he managed to loosen the end of one chain, he felt a small grain of energy begin to form a sphere beneath his navel.
‘…Ugh!’
Even loosening just the tip of a chain made it feel as if his internal organs were tearing apart strand by strand.
Even for Ian, who had reached the title of Overlord in his previous life, the pain was hard to bear.
‘…No wonder the original owner of this body, the kid, couldn’t dare to train in martial arts.’
Whether martial family descendant or not, the pain was unbearable for anyone unseasoned in combat.
But stopping now would achieve nothing.
If he gave up here, the boy would continue to live as a powerless liability to his family, just as he had all this time.
‘As a former(?) Overlord, I cannot allow that!’
Grinding his teeth, he forced the Blood Iron Chain Technique forward.
His goal was to completely untangle a single chain among the entire mass.
Although the energy forming it was tiny, the martial arts Lucas had achieved in his previous life had woven chains that stained even the heavens with blood.
Suppressing the pain, he carefully sent out energy toward the first chain.
Fwoooosh!
A chain infused with heat as if to burn the world approached the weak energy he had sent, threatening it.
Had they collided head-on, the disparity would have annihilated him.
But Ian did not intend to suppress the energy of the Solar Severing Veins.
Suppression could be done later, gradually. For now, he focused entirely on freeing the Mana Road hostage.
…Clack!
Sssssss!
Even the slightest contact caused the aura of the Blood Iron Chain Technique to emit steam as if burning.
Though no one could notice in the dark night, a thread of blood-red energy like mist spouted from Ian’s nostrils.
‘Damn… potent, indeed.’
Gulp!
A mouthful of blood filled his mouth.
Ian—or rather, Lucas—had underestimated the Solar Severing Veins.
In the continent’s history, no one had ever reached Lucas’s level.
And no one was known to have overcome the Solar Severing Veins.
How this result had come to be, he needed to consider.
Crunch! Crunch!
Ian’s teeth ground together as if to shatter.
‘…I, fail to some mere energy?’
Impossible.
I am Lucas, Overlord.
A monster who once unified the Northern Continent, subjugating the one-quarter portion of Agena, and who barely defeated the hero Siegfried after drawing all the threats Siegfried had scattered across the continent.
That overwhelming brilliance allowed Ian to withstand the Solar Severing Veins’ energy.
Kirik! Kirik!
The chains of the Solar Severing Veins interlocked as Ian delved further into his inner world, pushing and pulling with each breath.
At that very moment, as the internal vortex intensified—
‘…?!’
He felt an external conduit connect at the head as his body overheated.
When performing aura cultivation, an external conduit could only appear for one reason:
Someone was touching his body.
And there were only two possibilities for such contact:
They had come to help, or to harm him.
Which one?
‘I’ll know when I open my eyes!’
Snatch!
Grabbing the arm acting as the external conduit, Ian opened his eyes.
Seeing the black shadow filling his vision, he immediately understood the purpose of the one who had touched his body.
The latter.
“Who are you?”
Johann, a member of the Shadow Squad loyal to Grand Prince Alex Lichtenauer, could not comprehend the situation.
The Shadow Squad specialized from birth in intelligence, infiltration, and assassination.
Due to the importance of their missions, only those with talent could ever join.
Johann was a highly promising member even among such elite.
And yet, his covert approach had been noticed by none other than the notoriously incompetent Second Son, Ian Lichtenauer.
‘Noticing my approach… fine. But those eyes…’
Eyes burning like the world itself were on fire.
Those eyes, filled with a disposition opposite to the icy composure of the Grand Prince, were not something an incompetent person could possess.
Assess, act.
This was the Shadow Squad’s protocol when unexpected variables occurred.
True to his training, Johann acted without hesitation.
Vwoooom!
The aura rising from Johann’s body surged toward Ian’s awakened head.
Or rather, it tried to.
“Answer the question instead of doing… that!”
Astonishingly, Ian completely blocked Johann’s aura.
“!”
Not only did he block it, but he pushed back an enormous amount of aura into Johann’s body.
Aura far more condensed and scorching than Johann’s.
“Kraaaaaaah!”
Johann screamed in agony.
Due to the nature of their missions, Shadow Squad members often endured torture if captured.
All their training to withstand pain now seemed useless.
Experiencing agony he had never felt in life, Johann’s mind went white.
“Kuuuuu…”
Hot.
Too hot.
So hot he wanted to pull his hand off the Second Son’s head immediately.
But.
“I asked, didn’t I? Who are you?”
The calm Second Son held his wrist firmly.
The smile on his face was devilish.
“Answer willingly, and I’ll make it easy for you.”
A temptation that could corrupt even a lord.
“I… I am…”
Under the overwhelming temptation, Johann’s mouth involuntarily opened.
…Crack!
Johann snapped his lips shut hard enough to draw blood.
He could not speak.
If he did, he would bring immense trouble to his lord, the Grand Prince.
That, he could never allow.
“Oh?”
Ian clearly read Johann’s resolve.
“Very well. Then just die as you are.”
No hesitation, no regret.
Without a word, Ian pushed his aura into Johann’s body.
Fwoooosh!
“!”
Watching his body burn alive, Johann’s eyes widened.
The Second Son, known for being so weak he couldn’t even catch an insect, was thought incapable of such boldness.
No matter the assassin, the ordinary perception was that the Second Son would never have the nerve to burn a man alive without flinching.
And that was the widespread belief of Ian Lichtenauer, the Second Son.
‘He… has deceived the world entirely….’
Had he revealed his true nature before the opening ceremony, competitors would have easily killed him.
Without any support base, the Second Son could have been eliminated even by the Grand Prince or other powerful branches if he wished.
But after the ceremony, everything changed.
He could now stand alone as a formal member of the martial family.
Seventeen years of patience, all for this day.
Terrifying.
Truly terrifying.
‘This one… is dangerous….’
He had to report it.
He had to inform that the closest threat to their lord was the most dangerous adversary.
And with that thought, Johann’s consciousness ended, his body reduced to ashes.
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