The Wintersin Empire's army stood at the Northern border of Soulnaught like a menag shadow, their armlinting in the pale sunlight of the never-ending winter in the cold north.

  Emperor Burn, a tall and imposing figure with a gaze as icy as the tundra itself, had just arrived, sending shivers down the spines of both friend and foe alike.

  As he dismounted his metal griffin steed with all the grace of a bull in a a shop, Percival, one of his knights, stood waiting with a mixture of reverend exasperation.

  The weather, true to the twisted sense of humor of the gods, decided to add a touch of frost to the Northern’s midsummer, leaving everyone shivering and cursing their choice of wardrobe, which actually had enough yers already.

  Emperor Burn surveyed his army with a critical eye, his lips curled in a shat could curdle milk at a hundred paces. The atmosphere crackled with tension and unspoken threats, as if the very air itself feared his wrath.

  Percival, ever the loyal and long-suffering knight, cleared his throat and stepped forward, ready to deliver his report.

  "Your Majesty, the troops are ready and eager to march at your and," he announced. "As predicted, Wintersin immediately moved the moment you initiated the war with Inkia’s army.”

  Emperor Burn merely grunted in response, his eyes sing the horizon with a predatleam.

  “But, Sir, they seem to be waiting for you to make a grarance,” Percival added.

  “They know I’m ing?” Burn asked, eyebrows raised. “Did they catch our spies et wise to them lurking about?”

  “No, sir. We told our spies to keep it subtle, with only a select few stirring the pot,” Percival replied. He paused before telling him what he was thinking, “It seems you're not the only star of the show they’re anticipating.”

  Burn frowned.

  He g Percival and eyed his sword dubiously. "That sword," he quipped, and Percival promptly unhooked it from his belt and ha over. "I suppose I'll make do with this for the time being, unless anyone objects?"

  "By all means, Sir. It’s an honor," Percival responded early.

  As Burn observed, only he and Percival wielded the exact same on at the Round Table. Even Gahad used a standard sword, while he and Percival brandished their impressive longswords.

  But different from him, Percival actually used a cherished family heirloom.

  Burn suppressed a sigh, filing away a mental o procure a more suitable sword for himself ohis loop came to an end. Disengaging his greatsword, he ha over to Percival with a wry smile.

  Percival looked surprised. "Sir?"

  "Well, 't have you feeli out," Burn remarked dryly as Percival took the greatsword from him.

  Burn's patience was soon rewarded as the sun reached its zenith, casting a harsh light on a previously invisible spaceship that materialized in the enemy's formation.

  In a stroke of ic irony, the ship had ahereal, shimmering quality—as if it couldn't quite it to being fully visible, much like an indecisive ghost flirting with the idea of haunting. Its sleek metallic exterileamed in the sunlight, adorned with strange, glowing ruhat pulsed with an otherworldly energy.

  As the spaceship hovered ominously in the air, Burn hummed. "Well, isn't that just lovely," he deadpanned. "Wintersin… nothing says 'subtle invasion' quite like an expensive half-invisible spaceship crashing the party."

  Percival’s eyebrows creased.

  "Well, let's not keep our uninvited guests waiting, shall we? After all, it's only polite to greet them properly," Burn said.

  “Sir,” Percival couldn't help but interrupt Burn on his way, showing unusual for the typically unshakable man. "Your dition... improved, has it?"

  Percival knew Burn didn’t like areating him like a erson. It was also almost impossible for ao get worried for him. But apparently, after he thhly observed the man’s retionship with the Miss, Gahad’s se was true.

  Burn might be the stro man they had ever known aached from mortal weakness, but he was still mortal.

  Percival thought Gahad’s rise to power as Burn’s right-hand man was because they ected better through their shared childhood, but he was wrong. Gahad had better insight than him, a knight who had served the royal family even before Burn was born.

  “Is it because I’m getting married? You lot thought I’m getting weak because I’m answering to a woman now?” Bur a bit irritated. Not Gahad, not Percival—why were they starting to get sappy for him?

  “S-Sir…?”

  “Your worry is pointless. Unless you do something about it, my decision won’t ge. Those bastards are aiming for what’s supposed to be mine,” Bur a vein pop in his temple.

  “They finally show their noses,” Burn couldn’t hide his grin. “How I not get excited?”

  Percival smiled helplessly. Ah, how noble. Burn was still worried for the people while saying that everything was only for his ow. As expected, he was good at ag as a vilin to mask his actual goal to protect this realm… even though he was also battling an incurable illness…

  He was even about to face the enemy head on!

  Well…

  No.

  Percival and the others were imagining it.

  Burn was actually a vilin, and this was just a practice run. The pn was to face them head on to see what they got.

  And it seemed that they got what they needed.

  The semi-transparent spaceship desded, emitting a soft, ethereal glow as it touched down on the frosty pins below. Out walked a band of armed individuals, their ons glinting in the sunlight as they formed a protective path around their leader.

  And then came the man of singur importariding fidently out of the spacecraft. He exuded an air of authority, his every movement speaking of power and influehe general of the Wintersin army, a stalwart man with a weather-beaten fad a steely gaze, stepped forward to greet him.

  The outsider was a sight to behold, his attire eborately decorated with symbols and insignias that spoke of a rank and status beyond anything seen in the realm of hermere—except, of course, for Burn.

  Well, Burn came from the future, after all.

  In that space, separated by snow and long distahe outsider and Burn locked eyes. And so, as the armed individuals stood at attention and the wind whistled through the snow, the stage was set for a frontation unlike any other.

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  .

  -------------------------------------------------------------

  't wait for another showdown.

  sider supp this novel by giving it ratings, reviews, and ents, and if you want to, chey Patreon! You be notified for important annous by being a free member too! Link down below.

  For only 5/month, you get 7 advanced chapters and bonuses!

  (The other tiers are 3/month for 4 chapters in advance, and 10/month for every chapters in advance I had, usually 20, and could be more when I'm pnning a mass release!)