Happiness radiated from the smiles of the people of Aethelgard. The men, women, and children—all felt safe and happy here. Their hopes and dreams shone brightly as they believed that this place was perfect for achieving greatness.
Their belief is logical. After all, Aethelgard is renowned for being one of the greatest and strongest kingdoms in this world. Its army is said to be capable of wiping out nations without effort. The soldiers have an absurd level of control over Vyr, the source of all magic in this world.
Well, this is common knowledge, but is it actually true? I think not.
The other kingdoms were brimming with power, all of them having a collective hatred for Aethelgard. This mainly had to do with how Aethelgard's empire spread throughout an entire continent, a result of the kingdom's glory days when common knowledge was the inescapable truth.
However, nothing lasts forever, a fact known by many but truly understood by few.
The corruption of the Aethelgard nobility was clearly evident. They had led the kingdom's political state into a mere shell of what it used to be. It's not a failing political system, but a far cry from the just and strict political system this kingdom used to have back then.
Moreover, the military was also weaker than the citizens thought. People say that their control over Vyr is absurd and unreachable, but in reality, it's not even close to that. Most soldiers only have an intermediate level of control, not even advanced.
This was clear from the sight I was seeing. The Kingdom of Broshasa, a kingdom that had sworn to end Aethelgard 1000 years ago, was defeating the Aethelgard army thanks to their superior weapons and overwhelming Vyr.
Despite the poor state Aethelgard was in, their army could still be considered strong. In fact, if their army and Broshasa's army were to join forces, the destruction they could bring would be beyond just mere continents.
Perhaps, several moons might collapse merely from their destructive presence.
And yet, here they are, fighting uselessly for land. It seemed apparent that Broshasa would win and Aethelgard would finally end as a kingdom. A motivating factor for Broshasa was that their king and princes had joined in this battle, allowing them to fight with confidence and hope to impress their royalty.
Meanwhile, Aethelgard had their general Vekas as their leader. The king and his family were safely lounging in their palace, while the general led his army to a losing battle. Had this been the old Aethelgard, such a thing wouldn't have happened. It could be said that this was a disappointing outcome.
Broshasa's army only faced a fraction of the casualties that Aethelgard's army had to bear. One would take one look at the battlefield and declare Broshasa as the winner of this encounter. But did they win? The birds don't seem to be having an opinion.
They are uncomfortable with this battle, judging by how only crows are staying here. The sparrows, the parrots, and every other type of bird left the bloody scene immediately. Even a death hawk was terrified of the sight, implying the danger and brutality of this battle.
Hmm...
I then walked towards the crows, wondering what they felt about the battle. Did they feel entertained? Did they feel bored? Or did they discomfort?
As I set myself on my knees, the crows looked at me with shining curiosity. After looking at them for some time, I deduced that they found it disruptive. Not due to how bloody it was, but by how noisy it was. In other words, they were disappointed by this battle.
"Hey! You there!" Turning my gaze away from the crows and standing up on my feet, I looked at the King of Broshasa, King Ameron, who called me out. It seems that with less than 1000 troops of Aethelgard left, he finally came to notice me.
"What do you need?"
"You must be a noble with that good-looking suit of yours." He expressed with a haughty smirk as he approached me, his guards not too far behind.
"I am afraid that I am not. The suit is merely a dress I always wear. It has nothing to do with nobility." I told him with a calm voice, though I could tell how the crows found his voice disturbing.
"You are not a noble?! Blasphemy!!" He exclaimed in utter disbelief. "Such a suit cannot be worn by a commoner!!" He exclaimed in shock and rage.
My suit looked pristine, and only nobles and royalty could wear pristine outfits. Yet, none of them had a suit like mine. It was unique and something only I could wear. Seeing it must be a surprise, even for someone who wears a fancy outfit.
There was no jewelry attached to my suit, yet its quality could be described as pristine and excellent by simply looking at it.
Observing the king, he was not too shabby himself. His battle armor was littered with pieces of gold and diamonds, an unnecessary addition to the armor. Despite his bushy beard, his looks could still be considered handsome, with a physique that was muscular, showcasing the power he possessed.
His two sons, who were focused on killing Aethelgard's soldiers, were more on the skinny side rather than the bulkier side like their father. Yet, their power was immense, capable of taking down tall buildings without much effort.
"No matter." Ameron sighed and looked at me with killing intent as he unleashed a surge of oathweight, a type of mystical pressure that could submit anything and everything weaker than the user to their will. "You are not among us, so your death is certain."
The mountain just behind me collapsed from his mere oathweight. It showed just how powerful he was, and he wasn't even unleashing his full power, which showcased how he was capable of destroying much more than just a mountain.
Some of the soldiers of both Aethelgard and Broshasa died due to the level of oathweight he was unleashing, while many others were sent prone to the ground, unable to stand under pressure.
Even Aethelgard's general, Vekas Lundarve, had sweat on his forehead as he felt the oppressive force of Ameron's oathweight. It could be described as remarkable since Vekas was also a strong individual and could even defeat Ameron in a one-on-one fight.
The crows, on the other hand, remained completely unharmed, despite being the weakest creatures in the entire battlefield. It wasn't that they were overwhelmingly stronger than the king of Broshasa that allowed them to be unaffected, but they were being protected by an invisible shield.
It was a shield I had conjured for their safety. They were helpless creatures who were dissatisfied with the noise this battle had caused.
Seeing me standing and staring at the crows, unfazed by the pressure that his oathweight unleashed, Ameron's eyes widened in disbelief, his brows furrowed as he felt a surge of rage rushing in his body.
"Blasphemy! How can you withstand my oathweight?!?!" He asked in utter horror, his reaction understandable. He was strong, and he took pride in that, yet I remained unaffected by him. It terrified him, and he didn't plan on leaving me alive, especially since I was not under his leash.
"I am stronger than your aura. Defeating me won't be easy." It would be impossible, but I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt as I faced him with a small smile on my face. Seeing my expression infuriated the king further.
"My subjects, my people, my kingdom!" He called, causing every single person in Broshasa's army to arrive behind him, including his two scrawny sons.
"This man is on their side! His power is a danger to us, so he must be annihilated. Everyone, attack!" He declared as his men charged at me, unleashing their full strength as they observed how I stood unfazed by their ruler's aura.
Flicking my wrist in thin air, the air molecules moved and struck them at a speed that was nearly as fast as light.
Since these molecules were imbued with the Vyr scattered throughout the whole battlefield, they turned out to be lethal, destroying their bodies instantly due to the molecules piercing them entirely, leaving only the king alive, whose eyes widened in horror.
"W-What...? This... this can't be!" He exclaimed desperately, his expression betraying true despair and fear. His entire army, which consisted of more than 100,000 troops, all died simply from air molecules that he couldn't even see. To him, it appeared as if they had died from thin air.
"You bastard! You'll..." He began as tears escaped his eyes. He loved his sons and cared deeply for them as well as the rest of his soldiers. He was a benevolent king, yet his pride was also immense, outshining his benevolent and kind nature significantly.
"You'll die for this! Raahh!!" He exclaimed in pure rage as his tears evaporated while he lost control of his oathweight, making it rage across the battlefield.
The invisible shield protected the crows, while Vekas cast a shield to protect his men, barely composed after seeing my power and witnessing the king's wrath. Ameron, now blinded by rage and void of reasoning, charged at me with his sword that had fire magic imbued in it.
Despite the fierce willpower and determination he displayed, I simply side-stepped to the right. It was not a simple process; it was a fast one as we moved at a speed approximately 160 times faster than sound.
I then launched a back-handed slap across his face, beheading him on the spot. Blood gushed out as the beheaded king fell to the floor, deceased.
"Y-young man..." Hearing a voice call out to me, I turned around to see Vekas, drenched in sweat and having a troubled expression.
His lustrous white hair reached down to his shoulders, slightly longer than my jet-black hair. His eyes shone like black pearls, his lean physique and white robes further amplifying his looks to appear more handsome and young than he already was.
He didn't wear proper armor, yet even his robes could be considered stronger than the armor that Ameron's sons were wearing.
"Why did you help us? Why did you kill them?" He asked, his voice slightly hoarse as he appeared to be a bit tired by the entire battle.
"Hmm?" Hearing his words, my expression betrayed slight confusion as I tilted my head to the left slightly. "What do you mean? I was helping the crows, not you." I replied as I gestured to the crows who were now no longer covered by the invisible shield.
"Help the... crows?"
"Yes," I confirmed as a crow flapped its wings and landed on my right index finger as I raised it for the crow to sit on. "This battle was acoustically disruptive for them, so I ended it." I explained as I stared at the crow with an aloof gaze.
"You ended this battle.... a battle between two armies that could annihilate planets... simply because the crows didn't like the noise?" He asked, unable to comprehend my motives.
"Yes. Why would there be any other reason?" I asked as raised my finger higher while the crow flew away, with the rest of its companions following her.
"Who... who are you?" He asked, his eyes widening in disbelief at my abilities and motives. I then looked at him with a smile on my face while placing my hands in my pockets.
"I am a wanderer, though you could call me Revan."