The night's drizzle instantly escalated into a full-blown storm. Ice-cold water drenched the muddy streets of the capital. The sound of horse hooves slipping in panic and terrified neighs blended with the crunch of the luxurious carriage's shattered wheels.
The two mercenary knights guarding the carriage did not waste time panicking. They were hired elites. With highly trained military coordination, both leaped through the curtain of rain, drew their long steel swords, and immediately formed a pincer formation.
"Kill that street dog!" shouted one of the knights.
Ragnar did not reply with words. He answered with steel.
The giant man charged forward through the storm. The greatsword in his hand radiated a golden Aura that illuminated the dark alley. Rainwater touching his blade instantly evaporated into hisses of hot steam.
The first knight swung his sword straight at Ragnar's neck.
Instead of parrying to protect himself, Ragnar twisted his body and swung his giant sword horizontally with full force. Ragnar's slash did not target the body protected by thick plate armor. He targeted his opponent's sword.
CRASH!
A horrifying sound of grinding metal echoed. The knight's sword snapped into two pieces from the impact of Ragnar's much more massive and Aura-coated blade. The vibration of the collision numbed the knight's arm, leaving his defense wide open.
Without a fraction of a second's pause, Ragnar used the rotational momentum of his heavy sword to keep moving forward.
The tip of his greatsword smashed into the side of the second knight's helmet, who had just prepared to stab from the right. The steel helmet dented inward, accompanied by the sound of a cracking skull. The second knight collapsed to the ground instantly.
Ragnar pulled his sword back, twisted his wrist, and slashed the neck of the first knight who was still standing frozen staring at his broken sword.
Hot blood spurted heavily from the severed neck. However, the red splatter was instantly washed away by the relentless heavy rain, leaving only the metallic scent of rusted copper in the night air.
The two elite knights fell to efficient street brutality in a matter of seconds.
Ragnar's breathing was ragged, forming white steam in the cold air. He flicked the blood from his sword blade and took heavy steps toward the tilted carriage door. Inside there lay the material that could save his General's life.
Right as Ragnar's large hand was about to snatch the gold-plated carriage door handle, his animal instinct screamed.
BOOM!
The carriage door exploded outward from within. Mahogany splinters shot into the air like live bullets.
Ragnar was forced to cross his muscular arms to protect his face from the rain of wood splinters. From within the billowing smoke and the shadows of the carriage, the raven-masked noble darted out.
The man was by no means a weak target easily intimidated. His body was coated by a thick, protective mana glow. He was a high-tier Artifact User.
The noble raised his right hand. From beneath his maroon silk suit, a complex alchemical spring mechanism was attached around his forearm.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
A barrage of magic poisoned needles glowing with a greenish hue fired at lightning speed.
Ragnar jumped backward, spinning his greatsword like a steel propeller to deflect the rain of needles. Green sparks exploded every time a needle collided with Ragnar's sword. One of the wind slashes created from Ragnar's sword swing shot forward and struck the noble's face.
Crack!
The gold raven mask split in two and fell into a muddy puddle.
The true face behind the mask was finally revealed. The face of an aristocrat, pale, full of expensive powder, and now distorted by pure anger because his honor had just been insulted.
"You think you can rob me, street dog?!" hissed the noble, his eyes blazing with arrogance. His magic boots shone brightly, making him seem to glide over the mud as he raised the artifact on his arm again.
Hearing the insult "street dog", something inside Ragnar snapped.
The disgusting display of wealth from the underground auction earlier flashed back into his mind.
The man in front of him, who threw away thousands of gold coins just to show off, was the exact same kind of human as the landlords who once let Ragnar's younger sister starve to death in the village to hoard wheat.
This arrogance was the source of all his people's suffering.
The golden aura on Ragnar's body suddenly flared brighter, wilder, and more savage.
However, this fight did not favor Ragnar. The noble's magic boots made him incredibly slippery. He kept his distance, moving in circles while raining down poisoned needles and bursts of acid magic on Ragnar.
Ragnar parried with great difficulty. Occasionally a needle grazed his shoulder, leaving a burning numbness. Amidst the onslaught, Ragnar's eyes caught a fatal sight.
Several needles that missed his body struck the wooden carriage behind the noble. The carriage wood hissed and melted due to the acid.
Ragnar realized a bitter truth. If he continued to dodge or let this fight drag on, stray attacks from the acid magic would destroy the crystal bottle of Troll Heart Marrow inside the carriage.
Kael's life was inside that wooden box.
Ragnar had no choice. He had to end this now, whatever the cost.
The noble smirked seeing Ragnar beginning to be cornered. "Die, trash!" he shouted, preparing to fire a deadly projectile with the full power he had gathered in his artifact.
Ragnar closed his eyes for a moment. He remembered his promise to Kael. He remembered his determination to destroy this pillar of arrogance.
When Ragnar opened his eyes again, he no longer dodged.
The giant man charged straight forward, meeting the muzzle of the deadly artifact. The noble laughed cynically and unleashed his poisoned needle shots right at Ragnar's chest.
In one brutal reflex movement, Ragnar twisted his shoulder. He deliberately sacrificed his defense and let the barrage of poisoned needles penetrate deep, tearing the flesh and muscles of his left arm.
"ARGHH!" Ragnar roared loudly. A burning pain like being doused in molten lead instantly traveled from his hand to his heart.
However, that sacrifice provided what Ragnar needed: execution distance.
The noble's eyes widened in horror seeing the giant monster in front of him not stopping even though his arm had been destroyed by poison. Taking advantage of the pause when his enemy was shocked, Ragnar's right hand gripping the greatsword shot forward with a speed that cleaved the raindrops.
The steel blade coated in golden Aura slashed without mercy.
The noble's right arm was severed cleanly above the elbow and flew into the air. Aristocratic blood spurted, staining his expensive silk suit.
Before the man had a chance to scream in pain, Ragnar's large boot had already planted itself squarely in his face. The brutal kick broke the noble's nose and threw him three meters away until he fell unconscious in a puddle of capital mud.
The fight was over. Ragnar won.
But the price was extremely high. The heavy rain slowly subsided into a light drizzle. Ragnar panted heavily, falling to his knees in the middle of the muddy street. He clutched his left arm.
The blood vessels in his arm began to turn black and throbbed horrifically as the acid poison spread quickly.
"Bastard... this stings so much," cursed Ragnar through gritted teeth.
He forced himself to stand. With his right hand trembling from suppressing the pain, he reached into the ruined carriage. His hand found a thick leather bag. Inside, the crystal tube of Troll Heart Marrow pulsed green, safely nestled with the Ancient Scroll. Ragnar clutched the bag to his broad chest, ignoring his increasingly numb arm, and disappeared into the thick of the night.
___
Approaching morning. Inside the academy's quiet underground alchemy laboratory.
The smell of sulfur and acid dominated the air. Crystal lamps emitted a sterile white light. I lay quietly on the examination chair, while Virelith was busy cleaning her silver surgical tools. The atmosphere was incredibly tense. Dawn would arrive soon.
BANG!
The wooden laboratory door was kicked open so roughly its hinges nearly snapped.
Ragnar staggered inside. His breathing was severely ragged. His thuggish face, usually full of arrogant laughter, was now as pale as a corpse. His entire left cloak was soaked in black blood, and his left arm was severely swollen with purplish veins creeping up his neck.
"Mission... accomplished... Commander," groaned Ragnar with a hoarse voice.
He threw the leather bag until it slid across the floor and stopped right near my feet. The very next second, Ragnar's eyes rolled backward.
His giant body collapsed, hitting the stone floor with a loud thud. He lost consciousness due to the poison reaching his body's absolute limit.
Virelith shrieked softly, reflexively dropping her scalpel and rushing over to Ragnar. "Dear God! His arm... he was hit by high-level acid poison!"
I did not waste a single moment to panic or show a shocked expression. My brain had been trained to accept battlefield chaos. I got off the chair, picked up the leather bag, and pulled out the pulsing green crystal tube and the ancient parchment inside.
I stared at the bottle. This was the fruit of my trusted subordinate's blood and pain. Ragnar's sacrifice would not be in vain.
"Leave my tools, Virelith," I ordered with a cold tone that left no room for debate. I looked at the engineer with a gaze as cold as steel. "Give him the strongest antidote you have. Heal him right now."
Virelith nodded in a panic, immediately running toward her potion shelf to find the right antidote.
I took off the cloak covering my shoulders, tossing it to the floor. I walked toward the metal operating table situated in the center of the room. Its surface felt incredibly cold as my back touched it.
I stared at the pulsing green crystal tube in my hand. The liquid inside seemed to call to me, promising newfound power along with hellish torment.
"Make sure his life is safe, Engineer," I said softly, shifting my gaze to the bright crystal lamp above my head. "Then get ready immediately. Prepare your scalpel and fasten the restraint belts on this table. It is time to dissect my body."
I took a deep breath, relaxing every muscle in my body, preparing to welcome the pain that would tear my sanity apart to reforge this glass cup into a true vessel of steel. The storm of bloodshed was about to begin.