Chapter 1428: An Interesting Metal

As Northern stood before a pale, gigantic door that looked like it was cut out of a pillar of some ancient metal. He was about to nod when a young lady appeared in front of the door and lowered her head.

She looked to be in her mid-thirties, wearing a maid outfit, with round glasses resting on her face. Her hair was rolled in a bun and pinned down with a silvery hairpin that ended in a tree-flower design.

An unassuming smile appeared on her face, and she raised her head to Northern.

"Welcome to the White Stone."

Northern thoughtfully glanced at the entire white castle, which looked out of place from most of the fortresses in the mountain. Then he nodded.

"Quite a specific name. I have come to see Duke Amene."

He showed the lady an insignia, making her instantly widen her eyes and bow deeply.

"Your Highness! Forgive me, I didn’t..."

Northern smiled.

"It’s alright..."

He had completely hidden his presence, and he probably looked like some seventeen-year-old kid. He was sure that the lady would be wondering what the hell he was doing yet she still managed to be polite, which was why he had to show her the Archduke insignia that was given to him.

In the past few weeks of being in Ryugan, he had often gotten overlooked in that manner. He looked slightly older than his actual age but still looked like he had no business where he usually wanted to go. So, more often than not, he always had to use his authority.

’Very convenient, really...’

Northern pocketed his hand as he was led inside the castle by the lady.

The gigantic doors groaned open as if the stomach of some starved beast was growling, revealing a vast and empty hall with an array of pillars. Dust swept around the hall as a little wind crept inside.

He coughed and glanced sideways at the lady with a raised brow, causing her to instantly bow.

"We have never received any visitors since we moved in here. The last time it was cleaned was when we first moved in."

She gave him a reassuring smile.

"The upper floors are squeaky clean!"

Northern sighed and turned away, taking one last look at the hall thick with the fog of dust and curtains of cobwebs. He sneezed once more before turning away.

’Surprising. I guess a Daemon’s nostrils are still easily irritable,’ he thought to himself as he followed the maid to the winding stairs to their left.

They climbed to the next floor, and just as she had described, it in fact felt like a different building. The marbles were so clean, they were almost reflective. They walked across the open hallway; on the left side was an array of rooms, and the right side was a balcony that overlooked the mountain from the side yard of the castle.

She led Northern through the open hallway, and they entered another door, climbing yet another set of stairs straight to the highest floor of the castle. There, a deafening sound struck against the air, causing the walls to shudder as if being slammed with the might of a behemoth.

Northern smiled slightly.

’This guy...’

The maid stopped at the entrance of a double door, the same as the one that held the entrance but much smaller.

"Duke Amene is inside, and he has a visitor." ℯ

Northern nodded, unsurprised and indifferent.

The lady pushed the door open for him. And instantly the crushing sound that shook the walls exploded outward, unmuted.

Northern stood at the edge of the entrance as the two whirlwinds of beings clashed with each other at ruthless speed. A devastating clash of fist and sword was annihilating the silence of the hall, causing the walls that held the building to shudder with intense fear.

Duke Amene himself was wielding a sword and matching his opponent blow for blow. And his opponent was even more terrifying in terms of offense and appearance.

General Sethran was like a metallic golem of some sort, except he had the same size as a normal human, but his skin was of a hardened pale metal, the same metal that the door was made of. And every strike he landed on Duke Amene caused the Duke to stagger back, gritting his teeth.

The surprising thing was that the Duke was not going on offense, only defending against General Sethran’s attacks and bracing the impact each time.

Their speed was supernatural. Despite his hardened body, the General moved like a fired bullet, and each movement generated an annihilating blow that ripped a furious, turbulent wind across the entire hall space.

Duke Amene’s bare body was slick with sweat, and every time General Sethran drew back and launched forward, his body blurring through distance as he collided with him from different angles. The Duke continued to meet each strike with an unsettling, cold precision, despite shaking from each of them.

However it was not for long.

As the battle continued, his skill improved at an impossible rate, and his movement evolved with it. His muscles rippled mid-battle, and in time, General Sethran’s attack were being brushed aside or taken head on without taking a single step back. It was as if the attacks were meeting a wall that was insidiously devouring it.

The General flashed a wild grin.

"Damn that cursed talent of yours."

Duke Amene smiled, repositioning his body and lowering his sword. The air around him thickened with a suffocating weight. He held the sword with both hands and observed his opponent.

General Sethran tightened his fists, and the metal on his body seemed to shift, merging and growing even thicker than it had before. He looked hideous and inhumane... but also furiously strong

A deafening silence swallowed the hall for a moment, then the two Dukes flashed.

They met instantly.

The entire hall shuddered tremendously as a violent ring of shockwave tore through the space and slammed against the walls. Dust rained down from the ceiling after the corners of the building released a stifling groan.

Duke Amene frowned in disbelief and stared down at his broken sword.

That was right — General Sethran’s metallic fist had broken through his treasured sword.

And he looked quite displeased.

Northern glanced back at the door with a smile.

’Hm, interesting metal right here.’