Chapter 351 : Queen of the San Fulgen Kingdom

Duke Remy’s elongated right hand had pierced Commander Oliver’s chest, punching all the way through to his back.

"You are so weak, Sir Oliver. Is this really the extent of the supreme commander's power in this kingdom?" Duke Remy asked as he held the commander impaled.

As his chest was pierced by Duke Remy, the lightning magic enveloping his body began to fade away. Commander Oliver remained silent; he neither spoke nor screamed when the blow struck. Yet, the shock of being pierced was evident in his expression—visible in the way his eyes were fixed on the wound in his chest. Moments later, a significant amount of blood began to pour from Commander Oliver’s mouth. After coughing up the blood, he looked toward Duke Remy.

"Lord... Remy..." Commander Oliver said.

Duke Remy, standing close by, saw the commander attempting to speak. However, he could not hear the words, even at such a short distance, because Commander Oliver was speaking in a very faint voice. Nevertheless, Duke Remy could tell the commander was saying something by watching the movement of his lips.

Noticing Commander Oliver trying to speak, Duke Remy retracted his elongated right hand. He pulled back to bring Commander Oliver’s body still impaled on his hand closer, so he could hear what the commander was saying.

"What is it, Sir Oliver? Are you saying something about your lost?" Duke Remy asked.

"I have indeed... lost... but at least... I managed to scratch... your armor... with the attack... I just used," Commander Oliver stammered.

Upon hearing this, Duke Remy looked down to examine the wooden armor covering his body. A massive gash was visible on the wooden armor encasing his body. The cut ran diagonally from his left waist up to his right shoulder. Duke Remy was slightly taken aback when he saw the mark.

"The attack Sir Oliver just unleashed was powerful enough to gouge my wooden armor like this. Had I not been wearing it, I would have suffered a grievous slash—or perhaps even been cut clean in two. As expected of this kingdom's supreme commander; I had underestimated him," Duke Remy thought.

After examining the wooden armor covering his body, Duke Remy turned his gaze back to Commander Oliver, who stood before him.

"You did manage to score a hit on my wooden armor, Sir Oliver, but you failed to pierce through it or wound my actual body. This is my victory,"

"I had originally intended to claim your title—'The Fastest Man in the San Fulgen Kingdom'—for myself. However, I realized I still cannot match your speed when you employ that technique that cloaks your body in lightning magic. It accelerates your movements beyond even my own capabilities. So, I shall not be taking your title," Duke Remy said.

"I don't care... about that title. If... you want to take it... go right ahead. Besides... it seems... I am going to die soon anyway," Commander Oliver said.

"I will not let you die, Sir Oliver. I need your strength. I intend to make you one of my knights once I have claimed this kingdom for myself," Duke Remy declared.

"So that is... the reason why you... plotted to assassinate... Her Majesty.. and the entire San Lucia family; you intended... to make this kingdom... your own. I will not serve you... by becoming your knights; I... will only serve Her Majesty Queen Kayana," said Commander Oliver.

"Even if you refuse, I can force you to become my knight. I will turn you into a demon. Once you are transformed into a demon, you will be completely under my control. You will be unable to refuse anything I order you to do—including becoming my knight," said Duke Remy.

Commander Oliver looked shocked upon hearing Duke Remy's words. Beyond the shock, his face also betrayed his anger.

"I would rather die... than become a demon—especially... a demon controlled by you!" declared Commander Oliver.

Duke Remy smiled upon hearing Commander Oliver's words.

"Go ahead and die if you wish, but right now, your life is in my hands. I am the one who decides whether you live or die. If you want to die, your only option is to commit suicide. But are you capable of doing it?" asked Duke Remy.

Commander Oliver fell silent after hearing Duke Remy's words. Then, Duke Remy thrust his left hand into the wooden armor encasing his body; he did so to retrieve something. Moments later, he withdrew his left hand, which was now clutching an object. The object was a syringe filled with a red liquid. Commander Oliver looked shocked to see Duke Remy holding the syringe; he knew exactly what it was used for. Meanwhile, Duke Remy, now holding the syringe, prepared to inject it into Commander Oliver.

"It is time to turn you into a demon, Sir Oliver," said Duke Remy.

Duke Remy then began moving the syringe he was holding toward Commander Oliver's neck. Commander Oliver, who was still being pierced by Duke Remy's right hand, appeared to be struggling. However, his resistance was feeble, rendering his efforts futile against Duke Remy.

"Stop... Lord Remy," Commander Oliver said as he struggled.

Duke Remy kept moving the syringe he held closer to Commander Oliver's neck, despite the commander's continued struggles and resistance. Moments later, the syringe was mere inches from the commander's neck, poised to inject its contents into his body.

However, just before the needle could pierce him, Commander Oliver suddenly shot backward, floating rapidly away and breaking free from Duke Remy's grasp. Duke Remy looked stunned to see the commander float away and escape the hand that had been holding him. It wasn't just Duke Remy who was shocked; Commander Oliver was shocked as well. He was startled because he hadn't moved his body himself; it had floated away on its own, entirely against his will.

Then, while Duke Remy was still reeling from the sight, he was suddenly flung backward at high speed, slamming into a wall some distance behind him.

*BOOM*

A loud crash echoed through the air, and a cloud of dust and debris instantly enveloped the spot where Duke Remy had struck the wall. Commander Oliver looked astonished as he watched Duke Remy being thrown back. While he was still in shock, someone suddenly appeared right beside him. Commander Oliver immediately turned to look at the person beside him. Upon seeing who it was, his surprise vanished; he seemed to understand exactly what had just happened.

"So that’s how it is... the one who moved... my body and... flung Lord Remy away... was you, Your Majesty," Commander Oliver said.

The person who had suddenly appeared beside Commander Oliver was Queen Kayana. She was hovering in mid-air, floating right next to the commander. Commander Oliver was suspended in mid-air, held aloft by Queen Kayana's gravity magic.

"Yes, I was the one who did that," Queen Kayana said.

Slowly, Queen Kayana and Commander Oliver descended to the floor. She stood upon the ground, while the commander lay there, clutching the chest wound inflicted by Duke Remy.

"Why have you... returned here, Your Majesty? Wouldn't it have been... better for you to stay with... the knights and rest? That stab wound... in your abdomen... hasn't healed yet," Commander Oliver said.

"You need not worry; I feel fine now. Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about yourself. Your injuries look severe," Queen Kayana replied.

She spoke while looking at Commander Oliver. His chest was soaked in blood pouring from the stab wound. Blood was also still flowing from his severed right arm. Meanwhile, Commander Oliver’s eyes began to slowly close. Seeing this, Queen Kayana spoke to him.

"Rest now, Commander Oliver. Let me handle this," she said.

Commander Oliver closed his eyes completely. Queen Kayana kept her gaze on him until his eyes were fully shut. She then turned her attention to the wall Duke Remy had crashed into. A cloud of dust and smoke still shrouded the area, and within that haze, the silhouette of a figure was visible.

"Please hang in there a little longer, Sir Oliver. I will get you treated immediately after I defeat that man," Queen Kayana said, glancing toward the wall Duke Remy had crashed into.

As she spoke, Duke Remy emerged from the cloud of dust and smoke still swirling around the impact site.

"I never expected you to return here, Your Majesty," Duke Remy said.

"Of course I had to come back; I must kill you with my own hands. As long as I live, I will keep coming back to kill you," Queen Kayana declared.

"Kill me, huh? You really ought to be resting; even though you’ve closed the wound on your abdomen, it is quite severe. If you move around too much, it might reopen. That wound... it could very well kill you slowly."

"But seeing you return here with that wound... it seems this will work to my advantage. With that injury to your abdomen, you must be weakened. That makes it easy for me to kill you—and once that’s done, I can claim this kingdom as my own," Duke Remy said.

No sooner had Duke Remy spoken than the air pressure in the surrounding area suddenly became incredibly heavy. He looked startled as he realized the shift in the atmosphere.

"This air pressure... I’ve never felt anything this intense before," Duke Remy thought.

He contemplated this while gazing at Queen Kayana. She, meanwhile, remained silent, simply fixing her eyes on him. A moment later, she spoke.

"Do you think a wound like this is enough to kill me? I am the Queen of this kingdom; I will not let someone like you seize it!" Queen Kayana declared, her voice ringing out with fierce intensity.

Anger was etched across her face as she spoke. She gripped her magic staff with both hands and slammed its base hard against the floor.

~Oh, gravity—unleash your fury and run wild. Bear down upon this place with crushing weight.~

~Gravity Magic: Wrath of Gravity~

A massive tremor suddenly shook the area where Queen Kayana and Duke Remy stood. The shockwave was felt throughout the academy's central building—and beyond. It rippled out to the student classroom buildings, the staff and faculty quarters, and the main lobby, spreading across the entire academy grounds. The whole academy was now quaking under the force of the magic Queen Kayana had unleashed.

-To be continued