Chapter 365 : Charles and Chloe vs Duke Remy

On the first floor of the academy's central building.

Charles and Chloe are currently engaged in battle with Duke Remy.

"Lord Remy, I will not forgive you for what you did to my father and mother. I am going to kill you," Charles declared.

~San Fulgen Water Art: Waves Sword~

Charles enveloped his sword in water magic. The water coating the blade churned erratically, resembling turbulent, surging waves. He then swung the sword toward Duke Remy.

~Storm Waves Destroyer~

Charles unleashed a massive, surging wave-like slash at Duke Remy. The attack was incredibly swift and struck Duke Remy squarely. The force of the slash carried Duke Remy backward, slamming him into the wall behind him. The impact was so powerful that the wall shattered instantly. Upon impact, the water from the slash dispersed across the floor, flooding the area. However, the flooding was short-lived, as the water quickly drained through a hole in the floor down to the level below—the academy library. This hole had been created earlier by Queen Kayana’s gravity magic during her battle with Duke Remy. In addition to the opening on the central building's first floor, there were several holes in the library floor caused by that same gravity magic attack. These holes in the library were now filling with the water from Charles's slash.

Immediately after Duke Remy was sent flying by Charles's attack, Chloe fired several arrows at the spot where he had landed.

~Great Explosive Arrow~

The arrows detonated the instant they struck the ceiling and floor surrounding Duke Remy. The ceiling struck by the arrow shattered instantly, sending debris raining down. A cloud of dust and smoke billowed up, enveloping the area—the result of both the arrow's explosive impact and the ceiling wreckage crashing to the floor.

Meanwhile, Charles and Chloe, having just launched an attack on Duke Remy, watched the swirling dust cloud where he had been standing.

"Stay alert, Chloe. Even though we landed a solid hit on Lord Remy, it doesn't look like he's defeated yet," Charles said.

"Right. I'm not convinced he's beaten either—not after taking your slash and getting buried under the ceiling debris I brought down with my arrow," Chloe replied.

Suddenly, the sound of cracking and shattering debris echoed from within the cloud of smoke surrounding Duke Remy. Charles and Chloe heard the noise but couldn't identify the cause, as visibility inside the smoke was zero. Moments later, two tree trunks shot out rapidly from the smoke, hurtling toward them. Reacting instantly, Charles and Chloe tried to dodge the incoming projectiles. They managed to avoid a direct hit, though not perfectly; the trunks grazed their sides, leaving wounds along their flanks. Still, they had successfully evaded the fatal impact the trunks were meant to deliver to their midsections.

After dodging the trunks, Charles and Chloe immediately clutched their wounded sides. They then looked at the hands they had used to hold the injuries, finding their palms stained with a significant amount of blood. Chloe looked shocked to see so much blood on her right hand, whereas Charles appeared unfazed. Meanwhile, as Charles and Chloe were examining their hands, the sound of footsteps suddenly emerged from the cloud of smoke where Duke Remy stood. Along with the footsteps, Duke Remy’s voice could be heard from within the haze of dust and smoke.

"The two of you are nothing but children. Do you really think you can defeat and kill me when neither your mother nor Sir Oliver could manage it?" Duke Remy asked from inside the cloud of smoke.

Having said that, Duke Remy suddenly shot out of the smoke, charging straight toward Charles and Chloe.

"It is a pity; it is not I who will die, but the two of you who will meet your end right here," Duke Remy declared.

-

At Rid and Miss Violetta's place.

At this moment, Rid and Miss Violetta were back at the spot where three connecting paths met. One of these paths was the very one where Miss Violetta had fought Duchess Arnett. Although they had previously been on that path, they had since stepped away and were now looking toward the other two.

"Will this path lead us to the central building, Rid?" Miss Violetta asked.

"Yes, Miss. Lady Arnett, Commander Dayne, and Senior Vyn came through this path earlier. Before arriving here, they must have been with Lord Remy at the central building. If they came from the central building via this route, then it certainly leads there. Charles and Chloe also took this path earlier," I said.

"I see. In that case, let's hurry and catch up with Prince Charles and Princess Chloe," Miss Violetta said.

"Understood, Miss," I replied.

With that, Miss Violetta and I immediately ran toward that path to catch up with Charles and Chloe. However, after taking only a few steps, I suddenly heard someone calling out to me from one of the other paths—not the one where Miss Violetta had fought, nor the one we were heading toward. Recognizing the voice instantly, I turned my head toward that path. There, I saw Irene supporting Miss Karina.

"Irene... Miss Karina," I said.

Seeing them there, I immediately stopped in my tracks. Miss Violetta, having also spotted Irene and Miss Karina, stopped as well. We then approached them. As I drew near, I was shocked to see that their bodies were covered in numerous wounds.

"You both have so many injuries. I'll heal you right away," I said.

Then, I extended my right hand toward them.

~Full Healing~

The wounds on both their bodies vanished instantly after I healed them. They were fully recovered. Once healed, Miss Karina—who had previously been supported by Irene—was now able to stand on her own without needing Irene's help.

"Thank you for healing my wounds, Rid," said Miss Karina.

"Thank you, Rid," said Irene.

"You're welcome, Miss, Irene. By the way, how did you two end up coming here together? Did you happen to run into each other on the way?" I asked.

"Before coming here, I happened to run into Miss Karina while she was walking. I decided to help her because she seemed to be having trouble walking on her own," said Irene.

"Yes, just as Irene said. I met her on the road before heading here. Thank you for helping me walk, Irene," said Miss Karina.

"You're welcome, Miss. Anyway, Rid, could you come with me to a certain place in this labyrinth right away? I’ve been trying to find you for a while, and I’ve finally succeeded. I need your help, Rid," said Irene.

"You need my help? What kind of help, Irene? Has something happened?" I asked.

"Yes, something has happened. Noa and the others are currently badly injured after fighting the demons that attacked this place. I couldn't heal them with my own healing magic. I figured you were the only one who could heal them, so I decided to come looking for you," said Irene.

I was a bit shocked by what Irene said.

"Noa and the others are badly injured?!?" I exclaimed.

-

Back on the first floor of the central building.

At this moment, Chloe appears to be held in a chokehold by Duke Remy’s right hand, which has elongated. She tries to pry the hand away with both of hers, but she remains unable to break free..

"Let... me... go..." Chloe gasped.

She was struggling to breathe under the pressure of the chokehold. Meanwhile, Charles instantly darted toward her.

"Take your hand off my sister," Charles said.

~Aqua Lodrett~

Charles unleashed a massive vertical slash with his sword, which had transformed into a long blade enveloped in water magic. He aimed the strike at Duke Remy’s right hand—the very hand strangling Chloe. The limb was severed instantly upon impact, freeing Chloe from Duke Remy's grip.

Duke Remy simply stood motionless as he watched his hand fall away. Moments later, the severed limb regenerated, returning to its original state. Once his hand was restored, he spoke to the siblings.

"Impressive. When the younger sister is being strangled, the older brother rushes in to save her. But if the brother were the one being strangled... could the sister save him just as quickly? Let's find out," Duke Remy said.

With that, Duke Remy extended his right hand once more. It shot rapidly toward Charles; caught off guard, Charles had no time to react. The hand struck him squarely in the throat, locking him in a tight grip. He struggled to break free, but the hold was too powerful, and he began to suffocate.

Meanwhile, Chloe—still gasping for air after her own ordeal—watched Charles being strangled. She clutched the daggers she had just conjured using fire magic, determined to save him. But before she could move to save Charles, a hand—appearing to be a left hand—suddenly elongated and shot rapidly toward Chloe. It was Duke Remy’s left hand, stretching out. Chloe had no time to react to the incoming limb; Duke Remy’s elongated left hand struck her squarely, piercing right through the center of her chest and out the other side. She immediately vomited a large amount of blood. Charles, who was being strangled by Duke Remy’s right hand, looked utterly shocked to see Chloe pierced by Duke Remy's left hand.

"CHLOE!" Charles screamed in shock.

-

Meanwhile, at Duke Remy's residence.

Duke Remy's study was in a state of severe disarray. Inside, ten of Duke San Quentine's knights were ensnared by massive black flower stalks. Blood-red lilies bloomed profusely along the stalks that bound them. Their condition was wretched; their bodies had withered away until they resembled mummies, reduced to little more than skin stretched over bone.

At a nearby table, a woman sat on the edge—Lady Leirion, who had previously visited Duke Remy.

"This estate is so quiet; there are only a few knights who have been transformed into demons using my blood. Beyond this estate, I can sense a significant number of demons throughout the city. It seems Remy is putting his plan into motion," Lady Leirion remarked.

She rose from the table and walked toward one of the room's walls. A section of the wall had been destroyed, offering a clear view of the estate's courtyard outside. She paused there, gazing out at the grounds.

"If Remy isn't here, he must be in the kingdom's capital. In that case, I suppose I should go there. I need to observe and monitor what he is doing."

"Furthermore, I must keep an eye on that child. I need to confirm whether or not he is truly the offspring of those two," Lady Leirion said.

-To be continued