I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 304 The Frustrated Knight of Justice, the Terrifying True God Among Us
"The spear that strips away everything is not used like this."

After casually slashing and crushing Anna's Spear of All Things, Leia's voice slowly echoed from the shattered battlefield.

Looking at Anna, who was now in a terrible state, barely dodged the Spear of Stripping Away from her flawed state.

Leia's gaze lingered on the other person's silver hair, which was identical to her own. A knowing glint flashed in her eyes. Although she intended to correct the other person's wrong path, her tone remained as cold as ever:
"You've gone in the wrong direction with the development of the Nott family's techniques."

"..."

Anna did not respond.

As she used her magic to peel away the familiar corrosive power remaining on her body, she kept her eyes fixed on the figure in front of her.

Feeling the lingering force that had just swept over her, and how it was relentlessly eroding her magical circuits like a leech, she tried to expel it with spells, but all she felt was disbelief.

Because she never expected that after more than two months of special training and research, and after unleashing a terrifying attack that could instantly kill a high-ranking mage, she would be completely defeated by her opponent without even managing to ruffle their clothes!
It's as if she is the most dazzling genius of the new generation, who graduated early at the age of 20 due to her outstanding performance, and now serves as the commander of the Allied Special Operations Force with the rank of lieutenant.

In front of this woman who claimed to be of the Binot family bloodline, and who looked to be about the same age as her, she appeared to be an ordinary, unremarkable person.

"What a joke!"

Anna roared in frustration, and then launched an attack on the figure in front of her without hesitation.

Bend down and take a step.

Then he swung his sword.

"Whoosh!"

With a flash of silver light, the figure broke through the limitations of distance in an instant, carrying an aura that seemed to tear everything apart, like an invincible spear, trying to rip apart the figure in front of her that had shattered her confidence.

However, in the face of this fierce attack, a silver light that was equally swift but even more sharp easily blocked her strike.

"Ding!"

Their figures collided, sparks flew, and they clearly had the same colored eyes and equally beautiful silver hair.

However, their eyes contained completely different emotions.

One side was unwilling to accept defeat, while the other side remained as calm as still water, without any ripples.

That look, that gaze that seemed devoid of any emotion yet silently conveyed disdain and mockery, instantly ignited Anna's already agitated heart with utter fury.

What does it mean?
Is it disrespect?

Or is it disdain?

Or perhaps pity?

Have pity on me, a pitiful person who received chivalrous education from childhood, was entrusted with high hopes by the Splinter family, but whose own strength is completely unable to bear these expectations, and can only grit my teeth and move forward.
With your talent that far surpasses mine, with your strength that I can only look up to, with your ability that was destined from birth to crush your peers.

Are you here to trample on the meaning of my efforts?!
"asshole!!!"

Anna swung her longsword almost frantically, trying to unleash her power in order to make the elegant and composed figure in front of her reveal her emotional fluctuations.

This is to prove that they are not someone that can be easily crushed by the other party.

"Whoosh whoosh!"

In an instant, countless sharp slashes, unleashed by Anna's furious outburst, transformed into dazzling silver light that raged and boiled across the battlefield, forming an unprecedented and terrifying storm.

However, what made Anna feel desperate was that no matter how she attacked, the figure in front of her was like a mountain that she could never cross, firmly blocking all her attacks.

And the movements were full of ease and freedom.

It was as if they were not facing a life-or-death battle, but rather a training and instruction session for the weak that could be forcibly ended at any moment based on the opponent's whims!
Although Anna was unwilling to admit it, she felt the raging power within her body, and her right hand, which began to tremble uncontrollably after barely managing to withstand the terrifying crescent-shaped sword energy.

Everything, however, silently revealed the answer to her:

She was no match for the person in front of her!
But more than this disheartening answer, what disturbed Anna most was that, in her encounters with the other party, she gradually discovered a fact that terrified her:

That is, the unique spell used by the other party, whether it is the corrosive feeling it shows or the unique magic rune construction sequence, is extremely similar to the Equality of All Things spell of the Splinter family that she possesses!

No, it's not just similar, it's almost eerily identical!

It's as if it's the same force!
So, what that strange red-haired half-dragon man said is true?
He was not of the Sprint family bloodline, but a descendant of the Binot family?

Is he actually an Imperial citizen?

But if that's really the case, wouldn't that mean that for the past twenty years, I've lived entirely in a cage woven from false lies?

Whether it was the care shown to him by his clansmen, the friends he made on his path to growth, or even the mentors who taught him how to use his power.

Was all of this just a charade they put on to complete their mission?

"No, impossible! How could such a thing happen?! How could this be?!"

Shocked by this truth, Anna's pupils began to tremble uncontrollably, her expression gradually became ferocious, and the way she swung her knife became increasingly swift and violent.

She couldn't accept this result, and she was even more unwilling to believe that everything she had been taught and believed, as a descendant of the glorious Sprint family of the Kingdom of Loran, was a lie.

"A lie! It must all be a lie!"

"I am a descendant of the Splinter family, not of the so-called Binot family!"

"Only in this way will my existence have meaning, will my efforts to fulfill my family's expectations not be in vain, and will the chivalry I follow have its corresponding value!"

"The so-called truth is nothing more than a psychological tactic deliberately employed by the enemy to break down their psychological defenses!"

"Anna, you're so smart, you mustn't fall for it!"

"You must defeat her, force her to reveal the real reason behind her words, and prove it with your strength before you become the strongest of your generation!"

“You can do it, because you are Anna Splinter, a one-of-a-kind member of the Splinter family!”

Anna roared inwardly, trying to convince herself while enduring the throbbing pain in the web of her hands, howling as she tried to defeat the target who was bringing her immense pressure and self-doubt.

However, just as she tried to increase her strength to defeat the person in front of her, a sharp silver light flashed, and Anna felt a sudden, intense pain in her abdomen. She was then sent flying backward uncontrollably.

"Pfft!"

"You're upset."

Leia retracted her right foot, which had been raised in mid-air, and looked at Anna, who was kneeling on one knee in front of her, her body trembling uncontrollably from the weight.

Looking into the other person's eyes, which were full of resentment and anger, her heart was filled with doubt and confusion.

She was somewhat confused as to why this member of her tribe was looking at her like that.

Although it was unclear why the other party, as a descendant of Binot, did not serve the Empire like himself, but instead joined the Allied Forces and became a traitor hindering the Empire's progress.

However, considering that she was the only descendant of the family, and her father's dying wish that she must revitalize the Binot family, Leia felt it was necessary to correct the erroneous thinking of this person, who was either her cousin or her maternal cousin, and bring her back to the Binot family to work for the advancement of the empire.

"However, her attitude towards herself seemed a bit strange, and there seemed to be an inexplicable hostility about her."

"Is it because of the Allied indoctrination? Or is it just the rebellious nature of children?"

If it is the former, then Leia feels that as the current head of the Binott family, she has an obligation to find out who is responsible for all of this and chop off the heads of all those involved to vent her anger.

If it's the latter, then as the eldest sister, she also has a responsibility to educate the other person and correct this absurd idea. As for the method, although due to the sudden changes in her family and her own personality, she has never had the opportunity to be so willful.

But then, Leia suddenly remembered what her grandmother, Liz, who had taken care of her since she was a child, had said.

She remembered that Aunt Liz had said that if she had children in the future, they might go through a rebellious phase at a certain age due to their personality.

At that time, if the parents tried to communicate with the other party to solve the problem, it would not have any effect. On the contrary, it would have emboldened the other party. If they let it go, the other party would only become a willful and arrogant good-for-nothing who would make a big mistake sooner or later.

Therefore, as parents, we must immediately dispel any rebellious thoughts that arise once we notice them, so that they can get back on track.

Although the tribesman in front of him was not much older than himself, he did not seem like a child at all.

However, as the head of the Binot family, he also has the responsibility and obligation to correct the other party's wrong views.

In the Binot family tradition, which has always upheld rules and force, such disobedient behavior is a serious offense.

As the head of the family, there is probably only one thing I need to do:
"That is, give her a good beating, make her understand that rebellion without reason will only leave her bruised and battered, then she will gradually restrain herself!"

After realizing how to deal with her rebellious cousin, Leia suddenly understood and immediately prepared to take real action to make the other woman see the error of her ways.

However, just as Leia was earnestly preparing to fulfill her duties as head of the family, intending to maximize her magic output and give the other party an unprecedented beating lesson, and make the other party the experimental target of this lesson.

The next second, as if sensing something, Leia suddenly stopped in her tracks, then without hesitation stomped her foot on the ground and jumped backward.

Almost the instant Leia jumped backward, a black shadow suddenly appeared on the ground where she had been standing. As if it had a life of its own, the shadow rapidly spread out countless solid spikes and fangs, hurtling towards Leia's original location.

If Leia hadn't anticipated jumping out of the shadowy figure's attack range, she would likely have been seriously injured by the sudden and insidious attack.

"..."

However, Leia was neither angry nor relieved by this; instead, she frowned and looked in Anna's direction.

Anna, who had been holding a long sword and trying to get up, had disappeared without a trace. Even though Leia activated her perception spell to the maximum, she could not detect any trace of the other party.

It was as if Anna, who had just been launching a frenzied attack on her, had vanished without a trace.

"Did they manage to evacuate under the cover of their teammates?"

Sensing the lingering aura of a strange magical technique in the air, Leia murmured thoughtfully, but then made no attempt to search for the other party's traces.

Through recognizing the magic and the aura contained in the unique spell released by the person who ambushed her and took Anna away, she had firmly memorized the other party's characteristics.

As soon as the other person steps back into her perception range, she can recognize them immediately.

At that time, she will be able to capture the other party alive and force him to reveal the whereabouts of the tribesman she just met.

It's a real pity that we couldn't give her the patriarchal admonition.

Leia sighed softly, a hint of regret in her voice.

The power attached to the longsword was immediately withdrawn. With a series of crisp cracking sounds, the silver-white longsword, which had been subjected to too much load and had long since reached its limit, completely shattered at this moment. In the blowing night wind, it turned into molecules that could not be seen with the naked eye and completely dissipated into the air.

Leia felt no regret at the destruction of this military-grade magical artifact.

After turning her gaze in the direction where Zeke and the others had retreated and discovering that they had also quietly escaped during the encounter, Leia realized that her assassination plan had completely failed. Instead of pursuing them, she walked towards the family manor under the cover of night, like an unrecognizable ghost.

"despair!"

……

"Let me go back, Royce!"

Meanwhile, inside the Shadow Realm, seeing Royce suddenly appear and forcibly bring her into the Shadow Realm to escape from the battlefield, Anna didn't have time to wonder why he was at her mission location. She immediately wanted to stop him from taking her away.

To her, this act of fleeing was undoubtedly a disgrace.

Moreover, it is an unprecedented humiliation!

Thinking of this, her gaze immediately turned furious like never before, and her expression became extremely gloomy:
"You have no right to interfere with my mission!"

"Your mission has failed, Anna. Evacuation is the best outcome right now."

"You don't get to decide this; I'm the one in charge..."

However, before the frustrated Anna could even try to use her position as captain to give orders, the information Royce blurted out the next second was like a bomb detonating in deep water. Under this terrifying impact, Anna couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat:

"Our intelligence was wrong; the Demon King has not entered seclusion!"

Within the shadowy domain that swiftly traversed space, he seemed to recall the terrifying figure that had appeared out of thin air in front of the members who were carrying out their mission during his patrol using the shadowy domain more than ten minutes ago.

He didn't see it make any move at all.

However, his teammates instantly lost consciousness and were covered by spatial runes that he couldn't understand at all, disappearing completely from the spot.

Furthermore, less than thirty seconds after the first member was taken into custody, the other side traversed several kilometers and appeared out of thin air with incredible precision in front of another member who was carrying out an assassination plan, and took custody of their own member in the same manner.

When he discovered this horrifying scene, he informed his own super-ranked mage at headquarters, who was nominally in charge of evaluating mission scores but in reality was there to cover for the missions.

He tried to get the other party to stop this strange imperial powerhouse, but what shocked Royce the most was that this person possessed a unique curse-killing technique, and could kill people without them even with just a photograph and by paying an equivalent price. Moreover, it was rumored that the other party was about to become a super powerhouse at the Grand Rank.

After he drew the face of the powerful empire member who had been capturing his own members, the man seemed to see some kind of hell, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

And subconsciously, he said the other person's real name:
"Demon King Ivan?! Why isn't he in seclusion? How is this possible? No, this shouldn't be happening!"

Overwhelmed with shock, the super-strong man subconsciously uttered the other party's real name, but he quickly realized the incredibly foolish mistake he had made.

His expression immediately changed drastically as he tried to muster all his mental strength to resist the pursuit of the True Name Technique released by the imitation that he had just sensed.

However, all of this was in vain under the opponent's immense power!
"Crack!"

With a sound like a mirror shattering, the next second, to Royce's horrified gaze, this powerful ally who could easily curse and kill all the members of the Special Operations Department appeared.

The other person's head exploded on the spot, just like a watermelon that had been smashed open by a hammer.

All of this was because the other party uttered the other party's real name in the capital city where the Demon King resided!
'Do not pronounce my true name, do not look me in the eye, do not look at me without bowing your head and praising me; if you do otherwise, the bell tolls!'

This mantra is a rule that the Demon King established for the magical world after ascending to the pinnacle of power and becoming invincible, a rule that must never be violated.

The attempts of hundreds of powerful individuals from the previous era who refused to believe in evil all resulted in their bodies being crushed by the Demon King's trans-dimensional power.

Even those who were strong enough to survive by chance all went insane due to the loss of their mental strength.

Having witnessed the Demon King's power surpass that of humans, the entire magical world unanimously regarded this statement as truth and dared not transgress it again.

However, now that everyone believes the Demon King is about to die, will no longer be able to stand at the pinnacle of power, and his authority will be completely lost, all the awe and fear the magical world has for him is gradually dissipating.

The death of this sorcerer, who was about to enter the Grand rank, undoubtedly proclaimed that all of the above was nothing but people's illusions and misjudgments.

The Demon King who has crushed everything since the last era.

It still stands at the pinnacle of power, a being that no one can reach, no matter how hard they try!

And, from beginning to end, nothing has changed!
……

(End of this chapter)