It was a beautiful day spent with Shivana and Sonari—a day and a half of peace that Nico Sigmund had never felt before, and he didn't know how long it would last. He muttered to himself as he prepared to leave: "I hope to remain as I am, at least until I discover the secret of that strange crown that haunts my dreams, and that world ruled by eternal destruction. Whatever the result, I will try to spend as much time as possible with these human beings; since I have inhabited their body, I have become one of them." It was time for farewells; Shivana and Sonari had to return to the secret fortress he had entrusted to them—a place known only to the three of them.

  ?Nico spoke with a calm smile: "I think I will bid you both farewell now, Shivana, and you as well, Sonari."

  Sonari replied with a sad tone: "Are you leaving us again, my dear Master?"

  Nico answered: "Yes, for there is great work awaiting me. I promise I will visit you soon; I will send a message to Shivana to come here so we can meet again."

  ?Sonari smiled childishly: "Of course, Master, we are waiting for you."

  Shivana said gratefully: "Yes, Lord Nico, you can summon us whenever you wish."

  ?Nico looked at Shivana seriously and asked: "Before I depart, I want to make sure your left eye is okay?"

  Shivana placed her hand over the black cloth covering her eye and replied: "Yes, my Lord, it no longer hurts; it has completely stabilized."

  ?Nico stepped toward her slowly and held her soft face to check the energy stability in her eye. Shivana felt intense embarrassment, her face flushing at his sudden touch. Nico muttered in wonder: "This is good... it seems it has truly begun to stabilize. Try not to remove this black cloth I gave you; it maintains its balance while it heals, and once it improves, you will see the thing I told you about."

  ?Shivana replied obediently: "Of course, Lord Nico, I will keep it on... rely on me."

  Nico finally bid them goodbye: "Farewell, Shivana, and you, Sonari... try not to be too annoying."

  Sonari replied enthusiastically: "Rely on me too, Master!"

  ?As Nico was leaving, Shivana stood watching him as he placed his hand on the ground before taking off, thinking to herself: "It seems Master Nico truly loves this place... the best thing that ever happened to me in this world was meeting him. It's as if my luck from this hellish life has finally borne fruit. Thank you for everything, Lord Nico; you deserve to be the ruler of this entire world... your perspective and thoughts are foreign to this reality, as if you are an entity completely different from us."

  ?Nico took off toward the Black Spear headquarters at maximum speed, his eyes glowing with a faint red flicker as he scanned the horizon, hoping to find things as stable as he had left them.

  ?However, behind the house he had just departed, a shadow was watching from afar. A wicked, repulsive smile spread across his face as he whispered: "Hmm... so, an elven girl lives here? It seems I am the luckiest person today. I will enjoy that exquisite body..." He flicked his tongue with drool as if craving a dish of meat and continued with malice: "I will move tomorrow after I prepare. I will storm the place with my friends; there is another girl with her, and we will enjoy them both. I will satisfy my lust, and most importantly... they will be worth a fortune when sold as slaves.

  As soon as I arrived at the headquarters, I felt the heaviness of the air; the situation was far from reassuring. With my first steps into the corridor, I found everyone waiting for me, their features shrouded in tension and extreme gravity, as if I had committed a heinous crime. At first, I thought my secret was out and they were preparing to corner me, but the truth was far worse than a mere identity reveal.

  ?Akaria Valerius stepped toward me, her voice clearly trembling: "Welcome back, Nico... you've arrived just in time. We have a true catastrophe." She paused for a moment to gather her courage, then continued: "Ruler Kaizen has officially declared war on the Kingdom of Arcadia. He sent a document with the seal of the Demon Rift Empire, stating we must prepare for a confrontation. The ultimate disaster is that he hasn't given us days to reflect; the war starts in just two days. It seems this monster wants to erase us from this world."

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  ?Nico Sigmund looked on seriously, attempting to analyze the situation with cold logic: "Anger won't change reality, Akaria. We must discuss this matter now; let's head to your office."

  ?Inside the office, Akaria was pacing back and forth, tension nearly suffocating her: "What will we do, Nico? How can we face an entity that ended the lives of 300,000 soldiers in mere minutes? Our entire army doesn't exceed 420,000, and it won't be difficult for him to devour them. Additionally, reports indicate he has a warrior with the rank of 'High Emperor,' a rank that exceeds your known strength... we are in a real predicament."

  ?Nico spoke with a deadly calm: "Slow down, Akaria. Tension is the primary enemy on the battlefield; it only breeds complexity. First, we will gather the army and head to the battlefield at the appointed time. There, we will have one last chance for negotiations—this is our only hope to avoid annihilation. We need the highest level of focus. I've heard you have experience in diplomacy, is that correct?"

  ?Akaria sighed, saying: "I understand your plan... As for negotiations, I'm not exceptionally skilled, but I will do everything in my power to make them succeed."

  ?Nico replied: "Good. Now, you must immediately head to the Celestial Star Kingdom and the Independent Elven Kingdom to summon the alliance leaders—specifically Jurial Wolverton, leader of 'Night Eye,' and Alfred Miraculous, leader of the 'Silver Axe' team. As for me, I will oversee the preparation of the Elite Four to accompany us; I must devise a strategy that ensures their safe exit should things go south."

  ?Akaria looked at him with deep gratitude: "I will execute your orders precisely, Nico. Time is truly pressing... and I want to tell you, in case things don't go as we hope, I have truly been happy working with you. You've added real value to us amidst this chaos."

  ?Nico responded with a faint smile: "Don't mention it, Akaria. It is my pleasure to work for the kingdom that took me in. One final piece of advice... you are strong and your experience is vast; don't let anxiety cloud those traits."

  ?In an unexpected moment, Akaria moved toward Nico and embraced him as a silent message of thanks for everything he had provided. "Thank you, Nico... I will meet you on the battlefield. I will bring the rest of the army from the Celestial Star Kingdom, and we will meet there."

  ?"I will be waiting for you... let us trust in ourselves and our strength. Farewell."

  ?Akaria departed with a flicker of renewed hope on her face, while Nico remained watching her leave, realizing that the silence preceding this war would be the heaviest in Arcadia's history.

  The atmosphere was thick with unbearable tension; it was as if everyone had begun to breathe in the scent of death within the corridors. I didn't blame them; their fear was a natural response of the survival instinct once they realized they would face a supreme entity. These human minds, despite their knowledge of mana elements and their power, had not yet grasped the existence of someone who could turn bodies into ash in the blink of an eye... it is a power far beyond their charts and logic. Even I had to prepare well, or I might end up as ash too. I must protect those I care about.

  ?Nico raised his hand to see a faint red glow emanating from it, then let out a laugh that carried a tone of challenge: "It seems things are starting to reach truly exciting levels..."

  ?As he was heading toward the training grounds to check on the heroes' progress, an elderly voice called out to him with respect: "Hello, Mr. Nico... how are you?"

  ?Nico turned in surprise to find an old man who bore the hallmarks of sharp intelligence: "I'm fine... who are you, old man? And how do you know my name?"

  ?The man apologized with a smile: "My apologies. I am called Rocky Rodansky, the High Scientist of this headquarters. I am the mind behind the invention of the swords and advanced vehicles you see."

  ?Nico replied with appreciation: "Ah, I apologize, I didn't know... it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rocky."

  ?Rocky said, gesturing for Nico to follow him: "Don't mention it; you can just call me Rocky. I don't appear often, as most of my time is lost between laboratories and experiments. Would you like to accompany me? I want to show you something that will surely pique your interest."

  ?Nico answered with curiosity: "Of course, I'll come with you."

  ?As they headed toward the lab, Rocky began to explain enthusiastically: "After extensive research, I found something amazing in the mana that humans control. Mana is not just a tool for controlling elements; it is a fundamental part of human composition and a latent power that can be exploited in much deeper ways. I've spent my whole life to reach this result, and since you are the 'strong newcomer' who saved Akaria and the elite, I decided to show you the results of my research. I am sure it will impress you... and who knows? You might be the only person capable of achieving the result I discovered."

  ?

  [End of chapter 43]