Chapter 313: Golden Hair, Inherited Pride
Everything Margaret was experiencing was being broadcast live—courtesy of the drones Steven had deliberately released into the tower. After all, what was the point of a climb like this if it wasn't streamed?
And besides, Steven hadn't gone through all this trouble just for the knights themselves. No, this banquet had been prepared precisely to season the "vinegar"—he wanted to see how Kazimierz, under the crushing weight of despair, would answer him.
But before Kazimierz could give any reply, someone else did.
The K.G.C.C.
The very moment the Blood Knight collapsed, Steven's communicator buzzed with a report from the Duck Lord. The K.G.C.C's stock market had gone into a frenzy: as soon as the knights had entered the tower, the floodgates had opened. The sell-off was insane.
When the nation tottered on the brink, what did these capitalists think of? Not supplying the front. Not saving their homeland. No, for them, the highest priority was "cutting losses in time."
Let Kazimierz drown in flood and fire—what of it? So long as it was only the common rabble who suffered, the K.G.C.C's elites didn't care. They would simply cash out, consolidate their funds, and build a new "Grand Knight Territory" elsewhere. Hardly an inconvenience.
Of course, they still paid close attention to the tower's events, even more anxiously than the average citizen. But precisely because of that, the moment Margaret and her companions stumbled into crisis, the K.G.C.C didn't hesitate. Just as now, they abandoned the city without a second thought.
Such was the natural posture of capital. And it was exactly what Steven wanted to see.
He hadn't orchestrated this entire spectacle merely to torment a handful of knights.
"It's faster than I expected," he muttered, folding up the communicator with a smirk. "Exactly the kind of thing those bastards would do."
With the K.G.C.C's stock values plummeting, acquiring a controlling share would soon be child's play. All he needed was to sprinkle in a bit more "seasoning." The so-called Chamber of Commerce had no spine. To them, profit was the only eternal creed. Nations, honor—just bargaining chips to be bought and sold.
The only snag… was the boss on the third floor. He might've overdone it.
Given Margaret's current condition, defeating the Warden was unlikely. Escaping its clutches might even be impossible.
Steven scratched his head awkwardly, watching the blonde girl flee across the screen with the towering monstrosity at her heels. Maybe he should've dropped a Wither in instead. It wouldn't have had the same suffocating pressure, but at least it wouldn't be this unfair.
Because right now, Margaret had the beast's aggro locked onto her completely. If not for Viviana constantly interfering—tugging at the monster's senses with her Originium arts—Margaret would already be lying on the ground beside the Blood Knight.
Once its hatred latched on, the Warden's massive frame could burst forth with horrifying speed. Even with her focus razor-sharp, Margaret could barely dodge the sweeping strikes.
And the worst part? The shockwave.
Invisible. Unannounced. Unavoidable once she pulled too far back.
The first time it rippled out, she had nearly been caught head-on. The experience left her rattled enough that she no longer dared to put distance between them.
Her every breath, her every step, was spent at the edge of disaster.
This fight was unwinnable. She couldn't beat it, couldn't outrun it. Margaret was trapped in a cycle of despair with no exit.
It's no wonder that the K.G.C.C's shareholders had begun their panicked exodus. Anyone could see there was no way through this floor, let alone a chance of stopping the Black Hole Knight's grand plan to annihilate the Grand Knight Territory.
To almost every citizen of the Grand Knight Territory—everyone who didn't know the truth of the Black Hole Knight's identity—this was a foregone conclusion. He would destroy the Grand Knight Territory. The last two attacks had been staged so perfectly, so theatrically, that his role as "Demon King" was etched into their minds. Who would doubt his willingness now?
With the Grand Knight Territory already half-devoured by the black hole, the K.G.C.C's magnates had nothing left binding them here. Their wealth, their foundations, their empires were rooted in this city. And so, rather than cling to any notion of solidarity, they did what capital always does: cut free, abandon the sinking ship, and save themselves.
Steven, meanwhile, watched Margaret's desperate maneuvers with a trace of sympathy. He could tell she was giving it her all against the Warden. But once the thing was truly enraged, there wasn't much even someone like her could do.
His objectives were already fulfilled. The world had seen. The K.G.C.C had faltered. So… was it time to "let the tide recede"?
The problem was how. He couldn't just intervene personally. True, his two alter egos looked unrelated on paper, but blowing his cover wasn't part of the plan.
He was still mulling it over when a belated arrival at the second floor drew his attention—bringing a smile to his face at last.
So the hidden ace had finally stepped onto the board. He'd been waiting for this.
"Golden hair," Steven chuckled to himself, "always comes with a bit of tsundere in the blood. Even forty-something uncles can't escape the law."
The man's expression gave everything away. Of course he had come because he couldn't stop worrying about his niece. Of course he had finally abandoned his quiet disguise to ascend the tower.
Steven leaned forward in anticipation, eager to see just what strength this last scion of House Nearl truly commanded—the man even the Darksteels treated with caution.
To smooth his path, Steven even gave a subtle order: the iron golems on the second floor slowed their attacks, opening a corridor.
The Silverlance Pegasi knights recognized him instantly. With barely an exchange of glances, they moved to cover him, escorting him through the chaos all the way to the staircase.
They didn't know what horrors awaited on the third floor. They only knew this: if anyone could turn the tide, it was him. Years ago he had possessed strength enough to rival their captains. Now, after years away from the stage, how much sharper had his blade become?
Młynar, the once-proud heir of House Nearl, accepted their aid without a word. Only a silent understanding passed between him and the embattled knights. Then, without breaking stride, he mounted the stairs to the third floor.
He had no intention of answering the Black Hole Knight's challenge. He cared nothing for the philosophical question of whether Kazimierz's knights were still knights.
There was only one truth in his heart:
His family was in danger.
And the only one left to save her—was him.
"…What a troublesome girl," he murmured.
The moment he stepped onto the third floor, Młynar's gaze swept the battlefield. One glance at the scene was all it took: Margaret darting desperately under the crushing swings of the Warden, her breath ragged, her blade clumsy from fatigue. And towering above her—an abomination, bull-headed and immense, radiating killing intent.
He didn't need a second look to understand that Margaret could never win against this thing.
Even for him… whether victory was possible remained uncertain.
Młynar exhaled quietly. His hand went to his waist.
What he drew out was… a folded newspaper.
A brief silence fell.
"…Tch." He slipped it back with an awkward motion, as if scolding himself. The second reach was steadier. This time his fingers found the hilt of a blade that had not left its sheath in years.
When it finally slid free—
clang
A crisp note rang like a bell through the entire floor. The golden cross-shaped longsword gleamed with the ancient sorcery of House Nearl, its radiance flaring brighter and brighter as he raised it high above his head, until the weapon was less a sword and more a column of light, a luminous greatblade gripped in both hands.
Even Margaret froze for a heartbeat.
Even Steven, watching through his hidden drone, leaned forward with a grin.
The only one unmoved was the Warden—because it was blind.
Still, it heard. And for it, hearing was enough.
The monster halted its pursuit of Margaret, its skull-like head tilting, then turned toward the source of that resonant swordsong. Its massive frame shuddered once, and then it loosed a soundless bellow.
The air rippled. A concussive wave howled across the chamber, slamming straight toward the staircase.
"Uncle, watch out!"
Margaret's heart lurched as she screamed the warning. She knew too well how unnatural this thing's ranged assault was—an attack without form or signal, impossible to predict. Even her uncle… she wasn't certain he could withstand it.
But Młynar did not flinch.
He stepped forward into the gale, meeting it head-on. The golden sword came down in a single decisive arc.
From the blade burst a streak of radiant energy, sword-qi forged from blood and oath, lancing across the room. The golden strike collided with the invisible blast—
BOOM!
A shrieking detonation split the air. Shockwaves shredded the stone beneath their feet. Dust and sparks scattered like fireworks.
When the echoes faded, the impossible had happened. The Warden's unseen strike had been split, unraveled, dispersed.
Margaret's eyes widened.
Her uncle's blade had carved through what even she had thought untouchable.
But Młynar himself… his expression was grim.
That had been a full-force blow, a strike worthy of his name. Yet all it had done was cancel out one casual attack from the beast.
"…So. That's what you are."
The golden aura still wreathed his frame, but already he felt the weight of the challenge pressing on him like an ocean tide.
Whatever this Warden was, it was no ordinary guardian.
It was a nightmare given form.
And there was no time to dwell on that fact—because the monster was already lowering its head, preparing to charge him down.
<+>
Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 monthly to see till the latest chapter, please go to my Ko-Fi[1]
Latest Chapter in Ko-Fi: Chapter 393: The Street Rascals' Resonance[2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://ko-fi.com/post/Arknightcraft-Modpack-393-M4M21O811E[3]
https://ko-fi.com/stevetheminecrafter[4]
[1] https://ko-fi.com/stevetheminecrafter
[2] https://ko-fi.com/post/Arknightcraft-Modpack-393-M4M21O811E
[3] https://ko-fi.com/post/Arknightcraft-Modpack-393-M4M21O811E
[4] https://ko-fi.com/stevetheminecrafter