Jhorton scanned the surroundings and quickly realized—they had no chance of escaping. Kurtan, the strongest knight in the kingdom and the King's right hand, finally drew his sword, and the murderous intent radiating off him made it painfully clear: he was going to kill everyone present—including the maids and the babies.
"What's the meaning of this, Kurtan?!" Jhorton growled, his body flaring with a reddish aura of power. His right hand moved in a rapid chant, and in a flash of runes and light, a staff engraved with glowing symbols materialized in his palm.
"I'm just following His Majesty's orders," Kurtan replied calmly, stepping toward the mage without a hint of hesitation. Fighting mages was nothing new to a knight of his caliber.
"Just because I failed to extract the prince's Divine Frame doesn't mean he's hopeless! If I can bring him to the Grand Magus, he might—"
"The King's word is final. Shut your mouth and let me do my job."
With that, Kurtan's men surrounded the room—and the slaughter began.
"No! Please, I beg you—AAAH!"
"I'm just a butler! I swear I saw and heard nothing—KUAGH!"
"Spare me! I'll leave—AGHK!"
The knights moved without hesitation, without mercy. Their blades tore through the helpless maids and butlers. A few tried to resist or flee, but in the tight confines of the birthing home, they were no match for battle-hardened killers.
"You want me?! Then take this!"
Jhorton's wand lit up, and he launched a volley of fireballs at Kurtan—only for them to sizzle and die against a shimmering, magic-absorbing shield. He immediately followed up with a freezing spell from above, but it struck nothing but floor.
"What the—?!"
In the blink of an eye, Kurtan appeared in front of him, grabbed his face, and slammed him into the ground with bone-crushing force.
WHAAM!
"Know your place, mage boy! Huahaha!" Kurtan bellowed, laughing maniacally, having overpowered him in seconds.
Meanwhile, Rin watched the chaos unfold, his eyes wide with horror. The carnage—blades slicing maids, fireballs bursting, lightning spells arcing—was too much. He wet himself on the spot.
UWAAAAAH!
What the hell is happening?! I thought this was a birthing home, not a damn slaughterhouse! Rin panicked internally.
Back near the entrance, Kurtan reappeared in front of a knight trying to slip away.
"Going somewhere?" he asked, casually wiping Jhorton's blood from his blade.
"I believe we're exempt. Please excuse us." Elese, the female knight who had brought one of the babies for testing, stood her ground. Her sword still dripped with the blood of the two knights who had attacked her master. Behind her, a trembling maid held the baby—Miron.
"You saw the freak. That means you die too." Kurtan gestured toward Rin's cradle as he stepped forward, blocking their path with his sword.
"You do realize you're raising your blade against a knight of the Broomland household, right?" Elese said coldly.
But Kurtan wasn't fazed. The bloodshed didn't disturb him. Neither did her noble status.
"As a knight, you should understand this: the King's will is absolute. I'll kill every knight if I have to."
With a flick of his fingers, Kurtan sent two small knives flying toward them. Elese dodged them with ease—but the maid holding Miron wasn't so lucky. One blade embedded itself in her forehead, killing her instantly. The baby tumbled to the floor.
"You bastard!" Elese roared. Her body burst into a bluish aura as she activated her knight skills. Her speed, strength, and agility surged. A blur now, she closed the distance between them in a heartbeat. A Dual Blade Master with the title of Shield Breaker, Elese was infamous for tearing down even the toughest defenses.
"Now that's more like it!" Kurtan grinned, welcoming her fury. He knew her strength well—daughter of a powerful ducal house, a seasoned warrior who never backed down.
"PIERCING WAVE!"
Elese activated an intermediate skill, sending twin crescent waves of energy from her blades. Each arc sliced through the air like wrath given form—sharp enough to carve through steel and stone alike. At her level, she could even curve them mid-flight, aiming for gaps in an opponent's defense.
Kurtan didn't flinch. He planted his boots in the cracked floor and summoned his own skill. Six massive shields of glowing energy appeared around him—front, back, both sides, top, and bottom—forming an impenetrable fortress.
"SHIELD WALL!"
BOOM! Boom! BOOM!
Elese's attacks slammed into the shields like divine artillery. The room trembled. Chunks of ceiling fell. The floor cracked beneath the pressure. Yet Kurtan remained standing—barely budged, completely unharmed. No blood. No wounds. Just the cold stare of a monster who had seen too much war.
The other knights had just finished off the last of the servants and moved to assist—but Kurtan raised a hand.
"Stay out of this."
Elese charged, her twin blades gleaming with magical energy. She said nothing—but her fury blazed in her eyes.
"Is that all you've got?" Kurtan mocked.
"You're underestimating me!"
Their bodies blurred. The two warriors collided with such speed and power the human eye couldn't follow. Sparks erupted as metal struck metal, and shockwaves knocked over furniture and rattled shattered chandeliers. It wasn't a fight—it was a storm of destruction.
The knights stood frozen, equal parts awed and terrified, as two of the kingdom's top fighters tore the birthing home to pieces.
Floor tiles shattered. Columns cracked. Even the air trembled from their strikes.
Sometimes, their wild fight came dangerously close to Rin's cradle. The baby boy—who was really a mentally awake young man in a tiny body—could only watch in horror.
"Get the hell away from me, you lunatics!"
Of course, what actually came out was panicked baby crying, but Rin's internal monologue was far more eloquent.
Then, with a loud slam, Elese was thrown back by one of Kurtan's shield bashes. She crashed into Rin's cradle, flipping it over and launching the baby into a nearby laundry basket. Rin landed head-first—but thankfully onto a padded blanket that broke his fall.
Now upside down, Rin had a clearer view of the carnage albeit in weird angle. Lifeless bodies lay strewn about like broken dolls. The knights, drenched in blood, now stood idle—entranced by the duel. For the moment, they had forgotten him.
Elese had driven Kurtan back several times, but the tide was turning. Her breathing became ragged. Her movements slower.
"That shield…" she muttered through gritted teeth. Blood dripped down her arms. Bruises bloomed across her face. Ten minutes of nonstop combat had drained her.
A status interface flickered before her eyes.
Health: 80%Mana: 12%Stamina: 9%
"Damn it… not now."
Kurtan smirked. "Getting tired already? What a shame."
Sensing weakness, he slammed his shield into the ground and roared:
[SHIELD ROAR!]
BOOOOOM!
A thunderous shockwave exploded forward in a cone. Everything in its path—furniture, walls, even the floor—was pulverized. Elese was sent flying like a ragdoll, crashing through a window and slamming into the wall of a nearby building.
Her protective gear shattered. Her talismans disintegrated. Her legs—useless. Her limbs—numb. Fear swallowed her.
Shield Roar wasn't just destructive—it applied heavy debuffs. Now she lay crumpled and helpless as townspeople nearby rushed to help.
Kurtan's vicious grin returned. He gazed down at her broken body from the second floor.
"Too bad. We could've had some fun before I killed you. But the King's orders come first."
Seeing Kurtan appear above, the townspeople attending Elese fled without hesitation. They knew better.
He drew another hidden knife from his waist, ready to end her life.
But then—
WHAPANG!
A bolt of lightning exploded against his face, knocking him back.
Kurtan staggered, raising his shield in time. The lightning fizzled harmlessly against his enchanted defenses, but the shock stunned him.
"What the hell—?"
He turned—and his eyes widened.
Jhorton.
The mage stood there, barely upright, soaked in blood. One eye swollen shut. His robes were torn to shreds. But his wand still glowed, crackling with arcane power.
"Still alive, you cockroach?" Kurtan snarled.
Jhorton didn't answer. He lifted his wand with trembling hands and roared:
[DRAGON TORCH!]
A boulder-sized fireball erupted from his wand and engulfed Kurtan in a hellish inferno.
FWOOSH!
The heat melted nearby floor tiles. The spell drained Jhorton's last reserves. Blood poured from his nose, ears, and mouth. His vision blurred.
'This is it, he thought. Die…'
But from the center of the flames, Kurtan stepped out.
Unburned.
Unbroken.
And now—with his brown eyes glowing red—enraged.
He didn't speak. He simply charged.
Shield raised. Sword humming with killing intent. On the other side, one of the knight had finally noticed the prince that was covered by clothes inside a laundry basket.
'damn we almost missed this one.' the thought as he took his sword and approached the newborn prince without reservation to kill.
Jhorton could barely stand. But even now, he looked past Kurtan—to the baby prince still lying in the basket, wide-eyed and silently looking at him unbothered by the direness of the situation.
For some reason, Jhorton felt it—something more. Something hidden. Something… powerful.
The mage scanned the area including the walls and saw that some of the wall inscriptions that protected the castle from long distance observers and unwaranted teleportation had been broken thanks to Kurtan's powerful skills.
Jorthon smiled as he planned his next move. His instincts had never betrayed him. He saw one of Kultan's men closing on the young prince with the knife in his hands. He immediately know what's about to happen and Jorthon, out of his respect for his friend, will not just let it happen.
Blood continued leaking from his mouth as he made his final move.
As Kurtan's blur closed in, sword aimed at his heart, Jhorton raised his wand one last time.
"DIE!" Kurtan shouted, triumph blazing in his eyes.
But Jhorton had other plans.
With his final breath, and his last ounce of mana, he whispered the spell that sealed his fate and saved the prince:
[TELEPORTATION]