Meanwhile, in the depths of the Ringus Sea, a small group was conducting a small rebellion within a rebellion.
Most of those who had vehemently supported the vengeance against the Kingdom of Gaia were already dead.
They had marched to the coast of the Hobbit Territory in Mandrake's name, bringing their best forces with them, only to be crushed, annihilated by the Generals of Gaia and by the Iron Legion.
After defeating Esterópes, Rygar had a brief conversation with the three surviving leaders of Mandrake's attack.
By his own deductions, those people should not have been alive in Oldgar's timeline, since there was no mention of them in the Guide's future.
If Rygar had taken longer than he should have, they would probably have been killed by Esterópes.
Among those three, the most notable was the whale-man Jogord.
He did not hesitate to kneel before Rygar. He asked for forgiveness on behalf of all the Sea Races, on behalf of his family, and even on behalf of his father, for both had failed to resist Mandrake's machinations.
As proof of sincerity, he even offered his own life, believing that only then could he appease the wrath of the Beast God.
But Rygar was not actually furious.
After all, he already knew that the Sea Races were nothing more than pawns manipulated by Hitogami, used to test his strength.
It was hard to stay angry over such a pathetic group.
Of course, that did not mean he would show mercy to anyone who dared to attack him — death would still be the price for such actions.
But if he was right, there would be no substantial losses among the ranks of the Kingdom of Gaia; they were far superior in military power.
With that thought, the conversation between Rygar and Jogord became pragmatic.
The Beast God merely mentioned cooperation and compensation.
Jogord was surprised and confused by the moderation of someone who was called Apocalypse Beast.
Still, he assured Rygar that he would reestablish order among the sea tribes as quickly as possible and that, as soon as he managed to stabilize everything, he would get in touch to discuss the next steps.
The absence of most of Mandrake's main forces made it easier for his group to advance.
With the help of the crab-warrior Ku, they managed to easily storm the Palace of the Ruler of the Sea Races.
There, they freed Balord, the Lord of the Whale-Men, from the mind control of the Whale-Enchanter's Flute.
But it was a bit late for him; Balord's reputation was at the lowest point in the entire history of the Sea Races.
He had not only been subjected to mental enslavement, but had also passively watched as Mandrake destroyed, corrupted, and manipulated everything and everyone for his insane goals.
Even if he was not personally guilty, he had been the previous Ruler — and therefore responsible for everything that had happened under his reign.
Knowing this, Balord made a decision.
After restoring order and solving the tribes' immediate problems, he announced his resignation from the government of the Sea Races.
The power structure, however, did not change much.
In a short time, the various tribes gathered and voted to elect a new leader. The chosen one was Jogord, his own son.
Jogord had stood firm against Mandrake's rule even when the octopus-man gained control over the Guardian Esterópes.
His courage and unwavering stance had earned him respect among numerous dissidents.
With the support of the skillful warrior Ku and the leader of the Upper Siren Tribe, Lusarina, no one dared to seriously oppose his appointment.
Thus, the whale-man accepted the post without contest.
Still, no political victory could erase the pain that fell upon all the Sea Races.
The death of Esterópes — the last of their ancestral Guardians — was still a crushing weight on every tribe, every clan, every creature living in the depths.
A bitter mourning took over the waters.
For the first time in ages, the seabed had no Guardian.
It was a void that could not be filled.
---
In one of the training arenas of the Combat Temple, the clinking of blades sounded like a rapid melody.
Five swordsmen were fighting simultaneously, moving at such high speeds that their bodies were like indistinct blurs.
Red, blue, and green streaks slashed across the battlefield like afterimages.
Only extremely trained eyes could follow pieces of the fight.
Today was a historic day.
For the first time in a long while, Rygar was forced to really fight inside a training arena.
Four Emperor-level swordsmen surrounded him in perfect synchrony, preventing his usually relaxed posture.
Ghislaine, Beast and Sword Emperor, activated her Magic Power Eye.
Jino, Sword and North Emperor, as well as Beast King and Water King.
Ornthorn, North Emperor, who possessed the Laplace Factor.
And Taes, North Emperor and Beast King.
Of course, all that was still far from representing any real risk to Rygar.
If he wished, he could still exterminate all four in an instant; it was as easy as breathing.
But the mere fact of using Touki and fighting with a sword was proof of everyone's growth.
Especially of Jino Britz.
The young man had ceased to be merely a talent and had officially become number two among the Gaia Twelve Kings, defeating Taes in a direct duel and taking his place.
Only Ghislaine still outranked him in position.
Obviously, Rygar was also evolving.
Reading and rereading Oldgar's teachings in the Guide, his technique became sharper each day.
Now, having some opponents capable of at least testing him, he could experiment with part of that progress.
Outside the arena, sitting on a bench, Verdia, who already had a visibly swollen belly and was about to give birth, clapped and cheered enthusiastically for Ghislaine.
"Go, Ghislaine! You can do it!" she shouted, following every movement of the swordswoman.
Next to her, Eris held little Diana in her lap.
The redhead was concentrated on a staring contest with the child.
But the baby held her gaze without blinking. Eris was losing.
A bead of sweat ran down her forehead.
Further ahead, little Perseu reached his arms out toward Aisha, who floated a few palms off the ground, grinning from ear to ear.
"Ha! You little one! Weren't you all agitated and energetic? Try to reach me now, you brat!" she teased, laughing at each frustrated attempt.
Perseu, despite being less than a year old, had inherited the Laplace Factor, just like Diana.
Even so young, he already showed unusual strength and impulses.
He jumped, striving in infantile attempts to reach Aisha — but failed with each lunge.
"Haaaah!"
Aisha, amused by the scene, floated in circles just enough to further provoke the baby's stubbornness.
Inside the arena, the fight finally came to an end.
As expected, only Rygar remained uninjured. The other four were covered in cuts, lacerations, and bruises.
Ghislaine included; she herself had specifically asked Rygar not to go easy on her.
And he did exactly that, pushing her limits during the battle.
Although Rygar had told her about her limits as a swordswoman, she kept training.
And Rygar encouraged her in that; after all, who knew? If she persisted like that for many years, improvement would be inevitable.
He smiled, looking at the four.
"You are all improving. Keep it up."
Then he approached Ghislaine and healed her wounds.
Taes was grumbling; he had already treated his own injuries with magic, still quietly complaining about Rygar's disproportionate violence.
Rygar averted his gaze and noticed Jino standing up.
"So, Jino, how is Nina?" he asked.
Jino gave an awkward half-smile.
"She's fine! Lilia said her pregnancy is progressing normally."
Rygar nodded with satisfaction.
"That's good. Any trouble you run into with that, don't hesitate to look for me. There should be nothing that Healing Magic can't solve in this case."
Ghislaine added:
"Eris and I will visit her later. Pass the message."
"Of course!" Jino replied, before hurriedly leaving to see his girlfriend.
Nina's pregnancy discovery had been recent, only two months ago.
For Jino, it was great news.
For Nina, however, the feeling was bittersweet.
She had planned to use Eris's pregnancy period to catch up to and perhaps surpass her rival, but now saw her plan collapse completely by being in the same situation.
Meanwhile, Ornthorn sat in the arena, all bloody and with his green hair tangled after the beating. He muttered under his breath:
"Good grief… you're reproducing like rabbits. What will become of the world if everyone is born like little Perseu?"
The remark drew some laughs from those who heard.
Before Rygar could go to his family, a figure approached.
A swordsman was kneeling before him.
"Leader!" Kilian said, still keeping a posture of reverence.
Rygar waved his hand, signaling for him to stand. Kilian stood and began to speak:
"Leader, you asked to be informed about the progress of the construction of the new communication device, the Magic Word. Rufus said it is ready and that only your final verification is missing."
Rygar's eyebrows rose for a brief moment. It was surprising that he had managed to implement the new system in such a short time.
Kilian continued:
"He also said he achieved partial success with the Hatvindr Armor. In addition, he and Ore God have some doubts to discuss with you about the Sköllvindr project."
Rygar, already used to dealing with Kilian and his objectivity. "Alright, dismissed."
"Understood."
The young swordsman disappeared almost instantly, activating the Wild Dash.
Rygar then turned to his family.
"I'll sort everything out with Rufus and Godbard."
He looked directly at Verdia.
"If you feel anything, just call me."
The elf smiled softly:
"I will. Good luck."
Eris, however, seemed to remember something suddenly.
"Oh, Rygar! I forgot to mention! I received a letter from my mother. She's living in the North and asked if she could come visit us. Can she?"
Rygar paused for a moment, surprised by the news. Then he nodded slowly.
"Of course. We will welcome her with pleasure…" his eyes narrowed, curious. "Is she just coming to visit?"
Eris grew pensive, but before she could answer, Aisha interrupted her:
"It seems so, Master. From what I understood of the letter, she remarried in the Basherant Duchy. It didn't imply that she intended to move, nor did it seem she wanted to return to noble life."
Ghislaine crossed her arms and murmured:
"I would like to see Hilda again…"
"All right!" Eris said, returning to a practical tone. "Either way, I'll send a letter saying it's fine for her to come visit, then!"
Rygar simply nodded in agreement.
After saying goodbye to everyone, he leapt, flying instantly.
Toward the city of Tinaver, where Rufus and Godbard kept their main forge in operation.
Tinaver was not only the capital of the Kingdom of Gaia; it was the place where most of the artisans, engineers, and magical researchers gathered.
Now that the Magic Word was ready, there was another project that was essential.
He planned to transmit to the most trusted mages and researchers the method to establish Teleportation Circles.
If large-scale communication was already a strategic advantage, instant displacement would be something no other kingdom could rival.
The Kingdom of Gaia was advancing by leaps and bounds, distancing itself further and further from the other kingdoms in terms of magical technology.
-----
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