Catching a Forged Holy Sword barehanded!
Seeing this, not only the onlookers but even Lucas himself couldn't help but change expression.
And then, what happened next would forever be etched in their memories.
The brilliant, radiant battle axe cleaved down toward Kaiser's outstretched hand—only to be stopped cold, as if an invisible force had blocked it, unable to advance another inch.
"Divide!"
An inorganic voice echoed from Kaiser's body. The moment it rang out, the Forged Holy Sword in Lucas's hands felt as though it had been sharply pared away—its power instantly halved.
"What…?" Lucas's face went pale with shock.
But the voice didn't stop there.
"Divide!"
"Divide!"
"Divide!"
Second by second, a total of ten such voices rang out from Kaiser.
With each one, the Forged Holy Sword's power was cut in half again, its once dazzling radiance dimming bit by bit.
Without even fully manifesting the White Dragon Emperor's Light Wings, Kaiser had used just a fraction of their power to suppress the famous Forged Holy Sword of the Aldegyr Kingdom.
In the past, borrowing only part of the Light Wings' power meant Kaiser could use the halving ability just once. But ever since becoming a God-Slayer, and with the Hōgyoku constantly converting his potential into his own strength, not only had the Light Wings grown stronger, but the amount of power he could draw on had also greatly increased.
Now, even without manifesting the Light Wings, he could use the halving ability once per second—up to ten times in total.
Unfortunately, he could only halve; the absorption ability still required the full manifestation. Otherwise, even without summoning the Light Wings, he could simply drain his opponent's power to strengthen himself.
Even so, under the effect of ten successive halvings, the Forged Holy Sword in Lucas's hands was reduced to a mere sliver of its former power—no longer any threat at all.
"What… what trick did you use?" Lucas's expression shifted again and again.
The knights of Aldegyr surrounding them looked equally shaken and furious.
The Forged Holy Sword created by the Völundr system was the foundation of Aldegyr's military might, the reason they could stand toe-to-toe with the demon clans of the Warlord's Dominion, and the weapon that had earned the Holy Ring Knights their fearsome reputation.
For such a globally renowned technique to be so casually nullified—this was not something any citizen of Aldegyr could simply overlook.
Of course, they had no idea that their Forged Holy Sword had run up against the power of the strongest dragon—a force that could match, and even slay, gods themselves. The power of mere spirits could never contend with it.
"Just as you said… let's fight fair and square."
A chilling smile spread across Kaiser's face.
"Do try to hold out, Your Majesty."
The moment the words left his mouth, the extreme draconic aura in his palm shifted—into a surging, biting cold.
The power of Hyōrinmaru.
Crack… crack… crack!
The frost spread first along the battle axe, encasing it in ice, then swept rapidly over Lucas's body, freezing him from head to toe.
"W-wait…! Stop—aaaah!"
Lucas had time only for that desperate cry before he was sealed completely into an ice sculpture, unable to move.
"Your Majesty!"
The surrounding knights could no longer stay still. All at once they rushed forward—some to shield Lucas, others brandishing their weapons at Kaiser with murderous glares.
La Folia opened her mouth to stop them—but she was a moment too late.
"That's enough. Stand down. His Majesty is unharmed."
A warm, gentle voice carried from the direction of the airborne warship.
A figure approached at a measured pace—a young-looking, graceful woman with silver hair strikingly similar to both La Folia's and Kanon Kanase's, her refined beauty tinged with a serene warmth.
"Mother!" La Folia called out.
"Eh?" Kanon's eyes widened, staring at her in disbelief.
The woman's gaze found Kanon first, her smile radiating gentle affection, before turning toward Kaiser.
"My husband seems to have troubled you. I must apologize."
She dipped into a graceful bow. Her etiquette was impeccable, her bearing elegant—yet something about the way she apologized reminded Kaiser distinctly of the way Kanon often did: pure, innocent, almost sacred in its sincerity.
That innocence, La Folia had not inherited—but in this woman it was exactly the same, only tempered by a mature, elegant air.
And Kaiser could feel it—immense spiritual power, carrying the same aura La Folia gave off when summoning her spirit.
So that was it—the vast energy that had empowered Lucas's Forged Holy Sword hadn't come from the spirit furnace aboard the warship, but from this graceful woman herself.
Her identity was now clear as day.
"I am Polifonia Rihavein, Queen of the Aldegyr Kingdom, mother of La Folia… and elder sister to Kanon Kanase."
Polifonia Rihavein—direct-line royal blood of Aldegyr, a natural spirit medium like La Folia and Kanon, capable of providing immense spiritual power to activate the Forged Holy Sword unaided.
Though Lucas was King, he was born a commoner and had no royal blood; he could not wield the Völundr system on his own. His ability to use the Forged Holy Sword came entirely from the power his wife provided.
In Aldegyr, royal lineage mattered less than the blessing of the spirits. If the princess acknowledged someone as her partner, he could claim the crown.
The previous king had been of direct royal descent—hence Kanon's inheritance of the bloodline. Polifonia was his daughter, making her and Kanon half-sisters by the same father.
Which meant La Folia's "grandfather" was, in truth, her maternal grandfather.
Until La Folia inherited the throne, the true heart of the Aldegyr Kingdom… was this queen before him.
"I hope you'll forgive any offense, great Beast King," Polifonia said with a smile.
The entire atmosphere shifted under her gentle control—no one else dared speak.
After that "thorough" little airport welcome, the group boarded a long limousine and departed the central terminal.
This time, Kaiser sat between La Folia and Kanon, while across from him were Lucas and Polifonia.
"A… a-choo!"
Lucas had been freed from the ice by the court magisters, but now he sat bundled in a heavy coat, sniffling and shivering.
"D-damn brat, what kind of magic was that? How can it be that cold?" he demanded, arms crossed against the chill.
"It truly was an impressive freezing spell," Polifonia added with open admiration. "Even in our kingdom, I've never seen ice magic so potent."
Aldegyr was a northern country, its climate the opposite of Itogami Island's—practically a land of eternal winter. Ice magic there was highly developed.
La Folia, for instance, when acting as a spirit user, often favored ice magic outside of wielding the Forged Holy Sword.
So it was no wonder Polifonia was both surprised and intrigued.
"I didn't know you could use ice magic," La Folia remarked, the faintest smile playing in her eyes.
It seemed the scheming princess was rather pleased with Kaiser's display—especially considering her father's strength. Even without royal blood, Lucas had been the most formidable knight in Aldegyr before becoming king, able to wrestle orcs without yielding.
Yet after less than ten minutes frozen solid, he'd caught a cold and was still shivering. That said plenty about Kaiser's ice.
For La Folia, it was an unexpected bonus.
"Just a few tricks," Kaiser said modestly.
His modesty only made Lucas's face darken.
"You trying to say even your tricks are enough to put me down?" Lucas shot to his feet, glaring daggers.
"Arrogant! Fight me again if you—"
"A… a-choo!"
…The man really had caught a cold.