A few minutes earlier
Incredible... I can hear their highly confidential discussions, and I can even see them, despite being locked in this cell. There's roughly a twenty-five meter distance between us.
"Yeah, that's the least it takes to make up for forty years of complete darkness."
"Awesome."
Still, I have to keep in mind that I can only maintain this vision for about an hour a day—at least, that's what the voice from earlier told me.
But for me, that's more than enough. Compared to my previous life, this is clearly a blessing.
And most importantly… here, this kind of "thing" is possible.
A half-smile formed on my lips.
"This is my first appearance—I absolutely can't mess it up."
Someone once told me that a first time should always be memorable… cough cough
Ah…
The memory of me talking to myself while the elves stared at me like I was crazy came rushing back.
"So much for a good first impression, huh?"
Hmm… I placed my hand on my chin, lost in thought.
From what they're saying, the girl behind the three elves is a fallen elven princess named Iris.
And apparently, the one who led the coup has sent someone to kill her.
Hmm... It's pretty bold to pull something like this on the continent of Valdareth, home to humans and beastkin.
If word gets out, it could easily trigger a diplomatic incident.
From the memories of this body's former owner, relations between the two continents are hanging by a thread…
Snapping out of my thoughts, I narrowed my eyes toward the area where the battle was supposed to be raging.
Hmm... I see...
Some kind of instinct—or maybe a sixth sense—was screaming at me that... they were all within reach.
It's a strange feeling.
I feel... like they're all within reach.
I still don't quite understand what that means.
But a Don is someone who moves forward with confidence into the unknown, never looking back.
Alright. My mind's made up.
I stood up and brushed myself off.
"Funny, seeing myself this small."
As I slowly walked toward the exit, an overwhelming red energy began to swirl around me.
Even I could tell how powerful it was.
"Let's see how this goes."
The smile never left my face.
I walked down the corridor, lost in thought.
"What am I even going to say?"
"Bow before the almighty red, heathens!"
...No. That sounds way too sketchy—especially coming from a kid.
"The King of Shadows speaks, and thus, the light vanishes!"
Pff… What kind of cringey line is that?
Arrrgh... This is hard. What am I even going to say?
Especially since I need to erase the image of a madman those three elves must have of me...
Hmm...
I kept walking. The end of the building was already in sight.
Wait… if I want to come off as charismatic and powerful, I need to quote a proverb, right?
Alright. It's settled. Let's go with that.
---
Back to the present
"Capone?" Kael whispered, stunned, as a wave of red mana roared around the still figure standing at the building's entrance.
A scrawny kid? That energy... is it really coming from him?
No. I refuse to believe it. It has to be some trick the princess is using to buy time!
Still reeling, Kael instinctively turned his gaze toward the elves and the princess.
"Princess… was this your—"
He froze.
What?
They were in the same state as he was… no, even worse.
The three elves had collapsed to the ground, completely unable to stand.
In truth, Kael probably would have fallen too—if he hadn't already experienced pressure like this once before.
Only… only a Supreme Knight can radiate this kind of aura…
Aura users were ranked across seven distinct tiers, each separated from the next by a chasm as wide as the gap between heaven and earth:
1. Awakened
2. Channeler
3. Aura Master
4. Aura Knight
5. Advanced Knight
6. Supreme Knight
7. Primordial Knight
Kael himself was "only" an Aura Knight.
"Ah… This is absurd! What would a Supreme Knight be doing in a dump like this?!" Kael shouted, struggling to maintain his composure.
"It's just a bluff. There has to be some trick behind that energy!"
He raised his voice, as if trying to convince himself.
Ignoring Kael's outburst entirely, Lyrian—no, Al Capone—finally spoke.
"Princess Iris. I won't repeat myself."
His voice was calm. Controlled. Almost glacial.
"How much is your life worth?"
The bandit leader and his subordinates stood frozen, unable to utter a single word.
That worthless brat… the leader thought, his eyes trembling. Wasn't he supposed to be blind?
"Princess! Stop this charade and I'll grant you a painless death!" Kael screamed, fury twisting his features.
To him, the red energy was nothing but a ruse—an illusion crafted by the princess.
"If you can…" Iris whispered, her voice trembling.
She slowly lifted her head.
"If you can get us out of this… I'll do whatever you ask."
"Your Majesty?!"
"Princess Iris!"
"You can't make a promise like that!"
Her retainers, collapsed on the ground, tried to stop her. But she answered with a voice that was weak… yet unwavering:
"If there's a way to save you… I'll do whatever it takes."
The eyes of the three elves welled with tears.
Pinned to the earth. Helpless. Humiliated. Silenced by a power they couldn't even comprehend.
"Then… you're offering me your life?"Al Capone asked, his voice low and solemn.
"Yes," she replied, without a hint of hesitation.
---
"HEY! Stop screwing with me, you bastards!"
A thunderous blast tore through the battlefield as Kael lunged violently toward Al Capone.
"I'LL KILL YOU!!"
A dense, searing white aura exploded from his body. A wave of heat swept across the field, lifting dust and debris into the air.
It was the pure manifestation of an Aura Knight's hellish might.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
No one…
No one saw Kael move.
No one, except Lyrian.
---
---
Now I understand…
That phrase, the one echoing in me all this time—
"They're within reach."
Time itself seemed frozen, as if it were simply waiting for me to decide when it should start ticking again.
Such power…
Even now, the red mana swirled around me—fast, dense, untamed.
I lifted my gaze to the sky, inspired.
"By the position of the moon, one can tell the exact hour of night."
Naturally, I had no idea how to actually do that.
But I was deep in my own fantasy—and honestly, I was fine with that.
I lowered my eyes… and noticed a blade pointed straight at me.
Clearly, not meant to tickle.
Kael.
Even though the princess hadn't said a word yet, I had always intended to help her from the start.
But hey—demanding something before acting? That's part of the craft. A very… mafia-style move.
And besides, one has to think long-term.
Suppose she regains her throne one day, hmm?
A wide smile spread across my face.
"I could expand my mafia to another continent… reap numerous finan— ahem… enjoy significant political flexibility."
Then it's settled.
Clap.
I clapped my hands together, pleased.
And time… began to move again.
I don't know how—but in the very next instant, Kael was suspended midair, entangled in red vines, his body limp like a marionette with its strings cut.
"Whaaat?!"
Kael's eyes bulged, as if trying to escape their sockets.
All around us, the others wore the exact same expression of horror.
In that moment, mana surged through my body like a river.
I felt… like a god.
Capable of anything.
"Five.
A number that balances the world."
First things first… a philosophical monologue. That's the tradition.
I spoke slowly. Calmly.
"Five fingers to grasp, to hold, to act.
Five senses to perceive reality.
Five elements to shape the universe.
Not too many. Not too few.
The perfect balance. The ideal force.
The number five is not just a number…
It is the key to absolute equilibrium."
At that precise moment, I was moving on instinct alone.
I raised my right hand to my left eye, my fingers forming a circle—
As if I were examining Kael through a microscope.
And then, two words came to me naturally.
~~
"ABSOLUTE… FIVE."
A deathly silence fell over the battlefield.
Crushing. Unexpected. Cold.
On the field, only the four elves and the bandit leader remained.
The others had… vanished.
"Oh my God…"
There was no blood. No explosion.
Just… five people.
What… is this power?