Chapter 216 The Broken Palace
Nyss and Harlan continued moving toward the Broken Palace.
The closer they came, the heavier the pressure of reality became.
The air vibrated faintly, as if space itself was creaking under the weight of the place.
Then they arrived.
Before them stood the Grand Broken Palace.
A gigantic structure, split apart in every direction, built from blocks of reality badly stitched together. Some towers seemed to float, others sank into the ground as if hesitating between existing or collapsing.
And before the entrance…
Two guardians.
Colossal guards, made of unstable matter, their bodies streaked with glowing fissures. They were so tall that Nyss didn't even reach the height of their faces.
Nyss slowly lifted her head.
— "…Wow. They're really huge."
Harlan observed calmly.
— "You're not wrong. Looks like they ate the whole palace for breakfast."
Nyss crossed her arms.
— "Alright. I'll take the one on the left, you take the one on the right."
Harlan nodded.
— "Works for me."
Nyss gathered shadows around her, shaping them into a black, fluid blade.
— "Okay."
Harlan looked at her.
— "So? You actually plan to fight this time?"
Nyss smiled.
— "Why not."
Two shadowy wings burst from her back, dark and elegant.
— "Admire."
Harlan blinked.
— "…Alright."
Nyss vanished instantly, erasing her presence as if she had never existed.
Harlan sighed.
— "And she dares say I only set traps… when she fights in the most unfair way possible."
He calmly placed his hand on the hilt of his dimensional blade.
The Ravager of Realities.
With a single gesture, he sliced space.
The right guardian was cut cleanly in two, silent, like a badly edited image.
Meanwhile, Nyss reappeared standing on the shoulder of the left guardian.
The colossus slowly turned its head toward her.
Nyss gave a little wave.
— "Hi."
She immediately took flight, her black wings beating the air, then delivered a monstrous kick that sent the guardian flying straight into his companion…
…who had just been sliced in two.
The hurled guardian rose again, roaring, glaring at Nyss with raw rage.
He struck.
Nyss dodged at absurd speed, spun around his gigantic arm, slid along it, then simply placed her hand on it.
The arm… vanished.
— "AAAAAAHHHH!!!"
A shrill cry tore through the air, shaking the entire Broken Kingdom.
Nyss smiled.
— "Too slow."
In an instant, she cut the guardian into a rain of dimensional dust, then landed calmly in front of Harlan.
Her wings faded away.
— "So? What did you think?"
Harlan nodded.
— "Not bad."
He paused.
— "But… where did the left guardian's arm go?"
Nyss shrugged.
— "I made it disappear. Pretty neat, right?"
Harlan looked away.
— "…I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
Nyss eyed him curiously.
— "By the way. Why did you just cut the right guardian in two? Why not into a thousand pieces?"
Harlan answered calmly.
— "The result is the same. He's dead."
Nyss thought for a second.
— "…True."
She nodded, satisfied.
— "Alright. Let's go in."
Together they crossed the gates of the Broken Palace, while behind them the remains of the guardians slowly dissolved into the instability of the kingdom.
And somewhere, deep within the palace…
something had just realized that two Rank S had arrived.
Chapter 217 – "The King Who Did His Duty Too Well"
The inside of the Broken Palace was… silent.
Not normal silence.
A misaligned silence.
Some echoes arrived before the footsteps.
Others after.
And sometimes, a sound repeated… for no reason.
Nyss frowned.
— "…Okay. Even I find this creepy."
Harlan studied the walls.
They weren't cracked by blows.
They were stitched, restitched, and stitched again… as if someone had desperately tried to keep reality in place.
— "This palace wasn't destroyed," he said calmly. "It was… repaired too many times."
They advanced.
On the walls appeared broken frescoes.
A luminous kingdom.
Intact towers.
Mages tracing perfect geometric lines in the air.
Then, further on…
A massive fissure in the sky.
Panicked silhouettes.
A man wearing a crown, standing alone before the collapse.
Nyss stopped.
— "…Harlan. Tell me you saw that too."
— "Yeah. And I don't like what it implies."
They finally reached the throne room.
Or rather… what was left of it.
The room existed in several states at once:
intact on the left,
collapsed on the right,
frozen in a past instant at the center.
And on the throne…
He was there.
A man seated, unmoving.
His body seemed stable… then blurred… then cracked.
A crown floated above his head, broken into fragments slowly orbiting him.
When he opened his eyes, several voices spoke at once.
— "…Hunters. Again. You've made it this far."
Nyss didn't joke.
For once.
— "You're the king, huh."
The man inclined his head slightly.
— "I was. Kaelion Astrae. King of a kingdom that no longer exists."
Harlan felt something tighten around his traps.
Not an attack.
An interference.
— "You're the one keeping this kingdom standing," he said. "Your existence is the anchor."
Kaelion smiled sadly.
— "Correct. If I let go… everything disappears."
He stood.
The throne cracked behind him.
— "Astrae was a kingdom of repairers. We stitched wounded dimensions. Until the day we tried to repair… the irreparable."
Images appeared around them.
A sky tearing apart.
A cosmic fracture.
Mages screaming.
— "I used the heart of my kingdom to patch the breach. I saved other worlds."
He looked at his hands, trembling slightly.
— "But I condemned my own."
Nyss clenched her fists.
— "And the Broken… they're your people."
— "Yes. Trapped between layers of reality. Neither alive. Nor dead."
Silence.
Then Kaelion lifted his head.
— "You are strong. I felt it the moment you entered. Tell me…"
He fixed his gaze on Harlan.
— "Can you destroy a kingdom without making those bound to it suffer?"
Harlan didn't answer immediately.
Nyss exhaled.
— "…You really took everything on yourself. You never thought about you, did you."
Kaelion closed his eyes.
— "A king does not choose what is right for him. Only what is necessary."
The palace trembled faintly.
— "So? Have you come to kill me? Or to let me continue suffering to hold up a world already dead?"
Nyss looked at Harlan.
Then smiled softly.
— "Seriously… even the bosses here are depressing."
Harlan calmly placed his hand on the hilt of his dimensional sword.
— "We'll talk first. Then we'll decide."
Kaelion opened his eyes, surprised.
— "…You are different."
Nyss shrugged.
— "Rank S, baby. We never do anything simply."
The Broken Kingdom vibrated.
As if holding its breath.
Chapter 218 — When a Kingdom Dies Without a Cry
The Broken Palace trembled one last time.
Not violently.
Not like an explosion.
More like a breath held too long… then finally released.
Kaelion stood at the center of the collapsed throne room.
His body seemed cracked from within, as if reality itself was slowly trying to detach from him.
He was no longer truly a king.
But he was not yet a monster either.
Nyss looked around.
The walls showed ghostly images: — laughter, — markets, — children running between pillars still whole.
Then everything blurred.
— "…So that's it," she murmured. "This kingdom still stands only because he refuses to fall."
Harlan didn't answer right away.
He fixed his gaze on Kaelion.
— "You knew from the start we wouldn't save you," he said at last.
Kaelion nodded slowly.
— "Save what? Ruins? Echoes?"
He gave a tired smile.
— "I just wanted to know if… someone would be strong enough to end all this properly."
Silence.
Nyss crossed her arms.
— "You're annoying. You could've just said 'kill me with dignity.'"
Kaelion let out a faint laugh.
— "I was afraid you'd refuse."
Harlan placed his hand on the hilt of his dimensional blade.
— "If I cut the link now… the kingdom will fade gently. No explosion. No anomaly."
Kaelion closed his eyes.
— "That's all I ask."
Nyss turned her gaze slightly away.
— "And the Broken?"
— "They'll go with me," Kaelion replied. "They're not truly alive anymore anyway. Just… stuck."
She drew a deep breath.
— "Alright. Then don't pretend to be afraid at the last second."
Kaelion reopened his eyes and looked at Harlan.
— "Do it, hunter."
Harlan drew his blade.
It did not shine. It made no sound.
It cut the bond, not the flesh.
— "Dimensional Severance: Silent End."
One single movement.
No blood.
No scream.
Just an invisible line that passed through Kaelion… and the palace.
The entire kingdom froze for half a second.
Then—
The fissures in the sky closed gently.
The buildings began to dissolve like dust carried by the wind.
The Broken stopped moving, their silhouettes blurred… then vanished, at peace.
Kaelion fell to his knees.
He was smiling.
— "Thank you… for not treating me like a monster."
His body slowly dissipated, like a light being carefully extinguished.
Silence.
Long.
Nyss looked around.
— "…It's over."
Harlan sheathed his sword.
— "Yes."
They remained still a few moments longer, in the middle of a palace that almost no longer existed.
Then Nyss broke the moment.
— "Well. We agree that was depressing."
Harlan sighed.
— "You couldn't help yourself."
— "No. Otherwise I'd cry."
A portal opened behind them, leading out of the Broken Kingdom.
Before stepping through, Nyss cast one last glance back.
There was nothing left.
No ruins.
No screams.
No curse.
Just… emptiness.
— "Rest in peace, annoying king," she murmured.
They crossed the portal.
And the Broken Kingdom faded away.
Without sound.
Without hatred.
Without leaving a scar.
Chapter 219 "Runes, Blades, and Eternal Laziness"
Kae and Oris stepped out of the Primal Nexus.
Oris stretched long, his back cracking under the effort.
— "Aah… I got too much info in one day," he sighed. "My brain needs an update."
Kae raised an eyebrow.
— "Tell me about it. Come on, time to head back to the guild before I collapse too."
— "Alright, let's get back quick," Oris replied, hands in his pockets.
Kae turned his head toward him.
— "You'd better deactivate the inverted rune in your left eye."
Oris glanced sideways at him.
— "And why should I do that, Kael? Or… whatever, Kae."
— "Because if Blackstar sees it, you're screwed."
Oris shivered. The memory of some unpleasant "experiments" crossed his mind.
The runic tattoos on his body flickered faintly before glowing for a moment.
— "Fine, fine," he muttered, closing his left eye.
When he reopened it, the rune had faded.
— "There. Happy now?"
— "Very. Now, let's go."
They started walking toward HQ, but Oris suddenly stopped.
— "Wait. First stop at the guild market. I want to find materials to craft a new feather… and maybe buy a sword."
— "That works," Kae replied. "I usually fight with swords I create by solidifying my energy. I'll test a real blade to see the difference. But honestly, I think the guild ones are better."
— "Yeah, but since we're here, might as well do it all at once," Oris said with a wink.
— "Fine," Kae agreed.
They continued walking. People turned to look as they passed.
— "Look over there," whispered a young man. "That's Oris, the SS-rank hunter with the runic tattoos!"
Oris ran a hand through his black hair.
— "See that, Kae? They admire me. As expected."
— "Yeah, yeah," Kae replied flatly. "You're just lucky you've got a model's face."
A girl suddenly exclaimed:
— "And the one next to him, who's that? So handsome!"
— "That's Kael… or Kae if you prefer!" said another. "S-rank hunter, specialist in energy manipulation!"
Someone else murmured:
— "But what are two hunters of that level doing here?"
Oris placed his hand on the head of a small boy who had approached timidly.
— "Work hard, kid, and maybe you'll become a talented hunter too."
The child nodded, eyes shining.
Kae smiled faintly, amused.
— "You act all wise, but you can't even tidy your apartment."
— "It's a genius strategy," Oris replied seriously. "Disorder is my personal rune."
Soon they arrived before a massive arch engraved with glowing inscriptions.
Above it, a name was displayed:
**The Market of a Thousand Blades**
The place was noisy and bustling. Stalls filled with crystals, weapons, monster fragments, and artifacts lined the area. Hunters of all ranks bargained, laughed, or argued.
The air vibrated with spiritual energy.
Oris snapped his fingers.
— "Come on, I know a good merchant here. His name's Baryon. An old veteran of runic trade. Always honest… except when he pretends not to hear the price."
They walked into a dusty shop filled with strange objects.
— "Hello, Baryon!" Oris called out as he entered. "Been a while!"
The old man looked up, a magnifying lens over his eye.
— "By the sacred runes… Oris?! Still alive?"
— "Halfway," Oris laughed. "I'm here for my usual materials. You can deliver them straight to my place."
— "Very well, very well. And who's this young man behind you?" asked the merchant.
Kae bowed slightly.
— "Kael. S-rank hunter. But most just call me Kae."
The old man straightened, surprised.
— "Oh! Forgive this old fool. If I'd known, I'd have shown proper manners!"
— "No need," Kae replied calmly. "We're not here for that."
Oris placed a few coins on the counter.
— "Here, for the order. See you next time, Baryon. Just try not to sell me cracked crystals again."
The merchant burst out laughing.
— "No promises, kid!"
As they stepped out, Kae raised an eyebrow.
— "He calls you 'kid'?"
— "He's 140 years old. He's allowed," Oris sighed.
They resumed walking.
— "Alright, let's go find a sword. Or we could commission one from a blacksmith. Just need the materials… and the cash."
— "Cash isn't a problem," Kae replied. "I've got plenty. But rare materials might be tricky."
— "Then better to buy directly," Oris concluded.
He smiled slightly.
— "And if the seller tries to scam me… I'll curse him with a rune of eternal laziness."
Kae burst out laughing.
— "You're hopeless."
And the two continued their path through the noise of the Market of a Thousand Blades, under the curious gaze of the hunters around them.
Chapter 220 Scriptum Noctis et Noxbreaker
Oris guided Kae through several alleys of the market, taking precise detours, avoiding zones that were too noisy or… too shady.
They finally stopped in front of a gigantic building.
Kae looked up.
— "…You really know this place well. And I don't know why, but that worries me."
Oris shrugged.
— "Of course. Old Baryon recommended this spot. According to him, it's the safest place to buy a weapon without getting cursed for free."
— "Without getting cursed for free," Kae repeated.
— "Yes, here at least, if you're cursed, you pay for it. Professional."
They stood before a massive weapons shop, its façade made of dark stone veined with glowing red metal.
Security runes were carved everywhere, pulsing slowly, as if the building itself was watching the passersby.
Above the entrance, a huge sign floated in the air, formed of incandescent letters:
⚔ THE ROYAL OBSIDIAN ARSENAL ⚔
Two colossal statues of ancient warriors framed the door, their blades pointed toward the ground, ready to animate at the slightest problem.
Kae whistled softly.
— "Okay… this is clearly not a discount store."
— "Obviously. Here, even the weapons judge you before letting you touch them," Oris replied seriously.
They stepped inside.
Inside
The interior was even more impressive.
A vast space stretched before them, organized in circular sections.
Racks of weapons floated in the air, held by magical fields.
Some swords vibrated softly, some almost whispered.
Others radiated such heavy pressure that the air seemed denser around them.
High‑rank hunters examined the weapons in silence, under the watchful eyes of heavily armed guards.
— "…Okay," Kae murmured.
— "Yeah," Oris confirmed. "Here, even sneezing too loud is suspicious."
They were quickly greeted by a young woman, elegant, perfect posture, immaculate uniform.
— "Welcome to the Royal Obsidian Arsenal. How may I—"
She froze upon recognizing their faces.
…Oris.
…Kae.
Her mind stalled for half a second.
No. No no no. These are hunters from the elite of the Northern Pantheon.
Breathe. Smile. Be professional.
She discreetly slapped her cheeks.
— "Professional. Professional."
Oris and Kae exchanged a glance.
— "…Is she okay?" Kae murmured.
— "No idea," Oris replied. "Maybe an excessive motivation rune."
The young woman straightened immediately.
— "F-for hunters of your rank, I'll personally take care of you!"
She signaled a colleague to take her place at reception, then invited them to follow.
— "Please, come with me. I'll show you our weapon classifications."
They advanced into a more restricted, heavily secured area.
Weapon Classification
The young woman pointed to several holographic sections.
— "Here, weapons are classified into five main categories:
1. Reinforced Standard Weapons
Excellent for A and S hunters. Durable, stable, reliable.
2. Resonant Weapons
Synchronized with the wielder's energy. The stronger you are, the stronger they become.
3. Runic Weapons
Engraved with active runes. Versatile, but require precise control."
Oris nodded.
— "Logical."
— "4. Abyssal or Astral Weapons
Crafted from rare materials. Extremely powerful, but temperamental."
Kae stared at the blades in question.
— "Those look… aggressive."
— "They are," the woman confirmed with a tense smile.
— "5. Unique Weapons
Rare pieces, often with a will of their own. They choose their wielder."
Oris grinned broadly.
— "My favorites."
Kae sighed.
— "Of course."
Weapon Presentation
The young woman activated a panel, making several floating swords appear.
— "For you, I've selected a few models compatible with your profiles."
She pointed to the first blade.
✦ Energy Flux Sword – "Vectra"
Channels the wielder's raw energy without overload.
Perfect for a user like you, Kae.
Kae examined the blade. The energy around him vibrated… but the sword remained stable.
— "Interesting," he murmured.
Oris smirked.
— "It survives. Good sign."
The young woman continued.
✦ Modular Runic Blade – "Scriptum Noctis"
Adaptive runes, modifiable as needed. Can amplify, engrave, and trigger temporary runes with each impact.
Ideal for an advanced runist.
— "She speaks to me," Oris said seriously.
— "She doesn't speak to you," Kae replied.
— "Not yet."
Then a final sword appeared, darker, heavier.
✦ Abyssal Convergence Sword – "Noxbreaker"
Absorbs, stabilizes, and resists unstable energy flows.
Supports very high‑level auras; the stronger the wielder, the stronger the blade.
Kae stared at it for a long time.
— "…That one."
The young woman swallowed.
— "Excellent choice."
Oris placed a hand on Kae's shoulder.
— "If it explodes, I'll write on your tombstone: 'He was right.'"
— "Thanks for the support," Kae replied.
Then Oris reached for Scriptum Noctis.
The blade vibrated violently… then stabilized.
— "Oh."
— "She accepts you," the woman said, surprised.
— "Of course," Oris replied. "I have natural runic charm."
Kae sighed.
— "Stop."
Kae stepped toward Noxbreaker.
As his fingers brushed the hilt, the air around them briefly exploded before calming instantly.
The blade absorbed the excess energy as if nothing had happened.
— "…Interesting," Kae murmured.
— "She likes you," Oris replied.
— "I don't care, as long as she holds," Kae answered.
The woman swallowed hard.
— "You just achieved two elite‑rank synchronizations… at the same time."
— "Yeah," Oris replied. "We do that often."
— "No," she corrected. "No one does that often."
Oris rested the sword on his shoulder.
— "Alright. How much?"
She announced the price.
Silence.
Kae blinked.
— "…That's expensive."
Oris nodded.
— "Very expensive."
They looked at each other.
Then Oris smiled slowly.
— "Question."
— "Yes?" the woman replied, wary.
— "Is there a 'Northern Pantheon' discount?"
She paled.
— "…I'll check with the manager."
She nearly ran off.
Kae sighed.
— "You're pushing it."
— "No," Oris corrected. "I optimize."
They waited a few seconds.
— "You know," Kae said, "in the end it was a good idea to come here."
— "I know," Oris replied. "I'm always right."
— "…No."
They burst out laughing.
And somewhere, far away,
Blackstar sneezed for no reason.