Nico smiled coldly.
"Yes, you heard correctly, Queen Ruta. I came to take Elara and Natalia back."
Ruta leaned back on her throne with a mocking expression.
"You're quite amusing, Nico. Of course, you may take the two girls… but in return, you'll stay here and become my servant. What do you think?"
Nico's expression did not change.
"I don't have time for jokes, Queen Ruta. I have other matters waiting for me. If you refuse to hand them over, then inform your master, Kaizen. He will either do it himself or give you a direct order."
Ruta looked at him with clear contempt.
"How dare you, fool? Do you really think Ruler Kaizen would care about an insect like you?"
Nico gazed at her with chilling indifference and spoke quietly.
"It seems things always become complicated in this world."
He removed his military jacket, leaving only a black shirt that revealed the powerful build of his body and the oppressive aura surrounding him.
Ruta looked at him with disgust.
"You idiot… do you think you can accomplish anything on your own?"
Nico began walking slowly toward the throne.
In the next moment, Ruta's followers rushed forward to attack him.
But suddenly—
A massive sphere of fire erupted around Nico, expanding like a blazing barrier.
The heat it released was so intense that it blasted every attacker away from him, hurling them across the throne hall and leaving severe burns on their bodies.
Nico continued advancing.
"You're digging your own grave!" Ruta shouted furiously. "Do you dare challenge me?"
Sharp ice blades erupted from the marble floor of the throne hall, rising everywhere around Nico.
Yet his flames melted everything that came near him.
He didn't slow down.
Step by step, he continued walking toward her.
A trace of tension finally appeared on Ruta's face.
With a wave of her hand, three enormous ice swords formed above Nico's head before crashing down toward him.
Nico expanded the size of his fiery sphere.
The ice swords melted instantly, turning into clouds of steam.
He kept moving forward.
"I have understood everything in this world," Nico said calmly. "I have analyzed every detail within it."
He looked directly at Ruta.
"You are nothing more than an ordinary person who hasn't experienced even a fraction of what I have endured. You haven't seen what I see every day."
His voice grew colder.
"You are beings far too fragile to witness the visions I see inside the Void Rift."
His blue flames intensified as he spoke.
"You became a queen within a matter of days. But I…"
His presence became suffocating.
"…am the master of war. My body itself is a symbol of destruction and power."
He stopped only a few steps away from the throne.
"I belong to an era where you would have been nothing more than a corpse beneath the dust."
His crimson eyes glowed faintly.
"I am Nico Sigmund—the War Sovereign of one of the most powerful ages your world has ever known."
The pressure created by Nico's blue flames grew overwhelming.
Ruta's body trembled.
She could not endure the terrifying pressure any longer.
She collapsed to the ground, staring at Nico in horror as his power began scorching the entire palace around them.
His eyes burned with a frightening red glow.
Ruta raised her hand weakly.
"Please… stop, Nico. Perhaps we can reach an agreement. I'll ask Kaizen to return the two girls to you."
Nico was already preparing to crush her completely.
Her body had begun to burn, and her ice armor was rapidly melting away.
Yet he ignored her desperate plea.
Suddenly—
The entire throne hall froze in an instant.
Ice spread across every surface like a sudden winter storm.
Nico turned sharply.
Behind him stood Kaizen.
Calm.
Unmoved.
Kaizen spoke in a cold voice.
"Take it easy, boy. You'll burn everything here."
Nico immediately prepared to attack him as well.
But Kaizen casually tossed a small red sphere toward him.
The sphere exploded midair.
A thick crimson smoke spread across the room.
The moment Nico inhaled it, his body weakened.
His vision blurred.
Then he collapsed unconscious onto the frozen floor.
Behind Kaizen stood Elara and Natalia.
Elara rushed forward immediately, kneeling beside Nico to check his condition with concern.
Kaizen spoke calmly.
"I merely knocked him unconscious."
He then turned toward one of his guards.
"Take this boy to the dungeon and place him under heavy guard."
His gaze shifted toward the two girls.
"And move the elves to a safe location until we finish repairing this destroyed wing of the palace."
Kaizen stepped toward Ruta, who was now in a miserable state. Her body was badly burned, and she struggled even to remain conscious.
"You really are foolish," Kaizen said calmly. "You had no idea who you were trying to confront. When you eventually discover the truth about that boy… I doubt you'll be pleased."
He then turned to one of his soldiers.
"Take Ruta to the advanced medical chamber in the Demon Rift. Her treatment may take some time. Her skin has been severely burned."
Kaizen smiled faintly to himself and muttered quietly,
"What terrifying power…"
Without another word, he turned and walked out of the throne hall.
---
Back at the headquarters of the Black Spear, Akaria had already returned with Lyra.
Zorua guided Lyra to her room so she could rest after the journey. After that, he returned to his office.
He sat down and began reviewing several documents and reports scattered across his desk.
As he organized the papers, he muttered quietly to himself.
"The situation has become far more dangerous than I imagined… Time has become a treasure we cannot afford to waste. We must strengthen our forces as quickly as possible."
He leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Who could have imagined that the roots of the Dark Age would begin resurfacing in our current era? It's truly unsettling…"
He slowly listed the names.
"Kaizen… the Red Knight… and that demon girl who took over the Blue Sapphire Kingdom…"
His gaze drifted toward the ceiling.
"They are threats no less terrifying than the Moon Queen and Nicholas Dunomgis—the War Lord who once spread terror among rulers during that era with his devastating campaigns."
Zorua sighed.
"It would be a catastrophe if he were to return as well…"
He suddenly paused.
"…But why do I feel something strange whenever I think about that name?"
He froze.
"Wait… just a moment."
Zorua quickly grabbed a blank sheet of paper and wrote the name:
**Nicholas Dunomgis**
He stared at it for several seconds before slowly rearranging the letters of the surname.
Then his entire face froze in shock.
"I-Impossible…"
He shot up from his chair and rushed out of his office, running straight toward General Akaria's room.
---
At that moment, Akaria was preparing to sleep when she heard loud knocking on her door.
She opened it to find Zorua standing outside, his face tense and visibly shaken.
"Zorua?" she said with confusion. "Do you need something at this late hour? Why do you look so nervous? Did something happen?"
Zorua spoke with a slightly trembling voice.
"My apologies for disturbing you at this hour, Lady Akaria… but there is something extremely important that I must discuss with you."
Akaria stepped aside.
"Of course. Come in, Zorua. Would you like some coffee?"
"No, thank you," he replied quickly. "Please… just have a seat."
Akaria sat down, now clearly concerned.
"What is it that you want to tell me? You've never looked this disturbed before."
Zorua answered seriously.
"It's about Nico."
Akaria smiled slightly.
"You're still investigating him? I thought we already closed that matter. I even ordered you to stop digging into his past."
Zorua lowered his head briefly.
"I apologize, Lady Akaria… but this concerns our future. Once you hear it, you can decide whatever you believe is best."
Akaria folded her arms.
"I see. But let's be clear—if you're going to tell me he's from the Dark Age, I already know that. Nico himself told me."
Zorua nodded.
"That's true. But the information you have is only a small part of the truth."
He looked directly at her.
"Let me ask you something. You know about the power of the Moon Queen during that era, correct?"
Akaria shrugged slightly.
"I don't see how this helps us now, but yes. I know her power was enormous. It took a coalition of multiple empires to finally defeat her. What does that have to do with our situation?"
Zorua continued calmly.
"Then you must also know the man who served as her general and commanded her armies. His strength rivaled the greatest rulers of that time. He won some of the most brutal wars in history."
Akaria sighed impatiently.
"Yes, I know those stories, Zorua. Get to the point."
Zorua's voice lowered.
"He was known as the **War Lord**… the same man who later attempted to overthrow the Moon Queen before being betrayed by his own allies."
Akaria frowned.
"Yes, I remember that legend. But what does it have to do with Nico?"
Zorua asked quietly,
"Have any historical records ever revealed the location of that man's corpse… Nicholas Dunomgis?"
Akaria shook her head.
"No. No one knows where his body ended up. Why are you bringing this up?"
Zorua stood up and handed her the paper and pen.
"Please write this name."
Akaria raised an eyebrow.
"What name?"
"Nicholas Dunomgis."
She wrote it down.
"Alright. What next?"
Zorua pointed to the surname.
"Now reverse the letters of **Dunomgis**."
Akaria did so.
"Done… Now what?"
Zorua spoke slowly.
"Now write the name **Nicholas**, and remove the last two letters."
Akaria wrote the modified name.
She began speaking while looking at the paper.
"What kind of nonsense is th—"
Her voice stopped.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"I-Impossible…"
Zorua spoke with certainty.
"Yes, Lady Akaria. When you reverse the name **Dunomgis**, you get **Sigmund**."
He pointed to the other name.
"And when you remove the last two letters from **Nicholas**, you get **Nico**."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"When you combine them…"
He spoke the name slowly.
"Nico Sigmund."
Zorua's voice became firm.
"He is the same warrior who once shook the Dark Age…"
"**Nicholas Dunomgis.**"
[End of Chapter 50]