Kaydan remained frozen in place. His pupils trembled violently as he stared blankly at the floor beneath his feet. His mind buzzed, still unable to grasp the reality that he was one of the hidden romantic targets.
The fact that, in that era, he was also one of the enemies fighting against his own husband felt like a brutally cruel irony to the gray-haired youth.
On the other side of the sofa, Ordion, Davin, and Oliver exhibited a completely different reaction. The three of them tried to dig back into their past memories regarding the series of bloody events that occurred during that era. Yet, from all their memories of the war and conflicts involving them, not a single one had ever known, seen, or even stood face-to-face with Kaydan.
"But, My Dear..." Ordion voiced out, his tone laced with justifiable doubt. "...why didn't I ever see Kaydan in the alliance at all? Shouldn't he have met and joined us when the kingdom alliance forces attacked the Vedegra territory?"
There was nothing wrong with the question. The confusion Ordion felt was perfectly natural. Logically, if Kaydan was indeed destined to oppose Arvin, the youth should have been on the front lines with them when the alliance was formed.
Davin and Oliver nodded, agreeing with the logical argument Ordion had just presented. Let alone knowing his name, neither of them had ever seen Kaydan on the battlefield either.
The youth's physical features, the strikingly distinct brown skin unique to the Larde tribe, should have been extremely easy to recognize and remember amidst the kingdom alliance forces. Yet, Kaydan's existence was completely absent from their memories.
Hearing the critical question from Ordion, and seeing Davin and Oliver nodding in agreement, Arvin let out a sigh.
"In that case, I must first tell you what happened in the Victoriaz Kingdom during that era, exactly as it exists within this body's memories." Arvin said in a calm tone. "Because the actual events in Arvin Vedegra's memories and the missions the players on Earth had to complete are closely intertwined."
All the youths in the lounge immediately focused their ears to listen to what the head of the household was about to narrate.
"It all started when Arvin Vedegra attacked the Victoriaz Kingdom alone..."
[The Victoriaz Kingdom in that era, when Arvin Vedegra was 27 years old]
Thud!
The sound of heavy impacts against the floor echoed through the grand palace corridors. The bodies of the soldiers assigned to guard the interior of the palace fell one by one, lifeless.
At this moment, Arvin Vedegra had invaded the Victoriaz Kingdom's palace single-handedly.
The blue-haired man walked with a leisurely pace. His eyes kept staring straight ahead as his right hand gripped a blood-soaked sword. The tip of the blade dripped thick red liquid, leaving a trail of terror with every step he took.
Every palace soldier who dared to block his path was instantly killed with a single lethal slash, without a shred of mercy.
Now, the palace corridors had turned into a slaughterhouse. Lifeless bodies simply lay in gruesome postures along the length of the hallways he had traversed.
Upon reaching the end of the corridor, Arvin stood right in front of large, sturdy double doors, the only access leading directly to the throne room.
He tried to push the tightly shut doors. However, the doors wouldn't budge an inch.
They were locked.
Arvin scoffed softly.
After invading my territory and enslaving my people... now you lock yourselves up like rats and don't dare to face me when I invade back like this? You are all truly disgusting cowards!
Arvin felt that grumbling and cursing while standing idle without taking action would only waste too much time. He then raised his left hand and pressed his open palm against the surface of the double doors.
An incredibly dense flow of mana surged out, causing the temperature around the doors to plummet drastically.
Crack...
A thick layer of ice crept rapidly, encasing the entire surface of the five-meter-tall iron doors until it penetrated their core structure.
Crash! Thud!
The doors shattered into pieces. Chunks of ice mixed with metal collapsed and scattered across the floor, breaking just like a fragile glass cup.
Now that the obstacle leading to the throne room was completely cleared, Arvin stepped inside.
However, after walking just about two meters into the room, Arvin smirked.
Before him, dozens of fully armored soldiers and elite assassins with drawn weapons stood in a tight defensive formation, awaiting his arrival.
Behind the seemingly impenetrable barricade of palace forces, three handsome men wearing grand royal robes stood. One of them sat arrogantly upon the golden throne.
"Well, well, well. Look who just arrived at our palace!" exclaimed the man sitting on the throne. His voice flowed straightforward, loud, and full of a condescending tone that echoed throughout the entire room. "Turns out, it's the last descendant of the Vedegra family."
The man sitting on the throne was none other than Pratesias Palledius Der Victoriaz. He was the 24th King of the Victoriaz Kingdom, having recently ascended the throne after his father, King Estadian, passed away from a severe illness.
On the left and right sides of the throne occupied by the King stood two dashing men. They radiated an equally strong aura of arrogance.
The man standing with folded arms on the right side of the throne was Wiltan Palledius Der Victoriaz, the Second Prince of the Victoriaz Kingdom. Meanwhile, the man standing on the left side of the throne was Lionias Palledius Der Victoriaz, the Third Prince of the Victoriaz Kingdom.
"Are you truly that eager to die, Vedegra?" King Pratesias called out from his throne, looking at Arvin as if staring at a bug that had wandered into his territory.
Arvin halted his steps, then returned the gaze with a stare that was far sharper and colder.
"You are the ones who will die here, you greedy fools!" he retorted in a flat tone, his eyes never leaving the figure sitting on the throne. "You must all take responsibility for your vile actions that have brought suffering to my people!"
"Us?" Pratesias repeated. He tilted his head, then scoffed in an extremely condescending tone. "Look at the situation right now, you fool! Hahaha!"
The King laughed uproariously, his laughter echoing and filling the vast throne room. Shortly after, the equally arrogant laughter of his two brothers, Wiltan and Lionias, also reverberated in the room. The three of them mocked Arvin's words along with his sheer stupidity for recklessly attacking the heart of the palace alone, as if he were throwing his life away for nothing.
It wasn't without reason that they laughed and acted so confidently. Throughout the entire Victoriaz Kingdom, the three of them were recognized as the strongest.
Not to mention the fact that there were currently dozens of elite soldiers and assassins, special forces trained solely to kill, already in a ready stance, prepared to attack the man standing alone in the middle of the room. The confidence of the King and the two princes skyrocketed even higher.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the throne room, Arvin remained extremely calm. His emotions were not provoked in the slightest by their mocking laughter. He stood firmly with his sword in hand, feeling no fear whatsoever facing more than sixty elite troops ready to strike.
"Let's hope you don't regret that foolish decision, Vedegra!" Pratesias then stood up from his throne, raising his hand and pointing straight at Arvin. "Finish him!"
Hearing the King's command, the entire line of the Victoriaz Kingdom's elite forces in the throne room moved simultaneously. Both the elite soldiers and the assassins moving nimbly through the air charged forward all at once to kill Arvin Vedegra.