Chapter 62 Before The Fight

"How can you sleep so calmly while I feel like I can die of worry?" Artemisia asked.

"That old man is just big, mom… I can defeat him, no sweat." Aion said. "By the way, who were you praying to?"

"He was the one who decimated all of the royal guards, killed my brother, mother, and father… he isn't a weakling, Aion… what am I going to do…" Artemisia said and then sighed. "Only the goddess can help you now."

"What is the name of the goddess?" Aion asked.

"Her name was forgotten over the years… since people believed that her blessing only affected our kingdom," Artemisia replied. "As for the other god… I really don't know much about him."

"It seems that you are hiding something, mom," Aion said. "If you think I am going to die today, might as well tell me everything."

"Don't say such an ominous thing so easily…" Artemisia said and then pulled his ears. "Come back in one piece, and I will tell you everything one day."

"That promise seems a bit fishy…" Aion frowned.

"It can't be helped… this is a burden that I don't want to carry, but…" Artemisia said and then hesitated in finishing her sentence. "I guess it is unavoidable for you to learn that. Regardless, you already have too many things to consider today… no matter what, just do your best to return in one piece, okay?"

"Aye, aya, ma'am," Aion said.

Aion left the room, and he saw his mother praying again. Nobody ever said that he was very reliable, but that lack of faith in him sure was depressing. Still, it was understandable. Even if he never saw that asshole fighting with all his might, he could tell that he was like a mountain that many people could only tremble in fear.

Regardless, when Aion reached the garden after breakfast, he saw the other members of the Kresnik family in the garden. Lexus, the other boys, the girls, and even their mothers. It seemed like they were waiting for Aion, but he didn't like that kind of atmosphere, mainly when half of the family treated him and his family like air.

"How are your wounds, father?" Aion asked.

"You have the nerve of asking that when you were the one who inflicted them…" Lexus said while frowning.

"It can't be helped… despite your old age, you refused to go down," Aion shrugged. "I could have gone easy on you if you didn't use so many troublesome techniques. Even my first armor was destroyed thanks to it…"

"I was just joking… it was a good match, and I don't have anything to complain about," Lexus said. "I thought that my fighting style was perfect, but it seems that even I can learn a new trick or two."

"I doubt that the result would be the same if you were using your favorite sword…" Aion said. "I probably would have to break some of your bones to win."

"In the end, you never thought that you could lose agaisnt me, huh…" Lexus said. "Pushing your confidence aside, the commander truly is a monster that goes beyond the human understanding. He isn't like Caelis the Tainted or others that mutated over the years, but he is truly on the level of the worst types of beasts in this world. He is also out for your blood, so I can wish you good luck."

"Relax, it will be a piece of cake," Aion said.

"... I will try to believe your words… one more piece of advice, the commander becomes stronger when he is enraged," Lexus said after a long sigh. "When he becomes like that, he doesn't discriminate between ally or foe… that was why he was always on the frontlines and most of the time alone. His comrades couldn't trust their lives to him… once he goes berserk, he will do everything to kill his target… everything."

"All right, I will keep that in mind," Aion said.

A berserker agaisnt a berserker… it will be one hell of a battle. Aion's preparations had been finished, so there wasn't much more to say. His brothers only raised their hands and high-fived him, while the girls and their mothers didn't know what to do. Winning that tournament was an honor to the family of the winner, but one of them was going to die no matter what, and the adversary was the commander of the armies of the kingdom. Besides, it would feel cheap for them to cheer on Aion after so many years of ignoring him.

It was a bit soon for the tournament, but Aion decided to head to the arena… more than ever before, Aion will have to concentrate on the task ahead. Agaisnt an enemy that was probably four or five times stronger than him, most plans wouldn't be useful, but as long as he uses a few parts of them alongside his brain, Aion will take something out of it…

Aion arrived in the waiting room and then sat in the corner to concentrate. During that time, he recalled the things that he had heard about Horis. As a commander, he was someone who didn't have a proper fighting style or weapon of choice. He used everything he could use to attack… in fact, his tales on the battlefields were mostly known about him throwing the corpses of the enemies at their comrades… insanity was a weak word to describe him.

Although no one called him, eventually, Aion realized that it was the time for the fight. He could tell that the aura of the arena had changed, and everyone was waiting for the final. The king decided to give another annoyingly long speech, but Aion decided to ignore that. It was better to use his time meaningfully. When the referee called both participants, Horis finally showed up and Aion had a hard time not jumping at his neck…