LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 83
Chapter 83: The Nest of Intrigue (7)
As the two fighters maintained their stalemate, with sword and fist locked in place, it was Richard who broke the tension.
“Hah!”
Letting out a sharp cry, Richard extended his left hand. But it wasn’t just for another strike.
BOOM!
A torrent of green energy surged from his palm, aimed at pulling Martin toward him.
Or rather, attempting to pull him in.
‘Not if I can help it.’
BOOM!
In response, golden energy radiated from Martin, spreading out like threads and anchoring him to the space around him.
Through Omni Distortion, Martin had fixed his body in place, making himself immovable.
Seeing this, Richard couldn’t help but feel genuine admiration.
‘To think he found a way to counter so quickly. The rumors calling him the greatest genius of all time are no exaggeration.’
As long as Martin’s body was anchored in space, Richard’s gravitational pull couldn’t affect him. Even if he switched from pulling to pushing, it would be useless.
A powerful trump card had been neutralized in an instant.
However, Richard wasn’t disheartened.
This method had a clear weakness—Martin couldn’t move.
Richard quickly raised his right hand and brought it down with force.
BANG!
A wave of enhanced gravity crashed down on Martin.
‘What?!’
Richard’s eyes widened in disbelief.
His strike had only left a crater in the ground. But what truly shocked him was the sudden distance that had appeared between him and Martin.
‘To think he’d use Spatial Compression like that.’
Not only was Martin a master swordsman, but his ability to wield innate powers was equally astounding.
Richard’s surprise was fleeting. Now that he understood the technique, he could predict Martin’s next move.
Crossing his arms in a defensive stance, Richard twisted the space around him using Attraction Domination, distorting the air itself.
BOOM!
An aura blade from Martin’s sword slammed into Richard, but the distorted space absorbed both the explosion and the accompanying shockwave.
Yet, Martin wasn’t disappointed.
‘Just buying time is enough.’
WOOOM.
Using Spatial Movement, Martin instantly teleported behind Richard, slashing horizontally with Karadyl.
Richard hadn’t yet fully recovered from his previous defense. If things continued like this, Karadyl would deal a significant blow to his side.
‘But it’s never that simple.’
Martin heightened his senses to the fullest, ready to react to whatever came next.
Swooosh!
A sword strike executed immediately after a spatial movement should have been impossible to evade. But this time, it was different.
Karadyl’s blade sliced through empty air.
Both the golden aura and the physical strike missed their mark.
Richard had slipped into a spatial rift, vanishing from sight.
He reappeared above Martin’s head, driving his right foot downward with crushing force.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
Using Repulsion, Richard maximized his speed and power, intending to land a decisive blow.
‘He won’t be able to use Spatial Movement or Spatial Compression in time.’
His attack would land in less than a second. No matter how talented Martin was, it seemed impossible for him to counter with his innate abilities in such a short time.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Shiiiing!
Suddenly, a golden slash tore through the air.
Richard’s face turned pale.
‘That’s…!’
It was the very same slash Martin had missed just moments before.
The problem was the timing.
The strike came so fast that Richard couldn’t use Spatial Movement to avoid it. Gritting his teeth, he desperately extended his right hand, channeling all the power of his aura blade and Attraction Domination into it.
BOOOM!
“Ugh!”
A groan escaped Richard’s lips as a long gash appeared on his palm, blood dripping down his hand.
But he had no time to tend to the wound.
Martin had already followed up with another upward strike from Karadyl.
Even as Richard watched the attack coming, he couldn’t respond in time.
He was out of options.
Swooosh!
However, Martin didn’t land the blow.
The sword sliced cleanly through the air, passing just beside Richard’s right arm.
Thud.
Richard landed on the ground, looking straight at Martin.
Anyone could tell what had just happened.
Martin had deliberately held back.
And as if to emphasize this, Martin sheathed his sword.
“Is this the end?”
“We did agree beforehand to take it easy. Any further and we’d both be seriously hurt. There’s no need to go that far.”
“…True enough. I suppose I’ll have to accept my loss.”
“It doesn’t matter to me either way.”
“It’s about my pride.”
“The winner of the duel is Martin Adalbert!”
With Richard acknowledging his defeat, Nicholas immediately declared Martin the victor.
Then he dispelled the barrier.
However, Richard didn’t move.
He kept his eyes on Martin, then spoke.
“May I ask you something, young lord?”
“Go ahead.”
“That final strike—did you anticipate my Spatial Movement?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“You demonstrated that strong gravitational forces can warp space, Your Highness. Given that, it was only logical to assume you could also use Spatial Movement.”
“…I see.”
“Yes.”
“Though I lost this time, I’ve gained something valuable. I’ve learned that your greatest weapon is your strategic thinking. Though I’ve suffered some loss, it was a lesson worth learning.”
Richard gave a bitter smile.
The nobles who supported him all wore grim expressions.
Even those who remained neutral, such as Theodore and his accompanying nobles, seemed uneasy.
Martin’s victory meant that Claudia’s influence would grow, undeniably elevating her position.
“Young lord! Could I have a moment of your time?”
“My daughter is quite beautiful, young lord!”
As soon as Nicholas dispelled the barrier, many nobles swarmed toward Martin.
Most of them were lesser nobles who had yet to align themselves with either the 1st or 2nd Prince’s factions.
Now, they were eager to earn favor with Martin, aiming to secure a place within Claudia’s camp.
This signaled the expansion of Claudia’s influence, and the nobles who had supported her rejoiced in the current situation.
While Richard was dominant, and Theodore followed behind, Claudia’s faction, which had been overshadowed in terms of military power, had finally gained real traction in the political arena.
All thanks to the presence of a single man—Martin Adalbert.
—
The banquet celebrating Claudia’s birthday concluded successfully.
For the following week, Martin stayed at her palace, receiving visitors who sought to meet him. He wasn’t bothered by it—in fact, he enjoyed it.
After all, everyone who visited brought gifts.
‘There’s nothing quite like gifts to help build relationships between people.’
And since he was on the receiving end, it was all the more enjoyable.
However, he knew that there wouldn’t be any significant gains from these meetings.
Despite the warm reception, none of these nobles wanted the northern region, which Martin controlled, to wield too much influence over the western region, centered around the imperial family.
Martin had no great expectations from them in the first place.
‘The real prize is people, not power.’
There was someone in the capital he wanted to recruit as one of his loyal retainers. In truth, the week-long stay at the palace was primarily to arrange a meeting with that individual.
But that meeting had been delayed by an unexpected visitor—Nicholas von Royce.
Claudia initially intended to deny him, but at Martin’s request, Nicholas was allowed into the palace for a private meeting.
Martin now found himself face-to-face with Nicholas. Though Irina von Meinert stood nearby as a precaution, Nicholas behaved himself.
‘This is the first time we’ve spoken one-on-one.’
Before his regression, Martin had only met Nicholas once, and they had never been directly entangled in any conflicts.
Back then, Nicholas had sought to gain control of the Adalbert family through his son-in-law, Valdemar von Rustal.
However, due to Valdemar’s own ambitions, Nicholas’ plans had failed to take root.
Yet Nicholas remained a highly dangerous opponent.
Now that direct confrontation was inevitable, Nicholas was the man Martin had to be most wary of.
“This is the first time we’ve properly exchanged greetings. No need for introductions, I assume?”
“No need. We both know enough about each other that formalities aren’t required.”
“You seem to think you know me well… Just like a week ago, you have quite a way with words.”
“It’s not just talk. The fall of the Rustal family and the events in Akela speak for themselves, don’t they?”
“That’s true. I never imagined I would lose loyal retainers and everything my family had built in an instant. Nor did I foresee the deaths of my son-in-law and grandson.”
Nicholas acknowledged Martin’s words without a change in expression.
“But the situation has changed now, young lord.”
“In what way?”
“From now on, I’ll be dealing with you personally.”
“You won’t be able to step onto the battlefield yourself.”
“You’re right. Neither I nor the other 9th Circle powerhouses can leave our respective factions’ leaders. But to deal with a declining family like the Adalberts, I don’t need to personally step in.”
“You must have a lot of hidden forces to speak with such confidence. But do you really think you can defeat the entire northern region, no matter how many cards you have up your sleeve?”
“I’ll admit that during your tour of the North, you managed to seize control. But how many of your so-called allies will trust you when a true war looms on the horizon?”
“It’s pointless to assume the situation will always be in your favor.”
“That’s the difference between you and me.”
Despite Nicholas’ bold statement, Martin remained calm, his composure unwavering.
Nicholas noticed this, but he didn’t seem to care. On the surface, the Adalbert family still held the upper hand in terms of power. Martin’s confidence was understandable.
But Nicholas wondered how Martin would react when that strength crumbled in front of him.
‘I’m looking forward to seeing that.’
He concealed his anticipation behind a calm expression, speaking smoothly.
“For a long time, the Royce family has aspired to become one of the three great families. We’ve spared no effort in preparing for that, and the power we’ve amassed has reached its peak in my generation. Even if I can’t bring down the other two great families, crushing the weakened Adalbert family will be easy. I could kill you within a minute if I wanted.”
“You’re aware that’s practically a declaration of war, right?”
“Of course. I came here to formally declare territorial war. If you’re willing to hand over half of the dungeon rights and pledge loyalty to the 2nd Prince, I’d consider withdrawing.”
“I have no intention of doing that. If it comes to it, I’d rather join the 1st Prince.”
“I gave you a final chance, and you’ve thrown it away.”
“That’s not a chance I wanted in the first place. And allow me to give you a warning as well.”
Their eyes met, and a tension filled the air.
“Go on, then.”
“Everyone who’s opposed me so far has fallen. I don’t think you’ll be any different, Marquis Royce.”
“I hope your words aren’t just empty boasts.”
“I’ll make sure to live up to your expectations. But remember this: this is your last chance. If you don’t kill me this time, you’ll never get your hands on the Adalbert family.”
“Now that’s quite the delusion.”
Both Martin and Nicholas spoke in calm tones, but the decision had been made.
The stage was set for a clash between the Adalbert family, one of the three great houses, and the Royce family, which had long sought to join their ranks.
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