THE TRANSMIGRATED LORD: RISE OF THE NEW KINGDOM

Take Back the Castle

The first enemy soldier reached the courtyard. Jade moved, steel flashed. He barely got his sword up in time.

CLANG!

The impact jolted both arms to the shoulder. He staggered. The soldier pressed forward, blade rising for a killing stroke. Jade twisted aside, the edge sliced open his sleeve and grazed his skin.

In that instant the truth hit him hard. Knowing strategy was one thing, but standing in front of a man who wanted him dead was another.

He ducked under the next swing, and drove his shoulder into the soldier’s chest, twisted the man’s wrist, and slammed an elbow into his jaw. The enemy dropped, gasping.

Jade stared at the fallen man, breathing hard. He was barely alive.

“Milord!”

The captain’s shout cut through the noise. Three more soldiers charged from the left. The captain met the first with a crash of steel. Two Villeran men closed ranks behind him. The enemy’s line wavered.

“Push them back!” the captain roared. For the first time, the defenders stopped giving ground. They began to advance.

Above the walls the dragon screamed. A river of black-red flame swept the western courtyard. Enemy soldiers scattered, screaming. The battlefield dissolved into chaos.

“Dragon!” 

“There’s a dragon!” 

“Fall back!” Even some of Villeran’s own men froze at the sight of the creature circling through the smoke. Jade pointed toward the western staircase.

 “That’s their leader.” The captain followed his gaze.

The black-armored commander stood unmoving, as he stared straight at Jade. Their eyes locked. Recognition flashed across the man’s face, followed by a colder gaze.

“You…” The commander’s voice carried across the courtyard. “You’re not Jade Hayden.” Jade went still.

The commander smiled without humor. “I knew something was wrong the moment the wall fell.” He raised his sword. “Kill him!” Dozens of soldiers turned and charged.

“Captain. Can you get me to him?” Jade’s voice was quiet.

The older man grinned, blood already on his teeth. “Now that’s an order I understand.” He lifted his blade. “VILLERAN!”

The remaining defenders roared and slammed into the enemy line. Jade moved in the captain’s wake, step by hard-won step. Every few seconds another blade sought him. Each time the golden mark on his palm flared and his body moved a fraction faster than his thoughts.

He could feel it now, warm and sharp flowing beneath his skin, it was the Mana.

An enemy lunged. Jade stepped aside almost before he decided to. The man’s sword cut empty air. Jade’s counterstrike sent him flying.

 “Milord…” The captain glanced back, wide-eyed.

“I think,” Jade said, staring at his glowing hand, “I just used magic.”

A detonation of dark energy interrupted them. The commander had reached the courtyard and driven his sword into the stone. A shockwave hurled Villeran soldiers aside. The captain slammed into a wall. Jade staggered but kept his feet.

The commander walked toward him, black flames gathering around his free hand.

“Do you know what your problem is, Lord Jade?” The flames grew. “You think you’re special.”

Jade raised his sword. “Funny. You’re the one who attacked my territory.” The commander’s smile widened.

“And I’ll be the one who ends this little rebellion.” He hurled the black fire.

Jade threw up his marked hand on pure instinct. Golden light flared, a transparent barrier snapped into existence. The flames struck it with a deafening BOOM.

The barrier shattered. Jade was flung backward into the wall, pain exploded through his ribs.

“What are you?” The commander stared.

Jade pushed himself upright, tasting blood. He looked at the fading mark on his palm, then toward the faint golden pulse still rising from the depths beneath the castle.

The World Heart wasn’t giving him power. It was teaching his body how to use what was already there. He lifted his sword again. “Still figuring that out.”

The commander attacked.

Their blades met, CLANG, then again, and again. The man was faster, stronger, and more practiced. A cut opened across Jade’s shoulder. Blood ran warm down his arm.

 “Your tricks won’t save you.” The commander laughed.

Jade watched his stance, breathing. And the tiny shift of the left foot every time the man committed to a right-hand strike. It was a habit, his weakness.

The next attack came. Jade stepped inside it, turned his wrist, and struck.

SHING!

The commander’s sword spun away. Jade’s blade stopped against his throat. Silence crashed over the courtyard. The enemy soldiers froze. The commander stared at the steel resting against his skin.

“How…?”

“I learn quickly.” Jade’s voice was rough.

He raised his head and looked at the remaining enemy forces. “Drop your weapons. Or your commander dies.” One sword clattered to the stone, then another, finally hundreds.

The battle was over.

Jade did not celebrate. He looked across the ruined western wall, the burning buildings, the wounded men, the enemy army had broken, but Villeran was still starving, bleeding, and still dying.

 “We won.” The captain approached, limping.

 “No.” He shook his head. “We survived.”  He tightened his grip on the sword and turned toward the smoke-filled sky. “Winning comes later.”

The World Heart pulsed once, far below. A whisper slid into Jade’s mind, quiet and absolute.

[Six seals remain.] His blood ran cold. He stared down at the cracked stone beneath his feet.

“What exactly have I awakened?” No one answered.