In an already bizarre situation, the masked person immediately flung open the window. Light poured into the dark, windowless room. As Aiden squinted and looked outside, judging by the view, it was undoubtedly a skyscraper, almost reminiscent of a tower.
Despite being at such a high place, the masked person, gazing down at the ground, let out a faint groan.
“…Lionheart?”
Even from afar, there was something unmistakable that caught the eye.
Amidst the low, dreary buildings, a single woman walked, emanating a dense, almost mist-like aura of pure white energy. There was no mistaking it — a unique ability, symbolized by the pure white aura of Lionheart.
And as she approached with each step, the size of the energy cloud spreading like mist continued to grow.
By now, the aura had spread so widely that it seemed to cover everything around her, exuding an overwhelming pressure just by its presence.
With each step, an entire city block trembled. The frameworks and exteriors of buildings, crushed under the force of her ability, groaned and shook.
“…Mom?”
Someone, almost unconsciously, muttered those words, struck by the overwhelming spectacle that left onlookers dizzy.
A walking powerhouse. A one-woman army. The Empire’s foremost initiator of battle, charging first into any battlefield.
Witnessing her in this state made it impossible not to understand why all these titles were attributed to one person.
“…You, just called her your wife after seeing that. Are you, by any chance, Lionheart’s husband?”
“Isn’t it obvious? So listen to me even now…”
“But.”
The masked person spoke with smug satisfaction.
“Even if she’s Lionheart, it won’t be easy for her to rescue you.”
While Aiden let out a sigh, close to despair, the masked person continued with another smug statement.
“This building is reinforced with every possible measure. Even a massive monster wouldn’t easily bring it down.”
There was a note of pride in his voice, suggesting he was genuinely confident in the building’s defenses. And it wasn’t just empty words; they wouldn’t have skimped on security, especially as people who, under the protection of the Emperor and the Chief Administrator, managed to pull all sorts of things into the capital.
It wouldn’t be strange if their headquarters were fully equipped with all sorts of defenses.
But.
“That’s because we’re talking about a massive monster.”
Aiden remained skeptical of their opinion.
And rightly so.
“That’s *Lionheart*, after all.”
And the ensuing events followed the exact flow one would expect from that statement.
In the original game, the character Noel Astria Simus was always portrayed as possessing a combat prowess that ranked at the highest level, regardless of the situation or environment.
In a world filled with monstrous figures, she couldn’t be declared the strongest outright, but it was undeniable that she was a fearsome force respected wherever she went.
And, that also meant—
It was evident that, in this situation, there was no way to stop her head-on.
“Hey, if a woman comes alone to a place like this…”
One thug, who was about to make a snide comment, clammed up in horror.
In the capital’s black market, various kinds of dangerous individuals were present, yet the moment they saw Noel walking slowly down the main street, they didn’t even think about provoking her; instead, they hurriedly ran away in terror. If one recalled how Katia had been treated when she came here before, this was a surprising sight. But upon seeing the aura that Noel was emitting, anyone would have a similar reaction.
It was like facing a massive, enraged beast. Even if they only encountered a fragment of that feeling, it would be enough.
Noel’s gaze was fixed on one of the highest buildings in the capital’s black market. It was the location Katia had told her about where Aiden was being held.
Noel came to a halt. And with that alone, a deep, booming sound, like a bomb exploding, resonated through the surroundings.
“Ugh…”
As she controlled her breathing, pure white energy infused her vocal cords. To those nearby, it might have sounded like she was whispering to someone, but to those inside the tower, it would echo louder than a megaphone.
Her mastery over her energy was remarkably refined.
“I don’t know who you are.”
And as she spoke, with a hostility that felt as if it could tear skin, there was something in her tone that went beyond simple fear, striking a different kind of emotion in the hearts of her listeners.
“I don’t know what your intentions are either.”
The air rumbled. Just from her words, a murderous pressure bore down from all sides, enough to make any faint-hearted person lose consciousness.
“But I do know who you’ve taken. Return my husband. Then…”
Then came the words,
“I’ll let you live.”
Her voice fell like frost.
The people inside the tower exchanged glances.
A rapid exchange of silent understanding followed, at least showing they weren’t slow to react.
“…Victory?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then, at least stall for time. Pour everything into it.”
Frankly speaking, given the aura Noel was emitting now, one would have to admit the courage it took to make such a response.
As if in response to her ultimatum, dozens of iron pillars flew toward her, landing near her body.
Suppression posts. The same items that had been used on Katia before. These items weaken the abilities of anyone within the boundary. They had proven effective against Katia, who wielded monstrous levels of power.
The problem was—
The Empire’s strongest knight standing before them was called the strongest for a reason.
!!
The aura hovering around her body condensed into a single point in an instant. And before the suppression posts could even begin to resonate, her pure white energy gathered around the iron pillars, taking form as if to wrap around them.
Then, with a forceful grip, Noel clenched her fist. Her pure white energy began to spin fiercely in sync with her gesture.
Immediately—
Those treasures, crafted and refined by top-tier sorcerers, splintered in a single instant.
Snap—as if twisting straw, she crushed them all.
Inside the tower, the people’s jaws dropped as they watched.
Despite having doubled the quantity they had used during the previous attack on Katia, seeing her nullify it all in a heartbeat left them speechless.
“How powerful must her output be…?”
Though energy, compared to other abilities, is advantageous for generating output, performing a similar feat would require an amount of physical force akin to uprooting an entire small house.
Doing that… without any vow to the gods or even any special movement?
“You… you’ve got to be kidding—”
“Stop gawking and pour everything into it!”
“But all of this equipment was specifically requested by the client…”
“If we can’t make it out of here, we’re dead anyway. Now isn’t the time to worry about the aftermath!”
“Even if we want to use it, we need time! Somehow, we have to stop that woman from getting closer…!”
Just the desperate screams alone made it clear how incredible her previous display of skill had been. Those who had remained calm suddenly fell into chaos.
And as always, people make the worst decisions in the midst of chaos.
“Then let’s use this. After all, her target is this guy, right?”
Someone pointed at Aiden and made the suggestion.
…No, no, wait. That’s really a terrible idea—!
“Do it! Tell her we’ll kill him if she gets any closer!”
But before Aiden could even protest, someone dragged him, still bound to his chair, over to the window.
“Damn it, come any closer and I’ll cut his throat right here and—”
However, before he could finish the sentence, Noel’s eyes locked onto the bloodied, disheveled Aiden.
‘Oh no.’
It was over.
Even from a distance, Aiden saw the murderous intent flare in Noel’s gaze and instinctively felt those words.
As if a crimson flame had ignited, a ferocious intensity burned in her eyes.
“律 (Ritual).”
Quietly, the vow of her code slipped from her lips.
The pure white aura, already radiating around her, grew even stronger.
Then—
The scene itself seemed to be crushed in an instant.
At least, that’s how it appeared. It was as if the entire visible world sank downward, overwhelmed by her presence.
Even though they weren’t her direct targets, the people nearby collapsed, screaming as their legs gave way.
“I swear.”
And the moment her words finished, the aura around her condensed into a single point. The pressure that felt as if it were crushing the world itself coalesced around the sword her hand rested on, creating a momentary vacuum.
“To instill fear in my enemies.”
Her sword was drawn, and with a light motion, Noel sliced the air, scattering sword energy.
—The very space twisted.
“Wh…what?”
Someone inside the tower uttered a dumbfounded sound as they watched the scene. Perhaps it was simply because they couldn’t grasp what was happening. They were probably wondering, ‘What on earth is she doing?’
It wasn’t their fault.
The following scene was something unimaginable for a human being.
In the next instant, the ceiling began to tilt. Dirt and debris trickled down from above.
Then—
“Ah.”
As someone uttered that final sound like a death rattle, panic broke out in the room.
“Ah, ah, ahhh—!”
People screamed, rolling in all directions as the entire room tilted.
At last, everyone began to understand what was happening.
—The entire tower.
It was twisting, collapsing.
The enormous spire, so tall that one had to crane their neck to see it, had been reinforced with every protective measure imaginable, just recently boasted about with pride. Yet, with a single light strike of her sword, as if chopping vegetables with a kitchen knife, it was cleanly sliced at a diagonal.
‘Who… just who am I engaged to?’
That thought crossed Aiden’s mind as chaos erupted around him. Given the dizzying height, people were screaming, scrambling not to fall outside. They clung to window frames, iron bars, and anything they could grab to avoid plummeting.
Amid this mayhem, the person responsible for it all leapt swiftly toward him.
When Noel landed on the still-unstable floor, the faces of those nearby turned pale. To them, she must have looked like the Grim Reaper incarnate.
And it wasn’t entirely an off-target impression.
With blazing red flames in her eyes, Noel scanned her surroundings, then lifted her sword again. A fierce killing intent, so strong it felt like it could tear skin, emanated from her.
Those who saw this likely found themselves reflecting on their lives, knowing that their arrogance had led them here…
“Lady Noel, Lady Noel! No, you can’t kill them!”
It was at this moment that someone unexpectedly ran forward and clung to her, stopping her from moving.
Having somehow freed himself from his bindings, Aiden lunged toward Noel, grabbing onto her like a piggyback.
As soon as Noel realized it was Aiden, she stiffened, turning to look at him.
“…Aiden?”
“Please, just calm down! I’m fine, really!”
The killing aura dissipated. The fiery blaze in her eyes vanished in an instant.
Instead, her expression softened dramatically, her face drained of any trace of that fierce intensity. Now, she looked more fragile and tender, almost as if she were a teenage girl witnessing her first love in distress.
“Are… are you alright?”
The realm of married life is indeed a strange one. The woman who had just been like a ferocious warrior transformed into someone so gentle that the masked men, who had just seen their lives flash before their eyes, couldn’t help but notice the drastic change.
“Oh, yes, I’m just a bit badly injured.”
At this, Noel’s gaze swept over Aiden’s face.
His face was caked in blood, with droplets trickling down, soaking his clothes.
“…”
A spark of red flame flickered in Noel’s eyes again, welling up as if about to ignite.
As she raised her sword once more, Aiden, horrified, clung to her with all his strength.
“I told you, I’m fine!”
It took several more minutes for Noel to fully calm down.
Cliche Novel 