Chương 84: B2 - Chapter 26: This is what happens

Zeke found himself in the noble district for the second time that evening. This time accompanied by a squad of battle-hardened mages and his mentor, Maximilian. They walked with purpose, their steps echoing through the streets as they made their way down the main thoroughfare of the district. The crowds parted before them, as if sensing the danger radiating off their group. As they passed through plazas and throngs of people, Zeke was awestruck by the commanding presence of his mentor.

Maximilian's aura flared constantly, a sign of the suppressed anger simmering just beneath the surface. To Zeke, it seemed as if the people were nothing more than frightened rabbits, scurrying out of the way in the face of an apex predator. For the first time, Zeke understood what it was like to be a being of such absolute power that others couldn't even bring themselves to look upon you.

The feeling of dominance that he experienced as they walked through the streets of the noble district was both exhilarating and terrifying. It resonated deeply with the dragon heart within him, pounding with a fierce intensity. But as they continued on, Zeke realized that this was not the moment to be lost in self-reflection. He let himself be swept up in the feeling of triumph as they strode through the streets. His heart beat in sync with the steady steps of his mentor and the mages at his side.

All too soon, for Zeke's taste, they arrived in front of a grand complex of luxurious palaces. The property was ringed by a stone wall. The bulwark was etched with the insignia of the Feuerkranz family at regular intervals. The sight left no doubt in Zeke's mind as to their destination. Though he had expected Maximilian to pause and demand an audience with someone in charge, his mentor gave no indication of slowing his pace.

In fact, he seemed to quicken his stride as he approached the enormous front gates of the complex alone. As Maximilian neared the gates, Zeke noticed something strange. With each step, his mentor seemed to grow taller in his eyes. He realized that this was not his imagination. The old man was indeed growing taller. The Arch Mage was gathering a layer of stone around himself that thickened and widened with each step. It was then that Zeke remembered that Maximilian was a dual-affinity mage of Fire and Earth magic.

A fact that was often forgotten because his Explosion magic was only associated with his Fire affinity. Maximilian approached the closed gate, his size continuing to grow. Soon he was towering over the wall and reaching a height of over 20 meters. Zeke realized that the stone giant had no intention of stopping, and braced himself for the impact. With a powerful lift of his leg on the last step, Maximilian kicked the wooden gate with all his might.

The gate disintegrated under the force, sending wooden splinters flying in all directions. The once pristine courtyard now looked like a brutal war had been fought there. Zeke was in awe of the destruction a single move from Maximilian could cause. But Maximilian was not done yet. With a swift motion, he ripped out the largest support beam of the now-ruined gateway. After casting a spell upon it, he hurled the meters-long beam of wood into the closest building like a spear.

The building appeared to be a warehouse of some sort. The massive wooden projectile, which had looked like a twig in the giant's grasp, had so much momentum that it punched through the wall. It landed somewhere out of sight inside the warehouse. After a short moment of tense silence, there came the deafening boom of an explosion from within the warehouse. The sound was accompanied by a violent shockwave. The force of the explosion was so strong that it deformed the walls of the building from the inside.

Tongues of flames and molten pieces of stone shot out from the impact site. Over the next couple of seconds, the building began to collapse from the damage it had sustained. Only now did Maximilian seem satisfied with the level of destruction his entrance had caused. Ever since their group had burst through the gate, people had started to storm out of the surrounding buildings. The giant of stone turned his gaze to the crowd.

In a voice that was as loud as it was commanding, Maximilian bellowed, "Members of the Feuerkranz family! You have disrespected me and mine, and it is time to collect on this debt of blood." The behemoth of stone scanned the gathered crowd, evidently searching for someone. After he didn't find who he was looking for, Maximilian spoke up again.

"Where is that brat Alexander? Believe me that I have no problem collecting this debt from the rest of you instead, if the coward keeps hiding", he said, his voice hard. But even after a couple of moments, nobody moved. The stones making up the giant face shifted, now displaying a frown. When Maximilian's voice was heard next, it had gotten several degrees colder.

"You have to the count of 10 before I start killing you all" Zeke couldn't believe his eyes or ears as he observed his mentor's actions. The old man had stormed into the Feuerkranz family's complex with little regard for decorum or protocol. Zeke had expected Maximilian to have a few harsh words with whoever was in charge. Perhaps even making some veiled threats if he was feeling bold, but not this. His mentor had simply torn through the gate with brute force.

And now he was even demanding that the Feuerkranz family hand over Alexander, or face the consequences. Zeke could hardly fathom the audacity of the old man. Storming into the home of one of the four great families and threatening them with death. He expected the crowd to burst out laughing at the outlandish demands. But that's not what he observed at all. Instead, he saw fear etched on the faces of the Feuerkranz family members and awe on the faces of the onlookers outside the gate.

The boy thought back to the lesson his mentor had taught him about the rights of the strong. At this moment, Zeke finally understood a fundamental truth that he had known existed, but could never really grasp the true meaning of. He understood that all the laws and rules in the world were absolutely meaningless if nobody could stop you if you broke them. Maximilian stood tall, his massive form towering over the gathered crowd. He counted down, his voice booming through the courtyard.

"10! 9! 8! 7!" The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The seconds ticked by, and nothing seemed to happen.

"6! 5! 4!" Finally, a lone figure stepped forward, his voice commanding and authoritative as he addressed the giant.

"You will immediately stop this nonsense and remove yourself from our lands, Maximilian!" The giant of stone swiveled his head with uncanny speed, studying the man who had spoken. For a moment, the giant seemed deep in thought as he remained unmoving. But in the next instant, Maximilian moved with lightning speed. A hand shot out, grabbing the man like a child might hold a tiny doll. After the man had gotten over his initial shock, he realized his embarrassing situation.

In a loud voice, he immediately started to protest again.

"Let me go right this instance! Do you even know who I am? Do you think you can get away with doing whatever you want here!? WE ARE THE FEUERKRANZ FAMILY AND NOT SOME..." Wordlessly, the giant closed his fist completely, and there was silence once again. Zeke could see how Maximilian let the mangled corpse of the man fall to the ground, like a piece of unwanted trash. Without missing a beat, he continued his countdown, "3! 2! 1!"

"Here I am, what do you want?" Alexander stepped forward, his voice cutting through the tension that hung thick in the air. The crowd parted, revealing the young man, his features set in a determined expression. He seemed a little pale, but not as frightened as the rest of the gathered Feuerkranz family members. Maximilian regarded him with a steady gaze, studying him closely.

"You sent two men to murder my student tonight," Maximilian said, his voice low and steady. It was a statement, not a question, but he still waited for Alexander's reaction. The young man sneered.

"Is that so? I don't think I remember doing anything of the sort. Do you have any proof of your claims?" Maximilian's face could not be seen as he was completely encased in stone. But his booming voice reminded everyone of the power he had displayed earlier.

"Tonight, justice will be served." With those words, the giant took a step forward, his towering form looming over Alexander. The crowd held their breath, waiting for Alexander's response. But the young man merely chuckled, unfazed by Maximilian's words.

"Justice, you say? Do you think you can come here and dictate what is 'just' and what is not? You overstep your authority, old man. It is for us members of the great families to decide what justice means in this country, and not for some washed-up old magus like yourself. You have no right, Maximilian. No right at all." BOOOOM!! Maximilian's fist had just struck the ground next to Alexander, catapulting the young man into the air. The boy was sent tumbling head over heels upward.

With a dexterous motion, one would not expect from a being of his size, the giant caught Alexander in one of his massive hands. He lifted the now completely pale young man up into the air. It was clear that Maximilian was not joking around. He would really kill Alexander. But before Maximilian could do anything more, a lance of fire struck at the wrist of his [Earthform]. Alexander was sent back to the ground alongside the massive, severed hand.

The giant completely ignored the now fearfully shivering Alexander on the ground in front of him. Instead, he turned his attention towards the origin of the spell, as his hand quickly reformed. From the direction the spell had come from, a colossus of fire emerged. Its height and size were no match for Maximilian's [Earthform]. The walking inferno, however, did not seem any less intimidating due to its lacking size.

The Giant made of fire took its place in front of the crowd of the Feuerkranz family members before speaking up.

"That's enough, Maximilian. You have made your point. What is it that you want?" Maximilian didn't treat this new intruder lightly, and actually thought about his answer this time. When he finally spoke, there was a lot more control in his voice than earlier.

"Your son tried to kill my student today, Richard. But not like a man might, in single combat, facing the consequences of his actions. No, your coward of a son sent hired men in the dead of night. To ambush him and drag a 15-year-old boy out of the city under the cover of darkness so as not to be discovered.

"And you ask me what I want? Let me tell you, I want your Feuerkranz family to finally fucking learn the meaning of dignity and honor." Maximilian paused, his gaze sweeping over the assembled crowd before him. He took a deep breath, noticeably struggling with keeping his voice calm as he continued.

"I want your Feuerkranz family to conduct themselves in a straightforward and honest manner, like true men!

"I want them to stand tall and proud, displaying to the empire how true paragons of virtue are supposed to act!" He paused again, bringing his voice under control once more.

"But alas, I have long since learned to temper my expectations when it comes to your family. I have long since learned that a man needs a spine to stand tall, and that is more than can be expected from anyone surnamed Feuerkranz." His words enraged the patriarch of the Feuerkranz family. The man took a step forward in anger, his fiery face contorted.

"You dare speak of us in such a manner, old man? We are a proud family, and this slight can not go unanswered!" Maximilian met the patriarch's enraged gaze without flinching, his voice calm but firm. It was evident that the display of indignant outrage hadn't fazed him in the slightest.

"I speak only truth, Richard," the old man said.

"But we both know that your family doesn't speak that language. No! The only language your family understands is violence.

"You push, and push, and push until you get slapped, like the dogs you all are. It is high time for a reminder, a reminder of what happens when a family throws away its pride and acts like bandits. I will not stand idly by and watch as you continue to bring shame upon the empire!" His strong words echoed across the complex. Leaving no doubt in the minds of the spectators what Maximilian thought of the Feuerkranz family. Richard seemed to contemplate Maximilian's words for a moment before replying.

"You might be strong, Maximilian," he said, "but if you try to fight all of us today, you will die." Maximilian didn't hesitate in his response.

"Maybe I will," he said, "but I am a hundred percent certain that you will die as well, along with most of the people behind you." Richard glared at Maximilian as if to cow the man with his gaze alone. But after a moment, he tried a different approach. His eyes flicked to the mages standing behind him.

"What about your followers, Maximilian? Are you ready to sacrifice their lives as well? I see your little Blood Mage among them. Are you willing to throw away his life as well?" Maximilian's demeanor seemed to falter for the first time, his unshakable resolve wavering. Richard sensed an opportunity and tried to press the advantage, but before he could speak again, a new voice filled the plaza.

"If today is the day," Zeke said, his voice hesitant at first but growing stronger with each word, "If today is the day that I die, then so be it. I am ready." Zeke's conviction was palpable, and no one could doubt the sincerity of his words. He stood tall and proud, unafraid of the possibility of death. Zeke's heart hammered in his chest, the steady beat giving him the courage to speak the words he felt needed to be said.

He would NOT be the cause for his mentor's retreat today, and if the cost was his life, he was prepared to pay it. The plaza was deathly silent, as if the onlookers were holding their breath, not daring to make a sound. Zeke steeled his mind, the sound of his own wildly beating heart the only thing he could hear as he prepared himself for battle. He called out one final line, repeating to his mentor the words he himself had spoken all those years ago.

"A true soldier serves only one master - Honor. And if my master demands my death, then die I shall."