Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

But the moment the two divine bulls raised their hooves, the concrete ground below suddenly exploded, and dozens of snake-like cables wrapped around the chariot and the bodies of the divine bulls, attempting to drag the entire chariot into the deep pit.

Smoke and dust filled the air, and the muffled groans of the divine ox, the roars of human voices, and the sounds of fierce collisions mingled together.

On a high-rise building several hundred meters away, a woman in a red battle robe with golden and silver demonic eyes stood on the edge of the balcony, arms crossed, coldly watching the smoke-filled battlefield. Her face was ashen, and she spoke softly.

"My king, you've consistently given up on returning, given up on reuniting with your comrades, all for such a despicable fellow? How laughable...!"

Chapter Sixty-Five: The False King, the Hero Behind the Scenes

Is it jealousy or anger?

Hartres glanced at Faker, or rather "Hephaestion," whose expression was unpredictable as he looked at the edge of the rooftop, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

Hephaestion was one of the most famous of Iskandar's many followers.

As a confidant, he was undoubtedly number one. After all, the two studied together at the Miezha Academy, received instruction from the great scholar Aristotle, laid flowers together at Putroch's tomb, and even married two of Darius III's daughters.

The two were inseparable and could be called the closest partners and the most loyal friends to each other.

But in reality, Hephaestion does not refer to a single person, but rather to a brother and sister.

The one mentioned above who presents himself as a male is the older brother.

The person in front of them is actually Hephaestion's twin sister, and also the shadow warrior responsible for guarding King Iskandar.

Legend has it that the twin brother and sister were raised by Alexander's sorceress mother, Olympias, to be Alexander's right and left hands. The brother, Hephaestion, fought as a general in the field, while the sister appeared behind the scenes as an unsung heroine.

In an era when mystery hadn't completely faded, magic posed a significant threat to monarchs; names and physical characteristics could become mediums for curses. Therefore, Alexander's imposters/shadow warriors had no names, and their features differed greatly from the real Alexander. The image of Alexander the Great that circulates in the world is actually her appearance when in the public eye: black hair, golden and silver eerie eyes, and a short stature by male standards—all results of her intelligence gathering; she did indeed appear in the public eye as an agent. To combat curse-based magic, she herself was an extremely powerful divine magician.

Faker's original intention, however, was "fraudster" and "liar," which precisely explains the true identity of this "Hephaestion" and her past as a "false king."

Legend has it that when Iskandar and Hephaestion visited, Darius III's mother, who had been captured, didn't know who the real king was and actually knelt before Hephaestion. Under the monarchical system of the time, this would have been an act of execution, but Iskandar simply laughed it off, saying, "She is also Iskandar."

Of course, this resemblance in appearance and clothing can only temporarily replace Alexander when he was young and hadn't yet gone astray.

When Alexander entered middle age and became a muscular giant, the legendary short Alexander the Great naturally withdrew from the stage of history, hiding behind the scenes and continuing to do security work.

Alexander repeatedly tried to bestow a name upon her, but was refused. She claimed that as the king's shadow warrior, she could not have a name, and usually only used her brother Hephaestion's name. Even after appearing in the modern world, she again used her brother's name, as well as the nickname "Faker."

Looking at Iskandar's life, it's nothing unusual for him to have a woman disguised as a man sit in the position of general. Moreover, he was a very powerful magician from the Age of Gods, who could greatly improve Alexander the Great's personal safety and prevent his empire from collapsing due to his death.

But in the end, fate played a cruel joke.

The real Hephaestion died eight months earlier than the Great. Not long after, this great emperor, who had fought on the battlefield, did not fall to the swords and spears, but instead died in his sickbed due to fever and a serious illness.

His empire also collapsed due to his sudden death.

Faker, who had always been fully prepared to sacrifice himself, ended up living alone until the very end, witnessing the fall of the empire.

Perhaps it was because he witnessed the ugly spectacle of those generals vying for power and profit after the Great Emperor's death during the Wars of the Successors.

Therefore, she hated the king's military might.

To her, that kind of united front was so ridiculous, so hypocritical, so empty.

Therefore, even after ascending to the Throne of Heroes, she resisted Iskandar's call and refused to join the Army of Kings, thus becoming an independent individual, continuing to wander in the shadows under the name Faker, hoping that one day in the future, through the intertwining of fate, she could reunite with her monarch.

Then, I confronted him directly:

"Seeing the view of the sea at its end with your own eyes, is this what you're looking for? What we're searching for?"

"Answer me, Iskandar!"

Hartles shook his head as he thought about the scene he had dreamed about.

Just as women don't understand men's passionate romance, or why men can still cherish each other even after fighting tooth and nail; men also don't understand women's complex emotions, or how to build six groups within a circle of five...

As he quietly reflected on this, his mind involuntarily drifted to his half-sister, Ryori Adashino, who also loved dark environments and whose thoughts were difficult to fathom.

The images of two snake-like women gradually overlapped and merged before his eyes.

"somebody is coming!"

A low, menacing voice came from the shadows, interrupting Hartres's thoughts.

"Two kilometers to the right rear, at a very fast speed!"

Professor Rafe, standing in the corner of the rooftop, suddenly opened his eyes, gripped his cane and tapped the ground. Dark red magic circles appeared on the surfaces of the two tall buildings, forming a tight interactive network that transmitted the detected information to the caster in real time.

"arrive!"

Hartres looked in the direction of the sound and saw a figure with twelve black serpentine wings on its back, accompanied by a series of sonic booms, rapidly approaching the battlefield like a supersonic fighter jet flying at low altitude, hundreds of meters away.

"Don't think about it!"

Seeing the menacing figure heading straight for Iskandar and his companion, Faker, who had just been acting as if it were none of his business on the rooftop, immediately changed his expression and drew his longsword without hesitation, entering a state of combat readiness.

"Hecate, guide me!"

Under the rapid, high-speed divine incantation, dense lightning bolts descended from the dark clouds, crashing around the armored woman and bestowing blessings.

Those were two chariots pulled by purple lightning. Not modern weapons. They were ancient symbols of ravages, drawn by horses or other creatures, galloping across the battlefield.

Pulling the chariot were two skeletons. Although only skeletons were visible, they were small dragons with strong wings. The skeletal dragons, lacking forelegs, were a mythical species called the wyvern, which had gone extinct long ago.

The Chariot of Divine Might, enshrined in the temple of Gordium.

More precisely, it is a replica created by using the magic of the goddess Hecate, the goddess of the moon, to control the skeleton of a flying dragon.

As the chariot emerged from the thunder, Faker decisively jumped onto the vehicle, pulled on the reins, and charged into the air towards the oncoming twelve-winged figure.

At the same time, Samael's vertical pupils, which had been opening and closing, paused slightly, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

Why is it her?

In the instant their thoughts shifted, their eyes met as they rapidly approached each other.

A pair of eerie gold and silver eyes widened in the field of vision. The left eye was as deep as the night sky, making people's thoughts unconsciously slow down and fall, while the right eye seemed to reflect the blue sky, radiating a blue glow that seemed to suck people in.

In just a moment of eye contact, the ancient serpent's body showed a slight stiffness.

The Golden and Silver Demon Eyes are rainbow-level magic eyes with a forced nature. They can manipulate other people's bodies with just a small section of engineering magic. Although they cannot cause obvious effects on the opponent, they are enough to buy some time.

"My loyalty is with the King! At this moment, lend me the name of Thunder!"

Seeing the enemy's movements pause for a moment, Faker did not hesitate to swing his sword and roar.

In an instant, the skeletal dragon roared and pulled the chariot down, while streaks of crimson lightning from the underworld whipped at the twelve-winged figure in mid-air.

"Boom boom boom!"

Bolts of lightning struck down, sending crimson arcs of electricity flying, immersing the entire area in a chilling, intense flash of light.

Seeing the intercepted figure completely submerged under his spell, Faker's golden and silver demonic eyes dimmed slightly, and a satisfied smile appeared on his cold and beautiful face.

"A follower of Hecate? Not bad..."

However, as a nonchalant comment came from within the lightning, Faker's expression froze instantly. His golden and silver eyes stared in near horror at the figure bathed in lightning, who was not only unharmed but also seemed to carry a hint of nostalgia.

This guy... how is this possible?! That's the lightning of the underworld that obliterates souls!

An unprecedented shock flashed through his mind. Faker didn't have time to think. Driven by his fighting instincts, he immediately widened his slightly sore golden and silver demon eyes and tried to repeat his old trick.

But before Faker could focus his gaze on the figure in front of him, it disappeared from her sight, and a deep male voice echoed overhead.

"too slow!"

When Faker looked up, he was shocked to see a black afterimage slashing down with the force of thunder, instantly pushing aside the air on both sides and creating a visible fracture.

Can’t avoid…

The terrifying pressure left Faker, who was directly in the throes of the attack, completely blank. He couldn't even blink and could only watch helplessly as the descending thigh rapidly magnified in his field of vision.

"Turn it up, my heart."

A short, deep shout suddenly exploded in mid-air, causing a dizzying sensation as the surrounding space was painted with an eerie blood-red hue.

"boom!"

A powerful shockwave descended from the sky, shattering the entire skyscraper and leaving a crater resembling the footprint of a giant.

so close!

Several miles away, Faker, who had somehow moved away, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Still somewhat shaken, he looked gratefully at his Master on the rooftop.

Hartres, on the other hand, pressed his right hand to his chest, his face contorted with bulging veins and a pained, grimacing expression.

Hartles' name means "the one whose heart was stolen by a fairy".

Rumor has it that he was tricked into entering the Spirit Graveyard by his teammate Lang due to his involvement in the political struggles of the Mage Association, where he was assassinated and his body was dumped in the "Hollow of Nothingness". The dying Heartles was sent to the "Fairy Realm". Although he survived after coming out, he lost his heart.

Instead, in the place where the heart was, there was a kind of alternate dimension, like a rift, which was treated as if by imaginary magic, and was used to maintain the body's functions.

By chanting specific incantations, one can transfer external objects (including oneself) into another dimension. The reverse is also possible.

In reality, the act of reversing the heart is less of a power and more of a flaw. He achieves a near-magical transfer by connecting his heart, abandoned in the fairy realm, to the inside of his body, which has become an empty shell, but this is like performing surgery on the heart to reverse it.

The slightest mistake could mean instant death.

However, it must be said that Hartres is top-notch in terms of decisiveness, action, and magical talent.

This time, he won his gamble again.

Of course, the price paid for this brief delay was quite heavy; every breath and every flow of blood was extremely painful and could not be sustained for long.

However, for experts who are good at seizing opportunities, this is enough.

Rafe, who had been hiding in the corner, suddenly appeared, raised his cane, and aimed the ruby ​​at its tip at the figure in the crimson space.

"Intelligence Room, Court in session. Unearthing the past, destroying the future—'Incineration Flauros'."

Instantly, from the purplish-red magic arrays engraved on the building, dense red and black tendrils emerged, and countless eyeballs of varying sizes blinked erratically, their interwoven bands of light weaving an impenetrable net.

Almost simultaneously, Faker's magic surged wildly, crimson lightning gathered and churned, and he pulled on the reins, unleashing the true name of his Noble Phantasm.

"My name is Falsehood, my body is a shadow. Yet, I will be proud of this Falsehood, and once again I will grasp the reins! Shatter! — Wheel of the Demonic Heaven!"

A Noble Phantasm is a "power" that can be considered a symbol of a Heroic Spirit. It is not merely a weapon or instrument, but a concept that gives form to the legend of a Heroic Spirit, enabling them to become one. In a sense, it can represent a Heroic Spirit more effectively than their name.

As a shadow warrior and a false king, Faker's Noble Phantasm is clearly an imitation of Iskandar's Noble Phantasm, and someone who can use the same Noble Phantasm unconditionally is essentially one in spirit.

As the woman solemnly uttered the last syllable, the skeletal dragon roared, pulling up its chariot, which was wrapped in purplish-red lightning, and crashing into the figure surrounded by dense fleshy whiskers and bands of light.

Faced with a triple attack—the elven spell that reverses space, the Israelite magic that summons demonic pillars, and the Noble Phantasm of a Heroic Spirit blessed by Hecate, the Greek goddess of the underworld—Samael slowly raised his right hand and made a fist in front of him.

"Crack!"

In an instant, the blood-red world shattered like a piece of paper torn apart by violence. Hartres was struck dumb, clutching his chest and vomiting a mouthful of blood. His heaving chest showed obvious cracks, and his body was like a shattered mirror, covered with light-like fissures.

"Puff puff!"

At the same time, the dense, purplish-red fleshy tendrils were also squeezed and burst in mid-air, turning into puddles of minced meat that fell to the ground in scattered pieces.

Professor Rafe, who was in the corner, also trembled and turned pale.

Immediately afterwards, the man spread his five fingers, turning his fist into a palm, and swept it in front of him.

A fierce ethereal storm instantly formed, swatting the speeding chariot and Faker inside like swatting flies into the tall building on the left.

"Boom!"

In an instant, a deafening roar erupted, dust billowed, and the spirits of the fallen, along with their vehicles, hurtled through several buildings like cannonballs before crashing to the ground.

With a single grasp and sweep, the killing move, a combination of the power of two modern magicians and one divine magician, completely crumbled.

The outstretched hand of the newcomer was like an insurmountable peak to them.

Chapter Sixty-Six: Cyber ​​Cultivation and Scientific Magic

"senior!"

Just as Samael was instantly killing three opponents with his absolute battlefield dominance, a clear shout came from the rooftop of a building on one side.

Mashu, standing at the edge, pointed to the alleyway ahead and called out a warning.

Samael looked in the direction of the sound and saw a strange creature made of concrete, steel, and rock emerging from the ground, its fists striking the earth.

"Roar!"

A sharp roar came from the dusty alley ahead, a circle of light ripples spread out, and a powerful shockwave was formed instantly, blowing the chariot pulled by the two divine bulls away.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

The high-frequency vibrations swept across the surrounding area, causing the glass of buildings within a radius of tens of kilometers to shatter. Glass rain, reflecting sunlight, fell from the streets, and buildings along the way gradually collapsed and fell amidst the repeated flashes of light.