For the first time in ages, Zach's body bled inside his armor. He watched as the other knights was bravely facing the intruder, raging in the main hall of the palace.

A dragon, battling with knights. Slashing with it's claws and tail, biting with it's flimsy fangs, and breathing weak spells occasionally. It was an easy match for a personal knight of her majesty, especially for Zach.

He was an immortal after all.

Yet, even if they fought with their collective might, they gravely fail. With each attack they do, their bodies become heavy, and their honed skills dulling. As if the dragon was robbing their might in every offense they make.

Which is probably true as Zach saw Klion, one of the personal knight of her majesty, ripped in half effortlessly by a single slash of the dragon.

It wasn't that Zach didn't do anything to stop it on happening, he just can't move as agile as he has been when they started the fight.

He was kneeling on the ground in front of the Queen. Even if he didn't look, he knew that her highness was watching the battle, refusing to run.

It was one of her traits that Zach admired among the other rulers that he had served for his eternal life.

Bravery.

She was showing how she deeply trust his knights as of now. Even if she will be dead arfter this, her face are determined and stern.

She is a great ruler. Otherwise, why do Zach and his brothers still served her majesty if she wasn't?

Due to a strange force that was now holding him in place, he cannot move. His face was emotionless, not that he didn't feel pity to the other knights and his unsightly remorse right at this moment, but, it was a trained expression of body and mind.

Now, Zach tried to focus his mana on the sword on his hand. Hopefully, he could imbue his last remaining mana to the great sword, enough to slash the wicked dragon into half along with it's trickery.

A shout had rang once again through the grand hall of the castle. Perhaps, it was already time that the Great Kingdom of Sardonia lay in peace.

Looking at him now would not explain his struggles before he was forced to leave the battle. There was no damage on his armor and body, except for a minor bleeding of his head.

He could not speak, and move efficiently.

Zach held the sword tight. It didn't glow, nor emanates something like heat or cold. However, the wielder knew enough how it could slash a mountain in half. But not at this time.

It was painful, truly. Watching his brothers die and all the knights of the kingdom perish by a single intruder, while concentrating to bitterly hope for his mana to regain his footing and fight once more.

He stood, not bothering to look at the dragon eating the knights. Instead, he turned and kneeled, bowing sincerely to the person sitting above the throne.

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“If the heaven permits, may we meet again.”

Zach sensed a movement from the throne and with the help of his sharp senses, he felt the heartwarming smile, surfacing through the Queen's face.

He didn't wait for a response, instead, he quickly turned, not minding his rude manners, and faced the sneering dragon.

For a brief moment, Zach swore he saw a phantom of an old man from the dragon's wicked face.

However, there was no time to ponder that at this moment. He clearly knew that his demise would be certain at this point after all.

The dragon roared, pushing Zach off his footing. Just when Zach motioned to a fall, he planted his sword on the crystal ground, supporting him on his feet as he face the gush of wind coming from the dragon's mouth.

After a moment, the torrent had ceased, and then, two glimmering lance made of ice appeared on the dragon's side. Of course, such a spell was weak, but in his current condition, it was like embracing the incoming sword of the enemy without resistance and armor.

But whatever, he would now die in peace. He was an immortal, but he was not invincible.

So, he raised his greatsword with both hands, and stance himself on the ground. His sword swung horizontally, sending shockwave that reached the dragon. But, as it touch the dragon's hide, it dissipated.

As expected, it did nothing.

He slumped to the ground and his mind slowly faded as every second flew. Not by the frost lances, instead, of fatigue.

The only thing that he could hear was an evil laugh of the dragon and his Queen's whisper.

“Thank you, Zacharias...”

——

Zacharias wondered why he was still alive as he patted his armor for any dirt that had clung after he woke up lying on the dirt. He stood on a hill, providing a great view of the landscape.

Could it be the prophecies? Immortals who left the world would still live, altough in a similar yet diffirent one.

Only the god who had gave him eternal life was the one who Zach trusted about that kind of matters either way.

Or maybe they were right after all? There were no other valid statements made about that through his life anyways.

Certainly, as he could remember, he had perished after that unsightly display of his might with the dragon. It was not even a battle, for their enemies had used such trickery that even the strongest knight on the country— him —had been unable to do anything effective and lacked the knowledge about it.

It was a massacre.

Zacharias shook his head, putting his thoughts away.

Behind his visor, Zach narrowed his eyes and caught a small structure from the distance that looked like a town of some sort.

“Now, now. Where am I?”

He breathed a long sigh then look at the sky after. Peaceful chrips of the birds echoed from above. They flew at the clean sky that stretched through the heavens.

Trees were verdant, so is the grassy plain. Zach was certain that this place was not in the vicinity of L'hegrona, where the kingdom he swore to serve stood proudly. Until the unexpected invasion happened.

Without a Queen, Zach had lost one of the purpose of his life. Perhaps he would become a mercenary or just a vagabond for a time being, again.

So for now, Zach jumped, high, and ran with soundless steps that a normal human can't do.

First, he needed to know where is he. If his eyes serves right, the town from afar was not familiar to Zach.

As he vanish from place to place on his wake, he pondered about his restored strength and mana.

Surprisingly, the cursed spell of the dragon had already alleviated. Such a devastating effect of their spell making Zach hoped he would not fall for it a second chance.

He proceeded to jump and ran, across mountains and forests, branch to branch, across a raging river.

With that, he reached the road that connects to the town in no time.