The battlefield was silent—the weight of betrayal pressing like an unrelenting storm
"Yes. It was I."
Jarik's voice was calm, almost casual, but his words sent a shockwave through the Narn Lords.
Kon's mana flared violently. "What are you talking about?!"
Jarik grinned, tilting his head as if speaking to a student. "From the very beginning, Lord Kaplan."
His pink-furred ears twitched, amused by the growing tension.
"When you joined ArchenLand under King Daruis, we knew it was only a matter of time before you and your allies became true threats. So I started thinking—who was the smart one? Who had avoided Razik's capture for years? Who would rise as a strategist?"
Jarik's eyes locked onto Kon.
"It was you, Lord Kaplan."
Kon's breath caught in his throat.
"I studied you. I learned how you think. I knew that once you gained strength, you would seek to turn the war in your favor. So when you launched your first attacks on Razik two years ago, I was convinced."
He spread his arms dramatically.
"You wanted to pull Razik's army out—force them into an all-out battle and crush them in one move. A brilliant plan. But, Lord Kaplan, that's exactly how I would have done it.
So I countered you."
Kon's clenched fists trembled.
"We shared the same mind."
"Liar!" Kon snarled.
Jarik laughed lightly. "Oh, but it's true. I merely had to ask myself one question: 'If I were Lord Kaplan, how would I counter my own plan?'"
His smile widened.
"You stationed Lord Kushan as the all-seeing scout, Lord Kurt as reinforcements, the other Lords on standby.
And I simply thought—if I were you, how would I destroy Valoria?"
Kon's eyes widened in horror as Jarik continued.
"But Valoria was impossible to breach. Lord Thrax's Aegis protected it. I could only enter places that bore my mark. That was the limit of my Arcem."
Kon's mind raced. A teleportation-based Arcem?
So it was him whisking away Razik's men...
"But then I remembered."
Jarik's eyes gleamed with mischief.
"I had a hidden piece—a 'card' I hadn't yet played. The one piece that would turn this entire game upside down.
And it was through that piece that I gained entry into ArchenLand."
Talonir's voice was sharp. "Who was it?! Who did you use to betray us?!"
Jarik's grin grew impossibly wide. He raised his right hand, and a glowing crest on his palm pulsed with mana.
From thin air, a figure materialized.
A familiar female Tracient stepped forward.
Tigrera Kaplan.
The world stopped moving.
Kon took a slow, shaky step forward.
"You?"
Tigrera met his gaze with cold indifference.
"Tigrera..." His voice cracked. "Why?"
The silence was unbearable.
Jarik placed a gentle hand on Tigrera's shoulder.
"Go ahead, daughter. Tell him."
Tigrera's expression hardened.
"It's just as Lord Jarik said."
She turned away from Kon's gaze. "He is my father. I'm obligated to listen to my father now, am I not?"
Kon staggered as if struck. "But... he is a Fare... You... you are a Kaplan! How could you betray your own people?!"
Tigrera said nothing.
Kon's voice grew desperate. "I was going to marry you. We were going to rebuild the Kaplan Clan. Our love... Tell me—did what we share mean nothing to you?
Did you ever love me?"
Tigrera's lips parted slightly.
For a single moment, hesitation flickered in her eyes.
Kon saw it.
But before she could speak, Jarik's hand gripped her shoulder tighter.
Her expression hardened again.
"It was all a sham."
Kon's heart shattered.
"You fell for it.
The loss of ArchenLand—is your fault."
Kon collapsed to his knees.
His mind went blank.
The pain was unbearable.
Betrayal.
Grief.
Rage.
He had lost everything.
Talonir's voice cut through the silence like a blade.
"I have heard enough. You both die here, now."
His mana flared violently.
Thrax stepped forward, his aura unleashing torrents of power.
"Affirmative."
Jarik simply smiled.
And at that moment—
Something descended from the heavens.
A single teardrop-shaped icicle floated downward.
And it landed on Kon's Arya ring.
Merging with it.
A voice whispered in Kon's mind.
"You feel troubled, Lord Kaplan.
I sense distress.
Despair.
Sadness.
Regret."
Kon's breathing became shallow.
"And most of all... Rage.
A rage so intense that it is breaking you.
You hate it.
You loathe it.
But it refuses to leave you."
Kon's body trembled.
"Take it away from me."
His voice cracked with desperation.
"Please... I want to be free of it."
The voice was gentle.
"As you wish, my dear.
Let it all out.
Find calm in this small corner of your mind.
And let your body...
Unleash the rage for you."
A pulse of raw energy erupted from Kon's body.
Dark—twisting purple and crimson mana—poured from his very being.
His form began to shift.
The edges of his suit darkened, streaked with deep violet hues.
His eyes turned pure white.
His muscles tensed veins bulging with overflowing power.
And yet—his mind was silent.
He had lost control.
Talonir and Thrax whirled around in shock.
This aura—
It ,reeked of evil.
The very air was disappearing around him.
Even Tigrera stepped back, her face betraying fear.
Jarik simply grinned wider.
He clasped his hands together in excitement.
"And now..."
His eyes gleamed with joy.
"The true fun begins."