A Rank A Hero.
A royal army.
Reed had crushed nobles, butchered armies, and rewritten the laws of power—but this was different.
This wasn't just another lord's militia.
This was the kingdom's response.
And it was coming to kill him.
Velka unrolled a detailed war map, marking enemy movements. "Scouts report that the royal army is moving faster than expected."
She pointed to the largest mark.
"They're 10,000 strong. Spearmen, cavalry, siege weapons. And leading them…" She hesitated.
Reed smirked. "Our so-called Hero?"
Velka nodded. "Seric the Radiant. An A-Rank Champion of the System. The King's personal sword."
Reed leaned forward, amused. "What do we know?"
Felix—another of his subjugated lords—spoke, voice uneasy. "He's… unlike any other." He swallowed. "They say he was blessed at birth. That the system itself protects him."
Velka added, "No one has ever wounded him. Ever."
Silence.
Even the goblins stirred uneasily.
A system message flickered before Reed's eyes.
[Seric the Radiant – Rank A Hero Detected]
[Threat Level: Catastrophic]
[Survival Rate: 6%]
Shia whistled. "Down to six percent, huh?"
Reed chuckled. "Then we need to get creative."
🔹🔹🔹
Fighting Seric head-on? Suicide.
Fighting the royal army in open battle? Death.
So Reed did what he did best.
He refused to play fair.
He tapped the map. "We're not fighting their army."
Velka frowned. "Then what are we—"
Reed grinned.
"We're killing their Hero."
Step 1: Bait Seric into a duel.
Step 2: Trap him in a no-win fight.
Step 3: Break the system.
Shia raised an eyebrow. "And how do we get a legendary hero to 'duel' a Goblin Lord?"
Reed smirked.
"By making him think it's the will of the system."
Reed turned to the goblin shamans. "You're going to spread rumors. Prophecies. Fake system messages."
Velka narrowed her eyes. "You think he'll fall for that?"
Reed grinned. "He's a slave to fate. If the system tells him he's meant to face me? He'll come."
Shia's eyes gleamed. "And once he does?"
Reed's voice dropped to a whisper.
"We rewrite fate in blood."