Reborn As Noble

Human territory, just beyond the Armand border.

King Edmund's war camp.

Edmund sat tall upon his massive warhorse, its body wreathed in a swirling shroud of dark aura, red eyes burning like coals.

The deep, distant explosions rolled across the plains

Louder.

Closer.

Each explosion rolled like thunder across the plains.

The screams followed soon after shrieks of agony that cut through the wind.

The sound carried from far beyond the camp, each wail twisting into something raw, something delicious to a man like Edmund.

Edmund's lips spread into a slow, crooked grin.

"Ohhh…" he exhaled, his voice low, savoring each syllable. "That sound… the panic in their voices… savory. Savory indeed."

The dark aura clinging to his armor seemed to thicken, pulsing in time with his heartbeat. His fingers twitched with anticipation, the urge to slaughter crawling through every vein.

He turned his gaze over his shoulder.

Behind him.

Eight hundred thousand elite warriors stood waiting in perfect formation, their weapons drawn and shimmering under the torchlight. Armor gleamed like rivers of steel under the moon. The pressure they radiated was suffocating, their darkened expressions reflecting the bloodlust that Edmund himself exuded.

The Celestial's whisper coiled through his mind like a serpent.

Take them, Edmund. Tear them apart. Feed me their strength… and I will make you unstoppable.

A sick thrill danced through him, but he raised his hand high before answering.

"My troops!" His voice boomed across the camp, carried by sheer will and mana until even the furthest soldier could hear. "We march! We crush those weaklings! We tear them apart until there is nothing left but broken bodies and silence!"

The roar that followed shook the earth.

His grin widened.

"No rules. Take what you want. Burn what you please. Kill them all!"

The ground trembled as eight hundred thousand boots slammed forward in unison, the dark tide surging behind their king.

Edmund's head snapped toward the distant horizon as more screams ripped through the air.

Long, pained cries that didn't sound like the clash of swords or the roar of magic.

These were sharper, faster… unnatural.

His expression twisted into a scowl, teeth grinding in frustration.

That rhythm. That unnatural tearing sound between the screams. It was like… gunfire.

Only one place in the world could produce something like that.

"Armand…" he muttered, his voice low and dangerous.

No… it didn't make sense. Garius shouldn't be able to move forces into position this quickly.

A sudden chain of explosions erupted far behind his marching army, the shockwaves rolling through the ground beneath his warhorse. He could hear the heavy impacts, one after another, mixed with the unmistakable crack of rapid, mechanical fire.

His soldiers were shouting.

Confusion rippled through the massive formation.

"Enemy at our back!!"

The call spread like wildfire through the ranks. Armor clattered. Boots shifted. Weapons snapped to ready positions as the realization struck.

Something was hitting them from the rear.

Edmund's eyes narrowed, his fury spiking. Whoever dared to strike his army from behind was about to be shown what it meant to provoke the king of the Human Kingdom.

Edmund's gaze then shifted, narrowing toward the distant outline of the Armand border wall. From here, he could still see the flashes of battle. His brow furrowed.

The towering dark golems they had summoned.

The sound of gunfire was getting faster. Louder. The screams were sharper, echoing across the battlefield in waves.

Edmund's jaw tightened.

"YOU!!!!"

He barked, pointing at one of his commanders.

"Take one hundred thousand men and crush whatever is attacking our rear!"

"Yes, my liege!"

The chosen force broke from formation, surging back toward the chaos behind them.

"Everyone else!" Edmund's voice roared over the din, dark aura flaring around him. "With me! We march!"

Edmund pushed forward with his massive army, dark aura spilling out like a storm cloud. Step by step, they advanced toward the Armand border.

Only for the march to be broken by a chain of violent explosions ripping through the front lines.

The ground shook under each blast. Soldiers were thrown into the air, their screams mixing with the thunderous roar of detonations.

Edmund's teeth ground together. "Grrr… the hell is this!?" His eyes blazed with fury. "That brat is already dead! There's no way he survived against the ten thousand enhanced elites of the Seventh!"

His mind raced, the rage boiling hotter. If it's not that brat… then who!?

Snapping his hand upward, he summoned the dark skill etched into his soul.

Revive the Dead.

The battlefield trembled as a wave of black corruption spread outward, reaching for the fallen to twist them into soulless undead soldiers.

But then—nothing.

Not a single corpse moved. Not a single soldier answered his call.

Edmund's eyes widened, shock replacing his anger.

"What…?!"

He pushed more mana into the spell, the black aura flaring violently. Still, the bodies remained still, broken, and lifeless.

"What the fuck!?" His voice cracked with rage.

Edmund's eyes narrowed as he scanned the battlefield, trying to track the source of the relentless bombardment. Then he saw it.

Every single explosion flared with blinding light, cutting through the darkness of his aura.

His jaw tightened. Light attribute…

"Shit… only Francesca and Garius could use something like this." His voice was low but venomous. "But they'd never step directly onto the battlefield…"

Then a shadow passed over him.

Edmund's gaze snapped upward.

A massive flying construct loomed in the sky, its engines roaring as rocket after rocket pounded into his army. Each blast tore through his soldiers without mercy, leaving nothing left to revive.

And then… he saw the figure.

Standing atop the drone, wind whipping his hair, was a boy who should not have been there.

The voice cut through the battlefield's noise, calm and mocking.

"Hello… old man~"

Edmund's teeth ground together, jaw aching with fury.

The boy grinned lazily. "How does the taste of those explosions feel? Poor guys can't be revived with your precious dark skill anymore."

Edmund's rage erupted.

"Javier… De Armand!"

( End Of Chapter )