Capítulo 12: 12
In case someone didn't understand the last part, in the world of *Baki*, characters with Hanma blood can awaken certain parts of their body into demonic forms, developing unique abilities.
Examples include Baki's *Demon Brain* and Yujiro's *Demon Back*.
Our protagonist awakened the *Demon Lungs*.
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At the moment of the fight between Mark and Evelynn, in the highest Solari temple on Targon, a Solari priestess abruptly stood up, startling the other priests who were conducting the ceremony.
"Priestess, is everything alright?" One of the priests approached her and asked, but she seemed somewhat entranced at the moment and did not notice his question for a moment before looking him in the eyes. "Inform everyone, the Sun's Son has been found," she said, and the priests did not seem to understand what she meant for a moment before nodding in confusion.
"But Priestess, Lady Leona is already the Aspect of the Sun," one of the priests said, and the priestess looked at him. "You don't understand. The flames of the sun run through his veins. The Aspect revealed to me that this man, alongside the Aspect, will lead the Solari to glory in the difficult times to come!" she spoke, and soon the entire temple was in an uproar, with the news quickly spreading throughout the tribe and then the entire Targon region.
"The Sun's Son is on the land, and the Solari are looking for him." These words echoed from person to person, tribe to tribe, and soon reached merchants.
But Mark, the main target of this prophecy, was unaware of this at the moment.
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Mark slowly opened his eyes. He felt a recurring pain in every corner of his body and couldn't help but let out a groan of pain as he tried to move.
His body was now almost completely bandaged, but besides the muscle pains, he felt that his broken arm had already healed, though it was still a bit difficult to move in some ways, and in a few more days, his full recovery would likely occur.
Looking around, he noticed he was in a room he recognized as one of the castle's chambers. Noble accommodations and furniture were spread throughout the room. "I think I overdid it," Mark thought to himself, remembering the events that had occurred earlier.
Thanks to the *Sharingan*, even after becoming unconscious, he still remembered everything that happened until he completely passed out, with his last vision being Katarina looking at him worriedly.
Recalling that memory sent chills down Mark's spine. "I must have been hallucinating," he murmured to himself, convincing himself that Katarina's worried expression was just a figment of his imagination due to blood loss and pain.
At that moment, the door to the room opened, and he saw a sight that scared him more than when he faced Evelynn. He saw Katarina enter the room with a tray of bandages and give him a smile of genuine happiness, not the usual mocking one.
"Mark, you're awake," she said, and Mark felt chills throughout his body and began to sweat coldly, immediately activating his *Sharingan* and looking at Katarina, hoping this was an illusion.
"Hahaha, are you so scared? Traumatized after facing that demon?" Katarina laughed upon seeing him activate his *Sharingan* and fearlessly approached him. Mark froze at that moment and allowed Katarina to treat him while he carefully observed her with his active *Sharingan*.
After being absolutely sure that she was real, a big question fell onto his mind, "When and how did this happen?" Mark wasn't foolish. In fact, he was an expert at deceiving women in his past life, also known as a womanizer and playboy.
He had developed a protocol of simple steps to make any woman fall for him, provided the conditions were met. These steps were: interest, coexistence, and finally...
"Stimulation," Mark murmured to himself and realized that this was not the cunning and cruel Katarina from the game, but a younger and more innocent version who had not yet experienced the cruelties of love due to her overprotective father.
Mark's face could not help but show an expression of disbelief, and his eyes met Katarina's at that moment. They stared at each other in silence for a moment before she looked away, pretending not to be embarrassed.
"Damn, it's real! She's in love with me!" Mark shouted in his mind and deactivated his *Sharingan* but did not dare to relax. He was in a body of just under 20 now, and if Katarina took the initiative and caught him by surprise, he wouldn't know what General Du Couteau would do to him if he found out that his perfect assassin was seduced.
"You're awfully quiet, want to say something?" Katarina asked him, and Mark took a deep breath for a moment and decided to try to be as natural as possible. "Yes, I'm fine, just a bit surprised," he said, and Katarina's eyebrows raised as a provocative smile appeared on her face.
"Surprised by what, I wonder," she said playfully and brought her face closer to Mark, making him retreat to the edge of the bed, but she continued to follow him while looking into his eyes. "You know, ever since I saw those red eyes of yours for the first time, something in them intrigued me. Could you tell me what they are?" she said and placed her hand over Mark's, preventing him from continuing to move away, and cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
"My God, she's seducing me unconsciously!" Mark quickly reached this conclusion when he saw Katarina approaching him with a provocative look.
As a professional assassin, Katarina had received seduction training, but for her, it was just a technique to achieve a purpose. However, now she unconsciously applied the principles of those techniques in her approach toward Mark, making him feel suffocated.
At that moment, a guardian angel appeared. With a gentle movement, the door opened, followed by a voice, "Officer Riven reporting for..." A woman with white hair and wearing a Noxian military uniform entered the room and saw the scene of Katarina leaning over Mark, causing her words to get stuck in her throat.
"I apologize for the interruption," she said and turned to leave the room decisively, but Mark took the opportunity to move away from Katarina and stand up. "No need to leave, feel free to stay," he called out to Riven, who hesitated for a moment upon seeing the looks Katarina was giving her before stepping back into the room.
About 30 minutes later.
Mark nodded with satisfaction as he read the reports and messages Riven had brought with her. But most importantly, there was a letter from Swain informing him that his deeds had been passed on to the high command of Noxus, and he had been immediately promoted to Major of Intelligence in the Noxian army, with Swain pulling some political strings and sending him 2 battalions, each with about 500 soldiers, under his command.
The letter also mentioned that Swain had been informed about his encounter with the demon and had already requested some trusted runic blacksmiths to forge a custom set of weapons and armor for him.
Incidentally, Mark had been unconscious for 4 days, and the city guard had been reinforced, fearing that Evelynn would return to finish the job, but that did not happen. She seemed to have vanished into thin air just as she had appeared.
"At least some good news came out of all this," Mark murmured to himself and looked at Riven, who was making some tea to serve to Katarina and him, with the latter clearly in a foul mood as she pretended to read some letters sent to her by her father.
"I must have messed up the entire timeline now," Mark judged internally. The future of Noxus, Shurima, and Ionia would probably change drastically, and perhaps even the future of Zaun and Piltover would be severely altered.
Taking another letter, Mark felt his heart tighten upon seeing the family crest on it, "Medardas." Mark murmured, seeing the wolf crest, and slowly opened the letter.
Despite not being one of the founding families, the Medardas are one of the oldest families in Noxus, controlling almost all maritime routes of Noxus, making them one of the richest families in the empire.
The current matriarch of the Medardas, Ambessa, is also known for her tremendous cunning and willpower, and Mark knew she had personally killed and skinned all the Medarda family relatives who revolted when the old patriarch died without leaving a will.
All neighboring families wanted a slice of the Medarda wealth, but Ambessa found them one by one and killed them while still pregnant with her youngest daughter.
As far as Mark knew, she would also be one of the vanguards of the Noxian army in the conquest of Shurima. However, it seemed that Mark had stolen that merit from her by breaking Shurima's defenses before the invasion even began.
Mark quickly read the letter and realized that it had not been written by Ambessa but by her son, who was known for being more diplomatic. After skipping the formalities praising his deeds, Mark quickly got to the main point.
(We hope to negotiate the usage rights for the port of your new city.)
"Negotiate, huh," Mark murmured. Since he and Katarina had essentially conquered the city alone, the city would likely be handed over to their families to govern.
Mark thought for a moment, and his gaze fell on Katarina, then Riven, and finally on the papers detailing his promotion in the Noxian army, and he had a rather bold idea.
His current situation, although not bad, was far from sufficient to prevent several disasters from occurring in the world. After all, he couldn't be in Zaun, Demacia, and Freljord at the same time and stop nexus events from happening.
He might not even be able to handle the events in Shurima with his current strength. He needed time and a good place to train and develop his power.
In that regard, there were two places that could allow him to grow in power and develop his abilities, as well as gain new ones: Ionia and Targon.
"But I'm not keen on facing those hypocritical Gods and Aspects and their tribes full of internal conflicts," Mark thought to himself. In his plans, if he wanted to save the world, not only were the general threats his enemies but the Gods were as well.
Beings of immense power who constantly interfere in the lives of mortals, bringing destruction and suffering while watching their followers shed senseless blood for them.
"So, that leaves Ionia." He thought, picking up a pen and paper before starting to write a letter to Swain. Katarina was surprised to see him writing with such a determined expression and couldn't help but approach.
"What are you planning?" she asked, and Mark paused as he looked at her. "I can't believe I'm going to say this," he thought internally and took a deep breath.
"I plan to trade the city's port rights for ships and military supplies before heading to Ionia. Also, Kat, I want you to come with me," Mark said determinedly, and Katarina blushed at hearing him call her by her nickname.
Mark had called her that before, but this time she felt there was something different. "You plan to conquer a continent with 2 battalions of soldiers?" she asked, but Mark shook his head.
"Who said we're going to conquer? I was planning to migrate."
Capítulo 13: 13
Hello everyone, I am the author, and I must warn you that during the week, the frequency of chapter postings decreases due to my job. However, I will try to post a chapter daily.
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On a ship docked in a Noxian city's harbor, a group of three hooded individuals spoke.
"Didn't you say we were going to Ionia? Why are we secretly boarding a ship bound for Demacia?" Katarina whispered to Mark as the three, with the third being Riven, boarded the vessel.
As he stepped onto the ship, Mark offered a small prayer to Janna and replied to Katarina, "I have some matters to settle in Demacia first. There are many talented mages there I want to recruit, and I also need to meet a certain woman." He shivered briefly as he said this.
"A certain woman?" Katarina whispered, but Mark could sense the dangerous tone in her voice. "Changing the subject, why are you coming along, Riven?" Feeling his life in danger, he quickly turned to Riven, who was standing with them.
"General Swain said that if you tried to act without informing him, I should follow you," Riven said in a professional tone, making Mark sigh as he braced himself for the long journey ahead.
The three quickly boarded the transport ship. It was designed for noble tourists and rare goods, so they were provided separate quarters.
Soon, the trio occupied a luxurious cabin, and Mark could feel the glances of sailors and other travelers aboard, watching as he led two beautiful women into the room.
"He must be a rich young lord."
"I envy him; those women look strong. Maybe that's his thing?"
"Damn, while we're working hard to survive, he's living in luxury!"
The sailors' words stung because Mark had once been in their shoes, but he could only smile bitterly and close the door behind them.
At that moment, Katarina threw herself onto the bed. "I have another question: If we're going to Demacia and cause trouble with our identities, won't that lead to armed conflict? While I know Noxus doesn't fear fights, I doubt our families would be pleased," Katarina said, and Mark gave a sly smile before pulling three masks from his cloak—two fox masks and one lamb mask.
Since his previous mask had broken, Mark personally ordered three new masks made of better materials, carved by a local master craftsman.
"From today onward, we're a group of magical revolutionaries. I'm the fire mage, Mark!" he declared boldly, and the two women looked at him as if he were a fool. "Shouldn't you change your name so they don't recognize you? I don't think there are many other people named Mark, let alone fire mages too," Riven questioned, but he just smiled.
"That's the point. If they accuse me later, I can simply claim it was a conspiracy and had nothing to do with me. This is called hiding in plain sight!" he said confidently. It's like the Batman paradox.
Everyone knows Batman is Bruce Wayne, but without proof, it's all speculation because Bruce Wayne always has an alibi and witnesses.
Thus, doubt always lingers, and no one can ever reach the truth. "Besides, since my sword broke, I'll only use my firepower to train with it. This will create a break in fighting styles." Finally, the two seemed convinced and took the masks.
Thus began the journey of the trio of revolutionaries to Demacia.
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Meanwhile, in Noxus.
Swain and Du Couteau sat across from each other with serious expressions as they read the spy report on Mark and Katarina.
With each passing moment, Du Couteau's face darkened, especially as he read the end of the report written by the spy who was now working as a butler in the castle.
(Miss Katarina frequently visits Master Mark's room at night and always leaves with a radiant smile.)
"I underestimated him," Swain broke the silence first, tossing the papers on the table with a long sigh. Recently, he had been very pleased with Mark's achievements and planned to formally adopt him into the Swain family, preparing him to inherit the family name.
However, never in his wildest dreams or darkest schemes had he considered that Mark would seduce the Blade of Du Couteau. He had even made plans in case Mark betrayed him, but this possibility was never on his radar.
The issue wasn't that Mark had seduced Katarina; it was *when* he did so and how far their relationship had advanced. If Swain had already adopted Mark, their union, even if fake, would eventually turn the families into powerful allies and be seen as a political shield in the future.
Du Couteau wasn't angry about possibly losing his perfect weapon either. He could always create another—there was no shortage of orphans in Noxus to train as assassins.
The problem was that Mark had shown him no consideration. This was like a slap to the face for Du Couteau, a strictly traditional and rigid man.
The two generals exchanged glances and sighed wearily.
"Young people," they muttered simultaneously, cursing their naivety in thinking that sending two young people on a mission together, practically alone, wouldn't lead to *anything*.
"When will he return to Noxus to formally receive his merits and undergo the adoption ceremony?" Du Couteau asked casually as he picked up a cup of tea, and Swain replied.
"I don't know. He left for Demacia two days ago with your daughter and my envoy." The moment Swain's last word fell, Du Couteau spat his tea all over the table.
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A week later, in a Demacian harbor.
A merchant ship slowly docked, and soon goods and passengers began to disembark. Mark, Katarina, and Riven skillfully blended into the crowd before slipping into the city's safe corners to avoid the guards' inspections.
"Demacia is truly beautiful," Mark murmured, and Katarina nodded in agreement. Before them stretched a dazzling white and blue city.
Petricite—the name of the stone trees with absurd anti-magic properties—was everywhere, in every building, making the entire city shimmer under the sunlight.
"This place is peaceful," Riven commented, hearing the cheerful voices of merchants and citizens and observing the city's calm atmosphere. "It only seems calm on the surface. You may not see it, but this city reeks of hypocrisy, just like all of Demacia," Mark murmured, and the trio began walking through the city.
"What are we doing first?" Katarina asked Mark as they strolled. Mark gave her a wicked smile, "First, we're going to free some prisoners," he said, leading the group out of the city.
Demacia wasn't a large kingdom to begin with, and many mage hunter fortresses were practically exposed to the outside world. With a brief search, Mark quickly identified a mage hunter base near the city where they had landed.
The group swiftly left the city and, donning their masks, entered one of the forests toward the Bay of Clarinets. Demacia was a country full of forests, making infiltration easy, but the only problem was that the forests were filled with magical monsters.
**WARGH!**
A stone-covered bear roared at the group as they ventured deeper. "Wow, that's a big one," Katarina murmured, drawing one of her daggers, while Riven unsheathed a short sword beside her.
Without waiting for any signal, the two rushed toward the bear, which wasted no time swinging a massive claw at Katarina. She smiled and accelerated.
Like a crimson flash, the bear's paw struck Katarina's afterimage, and she swiftly darted past its right leg, stabbing the joint in its knee.
**WARGH!** The bear roared in pain, losing its balance and falling to its knees. Seizing the opportunity, Riven leaped into the air, spinning twice before slashing its eye.
**Slash!**
Blood spurted out as the bear roared in agony again, flailing its claws wildly, but the two women calmly dodged and retreated to a safe distance. At that moment, the stone bear felt a wave of heat rising from its back and turned around.
"I need a cool name for this spell. Let me think," Mark's voice rang out as red flames began gathering in his hands. He combined them into a massive red fireball spinning in the air. "Ah, I've got a good one!" he declared as the fireball spun faster before shooting toward the bear.
"EXPLOSION!" he shouted as the fireball hit the bear, whose face showed despair.
**BOOM!**
An explosion erupted, and red flames shot up to the forest canopy, scattering animals and birds as they fled desperately to save their lives.
**Paf!**
With a loud thud, the bear's charred corpse fell to the ground, emitting a delicious aroma. The group decided to take a break to eat.
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Hello everyone, it's the author here. If you're wondering why Mark can use fire like this now, the answer is simple.
He's constantly growing stronger. I'm trying to show his potential by making his strength increase a little with each chapter.
See you tomorrow!
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