I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 299: HAHAHA!!!

Jack’s voice carried across the battlefield with enough force that even those dying could hear every word clearly.

His rage was palpable, his anger fed the storm above.

Four hundred mercenaries remained standing in the circle.

Then three hundred.

Then two hundred.

Their screams had evolved beyond words. Just raw animal sounds of men experiencing agony beyond what human minds could process while still maintaining consciousness.

Father Caelen stood nearby, his breathing slightly heavier from casting two powerful skills in quick succession.

The radiant circle held firm, trapping the survivors while Astrapon’s Reign executed them.

One hundred left.

Fifty.

Twenty.

Jack lowered his hands slowly. The lightning continued falling, but his attention shifted to where S stood calmly among the captured commanders.

Marcus Thorne sprawled on the ice, his mind having retreated so far into itself that he barely registered the carnage surrounding him.

Drool still frozen in his beard.

His eyes were vacant.

One leg ruined, blood pooled beneath the stump.

Jack walked toward him slowly.

He had all the time in the world because the storm above would continue for another thirty seconds regardless.

The seven captains watched Jack approach with expressions mixing terror and resignation. They’d seen what happened to fifteen thousand mercenaries.

They knew their fate would be worse.

Jack crouched beside Marcus, his golden eyes studying the broken noble with clinical detachment.

”Marcus Thorne,” Jack’s voice was quiet now, but the horror in his voice made the men squirm. ”Can you hear me?”

Marcus’s eyes flickered. Some spark of consciousness recognizing his name, trying to surface through the fugue.

”I want you to understand something,” Jack continued, his tone was almost gentle.

”Your bloodline ends starting today. Everyone who carries Thorne blood. Every distant cousin. Every child. Every baby not yet born. All of them will cease to exist.”

Marcus’s eyes focused slightly. Horror blooming in vacant pupils as comprehension trickled through his shattered mind.

”And you,” Jack’s smile was sharp enough to cut, ”will live through all of it. You’ll watch me erase your legacy. You’ll be my guinea pig. Every experiment I want to try. Every cruel idea that crosses my mind. You’ll experience it all.”

A sound escaped Marcus’s throat. Not quite words.

Just broken vowels that might have been a plea or might have been his mind fracturing further.

Jack stood, turning away from the broken noble without another glance. Marcus wasn’t worth more attention than that.

The final lightning bolt struck.

The last mercenary in Father Caelen’s circle collapsed, his body joining the thousand others who’d believed they might survive.

Silence fell across the battlefield.

Fifteen thousand corpses.

Only eight prisoners remained alive, Marcus and his seven captains.

Jack turned slowly, his gaze sweeping across the carnage with satisfaction that bordered on vindication.

Then his eyes lifted, looking beyond the immediate battlefield to... something.

As if he knew he was being watched.

His voice carried with unnatural clarity, projecting across distances that should have made it impossible to hear.

”Let this be a lesson,” Jack spoke to the watchers he couldn’t see but knew existed. ”To every house. Every kingdom. Every fool who thinks House Kaiser is weak.”

He gestured broadly, encompassing the field of corpses.

”This is what happens when you threaten my family. This is what happens when you mistake patience for weakness. This is what happens when you forget that some people cannot be touched without consequences.”

His golden eyes blazed with power that transcended normal human capability.

”Jack Kaiser is not someone you play with. House Kaiser is not a target. My family is not your bargaining chip.”

The words hung in the air like a proclamation from the heavens themselves.

”Remember this. Remember what you saw here. Remember that mercy is a choice I make, not a weakness you exploit.”

Then Jack threw his head back and laughed.

Not the broken laugh of someone who’d lost their mind.

Just pure, genuine amusement at the absurdity of people thinking they could threaten him without consequences.

The sound carried across the battlefield. Across the hills beyond. Into the magical projections and divine observations of everyone watching.

Jack Kaiser, standing in a field of fifteen thousand corpses, laughing at the futility of those who’d dared challenge him.

-----

King Eric’s Throne Room

The projection showed it all.

Aurelius stood frozen, his usual composure cracked like ice during a spring thaw. His amber eyes were wide, his honey voice silent for once.

Lyra had unconsciously reached for her bow, her fingers trembling against the wood. Her pale eyes tracked Jack’s movements with the intensity of prey watching a predator.

Sera’s usual battle-lust was absent. Her scythe hung forgotten in her grip, her face carrying an expression that suggested even she recognized something beyond her appetite for violence.

King Eric remained seated on his throne, but his knuckles were white where they gripped the armrests. His breathing had gone shallow.

”Fifteen thousand,” he whispered. ”He killed fifteen thousand professional soldiers. Alone.”

Alaric Kaiser stood beside Lady Genevieve, his expression carrying satisfaction mixed with grim pride.

”That’s my son.”

His dark magic had receded completely. No longer threatening to flood the room. Because the threat was handled.

Jack had demonstrated exactly what happened to those who threatened House Kaiser.

Lady Genevieve’s hand found Alaric’s arm, squeezing gently. ”He’s changed.”

”He’s grown,” Alaric corrected. ”Into exactly what he needed to become.”

Aurelius finally found his voice, though it came out hoarse. ”Your Majesty... we need to reevaluate our threat assessments. Jack Kaiser isn’t just a chosen one with white lightning. He’s... something else entirely.”

Eric nodded slowly, unable to look away from the projection showing Jack laughing in a field of corpses.

”Send word to every house. Every territory. Make it absolutely clear that House Kaiser is not to be threatened. Not to be tested. Not to be touched.”

His voice dropped lower. ”Because if this is what Jack does to fifteen thousand mercenaries... I don’t want to know what he’d do to a kingdom.”

-----

Stormblood Estate

Chiron leaned back in his seat, a smile playing at his lips.

”Magnificent,” he breathed. ”Absolutely magnificent.”

Charlotte stared at the projection with her storm-colored eyes wide. ”Father... that’s not just power. He trapped them all and killed every single one.”

”Yes,” Chiron agreed, electricity crackling through his white hair with renewed intensity. ”He didn’t just defeat them. He made an example. Showed the world what happens when House Kaiser is threatened.”

Garrick had gone pale. His earlier arrogance completely absent. ”That’s... that’s a monster. He’s a fucking monster.”

”No,” Chiron corrected, his tone sharp. ”That’s a man protecting his family with absolute conviction. There’s a difference.”

He stood, moving closer to the projection to study Jack’s face as the young lord laughed amid carnage.

Chiron’s smile widened. ”Jack Kaiser just announced himself to the world. And every house, every kingdom, every fool with ambitions just learned why some people cannot be touched.”

-----

Sunblade Observation Post

Cassius Sunblade watched the projection with an expression that mixed approval and concern.

”Well,” he said quietly. ”That answers the question of whether he’s worthy of Aurora.”

Lady Sunblade’s hand had gone to her throat, her light magic flickering unconsciously in response to the violence displayed.

”Cassius... he killed them all. Every single one.”

”Yes,” Cassius agreed.

Aurora’s hands moved in sign language, her expression intent.

Lady Sunblade translated. ”She says he protected his family. That’s all that matters.”

Violet, their six-year-old daughter, had been ushered away before the worst of it. But even she could sense the tension in her parents.

Cassius’s golden eyes never left the projection showing Jack’s proclamation to the world. ”He has power. He has will. He has the conviction to use both without hesitation.”

The massive bonded lion at his side rumbled.

”Aurora,” Cassius turned to his eldest daughter. ”Do you still want this engagement?”

Aurora’s hands moved decisively.

”She says yes,” Lady Sunblade translated. ”She says anyone strong enough to challenge gods might be strong enough to break curses.”

Cassius nodded slowly. ”Then we’ll proceed. But we’ll do so knowing exactly what kind of man Aurora is marrying. Someone who protects his family with absolute conviction... and absolute brutality.”