I reincarnated as the Duke from the North.

Kellen

In a crowd of mana-shielded soldiers, I watched my brother with bated breath as my brother push his way out of the battlement bricks. The gurgle of black smoke calls from me under my chainmail.

No, I must stay. I cannot disgrace my brother.

“You should not have brought up my father.” The duke spoke in front of hundreds of spectating soldiers.

"Finally, it ends.” The spear-holding lieutenant smiled. “I know that look, Hehe..” He glanced at me with a pitying, crooked grin. “Better say your goodbyes, Bastard.”

From afar, the duke looked to become weaker yet more dangerous. Fear began to creep Amongst my brother's men while the duke's stand as if waiting for the shift to end.

Is this my brother's end? I already lost someone who treated me well. I can't lose the last.

I spun my seven circles, each breath sucking as mana as possible. The lieutenant blocked my way.

“Bad idea. I am warning you.”

I charged my mana anyway.

A shrug with a whisper from the lieutenant and the duke nodded his head.

The Duke.

 

Things are going well.

A pulse of my mana bounced off the environment like a radar.

Umm? Ooh… He followed. Well, the day just keeps getting better. Gotta give him a good show, I guess.

In the batsmen-like stance of the women's guard. I wait for Thorn to make his move.

“‘Brought up your father’? Boy… He has everything to do with this!”

Fire propelled him. At almost supersonic speed, broke through the air with a firey thrust. I leaned to the right and swung my greatsword like a bat while slipping past Thorn’s attack. Fire pushed the middle-aged noble aside, making my blade slice the air.

“My sister! Caged!”

Lord Thorn's right foot landed, and he zipped to me with a short dash, slashing my left.

Near the base of his longsword blade, there is less mana.

Steel clashed and Lord Thorns bounced off.

“My brother's head! Sent in a box!”

Thorn stepped back, unfurling his flame whip, flame twisting like a ravenous snake.

His mana field is weaker around his body when he uses the whip.

I point the index and middle fingers of my left hand at my whipping opponent. Three mana bullets shot out, hitting Lord Thorn's left leg and left shoulder and the last was deflected by a flame whip. Thorn winced and I rushed for the counterattack.

A deep lunge and my greatsword grind on Thorn's sword. A pulse of wind both sword and man in the rubble. A jet of fire on Thorn’s back got the lord away from the collapsed wall and his whip unravelled.

“Your Brother!! Do you have any more love for him!” Lord Thorn shouted as his mana burned into a bright, larger flame. As if the sun were brought from the sky to his sword.“You fight while you starve your brother in your dungeons!

Starved? The last time I saw him, he stole my chicken leg. The rumour spread far. Great job, Beiye.

“Haven't you had enough to fill your need for revenge?” Thorn asked with pleading eyes.

I reached behind my head, letting mana tether tie my hair.

“No.”

I blitzed. Qinggong lightened me, while Qi gave my legs a powerful boost of strength. The wind around me became mine. I heard, felt, and sensed what it touched. As the whip seared through the air, time moved so slowly, that I became impatient. Shifting my body as I ran, flame slipped past. Qinnggong gently floats me across the battlefield. Dancing through the assault, two fingers aimed.

The seventh circle learnt his lesson from the last time and activated a strong mana shield.

Bang! My mana bullet shattered the blue mana. Bang! A hole in the shield appeared by Thorn’s nervous face.

Bang.

With eyes of Qi, weaknesses were shot, destroying the mana shield completely. I ran low and slashed up feeling the impact of a guarding longsword. Compacted wind blew the sword upon contact. Full of warrior spirit and a loud growl, Thorn sliced air from his three o'clock.

I crouched under the hot blade with the tips of my empty left hand on the ground.

“My sister and nephew have been convicted!” While Thorn slammed down with an exploding blade, mana turned into a saw as I sliced into the Lord's thigh.

Thorn hid his hurt from a bleeding leg, still bringing down his fiery sword on the ground. “What more do you want!?” I flash-stepped away to my right and cut into a weakness in his mana field on his ribs. My retreat saved me from being melded to the stone. My left hand I blocked flying debris from the seven-metre-wide explosion. Out of the smoke walked a sweating redhead, bleeding from leg and body.

“What do I want?” With two hands gripped tight on my hilt and my blade pointed down with an iron gate stance, I dashed with a sliver of blue mana humming on my greatsword.

“Land!” Sonic booms thunder from every swing of my large sword. Pelting away at the defending warrior, increased the speed. “This land of Kirgfeild, especially!” I added wind to my blade, shoving away steel. With Thorn's blade driven down, a swift jab came into contact with Thorn's mana armour.

“BROTHER!!!” A young bastard of the Wolfburns wailed till it was cut short with a strike to his chin. I pushed deeper, cracking the mana. Chainmail was minced by my strength. I stopped as I felt his collarbone. Thorn's calm eyes followed the blade to my eyes.

I smiled.

I spun my circles. The raw mana I had held back raged through my meridians, flowing like a flood from my mana heart to my sword-wielding hand.

I thrust.

“This land is precious. Bountiful. A food basket of Friedland, the royals call it. Yet hoarders hold onto it. Charging criminal prices while my people starve. While you dear sister used my coin to pay your outrageous fee.” I strolled confidently around my kneeling enemy. I mind not that I stepped on his blood. They do not dirty what is already soaked with blood.

“Ten thousand,” I said behind the huffing Wolfburn. “Ten thousand accounted for died of starvation during the winter months. This year.”

“WHILE YOU-” Thorn hacks blood on the floor. His voice was dry and grating. “While… you ruled…”

“While I… ruled,” I repeated the injured man's words. “I agree. It is a sin that I repent for every day. Although, it was hard to rule adequately as a lame man withering in my bed,”

“Excuses.” Thorn spat out.

“Perhaps. What are yours, good man? ‘Just following orders!’. Well, all is good as long as Kirgfield is well taken for, umm? But I understand you. That is why I initially asked you to defect. I was willing to forgive a good lord who presided over his people generously. Not a starving stomach. Orphans don’t scamper to your carriage with sunken cheeks, begging for dry, expired food.”

“What are your plans?”

I twirled my greatsword in my hand. “Operations will mostly go as they always have. Workers at their positions, soldiers at the posts. However, I am interested in adding to Kirgfeilds portfolio of products by farming new flowers and herbs. But the most important change: food will go to those who need it.”

And those I deem worth giving to.

“Good…argh!”Thorn coughed again. “My father won't give up his treasure box. Armies are on their way-”

“To meet Bradshaw.”

“Ahh…” A violent cough folded the seventh. Dripping more blood from the gaping hole in his chest. “Brilliant, but... risky,” Thorn whispered.

“This land will save Osberg. Save Freidland. The risk was worth taking.” I said knowing my words would not be understood.

“So it is… not just… revenge.” Pushing himself up with wobbling arms. Lord Thorn breathed in and his voice was steady. "I was always a coward. The fear of my father always held me back from doing what needed to be done. If… If I was braver…”

“BROTHER!! DUKE! FLY HIM TO A PRIEST! END THIS FARCE! END IT NOW!!!!”

Lord Thorn Wolfburn turned to his brother with a soft smile.

“Your Grace. Please do as you promise.”

“Greystone are men of their word.”

I sliced through a neck.

“NOOO!!!” Lord Kellen wailed for his dear brother, his voice reaching to the lands above to be heard by the heavenly ones' ears.

A noble’s head bounced off the stone and I shifted my red eyes to the crying bastard on his knees. My eyes warmed with light-sight saw his mana bubbling. The void growing in the Wolfburn pocket’s stink assaulted my heightened senses.

Almost done. Come on, Kellen, act rash.

Plonk.