"I Reincarnated But Have No System? You Must Be Kidding Me!"

Deep within the second floor of the underground prison, the air clung damp and heavy, thick with the foul stench of mold and rusted iron.

Silence pressed close on all sides, broken only by the soft scrape of footsteps and the uneven breathing of two men leaning against a young man for support.

Auren moved with careful precision, one arm around Robert, the other steadying the stranger they had freed. Their weight slowed him, but his steps remained deliberate, controlled.

Each footfall sent a faint echo rippling down the corridor, and Auren winced at the sound, straining his ears for the slightest disturbance from the rows of sleeping prisoners that lined the cells.

If even one of them woke and raised an alarm, the whole floor could erupt into chaos and risk breaking their cover to the guards outside.

"Careful," he whispered, voice tight with strain, arms tightening to hold both men upright.

The darkness wasn't total to them. Their trained senses cut through it like invisible lanterns, guiding each step without the need of a torch.

The uneven stone, the narrow path, the restless stirrings from nearby cells—all of it was clear to them.

The two weakened men had already drained the potions Auren pressed into their hands. Some color had returned to their faces, their trembling eased, and a faint glow of restored vitality clung to their skin.

But it wasn't enough.

Their wounds had closed, yet their real strength had not returned.

It would be at least fifteen minutes—perhaps longer—before their bodies fully obeyed them. Until then, they were fragile, burdens Auren need to assist.

"Young man, Robert… thank you," the prisoner rasped, his voice raw but steeped in sincerity.

"I will not forget this kindness. Once we are free, I swear I will repay you."

Robert let out a weary chuckle, his feet dragging on the stone as he gave the man's shoulder a light pat.

"Don't bother with debts, Grand Duke. Right now, we're all just trying to get out of here alive."

The old man's lips curved faintly, but his gaze shifted past Robert, landing on Auren.

His sharp eyes lingered on the faint shimmer of a Divine Frame flickering irregularly around the boy's body. There was weight in his voice when he spoke again, almost like a test.

"Remarkable… A knight so young, and of such low rank, yet capable of this much? Are you sure he is truly acting alone?"

Robert frowned, glancing at Auren, who kept his eyes forward and his pace steady despite the strain.

"Auren,"

He muttered under his breath, "Tell me honestly. Did you really take care of the guards outside… by yourself?"

"I got some help," Auren replied, his tone steady though his eyes flickered with worry.

"She should be meeting us below, but it seems like she got into trouble."

"She?"

Robert arched an eyebrow. A grin tugged at his lips despite his exhaustion. "Don't tell me… did you find yourself a girlfriend?"

Auren rolled his eyes.

"It's my half-sister."

"Half-sister!?" Robert blurted.

His shock made him stumble, his foot almost slipping on damp stone.

"Wait," Robert said, his face pale with disbelief. "If she's your half-sister… do you mean—"

"Yes," Auren interrupted softly.

"It's Austaire. It was through her help that I am here."

The name struck like a whip crack in the silence.

The mysterious man behind Robert stiffened instantly and his eyes shook.

His hand shot out, gripping Auren's arm with surprising force. Lines of tension carved into his aged face, his eyes wide, brimming with both anxiety and confusion.

"What do you mean Austaire is supposed to meet us!?"

The Grand Duke's grip on Auren's arm tightened unconsciously, his knuckles bleaching white. He tried to lower his voice, but the strain made it crack.

"I… I do not recall her ever having another half-brothers. Unless…" His throat bobbed, the words tasting like ash.

"Unless you are King Auborn… or that freak-"

Auren didn't bite back. He didn't even flinch. Instead, he only gave the faintest of smiles, almost unreadable, his crimson eyes glinting like dying embers in the dark before he turned away.

Robert also did not respond, he pretended not to hear them. After all, he has his own plans for the old man why he choose to help him escape.

"Don't trouble yourself," Auren said softly, his voice steady in contrast to the man's trembling one. "Your questions will be answered soon… but not here, not now. What matters is getting out alive—and reaching her—before this delay will cost her life."

The Grand Duke's breath hitched, as though the ground beneath him had shifted. "Are you… are you saying that…"

"Yes." Auren's voice carried the weight of finality. "To get me inside… to free my father—and you—she stayed behind. She's holding the line as our guard."

The old man froze, rooted to the spot. His lips trembled before the words broke through."No… no, it cannot be… my poor granddaughter…"

The despair in his voice rang louder than any shout.

A heartbeat later, he lurched forward, his body trembling with urgency. Mana surged into his legs, crackling faintly in the air as his stride grew faster, his breath ragged with fear. Forcing his body despite his poor state.

Robert blinked, falling in step, his eyes darting between the two. He lowered his voice, whispering to Auren as though afraid to disturb the storm of emotions unraveling before him."I never thought… you'd actually be working with her."

"I will do anything just to save you father. Even if I have to work with the enemy."

As it turns out, the frail man clinging to Robert's side was none other than Mardonio Katana, Austaire's grandfather .

Once the true head of the Katana Household, he was the father of Austerra's most celebrated female swordmaster- Duches Rossela Forger Katana the second wife of the previous King Aurelus.

Among nobles and veteran adventurers, his name alone was enough to command respect.

Mardonio Katana, a level seventy-nine Blade Master, known across many kingdoms as The Hidden Edge of Austerra.

He had once walked as a Sun Ranked adventurer during his peak, a rare title given only to the mightiest Triple-S fighters, before vanishing into quiet retirement.

That such a man was reduced to chains in this underground prison showed just how much the kingdom had changed after he assisted Robert on his rebellion three years ago.

...

Back on the first floor of the prison, the air crackled with tension.

CLANG!~

Austaire stood with her chest heaving, sweat dripping from her chin and soaking the collar of her torn tunic.

Her arms trembled as she steadied her sword.

Ugh~

Every breath burned her lungs, every muscle screamed under the weight of exhaustion. Her vision swam, edges blurring, the world growing hazy with each blink.

Her mana was nearly spent. Her strength was at its edge. Yet her eyes blazed with defiance.

The stone floor around her was scorched, scarred by the battle that had just unfolded.

Six figures stood opposite her, their icy blades gleaming, their expressions calm and cruel in unison.

They were Magnus's clones.

Blood trickled from a deep wound in Austaire's shoulder, staining her clothes. More cuts lined her legs and cheek, reminders of how close she had come to falling.

Yet Magnus himself had barely exerted himself. She could see it in the depth of her wounds—they were deliberate, measured.

He was testing her, probing her resolve. His true power had not yet been revealed.

The six Magnus moved forward with a swagger of certainty, their eyes glinting with cold amusement.

The real one's voice echoed above them all.

"This is your last chance, woman. Tell me Gregorio's location, or I will force it from you."

"I told you," Austaire spat, her voice strained but unwavering.

"I do not know who you are talking about."

Her words were a lie, and Magnus's sharp gaze pierced her defiance.

"Do you take me for a fool?"

He flicked his blue sword, and tendrils of icy smoke coiled along the ground.

Frost spread at his feet, spiderwebbing outward as the air grew colder.

His voice deepened.

"Let me warn you. I am not a merciful person."

Austaire's trembling hand flicked. She pulled for herself a mana potion and downed it in a single gulp, her throat working quickly as the liquid burned from her throat and into her veins.

gulp.

Magnus watched without concern.

He tilted his head slightly, his lips curving in disdain. "Drink what you like. It will not matter."

Shhiii~

Golden light flickered faintly around Austaire's frame, her aura straining to life again. The fatigue in her muscles lifted, replaced by renewed strength.

"I will fight until my last breath," she declared, voice ringing across the chamber.

"That is stand. In the name of the Katana Household, as a proud descendant of the legendary Mardonio and the daughter of Rosella Katana."

Magnus scoffed. "Blah blah. You nobles are boring than a corpse."

The six figures lunged, blades raised high.

Their movements cut through the air with deadly intent, a storm of cold steel aimed to crush her.

Austaire's heart pounded, but her feet held firm.

'What do you think of using that skill?' she whispered inwardly to Ovan, the Phoenix spirit bound within her.

The phoenix spirit's reply was heavy.

'There are no living prisoners left here. That rain of ice swords slaughtered them all, unintended casualties. Austaire, listen… using that skill may be your only hope of surviving. If you want to escape that madman, you must do it now.'

Her jaw clenched. A sharp breath steadied her.

'Alright. This should be enough.'

Her eyes flicked to her rising mana reserves.

Her hands gripped the hilt of her blade as she channeled energy into its core.

The air around her rippled, sparks of gold flickering like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.

If this was to be her last stand, she would make it count.

...

Outside, the night sky rippled as a portal opened near the entrance.

King Auborn stepped forth, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

His golden crown caught the moon's light, and a cruel smile touched his lips.

Behind him marched dozens of guards, their silver armor polished to mirror brightness, and mage guards draped in flowing robes etched with sigils.

Their staffs glowed faintly, ready to unleash spells at a word.

"Go! Secure the place!" barked the commander at his side.

Three knights surged forward, boots pounding across the earth as they approached the solid prison gate.

Yet just as their hands touched the iron bars, the ground trembled violently beneath their feet.

"what the-"

A blinding light pierced through the cracks of the prison, accompanied by searing heat that forced them to stagger back.

SHAAAA~

Inside, Austaire's body was consumed in golden flame. Her hair whipped in the storm of power, her eyes glowing like molten sun while her flaming wings flared outward.

She roared, her voice rising above the collapse of stone as she channeled all of her strength into her sword.

"Flame, heed my call..."

[SUN STRIKE]

Her sword came down, and a pillar of radiant light erupted, thick as a tower, devastating in its brilliance.

The chamber was drowned in gold, swallowing the charging six Magnus whole.

WHAM!

KABOOOM!

The explosion tore through the prison like a sun falling to earth.

Stone walls cracked and split, molten rock scattering as the very ceiling gave way.

Five Magnus clones evaporated instantly, erased as though they had never existed at the first place.

Only the true Magnus endured, his body shielded by a shell of glacial water and thick layers of ice that constantly sizzled from the intense heat.

"I knew it... You are one of the Golrath!" he trembled, his skin burning beneath the onslaught.

The underground shook violently from the intense flaming mana.

The heat blasted outward, melting frost, shattering spikes of ice, and rupturing stone. The first floor's walls and ceiling was torn open, fire bursting into the sky above Austerra.

For a moment, the night was lit by a false dawn, the heavens painted gold.

The explosion rolled across the land, a wave of light and sound so powerful that even the castle walls quivered.

"What's that!?"

"Are we under attack!?"

"Where are the guards?"

"momaaa!"

Citizens awoke in terror. Nobles, merchants, and beggars alike scrambled for shelter as the golden glow spread across the kingdom.

Animals bolted from their pens, howling and screeching in fright.

Even Auren, Robert, and Mardonio, who were about to break the icy barricade below, were flung back by the sudden shockwave, their bodies skidding across the stone floor before the blinding light reached them.

The Sun Strike had not only destroyed the prison's first floor.

It had changed the battlefield forever.

Its impact would ripple beyond these walls, shaking the very fate of the Austerra Kingdom.