Strongest Kingdom: My Op Kingdom Got Transported Along With Me-Chapter 372 - 371: A Unique Artifact (part 2)

Inside the black carriage, the chaos of the battlefield feels distant.

Alix leans back slightly, fingers resting against his chin as he saw what's going on, seeing the surge of mana, the artifact's activation, the impossible convergence of two auras becoming one.

For the first time since the battle began.

His eyes narrow with genuine interest.

"…That's new," Alix mutters.

The fusion finishes stabilizing. Two peak Tier Six auras compress, align, and lock into a single structure without collapsing. No rejection. No backlash. No spiritual erosion.

Alix exhales softly, impressed despite himself.

"How is that even possible," he says calmly, "to fuse two different people into one existence?"

Even with my arsenal…

His mind flicks through countless artifacts, soul cages, body vessels, possession cores, overwrite relics.

None of them do this.

A small shadow flutters down.

Mero lands lightly on Alix's shoulder, talons barely touching the fabric of his coat. His eyes are fixed on the screen, feathers faintly bristling.

"Master," Mero says slowly, voice carrying a note of respect, "even in my old master's era… that artifact is rare."

Alix glances at him. "Rare?"

Mero nods once. "Extremely. Fusion artifacts that don't involve domination, consumption, or soul erasure are almost unheard of."

His gaze sharpens.

"If those top forces in the central region knew about this," Mero continues, "they would flock to this place. Not to conquer it—"

A pause.

"—but to steal that artifact."

Alix hums quietly.

"Well, even me, I want that artifact," he says.

His eyes return to the battlefield.

"Very interesting."

----

Back in the sky, the blinding light finally fades.

The shockwave settles.

Dust rains down in slow arcs.

And the fused being is revealed.

Gasps echo across the wall.

Where Hecrad and Kevom once hovered separately, there is now a single body, tall, broad-shouldered, wrapped in a dense, unified aura that rolls outward in steady waves.

But the head—

The head has two faces.

One facing forward.

One facing backward.

Each face is distinct.

Hecrad's expression at the front is calm, resolute, eyes sharp and calculating.

Kevom's face at the back is fierce, jaw clenched, eyes blazing with battle intent.

Two minds.

One body.

The aura stabilizes completely.

Quasi–Tier 7.

Zevran stares for a heartbeat.

Then he laughs.

"Ohhh," he says, delighted. "You two really went all out."

The fused being flexes one hand.

Hecrad speaks, his voice coming from the front face, resonant and deep, layered with doubled authority.

The body adjusts its stance, weight shifting perfectly.

The fused being draws in a slow breath.

The air answers.

Mana flows, not violently, not chaotically, but smoothly, like a river that has finally found its course. The aura surrounding the body stabilizes into a dense, revolving mantle, blue and crimson threads weaving together in perfect balance.

The fused being rotates its shoulders slightly.

Kevom's voice comes from the back face, low and sharp.

"…Movement feels different."

The body takes a single step in midair.

For a fraction of a second, the leg jerks, two intentions overlapping.

Kevom exhales from the back face, testing the air. "Hah… this feels strange."

The fused body lifts its left hand, fingers spreading, then clenches it slowly. The movement is smooth, precise, without even a hint of imbalance.

A ripple of laughter moves through the soldiers below, nervous, disbelieving, but alive. Hope sparks despite the terror.

Zevran tilts his head, golden eyes glinting. "Two faces. One body. Two souls sharing a vessel." His wings rustle softly. "Tell me, humans… which one of you is in control?"

The fused being turns slightly in midair.

Hecrad answers calmly, "Both of us."

Kevom bares his teeth in a grin from the back face. "Or neither. Depends how you look at it."

Zevran's smile sharpens. "That sounds inefficient."

"It would be," Hecrad agrees, "if we were strangers."

The aura around them pulses once, steady, unified.

Hecrad continues, "This artifact doesn't overwrite either of us. Our minds remain separate. Our wills remain intact."

Kevom adds, "One body, shared authority. If one of us controls it alone, the movement is flawless."

The fused body takes a step forward in the air, effortless, leaving a faint distortion behind.

Kevom chuckles. "Like this."

Then the body suddenly jerks, just a fraction. A shoulder twitches. The balance wavers for a split second before correcting.

Kevom clicks his tongue. "But if we both try to move at the same time—"

Hecrad finishes evenly, "—our intentions clash. Even a hair's difference in timing disrupts the flow."

Zevran chuckles, the sound rolling through the sky like distant thunder.

"That's interesting," he says, stretching his wings wide as the clouds spiral around him. "But let's stop talking."

The wind suddenly sharpens.

"I've been dying to fight a strong opponent."

The moment the words leave his mouth, Zevran moves.

There is no warning.

No buildup.

The sky detonates.

A gale erupts outward from Zevran's wings, compressed wind blades screaming as they tear across the air. The pressure alone crushes downward like a falling mountain.

"Incoming," Kevom snaps.

Hecrad reacts instantly.

"Tier 6— Abyssal Water Domain."

Mana surges.

A vast sphere of deep-blue water manifests around the fused body, rotating violently, layers upon layers of compressed currents grinding against each other. The incoming wind blades slam into it and are shredded.

Steam explodes outward as water and wind clash, the shockwave rippling across the battlefield below. Soldiers stagger as the sky flashes blue and white.

Zevran's eyes gleam.

"Oh? Defensive domain control."

He flicks one claw downward.

The clouds above collapse.

"Tier 6— Gravestone Descent."

The earth responds.

Dozens of massive stone pillars rip free from the plains below, ripping upward through the air as if gravity has reversed. Each one spins, coated in crushing wind pressure, forming a storm of airborne mountains.

Kevom laughs sharply. "My turn."

The fused body twists, this time cleanly, perfectly.

"Tier 6— Crimson Ignition."

Fire erupts.

Not wild flame, but condensed, blinding heat, an orb of white-hot fire forming in the fused body's palm, its surface cracking with molten veins. Kevom thrusts his arm forward.

The fire sun detonates midair.

The stone pillars are vaporized, reduced to molten debris that rains down as glowing slag. Wind howls as heat warps the battlefield, the air screaming under the sudden temperature shift.

Zevran's wings beat once.

The shockwave disperses the flames.

"Fire and water," he muses. "In one body."

He suddenly vanishes.

The fused being's aura flares.

"For something that big," Kevom growls, "he's damn fast."

"I know," Hecrad replies calmly. "Three o'clock."

The air behind them implodes.

Zevran reappears mid-strike, his tail sweeping down like a mountain ridge.

"Tier 6— Skybreaker Tail."

Kevom roars. "Brace!"

Hecrad answers instantly.

"Tier 6 — Tidal Bulwark!"

A massive wall of rotating water forms behind them just as the tail slams down.

BOOOOM—

The impact sends a ring-shaped shockwave across the sky. The water barrier caves inward, pressure screaming, but it holds, barely.

Cracks form.

Zevran grins, teeth flashing. "Good."

His claws glow brown-gold.

"Then how about this?"

"Tier 6— Continental Grip."

The air around the fused body solidifies.

Invisible force clamps down from every direction, as if the earth itself has wrapped its hands around them. Gravity spikes violently.

The fused body is dragged downward.

Kevom snarls. "Tch—!"

The ground below fractures as they slam down, carving a massive crater into the plains. Stone explodes upward.

Soldiers scream.

"Hecrad!"

"I've got it."

The water aura tightens, condensing.

"Tier 6— Deep Sea Pressure Release."

The water domain collapses inward, and then erupts outward in a violent, spiraling surge. The pressure snaps Zevran's earth-grip apart, water tearing through hardened mana like a drill through steel.

The fused body rockets back into the air.

Kevom doesn't waste the opening.

"Tier 6— Infernal Wing Drive!"

Fire explodes from the fused body's back, forming blazing propulsion wings. They surge forward at terrifying speed, closing the distance instantly.

Zevran's eyes widen slightly.

"Oh?"

The fused body appears in front of him in a flash.

Kevom takes control.

The arm pulls back, flames condensing into the fist.

"DIE!"

"Tier 6— Solar Rupture Fist!"

The punch lands.

The sky shatters.

A sun-bright explosion engulfs Zevran's chest, the force hurling him backward through the clouds, carving a burning trench through the air.

Cheers erupt from the wall.

"We hit him!"

"That hit him!"

Zevran tumbles, wings snapping open to stabilize himself. Smoke coils from scorched scales, earth mana cracking away from his chest.

He looks down.

Then he laughs.

A deep, delighted laugh.

"…Magnificent."