I created my own system

Chapter 420: Brother

EMILIA'S POV

The battlefield slowly returned to motion after Apollo's departure.

Yet my body remained frozen.

Not because of fear.

But because of his words.

Words that felt like a shackle pressing down on my shoulders.

"I'll tear my brother apart."

The sentence echoed repeatedly inside my mind.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Each repetition felt like a blade being dragged across an old wound.

My breath became shallow.

My fingers tightened around my sword until my knuckles turned pale.

The cold metal pressed against my palm, yet I barely felt it.

The screams around me.

The clash of weapons.

The roar of magic colliding.

Everything became distant.

All I could hear was his voice.

That calm voice.

That terrifyingly calm voice.

I lowered my head.

The shadow of my hair covered my expression.

Because I knew...

if anyone saw my face right now, they would understand.

Ever since this mission began, I knew what I needed to do.

I had a role to fulfill.

A purpose.

A duty.

However...

When did things go wrong?

When did this charade of love and goodwill become real?

My eyelids slowly closed.

I could still remember the first time I looked at him.

The first time he smiled at me.

The first time I wondered if everything between us was nothing more than an act.

I refused to acknowledge those emotions.

So I buried them.

I forced myself to forget them.

Even if it meant ruining your life.

Yes.

I tried to kill you.

The thought made my chest tighten.

My lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

But deep inside...

I was longing for you to survive.

Eros.

Your existence to me was a doubt that made my duty heavier.

A doubt I could never silence.

And for you...

someone who places duty and connection above all else.

How could I be assured your love was nothing short of necessity?

How could I abandon my duty when I couldn't place my trust in you to truly choose me?

My mind suddenly flashed back to his words.

And now...

I understood.

You love me.

My heart sank.

Yet why now?

Why at this time?

When the die has already been cast.

At this time when my blade has already been aimed at you countless times.

My fingers trembled.

Only slightly.

A weakness I would never allow an enemy to see.

But now...

I couldn't hide it from myself.

You really are my greatest karma.

My punishment.

My pain.

Even in this situation...

you are still finding ways to torment me.

Not because you wanted to.

But because my own choices led us here.

Even before the moment I realized I loved you...

I knew my ending would be to be hated by you.

So for years...

I prepared myself.

Prepared myself for death.

Prepared myself for failure.

Prepared myself for the consequences of my choices.

I accepted that one day my actions would return to me.

I accepted that your eyes would no longer hold warmth when looking at me.

I accepted that you would hate me.

But never this.

Never for Apollo hurting you.

My breathing stopped for a moment.

Because I knew.

I knew exactly why.

Knowing full well...

it was me who instigated it.

It was me who gave him the dagger.

It was me who filled it with poison.

And now...

that same blade would stab you right in front of me.

"Princess?"

The voice pulled me back.

I blinked.

The battlefield returned.

The smell of smoke.

The burning scent of magic.

The metallic smell of blood carried by the wind.

I slowly raised my head.

I shook it.

Apollo's departing figure had left a wound inside my heart.

A wound deeper than any physical injury.

He clearly knew where to strike.

Just like how I knew who to take from him when he was only a child.

My breathing became heavier.

I couldn't help but hold my head.

My vision blurred.

A certain maid appeared within my memories.

Her face.

Her voice.

Her final moments.

A mocking laugh escaped my lips.

A laugh without any happiness.

"Seriously..."

My shoulders trembled.

"You are going to kill Eros for a maid I took from you."

I looked toward the battlefield.

"How ironic."

"Gilgan."

"Yes, Princess?"

His voice immediately brought him back to attention.

"Have our men use X."

For a moment...

Gilgan froze.

His eyes widened slightly.

The hesitation was obvious.

Even he understood what this meant.

But after seeing my expression, he lowered his head.

"Understood."

Around me, soldiers began moving.

Armor clattered.

Weapons were drawn.

Magic circles illuminated the ground.

Orders echoed throughout the battlefield.

"Get X now! The princess has commanded us to use it! Have no fear!"

The soldiers shouted with determination.

But I could hear it.

The uncertainty hidden beneath their voices.

They were afraid.

And they had every right to be.

Weapons were raised.

Every artifact we had hoarded was activated at full power.

Ancient relics awakened.

Their energy spread through the battlefield like a storm.

"Everyone."

My voice echoed.

The soldiers turned toward me.

"Our aim is simple."

I looked toward him once again.

Eros.

The person I had hurt.

The person I couldn't save.

Then I gave the order.

"Take the staff!"

My men roared.

Their voices shook the battlefield.

But deep inside...

I knew.

That courage would not last forever.

The battlefield continued.

Yet all the noise felt distant.

Muted.

As though I stood underwater.

Across from me...

Eros remained standing.

The replica staff rested in his hand.

His expression was complicated.

Pain.

Confusion.

Anger.

Betrayal.

I saw every emotion reflected in his eyes.

And somehow...

that hurt more than any wound.

It felt like I had been stabbed.

But what did I expect?

Love?

A warm smile?

Forgiveness?

Yet he no longer looked at me the same way.

The warmth was gone.

And somehow...

that absence hurt more than hatred.

"Eros..."

The word almost escaped my lips.

But I swallowed it.

My throat tightened.

There was nothing left to say.

Nothing he would believe.

Nothing I could explain.

Not anymore.

Then—

a familiar voice reached my ears.

"Are you having a hard time, little sister?"

My entire body stiffened.

Could it be?

My eyes widened.

For a brief moment, my composure almost broke.

But I immediately forced my expression back into place.

I couldn't allow anyone to see my reaction.

Especially not him.

I turned.

And just as I feared...

he appeared.

A young man stepped from the rear ranks of the Aileenian forces.

Silver hair.

Silver eyes.

The same royal features.

The same blood.

My brother.

For a moment...

I simply stared.

Because he should not have been here.

Not now.

Not during this battle.

"Brother?"

A small smile appeared on his face.

A smile completely out of place.

The battlefield around us was filled with death, yet he looked calm.

Almost peaceful.

His gaze moved briefly toward Eros.

Then returned to me.

"You look terrible."

My jaw tightened.

"What are you doing here?"

"Weren't you supposed to help Amy fight against the dukes?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, he watched me.

Carefully.

Like he could see every emotion I was desperately trying to hide.

Then his smile faded.

"You really are struggling."

My chest tightened.

"Brother."

My voice became sharper.

"Go check on Father."

The battlefield was becoming increasingly unstable.

The air itself felt wrong.

Every few seconds, a deep rumbling echoed from above, like the sky was groaning under unbearable pressure.

I looked upward.

A tear had formed across the heavens.

Not a cloud.

Not lightning.

A wound.

A crack in reality itself.

The edges of the fissure distorted the surrounding sky, twisting the colors of the world around it.

The space near it warped unnaturally, bending light and sound.

Even the strongest soldiers nearby instinctively stepped away.

They felt it.

Everyone felt it.

Something beyond magic.

Something that shouldn't exist.

"See that crack?"

I pointed toward it.

"The clash between the Emperor and Father continues."

My voice remained steady.

But my hands had already tightened.

"From the looks of it... it's reaching its finale."

The battlefield trembled.

A shockwave descended from above.

Several soldiers stumbled as an invisible force pushed against them.

"The sacred weapons have collided repeatedly."

I narrowed my eyes.

"I can feel Father's weapon won't last much longer."

I wasn't lying.

I could sense it.

Every collision between those weapons distorted reality.

Every impact carved another scar into the world.

"He needs you."

I looked at my brother.

"I sincerely mean that."

For the first time...

his expression changed.

The carefree smile disappeared.

The playful look vanished.

His silver eyes slowly lifted toward the sky.

Toward the battle.

Toward our father.

For a moment, he looked like a son.

Not a prince.

Not a warrior.

Just a son looking at his father.

"I know."

In that moment I knew he will go where our father is.

Then without any kind of warning my brother made move, one that left not only my troops but also Eros' in totally helpless state.