#139 The Immortal King’s Stirring (3)
With a thunderous boom, the Immortal King’s head snapped violently backward.
Crackle, crackle!
—A bolt of fire enveloped his head, and black smoke billowed up.
As if that were the signal, the bloody battle between the Immortal King and the Hero came to a temporary halt.
“...Saint?”
For some reason, Heinrich, who had stepped back, raised one hand slightly with a grave expression, stopping the others who were about to launch additional attacks.
As though he had sensed something.
And at the same time, the undead who had been fiercely exchanging blows with the humans all flinched in unison, then began retreating all at once.
Those who had been fighting them suddenly found their opponents gone. While catching their breath, they kept their guard up and looked around, tense as they tried to grasp the situation.
For one brief moment, the battlefield was swallowed by silence.[Kuh...
— Khehehaha! Ahhh...
— Well now, this is quite impressive!]
A moment later, an eerie voice rang out, breaking that silence.
Perhaps because there was a difference in their respective ranks and the density of their mana, Harris’s attack had not inflicted much damage on him.
But that did not mean it had been a meaningless attack.
As if to prove that...
Clatter, clatter—
—the bizarre mask that had been virtually the symbol of the current Immortal King shattered, scattering across the floor.
Only a portion of the wooden mask remained, still clinging to his face.
“Mm.”
“That is...”
And revealed beneath it was a handsome skeleton of overwhelming charisma, painstakingly created through “Customization.”
A smooth skull boasting perfect proportions, a sharp jawline, neat pointed teeth, and blazing eyes burning within sharply upturned sockets.
“...Indeed, he looks murderous. Enough to fear he might appear in my dreams.”
“Phew— Damn it, I can’t meet his gaze...”
Unfortunately, the public’s evaluation was not particularly favorable.
Of course, it was likely more because of the fear effect inherent to his very existence rather than any issue with his appearance, but still, was it not a bit much to react like that right to his face?
If Hans had not been a man of firm heart, he would surely have been wounded.
“Kkekeke... No matter how I look at it, that’s not the skull of a normal human. What race is he? Could he have been born a demon? No, seeing as he has no horns, a mixed-blood?”
Among them, there were some, like the Great Shaman, who noticed Hans’s cosmetic modifications with their keen eyes, but that was not particularly important right now.
For the Immortal King, who had been arrogantly looking down at them as though beneath contempt, had begun to speak.[To think a small fry I dismissed as insignificant could go this far. How very intriguing.]
His gaze turned toward the elves standing before the barrier in the corner.
Harris, still looking composed; Cecily, standing proudly despite being drenched in cold sweat from tension; and even Shapiron, who was on the verge of fainting.
At that, the eyes of the others nearby also turned in that direction... especially toward Harris, who stood at the very front with an extraordinary bow in hand, facing the Immortal King head-on.
The heavy aura still rising from the bow declared that he was the one responsible for the attack just now.
Even the undead under the Immortal King’s command raised their momentum as though they would tear apart that insolent elf who had dared show disrespect to their king...[Hmm—
— I have changed my mind. I shall withdraw for today.]
At a single word from Hans, they had no choice but to rein in their energy and step back.
But there was someone who immediately bristled at his words.
“Who says you can! Do you think this is somewhere you can just come and go as you please...!”
“Saintess.”
Riesta, who had stepped forward in agitation, stopped speaking at Heinrich’s call and looked back at him.
“We are not properly prepared to fight right now. Unfortunately, the damage we have accumulated thus far is also too great.”
“...But!”
It had not even been long since the Immortal King had invaded, yet more than ten of the strong fighters, who had even received the aid of the divine barrier, were already dead.
There were also dozens of injured, most of them paladins who, despite lacking sufficient skill, had joined the battle out of a sense of duty to assist.
By contrast, the damage suffered by the army of the immortal consisted only of destroyed undead.
Of course, there were quite a few forces that had been completely destroyed, leading to permanent losses, but how could that compare to human lives?
Moreover, unlike the undead, who could even be restored with their remains, this side had no choice but to take the damage more sensitively.‘The standing of the Church of the Supreme God will be shaken considerably by this incident.’They might somehow be able to gloss over the mere fact that they had allowed an intrusion, but the fact that deaths had occurred at an event hosted by the Church was something they could never avoid responsibility for.
They would likely have to endure significant political losses as well.
And this was their home ground, no less.
In a way, it was as if Hans had caused a massive incident immediately after Heinrich had cleaned up the previous matter, but what had happened this time was by no means a meaningless mess.‘A chance to show the world Hans’s danger and Heinrich, the one who can stand against him, plus Harris’s debut as a bonus. On top of that, as long as the Immortal King and the Hero exist, the Church’s voice will only grow stronger.’Rather, if one thought of this as slightly adjusting the Church’s overly powerful influence, it was not so bad.
Doing so would also make it easier for Heinz, who had settled into the Kingdom of Talia, to act.
“...Phew.”
Riesta, who had met Heinrich’s eyes for a moment, let out a deep sigh.
In the end, she accepted it and retreated while biting her lip. Heinrich stepped forward again and faced the Immortal King head-on.
The Hero, wounded all over and dirtied by the fierce battle, stood facing his archenemy.
Heinrich must have been exhausted like everyone else, yet his presence had not diminished in the slightest and was not at all inferior to that of the Immortal King before him.
As if emphasizing to the world once again that he alone was the Immortal King’s sole adversary.[Kheheh—
— The entertainment lasted a little longer than expected. At first, I only intended to come and offer my greetings. Well, it was certainly impressive.]
The Immortal King burst into shameless laughter and looked down at them mockingly.
No one present could understand what change of heart had led him to suddenly invade and then withdraw...
But to begin with, there was no way ordinary people could understand the thoughts of the Immortal King, a being of the Abyss.‘This should be enough, right? Shall I start making my exit now?’...That was what everyone thought.
Srrrk—
—One by one, the undead vanished into the darkness on the floor.
The enemies who had invaded were openly retreating, but the strong members of each faction, whose momentum had already been broken, merely let out sighs of relief that the immediate fight was over.[Ah, right. I hear the monsters driven mad these days have been keeping you busy? I was pleased to see you liked the gift I prepared with such care.]
“...Hannibal Strauss, you bastard!”[Kekeke. You must have been busy enough already, yet I have taken too much of your time. Struggle to your heart’s content. I shall enjoy watching.]
“Hah! Next time, it will never end this easily.”[Yes, that may be amusing as well.]
After gathering all the undead, Hans glided through the air and flew out through the large hole torn open by the window at the back.
Since the battle had broken out immediately after the meeting ended, pitch-black darkness had already fallen outside.[This is not the end. Despair has not even begun yet, so try to struggle a little harder. Otherwise...]
And in the middle of the night sky where not even a single ray of moonlight could be seen.
A voice that plunged all who heard it into fear rang out in a low tone.[You will not be able to escape destruction.]
Leaving behind those meaningful words,
the Immortal King who had attacked the great conference hall vanished.
“......”
“...Ahem.”
An uncomfortable atmosphere settled over the great conference hall.
In this place that had become a complete mess, everyone could only frown, feeling an indescribable ominousness from the Immortal King’s prophecy-like words.‘Good. It was pretty cringe, but it was a decent closing line. I guess I’ve gotten used to doing this after doing it so much.’Though the person in question had no particular thoughts about it.***“Huh... I never imagined things would turn out like this. Truly remarkable.”
“As expected, you think so too, Lord Rapori? I was right beside him, and you wouldn’t believe how shocked I was! The envoys from the other nations were all keeping an eye on Mr. Harris too!”
Rapori and Cecily examined Harris from here and there as though they had encountered something fascinating.
It was the first time even they had personally seen someone right next to them suddenly obtain qualification like this.
“Ugh—
— How unfair, he’s going ahead all by himself again...”
Shapiron grumbled alone in the corner, but when Harris silently handed her a bag of popcorn, she quickly became quiet again.
“Haa— By the way, what will happen now?”
Cecily let out a small sigh as she looked out the window of their lodgings.
After the Immortal King disappeared,
the Great Temple of Rosellia had no choice but to spend a sleepless night.
For one thing, separate from the envoys who had been sent back to their lodgings, they had to clean up after the incident.
Fortunately, there had been no deaths on the Enamel Continent side, including the Elven Kingdom.
The representative of the Wild Land had suffered serious injuries, but thanks to the immediate treatment from the Church of the Supreme God, he was able to get back on his feet without any major aftereffects.
“Well, the Church of the Supreme God must be the most frantic right now. Let us wait a little for the time being.”
As Rapori said, the Church spent the next few days in a frenzy.
They dealt with the casualties of the battle and cleaned up the great conference hall that had become a battlefield.
Security was also strengthened further, continuing at a level equivalent to wartime defenses.
One might wonder what meaning there was in doing that now, when a conference venue already prepared like an iron fortress had been breached, but they could not simply sit still and do nothing.
They also once again investigated how the Immortal King had infiltrated, something they had failed to determine in the past as well.
This time, they even received help from the lord of the Magic Tower Alliance and conducted a detailed investigation, but unfortunately, the result was not much different.
However, even as the cleanup continued, they did not forget what was truly important.
There was something that had to be carried out most urgently in the current situation.
And so, only three days after the Immortal King’s attack,
the “Continental Summit” resumed normally in a conference room different from the previous one.
“I believe everyone is aware of the gravity of the situation.”Those were the words Cardinal Cordelia spoke in a low voice immediately after the second meeting opened.
Unlike before, everyone present listened to her with grave expressions.
“The Immortal King of this era, Hans, has consistently moved beyond our expectations. Furthermore, his abilities are unpredictable as well, making it difficult to respond to him.”
Most of those present had experienced that themselves, so they felt it keenly.
The few people newly dispatched after their representatives had died had likewise grasped the situation.
“Shamefully, we of the Church of the Supreme God failed to properly prevent the Immortal King’s intrusion. As a result, many were sacrificed once again.”
At her self-reproachful words, Crown Prince Simon’s expression twisted.
Having already argued intensely over the past few days, he did not bring it up even here, but losing a subordinate who had been like his right arm was a great blow to him as well, so he could not help but be sensitive.
But the conclusion reached by the preamble that began in that way was ultimately one thing.
To combine everyone’s strength as quickly as possible, bring this meeting to a close, and prepare to respond to the Immortal King.
Everyone agreed with her words, which left no room for objection, and the meeting afterward proceeded swiftly.
Because everyone shared a sense of crisis, the discord seen during the first meeting was barely noticeable.‘They still seem to be holding back a bit. Well, that can’t be helped.’They were in positions representing their respective organizations, so it was only natural for them to speak for their own interests.
Even so, the fact that they were showing as much willingness to compromise as they were now, without openly sharpening their blades against one another, could be considered sufficient progress.
Then one morning, several days later,
shocking news was delivered to the representatives who were about to leave their lodgings for the meeting as usual.
“Suddenly...? How?!”
“No, what on earth happened!”
Everyone’s reactions were largely the same.
Shock and confusion at the news that had arrived without warning.
But among them, there was one person who reacted especially violently...
“Wh... what? N-no. That doesn’t make sense! There was nothing wrong until yesterday, so how could it suddenly...!”
It was Dennis Rohan, the grand duke’s son of the Principality of Rohan.
Paying no heed to the summit that was about to be held, he immediately rushed with his subordinates toward the place in the Great Temple where the gate was located.
He had no choice but to do so.
—The defensive lines along every border of the Principality of Rohan have collapsed.
News had arrived that his homeland, which had held on so well until now, had fallen in an instant.
And most of those who heard that news simultaneously thought of the same thing.—[This is not the end. Despair has not even begun yet, so try to struggle a little harder. Otherwise...]—[You will not be able to escape destruction.]
The ominous warning the Immortal King had given
had meant precisely this.