#154
The Empire’s Rebellion (4)
Jeron, the capital of the empire that had long been steeped in peace, was plunged into chaos by the sudden upheaval.
“A peaceful death to all—!”
“S-stop them! They’re after the count!”
Hans’s followers, including the black mages, attacked their assigned targets with their eyes rolled back in frenzy.
Those impure elements, including the Oath of Heaven-Defiance, had lived restrained lives under strict control all this time, unable even to take their own lives—living, quite literally, because they could not die...
And this was the first order the Immortal King had given in such circumstances.
Their minds had long since broken, and they moved solely to complete their missions, disregarding even their own lives.
Even if they died in the process, to them, death was merely an escape that would free them from bondage.
Wherever it seemed a little too much for them alone, undead and their officers inevitably joined in to shake up the board, and perhaps thanks to the advantage of surprise, the operation had proceeded fairly smoothly so far.
[Hmm... This side is more or less cleaned u... Ah, you there? Your next destination is not that way, you know...? Just how foolish must you be to fail even to follow the guidance of ghosts properly...? I cannot help but think such a brain would be better discarded at once; shall this maiden lend you a hand...?]
And the one commanding them all was none other than Hans’s ever-reliable right hand, the Banshee Queen Olivia.
She paid no attention to the fighting and devoted herself solely to coordinating the stage through the ghosts.
The barrier surrounding the capital weakened the ghosts flying within it to their limits, reducing them to a level where combat was utterly impossible...
But since their role from the beginning had been only to flee about and serve as Olivia’s eyes, ears, and mouth, there was no particular problem.
[All according to the king’s will...]
She glanced at the direction in which the atmosphere was surging, then focused once more on the task entrusted to her.
The period in which surprise attacks could yield an advantage had passed, and the humans’ counterattack was gradually growing fiercer.
***
“Kuhah—!”
“Don’t overdo it! Our role is only to buy time...!”
Black mana condensed in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, it took on a certain law, and soon manifested in the world as a supreme mystery.
Ruuumble!
A fierce black storm laden with curses swept through the surrounding area, and some of the dozens of knights caught in it collapsed, vomiting blood.
[Hmm, perhaps because we are beside the imperial castle, the barrier’s influence is quite strong. Though I held back, I didn’t expect the effect to drop this much.]
The fact that those knights were the empire’s finest order, equipped with all manner of magic tools and reinforced with enhancement magic, was not particularly important.
No matter what preparations they made, those who lacked the proper level could do nothing but buy time.
Wooooong— Kwaaang!
At that moment, a massive golden magic circle formed on the surface of the barrier surrounding the imperial palace, and from it another intense wave of light burst forth.
That light was blocked by darkness that seemed to be the Abyss congealed, failing to deal any significant blow to its target.
But the tiny opening it created was enough to buy time for those in charge of close combat to approach.
“Haaap!”
Heinrich, the Hero, wrapped in sacred aura from head to toe like a lighthouse amid darkness.
The radiance flowing from his body gently enveloped those continuously exposed to the terrible energy, restoring their bodies and minds and breathing into them the strength to rise again.
But his true worth was not limited to such support abilities...
Fwoooosh—!
His holy sword, bearing the blessings of “Light Sword” and “Weight Increase,” was swung with the enlightenment he had newly gained from the “Path of Martial Arts.”
As if flowing, yet as if still. That sword, like the dawn parting daybreak, cut apart the black magic activated from all directions at once, opening wide the path toward the Immortal King.
“Now!”
“Haaap—!”
In that instant, the two imperial knights who had been waiting for their chance rushed in.
The Imperial Guardian Captain, who oversaw the security of the imperial palace, and the commander of the Guard Knight Order, who protected the emperor.
Both were figures who had surpassed the extreme and possessed the qualifications to directly face the Immortal King.
Another master within the imperial palace, the vice commander, had not joined the battle in order to closely guard the emperor, but the dignity displayed by the commander was so great that such a thing hardly mattered.
Shk— Slash—
Sword light as chilly as moonlight cut through the countless black serpents stretching out from Hans.
That swordsmanship, which precisely severed the veins of mana, was so efficient and beautiful that even Heinrich could not help but admire it.
‘That old man is impressive. Even if the concentration is low, to so easily cut through something made by condensing the aura of the Abyss... To think such a powerful figure was hidden in the imperial palace. As expected of the empire. Though perhaps because of his age, his stamina seems somewhat lacking...’
Cornwell, the commander of the Guard Knight Order, was a robust old man whose physique did not match his fine wrinkles, and he was a swordsman who had reached transcendence.
At that level, he could likely handle Harley alone, and even Bisk Eufersch, who had been a complete trueblood.
‘Of course, Heinz, who has become stronger than an ordinary trueblood through all sorts of skills and “Hybrid Evolution,” would be a different story.’
Judging purely by realm, he was such a lofty swordsman that even Heinrich did not seem capable of facing him without the various corrections he had as a Hero and an Awakened.
‘I see why the Ajerion Empire is the strongest nation on the continent. And these can’t be all the strong people they have, either.’
“Here we go!”
Just as he was marveling at their underlying strength, someone charged like a beast into the opening created in Hans by the various offensives—.
Kwaaang—!
The one who brought down an axe overflowing with dark red energy as though splitting firewood.
It was Harley, the brave barbarian warrior who had been at the Rosellia Great Temple and had come to Jeron as support.
“Kahahaha! I came because they said I’d be able to smash the Immortal King’s skull if I came here! But I wonder if this thing will even break!”
[Ho, not bad.]
Crackle!
The axe blade was blocked by black energy with only the narrow distance of a finger joint to spare.
Without lingering on it, he flung himself backward to avoid the Abyssal serpent piercing through space, and this time charged in again with the nails of one hand extended long.
‘I called Harley too to balance things out, but the empire’s underlying strength is tougher than I expected.’
The Holy Land’s spare forces had already been sent all across the continent as reinforcements, so it was impossible to pull any more combat power from the Great Temple, especially with even the Saint absent.
That was why Harley had “voluntarily” stepped up to support the empire instead of the Order...
But seeing things now, it seemed there had been no need to go that far.
And with good reason.
Wiiing—! Kwarurung!
Alongside the powerhouses facing him directly, the level of magical support being deployed around the imperial palace’s barrier was extremely high.
[Hmm, this is rather troublesome.]
Hans complained as he lightly blocked the lightning falling from above his head.
Despite the battle continuing and his position constantly shifting, the magic activated through the imperial palace seemed to have the entire capital within its range, never weakening in the slightest.
‘According to the information I gathered in advance, there should be only one archmage left inside.’
Yet once he received support from lower-ranked mages through the imperial palace’s barrier, high-level magic poured out without pause as if there were five or six archmages.
[Gruoooo——!]
[Kiyaaaak——!]
Kwaaaang!
Kuuung!
Even though two Bone Dragons were continuously hammering at the barrier.
The imperial palace’s barrier would seem to shake precariously, but as stable energy was steadily supplied from within, it would quickly recover its form again and again.
‘Judging by the flow of mana, it seems they believe this is their chance and are squeezing out their reserves by force... Hmm, are they even using a Dragon Heart? How desperate.’
In any case, their efforts were admirable, so it seemed this much would be enough for targeting the imperial palace.
To begin with, it had held no meaning beyond a greeting, and it was about time to begin the initial plan.
[Now, try a little harder. Is my excitement not about to cool?]
Crunch!
“Ghaaak!”
“Sir Timos!”
One of the dozens of strands of Abyss extending from Hans tore into the nape of an exhausted knight.
Given its origin, unless one’s level was quite high, being bitten in a vital spot meant instant death.
For a long while, based on the evil karma that he could see through the grown “Eye of the Abyss,” those who had been holding him back died one by one.
As their battle naturally continued to shift location, it eventually reached the point he had been aiming for.
‘Found them.’
And so Hans...
Came face-to-face with those whose feet had been tied up by the undead forces, including Death Knight Lord Karam and Archlich Dwell.
Naturally, the imperial knights fighting him discovered them as well.
The Imperial Guardian Captain and the commander of the Guard Knight Order also looked that way, their expressions turning aghast.
“Huh? Your Highness the Crown Prince? Even the Fifth Princess?”
“Hah— Count Garfield and Viscount Pristine are there as well. To think they are still in such a dangerous place while escorting even two members of the imperial family...”
Over a hundred elite troops, their appearances a mess as if they had already fought a fierce battle.
Among them, the two imperial family members and the archmages, who had kept their distance as much as possible, wore awkward expressions.
“...Duke Cornwell!”
“Whew, we had no choice either...”
Naturally, they had tried to flee.
But after finally joining up after many twists and turns, they had been moving toward the Great Temple when the Army of Immortals and its officers appeared and clung to them as though determined to obstruct them. What could they do?
No matter how many times they shook them off, the enemy persistently stuck to them, and even knowing that the Immortal King’s presence was approaching, they had been unable to escape.
“Kuh, in any case, we don’t have time for this right now!”
“...The undead are swarming in!”
Taking advantage of the lull in battle created by that encounter, the imperial side hurriedly joined forces...
But they were not given much time to reorganize their battle lines.
Because at just the right moment, the Army of Immortals that had been stirring up the city stopped fighting all at once and began gathering around this place.
[For the great King of Death!]
[Despair upon this world— unending fear upon the weak—!]
Because of the capital’s barrier, the undead summoned here were all high-grade units without exception.
And those leading them were none other than the officers of the Army of Immortals, the central figures of the previous Great War.
Kwaaang—!
For the moment, the human side was being pushed back by that sudden offensive, but with the barrier’s assistance and the imperial palace’s magical support together, they were not in danger of collapsing immediately.
It was simply that the battle had turned into a chaotic melee, making it even harder for them to pay attention to one another.
[Ah, so this is the capital of the empire after all. As expected, it seems difficult to bring it down quickly by such means. Hmm... And perhaps because there are so many nuisances, it is less entertaining than I expected.]
And at last.
Hans spoke first, beginning to set things in motion.
“Immortal King, pitiful king of the dead! Are the things you are doing now enjoyable? Covering the world in death according to the whispers of the Abyss, and fighting those who would stand against it?”
[Kuhuhu— I overcame such base delusions long ago. Did I not tell you earlier? What I desire is only the intensity that comes from the collision of life and death!]
What followed next was, of course, a grand fraud directed at the entire continent, created together by the Hero and the Demon King.
When they stopped fighting and began to talk, those who had been facing Hans alongside Heinrich also ceased their attacks and lent their strength elsewhere, watching the situation for the time being.
The greatest enemy, the Immortal King, had withdrawn from the fight on his own, so there was no need to provoke him unnecessarily.
[At first, what I desired was power, but in exchange, I lost life and merely existed as though drifting along. Having lost the meaning of existence, I pursued only power and death by inertia.]
The Immortal King’s reminiscence flowed out in a low voice.
Though they were on a noisy battlefield, his voice, infused with mana, rang out clearly without weakening at all.
So that anyone present could hear it.
[But then I encountered him! The one who, with the body of a mere paladin, burned his own life and stood against death, and in the end drove his sword into this immortal heart— my adversary. Yes, Heinrich Saint Landgard. I speak of you!]
They built a narrative.
The trigger that had begun with the meeting of the Immortal King and the Hero, and the change that had arisen from it.
From then on, he had begun prioritizing his personal interest over the ambition of continental destruction that he had continued by inertia.
One could even say he had started walking a relatively moderate path rather than pursuing extreme ruin.
Of course, he had not stopped his actions themselves—opening the Abyss to cause the madness incident, destroying the duchy, and so on—but even those were far removed from the purpose of destroying the world.
If one had to define it...
“You truly have a grand way of seeking attention.”
It was the act of a madman with power causing a commotion while demanding that others look at him.
Of course, that world-class nuisance was greatly influenced by the fundamentally atrocious nature within him, something that could not be changed by a minor shift.
‘...That’s the setting, anyway. If it’s called the mindset of a madman, even a lack of persuasiveness can be glossed over.’
At any rate, the real point of the conversation between the two began now.
“Immortal King, Hannibal. In that case, how about making a wager with me instead?”
Though, to be precise, it would be more accurate to call it a one-man play rather than a conversation.