My alter ego is becoming a big shot - Episode 154
#154
Rebellion of the Empire (4)
Geron, the capital of the empire, which had been immersed in peace for a long time, was thrown into chaos due to a sudden uproar..
“A peaceful death for everyone—!”
“Stop it! They're targeting the Count.!”
Hans' followers, including the warlock, turned around and attacked their respective targets..
Those impure elements, including those who pledged to return to heaven, were under strict control, unable to commit suicide, and were living a suppressed life where they literally could not die.···.
This was the Immortal King's first command given in such a situation..
Their minds had already been ruined a long time ago, so they ignored their own lives and moved solely to complete their mission..
Even if they end up dying, for them, death was just an escape from dependence..
In places where they thought it would be a bit difficult for them alone, the undead and their executives joined in to shake things up, and perhaps thanks to the advantage of a surprise attack, the work was going on quite smoothly so far..
[Hmm... this is roughly sorted out... Oh, you there? Isn't that your next destination...? How stupid you must be to not be able to follow the guidance of ghosts properly... I think it would be better to throw that brain away quickly. Could the girl help me?···?]
And leading them all was Hans' always reliable right hand woman, Banshee Queen Olivia..
She didn't even care about the battle and was only focusing on controlling the stage through the ghosts..
The barrier surrounding the capital weakened the ghosts flying within it to the limit, making it impossible to fight.···.
From the beginning, their role was to just run away and be Olivia's eyes, ears, and mouth, so there wasn't really a problem..
[Everything is according to the king's will···.]
She caught a glimpse of the direction in which the air was stirring and returned her concentration to her task..
The time when the advantage of a surprise attack could be seen had passed, and the human counterattack was gradually becoming stronger..
***
“Wow—!”
“Don't overdo it! Our job is to buy time···!”
Dark magic concentrated in an instant.
It took on a certain law in the blink of an eye, and soon became a supreme mystery and appeared in the world..
Rumbling!
A fierce black storm imbued with a curse swept over the surrounding area, causing some of the dozens of knights caught up in it to vomit blood and collapse..
[Hmm, maybe because it's next to the imperial castle, the barrier's influence is strong. Even if you do it in moderation, I never thought the effect would be this low..]
The fact that those knights were the Empire's elite knights, wearing all kinds of magic tools and even receiving strengthening magic, was not that important..
Anyway, no matter what preparations are made, those who are not qualified will not be able to do anything other than buy time..
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch!
At that time, a huge golden magic circle was created on the outside of the barrier surrounding the imperial palace, and an intense wave of light emanated from there once again..
The light was blocked by darkness that seemed like an abyss, so it did not cause much damage to the target..
The very small gap that resulted was enough to give those in charge of close combat time to approach..
“lower pressure!”
Heinrich, a warrior with a divine aura wrapped around his entire body like a lighthouse in the dark..
The light flowing from his body continued to gently embrace those exposed to the terrible energy, restoring their bodies and minds and giving them the strength to stand up again..
But his true value was not limited to those auxiliary abilities.···.
Wow!—!
‘His holy sword, imbued with the blessing of 'Light Sword' and 'Increasing Quantity', was swung with the newly acquired enlightenment of the 'Way of Martial Arts'..
As if flowing, as if stopped. The sword, like the dawn that separates the dawn, cuts through the black magic that was activated simultaneously, widening the path to the Immortal King..
“now!”
“lower pressure—!”
At that moment, the two imperial knights who were looking for an opportunity were instantly defeated..
The commander of the imperial guard who oversees the security of the imperial palace and the leader of the knights guard who protects the emperor..
Both of them were qualified to go beyond extremes and face the Immortal King directly..
The vice-captain, another master within the imperial palace, did not participate in the war to closely guard the emperor, but the majesty of the leader was so great that it did not bother me..
squeak - squeak—
A sword light as cool as moonlight cut through the numerous black snakes extending from Hans..
The swordsmanship that accurately cut through the veins of magical energy was so efficient and beautiful that even Heinrich was amazed..
‘Is that old man amazing? No matter how low the concentration, the energy of the abyss is gathered together so easily. Is it really an empire that such a powerful person is hiding in the imperial palace? Maybe it's because of his age, but he seems a bit lacking in stamina.···.’
Cornwell, Commander of the Guards, an old man with a sturdy physique befitting the fine wrinkles, had reached transcendence as a swordsman..
At that level, he would be able to single-handedly take out not only Harley, but even Bisque Eupersch, who was a full-blooded person..
‘Of course, it would be a different story for Heinz, who has become stronger than ordinary holy blood through all kinds of skills and “mixed blood evolution”..’
If we were to just look at his pure state, he was a stern swordsman that even Heinrich would be no match for without several corrections as a warrior and an awakened person..
‘I now understand why the Azerion Empire is the most powerful nation on the continent. Besides, the strong are not all who are here..’
“Euratcha!”
The moment I admired their power, there was someone who rushed like an animal into the gap that Hans had created thanks to various attacks.—.
Kwaaang—!
A person who chops down an ax brimming with dark red energy as if chopping firewood..
It was Harley, a brave barbarian warrior who had been at the Great Temple of Roselia and came to Zeron for support..
“Hahaha! I came here because I heard that I could break the bones of the Immortal King! I don't know if this will break or not.!”
[Wow, that's pretty good.]
Pajjik!
The ax blade is blocked by black energy, barely a finger's length away..
Without hesitation, he flung his body backwards to avoid the abyssal snake piercing space, and this time lunged again with one hand and his long claws out..
‘I even called in Harley to balance things out, but the empire's power is stronger than I thought..’
The remaining power of the Holy Land had already been used to send support to various parts of the continent, so it was impossible to withdraw any more power from the main shrine, where even the Saint was away..
So, instead of the church, Harley ‘voluntarily’ came forward to support the empire.···.
Now I see that there was no need to go that far..
That's right too.
Weeeeeee—! Crying!
In addition to the strong people who directly dealt with him, the level of magical support developed around the imperial palace barrier was extremely high..
[Hmm, this is quite a hassle..]
Hans complained as he lightly blocked the lightning that fell from above his head..
Even though the battle continued and positions were constantly changed, the magic activated through the imperial palace did not weaken at all, as if it had the entire capital in its range..
‘According to the information I gathered in advance, there is probably only one archmage left in there..’
However, as he received assistance from low-level wizards through the imperial palace barrier, high-level magic was pouring out non-stop, as if there were five or six archmages..
[Whoa whoa——!]
[Kyaaaak——!]
Kwaaaaang!
Wow!
Even though the two bone dragons were continuously pounding on the barrier,.
The palace's barrier seemed to be shaking dangerously, but as stable energy was steadily supplied from within, it quickly regained its shape again and again..
‘Looking at the flow of magical energy, it seems like they think this is an opportunity and are squeezing out their spare power... Hmm, are you even using Dragon Heart? You're desperate..’
In any case, the effort was futile, so it seemed like this would be the end of aiming for the imperial palace..
In the first place, it meant nothing more than greetings, and it was time to start planning..
[Come on, try harder. Aren't you about to lose your temper??]
Quad Deuk!
“Wow!”
“Sir Timos!”
One of the dozens of abysses extending from Hans bit the back of an exhausted knight's neck..
Because of its origin, unless you were of a very high rank, if you were bitten at a vital point, you would die instantly..
Based on the evil karma of the being that he has grown to be able to see through the “eyes of the abyss,” it will be a long time before those who were holding him back die one by one..
Their fight continued naturally, and before he knew it, he had reached his target point..
‘found.’
So Hans.
We faced those who were held back by undead forces, including Death Knight Lord Karam and Archrich Dwell..
Of course, the imperial knights fighting him also discovered them..
The Imperial Guard Commander and the Guard Knight Commander also looked at him with devastated expressions..
“Huh? His Royal Highness? 5 to the princess?”
“Heh—there's also Count Garfield and Viscount Pristine. I can't believe you're still in this dangerous place, even with the two royal grandsons in your care.···.”
The elite army, numbering over a hundred in disarray, must have already been engaged in a fierce battle..
The two royal family members and the great wizards, who were keeping their distance between them, looked awkward..
“···Duke of Cornwall!”
“Phew, that’s what we can’t do either.···.”
Of course they tried to avoid it too..
However, after many twists and turns, they finally joined, and while they were moving to the main temple, the immortal army and its executives appeared and stuck to them as if they were determined to interfere, so what could they do??
Even though they knew that the Immortal King's presence was approaching, they were unable to escape because they clung to him persistently no matter how much he tried to shake them off..
“Ugh, anyway, I don’t have time to be like this right now.!”
“···The undead are coming!”
Through that encounter, people from the empire took advantage of the temporary lull in the battle and quickly joined in.···.
They didn't have much time to reorganize their lines..
Just in time, the immortal army that had been thrashing the city stopped fighting all at once and began to gather around this place..
[For the great king of death!]
[Despair in this world—constant fear for the weak.—!]
Because of the capital's barrier, the undead summoned here were all high-class soldiers..
And leading them are the executives of the Immortal Army who were the protagonists of the previous great war..
Kwaaang—!
The human side was immediately pushed back by that sudden offensive, but with the help of the barrier and the magical support of the imperial palace, it was not to the point where they collapsed immediately..
It's just that it's become a hectic battle and it's become harder to care about each other..
[Ah, so it is the capital of the empire after all. It seems like it would be difficult to take it down quickly this way. Hmm... Maybe it's because there are a lot of people in the way, but it's not as fun as I thought..]
and finally.
Hans started the engine first..
“Immortal King, poor king of the dead! Are you happy with what you are doing now? Following the whispers of the abyss, covering the world with death and fighting those who try to stand against it.?”
[Hehehe—I've long since gotten over such base thoughts. I guess I said it before? All I want is the intensity that comes from the collision between life and death.!]
What followed, of course, was a hoax targeting the entire continent... created by the combined efforts of the hero and the demon king..
When they stopped fighting and started talking, those who were dealing with Hans with Heinrich also stopped attacking and concentrated their efforts elsewhere, observing the situation for now..
The Immortal King, who could be said to be the biggest enemy, left the fight on his own, so there was no need to provoke him..
[What I wanted at first was power, but in return, I lost my life and just existed as a flux. Losing the meaning of existence, inertia pursues only power and death..]
The Immortal King's reminiscences flowed softly..
Although it was a noisy battlefield, his voice filled with magical power rang out clearly without any weakening..
So that everyone here can hear.
[But then I encountered it! In the body of a paladin, he burned his own life, faced death, and plunged his sword into this immortal heart—my adversary. Yes, Heinrich St. Landgard. I mean you!]
Building a narrative.
The opportunity that began with the meeting between the Immortal King and the Hero and the changes that occurred as a result.
From then on, he began to prioritize his personal interests over his inertial ambition to destroy the continent..
Rather than pursuing extreme destruction, it can be seen as starting to take a relatively moderate path..
Of course, it did not stop the action itself, such as opening an abyss, causing madness, and destroying the principality, but that was also far from the purpose of destroying the world..
If I were to ask,···.
“The scale of the method of attracting attention is also large..”
It was an act of a crazy person with power making a fuss to ask to see him..
Of course, the world-class nuisance could not be changed with small changes, and was largely due to its fundamentally evil nature..
‘···That's the setting. If you call it a crazy person's way of thinking, it can crush even your weak persuasiveness..’
Anyway, this is the main point of the conversation between the two..
“The Immortal King, Hannibal. Then how about making a bet with me??”
To be precise, I would say it is a one-person play rather than a conversation..
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