200th Chapter
The Royal Guard, Michael, hurriedly strode through the corridors of the Imperial Palace.
Michael, who had almost been running, eventually broke into a full sprint as he approached his destination.
Currently, the Emperor’s vitality had significantly weakened, leaving Crown Prince Poibos to oversee the state affairs in his stead.
Thus, Michael had been reporting most recent matters directly to Poibos.
However, this time was different. The gravity of the situation demanded that the report be delivered directly to the Emperor.
Finding the Emperor’s private chamber where he rested, Michael entered upon receiving permission.
Inside, Poibos was personally attending to the ailing Emperor lying on his sickbed.
Michael immediately knelt on one knee and sought forgiveness for bypassing protocol.
There were several procedures he had omitted in his rush to reach this place.
“Forgive my rudeness…”
Michael stopped mid-sentence, suddenly stiffening.
There were three people in the room, but only two were breathing.
Without waiting for permission, Michael dared to raise his head and look at the Emperor.
Poibos spoke.
“Just now… His Majesty passed peacefully.”
“…”
Unable to conceal his dismay, Michael took a deep breath and paid his final respects to the late Emperor.
Afterward, Michael rose from his kneeling position, turned toward Poibos, and knelt again.
“I greet Your Imperial Majesty.”
With his head bowed, Michael waited silently for permission to speak.
Poibos turned his gaze toward Michael.
Even with such grave matters, it seemed appropriate to yield for now.
Yet Michael’s persistence indicated an urgent issue.
“What is the matter?”
“The sky has opened above Alimo.”
Understanding the implications of these words, Poibos glanced at the late Emperor, whose eyes were closed as if in sleep.
“…I understand what father worried about.”
An event so critical that it warranted delaying the late Emperor’s funeral occurred right after the succession of the throne.
Poibos felt the weight on his shoulders as he stood up.
“I will do my best. Watch over me, Father.”
Only after the Emperor passed could Poibos bring himself to address him as ‘Father.’ He turned away from the bed.
*
The city of Esterus, located near the Imperial Capital and home to a Warp Gate.
Ernst stood alone in the Prizzran Clan mansion in Esterus, gazing at the Empire’s new divine sword.
Recalling Ray, to whom he had entrusted the sword before parting ways, Ernst revealed a troubled expression.
Though he knew Ray had a reckless streak, he hadn’t anticipated losing contact after Ray ventured into the underground city with a small group.
Since the incident occurred outside imperial territory, there wasn’t much Ernst could do.
“Foolish boy…”
Ernst muttered under his breath in frustration when a knock sounded at the door.
Adoia entered after receiving permission and immediately reported her news.
“The former Emperor has ascended.”
“…”
Ernst closed his eyes tightly, then reopened them. Though he felt sorrow, it was an expected event, not something to be unsettled by.
However, Adoia’s next report shocked even Ernst.
“His Majesty the Emperor has requested that the announcement of the former Emperor’s passing and the succession of the throne be delayed for a short while.”
“…What is the reason?”
“It seems due to information received from the intelligence bureau. The sky has opened above Alimo.”
Ernst’s expression hardened instantly.
“Exact location?”
“It has been identified as above the Forbidden Forest.”
Ernst clenched his hand on the table so hard that part of the wooden surface splintered.
“Ray, what exactly is happening there?”
Ernst looked in the direction where Ray might be, though no answer came.
Adoia added,
“His Majesty wishes to consult your opinion, Duke. The mages have prepared communication for you.”
This was not a matter where delay was an option.
Ernst promptly rose from his seat and headed towards where the mages awaited.
*
Deep beneath the earth, 2 kilometers down, excitement rippled through the underground fortress.
The Devil Worshippers stationed in the underground fortress readied themselves, ending their long wait and breaking out of their silence.
In the deepest part of the fortress,
A Demon with six pairs of eyes revealed its excitement through flickering pupils.
It would move immediately upon the completion of the union.
The kingdom would fall without putting up a proper fight, and the land of the destroyed kingdom would be ravaged and polluted, overflowing with the great one’s power.
To ensure the smooth execution of this plan, swift strikes against the kingdom’s core high-ranking officials were necessary.
Once the leadership was wiped out and the Gates secured or destroyed to cut off foreign aid, no one would be able to prevent the kingdom’s downfall.
When Alimo transformed into a massive Demonic Realm after this operation, the front lines the Empire would need to defend would expand significantly.
Facing another Demonic Realm and additional territories would force the Empire into extreme exhaustion, ultimately leading to its collapse.
That grand first step was about to begin.
“Hmm…”
At the Demon’s ear, a whisper echoed, informing it that part of the Silver Cross Knight Order had escaped detection.
While eliminating them all to seal their mouths would have been ideal, it wasn’t a significant loss.
The Demon knew how complacent and negligent Alimo’s upper echelons were.
Even if the Knight Order returned and warned about the dangers of the Forbidden Forest, they wouldn’t take immediate action or prepare defenses overnight.
As always, they would end up like fattened pigs, consumed by greed until the slaughter.
Crack!!
In the enclosed plaza,
A door that looked like a wall slid open, revealing a passage.
Out of the dark corridor walked a cloaked woman.
The Demon’s six pairs of eyes scanned her before narrowing.
Ilphirim.
She had always acted through shadow-like avatars.
Even the Demon hadn’t seen her true form in quite some time.
Ilphirim appeared pale, having suffered a considerable shock from losing her avatar.
It was a rare sight, prompting the Demon to laugh harshly.
“So you’ve lost all your forces. Did you fall into a trap?”
“…”
Ilphirim paused to think.
Trap? No, this wasn’t the kind of battle where excuses like falling into a trap would hold any water.
They were simply overwhelmed by sheer power and talent.
Even if Ilphirim herself had gone in person, she couldn’t guarantee survival in that battle.
“That mage must die here.”
“Is it a 7th Circle… or perhaps an 8th Circle level Mage?”
“It wasn’t about the Circle.”
The opponent concealed the manifestation of high-level magic until just before its release.
This was far beyond the number of Circles—beyond comprehension, a product of extraordinary talent.
Moreover, the Mage Ilphirim’s avatar faced appeared very young.
She naturally assumed it was a disguise, but if it wasn’t…
In no time, they would become a nearly untouchable existence, reaching Lord level or higher.
Moved by Ilphirim’s strong insistence, the Demon nodded slowly.
They would thicken the encirclement and immediately pursue and eliminate that Mage once the union was complete.
Declaring that it would handle the matter personally, the Demon reassured Ilphirim momentarily.
At that moment,
Boom!
A wave of mana swept through the underground fortress.
Chaos erupted among the Devil Worshippers.
Judging by the form of the wave, the epicenter was quite far away.
Still, the fact that such energy reached them in wave form left the Dark Wizards bewildered.
Calculating backward, the amount of mana generated at the epicenter was truly astronomical.
The Demon with six pairs of eyes was equally perplexed.
The direction from which the wave emanated was close to the underground city where Ilphirim had lost her forces.
Zzzt!
The Demon shared its vision with one of its minions outside.
One of its eyes turned completely black, projecting the external scenery to the Demon.
Through this eye, the Demon saw the restless atmosphere and clouds being sucked into a single point.
The Demon froze entirely.
Not long after, the time limit for sharing vision ended, causing the eye to burst.
Unable to close its remaining eyes, the Demon mulled over the scene it had just witnessed.
The more it mulled, the more an unpleasant sense of déjà vu washed over it, something it didn’t want to acknowledge.
“Witch…?”
Centuries ago,
There was a woman referred to as a “Witch” even by Devil Worshippers.
This woman brought theoretical magic, deemed barely established and impossible to realize, into reality.
She often called this magic “Great Fortress Annihilation Magic.”
It was an obvious deception and mockery.
This magic was a calamity capable of not just destroying a city but leveling entire nations.
Even at her peak, with all kinds of support, the woman managed to cast this magic only twice.
And those two instances dealt the most painful blows to the Devil Worshippers of that time.
The horrifying scenes from those days were resurfacing beyond the Demon’s field of vision.
“Impossible.”
The Demon refused to accept it.
That magic could not possibly manifest within mere hours.
Above all, if someone attempted to cast such grand magic, they should have been detected long ago.
It was impossible to conceal the presence of such a massive spell.
Even back then, when the woman attempted to cast this magic, demon worshippers trying to stop her and her forces defending her engaged in fierce battles lasting over a day.
That was the kind of magic it was.
But what the Demon had just confirmed through its vision showed otherwise.
The phenomenon occurring signified the magic entering its final stage.
“Impossible…”
The Demon tried to deny reality again.
However, the haunting silver eyes filled with hatred it had seen through illusions hours ago resurfaced in its mind.
The Demon had mocked its owner back then.
It had deceived the other party, promising a grand welcome if they came.
Now, the Demon could no longer smile.
Breathing heavily, the Demon turned around.
Within the pillar of light, ancient destruction was on the verge of merging.
The entire facility of the underground fortress had been remodeled to assist in the merger, making it impossible to move the corpses now.
“Kill…!”
With eleven eyes wide open, the Demon screamed into the air.
“Kill!!! Kill and stop it!!!”
The Demon’s anger, determination, and seeping fear were transmitted to its subordinates.
The demons surrounding the underground city where Ray and Ulte were stationed began screaming.
Ugly demons and their leaders, who guided them in the middle, trampled over the corpses of dead demons as they surged into the underground city.
Though they roared ferociously, they too were gripped by fear.
Seeing the transformed enemies, Ray and Ulte steadied their breathing.
There was no turning back now.
Having come this far, they couldn’t allow Luna’s magic manifestation to be interrupted.
Crack!!
All the armaments possessed by Ray and Ulte deployed simultaneously.
The “3 hours” promised by Luna was almost up.
Ray and Ulte exchanged glances, bumped fists once, and grasped their weapons.
This was their final mission here.
Prayer (3)
