Chapter 153
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153
The madman strategy.
The phrase flashed through my mind.
I had been acting irrationally, illogically, making impulsive choices that put my own safety on the line. Because of that, Akbaran had plunged into a chaos far greater than its rulers had ever anticipated.
I had willingly thrown my own life onto the scales.
Everyone values their life. Even those who chased ideals they considered more precious than life itself did not treat their own lives cheaply.
My status, my career—everything I’d built.
I was an ambitious man. I had always acted boldly to climb the ladder. For a bottom-feeder like me to make it this far, I’d had to risk my life at every turn. I had only reached this position because I’d won gamble after gamble where failure meant death.
And yet, I had just thrown away the very status I had risked everything to build.
Even I hadn't expected to act this way.
I had agonized over my choices endlessly, even after the Storm Era began.
Which is precisely why the Emperor couldn't have predicted my actions.
To get what I wanted, I had chosen only the options that led to mutual destruction—choices that were deeply uncomfortable for the Emperor.
My actions and decisions had dealt him a staggering blow. In a way, it was only natural. That had been my entire motivation.
...I found the entire situation repulsive. No matter how many grand excuses I made, that was the essence of it. I hated seeing things play out exactly as the Emperor intended.
A rebellious streak.
It was a nasty temperament that had always been a part of me.
I, too, had tried to make rational decisions. But none of the rational options appealed to me.
And so, without even realizing it, I had adopted a madman strategy. How utterly infuriating my existence must have been to the Emperor. The thought almost made me laugh.
The Shadows, with their full-body prosthetics, must be one of the Emperor's last resorts.
We didn't know the true nature of the Emperor's power—the one Ivan had warned us about. But excluding that unknown power, the Shadows were his strongest weapon.
The Emperor deployed the Shadows, a force he wanted to keep hidden from the world, right out in the open. That's how cornered he is.
He had scraped together his elite forces just to intercept us. Even if he emerged victorious tonight, he wouldn’t be able to suppress the rumors about his secret guard.
A direct unit under the Emperor that didn't even exist on the official roster. Once their existence was revealed, the theory that the Emperor’s goal was the "dehumanization of soldiers" would gain traction. He would face immense difficulties ruling in the future.
But I haven't succeeded yet. It's too early to celebrate.
...I was still the one on the defensive. At this rate, the Emperor would take a hit, but our side would be wiped out completely.
"Luka, if you have any hidden cards, you had better play them now. I can’t think of any way to stop them," Fransek said, drawing a blade from his sleeve. He, too, was preparing to fight. Fransek's camp was already collapsing from the outside in.
The full-armor prosthetics that had dropped from the sky were closing in, mercilessly slashing and stabbing the soldiers. Small-arms fire was useless, their bullets ricocheting harmlessly off the advanced armor. Even heavy explosions did little more than momentarily stall their advance.
Fransek and I are surrounded.
It sounded absurd, but it was the truth. Twenty-two full-armor prosthetics were pressing in on the army—and on us—from all sides. There was nowhere to run but up.
"Is there no aerial vehicle we can call in this weather? Something special, reserved for the Imperial Family?"
"If there were, I would have called it long ago. Even the attendants who served me in the Imperial Palace belong to my father. The only people I truly have are the ones gathered here."
Until just a few days ago, Fransek had harbored no intention of rebelling. He was utterly unprepared for such an unexpected turn of events.
"I-I surrender! I surrender!"
"I was blackmailed! My loyalty lies with His Majesty...!"
Those who had lost their will to fight before even trying screamed their surrender. Since this faction had been swept up in the heat of the moment, even a single crack was enough to cause a total collapse.
And then, the cunning traitors began to emerge.
Bang!
I whipped out my pistol and fired. The bullet lodged itself squarely in the eye of a nobleman who had been aiming for the back of Fransek's neck.
"Kugh, ack, cough!"
The nobleman clutched his shattered eye and fled in a panic.
Fransek's forces crumbled like dry sand. Soldiers who had acted brave moments ago were now trembling on the ground or scrambling to find an escape route.
The nobles and officers were no different. The shrewd ones, who had been watching Fransek, noticed my presence and tried to slip away quietly.
Crunch!
But the Shadows singled them out, killing the fleeing nobles and officers. The sensors in the full-armor prosthetics must have pinpointed the key figures, even in the midst of the crowd.
"I'll say this now, in case I don't get the chance if our defenses fail. Your Highness, you did your best. This situation is my fault. I'm sorry, Fransek."
Even as I spoke, my brain was analyzing the situation, desperately searching for a path to survival.
Some of the Imperial Guards involved in the civil war tried to fight their way toward us, but they lacked the strength to stop the Shadows.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. If it weren't for you, I would have died without ever knowing the truth. Even if the truth hurts, I believe it is better than a lie."
Even if the truth hurts, it is better than a lie. Those words were a comfort to me now.
Click.
Fransek gripped a gun and a blade, just like an Imperial Guardsman.
My brain was burning. As the effects of the drugs began to wear off, my head throbbed with heat.
Creak, creak.
And then, a jarring sensation ground my train of thought to a halt.
Something is wrong.
My intuition screamed that something was amiss. I had to decipher it, and fast. A moment's delay would mean the end.
The soldiers who run away or surrender aren't being killed.
The Shadows ignored the common soldiers as long as they didn't show any hostility.
But the nobles and officers... they're being killed if they run.
They shot down or pursued any fleeing commander to eliminate them. And yet, not all of them were dying.
The nobles and officers aren't being killed if they surrender.
This fact was bizarre.
Is there any reason for the Emperor to spare nobles who rebelled?
In my mind, there was none. One of the Emperor's goals was to weed out and execute rebellious nobles. Summary execution was far more efficient than capturing them for a trial.
They aren't even using weapons of mass destruction. With so many full-armor prosthetics gathered, they must have access to high-yield explosives...
The Shadows were keeping casualties to a minimum.
"Your Highness, you must put down your weapons."
"Are you telling me to give up? Even if we survive here in disgrace, it will only be a temporary reprieve..."
"There's no time to explain! Hurry!" I shouted. And with good reason—one of the Shadows was raising its rifle toward us.
Thud.
Fransek and I dropped our weapons. I raised my hands first, signaling my surrender.
My madman strategy succeeded?
I kept thinking about Kinuan's message, my thoughts circling around it. I couldn't afford to miss a single clue that flashed through my mind.
My success means the Emperor is willing to make concessions. He's willing to compromise. So what did he concede?
My thoughts stalled. I was missing too much information.
Gather the other pieces, Luka. Fit them into the blanks. Quickly, figure out the picture Kinuan painted!
The Shadow kept its rifle aimed at Fransek and me, but my prediction held. It didn't pull the trigger.
"Your Highness, order the remaining men," I whispered. Whatever was happening, we had to preserve as much of Fransek's force as possible. We couldn't afford to lose anyone else.
"Everyone, surrender! Do not resist!" Fransek's voice rang out instantly.
The soldiers had lost their will to fight long ago. Though the nobles and officers were bewildered, they too put down their weapons.
Whirrrr, whir.
One of the full-armor prosthetic Shadows approached us. It scanned us, then bowed respectfully to Fransek.
"Your... Highness... is... first... in... the... line... of... succession. Please... preserve... your... royal... person."
Fransek fell silent, his face contorting. He, too, must have realized how bizarre this was.
Why emphasize the line of succession now?
It was a known fact that Fransek was ostensibly first in line. Was there any reason to state it out loud in a situation like this?
Furthermore, the Shadows didn't even look at me. Not a single one paid me any attention. They treated me as if I were just one of Fransek's subordinates.
I was the one who had gravely offended the Emperor. Yet, the Shadows showed no signs of wariness toward me, nor did they issue any warnings.
It's as if I don't even exist.
What in the world was happening in Akbaran?
"Wasn't your goal to wipe us out?" I asked the Shadow's back.
It paused for a moment, then continued walking without a word.
Think again, Luka.
Where did I lose the thread? Gather the clues, rearrange the information, and force the answer out.
I didn't bother to wipe the blood trickling from my nose.
Snap!
I almost lost consciousness. I felt something break inside my head. A blood vessel, maybe something else.
Unintentionally, my plan became a madman strategy. And Kinuan said it succeeded.
What compromise did the Emperor make because of me? Why did the Shadows come here? Why aren't they killing us? Am I not an important target? If my strategy succeeded, shouldn't they have talked to me first? Why did they bring up the line of succession to Fransek?
Whirrrrr!
I focused so intensely that the sounds around me stretched into a high-pitched whine. I tracked the Shadows' movements, identified their destination. I saw where they were headed.
Ivan Cracia?
The Shadows were walking toward the command vehicle where Ivan was being held.
...I was struck with a wave of pure horror.
"N-No way... This is... impossible..."
My deduction pointed to a single conclusion. But it was a conclusion that simply could not be.
What on earth had happened?
What on earth?
Why?
How did this picture come together?
Why did it turn out like this?
Does this even make any sense?
Right now, at this very moment?
I felt a shock as if the world were collapsing around me. I had arrived, all alone, at a conclusion that no one else here could have possibly anticipated.
And I didn't even know if that conclusion was a blessing or a curse.
Everything was confusing—no, it was utterly bizarre.
Only a tangled mess of chaos whispered reality in my ear.
Thud.
I collapsed. Blood poured from my eyes, nose, and mouth.
Beeeeeeep.
Tinnitus screamed in my ears, and my auditory vision narrowed drastically. I could barely perceive my immediate surroundings.
"Luka? Y-You can't collapse now. It's not over yet. Heilas will do something..." Fransek said, trying to support me.
"...No. Everything just ended," I managed in a raspy voice, the taste of blood thick in my throat.
Crunch! Bang!
The sound of the command vehicle being ripped open echoed in the distance. Through my blurry, narrow field of hearing, the scene played out as if viewed through a pinhole.
How could this be?
The questions wouldn't stop. If I kept thinking, I would die.
Right. Here is the easiest way to kill an Akies Victima user. Just toss an unsolvable, unprovable conundrum right in front of them and call it reality.
I was still the only one who understood the situation. Even Ivan, the one at the center of it all, probably knew nothing.
Slide!
A Shadow pulled Ivan out of the command vehicle. Ivan, his prosthetic body half-destroyed, was brought out while still seated in his chair.
Thud!
The Shadow who had retrieved him dropped to one knee, showing the utmost respect.
Ah, so my guess was right after all.
I had hoped until the very end that I was wrong. No, was this really the next best option? Did the current I created truly bring about a different result? Is this a better outcome for me?
It was hard to think anymore. I didn't know. Too many threads were tangled together.
Thud! Thud!
One by one, the Shadows arrived before Ivan and knelt. The sight of twenty-two full-armor prosthetics swearing allegiance in unison must have been a terrifying spectacle.
"His... Majesty... has... passed... away. In... accordance... with... Imperial... law..."
The astounding words flowed from the dry, mechanical voice of the lead Shadow. The faces of those who heard it must have twisted in shock.
The full-armor prosthetic's speech was slow, each word carefully articulated.
To summarize, it was simple. Emperor Yuri Cracia was dead. Because of that, the Shadows had appeared before the next Emperor.
And the next Emperor registered in the Empire's line of succession was not Fransek, but Ivan.
"...Therefore... the... next... leader... of... the... subjects... and... protector... of... the... Empire... is... you. I... van... Cra... cia."
"The... bloodline... of... the... founding... shall... guide... our... path... forward."
"Long... live... Cra... cia."
The Shadows spoke, their voices chillingly devoid of emotion.
"Luka, what... what is happening right now?" Fransek stammered, his words as stilted as the Shadows'. It was a situation that could turn even the most eloquent speaker into a fool.
I felt the same way. I had no idea what was what. They said the Emperor was dead, but was it even true? Was he faking his death to escape this crisis?
No, that's impossible.
The Imperial Family was obsessed with legitimacy and justification for their rule above all else. If they resorted to such a shallow lie, the family's authority would collapse even if they survived this night.
One of the Shadows stood and whispered something into Ivan's ear.
"...It is the mandate of heaven."
Emperor Ivan Cracia uttered his first words. Though he was in a state where he couldn't even support his own body, a powerful life force surged from him—a dynamic energy so intense that even I could feel it through my fading senses.
Ivan was like a newborn. A bundle of life that could do nothing on its own.
And yet, he held infinite possibilities.