Survivors of the Fallen Kingdom
The army charged toward the contaminants with a thunderous roar of “Glory to the Empire!” It was a sight I had seen countless times, so familiar that the corner of my mouth twitched upward. The things I had prepared had arrived safely.
Before departing from the south for the capital, I had sensed the power of an Outer God from Princess Arleah. I immediately contacted Scarlet. I told her that the princess carried the aura of an Outer God, that a purge of contaminants would likely be necessary, and to prepare as many superhumans as the southern region could muster.
Under normal procedures, I should have shared the information with Supervisor Lucas and Lieutenant Meln, followed legal channels, and gathered personnel. But…
That would have taken far too long.
Ordering an army to prepare for contaminants wasn’t something a mere major, lieutenant, or supervisor could do. If contaminants failed to appear after such a command, the Empire would have to shoulder massive responsibility. And ordinary officers didn’t have the power to bear that kind of burden.
Besides, who would believe some random stranger claiming that contaminants were about to appear and demanding superhumans be readied? Even if they somehow pushed through all those obstacles and succeeded, it would still take at least two weeks.
In that regard, Scarlet was the perfect person for the job. As the Empire’s second star on the surface, she had the authority to mobilize troops at her own discretion.
When I suddenly reached out and told her to prepare an army in case of contaminants, her only response was a calm “Understood,” without a single question. Sure, she constantly showed up to rant about wanting to kill me, but in matters like this, she was an utterly reliable superhuman.
“Right, so….”
After confirming that the army of superhumans was handling the contaminants without much trouble, I turned my head to look at Princess Arleah. She had lowered the bow she was holding and was staring blankly as the contaminants she had gathered were being swept away.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“…….”
At my question, the princess’s gaze shifted toward me. But although her eyes turned my way, no answer came. It was hard to believe this was the same superhuman who had been firing arrows at me without the slightest hesitation just moments ago. She seemed to have received quite a shock.
I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what part had shaken her, but we couldn’t just stay like this forever, so I pressed on.
“I asked what you plan to do now.”
“What I plan to do…? I….”
“No, not you.”
The princess tried to speak in a trembling voice as I repeated the question. But I wasn’t addressing her. My eyes were fixed on what lay behind her.
“I’m talking to those damn specters.”
At my words, Princess Arleah’s eyes widened in shock.
“How did you…?”
“When someone’s practically shouting ‘I’m right here’ to the whole neighborhood, it’s a little hard to pretend I don’t notice.”
The sense of unease I had felt from the moment I first saw her. The aura of an Outer God I sensed at night. And the countless vengeful spirits that appeared the instant she drew out the royal scepter. Everything that had been hazy suddenly clicked into place.
I brushed a hand over my fully recovered body, then immediately drew up my mana. At the same time, I dusted off my hands and picked up the royal scepter that had fallen from the princess’s grasp.
The scepter violently rejected being held by anyone other than its contractor. It was only natural—touching a contractor’s artifact when you weren’t the contractor was strictly taboo. But I ignored the scepter’s resistance and looked at Princess Arleah. Or rather, at what was behind her.
[Kyle Amillan.]
[Enemy of the Kingdom.]
[Saboteur of the Great Ritual.]
[That damned Sword Demon.]
The faint figures became clear the moment I grasped the scepter. The spirits that had set their own bodies ablaze to cling to this world—the specters of a kingdom that no longer existed. The royal family of Raziel Kingdom all shouted at once.
[[Once again, you interfere with our plans.]]
Their cry made the ground tremble in unison. It wasn’t strong enough to knock anyone off their feet, but the vibration was clearly felt. Normally, spiritual beings could not influence the physical world no matter how firmly they anchored themselves to it. It seemed that receiving help from beings beyond the world had granted them an entirely different level of influence.
Still.
“A bunch of already dead things acting all high and mighty.”
They wouldn’t be able to do anything more from over there.
I listened to the specters with one ear and let it go out the other, frowning. No matter how much power they borrowed from an Outer God to affect the world, there were limits. And since they hadn’t received direct power from the gods of the Outer Sea but only indirect influence, breaking the world’s laws was impossible. At best, they could only strain against the rules with everything they had.
Well, it looked like they couldn’t even do that anymore.
[…….]
As if to prove my guess correct, even after my provocation the kingdom’s specters took no action. They simply glared at me with bloodshot eyes. I asked them directly.
“What lingering attachment is so strong that you remain as souls, even borrowing the power of an Outer God? The ritual is over. There’s nothing left to continue, is there?”
The grand ritual to summon an Outer God that had targeted all of Raziel Kingdom. The royal family’s plan to tear open the world’s boundary and create a path for a god of the Outer Sea by sacrificing every citizen and their own souls had been completely stopped by me.
[Interferer of the ritual.]
[Movements as if you could see the future.]
[Actions no one would believe.]
[We were left utterly helpless with no chance to respond.]
“…….”
The specters’ voices rang out as if they were one. When I thought about what I had done to stop Raziel Kingdom’s ritual, it was understandable that they would see it that way. Unlike now, that ritual had been firmly incorporated into one of the game’s main episodes, so I had been able to block it exactly according to the established flow.
Since I had played the game for a long time, I hadn’t forgotten the strategy even after all this time. I had simply followed the guide step by step. To them, those movements must have seemed utterly unreasonable.
[However.]
[Now we know.]
[That unreasonableness.]
[Was not simply due to our own inadequacy.]
[But because it had been predetermined by that damned fate.]
That damned fate, huh.
I had plenty to say about that, but… from the way they spoke, it seemed they had roughly figured it out after connecting with the Outer God.
“So what if it was bound by fate? The fact that your ritual failed remains unchanged.”
At my question, the souls resonated all at once.
[Indeed.]
[We failed.]
[However.]
[That does not mean it is over.]
[Just as you said.]
[We are still alive.]
As the souls resonated, the flames surrounding them grew larger. Their influence still could not reach the physical world, but for some reason an instinctive warning screamed in my head that I couldn’t let them continue.
“What the hell are you trying to do?”
[We were caught in fate.]
[And now we have escaped it.]
[So now.]
[It is time to recreate fate.]
At the same time, the contaminants scattered in every direction began to burn all at once. It wasn’t ordinary fire—it carried the power of an Outer God. An undying flame. The pitch-black flames continued advancing toward the superhumans who were purging the contaminants.
“Increase the distance!”
Thanks to the commanders quickly reorganizing the superhumans, there were still no casualties, but—
Whoosh.
“Kuaaaagh—!”
“I can’t get past this!”
“What the hell is this…!”
Even when they soared into the sky, the flames chased them to the end. The ground was already too hot to approach. The army of superhumans was trapped within the contaminants’ black flames.
Watching the scene, I spoke.
“You’re planning to restart the ritual?”
[[Yes.]]
At their answer, I thought for a moment. We had already deviated from the game’s storyline. There were no set events or strategies left here. This was a situation without the unreasonable fate they spoke of. In that case, Princess Arleah would…
“She’ll be the vessel, I suppose.”
[Correct.]
[The most suitable vessel.]
[Chosen by the gods of the Outer Sea.]
[To accept a divine soul.]
[Using that child’s soul as a medium.]
[The gods shall descend.]
Instead of the kingdom’s already failed ritual, they would use a living superhuman. And if it was Princess Arleah—who had partially resolved seven of her blocked meridians and earned the title of Divine Archer, proving her talent—she might just be able to endure an Outer God’s descent.
But the price would be her death. The descent of an Outer God was not something any mere mortal, no matter how powerful a superhuman, could withstand.
Knowing that, the reason Arleah had still come all the way here was…
“Carla.”
I clicked my tongue and called out a name.
“Yes.”
A woman appeared from thin air as if she had been waiting. I stared at the woman Scarlet had sent and spoke.
“Scarlet sent you, right?”
“Yes.”
“She must have given you something to pass to me.”
“That is correct.”
Scarlet Frausia’s adjutant. The one who perfectly understood and carried out her superior’s will. So many nobles had tried to win her over for that ability. And now that very woman knelt before me and offered a single sword.
A rusted, chipped, worn-out iron sword that looked like it could no longer be swung. I lifted it once. Even though it had been a while, the grip felt perfectly familiar, as if I had been holding it just moments ago.
Seeing me take the sword, Carla quietly murmured.
“It’s been a while.”
I ignored her murmur, swung the sword once toward the barrier trapping the superhumans, and—
Stage 1 Seal Released. Sequence Initiated.
Replicating the Sword Demon’s Strike.
Kwaaaaaaaaang—!
With a single slash, the barrier of black flames was completely obliterated.