Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Emperor of the Skies (2)
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A scream like tearing flesh echoed out. Soldiers and civilians were being devoured alive by the wyvern right before my eyes.
I spat curses and was about to charge at the wyvern with my greatsword raised.
But I couldn't. There was no sensation. Only then did I realize my waist had been sliced clean in two.
With my lower body gone, I couldn't even flee. The wyvern closing in on me was pure terror incarnate.
I swung my greatsword in desperation. But without my lower body, it carried no power and shattered in an instant.
Having completely neutralized its prey, the wyvern unhesitatingly opened its massive maw. And in that state, it...
"...Ha."
I opened my eyes. The hellish screams and sprays of blood had never existed in the first place.
A dream. More precisely, a nightmare... no, calling it an experience was probably more accurate.
I exhaled roughly and wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. I never wanted to go through being eaten alive again.
At first, I'd tried brute-forcing my way through the rockfall. But I soon realized that wasn't the answer.
I couldn't clear the rockfall alone. There were 50,000 troops behind me.
And behind them, 100,000 civilians. That was exactly why the wyvern had attacked.
Hunting.
To devour us, plain and simple. The wyvern saw us as nothing but food.
Soldiers and civilians alike. Even me, the commander, was no exception.
"Hoo."
My arms had been torn off and chewed like jerky. Two of them bit into my upper and lower body at the same time.
If there was any consolation, it was that only my upper body felt the pain after my lower half was ripped away.
Beyond that, I'd been crushed by rockfalls or cut in half during close-quarters combat with wyverns, dying over and over.
It was hard to believe this had all happened before even entering the Demon Realm.
As I let out a deep sigh, something suddenly tapped my head.
Wondering what it was, I turned to see... a black horse's hoof.
Prrr.
"...Is that supposed to be comforting?"
The dragon horse had quietly approached and lightly tapped my head with its hoof.
Who would've thought I'd get comforted by a horse? It was absurd, but it snapped me out of the nightmare's lingering haze, at least.
So what if I die? I'd died countless times already. This was just the first time being eaten alive.
I shook off the remnants of death and stood. The army had settled in a suitable spot for now.
"Lord Blackguard? You could rest more..."
"How could a commander sprawl out and sleep in a situation like this?"
"Still..."
"What's the situation?"
Princess Morgana, who had taken over command while I rested, immediately gave her report.
Fortunately, there were no fatalities, but there were a whopping 400 injured of varying severity.
Including those critically wounded, teetering between life and death.
"Over 400 injured before even entering the Demon Realm..."
"It's thanks to your quick response, Lord Blackguard, that it's only this many. Otherwise, the casualties would've been far worse."
"Her Highness is right."
Not just Princess Morgana, but Anna, who had been tending the wounded with the priests, backed her up.
Wyverns. One of the four major forces dominating the Demon Realm, known as the Emperors of the Skies.
Indeed... they hadn't earned that title just for show.
But having experienced it firsthand, one fundamental question arose.
"With monsters like wyverns living here, it's strange that Renheim Territory has operated without issue until now."
"I find that odd too. Before the current lord, Sir Sares Knivalt, took over, lords kept suiciding or dying mysteriously."
Renheim Territory wasn't far from the allied borders, so it inevitably needed a lord and garrison.
But with monsters popping out for human hunts left and right, how had it run smoothly?
Probably one of two things. Either this Knivalt was extraordinarily competent... or there was another reason.
"...This feels ominous."
With unease gnawing at me, I looked up. Renheim Territory was right before us.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Renheim.
True to its moniker "Purgatory," the state of the territory was a sight to behold. We'd already passed five ruined villages.
No patrols, not even guards until we reached Crotia Castle.
The far graver situation than expected had civilians on edge, and even imperial soldiers tense.
And I met this land's lord far sooner than anticipated.
He had pale skin and a gaunt frame, with every hair on his head fallen out.
"Pleased to meet you. I am Sares Knivalt, lord of Renheim."
"Cain Blackguard."
"I'm Morgana von Rubelion Ragna."
"I've heard much about you. Please, come inside..."
Knivalt naturally tried to guide us, and the others followed unsuspectingly.
Everyone except me. They might fool others.
But not me. I clearly sensed the aura of death from Knivalt.
The moment I recognized it, my greatsword was already out, slashing for his neck.
"L-Lord Blackguard?!"
"What are you doing?!"
"Your Highness, regretfully, Sir Knivalt is no longer among the living."
I calmly informed the shocked onlookers. Then, someone burst into laughter.
Laughing with the former lord's head rolling? Eyes searched for the madman.
But their faces soon hardened. The vulgar laughter came not from above, but below.
"Kuk, kukuku... Puhahaha!!"
"..."
"Impressive. Even the Empire was fooled for over five years... To see through it at a glance."
Knivalt's cleanly severed head laughed like a living man's. But my eyes couldn't be deceived.
Sares Knivalt was already dead. That thing wasn't him.
I raised my greatsword at the head on the ground and barked coldly.
"Reveal your true nature. Or face severe punishment."
"Necromancy manipulating corpses... Don't tell me, a necromancer?!"
"Oh? Her Highness knows well. How about allying with us..."
Splat!!
I didn't want to hear that grotesque, melting voice any longer, so I smashed the head with my greatsword.
The bisected head melted away without a trace.
"Wh-what in the world...!! A mere necromancer puppeteering corpses has been deceiving the court all this time...!!"
"Necromancer... If memory serves, one of the four major forces ruling the Demon Realm, right?"
"...Yes. If wyverns are Emperors of the Skies, they are masters of graves and tombstones."
In other words, we hadn't even entered the Demon Realm yet, and we'd already tangled with two of those vaunted four forces.
The silver lining? Someone to explain was right there.
I eyed the guards beside Knivalt. Fortunately, they bore no deathly aura.
"Tell me everything you know. Lie even a little, and you'll all face severe punishment."
"We're dead anyway. What's the point?"
"What do you mean?"
Despite me decapitating Knivalt out of nowhere, the guards showed no surprise.
They just stood there, faces resigned like it was inevitable.
Practically living corpses themselves. I clicked my tongue. What the hell?
"Wyverns and necromancers... They've joined forces. Two of the Demon Realm's four major powers, allied."
"Wyverns and necromancers allied?!"
"Yes. They killed Lord Knivalt effortlessly and said this: Keep the secret, or turn the territory into a living hell..."
The guards' detailed explanation left Princess Morgana, Master Grandel, and even the knights aghast.
So, wyverns and necromancers were actually allies? I crossed my arms and pondered.
Who to kill first.