Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: The Emperor's Demise
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Black clouds swirled in the sky above the pierced imperial capital.
“Ooh!! God!”
The emperor knelt and cried out with his arms spread wide.
“I’m no god. I’m a demon.”
“What?”
The emperor’s eyes widened at my words.
A child wearing suspenders descended from the center of the clouds.
“Gaf, are you going to keep that form from now on?”
“Yeah. I like it.”
He looked exactly like the child I’d seen before, but without the restrictions from Earth, his presence felt several times stronger.
“You vanished suddenly. Why are you here?”
“To take him.”
Gaf pointed at the emperor.
“As I thought... it was your doing?”
“Are you my god? Show me... show me the future!”
The emperor crawled toward Gaf.
“It took you long enough. What a delicious-looking soul this is.”
Gaf gazed at the emperor with eyes like he was looking at a tasty delicacy.
“To think he’d fall this far just from seeing fragments of the future. Even I’m surprised at my own handiwork.”
“What... do you mean?”
“Humans always fall when I show them the future, right? Of course, you’re the first human I’ve seen fall this deep. Out of all the seeds I scattered, you grew the biggest.”
The emperor stared blankly at Gaf and me for a long while.
“I... fell for a demon’s scheme?”
The emperor’s eyes trembled. In utter despair and confusion, he couldn’t muster any reaction.
“That’s right. Now your soul is mine. As a final gift...”
The emperor’s eyes turned white, and his body aged rapidly in an instant. He stared at something with those whitened pupils.
The emperor’s eyes returned to their cloudy yellow.
“Ah... all my struggles were meaningless. Now it’s your responsibility.”
The emperor looked at me and spoke, then his body crumbled into dust.
“Seriously... at least tell me what you saw before dying...”
He left me hanging and died.
The soul that emerged from the emperor’s body was sucked into Gaf’s mouth.
“Mmm!!! This is why I can’t resist corrupting humans!”
Gaf shuddered in delight.
“...Do you even know how many humans died because of you...”
Killing intent surged within me.
“No, fewer died thanks to me.”
“What?”
“If he hadn’t unified, even more would have died. They wouldn’t have held out against the gates at all? Well, that would’ve been fine in its own way, but I’m just letting you know since you value lives so much.”
I couldn’t tell how much of Gaf’s words were truth or lies.
“See you later~”
Gaf entered the black cloud vortex, which soon dispersed and vanished.
“Lord Joshua...”
The imperial soldiers, who had only watched because they never imagined he’d die, were left stunned.
“Who’s next in line after the emperor in the empire?”
“...”
Everyone’s gazes turned to one person.
A noble in his sixties, dressed in fine clothes, stood there.
“It’s finally over...”
“Who are you?”
“I am the Prime Minister of the Empire, Alexis Theobald Ignatius Bernardorf von Reinhardt Unterbeltheim Count.”
“...Okay. Alex.”
“No, my name is...”
“Alex, lift the communication interference magic right now.”
I couldn’t locate Nayoung because of the East Continent’s communication block.
“...Understood.”
Surprisingly, Alex accepted my request without argument.
“Your Excellency! We can’t cooperate with the likes of him! We must avenge His Majesty the Emperor right—”
Bam!
I side-kicked the chestplate of the knight yelling at Alex, sending it flying.
My footprint was imprinted on the thick chestplate embedded in the wall. Blood poured from the knight’s mouth as he lost consciousness.
“Everyone, stand down! You think you can take on the one who defeated Lord Joshua? The empire is finished. Any more sacrifices are pointless. No resistance or foolishness.”
Everyone ground their teeth and lowered their eyes. On the count’s face, more than anger at the empire’s destroyer, there was relief that it was all over.
The count pulled a fist-sized communication orb from his pocket.
“This is Count Unterbeltheim. Immediately lift the communication interference magic and order all forces to retreat to safe zones.”
[What? If we do that, we’ll suffer massive losses from the West Continent’s attacks.]
“No, that won’t happen. I have a plan, so follow orders.”
[...Yes... Your Excellency.]
“You wanted the empire to lose.”
“I wanted the war to end. Too much innocent blood has been spilled.”
“Weren’t you on the empire’s side too?”
“...That’s not wrong.”
Alex seemed to be hiding something. In the meantime, a response came from the communication orb I’d been told to use to contact Nayoung.
“Nayoung! Where are you?”
[I’m sorry, but I’m not the one you’re looking for.]
“...I was told to contact Nayoung, so who are you?”
“Nella. I’m the one who shot the emperor with an arrow.”
“Ah, thanks for the support earlier. But I can’t talk long right now.”
[We can find your lover’s location. There should be an imperial official there. Hand him the communication orb, and he’ll open a gate.]
Alex approached and extended his hand, as if he’d already spoken with Nella.
Nella gave Alex the coordinates, and the imperial mages opened a gate.
One soldier emerged from the gate first.
“No abnormalities!”
After his report via communication orb, a tall blonde elf woman stepped out, a longbow slung on her back.
“...What’s your relation to Helen?”
Her face was identical to Helen, who’d terrorized Earth.
“Oh, right. You’re the one who killed Helen. She was my younger twin sister.”
“...”
“No grudges, so relax your fists. I knew long ago that naive girl had gone astray. I’m actually grateful you killed her before she piled up more sins.”
“Well... if that’s the case. Anyway, where’s Nayoung?”
At my question, Nella looked at the Alliance soldiers who’d come through first.
“We’ll confirm right away.”
He manipulated the communication orb to contact units inside the empire.
“By the way, were you the one who sniped the emperor from the West Continent earlier?”
“Yes, I can attack across space.”
“With someone like you around, why did the war drag on so long?”
“It’s not that convenient an ability. Tons of restrictions. My role was less assassinating the emperor and more tying you down here, Joshua. But thanks to you, both the emperor and Joshua are dead, so the West Continent’s lost its center and can’t rampage anymore.”
“Now the balance tips toward the West Continent. Watch yourselves and don’t rampage. I don’t want more enemies.”
“Threatening right after the war ends?”
“Those with power often forget their original purpose.”
“Hmm... we’ll have to manage the imperial people carefully.”
“Do whatever. I’m taking Nayoung and heading back to Earth.”
“No.”
“What?”
“You said not to rampage, but do you think anyone in the Alliance army hasn’t lost comrades or family to the West Continent scum? The moment they pour in, it’ll be a bloodbath.”
“Isn’t managing that your job as Grand Master?”
“My rage is just as fierce. How am I supposed to stop them?”
“...”
“So take responsibility.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you kill Joshua and the emperor? You manage this place.”
“...Are you insane? I’m from Earth. I never wanted deep involvement in Tellus affairs from the start.”
“I don’t care either way. You take it, or leave it to us and ignore what happens here.”
“...Damn it...”
“We’ve found Nayoung’s coordinates! Opening the gate!”
The communications soldier found the coordinates, passed them to the mages, and a gate opened.
“Oppa!!”
Nayoung leaped out of the gate and threw herself at me.
“I’m so glad you’re safe...”
“I was worried too. Nayoung, I told you to wait if something like this happens. Why’d you come alone again?”
“I waited a few days... and I didn’t come alone.”
“Ugh...”
“So, King Slayer. What’ll you do?”
“You?!”
I grabbed Nayoung’s hand as she raised her staff toward Nella.
“She’s the twin older sister. West Continent’s Grand Master Nella.”
“King Slayer? Oppa?”
I briefly explained everything that happened and Nella’s proposal.
“...I want to go back to Earth with you, Oppa.”
“Yeah?”
“But I came to the empire looking for you and saw the imperial citizens. Ordinary people caught in the war, suffering. If we leave them to get dragged into more fighting, I won’t be able to live with a clear conscience.”
“I figured you’d say that. But can we really help all these people on this vast land? We’re not even from this world.”
“That’s exactly why we can. If East Continent humans occupy it, the West Continent won’t stay quiet. Vice versa if we try to occupy—think the East Continent will sit still?”
Nella glanced at Alex. His expression said no way.
“We’ve taken too many lives from each other. That grudge won’t fade easily. They’ll fight to the bitter end. But you barely killed any imperial soldiers besides the emperor and Joshua. So the East Continent folks won’t resist much. Plus, it’s a might-makes-right place. No one’ll complain if you, Joshua’s killer, rule.”
“But the West Continent? Will they give up victor’s rights?”
“Slip them some war reparations, and they’ll quiet down. We started the war for peace, not conquest. I’ll crush any greedy ones. No sane person makes enemies of two Grand Masters—you and me. Just keep the East Continent in line.”
“You make it sound easy.”
“Anyway, rest up now. We’ll handle the details.”
Nella had Alex and the imperial leaders contact various places, forcing a full surrender.
Alex persuaded scattered imperial forces to surrender peacefully without resistance.
Nella and Alex clearly knew each other from before. They didn’t want people knowing now, so I’d ask about their relationship later.
Naturally, some imperial units resisted, but with communication and gate control seized, we swiftly crushed them by relocating forces. We cut off supplies to holdouts.
The nation run by the emperor and his puppet Masters crumbled without him.
The puppet Masters were good at pushing forward but couldn’t think independently, so no major resistance.
And so, the long war ended rather anticlimactically.
It was the moment the empire—which had wielded the greatest influence on Tellus under its mighty emperor—vanished from history.