Chapter 823
Chapter 823
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 823
Chapter Title: Tyrant for You
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Aura surged along my sword and theirs.
I had no idea what the odds were. I couldn't objectively gauge just how strong I was right now. But one thing was certain: the thought of losing never even crossed my mind.
'Acceleration.'
I activated the skill. The Royal Guard knights and I kicked off the ground simultaneously. I charged straight ahead, while they fanned out to the sides, attempting to encircle me. They weren't about to squander their numerical advantage. Their movements were cold and efficient.
Kaboom!
"Grghhh!"
The knight who collided with me gritted his teeth. His sword dipped downward. He couldn't withstand my strength. I poured more power into my blade, and he let out a scream.
"Gaaahhh!"
I heard the sound of his arm snapping under the strain.
My sword reached his body. The blade, cloaked in blue aura, sliced through his armor like butter. Red blood sprayed from his neck and chest.
I leaped upward, stepping on his collapsing body. Dozens of swords thrust into the spot where I'd just been standing. The knights had surrounded me.
'Thunderbolt.'
Bzzzt-crackle!
My body plummeted to the ground wreathed in brilliant blue lightning. The knights, electrocuted by the discharge, froze in place. I seized the opening and swung my sword in a wide arc around me.
Half the Royal Guard knights were cleaved apart. They collapsed to the floor, spurting blood. Even in the face of their comrades' deaths, they showed no panic, swinging their swords to kill me. Dealing with them one by one would have been impossible against the full force of the kingdom right now.
But not a single one of their blades touched my skin. Though their swords were wrapped in aura, Stormbreaker's durability far exceeded their wildest imaginings. To pierce my armor, they'd need at least an aura blade—and the swordsmanship to match.
"That armor is..."
"Our attacks aren't even landing...!"
"Hold him off! Stop the traitor!"
The knights' morale plummeted at the armor's resilience. I didn't let the opportunity slip, cutting them down one by one.
Wading through a sea of blood, I headed for the Great Hall. There was no time for hesitation. Time wasn't on my side.
'Once enough time passes, the knight orders and soldiers will swarm in. Even with Stormbreaker, I can't take them all alone.'
I smashed open the Great Hall's grand, ornate doors with my fist.
Kaboom!
The doors flew open as if they might shatter, and countless eyes from the feast turned to me. Chaos erupted in an instant.
Click.
At my will, the helmet opened automatically and retracted into the armor. Today, a new emperor would ascend the throne. They needed to see exactly who that emperor was.
I slowly turned my head, scanning the room. Those my gaze fell upon shrank back. Was it because this was a romance fantasy world? The men and women alike were, on average, stunningly attractive.
"Eugene Bellacaros?! Why is he here...!"
"C-Calm down, look behind him! All the Royal Guard knights guarding the Great Hall are dead!"
"Bwaaaagh!"
"Treason! It's treason!!"
A red carpet stretched from the entrance straight to the throne. I stepped onto it. My blood-soaked footprints were hidden by the crimson fabric. Fixing my eyes straight ahead, I walked forward slowly.
The face of the man on the throne twisted in rage. Long black hair reaching his shoulders, a beard cascading down his chest.
He possessed an emperor's charisma. Or at least, that's what someone unfamiliar with the original story might think. The current emperor was a pathetic, greedy wretch. In a proper empire, the ministers would fear the emperor's gaze—but with this one, it was the opposite.
"Eugene! You filthy cur! Get out of here this instant!"
The emperor's roar echoed through the hall. But that didn't stop my advance.
Thud! Bang-bang!
The emperor slammed his fists on the throne, venting his frustration and fury. It had the desired effect. Before I'd even crossed half the red carpet, a middle-aged man stepped forward to block me. A red aura blade formed along his sword.
He was Count Yulhanes Lairrot, Captain of the Royal Guard. An aura master... no, in this world, one of the elite who had reached Sword Master.
"Your Highness Eugene. You've gone too far. Drop your sword and surrender."
Your Highness.
The title reserved for imperial family members in this world. But according to the knowledge in my head, few ever called me that. Not just the nobles—even the servants. Most people referred to me as Lord Eugene. It was a sign they didn't acknowledge me as royalty, but until now, there were no repercussions for it.
"Captain of the Royal Guard. You're useful. Step aside. I'll put you to good use later."
"My loyalty belongs solely to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor."
"Understood. Then die with honor."
Click.
As I stepped forward with battle intent, the helmet automatically deployed.
Unlike me in full armor, Yulhanes—dressed in feast attire—bent his knees, lowered his torso, and drew his sword back. My eyes locked on his blade. A mass-produced sword. He'd probably grabbed it hastily amid the chaos.
But I couldn't underestimate it. That red aura blade was more threatening than any famed sword.
'An aura blade, huh... Let's see what you've got.'
I shifted my gaze to the sword in my hand. The blue-flame aura flickered like living fire. Following my instincts, I circulated mana. I compressed the aura. Giving form to the formless. The blue flames liquefied, coating the blade.
"An impressive aura blade. You've been hiding your power."
"Yeah, well, that's all it looks like to you."
"Your Highness Eugene. That armor isn't some ordinary treasure. Where on earth did you get it?"
"Yulhanes!!!"
The emperor's bellow exploded. It was a demand to stop the pointless chatter and end my life. Yulhanes let out a small sigh. He'd been trying to stall for time until the knights and soldiers arrived by engaging me in talk, but the foolish emperor couldn't see through his intentions.
'Moment.'
Yulhanes unleashed his aura blade. A small explosion erupted. Using the blast as propulsion, he closed in on me. Thanks to Moment, I could see his movements crystal clear.
'Using the aura blade's explosion—that must be Yulhanes's unique swordsmanship. Dangerous.'
Thanks to the [Tyrant Quality] correction, I'd just become a Sword Master, but the gap between us was still vast. He'd reached that realm decades ago.
'Only one way to close that gap.'
My senses expanded.
My blue aura blade sharpened further, electricity crackling along the edge.
I chained Moments in rapid succession. Our swords clashed. An explosion rang out. Yulhanes and I were both repelled.
Part of the Stormbreaker armor tore away. My body creaked in protest.
To buy a moment to reset my stance, I unleashed a discharge. Yulhanes had taken even worse damage than me—he wouldn't charge right away. Or so I thought. But he barreled through the electric current, drenched in his own blood, lunging at me with unyielding resolve to kill me before the chance slipped away.
Yulhanes's sword grazed my shoulder. Sparks flew as blade met armor. The armor began to yield, slowly slicing open.
'Moment.'
I swung the sword in my right hand. Yulhanes, already braced for it, reacted swiftly, twisting into my guard. I'd won. He needed to pull back outward.
Using Stormbreaker's duplicate function, I conjured a sword in my left hand. The blade pierced his chest dead-center.
Yulhanes dropped to one knee, vomiting blood. In his final moments, he looked up at me.
"Your Highness... please, show mercy to the Empire..."
Yulhanes died. I removed my helmet and glanced at my left shoulder. The armor there was sliced open. A split second slower, and his blade would have embedded in my flesh. The severed section began regenerating slowly. Self-repair was one of Stormbreaker's functions.
Stepping past Yulhanes's corpse, I approached the throne.
The emperor, who moments ago had raged at me defiantly, now trembled, his eyes wide with terror.
"D-Don't come closer. I am your father—and the master of this empire!"
"I know. Father."
My steps didn't falter. I ascended the stairs to the throne. The nobles around the emperor recoiled in horror.
"I commanded you to stop...!!"
The emperor lurched to his feet. But his hands clung to the throne, unable to let go. Pathetic, even with death staring him down.
"You've worked hard clinging to a throne that never fit you."
The emperor sank back into the throne. No—he crumpled under my presence.
I extended my left hand, seizing his shoulder and yanking him from the seat.
"Insolent whelp! Release me! Let go, I say! Royal Guard! Seize this traitor!"
The emperor flailed wildly, shrieking to escape me, but he was powerless. I raised the sword in my right hand. No need for an aura blade. Overkill for scum like him.
"I-I'm your father! P-Put that sword away! What do you think you're doing?!"
"What am I doing? Can't you see? I'm ascending the throne, Father."
I flashed a rotten grin. I'd delivered every line I'd always wanted to say. No more reason to hesitate.
Stab.
The blade pierced the emperor's gut. It didn't stop there. I withdrew and severed his head. It rolled to my feet.
Screams erupted around me.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"His Imperial Majesty has been assassinated by the traitor!"
"Knights! Where are the knights?!"
"We must inform First Prince! No—tell the Empress first!"
The nobles panicked. None dared draw a sword on me. True loyalty might have spurred even a dagger in my path. But most nobles gathered here were nobodies. The real powers had snubbed the 13th Prince's coming-of-age ceremony.
'13th Prince... 12th in line. Anything outside the top 10 is hopeless.'
The emperor had attended because it was his child; most royals hadn't. I glanced sideways. A woman slinking away caught my eye. The 5th Empress, mother to the 13th Prince. Empress-like beauty, as expected.
I turned back. She wouldn't escape the palace anyway. She wouldn't even try.
'Killing the emperor doesn't make me emperor.'
It wasn't that simple, like in a game.
Soon, the First Prince would arrive with knights and soldiers to kill me and claim the throne. Legitimacy lay with him.
'No one supports me. So... I'll crush them all with raw power.'
I stood right before the throne.
The reason the original story's male lead could become emperor? He'd attained humanity's pinnacle of power.
I raised my sword and smashed the throne's left armrest. It shattered, revealing a golden chalice inside. I grasped it. Cold and hard.
The Holy Grail.
The first Bellacaros Emperor had transcended humanity with this grail, founding the empire.
I opened the lid. Blood-red liquid filled it. Holy elixir accumulated over more than 200 years. I threw it back in one gulp.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
No taste. Just searing heat. My throat burned as it went down, absorbed instantly by my stomach, the fire spreading through my entire body.
Clang.
The grail rolled across the floor.
Feeling my whole body surge with power, I sat on the throne. I propped my elbow on the right armrest and rested my chin on my hand.
My gaze turned to one side of the Great Hall, where the court orchestra was gathered.
"Music."
The musicians flinched at my single word. I understood. Even I was shocked by the sheer authority in my voice.
"Today is a joyous day. Play something lively."