Chapter 832
Chapter 832
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 832
Chapter Title: The Tyrant for You
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“Soldiers of the Empire! Did you see that clearly? The man who hides behind a woman is the lord you serve! Do you truly believe that filthy cur has the right to stand above you!?”
The already plummeting morale of the imperial army sank straight through the earth. The soldiers couldn't flee under the glaring eyes of the knights. But even those knights were wavering now.
“I shall say it once more! Soldiers of the Empire, drop your weapons! Our sole purpose is one: the neck of the tyrant who ruins the Empire! Once we achieve that, we will withdraw to our homeland at once! If you cannot bring yourself to drop your arms, then at least fall back from the Emperor's side! Ten minutes! I grant you exactly ten minutes!”
The soldiers began glancing my way. I remained utterly silent. A few among them started to run. A mounted knight chased after one soldier and cleaved him down with his sword.
Unable to stand it any longer, Luteon bellowed toward the soldiers.
“Do not waver at the enemy's words! What the foe spouts is mere deception to divide us! Raise your weapons for His Majesty the Emperor! Do not retreat for the Empire! We are honorable imperial citizens, while the enemy are the winged folk who crawled down from the mountains. The enemy have invaded the Empire and reached the capital! If we fall, every human in the Empire will be ravaged. Will you abandon your families to be defiled by the invaders?! We will drive out these invaders! Do not doubt His Majesty the Emperor!”
The Grand General delivered his speech to the soldiers. The power in his voice pushed back their fear. But that was all. The dire situation remained unchanged. Morale was still low.
…I cannot comprehend it. Does Luteon truly have no intention of betraying me?
Ever since falling under the Great Witch's curse until this very day.
I had deliberately shown openings. I even feigned suffering from the curse, coughing and wheezing. The nobles took the bait. Some sent assassins, while others gathered soldiers directly. The nobles dreamed of my death over tax issues, after all.
Yet Luteon never bared his fangs at me. There was no precursor to betrayal. As my loyal retainer, he slew assassins and dragged conspiring nobles before me on their knees.
When I ordered a village massacred, he led his army and razed it.
When I commanded him to fetch a viscount's daughter, he brought her without a word of protest.
By this point, I had no choice but to acknowledge it. For reasons unknown, Luteon was truly loyal to me.
“Grand General.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Rally the soldiers and hold them steady. Execute any who flee without mercy. I shall handle Harmel's army personally.”
“…I know of Your Majesty's power, but the enemy commands 300,000 strong. Moreover, Your Majesty is currently afflicted by the Great Witch's curse.”
I released Raflea's hair from my grasp. I loosened the top of my uniform slightly. Through the gap, blackened skin was visible. Half of my upper body was tainted by the curse.
“This curse, you mean?”
Heavenly Heart
Activates for 1 minute.
The effect of Heavenly Heart was physical enhancement and immunity to abnormal conditions. It even dispelled any pre-existing ailments. In other words, the Great Witch's curse that had gnawed at my body vanished with ridiculous ease.
“…Your Majesty! The curse…!!”
“Grand General. Rally the soldiers. Witness my greatness alongside them!”
I channeled psychokinesis over my body. It rose into the sky at my command.
“Stormbreaker. Fire Lotus Blade.”
I summoned the two weapons. They clashed against each other and fused into one. It was Stormbreaker's fusion ability. The fused weapon gained enhanced power.
Stormbreaker, merged with the Fire Lotus Blade, decomposed and enveloped my body, forming armor. Crackle, crackle. Crimson lightning danced around the armor.
I extended my hand. Arondight flew up from the ground.
“…Emperor! You bastard…! Was the Great Witch's curse a lie!?”
“The curse lifted just now. Didn't you see it with your own eyes?”
“Nonsense! A Great Witch's curse couldn't vanish so easily…. No, was there never a curse to begin with? You vile scum. It was all an act!”
“Too tiresome to explain. Think what you will. You'll be dead here anyway.”
“Even without the Great Witch's curse, nothing changes! The sky belongs to us and our soldiers! Soldiers! The Emperor dares enter our domain—welcome him gladly with feathers and spears!!”
Harmel's soldiers sprang into motion. They surrounded me, spears trained on my position. 300,000 enemy troops radiated killing intent solely for my death. The vigor of their wingbeats was immense. I felt as if I stood at the heart of a storm.
“You are mistaken. This is the Empire. All the Empire's land is mine, and its skies are my domain as well. You are mere invaders. The price for trespassing in my skies shall be your lives.”
“Wingless wretch, you dare claim the skies!? Fool! I can no longer tolerate your arrogance! Kill the Emperor!!”
Harmel's soldiers hurled their javelins at me as if they had been waiting.
Countless spears rained down.
Psychokinesis.
I seized the incoming spears with psychokinesis. They halted mid-air as if grasped by invisible hands. Roughly 2,000 spears—all caught by my psychokinesis.
Thousands more spears flew. I caught those too. The enemy did not relent, hurling more.
The limit came. The psychokinetically held spears plummeted powerlessly downward.
“……Over 10,000 is a bit much.”
Thousands of spears battered my armor. None pierced it.
Stay like this, and eventually even the armor will break.
The armor's sturdy plates blocked the spearheads, but not the full shockwaves. Even impacts like flung pebbles become deadly when repeated thousands, tens of thousands of times. Especially since some spears bore auras.
I have a rough sense of the Holy Grail's power now. With it alone, I could handle tens of thousands solo. But beyond that would be tough. Upon return, I must devour every elixir in the palace stores.
My assessment of my power was complete.
I unleashed thunderbolt.
Rumble-crackle!
Crimson lightning surged from the armor. I pushed the output to its maximum.
Krraaa-boom!
A deafening thunderclap tore through the air as crimson bolts lanced outward in all directions. Enemies touched by the lightning convulsed without even a dying scream, plummeting as corpses. Thousands fell.
Rumble! Boom! Kra-kaboom!
Thunder exploded ceaselessly from the skies, not just my body. Crimson bolts struck down, electrocuting foes. The red lightning flashed without respite.
“What madness…. He wields lightning…? Kill the Emperor! Kill him before more of our allies die!!”
Gircong, king of Harmel, roared. His earlier composure had vanished.
I used the falling, electrocuted enemy corpses as footholds and leaped toward the enemy ranks. Boom! A shockwave erupted, bursting the corpse I had stepped on.
No need for psychokinesis propulsion. The skies teemed with enemy 'footholds' now.
I plunged into their midst, swinging Arondight. Each swing boomed with thunder. Hundreds perished to my flying aura blades.
Good idea.
I swung wildly. I psychokinetically seized the multitude of aura blades hurtling toward the enemy.
Whirling the aura blades like a blender in all directions. Foes they touched were literally shredded. Severed limbs and blood rained down. From afar, it was a spectacle without equal.
I slew enemy after enemy. Each swing felled hundreds; each outstretched hand sent crimson bolts lancing like dry branches toward the heavens.
“Still too many.”
I spread my left hand, the one not gripping the sword.
Genius Time
Activates for 10 seconds.
Crimson lightning gathered in my palm. It spun, forming a sphere.
This technique was the second time. Previously, I had compressed thousands of thunderbolts into this small orb; now, tens of thousands.
Thunder Star.
A compressed storm of lightning in my hand.
I clenched my fist, detonating the sphere.
Tens of thousands of crimson bolts exploded outward. The red lightning incinerated and disintegrated all it touched. Had it struck a city, nothing would remain.
Soon, the lightning storm passed.
A portion of the sky-filling enemy vanished, revealing clear skies.
Roughly over 200,000 foes eradicated in a single blow.
“Ma, mad…”
“The, the Emperor is a god…”
“Ki, kill the Emperor? Impossible…”
“Your Majesty…!”
The enemy trembled in terror. Even Gircong, king of Harmel, felt panic and fear. Yet he could not admit defeat and withdraw here.
“Fear not! The Emperor is exhausted! Now is our golden chance! Kill him!”
Exhausted?
A bit taxing, yes. Consecutive Thunder Stars were impossible. But more than enough to slaughter the remnants.
If need be, Complete Recovery will handle it.
Krraaa-boom!
Crimson bolts continued raining on the enemy, while my blade steadily thinned their numbers.
Less than ten minutes later, the enemy count dropped below 50,000.
“Eeeeeeempeeeeer!!!”
Gircong screamed, charging at me. Seizing the moment my momentum waned, he aimed to finish me himself. His spear and body blazed with red aura, hurtling like a comet.
He was stronger than the Guard Captain I had faced in the past.
Boom!
Gircong's spear pierced my side. The armor shattered. But the tip never touched my flesh.
“I commend you for breaching my armor. But that is as far as you go. Insufficient to kill me.”
“Damn you! Why did the Heavenly God grant the Holy Grail to a wretch like you!!”
“The Heavenly God bestowed the Holy Grail not upon me, but the founding Emperor. I merely claimed its power. It was somewhat amusing. Now die.”
Slash!
Gircong's body split apart. His corpse plummeted to the ground.
I spared the ground below a glance and glared at the remaining foes.
Roughly 30,000 left….
No intent to spare any.
I soared into the skies to finish them.
???
I descended to the ground.
Stepping firmly into the blood-pooled earth, I stood tall. Concealing my quickened breath, I gazed imperiously at our troops.
Awe-struck eyes turned toward me. Not the gaze for a fellow human, but for a monster—or a god. The soldiers and knights who witnessed this battle would never dream of rebellion against me.
“Your Majesty! Congratulations on your victory!”
“Congratulations on your victory!”
Luteon led the nobles, knights, and soldiers in kneeling before me en masse.
“A given victory.”
I shed my armor.
Raflea stared blankly at the battlefield. Her demeanor suggested she might take her own life soon.
Threaten her with her remaining queen in Harmel, and she'll abandon suicide.
I'm hungry. And craving a woman.
“Your Majesty!”
Luteon called out in a booming voice. His demeanor differed from before. Not out of fear.
“What.”
“Issue the mobilization decree! Now is the moment to punish and conquer the Harmel Kingdom! Entrust it to me! I shall conquer Harmel and offer it to Your Majesty the Emperor!”
Luteon's eyes blazed fiercely.
Now I understood.
Luteon was not loyal to me, but to the Empire. He desired a more radiant Empire, a more perfect Empire, a greater Empire.
“Very well. I shall issue the mobilization decree. For this campaign, you, Grand General, are Supreme Commander.”
“Your grace overwhelms me! I shall demonstrate the Empire's majesty across the continent!”
“Do not disappoint me.”
With the king dead and 300,000 troops annihilated, Harmel's fate was sealed. A Grand General like Luteon would conquer it with ease.
I brushed past him, boarded the palanquin, seized Raflea by the hair, and ravaged her.