Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: The Immortal King's Stirring (3)
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With a deafening boom, the Immortal King's head snapped back violently.
Bzzt—crackle—
Lightning engulfed his head, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the air.
That served as the signal for the Immortal King and the hero's fierce clash to pause momentarily.
"...Saint?"
For some reason, Heinrich, who had fallen back, raised a hand with a serious expression, halting the others who were poised for follow-up attacks.
As if he had sensed something.
And right on cue with him, the undead who had been savagely clashing with the humans suddenly froze in unison, then began retreating simultaneously.
Those fighting them caught their breath at the sudden disappearance of their foes but remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings to assess the situation.
For a brief moment, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.
[Keh— Kuhahaha! Ahh— well now, not bad at all!]
Moments later, a chilling voice shattered the quiet, echoing through the hall.
Given the vast gap in their status and mana density, Harris's attack hadn't inflicted significant damage on him.
But it wasn't a meaningless strike either.
As if to prove it...
Crack—clatter—
The grotesque mask, practically the Immortal King's symbol, shattered and scattered across the floor.
Only fragments clung stubbornly to his face.
"Hmm."
"That's..."
And so, the overwhelmingly charismatic, handsome skull—meticulously crafted through Customization—was revealed.
A flawlessly sculpted cranium, sharp jawline, neatly pointed fangs, and piercing gaze blazing from sharply angled eye sockets.
"...Impressive, truly menacing. The kind that'd haunt your nightmares."
"Whew— damn, I can't even look straight at it..."
Unfortunately, the public reception wasn't glowing.
Though it was more due to the inherent terror of his presence than any flaw in appearance, having such reactions right to his face was a bit much.
If Hans weren't so steadfast, he surely would have been hurt.
"Grrgh... No matter how I look at it, that's no normal human skull. What race is it? Born a demon? No, no horns, so maybe a half-breed?"
Some, like the grand sorcerer, had sharp enough eyes to notice Hans's alterations, but that wasn't the priority now.
The Immortal King, gazing down at them arrogantly as if blessing the world, finally spoke.
[To think the small fry I dismissed could achieve this much. Quite intriguing.]
His gaze shifted to the elves standing before the barrier in the corner.
Harris, still composed; Cecily, sweating coldly but standing tall with unwavering tension; and Shaphiron, on the verge of fainting.
The attention of those around them followed suit... especially concentrating on Harris, who stood at the forefront, bow at the ready, facing the Immortal King head-on.
The heavy aura still emanating from his bow proclaimed him the perpetrator of the recent strike.
Even the undead under the Immortal King bristled with murderous intent toward the insolent elf who dared affront their king...
[Hmm— I've changed my mind. We'll withdraw for today.]
At Hans's word, they had no choice but to rein in their fury and fall back.
But one person reacted with immediate outrage to his declaration.
"Who gave you permission! Do you think you can just come and go as you please?!"
"Saintess."
Riesta, who had surged forward in excitement, halted at Heinrich's call and turned to him.
"We're not prepared to fight properly right now. Regrettably, our casualties so far are too severe."
"...But!"
The Immortal King hadn't been here long, yet over ten powerhouses—bolstered by the sacred barrier—had already fallen.
Dozens more were injured, mostly Holy Knights who had jumped in to support despite their lacking skills, driven by duty.
In contrast, the undead army's losses were merely destroyed units.
Sure, a fair number were permanently wrecked, but how could that compare to human lives?
Unlike the undead, which could be repaired from debris, human losses hit harder.
'This will shake the Church of the Main God's standing considerably.'
Allowing intrusion might be glossed over, but fatalities at an event they hosted was inexcusable.
Politically, they'd suffer major backlash.
And this was their home turf, no less.
In a way, Hans had caused a massive stir right after Heinrich cleaned up the previous incident, but this chaos wasn't meaningless.
'A chance to showcase Hans's danger, Heinrich as his counter, and Harris's debut to the world. Plus, with the Immortal King and hero around, the Church's influence will only grow.'
If anything, it trimmed the Church's excessive power a bit, which wasn't bad.
It'd make things easier for Heinz operating in Thalia Kingdom too.
"...Sigh."
Riesta met Heinrich's gaze briefly before sighing deeply.
Reluctantly agreeing, she bit her lip and stepped back. He advanced once more, confronting the Immortal King directly.
The hero, battered and disheveled from the intense battle, faced his arch-nemesis.
He must have been exhausted like the rest, yet his presence didn't waver, matching the Immortal King's without faltering.
As if proclaiming to the world that he alone was his true rival.
[Kuhaha— the fun dragged on a bit. I only meant to say hello at first. Well, it was certainly memorable.]
The Immortal King sneered down at them mockingly, brazen laughter booming.
No one present could fathom what whim had driven him to invade then retreat so suddenly...
The thought processes of an abyssal being like the Immortal King were beyond mortal comprehension anyway.
'This should suffice. Time to make my exit?'
...Everyone thought so.
Whoosh—
The undead began vanishing into the floor's shadows one by one.
The invaders were openly retreating, but the deflated powerhouses from each faction merely sighed in relief that the immediate fight was over.
[Oh right, I heard mad monsters have been causing chaos lately? Glad you like the gift I prepared so carefully. Makes me feel good.]
"...Hannibal Strauss, you bastard!"
[Kekeke, I must've taken too much of your precious time when you're so busy. Go ahead, struggle all you want. I'll enjoy the show.]
"Hah! Next time, it won't end so easily."
[Indeed, that could be amusing too.]
With all undead retrieved, Hans glided through the air, soaring out through the massive hole in the rear window.
The meeting had just ended when the fight broke out, so outside was shrouded in pitch-black night.
[This isn't the end. Despair hasn't even begun, so strive harder. Or else...]
And from the center of that moonless night sky.
A voice that plunged listeners into terror murmured lowly.
[You will not escape destruction.]
With those ominous words.
The Immortal King who had assaulted the grand conference hall vanished.
"......"
"...Ahem."
An uncomfortable air hung over the wrecked hall.
Everyone frowned, an inexplicable dread stirred by words akin to the Immortal King's prophecy.
'Nice, a bit cringy but solid closing line. Practice makes perfect, I guess.'
The man himself thought little of it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Whoa... I never imagined it'd turn out like this. Truly impressive."
"See, even Lady Rapori thinks so? I was right there and still shocked! The delegates from other nations were eyeing Mr. Harris too!"
Rapori and Cecily inspected Harris this way and that, as if beholding a marvel.
It was their first time witnessing someone beside them suddenly prove their worth so dramatically.
"Ugh— playing the lone hero again, so unfair..."
Shaphiron grumbled from the corner alone, but quieted down once Harris silently handed him a bag of popcorn.
"Sigh— anyway, what happens now?"
Cecily sighed softly, gazing out the inn's window.
After the Immortal King vanished.
The Roselia Grand Temple could not sleep that night.
Separate from escorting delegates to lodgings, they had to handle the aftermath.
Fortunately, no deaths from the Elven Kingdom or Enamel Continent side.
The Wild Land rep took heavy injuries but recovered fully thanks to the Church of the Main God's prompt healing.
"Who knows? The Church is probably the busiest right now. Let's wait a bit."
As Rapori said, the Church spent the next few days in frenzy.
Handling casualties, cleaning the battle-torn conference hall.
Security ramped up to wartime levels.
What use was it now, after the ironclad defenses were breached? Still, they couldn't just sit idle.
They reinvestigated the Immortal King's infiltration route, the one that had failed before—with the magic tower alliance leader's aid this time—but results were unchanged.
Amid the cleanup, they never lost sight of what truly mattered.
The most urgent task in this crisis.
Just three days after the Immortal King's raid.
The 'Continental Summit' resumed normally in a different conference hall.
"I assume everyone recognizes the gravity of the situation."
Cardinal Cordelia's low voice opened the second meeting.
Unlike before, all attendees listened gravely.
"The current Immortal King, Hans, consistently defies expectations. His abilities are unpredictable, complicating countermeasures."
Most there had experienced it firsthand.
New reps replacing dead ones were briefed similarly.
"Regrettably, our Church of the Main God failed to stop his intrusion. Many more sacrificed as a result."
Simon Crown Prince's face twisted at her self-reproach.
They'd bickered fiercely these days, so he held his tongue, but losing a key subordinate hit hard, fraying his nerves.
Yet the preamble led to one conclusion.
End the meeting swiftly, unite forces, prepare against the Immortal King.
All agreed without dissent; proceedings flew smoothly.
The shared crisis eliminated the initial friction.
'Still a bit self-serving, but inevitable for reps of their orgs.'
Progress enough that they cooperated without clashing.
A few days later, one morning.
As delegates exited lodgings for the meeting, shocking news arrived.
"Suddenly...? How?!"
"What the hell happened?!"
Reactions were uniform.
Shock and panic at the abrupt report.
One reacted most vehemently...
"Wh-what? No, that can't be! Everything was fine yesterday—how suddenly?!"
Dennis Rohan, heir to the Rohan Principality.
Ignoring the imminent summit, he rushed with subordinates to the Grand Temple's gates.
He had no choice.
-Rohan Principality: All border defenses collapsed.
His homeland, which had held firm, crumbled in an instant.
And most who heard thought the same.
-[This isn't the end. Despair hasn't even begun, so strive harder. Or else...]
-[You will not escape destruction.]
The Immortal King's ominous warning.
Meant exactly this.