Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Empire's Turmoil (6)
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Kurrrung—!
Pajijik!
Jet-black storm clouds blanketed the sky, and the barrier enveloping the capital screamed repeatedly, spewing sparks.
And amid that apocalyptic scene, Hans—who had achieved his primary goal—was slowly gathering his minions and preparing to withdraw.
[Then that's all for today. I'll be waiting with bated breath!]
"Immortal King!"
The undead were vanishing into the darkness, but thanks to the two hostages in his grasp, the humans held back from any reckless moves and simply let him go.
'The princess wasn't part of the original plan.'
Hans glanced at the two imperial royals floating beside him, bound by black magic.
In truth, he'd targeted only the crown prince from the start, timing his ambush for when the prince used the gate.
The moment he departed from the Jelon Cathedral, before he could reach the imperial palace.
'A high-ranking figure with ample value as a hostage. Easy to track movements, and above all...'
"Eup—!"
Hans's gaze shifted to Crown Prince Simon, who writhed like a maggot.
Even with his body and mouth restrained, he glared at the imperial knights, pressuring them silently.
Save me, now.
He was the epitome of a loathsome human.
Pow!
"Gek!"
"C-Crown Prince!"
"Immortal King! What is the meaning of this?!"
A clump of black magic struck the back of his head, and with an undignified yelp, the crown prince passed out cold.
The knights erupted in outrage once more, but Hans ignored them completely.
'I've disliked this guy since the moment I saw him.'
From his first impression to his actions, everything about him was repulsive.
And he'd played a key role in the empire's rampant corruption, so it was a miracle Hans hadn't killed him outright.
'He still has some use, at least.'
What happened after that utility ran dry... well, who could say?
His gaze soon shifted to Fifth Princess Riley.
The beautiful blonde was taking deep, steady breaths even in this dire situation, her sharp eyes fighting to maintain composure.
Of course, her heart pounded wildly, and her pupils quivered incessantly like an earthquake—but her self-control was so impeccable that no one would easily notice her turmoil.
'She's not even twenty yet, and she's this impressive. I stumbled into her, but she'll be useful in some way.'
Unlike with the crown prince, he held no personal grudge, so he had no intention of keeping her long.
Just a cameo for dramatic effect in one episode...
'Hm?'
Then, a subtle sense of wrongness caught his attention, drawing his gaze aside.
Having perfected a realm beyond transcendence, he could sense causality itself—a phenomenon utterly impossible under normal circumstances.
'Isea?'
At the epicenter of that anomaly was another Earthling Awakener, just like him.
Amid the heavy air cloaking the area, her karma writhed, her presence steadily expanding.
Her eyes moved calmly.
It looked as if she were reading something floating before her, but of course, the empty air held nothing.
Yet with each repetition of that process, she grew stronger.
By now, the situation was clear.
'Come to think of it, Isea's an eight-year veteran. A grand magus with imperial nobility status. She must have more than enough karma to return. Don't tell me...'
The karma needed for return was one million.
He didn't know how much extra she had, but one thing was certain...
She had just lost the surefire means to save her life when things got dire.
No—she had severed her own lifeline.
To repurpose it for something else.
As if she had no intention of running anymore.
Each reinforcement consumed more karma, so the process didn't last long.
But her aura had changed dramatically.
'No way—she plans to fight? With the princess captured?'
Yet as if his suspicions were spot on, she sprang into action without a second thought for the consequences.
Gooo—
Vast magical power surged from her body in an instant, condensing tightly.
It wasn't drawn from the ambient mana.
Refined from the start for its purpose, it burst forth like a dam breaking—defying the laws of this world.
'This level... transcendence? No, not quite yet.'
Hans simply watched as the miracle manifested before him.
Calmly analyzing her power.
The compressed mana unfolded, arrayed in patterns, amplified further, built its foundation as designed, shaped by will, and directed.
The entire process unfolded in a mere instant.
"What?!"
"Viscountess Pristine?"
It happened so fast that the surrounding humans only reacted belatedly, panic spreading.
But Isea showed no response.
She simply unleashed what she had prepared, unflinchingly.
Jiiing—!
With a shrill noise that tore the air, a beam of icy radiance shot from the magic circle before her, slicing through the void.
A killing blow that struck on launch, impossible to block without prior preparation.
The ultra-compressed 'Breath of the Ice Dragon' shredded the black magic barrier thrown up in haste,
engulfing Archlich Dwell—its target—and the surrounding undead in one fell swoop.
Jejejeok!
[Kuhuk! This... brat to the bitter end...]
He'd sensed the mana gathering a beat too late and scrambled to defend, but it wasn't nearly enough.
In the end, his voice cut off mid-sentence as his frozen body crumbled into ice dust, scattering on the wind.
Along with the undead beside him, now ice statues.
Of course, as an archlich, Hans held his core, so revival was possible later—but Dwell would still suffer no small burden from this.
"Haa— haa—."
Right after the attack, Isea's already pale face drained of what little color remained, drained by the abnormally swift grand magic.
"Viscountess Isea Pristine!"
"What have you done?!"
The others merely scolded her in shock.
It wasn't as if they could act rashly.
The captives were the two closest to the imperial throne, held by the Immortal King himself.
One wrong move could spell disaster.
For now, they could only hope he kept his word and bide their time.
"...I meant nothing by it. I just had some unfinished business from earlier."
"This is no time for—!"
One knight under the crown prince barked in fury, but she ignored him, turning to face Hans.
"If I've offended you, I apologize, Immortal King. I can't just sit back and take it."
Her expression betrayed no remorse as she spoke calmly.
She seemed to have gauged his temperament, concluding he wouldn't kill the hostages over this.
'But why? Pointless venting? She doesn't strike me as that reckless.'
Though she was right, was such a display truly necessary?
Puzzled, Hans observed her and noticed...
Her gaze wasn't on him—it was slightly off, toward Fifth Princess Riley.
And through his senses... the princess's frantic heartbeat and ragged breaths were steadily calming.
'No way. For the fifth princess?'
Finally, he understood why she'd taken such a reckless gamble.
And as he suspected.
Isea met Fifth Princess Riley's eyes squarely.
Despite her feigned calm, her turquoise eyes trembled faintly—until they gradually steadied, as Isea waited silently.
'...Wait.'
Before the captive princess, Isea had pulverized the Immortal King's minions.
It wasn't mere rage-fueled lashing out.
It was a declaration of conviction—and a signal to Riley.
Over years together, their bond had deepened, and Isea had confided everything: her unique skill, karma points, and her eventual need to leave.
Bright Riley had helped her gather karma more easily,
and pondered skill applications to accelerate her growth.
Even knowing it hastened their parting, trusting Isea wouldn't leave without a word.
'Wait!'
With that history, Riley knew Isea's limits well.
...Until now.
Isea's attack had surpassed everything Riley knew, showing her resolve and instilling certainty.
She had no escape now.
I'll save you no matter what. I won't stop.
Even against this world's despair, the Immortal King.
Believe in me. Wait.
Don't give up or despair.
'Until I come for you!'
And sharp-minded Fifth Princess Riley grasped the signal at once, as intended.
Her eyes, cool even in extremity, reddened as her throat bobbed—but she clenched her teeth, swallowed it down, and nodded quietly.
Her heart, pounding in terror, now beat steadily as ever.
[Kekeke— entertaining. Fine. Just a bit of fun. You've even given me another intriguing find to lift my spirits.]
Watching the silent bond between them, Hans wrapped up neatly and finally lifted into the air toward the torn barrier, captives in tow.
The side characters' improv had delayed him, but now it was truly time to go.
With the remaining undead stored in his sub-dimensional space, he just needed to take the two hostages and vanish cleanly.
...Though a nagging unease made him wonder if he should really leave like this.
'Tch, I feel like the real bad guy here.'
No, it wasn't just a feeling. Objectively and subjectively, anyone would see him as the villain.
A textbook bad guy deserving every curse hurled his way.
...The problem was, that was him.
And so, the Immortal King vanished from Jelon with his two royal captives.
Leaving behind a melodramatic tragedy.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ♪~
Click! Click!
Upbeat music filled the room as mouse clicks echoed.
"Oh? Finally."
After my usual home gym workout, I was browsing the latest news online when I spotted something very intriguing.
-New) Auterica Dimension.
Official info on a new dimension, announced via the World Returner Association and posted on the Korean branch site.
'Let's see—two confirmed returners so far. And... not much else of note.'
The summary was all stuff I already knew.
The informant from the republic had cooperated eagerly with the Association; it had a peculiar Eastern vibe, though.
'Must've fled in a hurry when the Immortal King appeared and the madness outbreak hit.'
A prominent warning noted the current chaos required extreme caution.
Along with a brief line about the Demon King descending to invade the world.
"Hmm..."
I leaned back in my chair, eyes closed thoughtfully.
'Being the subject makes this fun. Wonder how long till the info updates.'
Official listings meant multiple returners verified, cross-checked, and all.
Accounting for dimensional time lags, it was hopelessly outdated.
Still, seeing how other Earthlings viewed my actions was pretty interesting.
'Whoa, patrol time already. Not many troublemakers lately, but I should check periodically... Oh, right.'
I paused as I invoked Entity Projection to become Hans.
Auterica's info spreading meant Immortal King details would leak to Earth over time.
Few would connect them to the same person, but you never know.
'...Earth already calls it a Hahoe mask, so maybe swap masks for Auterica? It broke anyway.'
Or use a proper Hahoe one on Earth and just the fragments there for fashion—half-mask vibe was growing on me.
'Eh, I'll think on it.'
A trivial worry.
Compared to the Azerion Empire's politics, plunging into chaos from his deeds.