Episode 940
Episode 940
The <Illusion of Rampaging Azirmo> that the Crazy Doppelganger had personally taught was truly terrifying.
With its jet-black scales bristling and a roar that shook the air, its appearance was so lifelike that even the Death Knights hesitated for a moment.
—Did the master leave this behind?
No, no way!
Even as he shouted, The Profaner hesitated to fully emerge from the portal.
If the opponent truly was a powerful dragon, rushing out would be unwise. A reckless move could result in a fatal blow.
* * *
"I can't believe we're actually using this!"
"...You're not enjoying this right now, are you?"
Lee Han shot Alsicle a bewildered look in response to his excited cheers.
When the high-ranking undead appeared in midair, Lee Han was the first mage in the palace to notice, followed closely by Alsicle.
They had sensed the corrupted mana fluctuations from the dimensional disturbance and immediately grasped the situation.
—How?! They didn't even approach!
—We have to stop it first! If that thing descends, it'll crash right through the ceiling! Do you have any useful spells?
—A spell strong enough to block something like that isn't easy to come by... Ah! This! Let's use this!
Fortunately, the two of them still had the <Illusion of Rampaging Azirmo> and the <Advent of the Duke of Wrath's Illusion> prepared.
The spells they had kept for the play were still intact.
—That's a great idea!
Nodding in agreement, Lee Han immediately cast the <Illusion of Rampaging Azirmo>.
The massive dragon's illusion let out a deafening roar, shaking both the stage and the seats, before bursting through the ceiling and soaring upward.
When they looked up to check, they saw that The Profaner, who had been about to descend from the portal, had now shifted to a cautious stance.
"O-of course not! Damn those insane Evil God Worshippers! How did they even pull off a summoning like this?!"
Alsicle, feeling awkward about his earlier excitement in such a dire situation, quickly backtracked.
'Seriously... How did they manage this?'
Even Lee Han, now a proper mage in his own right, could tell just how absurd this summoning was.
There had been no approach, no preparation.
Approach?
The Death Knights had secretly surrounded and guarded the palace—who could have possibly gotten close?
The same went for the preparation.
Even summoning a measly sparrow spirit required some kind of ritual, yet something of that magnitude had just popped out of nowhere.
"That's not important right now! We need to evacuate the people!"
"R-right. Let's go!"
Alsicle nodded.
The whole reason they were buying time in the first place was for the audience inside the palace.
A few Death Knights, having bought some time, were already seen rushing into the palace.
"Everyone, please evacuate—"
—WAAAAAAAAAAH!
CLAPCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAPCLAP!
The two of them flinched at the thunderous applause as they descended back down.
The seated audience was clapping enthusiastically.
'Is this some kind of Evil God Worshipper curse?!'
"I never expected such an innovative reinterpretation!"
"Even so, isn't this variation too extreme? A dragon? What kind of childish idea is it to think that introducing a grand, majestic creature would make the play more intense?"
"You're the childish one! The Alkarmahta Family's connection to dragons is currently the hottest new theory in imperial historiography! This play boldly incorporates that. Isn't that what art is all about?"
While some objected, most were deeply impressed by the sudden appearance of the dragon.
Of course, the actors on stage were just standing there, utterly bewildered.
With a dragon unexpectedly appearing and shooting through the ceiling, their confusion was understandable.
Lee Han silently apologized.
'Sorry about that.'
—Evacuate! Evacuate! Evacuate!
—Everyone, get out! Einrogard students, escort the audience as far away as possible! If they don't listen, use force if necessary!
The Death Knights descending from the ceiling belatedly issued evacuation orders.
The audience, who had been immersed in enjoying the climax of the brilliant play and savoring its lingering impact, were startled.
"What's happening?"
"Evil God Worshippers have attacked! You must evacuate immediately!"
"Damn those bastards! Interrupting such a masterpiece!?"
Some audience members protested that they needed to see the end of this masterpiece even in the face of danger, but the students promptly kicked them out with their feet.
When Nilia kicked out three people simultaneously, the nearby nobles gasped in admiration.
"That's the kicking technique of the Northern Mountain Patrol..."
"Move it, now!"
"Ah, understood."
Not everyone was so obsessed with the play that they'd risk their lives. Among those rushing to exit the theater, some were terrified by the deafening roars and tremors coming from above.
"A-are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine. Just...can't catch my breath... I'll be okay after resting a bit."
"Potions! Go to the restroom and bring the potions!"
"Shh. Keep it down, you idiot! No need to explicitly mention the restroom!"
Einrogard students hurriedly ran to the restroom and brought back all the potions they had secretly prepared earlier.
They floated a small cauldron midair, then either made the collapsed people drink from it or splashed it on the faces of those in panic.
Thanks to this, order was restored to the chaotic evacuation line. Ashan scraped the empty cauldron bottom with a ladle and shouted:
"We're out of potions!"
"Probably don't need more now. Everyone seems fine—"
"No, we do!"
An audience member interrupted the students' conversation.
The mottled scars on his fingers clearly marked him as someone involved in alchemy.
"No one can predict how severe this situation might become! We must prepare more potions as a precaution!"
Though no one knew what entity had appeared above the palace, its ominous pressure alone was enough to unsettle everyone.
If the Death Knights could finish off that enemy atop the palace, all would be well—but if not, they needed to prepare for other scenarios.
Starting with healing potions, they needed to mass-produce as many potions as possible to counter various abnormal conditions.
"But...we've run out of the ingredients we brought!"
"Don't worry. I'm O'Neil. I supply reagents to the Maykin Family's alchemy workshop. I can provide as many reagents as needed. Follow me!"
"I'll help too! I supply alchemy tools!"
The evacuating audience members spontaneously banded together and led the Einrogard students outside.
Swept up in this momentum, the students from the Potion Escape Party suddenly realized:
'...Wait, after making the potions, can't we just slip away?'
Was this what Wardanaz had meant?!
"-Students, escort the audience out!"
The students from the Noble Distraction Party quickly guided the audience outside.
After opening carriage doors and calming the horses, they crammed the audience inside, who pleaded desperately:
"Come with us!"
"Huh? We need to stay and assist the knights!"
"B-but! There might be enemies waiting outside!"
"The knights (who were trying to stop our escape) have thoroughly patrolled, so no need to worry!"
"But...but...!"
The frightened audience wanted the Einrogard students to stay with them.
The Death Knights barked out orders:
-Escort them!
"Huh?"
-Illusion mages, go with them too! Escort the audience to safety individually!
The Death Knights, now fully focused on the palace rooftop, flew off again as if refusing to entertain any further questions.
With permission granted, the audience grabbed students one by one and pulled them into carriages.
"We're counting on you!"
"Ah, understood."
The students soothed the frightened audience members and some of the illusion mages as they hurried outside.
While doing so, they thought to themselves:
'Wait a minute. This seems similar to what Wardanaz mentioned in his plan.'
Did he actually plan things out to this extent?!
Salko's dwarf tunnel party was dealing with the most troublesome audience members.
Namely, the crazy bastards who still wanted to watch the show.
"Grrk! No! I want to see the end of the play!"
"I told you, all the actors have already left! What nonsense are you spouting?!"
As the palace ceiling shook and the noises from above grew louder, the stubborn onlookers made the Einrogard students' expressions turn vicious.
"No choice then. Handle it the Einrogard way."
"What's that? Are they going to cast an invisibility spell and let us watch?"
Nobles unfamiliar with the ways of the world failed to recognize the threat as the Einrogard students rolled up their sleeves and approached.
Right then, the palace ceiling was torn apart.
Sook, Rim, Su!
Only then did the Profaner realize he'd been tricked, exploding in rage as he manifested once more.
At first, he'd wondered if there really was a dragon lying in ambush, but even as he hesitated behind the portal, the dragon never attacked.
It was an excessive level of caution for something supposedly a real dragon. The Profaner blasted away the palace ceiling with his miasma of decay, forcing his massive body through the portal. His enormous eyes, embedded in his bloated belly, flashed with humiliation and fury.
"One more time!"
"But will he fall for it again?"
"We've got nothing to lose, right?"
"Good point! Cast it!"
Alsicle cast <Advent of the Duke of Wrath's Illusion>. The magic circle-engraved floor shattered under the magical shockwave as a colossal demon burst forth inside the palace.
The Profaner recoiled in shock once more.
Unlike other beings, demons were frequently summoned lackeys of the Empire's top-ranked archmages. They were not to be taken lightly.
"A... a demon too!"
"That's not part of the play script!"
The students shouted, but the words didn't reach the ears of the already engrossed audience.
Salko exchanged glances with the seniors. Staves whooshed through the air with sharp cracks.
"Let's get them out!"
"Should we head for the main gate?"
"No. It's too late! Fighting while protecting civilians would be tough. Let's escape through the tunnels. Can you finish them right away?"
"Yes!"
Seeing the Profaner's forces dropping throughout the palace, the seniors quickly made their decision.
Since these were the last remaining audience members anyway, escaping through the tunnels was the right call.
"First, let's send these guys back to their mansions."
"Understood. Then should we rob them of as much gold as we need?"
"......"
The seniors stared at Salko with bewildered expressions. Salko hastily backtracked.
"That was a joke."
"Haha! A funny joke at that!"
"Looks like everyone's evacuated. Let's join the fight."
"Yes!"
"...Wait. I think I got carried away and misspoke just now. I meant 'me,' not 'we'..."
Alsicle quickly regained his senses and corrected himself to Lee Han.
For a moment, he'd mistaken Stedal's cold, sneering noble demeanor in the heat of the moment, but Lee Han was supposed to evacuate too.
However, Lee Han had already moved on to the next task before hearing Alsicle's words.
"Sharkan!"
Above Lee Han, the form of an obsidian mirror spewing smoke took shape, and the portal began to splinter.
From within, the Beast of Death and Darkness roared as it burst forth.
-Profaner! You mocked the Beast's downfall so brazenly last time, didn't you?!
Go, Yang, Yi!
The two powerhouses of the Undead Realm, recognizing each other, radiated killing intent.
Ignoring Sharkan's whining about being worried, the Beast glared at the Profaner.
-His power is immense, mage. Maintaining the Beast for long will be impossible for you, so we must finish this quickly.
"Take your time fighting! Absolutely no rushing!"
Lee Han said this while preparing his next summon.
Faced with that attitude, the Beast of Death and Darkness could only blink its enormous eyes in bewilderment.