Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: 39th Chapter: The First Full-Scale Battle (1)
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"Enough for today, I wonder?"
Stroking her purple hair, Elpis muttered in a voice brimming with mischief.
She grinned at the hundreds of orcs lined up before her, then shook her head.
"No, one more round should be fine."
She was a mage who wielded domination vision magic. Having recently ascended to a lofty realm, her ability to control monsters had grown even stronger.
In the past, she could dominate only dozens at most, but now she could issue direct commands to up to hundreds. Simple behavioral inducements could extend to thousands.
"This'll be fun."
Her solitary mutter scattered into the air just as she raised her staff to summon mana. A colossal flow of mana rippled from the sky above.
A chilling sensation, like needles pricking her entire body, made Elpis snap her head up. Moments ago, the dark night sky had been empty, but now a dozen mages clad in fiery red robes hovered there.
Their gazes didn't fall on Elpis. It seemed they hadn't pinpointed her position.
"Lady Elpis! You must evade immediately!"
"They're planning to obliterate the entire forest!"
The Doomsday Fellowship escorts dashed over in a panic, scanning their surroundings warily. Elpis's trembling eyes locked onto the red-robed group—and the figure at their center.
"The Crimson Tower Lord of the Philius Empire...?"
Before she could finish, the Crimson Tower Lord, Berenus Kyle, completed his spell.
"Inferno."
With a calm incantation, the magic took form, and a massive mana surge shook heaven and earth. Red lines etched a gigantic magic circle across the vast plain.
"Those who block His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire shall face the judgment of fire."
Berenus's cold declaration split the ground asunder. Lava erupted, transforming the plain into a fiery inferno. Hundreds of orcs plunged into rivers of molten rock and melted away in an instant, while raging pillars of flame devoured the Doomsday Fellowship's fighters amid their screams.
"Absolute Shield!"
The supreme defensive spell formed. A transparent mana barrier shielded Elpis. The Doomsday Fellowship's escorts deployed their own shields in unison. Regrettably, the magical onslaught was far from over.
The other elite Crimson Tower mages accompanying Berenus Kyle completed their magic circles and incanted in sync. Fire rained from the heavens, and pillars of flame surged from the earth.
The orcs had been annihilated long ago, and fewer than five of the Doomsday Fellowship escorts survived.
The whole world was dyed red. Even the pitch-black night sky glowed like twilight, and searing heat pierced the mana barriers from below. The destruction of even the supreme magic Absolute Shield was now an inevitable future.
"Found you."
Surveying from above amid the scattered area-of-effect spells, Crimson Tower Lord Berenus Kyle turned toward the source of the Absolute Shield's mana.
There, amid the lava flames, Elpis stood alone, holding her defensive spell.
"Crimson Tower mages, heed me."
The Crimson Tower mages, who had been relentlessly bombarding the forest with fire magic, turned toward their leader.
"Cease the area bombardment. Focus all firepower on the updated coordinates."
There was no reply. But the Crimson Tower mages acted at once. The spells of ten supreme mages hurtled toward Elpis's Absolute Shield.
Boom! Crash!
Explosions rocked the shield violently. Powerful offensive spells hammered the mana-woven barrier relentlessly.
This won't hold...
Elpis's eyes quivered with anxiety. A mage of her lofty realm might have maintained the shield while dual-casting Blink to escape Inferno's range—but regrettably, her prowess in magics beyond Domination Vision was lacking.
To cast Blink without dual-casting, she would have to drop the shield. Doing so meant a high chance of losing at least one leg to the lava. But holding steady would see the Absolute Shield shatter eventually.
"Blink!"
Her deliberation was brief. Elpis released the defensive spell and Blinked out of Inferno's range. As expected, she lost one leg in the process.
"Kyaaaaah!"
Landing on cold ground beyond the flames, Elpis collapsed from the excruciating pain in her left leg.
Releasing Absolute Shield to cast Blink had let the lava claim her leg.
"Ugh... It hurts..."
Somehow enduring the agony, she used her staff as a crutch and struggled to her feet. Just as she took a slow step, a strange killing intent prickled her senses.
"Come out already. Before I kill you..."
Playfulness was gone from her voice. At her icy command, black shadows pierced the darkness.
Shadows that had guarded the imperial family from the darkest corners during the Philius Empire's most glorious era—the Shades made their appearance.
"Receive the judgment of the imperial throne."
The Shade leader spoke coldly, unleashing a razor-sharp aura. The tip of his keen dagger pointed at Elpis. With a short sigh, she raised her left hand.
Suppressing the pain from her melted leg, she drew a magic circle. Blue lightning tore through the night and struck a Shade.
"Gahk!"
The exposed Shade convulsed wildly before collapsing limply. That was the signal. A storm of blue lightning raged forth.
"The enemy's a high mage! Stay sharp!"
The leader barked a warning, and the Shades scattered with disciplined precision.
She was a high-realm mage, true—but one honed mainly in Domination Vision magic. She stood no chance of holding out long against the Shades, specialists in assassination and close combat.
The Shades pierced the lightning barrage woven from her remaining mana and closed the distance in a flash.
"Receive the judgment of the imperial throne!"
"Kyaaaaak!"
A swung dagger severed her right arm. Reeling from the loss of her staff, she faced a rush of Shades stabbing relentlessly with their daggers.
Blood sprayed like a fountain. Elpis bled out from merciless cuts and collapsed, dying.
The Shades deliberately avoided vital spots when stabbing her. They meant to prolong her life—for their own form of agonizing judgment on one who dared challenge the sacred imperial throne.
"Cough..."
"That's enough. End her."
"Yes, leader."
At the leader's command, the deputy plunged his dagger into Elpis's chest. The blade pierced her heart, and her breathing ceased.
"She's dead."
"Search the body. His Majesty will want something from it."
"Your Majesty."
A black shadow rose from the dim darkness within the tent. He was a Shade, guardian of the imperial family from the shadows.
Raymond, who had been chatting lightly with Gestain, halted the conversation and turned toward the Shade.
"How did it go?"
"Mission accomplished successfully."
A clear smile spread across Raymond's lips. The area assigned to the Central Intelligence Agency's agents had been quite broad.
The Crimson Tower Lord Berenus Kyle's firepower was formidable, but incinerating the entire zone was impossible. They had gambled on a fifty-fifty chance. Fortunately, Elpis had been in the scorched half of the forest.
"Well done."
"We also found what Your Majesty sought."
"Did you bring it?"
Raymond's cautious question carried a faint tremor.
The Doomsday Fellowship was an underdeveloped element in the setting, but Domination Vision magic was canon. If Elpis wielded the vision magic from the lore, she would surely possess it—and she had, as expected.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Shade nodded slightly and produced something wrapped in red cloth from his bosom, handing it to the emperor.
"So this is the tome of domination magic..."
Unwrapping it revealed a small magic tome. Raymond instantly discerned its nature.
This was a tome imbued with the vision magic for dominating monsters. No one nearby could use it right now, but successful partial interpretation could yield totems to repel monsters.
It was theoretically feasible, and Raymond knew where an ancient tome lay that could accelerate interpretation of the domination grimoire.
Imperial Vault 7...
Raymond's eyes gleamed. That very day, he sent a magic communication to the Royal Guard awaiting in the capital, ordering them to retrieve the necessary tome from Imperial Vault 7.
While the Royal Guard fetched the tome, Raymond's Imperial Army and the Philius Empire's forces pressed northward.
Monster hordes continued harassing the imperial troops, but organized ambushes ceased with Elpis's death.
"We should link up with the Northern Central Army's vanguard soon."
Count Denitz reported. One legion from the Northern Central Army had advanced ahead to delay the Free Isiria Kingdom's southward push.
"How long?"
"Three days will suffice."
Count Denitz's confident tone put Raymond at ease. He nodded slightly and spoke in a calm voice.
"Make haste. We must rendezvous with the Northern Central Army as quickly as possible."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Worry not."
That day, Count Denitz immediately sent a magic communication urging the Northern Central Army's 3rd Legion to join. Fortunately, the legion's top mage had survived the repeated clashes in the Black Mountains and successfully received the message.
"As of now, the Northern Central Army's 3rd Legion will abandon delay tactics and rendezvous with the main force."
The 3rd Legion marched south to join the Philius Empire's army. As Count Denitz predicted, it took about three days. In that time, the Free Isiria Kingdom assembled 20,000 troops.
The Philius Empire, summoning even heterorace contingents, mustered 20,000 as well—preparing for the first full-scale battle in the Black Mountains.
"Your Majesty!"
"What is it? His Majesty is resting..."
Count Potas, rushing toward the emperor's tent, was blocked by Desia. Gestain shot him a sharp glare from beyond her shoulder.
"I have urgent intelligence to report."
"One moment."
Desia entered first to wake Raymond. Soon after, Count Potas was permitted inside. Raymond sat there, looking somewhat fatigued.
"What is it?"
"Your Majesty! The Zeist Magic Kingdom's movements are highly suspicious!"
The Zeist Magic Kingdom lay at the eastern fringe of the West Continent, a neutral power in the tripartite alliance.
"Suspicious movements from the Magic Kingdom?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. There appears to be some upheaval within the Zeist royal family and nobility. We cannot rule out their intervention."
"The possibility of the Magic Kingdom entering the war—after maintaining neutrality for a millennium since the Magic Oath—is slim."
Raymond spoke calmly. Yet a thread of unease lingered in his heart.
"Is intervention confirmed?"
"As a neutral state, Zeist has few of our agents embedded. We've secured limited information. My deepest apologies."
Count Potas bowed his head. It wasn't his fault. Raymond himself had ordered minimal agents to neutrals, redirecting them to hostile nations.
"Damn it. In that case, we should prepare countermeasures."
Raymond cursed. The specter of Zeist intervention loomed. Any remnants of sleepiness vanished.
"Count Potas. Summon the Ironhammer commander, Sir Rackl Bronze, at once."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He acted swiftly. Soon, the tent flap parted, and a short-statured dwarf strode in, offering a salute. He had completed the forward fortress and joined the main army just two days prior.
"Your Majesty. You summoned me?"
"Perfect timing, Sir Rackl. I need your expertise."
"Command me."
"Can you build this?"
Raymond showed him a sketch he'd hastily drawn while waiting. If the Magic Kingdom intervened, their airship fleet was inevitable. This was the design for a decisive anti-air weapon.
"Your Majesty, this is..."
"Be certain. Can you make it?"
The true protagonist of the novel Empire of the Dead, Richard, had used this secret weapon in the late second volume to down the Magic Kingdom's airships.
Could dwarves craft it without proper blueprints?
"We can."
Rackl grinned as he replied.