Chapter 121
Chapter 121
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: 41. Ghost Step (1)
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Diego, one of the Dark Emperors said to rule the continent's shadows and bearing the moniker "Ghost Step," was waiting for the right moment in the Marquis of Eraser's territory alongside hundreds of assassins.
They were all assassins from the Full Moon Flower Guild, and with the promised support from Edriger Kingdom's Hashashin and the Free Isiria Kingdom's Ghost Unit, the operation would involve well over a thousand assassins once it began.
"What's the status of the Philius Empire's forces?"
In the outskirts of the Marquis of Eraser's territory—the farthest village from the central city but closest to the border—now reduced to ruins, Dark Emperor Diego and the Full Moon Flower Guild members had gathered.
Diego sat on a half-collapsed section of the outer wall, gazing at the night sky. He tossed the question into the air upon sensing a familiar presence, his eyes still fixed upward. Identifying the owner of that presence was child's play for a Dark Emperor like him.
"We deliberately leaked information about our movements, but as expected, the Philius Empire's Emperor hasn't pulled back. He's only strengthened his defensive posture."
The owner of that clear, beautiful voice was Anna, Diego's aide and an assassin from the Dark Nobility Council—a viscount's lineage.
"Good. Everything's going according to plan."
"When do we move, Master?"
"When they've worn themselves out and collapse from exhaustion."
Diego spat the words in a cold tone. He wasn't a fool, and the Full Moon Flower Guild could move with such secrecy that even the Philius Empire's Central Intelligence Agency wouldn't notice.
Yet he'd leaked the information on purpose, precisely to force the Philius Empire's forces into heightening their alert status.
"I see... I think I understand a bit of your plan now, Master."
Anna murmured in quiet admiration and nodded. Diego, still not tearing his gaze from the night sky, let out a smirk.
"This involves the Emperor. The Philius Empire has no choice but to react sensitively. Their alert level will stay excessively high for the time being, and fatigue will naturally accumulate in the troops. We just strike when they've collapsed from exhaustion."
In the darkness, Diego's eyes gleamed sharply.
A week passed. The Philius Empire's forces spent it in constant tension.
With reports of the Full Moon Flower Guild's movements, they maintained their heightened vigilance.
It was tantamount to a forewarning of an assassination attempt on the Emperor himself, so the Empire's troops were at maximum alert. During this unseen standoff, the soldiers' fatigue had built up to critical levels.
Upon receiving reports of the situation, the young Emperor Raymond summoned Count Denitz late on the night of the seventh day.
"Your Majesty! Count Denitz has arrived!"
Marquis Tempest's voice echoed from outside. Raymond set down his wine glass on the table and spoke.
"Let him enter."
"Pardon the intrusion."
The door opened, and Count Denitz bowed in greeting before stepping inside slowly.
"Sit."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Once Count Denitz had taken his seat to the right, Raymond placed an empty glass before him and filled it with wine.
"I've heard the troops' fatigue has built up considerably of late."
"It's due to the prolonged standoff with the enemy. The Free Isiria Kingdom's forces have no immediate intent to attack and are only bolstering their defenses, so I expect the current situation to hold for a while."
The count's report omitted any mention of fatigue stemming from the intensified vigilance to protect the Emperor.
Raymond couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, but it was likely the count's consideration to spare him any sense of responsibility or burden.
He appreciated the thoughtfulness, yet it felt excessive.
It wasn't incomprehensible. Count Denitz showed faint signs of "fanaticism"—loyalty to the Philius Empire and its Emperor.
Blocking out information that might unduly disturb the Emperor's mind. It was a change from when they'd first met.
'Is it because of the Aura of Dominion...?'
Raymond smiled wryly. In the [Empire of the Dead] worldview, the Philius imperial bloodline inherited a special ability.
It wasn't heavily featured in the novel, but this power was ideal for ruling and commanding subordinates.
The Aura of Dominion elevated those beyond a certain loyalty threshold into the "fanatic" stage.
And—unknown outside the Philius Empire's direct line—when this dominion reached its peak, it could command the Colossal Divine Soldiers.
'Though foreign powers remain unaware.'
In truth, they hadn't been able to operate the Colossal Divine Soldiers until now, but the Tripartite Alliance and Highfel Empire didn't know that, keeping the Philius Empire safe.
"Count Denitz."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I am listening."
Raymond pushed aside stray thoughts and turned his gaze to the count.
"I'll keep this brief. Lower the Philius Empire forces' alert status."
Count Denitz froze mid-sip. Raymond averted his eyes and refilled his glass. Soon, he felt the young field marshal's gaze upon his cheek.
"Your Majesty. No, that won't do."
The count objected in a solemn voice.
"Why not? Our troops are exhausted."
"It's to protect Your Majesty."
"Is it tactically sound?"
"To be frank, tactically speaking, lowering the alert level is the right move."
The count shook his head with a brief sigh. His ready admission showed he hadn't fully crossed into fanaticism.
"However, Your Majesty. This concerns the dignity of imperial authority as well."
Raymond could guess what he meant. Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes.
"Count, I understand what you're getting at. But accumulating more fatigue in the troops will put us at a disadvantage in the battles to come."
"However, Your Majesty. Lowering vigilance will provoke the assassins to move. The intel was leaked on purpose by the enemy, but Central Intelligence reports a Dark Emperor is involved. This is no trifling matter."
The name "Dark Emperor" carried weight. Not long ago, the Hidden Blade had breached the imperial palace's defenses, threatening the previous Emperor's life.
The Royal Guard had since been vastly reinforced, and the Shades—shadows of the imperial family—had awakened, yet a Dark Emperor's name could never be taken lightly.
"A Dark Emperor... Likely Ghost Step or Shadow Death."
With the Hidden Blade dead, Edriger Kingdom had only two Dark Emperors left.
"Probably Ghost Step. They'll keep the king's direct Dark Emperor, Shadow Death, in reserve for emergencies."
Count Denitz said.
"Ghost Step..."
"If you're thinking of setting a trap, I'd advise against it. Your Majesty knows Ghost Step's abilities. Encirclement means nothing to him."
Raymond knew Diego's—Ghost Step's—abilities better than anyone.
Ghost Step was, strictly speaking, an assassin closer to a mage. He wielded a secret art that refracted dimensions to hide his body.
No obstacle could bar his path.
Even with their current formidable defenses, if Ghost Step willed it, he could reach Raymond alone.
"What if we could set a meaningful trap?"
Raymond's eyes turned back to Count Denitz. The young tactical count bit his lip under that meaningful gaze.
"Your Majesty. So you knew."
"I read about it in Imperial Vault 7. About the family guarding the secret art, the Labyrinth Formation."
"To properly deploy the Labyrinth Formation requires the cooperation of a magic swordsman who has mastered the harmony of sword and magic."
"Isn't a magic swordsman sitting right before you, Count?"
"That's why I hesitated to bring it up first. Too much has been lost since ancient times. Deploying the Labyrinth Formation with what I know carries enormous risks."
The tactical count, Erwin Denitz, hailed from a loyal house that had served the Philius Empire since antiquity—not only as faithful retainers but also as guardians of the bizarre secret art known as the Labyrinth Formation, from which none could escape once entered.
But due to various circumstances, they couldn't devote themselves fully to safeguarding it, and like most guardian families, much of the art had been lost.
"Better to take the risk than face defeat."
"Your Majesty. The burden I mentioned—of maintaining the Labyrinth Formation, I mean... on the magic swordsman—is far graver than you might think."
"It doesn't matter."
Despite repeated persuasion, Raymond remained resolute, leaving Count Denitz no choice but to concede.
"Understood, Your Majesty. Then I shall prepare the Denitz family's proud secret art, the Labyrinth Formation."
Only after that firm reply did a clear smile spread across Raymond's lips.
"It's been about three days since the Philius Empire forces lowered their guard."
A Full Moon Flower Guild member approached with a report. Ghost Step Diego, strolling toward the shadows under the full moon, halted and looked up.
"Has the time finally come?"
"It could be a trap."
Anna emerged from the deep shadows. The guild member who'd come to report bowed slightly and retreated into the darkness.
Diego withdrew his gaze from the vanishing subordinate and spoke.
"Trap or not, what of it? At worst, it's a Royal Guard ambush or the imperial family's shadows from the depths. We can sweep them aside with raw force."
Confidence overflowed in Diego's voice. With Edriger Kingdom's full backing, they had an unprecedented number of Hashashin for a single-target assassination, plus every assassin from the Tripartite Alliance's most renowned guild, Full Moon Flower. His assurance was well-founded.
Anna thought they should be more cautious, but regrettably, Diego wasn't one to heed others' advice.
She let out a short sigh, but fortunately, Diego—intoxicated by the full moon—didn't notice her subtle reaction.
"Anna."
"Yes, Master. Your orders?"
"What's our force status now?"
"Fully prepared and standing by. We can deploy all troops the moment you command."
A thick smile spread across Diego's face at her response. He had no intention of letting the Philius Empire's Emperor live much longer.
If the standoff had dragged on in tension, he might have extended his life a little, but lowering their guard was as good as urging Diego onward.
"Is that so? All prepared..."
Diego raised his right hand with a meaningful chuckle, and assassins in black emerged from the forest shadows. These were Full Moon Flower executives.
"Full Moon Flower awaits the Master's command!"
The black-clad figures shouted in unison. The guild was infamous among western continent assassin guilds for its high fees, but once contracted and fully mobilized, they always succeeded.
Thus, their morale soared, convinced of victory this time too.
"Relay to all guild members! We set out on our nocturnal hunt tonight!"
Before he knew it, a sharp dagger gleamed in Diego's right hand.
"The Philius Empire's Emperor will not see tomorrow's dawn!"
"Waaah!"
A roar erupted. Diego nodded in satisfaction, a smile on his lips. His gaze then shifted to Anna.
"Pass the word to Edriger's Hashashin too. We'll take the vanguard; they follow as they will."
"Yes, Master."
She couldn't relay it verbatim. Anna resolved to soften the phrasing, gave a curt reply, and vanished into the shadows.
Thus, the Full Moon Flower Guild led by Dark Emperor Ghost Step, Edriger Kingdom's Hashashin, and Free Isiria's Ghost Unit moved in concert. To them, the Philius Emperor wouldn't survive the night.
But who among them knew? The trap laid by the Philius Emperor was far too deep to escape.