The Emperor's Clones

Kim Hwang-je chewed his lip, eyes fixed on the glowing alert. The eunuch who had remained utterly silent until now was finally offering advice.

"By all means," Kim Hwang-je replied at once. "Got any words that might actually help?"

"Clone Technique?"

Kim Hwang-je quickly reviewed every spell available from his vassal states. It didn't take long to locate the cloning magic among the elf chieftain's arsenal.

The moment Kim Hwang-je confirmed the transaction, thick tree roots burst from the ground on either side of him and rapidly took shape. Two perfect duplicates of the emperor stood before him, so flawlessly crafted that even he couldn't tell them apart at first glance.

"What should we do?" one asked.

"Give us any order you like," said the other.

Hearing his own face and voice speak those words felt incredibly strange. Yet before Kim Hwang-je could sink into any melancholic thoughts about his doubles, another alarm rang.

By now the entire scheme was crystal clear to him.

"The clones will disappear the moment they're hit, so I'll still be the one who has to take the beating. Right?"

Kim Hwang-je let out a long sigh.

"What exactly are you saying?"

It made sense. Using World Observation, Kim Hwang-je scanned the enemy fleet and quickly located a massive flagship far in the distance. A colossal figure sat upon it.

Even seated, the creature stood over three meters tall. If it rose, it would look like an entire three-story building moving across the deck. Its eyes flickered with living flame, and its entire body appeared to be carved from diamond-like ore. A mineral demon. Banshees in long robes and veiled faces floated silently in the air around it.

"So that's Felix."

The realization hit instantly. If that thing began rampaging, no one could stop it easily. If Dave claimed he could defeat it alone, the kingdom would never have fallen in the first place.

"All right. I'm going ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in. Clones… I'm counting on you."

The duplicates flanked the seated emperor. One held a potion at the ready while the other assumed the stance for Emperor's Iron Fist.

Kim Hwang-je summoned one last ally.

"Genius, you heard all that, right?"

"I'd rather not either," Kim Hwang-je muttered.

He glanced one final time at the factory inside Adel Castle, then descended directly into the center of Sinal Port.

At the same moment, Felix brooded on his flagship.

He was a legion commander who had invaded and destroyed countless worlds at the Demon King's command. The Third Legion under his direct command had mercilessly crushed everything visible in this remote eastern polar region. Through battles against dragons, ancient kingdoms, and rival demon lords, the legion had only grown stronger.

That was why Felix had considered the extermination of a single human kingdom to be overkill, like using a sword meant for slaughtering cattle to crush an ant. He simply could not understand why the Demon King was reacting so sensitively.

"It seems my judgment was wrong."

Felix admitted it plainly.

"This is not something those pathetic insect-like humans could achieve alone. Someone is intervening on their behalf."

How had they erected such an enormous wall in so short a time? A forty-meter barrier the height of a thirteen-story apartment completely covered the concave harbor. The sight was so absurd it left him speechless.

Along its top stood rows of long metal tubes he had never seen before. A nearby banshee, its face hidden, asked in a trembling voice.

"Kiriririri… Who could it be…?"

"Judging by the look of those walls, I'd guess either a dwarf demigod or that sorcerer king fellow. We'll capture a few and torture the answer out of them."

Felix stroked the head of the growling banshee beside him. The cursed monster whose mere cry could kill ordinary people had been reduced to the role of a pet, yet no one found it strange.

"Heh heh… Still, how unfortunate. They may have supplies, but they lack true power, and now I have come personally…"

Felix trailed off, mouth snapping shut.

Far above the harbor the sky rippled, and a colossal man descended through the distortion.

"What?"

The giant stood at least fifty meters tall. His shoulders and head rose above the defensive wall. The sheer impossible scale left even Felix momentarily speechless.

It was Kim Hwang-je.

Wearing the enormous garments prepared by the kingdom, the emperor planted himself at the exact center of Sinal Port.

"This can't be…"

In that instant, an intense staring contest unfolded between Kim Hwang-je and Felix across more than a hundred kilometers of sea. Most people would never believe that the emperor standing at the heart of a fortified harbor city and the legion commander surrounded by tens of thousands of troops could glare at each other so directly. Yet Felix rose from his seat in extreme tension.

"…A Prince?"

He narrowed his eyes.

"Has a Prince already manifested in this land? Or did someone dispatch one of their own subordinates?"

Countless complicated thoughts swirled through his mind, but Felix's final decision was simple.

"I will restrain the enemy from the front. Lead every troop forward and scale the walls!"

"Yes, Legion Commander!"

The demon knights and banshees surrounding him rose and surged toward the ships. Horns blared across the fleet.

"All forces, charge!"

The entire armada raced toward Sinal Port at maximum speed.

A ripple of astonishment spread among the soldiers staring at the suddenly appearing giant. Baron Pin, who commanded the port's defense, looked up at the colossal emperor with pure shock. No matter how far back he tilted his head, he could barely see the giant's face.

Yet Kim Hwang-je paid the baron no attention. His gaze remained locked beyond the wall, where an overwhelming number of enemy vessels shrouded in green mist poured into the harbor.

His thunderous voice rolled across the battlefield.

"Baron, take command. And forgive me, but I'll have to sit here."

With those words, Kim Hwang-je lowered himself onto the command center building. The structure was large enough that, sitting atop it like Rodin's Thinker, he could still clearly watch the approaching enemy fleet. His eyes remained locked with Felix's on the distant flagship.

"Yes, Your Majesty! Continue the operation! Pour every drop of fuel until the enemy ships come close enough!" Baron Pin shouted.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Pipes connected along the wall began gushing refined gasoline, produced through the tireless labor of the bare-chested workers. The fuel was not crude oil but highly flammable, processed gasoline. It flooded the mudflats between the iron fences, releasing a pungent stench as it soaked into the ground. The meeting of yellow gasoline and green seawater created an environmental catastrophe straight out of hell.

What a sight, Kim Hwang-je thought. Medieval defensive tactics were truly impressive, especially in a world that had never heard of environmental regulations.

"Wait…! Keep waiting!"

The demon ships moved with countless slaves rowing in unison. Drumbeats and groans echoed across the entire sea. The closer they came, the more the horrible screams, demonic chants, and pounding drums instilled raw terror.

Every soldier trembled. The natives of Sinal in particular looked ready to faint at the sight of the massive demon vessels.

Baron Pin screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Get a hold of yourselves! His Majesty is watching!"

"His Majesty is here! He is watching us!"

"That's right! Stay sharp and keep pouring!"

The baron ran back and forth along the wall, roaring encouragement to his men.

Finally the enemy ships drew near. Baron Pin raised his arm.

"Pull the wires! Raise the iron nets!"

The long-awaited moment had arrived. Soldiers grabbed the thick ropes connected to the iron nets hidden beneath the mud and heaved in unison. Crane vehicles and heavy machinery joined them, dragging the buried barriers upward.

Rumble!

The massive iron nets surged from the dark water. Ships at the front had no chance to evade. The vanguard vessels slammed into the barriers, unable to slow down, and collided with one another, shattering on impact. The groans that had filled the air turned into screams. Even the flame demons packed aboard the broken ships tumbled into the sea.

"It's going to blow!" Baron Pin bellowed.

BOOM!

The gasoline floating thickly on the water ignited from the flames clinging to the demons' bodies. Within the explosion, the fuses of the drifting poison mines detonated one after another. A chain of blasts sent pillars of black flame roaring into the sky.

"What is happening?!"

Felix shot to his feet, face pale with shock. The battle was unfolding in a completely different direction than he had imagined. He had intended to crush them with overwhelming power, yet the sea itself was blocked by nets and the ferocious flames prevented him from assessing the vanguard fleet's condition.

"Commander! You must advance!"

"Of course! Advance!" Felix agreed.

The nets looked dangerous, but demons did not die from being torn by iron wire, nor did they perish instantly from flames. While the smaller ships at the front had been destroyed on impact, the heavy warships following behind were magical vessels forged from steel and ore.

"Break through!"

At Felix's command the ore ships charged. They pierced the heart of the fiery storm Baron Pin had prepared with such care, splitting the flames to either side. The banshees had summoned cursed cold to part the inferno.

From within the divided sea of fire, ore ships bearing strange glowing patterns emerged. Their enormous size ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rivaled container ships from Earth.

"Wow, how are they that big?" Kim Hwang-je muttered in awe.

From between the vessels came Felix's booming voice.

"Fire! Destroy the enemy's watchtowers! Prevent them from commanding!"

Magical batteries rose in every direction from the ore ships and unleashed volleys at the wall.

BOOM!

Green beams like rays of light slammed into the barrier, but they were not mere energy, they were ore demons fired as living projectiles.

"Hold the line! Do not retreat! Knock them down!" Baron Pin shouted as he raced among the screaming soldiers.

Screams tore through the air. The armored troops were crushed far too easily. These massive sulfur giants were simply too large and powerful for ordinary soldiers to face.

"Fire! Keep firing!"

The heavy Vulcans mounted on the watchtowers and walls roared to life. Under normal circumstances such firearms would have dealt negligible damage, but thanks to Kim Hwang-je's Bestow they had received magical reinforcement.

The looted machine guns and rifles tore through the golem bodies. Baron Pin cheered.

"Yes! It works! Knights, raise your shields and block their advance! Everyone else, keep pouring bullets into them! Smash them all!"

But this was only the beginning.

The sight of Felix's legion charging through terrible heat, acrid gunpowder smoke, and boiling seas remained vividly clear. As the ore ships froze the flames and raced across the harbor carrying the full chill of curses, the banshees' breath of malediction finally reached the soldiers atop the wall. The stones that had been burning hot only moments earlier began to freeze.

"Now, Count Bahu! Show us your loyalty!"

"Khuhuhuhuhu… Loyalty… Now that's a fine word."

From the shadows, Count Bahu's eyes gleamed. Massive iron gates opened along the base of the wall, revealing the fleet Bahu had prepared in advance.

Calling it a fleet felt strange, however, because the vessels were concrete ships crewed by the undead. It was a little-known fact that concrete, when shaped into a flat boat, could float just like iron vessels. And these concrete ships had only one purpose.

"Start the engines!"

A tremendous roar shook the air as enormous aircraft engines mounted on each flat concrete hull spun to life. These were mobile ramming vessels powered by powerful turbofan engines. The fan blades blasted fierce wind backward.

"What a ridiculous waste of money…" Kim Hwang-je muttered, scratching his head at the spectacle.

Yet the battlefield had transformed into a whirlwind of anticipation and cheers.

"Waaaaah!"

"Ooooooh!"

The cursed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cold was blown away by the hot wind surging from the fan blades. The gusts were incredibly strong.

"Whoa! His Majesty's new weapon!"

"Receive the sacred arrow!"

"Go, Count Bahu! Become our hero!"

Bahu clicked his tongue as he listened to the cheers.

"…I'm not the one going, you idiots. The orc undead are the ones charging… Still, it's been a long time since I've heard cheers like this… It feels rather good…"

The undead count raised two gauntleted fingers and pointed forward.

"…Go and ram them!"

"Uwooooooo!"

With an earth-shaking roar the aircraft engines unleashed their full thrust, launching the concrete ships across the sea. They did not simply sail, they bounced and skipped over the waves like flying fish, hurtling forward from every direction. Each vessel was packed with looted explosives.

"Oh, what in the world are those?"

Felix rose from his seat, staring at the concrete ships flying toward him at terrifying speed for the first time.