Imperial Turmoil (2)
Even after cutting down a large number of the holy knights, the battle remained heavily against them. The strategist who had blocked Aldebaran’s slash with an invisible barrier twisted his lips, openly displaying his discomfort.
“What a truly vicious attack. To think the Holy Sword concealed such power….”
He had deliberately triggered a Divine Clash by injecting the Earth Mother’s divinity into a body wrapped in a Calamity God’s blessing. It was a cruel technique only a cold-blooded man devoid of any mercy could perform.
He hadn’t known about the Holy Sword Aldebaran’s ability. An absurd mistake. Had he known beforehand, he never would have hastily activated the descent of a god.
The strategist nodded, bitterly acknowledging his own ignorance.
“It looks like you spent the last three years time-traveling.”
“What do you mean by that?”
The strategist asked in response to Edanant’s words. Edanant answered.
“The leader of the heretics—the so-called Apostle of the Calamity God—is impossibly ignorant. The same goes for those holy knights you turned into pulp. Just who the hell are you people?”
“…….”
The strategist didn’t answer. He merely revealed his unease through a rigid expression.
Did I strike a nerve?
Edanant bared his teeth as he raised the Holy Sword.
“Even if you reveal your identity, what would change? The conflict between the Creator God and the Calamity Gods has existed since the beginning of time.”
“It sounds like you’re asking me to kill you.”
“No. We will most certainly destroy both the Empire and the Holy Kingdom. And we will erase forever the divinity of the Creator God they worship as the Sole God.”
“Nice and simple. I like it.”
The strategist had laid bare his ambition. As if to prove his words, countless armies surged toward the central plaza where the clock tower stood. They were the Empire’s rebels. Their hatred for the Valtaria imperial family echoed like thunder.
The rebels who had broken through the city streets burned with the fierce morale of raptors. The sight of soldiers brandishing torches and weapons as they flooded into the central plaza was enough to make even Edanant feel a momentary sense of crisis.
Having finally breached the Empire’s defensive line, the rebels pressed their advantage and began a direct assault on the imperial castle.
“But can puppets dancing on the strings of a Calamity God’s Apostle truly bring down the Valtaria Empire?”
“…….”
The Valtaria Empire was strong. The prestige of the supreme nation that had conquered the continent was no empty boast. It was a victorious power that had joined the Holy Kingdom in annihilating the Demon King’s army during the Race War.
Forces hastily assembled through sorcery and brainwashing could never threaten the Empire’s lifeline.
“Suppress the rebels!”
“The legions of the Red Dragon never retreat!”
The kin of the Red Dragon launched their counterattack. The moment the elite troops guarding the imperial castle were deployed, the tide of battle shifted dramatically. The rebel formation that had been charging forward like a raging wave crumbled, revealing an overwhelming gap in power. As the imperial knights charged, a blood-soaked carpet reeking of iron spread across the ground.
“Heh heh. You’re sorely mistaken.”
“What?”
“Did you really expect anything from those disposable pawns? They are nothing more than sacrificial offerings to the gods.”
“…No way.”
────────!!!!
The ominous premonition that flooded his mind became reality in an instant. Murky, pitch-black magical power surged upward. Sinister characters densely covered every floor of the clock tower.
The forbidden art had been activated. Using the clock tower in the central plaza as its coordinates, it targeted the surrounding area.
It was different from ordinary black magic. Unlike spells that manipulated corpses or used blood as fuel, this one drained only the life force of the injured who were already on death’s door.
“From this moment on, a passage to the Chaos Realm will open.”
“…The Chaos Realm?”
It was a name he had never heard before. Edanant’s face twisted at the strategist’s declaration.
Chaos Realm. That bizarre name had never once appeared in the original story. Perhaps it was a space completely isolated from the outside world, much like Fairy's Haven.
The forbidden art that greedily devoured the countless life forces around it slowly reached completion. A pitch-black passage materialized in the sky above.
“You son of a bitch.”
Edanant raised his pistol and fired repeatedly at the elderly man. But every magical bullet was deflected by an invisible barrier. It was exactly like when he had swung his blade. An intangible energy kept blocking his attacks.
“M-monster!”
“Monsters are falling from the sky!!”
Terrified screams ripped through the air. The scene was straight out of hell. From the pitch darkness enveloping the imperial capital, vicious monsters emerged all at once. Five of them had appeared.
A variant from the Chaos Realm, its entire body clad in sharp metal implements, spewed flames. The colossal monster swung its razor claws and massive tail, sweeping away both imperial soldiers and rebels alike.
“Damn it—he opened the gate and ran…!”
The slyly laughing old man had vanished without a trace. The holy knights guarding him were gone as well. While Edanant’s gaze had been fixed on the city streets that had become a living hell, they had slipped away.
They had completed their mission, so that was the end of it? Edanant ground his teeth, swearing he would hunt the bastard down and tear him limb from limb.
Where the hell do I even start?
The clock tower serving as the forbidden art’s summoning coordinates. A chaotic battlefield where tens of thousands of troops were tangled together. The Chaos Realm variants rampaging as if they would burn the entire imperial capital to ash in one go. On top of that, the Valtaria Empire’s forces had been scattered by the continuous string of disasters.
The heretics would undoubtedly launch a surprise attack on the imperial castle, whose defenses had grown lax.
“…….”
If he used his blessing, it was possible. At the very least, he could clean up the hellish scene unfolding across the capital in a short time.
His identity might be exposed. But there was no time to worry about such a trivial thing. A single moment of carelessness could cost hundreds of thousands of lives.
Having made up his mind, Edanant pushed down his anxiety about being discovered and placed a fist over his heart.
────────!!!!
Just as he was about to activate his blessing, a crimson ray of ferocious thermal energy shot in and struck down one of the Chaos Realm monsters. It happened in the blink of an eye. The monster whose head had been half-melted by the scorching heat died without even managing a scream.
Edanant, who had been feeling the crushing weight of desperation, looked up. Seeing the crimson light illuminating the pitch-black sky, he let out a sigh of relief.
“Your Highness! Your Highness!!”
As the flames of the red dragon scattered, a beautiful woman appeared. The woman who descended onto the battlefield with her rich golden hair streaming behind her was undoubtedly Ludmilla. He called out in a desperate voice.
Unfortunately, Ludmilla was too busy dealing with the rampaging Chaos Realm monsters to hear him. Swinging the Holy Sword that emitted pure white radiance like a baton produced the same result. How could he call her? How?
After a brief moment of hesitation, Edanant swallowed a groan and shouted again.
“Ludmilla—!!”
He called her name with a half-doubting heart. The situation was too urgent. He had no choice but to commit this rudeness.
“Did you call for me, Edanant?”
Perhaps she had caught his urgent voice amid the explosions and screams of the hellish battlefield. Ludmilla became enveloped in crimson light once more and landed on the top of the clock tower where Edanant stood.
She really heard him. He had shouted it out of pure desperation. Edanant greeted her with a slightly dazed expression.
“Heretics who worship the Calamity Gods are behind this. They used the Calamity God’s blessing to turn nobles hostile to the imperial family into puppets.”
“…The Calamity God.”
Ludmilla’s face darkened at the ominous name. It was a natural reaction. The Calamity Gods were beings of terror that must never be confronted.
“They offered the battlefield’s wounded as sacrifices to summon monsters from another realm. Since they’re so cruel and merciless, they’re definitely plotting something even more horrific.”
“What is it?”
“They intend to assassinate His Majesty.”
“……!”
The atrocities that vengeful followers of the Calamity God might commit were painfully obvious. They would kill the emperor. The heretics’ claws were already reaching for the Empire’s ruler.
If they didn’t return to the imperial castle immediately, disaster would strike. That was why Edanant had urgently conveyed the warning to Ludmilla. The outcome could be decided in the blink of an eye.
“However, dealing with the monsters that fell from the sky is also an urgent priority. If we leave them be, unimaginable damage will follow.”
The moment Ludmilla finished speaking, a shocking variable occurred. The monster stood back up. It was the very one whose head had melted from the direct hit of the crimson ray. Despite suffering a fatal wound that should have killed it instantly, it had recovered completely. The Chaos Realm monster raised its fully restored head high and spewed flames toward the city streets.
“But right now…”
“I will entrust this to you. Protect His Majesty in my place.”
We cannot save everyone. This is a choice between two evils. For now, we have no choice but to accept the sacrifice of the innocent.
He had been about to say those harsh words. But Ludmilla, who had read his thoughts, turned her head and cut him off.
“…Do you truly believe I can do it?”
“I believe in you. More than anyone else in this world, I trust you.”
The princess’s pure, untainted faith pierced his heart like a dagger. Edanant stared at Ludmilla’s back with eyes full of anxiety. There wasn’t the slightest trace of doubt in her. Her voice was as brave and dignified as ever.
He closed his mouth for a moment. Then he looked up and answered.
“I will obey your command, Your Highness.”
It was truly an unreasonable order. But he could not betray the princess’s trust. No matter what happened, he vowed to live up to her faith.
“A-and one more thing! When it’s just the two of us in the future… you may call me by name. Like you did just now.”
“…Yes.”
To think she had remembered. He had assumed the chaotic situation would make her brush it off. At Ludmilla’s bold permission, Edanant felt such embarrassment that he wanted to crawl into a mouse hole and hide.