Imperial War (5)
[Oh, bet? Heck, that’s interesting. Let’s just listen.]
The gist of what follows is…
If a large-scale war broke out in the direction of the Principality of Rohan, even the saint would not be able to fully focus on the Immortal King, so he decided to put aside the war for now and determine the outcome in a different way.
[Ah—that’s a boring story. You didn’t think I would accept such a simple offer, did you?]
The Immortal King’s callous reply was what everyone else who was listening to their conversation in the middle of the battle expected.
The precondition for this proposal was that there had to be an element that would interest him, so the conversation couldn’t progress any further if he couldn’t come up with that idea.
The moment Heinrich opened his mouth again…
[…No, I don’t think it’s bad for a little entertainment. Wow, I just came up with an interesting idea.]
And that’s an interesting idea he came up with.
It was a kind of board game that used the entire continent as a platform.
When the immortal king attacks a specific place, the hero blocks it.
If it fails to block it, it will naturally lead to the loss of mankind, and if it succeeds, it will be possible to destroy the forces of the Immortal King who have launched an attack individually.
The victory condition for the warrior side is to block the immortal king’s continuous offensive and defeat him in the direction of the devil’s castle.
Defeat was, of course, the destruction of the continent, which was at an end.
[Of course, as much as this side accepts the offer, there should be a penalty on that side, right?]
Hans, who did not stop there, let out a sinister laugh as if he had found something, and slowly added his words.
[First, there is no notice of time and place. Just because this body wants to destroy the place it wants. If your name is a saint, shouldn’t you deal with it on your own?]
“mmm…!”
Also about the time limit for this ‘play’.
[Second, it is up to three years to suit your tricks. I have no intention of prolonging a boring bet! hehehehe, I’m looking forward to seeing if I can come to cut my throat there. That waiting will also be a different pleasure!]
Hans bursts into laughter as if he were excited by his new interests.
A bet was made between the hero who wanted to prevent a large-scale war and somehow reduce the damage, and the evil Immortal King who only pursued his own pleasure.
On the condition that there is nothing worse for mankind anyway.
The moment when everyone thought so and was careless.
[And the third…]
His afterword continues—.
The gaze that seemed to contain the abyss returned to a corner of the battlefield.
***
When the 5th Princess and the Crown Prince joined.
“Long time no see, Riley. You seem to have been quite comfortable while I was gone. In many ways, I have gained a lot of weight.”
“Brother, did the meeting go well? I can’t help but feel sorry for the members of the church. It’s the same this time as well, seeing that tribulation occurs wherever my brother goes, it seems like he’s been cursed by the Lord God.”
As soon as they met, they scolded each other with a smile on their faces.
The Crown Prince did not hesitate to do all sorts of dirty tricks to keep Princess Riley in check, who was slowly growing up and threatening his position every moment, and she had no choice but to go even harder to oppose him…
The relationship between the two was already irreversibly broken.
However, since the situation they were facing right now was the situation, and the people of the capital’s defense force, who belonged to neutrality, were also present, they did not openly oppose them any more.
Even in this situation, it was the imperial family’s job to think about the political aspect.
It took a while to go to Daeshinjeon with such a reluctant companion.
In the end, they ended up being tied down by the immortal army chasing after them.
. . . That soon led to an encounter with the Immortal King.
‘Did I have to take Riley with me anyway?’
Whoa-!
Isea’s body swelled up with magical energy.
It continued without stopping for a moment…
Damn—!
That gigantic energy, woven according to certain rules, eventually became a miracle of extreme ice and swept through space.
[Keah! How dare this human kid!]
Kwajijik!
And Acrich Dwell, who had barely blocked the attack, burst into anger while gnashing his teeth with frost all over his body.
Despite somehow blocking direct hits, it was to the extent that she permanently lost countless undead to her ceaseless magic.
All of them were useful subordinates who belonged to the upper class!
‘When I was with Karam-nim, I was the one who only took care of myself while wasting my time, but I’m dying to deal with him directly like this!’
That Karam was too busy to stop the old knight right now, so he had no time to pay attention to anything else.
Other executives are also busy moving each other.
All that was leisurely on this battlefield was the Immortal King and the Hero, who were having a peaceful conversation.
‘Let’s admit it. As a wizard, that kid is superior to me.’
Her youthful looks left her with no self-respect, but it was a matter that she could pass as the genius of the century.
Above all, what Dwell cannot understand…
‘What magical power is there for a human subject! I’ve poured high-level magic a few times, but it’s still as good as the first time!’
It was the amount of her magical power that overwhelmed him who had lived for a long time.
Wouldn’t he even be able to indirectly receive some level of dark magic through his subordination to the Immortal King?
I just couldn’t quite comprehend this.
“Whoa.”
Regardless of what Dwell was thinking in her mind, Isea sighed lightly and raised the mana that had begun to fill up in her body again.
In fact, there was no special secret to her constant magical power.
This was just the effect of her unique skill [Infinite Power].
Thanks to that skill that exponentially increased the energy she could handle, the amount of magical power she could wield was virtually limitless.
Since he is a great mage, there is no problem with his output, to the point where he can fire high-level magic non-stop if given a little time.
‘Learning magic means most of the karma is invested in that stat, so the enhancement level of the unique skill isn’t that high.’
However, even at this level, ordinary wizards could have a fighting endurance that could not be surpassed.
Of course, if the opponent was on the level of the Immortal King, that advantage wouldn’t mean much, though.
While preparing for a new magic, she turned her head to grasp the situation.
[Quooo——!]
[Kyaaa——!]
Wow!
The first thing they saw was the two Bone Dragons knocking on the barrier of the imperial palace from afar and the magic circle trying to intercept them.
At some point, I thought that Marquis Lawrence’s magical support had been cut off, but seeing that the brilliance of the barrier had faded, it seemed that they had overdone themselves to the point that they could no longer provide additional support.
[Ignoring me…!]
She ignored what Akrich was talking about in front of her, and turned her gaze back to look around the battlefield this time.
Of course, without forgetting to pour the prepared magic on him.
Skack—!
Chaeeng!
[Big!]
“Keugh! Something like a ghoul!”
On one side of the battlefield, Conwell, the commander of the Guard Knights, was pushing the Death Knight Lord, who had troubled her, and on the other side, the Imperial Guard Captain was dealing with the Ghoul Lord, who rushed forward with his mouth widened like a pretzel.
“Ha ha ha! Break!”
On top of that, a huge figure covered in dark red scales, holding one undead in each hand and turning like a top, penetrating all over the enemy lines…
Roaring— Quaang!
[Is that the limit? I can feel your fear—!]
“dog sound!”
Seeing even Count Garfield resisting the huge dread phantom, Lee Se-ah quietly nodded as if relieved.
The battles between the Imperial Knights and the Undead Army were going on in a similar way, so there seemed to be nothing to worry about.
‘Maybe it’s because the Immortal King isn’t involved, so there’s no place that’s pushed too far. Although it’s a little uneasy over there.’
Her gaze returned to where Earl Garfield was.
As he had no skills and status corrections, it was obvious that he was exhausted, as if he had accumulated fatigue from the series of battles.
It was only natural that he had poured all of his energy with her to buy time against the immensely strong Death Knight Lord.
But the important thing now was not that kind of battlefield.
Lee Se-ah turned her head to the most important space in the area.
The place where the immortal king Hans and the saint Heinrich are.
Their conversation, which had been going on since earlier, was slowly coming to an end.
[… I’m looking forward to seeing if you can come. That waiting will also be a different pleasure!]
In an unexpected development that no one could have predicted, let alone her.
‘···What is that. Are you really crazy? …No, it must be crazy.’
The Immortal King, who just wants to play the continent as a chessboard, and the Saint who accepts it to prevent further damage.
‘No, was the saint suggested it first? I’m glad anyway How can things work out thanks to being a madman? . . . Wouldn’t you like to end a conversation like that?’
Then I thought it was good not to overdo it.
As initially thought, if the situation had gotten a little difficult and she had left the battlefield with Riley alone, the political position of the 5th princess would have greatly decreased afterwards.
‘Actually, it was more dangerous to catch up with the undead officers while away from the escorts, so I couldn’t put it into practice. Still, I’m glad things ended well… Huh?’
That moment when she was very slightly relieved.
[And the third…]
The immortal king, Hans, spoke softly.
I turned my head this way.
A gaze that freezes the soul just by facing it as if it contained an abyss.
In addition, the idea that the mask fragment attached to the skull was part of the Hahoe mask was not a very important issue right now.
Damn it—!
Quaggagak!
Because I was careless, it was only a little too late to recognize it.
At that moment, dozens of abysses stretched out from all directions, the same number of blades slashed them all, and conversely, a gigantic sword of light cut through the Immortal King’s barrier at the same time.
“Hannibal!”
[Ah— calm down. It is only a necessary procedure for a moment.]
As a huge shock wave swept around the sudden collision between the Immortal King and the Hero, everyone raised their tension and prepared for the eventuality.
However, there were some who were already too late to respond…
“Cuck!”
Earl Garfield, who was overdoing himself while holding the dread phantom in check even when he was exhausted, vomited black blood.
Before he knew it, several lines of abyssal serpents rose from the floor and pierced his body, wrapped around his whole body and pressed its mouth to the scruff of his neck.
“Count Garfield!”
“What is this!”
The astonished prince and imperial knights roared, and Heinrich also raised his holy sword again with a distorted face.
But then.
Fuhuaaak—!
An enormous energy emanated from the body of the Immortal King Hans and covered the whole area.
As if it had been a joke up until now, it was a terrible presence that suddenly increased the number of people.
The energy of the deep abyss, which is not normal black magic, but of death… eroded the influence of the barrier that covered the capital and stained the surroundings with darkness.
Paji Jiji—!
The repulsive force sparked a spark from the boundary between the energies.
Even the undead within that range were freed from the barrier’s influence, and their presence began to grow stronger.
Thanks to Heinrich, who protected people by spreading his divine aura, the cursed aura didn’t have a big impact on them.
However, while he was distracted by the immortal king’s momentum for a while, he didn’t pay attention.
[The way a product must be at stake in a bet.]
“Keep—keep!”
When everyone came to their senses from the sudden change, the crown prince guarded by the dying Earl Garfield had already passed into the hands of the Immortal King.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
“You bastard, the Immortal King!”
The enraged imperial knights and the undead blocking their way quickly turned the hall into chaos…
Isea had no time to care about that.
It wasn’t because of the fact that she had always disapproved of the crown prince.
Let the undetermined focus of Hans, the immortal king, look this way, and face the abyss’ eye sockets head-on.
A chill ran down her spine.
‘… Riley!’
Immediately after sensing the crisis, Isea’s mental powers were instantly boosted and her thoughts began to accelerate.
Contrary to the head slowly turning to the side where the princess would be in the slow time, the magical power that filled her body moved like a raging sword and in an instant formed the magic she wanted.
‘It’s fine. Before the battle, I set up a barrier around Riley in advance, and I have magic tools that I always carry, so if you can buy me some time…’
Quick judgment of the situation, search for countermeasures, and magic close to completion.
She made up her mind and made up her mind in an instant.
Even if it’s overdoing it, I’m going to get Riley out of this position.
But.
when her head is completely turned to the side.
[Uhuhu… Isn’t that a very beautiful lady…? Reminds me of my childhood…]
“Sigh?”
Already there, the Banshee Queen, Olivia, who appeared without a trace, was hugging Princess Riley from behind.
“···no!”
The mana runs out of control.
Forcibly twisting the almost completed magical structure within the body and forcibly changing its use.
“Kuhup—!”
Blood flowed backwards from Isea’s nose and mouth.
However, this is fine. There is nothing wrong with using magic right now.
So, around her, a magic circle to rescue Riley from that ghost is quickly deployed…
[Turn it off—! How long are you going to ignore me, little human—!]
Paperweight!
To the obstruction of the black magic that suddenly spread out.
I momentarily lost my function.
“ah?”
It was only for a moment that she lost control of her magical power, but that brief moment was enough time for Olivia to take the princess and move to the Immortal King’s side.
“Oops!”
[Your Majesty… I have commanded you here…]
[Hmm—yes, two are better than one after all.]
While Olivia was bringing the princess, Hans, who had collided with Heinrich again, slowly stepped back and nodded.
In the end, Crown Prince Simon and 5th Princess Riley became prisoners of the Immortal King.
Lee Se-ah, who was looking at them in dismay, turned to Dwell with a distorted expression like a bloody murder.
“You, you… you—!”
[Infinite Power] operated continuously from her body, unable to speak and trembling with rage, and enormous magical energy began to flow out.
After staring at Dwell for a moment, she turned her head and stared at the princess. At first glance, her face was pale enough to be mistaken for undead.
In addition, blood was dripping from his nose and mouth in the aftermath of excessive mana management…
Even so, the reason why she didn’t act recklessly right now was because of her strong reason that she had trained to the point of becoming a great wizard.
Even when she was faced with a chaotic situation to the point of feeling dizzy and full of anger, a part of her head calmly grasped the situation and controlled her body.
Even rushing into it right now won’t help.
“no! Nose, Ball Cornwell! Cornwell! rescue me now! Can not be done! I, I am the one who will become the emperor of this empire… wooup!”
“Whoa, whoa—”
Simon, whose mouth is blocked after struggling, and Riley, who tries to keep calm by repeating deep breaths calmly.
[For now, I’ll be satisfied with these guys. Where do you work hard? I’ll keep it alive for now, but I can’t guarantee how long it can last with a human body. Kkeukkeu—.]
So, the two most promising candidates for the Empire’s next emperor—.
It fell into the hands of the Immortal King Hans.
