My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness - Chapter 154

#154

Rebellion of the Empire (4)

The capital of the empire, Jeroen, which had been immersed in peace for a long time, was thrown into chaos due to a sudden uproar.

“A peaceful death to all—!”

“Stop it! “They are targeting the Count!”

Hans’ followers, including the warlock, turned around and attacked their respective targets.

Those impure elements, including those who had pledged to reverse heaven, had been living a suppressed life, literally unable to die, without being able to commit suicide under strict control…

This was the first order of the Immortal King given in such a situation.

Their minds had already been ruined a long time ago, so they ignored their own lives and moved solely to complete the mission.

Even if they ended up dying, for them, death was just a means of escape from subordination.

In places where they thought it would be a bit difficult for them alone, the undead and their executives joined in to shake things up, and perhaps thanks to the advantage of surprise, the work had been going smoothly so far.

[Hmm… This is roughly sorted out… Oh, are you there? Isn’t that your next destination…? How stupid you must be to not be able to follow the guidance of ghosts properly… I think it would be better to throw away that kind of brain quickly, but maybe the girl can help you…?]

And the one who leads them all is the always reliable Hans. ‘s right arm was Banshee Queen Olivia.

She wasn’t even paying attention to the battle aspect and was only focusing on controlling the stage through the ghosts.

The barrier surrounding the capital weakened the ghosts flying within it to the limit, making it impossible to fight… but

from the beginning, their role was to run away and become Olivia’s eyes, ears, and mouth, so there was nothing special about them. There was no problem.

[Everything goes according to the king’s will…]

She caught a glimpse of the direction in which the air was shaking and focused again on the task entrusted to her.

The time when the advantage of a surprise attack could be seen had passed, and the human counterattack was gradually becoming stronger.

***

“Ugh—!”

“Don’t overdo it! Our role is only to buy time…!”

Dark magic that gathers in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, it took on a certain law and soon became a supreme mystery and appeared in the world.

Rumbling!

As a fierce black storm filled with curses swept over the surrounding area, some of the dozens of knights caught up in it fell to the ground, coughing up blood.

[Hmm, maybe because it’s next to the imperial castle, the barrier’s influence is strong. No matter how moderately I did it, I never thought the effect would be this low.]

The fact that those knights were the Empire’s elite knights, wearing all kinds of magic tools and even receiving strengthening magic, was not that important.

Anyway, no matter what preparations they make, they won’t be able to do anything other than just buy time.

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut…

At that time, a huge golden magic circle was created on the outside of the barrier surrounding the imperial palace, and an intense wave of light emanated from it once again.

The light was blocked by the darkness that seemed like an abyss, so it did not cause much damage to the target.

The very small gap that resulted was enough to give those in charge of close combat time to approach.

“Ha!”

Heinrich, a warrior with a divine aura covering his whole body like a lighthouse in the dark.

The light flowing from his body continued to gently embrace those exposed to terrible energy, restoring their bodies and minds and giving them the strength to stand up again.

However, his true value was not limited to those auxiliary abilities…

Hwaaah—!

His holy sword, which was blessed with the ‘Light Sword’ and ‘Increased Quantity’, was swung with the newly acquired enlightenment of the ‘Way of Martial Arts’.

It seemed to flow or stop. The sword, like the dawn that cuts through the dawn, cut through the black magic that was activated simultaneously, widening the path to the Immortal King.

“now!”

“Haaap—!”

At that moment, the two imperial knights who were looking for an opportunity were instantly crushed.

The commander of the Imperial Guard, who oversees the security of the imperial palace, and the head of the Knights Guards who protect the emperor.

Both of them were qualified to go beyond extremes and face the Immortal King directly.

The vice-captain, another master within the imperial palace, did not participate in the war to closely guard the emperor, but the majesty of the leader was so great that it did not bother him.

Squeak, squeak,

a sword light as cool as moonlight cut through the numerous black snakes extending from Hans.

The swordsmanship that accurately cut through the veins of magical power was so efficient and beautiful that even Heinrich was amazed.

‘Is that old man amazing? No matter how low the concentration, the energy of the abyss is gathered together so easily. Is it really an empire that such a powerful person is hiding in the imperial palace? Maybe it’s because of his age, but he seems to lack a bit of physical strength…’

Cornwell, the Commander of the Knights of the Guard, a sturdy old man with wrinkles befitting his appearance, was someone who had reached transcendence as a swordsman.

At that level, he would be able to single-handedly take out not only Harley but even Bisque Eupersch, who was a full-blooded person.

‘Of course, it would be a different story for Heinz, who has become stronger than a normal holy blood with all kinds of skills and “mixed blood evolution”.’

He was a stern swordsman who, if we were to look at his pure state, even Heinrich would not be a match for him without several corrections as a warrior and an awakened person.

‘I understand why the Azerion Empire is the strongest nation on the continent. Besides, the strong people here are not all of them.’

“Uracha!”

The moment I admired their power, there was someone who rushed like an animal into the gap that Hans had created thanks to various attacks.

Kwaaaang—!

A man slashing an ax brimming with dark red energy as if chopping firewood.

It was Harley, a brave barbarian warrior who had been at the Great Temple of Roselia and came to Zeron for support.

“Hahaha! I came here because I heard that I could break the bones of the Immortal King! “I wonder if this thing will break!”

[Wow, that’s pretty good.]

Pakazik!

The ax blade was blocked by black energy just a finger’s length away.

Without hesitation, he flung his body backwards to avoid the abyssal snake piercing space, and this time lunged again with one hand’s long claws drawn out.

‘I even called in Harley to balance things out, but the empire’s power is stronger than I thought.’

The remaining power of the holy site had already been exhausted after sending support to various parts of the continent, so it was impossible to draw any more power from the main temple, where even the saint was absent.

So Harley, on behalf of the church, ‘voluntarily’ came forward to support the empire…

Now that I see it, it seems there was no need to go that far.

That’s right too.

Weeeeeee—! Crumbling!

In addition to the powerful people directly dealing with him, the level of magical support deployed around the imperial palace barrier was extremely high.

[Hmm, this is quite a hassle.]

Hans complained as he lightly blocked the lightning that fell from above his head.

Despite constantly changing positions as the battle continued, the magic activated through the imperial palace did not weaken at all, as if it had the entire capital within its range.

‘According to the information I obtained in advance, there must be only one archmage left in there.’

However, as he received assistance from low-level wizards through the barrier of the imperial palace, high-level magic was pouring out non-stop, as if there were five or six great wizards.

[Big —! —!] [

Kiyaaak

—!]

Coooooo!

Even though the two bone dragons were continuously pounding on the barrier.

Even though the palace’s barrier seemed to be shaking dangerously, it was quickly restored to its original state as stable energy was steadily supplied from within.

‘Looking at the flow of magical power, it seems like they think this is an opportunity and are squeezing out extra power… Hmm, are they even using Dragon Heart? ‘You’re desperate.’

In any case, the effort was futile, so it seemed like this would be the end of the goal for the imperial palace.

In the first place, it meant nothing more than greetings, and it was time to start planning.

[Try to exert yourself a little more. Aren’t you about to lose your excitement?]

Quad deuk!

“Kaaak!”

“Lord Timos!”

One of the dozens of abysses extending from Hans bit the back of the neck of an exhausted knight.

Because of its origin, unless you were of a very high rank, if you were bitten at a vital point, you would die instantly.

It will be a long time since those who were holding him back will die one by one based on the evil karma of the being that he has grown to be able to see through the “eyes of the abyss.”

Their fight continued to move naturally, and before he knew it, he had reached his target point.

‘found.’

So Hans.

They faced those who were held back by undead forces, including Death Knight Lord Karam and Archrich Dwell.

Of course, the imperial knights who were fighting him also discovered them.

The commander of the Imperial Guard and the commander of the Knights of the Guard also looked at him with devastated expressions.

“Huh? His Royal Highness? Even the 5th princess?”

“Huh—there’s also Count Garfield and Viscount Pristine. “I can’t believe they’re still in this dangerous place, even with the two royal descendants in their care…”

The elite army, numbering over a hundred in disarray, must have been in the midst of a fierce battle.

The two royal family members and the great wizards who were keeping their distance between them looked awkward.

“…Lord Cornwell!”

“Hehe, that’s something we can’t do either…”

Of course, they tried to avoid it too.

However, after many twists and turns, they finally joined, and while they were moving to the main temple, the immortal army and its executives appeared and stuck to them as if they were determined to interfere, so what could they do?

No matter how much I tried to shake them off, they clung to me persistently, so even though they knew the Immortal King’s presence was approaching, they were unable to avoid it.

“Ugh, anyway, I don’t have time to be like this right now!”

“…The undead are coming!”

Through that encounter, people from the empire took advantage of the temporary lull in the battle to join in… but

they were not given much time to reorganize their battle lines.

Just in time, the immortal army that had been thrashing the city stopped fighting all at once and began to gather around this place.

[For the great King of Death!]

[Despair in this world—endless fear for the weak—!]

Because of the capital’s barrier, the undead summoned here were all high-class soldiers.

And leading them are the Immortal Army executives who were the protagonists of the previous great war.

Kwaaaang—!

The human side was immediately pushed back by the sudden offensive, but with the help of the barrier and the magical support of the imperial palace, it was not to the point where they collapsed immediately.

It just became a hectic battle and it became harder to care about each other.

[Ah, it is also the capital of the empire? It seems like it would be difficult to take it down quickly this way. Umm… Maybe it’s because there are a lot of distractions, but it’s not as fun as I thought.]

And finally.

Hans started the engine first.

“Immortal King, poor king of the dead! Are you happy with what you are doing now? To follow the whispers of the abyss, cover the world with death, and fight those who try to stand against it?”

[Hehehe—It’s been a long time since I got over such base thoughts. I guess I said it before? All I want is the intensity that comes from the collision between life and death!]

What followed, of course, was a hoax targeting the entire continent… created by the combined efforts of the hero and the devil.

When they stopped fighting and started talking, those who were dealing with Hans with Heinrich also stopped attacking and concentrated their efforts elsewhere, observing the situation for now.

The Immortal King, who could be said to be the biggest enemy, left the fight on his own, so there was no need to provoke him.

[What I wanted at first was power, but in return, I lost my life and just existed as if I were drifting by. Losing the meaning of existence, following inertia, pursuing only power and death.]

The Immortal King’s reminiscences flowed softly.

Although it was a noisy battlefield, his voice filled with magical power rang out clearly without any weakening.

So that everyone here can hear.

[But then I encountered it! In the body of a paladin, he burned his own life and bravely faced death by inserting his sword into this immortal heart—my adversary. Yes, Heinrich St. Landgard. You!]

Building a narrative.

The opportunity that began with the meeting between the Immortal King and the Hero and the changes that occurred as a result.

From then on, he began to prioritize his personal interests over his inertial ambition to destroy the continent.

Rather than pursuing extreme destruction, it would be safe to say that they have begun to follow a relatively moderate path.

Of course, it did not stop its actions, such as opening an abyss, causing madness, and destroying the principality, but that was far from the purpose of destroying the world.

If I had to put it into words….

“The scale of the method of attracting attention is also large.”

It was an act of a crazy person with power making a fuss to ask for help.

Of course, the world-class nuisance was greatly influenced by the fundamentally evil nature that could not be changed with small changes.

‘… is the setting. ‘Because if you say it’s a crazy person’s way of thinking, it can crush even your lack of persuasiveness.’

Anyway, the conversation between the two started now.

“Hannibal, the Immortal King. Then, how about making a bet with me?”

To be exact, I would say it’s a one-person play rather than a conversation.