[Chapter 541 – The Emperor Whose Fate Changed 2]
The child, who had been revealing secrets without hesitation, awkwardly turned away, looking like a puppy that had committed a mistake, avoiding eye contact.
“I don’t know…?”
“That’s understandable.”
“Huh?”
“This situation isn’t the first time throughout history that gods have held the fates of humans and shaken them at their leisure. Child of the Foundation, you already know about the existence of the ‘Apostle’ of gods, don’t you?”
“Ah-ha!”
“You may not realize it, but you have likely already been chosen by some god. Knowing the fate of others, which you are unaware of, means a divine prophecy has been delivered.”
“Wow, so that’s how it works!”
“Hahaha. My efforts were not in vain. After a long period of enduring, one god has finally raised their hand in support, indeed, it was a gamble worth taking.”
The emperor felt extremely good.
His life was not dismissed.
The path of evil he had built upon countless grievances, unrecognized by anyone, was not futile.
The existence of Oknodie.
Her prophecy.
Validated the emperor’s life.
“Then what do you wish for me to do?”
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with 20-grade Divine Item enhancement!”
“That means there is something else to be gained.”
“Do you know? It’s like how Stat Stones are mixed among ordinary stones, there are enhancement rights mixed among regular papers too!”
“Enhancement rights…!”
“If you collect just six of them, you can obtain a +26 item that surpasses the +20 mythic grade!”
“What lies beyond mythic?”
“Anything is possible! You can ‘regress’ while maintaining all your stats, or you could ‘create’ your own customized world, right? Hmm, I haven’t really thought about it, but it might also involve ‘dimension travel’ or even summoning the ultimate version of yourself with ‘Avatar manifestation’…?”
“Such an enticing story. Just imagining such a possibility brings joy.”
The emperor’s eyes quickly turned away from greed.
“Acquiring such a fortunate future is hardly easy, and there’s no reason to share secrets with others without any benefit. So, what do you wish from me?”
“Your wish is to defeat the Dragon Principal, right? I can accomplish that!”
“…By what means do you plan to defeat the world’s strongest creature—an entity that even gods cannot handle, the Evil Dragon Omoshiroi?”
“That’s a secret! But as proof of trust, I will definitely tell you the secret to attaining 20-grade enhancement. Then will you help me?”
“If it truly allows for 20-grade enhancement…”
Oknodie chuckled softly, placing her hand to her ear. She whispered.
– Use a ‘Special Cost’ as enhancement material.
– The moment you give up your position as emperor, the 20-grade enhancement will surely succeed.
The emperor put the ‘Seal’ on the line, and the enhancement was successful.
If he could kill the Principal by other means, there would be no reason to remain the emperor of the empire.
Freed from the boundless gamble, the emperor willingly stepped before the people.
And he abdicated the throne.
If he had narrated this to himself before he brought Oknodie in as a princess, he would have been accused of being possessed by a demon for his ridiculous actions.
Such was the perilous gamble, and the emperor felt the thrill of victory as a successful gambler.
“Oknodie, Child of the Foundation. You have kept your promise. Then, it is my turn to fulfill my promise to assist.”
Of course, it was self-evident that to receive help, Oknodie had to be alive.
While all masters deployed their territories to stop the foolish prince and the ‘Book of Mental Suppression,’ the emperor gracefully approached Oknodie’s bedside.
Stopping just ten steps away from the bed, he halted.
[Stealth]
[Sensing - Breathless Spider Web]
A severe detection device spread thin threads of magical energy, practically sealing off the area around the bed.
If one were to step carelessly, the threads would adhere sticky and bind the entire body, or sharpen like steel to slice through flesh.
At the end of the expertly crafted device was a girl wearing a fox mask, fiddling with a dagger.
“Such sincere dedication.”
It took merely a second to absorb all that information and make a judgment.
The emperor’s arrival, stepping forward unhesitatingly, startled Jiang as if she had seen a ghost.
“I can’t let Oknodie die. Not while I’m still alive!”
“But you are still inexperienced.”
Thud!
As the emperor snapped his fingers, the ground where Jiang stood was roughly torn apart as if plucked.
[Magic Act – Earth Pulling]
Jiang evaded the emperor’s attack that squeezed the space just by moving a finger.
With a slight delay in reaction time, blood dripped from her shoulder, yet she swung her hands again to overturn the sticky ground as the emperor quietly admired.
“Your speed is exceptional, but the fearless movement is indeed remarkable. I’ve heard that top assassins attain immunity through a technique that cuts off emotions.”
Bang! Bang!
Jiang stood her ground, blocking the incoming sticky ground without lifting a finger.
Seeing the formidable barrier of intangible energy surrounding him, her eyes widened in shock.
[Multidimensional Barrier]
[Parallel Arrangement – Absolute Barrier]
[Compression Release]
As Jiang evaded the collapsing dimensional barriers with the ground, she found herself locking eyes directly with the emperor.
It was as if he had anticipated her escape route all along.
Snap.
In the blink of an eye, Jiang used her sudden movement to break through the front and narrowly escaped.
As she widened her eyes in search of an escape, Jiang glanced back to find the emperor’s shadow cast beneath his large cloak.
Recognizing the terrifying magical energy swelling from within the cloak, she executed her instantaneous movement twice in succession.
Crack!
The air shimmered as if a beast had taken a large bite, distorting the dimensions.
In that fleeting moment, Jiang reached under Oknodie’s armpit and assisted her out of the bed.
Tremble.
Her head tilted to the side.
She was supposed to feel no emotion while using the technique of apathy, so why were her hands trembling?
“How can a soulless being be ignorant of fear? Your body has realized what crossing the line means.”
“…!”
“With this, you have qualified enough. Very well, I grant you the privilege to guard my side.”
No way.
Disregarding the burden of breath, Jiang attempted to create distance, but her body froze.
By now, the emperor’s [Dimensional Barrier] had swallowed the space she stood in, separating the dimensional departure and arrival points, halting her movement altogether.
“Don’t worry. I did not come here to harm a talented little one. In fact, I would say my purpose is quite the opposite.”
Even the recent game of hide-and-seek felt meaningless as Jiang shivered all over from the hand that touched her ‘shoulder.’
But the fear was fleeting, and the realization was prolonged.
The emperor’s gaze had already strayed from her, heading down the alley where Oknodie had been resting.
‘What’s that…?’
In the alley, a writhing figure.
Jiang was bewildered that something breaking through the magical barriers she had set, came so close.
It was enough to cause a violent turmoil that would even unbind the activation of apathy.
That it bore powers similar to the emperor indicated it was a dangerously threatening existence.
Gurgle…
Something that had been writhing throughout the alley vanished like a receding tide into the darkness.
“It is the Man’s Representative.”
“…!”
“It aims to target the old god’s representative and the blaspheming Dark Princess.”
“Why…?”
“Did I help you? Didn’t I say? My purpose is quite the opposite of harming.”
It was evident that whatever assistance Oknodie sought, she had to be alive to receive it.
“…Your Majesty. Your son is equally in significant danger. He’s planning to turn the citizens into living puppets. If you intend to help Oknodie, shouldn’t we stop that too?”
“I appreciate the compliment for my son, but I would like to dismiss your concern as unfounded. He has been given many opportunities, yet he can only grasp a negligible realization.”
“Do you think your son will fail?”
“You will see.”
“…?”
In the center of the square, the ominous [Book of Mental Suppression] was unfurled by the next emperor, surrounded by masters deploying their combined realms.
As the leading court magician raised his staff high to attack the other masters, Son Ohchun’s [Spirit] shot toward him.
Flinch.
The reaction of the chief court magician dulled at the extreme focus that couldn’t overlook even the Imperial Guard, at that moment, Masugaki Princess and Warrior Ishtar lunged at the Chief Court Magician.
In a split second, the court magician was forced to make a choice.
The warrior or the princess.
Who would be targeted?
The decision was made.
The magician’s spell was aimed at the princess.
[Vines of Binding]
[Thorn Hell]
If the warrior, standing with the revolutionary army, aids in the princess’s death, he loses his justification.
A fight without justification would lead to the victory of the next emperor with even stronger power.
A massive spell that would lead to death, leaving the victim riddled with thorns, spread out like a castle wall-sized mass of thorny vines.
Jerk! Where does this contempt come from? How far do you underestimate us?
That rational judgment led to the court magician’s defeat.
He did not know.
How much the princess had grown at the academy.
How her pursuit of strength, disregarding justification, linked to the acquisition of ‘so much Dark Mana’.
How her determination, born from competition with Oknodie, had made her strong enough to withstand the binding magic of the chief court magician and still emerge unscathed.
[Holy Mirror]
[Mirror Leap]
With the binding barriers set by the magician behind her, Ishtar leapt from the air, charging toward the emperor.
“This isn’t good!”
“You’re late!”
The chief court magician couldn’t move his feet, trying to chase Ishtar.
[Dark Thorn Ejection]
[Stealth Technique – Metalization]
The princess’s magic had effectively sealed his feet.
He couldn’t win.
He didn’t even wish to win.
What he desired was but a moment of binding, one without consideration for face or honor.
Masugaki’s most dedicated thorn ejection couldn’t destroy even the chief magician’s overwhelming magic, achieving metalization, and in that created breach, the warrior did not miss the opportunity.
Thud.
Ishtar landed gracefully, mere steps away from the emperor.
The tip of her sword aimed at the emperor’s heart.
