“Cough…”
The last remaining user falls.
All that’s left is a man twisting a slightly torn hat.
He changed his tattered robe to a new one and retrieved the talisman he had thrown.
“Outsiders have gotten a lot stronger. This level of power, huh…”
I thought Leo, the Sword Saint, and Lady Lily were the only exceptions, but it turns out their abilities were stronger than expected.
After receiving the title of Cloud Envoy, he fought with utmost sincerity.
“Hehehe… Rankers aren’t just rankers, you know… Plus, everyone’s gotten stronger thanks to Lady Lily…”
“Are you talking about Lady Lily?”
Thud. Before I knew it, Leo, who had finished recovering, walked out.
Her body was fully healed, but her mind seemed a bit dazed.
“Understanding of mana. I shared that without any reward… so I guess the rankers within the top 100 probably caught on quickly…”
“I heard that, but I didn’t think it was that important.”
“It is important. I’ve gotten incredibly strong.”
Though Naphras’s blessing contributed to Leo’s strength, the most crucial factor was Lady Lily’s lectures.
Leo felt that she was at least several times stronger than before attending the lectures.
She shook her head and took a deep breath.
“Phew… Hah… Is this a command that has come down?”
“Yes. It’s an order to use all our power to suppress the Empire’s enemies.”
The Empire’s orders.
And only the Emperor and Duke Huangyeol can issue such orders.
─Leo.
“Lady Arne!”
Leo’s eyes brightened at the voice she heard in her ear.
Whoosh! In an instant, her hair and eye color turned green.
─Now that the Duke Huangyeol’s will has been conveyed, we can move. But you know, I can’t move, right?
“Yes!”
The Three Lords are the backbone of the Empire.
They do not intervene unless the Empire is on the brink of collapse and protect it as the ultimate weapon.
The ones who can move now are just the subordinate Eight Swords.
Leo tilted her head as she checked the siege war spear.
“Hmmm… Looks like the Twin Moons Lord took a hit, and, oh? The Blood Fight Lord went to the Angel Guild?”
─Given that the Sword Saint has been taken down, the only one who could attack the angels now is the Blood Fight Lord.
Since being defeated by Lily, the Sword Saint has only been chasing after her, and the Twin Moons Lord has already been taken down.
It’s only natural that the Empire’s Knight Order cannot face the Angel Guild alone.
─Now that the Blood Fight Lord has moved first, there are no remaining forces on the Magic Lord’s side, excluding the Magic Lord himself.
“Are you sending the Cloud Envoy?”
─No way. We only take direct action as a last resort.
The Archmage and the Spirit Lord are still on the same side of the Empire.
If it were only the two of us, it might be different, but with Duke Huangyeol glaring at us, openly attacking could lead him to ‘choose’ a side.
If that happens, one side is guaranteed to be annihilated.
─I know Robelian well. He’ll stay out of our fight as long as it doesn’t harm the Empire.
“…Huuuh. Honestly, I want to help Lady Lily.”
─Just a little longer. It will happen soon.
“Really? Earlier you said you couldn’t help.”
When Leo asked this, a bitter laugh floated on the wind.
─…You’ll find out when the time comes.
About the evil deeds Karia is planning.
■
“?”
As we were slowly entering the heart of the Empire, the Angel Guild was in a panic.
“Blood Fight Lord?”
There were reports that Kazar Lornbte, one of the Eight Swords, was attacking the Angel Guild.
Fortunately, three Archangels were working hard to fend it off, but the situation was becoming increasingly dire.
[OMG]
[Blood Fight Lord is super strong]
[Are we going to retreat?]
[Just charge in]
[Even if it crumbles, we have to strike the Empire lol]
[Is the Blood Fight Lord that strong?]
[With three of the Seven Archangels, can’t we hold them off?]
[They’re way stronger than that Twin Moon Lord from earlier, so if we don’t help, we’ll definitely get through]
[We’re screwed lol]
[What will Lily do?]
“…Hmm.”
I hesitated for a moment before one of the Empire’s castles.
The thought didn’t linger long.
Boom!!
[Castle Izra has been occupied.]
“Let’s charge.”
If I keep being dragged around, I won’t be able to achieve my goal.
My goal is to face the Archmage directly.
[Let’s just go for it lol]
[The Angel Guild is wailing]
[Not that I care lol]
[Right now it’s super tough, but]
[Breaking the Empire is obviously a priority; the Angel Guild isn’t important lol]
[For real lol]
“It’s not that it’s unimportant…”
[Breaking the castle is more important, right?]
[Hahahahahahaha]
“For sure, everyone is strong enough. They’ll manage.”
I had only seen it a few times, but I believe in the capabilities of the Angel Guild.
If the Blood Fight Lord is around the same level as those glasses saintess I saw, then with the three Archangels we have now, adding even two more should be enough to win.
Even one Twin Moon Lord should be able to hold off.
How much further had we progressed toward the center?
‘Slowly…’
[Slowly…]
[Is there none now?]
I checked the siege map and frowned.
There were no guild-affiliated castles left in the Northern and Central regions.
The remaining castles were unaffiliated, so no cores were generated; if we wanted to occupy them, we’d need to overpower them all by force first.
After defeating everyone, we need to capture the castle.
Even if we say so, we can’t impose separate restrictions like in a siege war system.
[Leo’s side?]
[Seems like there’s some in the Eastern and Southern regions too, let’s deal with those.]
[Can’t we just rush into the imperial palace?]
“Karia… Karia Matchelpid…”
The Magic Lord’s domain, Matchelpid Castle, does not belong to any guild.
Naturally, without a core, it crossed over to the central area, ignoring the northern and central regions.
‘I initially moved with the wind, though.’
I turned my steps.
Boom! Wings of Light unfurled, and I flew toward my destination at great speed, not through teleportation.
[?]
[Where are you going?]
“I feel like it’s not going to come out.”
If I enter the imperial palace like this, Duke Huangyeol and Nea will probably welcome me.
Maybe the Eight Swords associated with Arne might regard me as an enemy.
Personally, I wanted to confirm something about Duke Huangyeol as well, but he wasn’t my objective right now.
I remembered my conversation with Naphras.
‘That bastard… No, that human named Karia is unlikely to show up easily. I heard from the contractor that she’s currently preoccupied with experiments and won’t appear unless something special happens.’
‘Then we need to force her out.’
‘…? How?’
Thud.
Upon reaching my destination, I transformed my spear into a hammer.
Whoosh! The Wings of Light behind me spread fiercely, emitting radiance, as the holy hammer prepared for destruction.
‘Well, if I break her house, she might just come out, right?’
Because a home is precious.
The White Guardian smashed Matchelpid Castle to bits.
■
KABOOM…!
The sound that shook the heavens echoed through Matchelpid Castle.
It felt like everything was collapsing, accompanied by the noise.
The people in the castle, startled, were whisked away by the green wind before they could even gather themselves.
“Hmm?”
“Huh?”
“What was that just now…?”
Countless people, suddenly transported outside the castle, looked back at where they originally were.
Rumble…
KABOOM!!!
The vast, grand Matchelpid Castle lay in ruins, as if bombarded, and atop the debris descended a woman cloaked in pure white holiness.
Lily Elbrite.
Having brought down her home, she spun the hammer and struck the shattered remains once more.
BOOM!!!!
“AAAH!”
“Run away!”
“Ugh…! Crazy…!”
The debris shattered again, turning to dust.
The explosion seemed to reach even this far, but fortunately, no one was harmed.
However, one thought settled in everyone’s mind.
‘…Beautiful.’
Even from a distance, she radiated pure white light, resembling an angel descended from heaven.
She radiated a pure white light, looking like an angel that had descended from heaven.
Crackle…!
And then, as if to envy that angel, a violet portal opened in the sky, pouring down thick malice.
“How dare you ruin my castle…!”
Magic Lord.
The master of the now-crumbled Matchelpid Castle and the ruler of all who had been moved outside.
Considering the situation alone, that angel who suddenly destroyed the castle was clearly evil, and their outraged ruler was the embodiment of good.
But…
“I’ll kill you!!”
For some reason, looking at that scene made the lines between good and evil seem pretty messed up.
The evil side seemed more like their master, Karia.
Eventually, the malice generated dozens of violet magic circles in the air.
“Ugh!”
A green wind pulled them further away, and violet flames surged up in their place.
■
I threw a ruckus trying to summon the Magic Lord, but he didn’t show up.
If I barged into the palace, I’d have to fight not just the Magic Lord but also Duke Huangyeol and a bunch of other enemies.
Of course, I wasn’t completely devoid of confidence, but they weren’t my current target.
I pondered for a long time, but the solution was quite simple.
KA-BOOM!!!
Maybe if I just destroy it, he’d come out?
[????????????]
[?]
[Lily is crazy?]
[LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL]
[What’s going on]
[Why are you destroying the castle? LOL]
[Lily broke the castle ㅠㅠㅠ (like really broke it)]
[Great Lily]
[Isn’t it the Magic Lord’s castle if it’s Matchelpid?]
[LOL LOL LOL LOL]
[Lily, this isn’t even the castle with the core ;;]
[LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL]
[That’s insane]
[This is why it’s Lily LOL, who told her to be mad?]
[She’s totally lost it LOL LOL LOL]
[So “breaking a castle” really means breaking a castle…]
[Wow]
[Breaking news) The empire’s great duke, Karia Matchelpid, has become homeless, shocking everyone.]
[LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL]
“How dare you ruin my castle…!”
The furious Magic Lord emerged, steaming with rage.
I turned my head away.
The land that had ‘disappeared’ was almost too much for the word destruction.
I glanced briefly at what used to be a castle and nodded.
‘Hmm.’
Totally understandable.
I smiled sweetly at her.
“Well, since you’re the great duke of the empire, I’m sure you’ll understand, right?”
“I’ll kill you!!”
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