#156
Chaos of the Empire (6)
Thunder rumble—!
Crackle!
Dark, ominous clouds enveloped the sky, and the barrier surrounding the capital screamed and sparked continuously.
Amidst this apocalyptic scene, Hans, having achieved his objectives, slowly began to gather his subordinates and prepare to leave.
[Well then, let’s call it a day. I look forward to seeing you all in good spirits!]
“Undead King!”
Although the undead were vanishing into the darkness, the humans couldn’t act rashly, likely due to the two hostages in Hans’s grasp.
‘The princess wasn’t originally part of the plan.’
Hans glanced at the two royals floating beside him, bound by dark magic.
He had aimed for only the crown prince, timing the attack to coincide with his use of the gate.
He hadn’t even reached the Imperial Palace when he departed from the Jeron Shrine.
‘High-ranking individuals with sufficient value as hostages. Their movements can be easily tracked, and above all…’
Gag—!
His gaze landed on the squirming Crown Prince Simon.
Even in his immobile state, he glared at the Empire’s knights, silently urging them to rescue him.
Truly an eyesore of a human.
Gah!
“Y-your Highness!”
“W-what are you doing, Undead King?!”
The Crown Prince, struck from behind by a mass of dark magic, fainted with an undignified whimper.
The knights surrounding him began to panic, but Hans paid them no mind.
‘I’ve disliked this guy since the moment I saw him.’
From his first impression to his actions, he was nothing but loathsome.
And he played a significant role in the rampant corruption within the Empire, so he should consider himself lucky to be left alive for now.
‘For the moment, he still holds some value.’
What would happen after that… he couldn’t guarantee.
His gaze then shifted to Princess Riley.
This beautiful woman with bright blonde hair repeatedly took deep breaths in an effort to maintain her composure, keeping a sharp gaze despite the chaos.
Of course, her heart was racing, and her pupils were trembling, but at a glance, one could hardly perceive her distress.
‘Heard she’s not even twenty yet. Impressive. Though I inadvertently picked her up, there’s potential for usefulness anywhere.’
Unlike the Crown Prince, he wouldn’t need to keep her for long.
Just a cameo for dramatic effect in this episode…
‘Hmm?’
Suddenly sensing a subtle sense of wrongness, Hans turned his gaze aside.
Having attained a level beyond transcendence, he felt the disturbance—something that shouldn’t exist under normal circumstances.
‘Isea?’
At the center of this anomaly was another Earthling awoken like himself.
Amidst the oppressive atmosphere, her karma wriggled and began to expand in presence.
Her eyes moved calmly.
It looked as if she was reading something emerging before her eyes, but obviously, the air was just empty.
Yet each repetition of that process made her stronger.
At this point, the situation became clear.
‘Now that I think about it, Isea is year eight. Plus, she’s a grand sorceress with noble status in the Empire. She must have gathered enough karma to return. Could it be…?’
One million karma points were needed for her return.
He didn’t know how much more she had, but one thing was definite…
Now, she had lost the means to save her life when danger arose.
No, she had cut her own lifeline.
To use it for something else.
As if she had no intention of fleeing.
As her enhancement repeated, the consumption of karma increased, so her actions didn’t last long.
But her resolve was markedly different than before.
‘Wait, is she planning to charge in? With the princess as a hostage?’
But seemingly, that suspicion was indeed the truth, as she immediately began to act without a second thought.
Whooosh—
An enormous amount of magic suddenly erupted from her body, concentrating densely.
This wasn’t a phenomenon created by gathering surrounding mana.
It burst forth in a refined state meant for a specific purpose, like a dam releasing water, undeniably beyond the world’s logic.
‘This level… transcendent? No, not quite yet.’
And so, Hans merely observed the spectacle unfolding before him.
Calmly analyzing her full power.
The compressed magic unfolded, arranging itself regularly while amplifying further, building a foundation as per design, and shaping its direction with intent.
All of that happened in an instant.
“What?!”
“Duke Pristine?”
It was so fast that only then did the startled humans finally show their surprise.
However, Isea didn’t react, simply unraveling what she had prepared.
Zzzz—!
With a sharp sound, a cold ray of light launched from the magic circle that had opened before her, slicing through the air.
This was a lethal strike one could never block without prior preparation.
The extremely compressed ‘Breath of the Ice Dragon’ tore through the hastily created dark magic barrier of her target, the Archlich Dwell, and encompassed the nearby undead.
Crash!
[Ugh! This little brat…!]
Although he hurriedly realized the concentration of magic and attempted to prepare, it was nowhere near sufficient.
In the end, the sudden attack cut his voice off midway, and his frozen body slowly crumbled into icy shards.
The undead beside him, who were frozen alongside him, did the same.
Of course, Hans held the Archlich’s essence, allowing for later resurrection, but the burden this incident placed on Dwell would not be light at all.
Hah— Hah—.
Immediately after the attack, the strangely swift casting of the grand spell drained even more color from Isea’s already pale face.
“Isea Pristine Duke!”
“What have you done?!”
But the others only showed their confusion towards her, expressing their annoyance.
They were not acting recklessly without reason.
The hostages were the two closest to the throne, and the one holding them was the Undead King.
If they inadvertently offended him, who knows what calamity might occur?
For now, they could do nothing but hope the Undead King would honor his word and look forward to future resolutions.
“…It’s nothing personal. It’s just that I have unfinished business from earlier.”
“That’s your excuse now?!”
One of the Crown Prince’s knights shouted in anger, but she didn’t respond. She turned her gaze back to Hans.
“If I’ve displeased you, I apologize, Undead King. I can’t just sit back and take it.”
With an expression that showed no remorse at all, she spoke calmly.
It seemed she had grasped Hans’s nature, determining that such a slight wouldn’t cost the hostages their lives.
‘But why? Is this meaningless venting? She doesn’t seem like someone who would act so recklessly.’
Her reasoning was correct, but was it really necessary to display such behavior?
Hans found her puzzling and observed her until…
He realized Isea’s gaze wasn’t directed at him but slightly to the side.
Right towards Princess Riley.
Moreover, he sensed… the violent thumping of the princess’s heart and her ragged breath was gradually calming.
‘Wait, could it be? For the sake of the fifth princess?’
He finally understood the reason behind her reckless act.
And just as he thought…
Isea met Princess Riley’s eyes with unwavering intensity.
While her exterior appeared calm, her turquoise eyes, failing to hide their tremors, slowly began to steady as time passed.
‘…Wait.’
In front of the captured Princess Riley, Isea’s attack, which had turned Hans’s subordinates into powder, wasn’t just a venting of her anger.
It expressed her conviction, and at the same time, it was a signal sent to Riley.
After years of bonding, Isea had shared everything with Riley.
About her Unique Skill and karma points, and that she would someday have to return.
The perceptive Riley had even helped her accumulate those karma points more easily in many ways, thinking ahead.
They had discussed the utility of her skills, assisting her in becoming stronger and faster.
Despite knowing this might hasten their eventual farewell, Isea believed Riley would never actually leave her.
‘Wait!’
With that foundation of time shared, Princess Riley knew exactly the limits of Isea’s capabilities and power.
…Up until now.
Just now, Isea unleashed an attack that far surpassed what Riley had known of her, demonstrating her resolve and instilling faith.
Now, she recognized there was no retreat.
No matter what happened, she would undoubtedly save her, and she’d never stop doing so.
Even if her opponent was the Undead King, the despair of this world.
So, she needed to trust and wait for her.
Without giving up or falling into despair.
‘Until I find you!’
And the intelligent Princess Riley immediately picked up on that signal, as Isea intended.
Her composure, once maintained even in extreme circumstances, now betrayed her, reddening her eyes and causing her throat to twitch, but she clenched her teeth and quietly nodded.
Her heart, once racing with fear, was now beating calmly as it always did.
[Hehe— How amusing. Well, it’s fine. This too can be considered entertainment. I’m pleased to find another interesting individual.]
While observing the silent bond between them, Hans quickly tidied up the situation and prepared to leave for real this time, taking the hostages through the torn barrier.
He had been momentarily delayed by the supporting ad-lib, but now it was time to really depart.
Having already stored all the remaining undead in his interdimensional space, he just needed to take the two hostages and he would be free to go.
…Although a nagging sense of unease persisted wondering if it would truly be this easy.
Tsk, it feels like I’m becoming a real villain.
No, it wasn’t just a feeling; objectively and subjectively, it was clear he was a bad guy.
A typical villain at that, deserving of all the curses thrown his way.
…And that was the problem.
Thus, the Undead King vanished from Jeron, along with the two captured royals.
Leaving behind only a theatrical act.
*
♪~
Click! Click!
The cheerful music filled the room as the sound of a mouse clicking echoed.
“Oh? Finally.”
Just like every day, having finished my workout in my home gym, I checked the latest news online and stumbled upon some very interesting information.
-New) Auterica Dimension.
Announced through the World Returnee Association and officially listed on the Korean branch’s website—it was information about a new dimension.
‘Let’s see, so far confirmed returnees are two. And… there’s not much new info.’
The summarized info about the dimension contained things I already knew.
The information provider living in the republic must have been quite cooperative with the association, as it felt oddly Eastern.
‘Looks like the Undead King appeared, and after the madness outbreak, he hurriedly made his escape.’
Notably, it stressed the need for considerable caution due to the current chaotic situation.
With a brief note stating that the Demon King had descended and begun invading the world.
Hmm…
I calmly reviewed all that information while leaning back in my chair, closing my eyes.
‘Being a party to this is quite amusing. I wonder how long it will take for the latest information to update.’
Since the information was officially reported, it meant they’d done various cross-verifications right after discovering more than two returnees.
Taking into account the time difference between dimensions, it was virtually outdated.
Yet, seeing how events unfolded from the perspective of another Earthling was undeniably intriguing.
‘Oh, it’s already time for patrols. Lately, there haven’t been any major issues, but still, regular checks are essential… Oh, right.’
I hesitated for a moment as I was about to use Entity Projection to become Hans.
With the information about Auterica starting to spread, it implied there was an increasing chance that information about the Undead King would gradually reach Earth.
Not many would consider them the same individual, but it wasn’t completely impossible.
‘…It’s already known on Earth as Hahoe Mask, so should I change the mask I’ll wear while working in Auterica? It’s broken, after all.’
Or perhaps using a proper Hahoe Mask on Earth and donning just the broken pieces there wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
It felt somewhat nice, like a half-mask.
‘Well, I can ponder over it slowly.’
Just a trivial consideration.
Compared to the political chaos the actions he took had set off in the Azerion Empire.
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