Chapter 35

The emperor gazed at the silver waves surging from the front, feeling puzzled.

"What is that...?"

The silver waves spread across the sky, undulating as if they were alive—upon closer inspection, they were a swarm of 'swords.' The emperor recognized the shape of these swords; they looked exactly like the 'magic swords' he had given to his imperial army soldiers. However, he couldn't fathom why they were floating in mid-air.

—What has happened?

Just as he was wondering, the emperor noticed something standing silently behind him.

"...Who are you?"

The emperor quickly turned around to identify the figure. It was a man holding something black. The man stared straight at him, but the moment their eyes met, the man vanished like a phantom.

"What is that?"

Suddenly, the ground where the man had stood cracked, and a tremor spread around. The emperor's horse, frightened by the anomaly, neighed.

At that moment—

Countless silver swords that had been dancing in the sky began to rain down on the soldiers in front. The soldiers raised their 'magic shields' to deflect the attack, but the 'magic swords' that should have been in their other hands were nowhere to be found.

—What is going on?

The emperor pulled the reins to calm his horse and asked the guards standing nearby about the situation.

"What is happening here?"

But there was no answer. The guards stared blankly at the sky, muttering to themselves.

The emperor, drawn by their gaze, looked up and saw something board-like floating there. It seemed familiar, and he asked his subordinates again.

"What is that board?"

But no one responded. Everyone was too busy dodging the swords raining from the sky, and the emperor's voice went unheard. His hands were now empty.

—What is this? What has happened?

As the emperor was wondering, the man reappeared behind him, and their eyes met again. At that moment, the emperor remembered who the man was.

"You... Could it be?"

Yes, this man was the one who had stepped forward in front of [Divine Shield] Ines, as seen through the [Far Sight] magical device. The face was unmistakable.

However, something was odd. If that was the case, why was the man here? He was supposed to be far away on the horizon, nearly at the limit of the [Far Sight] device's range. It had been no more than thirty seconds since then. How could he have gotten here?

No, for now, let's set that aside. There were bigger questions. This man must know that he is the 'emperor' of the magic empire. He was looking straight at him, ignoring the other soldiers.

—What is this man's purpose?

No, in this situation, there could only be one purpose: to take the emperor's life.

There was no other explanation.

"Kah!"

The emperor, suddenly realizing that his life was in danger, let out a strange sound from the back of his throat. The subordinates he had relied on, who had been given weapons, were useless. Despite being surrounded by so many soldiers, he was now completely defenseless—this was the perfect opportunity to strike. The guards around him, having lost their swords, seemed bewildered by the chaos.

The emperor's body shrank in fear, but he quickly regained his composure, remembering that he was protected by the supreme armor, the 'Conqueror's Armor,' made of royal metal, which could repel all attacks and magic.

—Come if you dare.

Even if the soldiers were useless, he could still fight. With this thought, the emperor drew his custom-made 'Holy Silver Magic Sword'—the 'Conqueror's Sword'—from his waist and desperately readied himself while still on his horse.

But the man suddenly lost interest in the emperor, turned his gaze away, and vanished again.

"What is it? Aren't you coming?"

As the emperor wondered, something large fell from the sky. A black cylindrical object plunged into the ground right in front of him with a loud thud.

"Keh!"

The emperor, taken aback, fell off his horse backward and tasted the ground. Struggling to lift his head, he recognized the black iron cylinder in front of him.

It looked like the magic empire's new decisive weapon, the 'Spear of Light.'

—This is strange.

Why would such a thing fall from the sky?

Until just a moment ago, all of the 'Spears of Light' were aimed at the foolish king's capital. It was impossible for one to suddenly plunge into the ground in front of him. Looking around, he saw three more similar black cylinders embedded in the ground.

"Why are they stuck there?"

The emperor couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"What has happened—what is this?"

As he repeated his questions in his mind, the man reappeared behind him. The man simply stared at the emperor and then vanished again without a sound.

"Who is that man?"

The emperor's mind was filled with questions.

Originally, he was supposed to lead ten thousand soldiers into battle, giving them ten thousand swords and ten thousand shields. It was impossible for a single man to reach him through such a vast army.

At least, the formation was supposed to be perfect. The equipment was as luxurious as it could be, almost to the point of overkill. It was a battle where defeat was unimaginable. That's why he had come to the battlefield as if it were a leisurely outing, treating it as mere entertainment.

He had given the general soldiers [Magic Swords] and [Magic Shields], the elite soldiers [Magic Cannons] and [Magic Armors], and had four 'Spears of Light' capable of slaying even the legendary [Disaster Dragon]. He had also deployed three invincible large defensive magical devices, the 'Hero's Shield,' which could repel any powerful magic, to ensure complete readiness—

—Wait. That's right, I forgot. What about those shields?

Where had those invincible large shields gone? With them, he could have defended against any powerful attack or ambush. Where had they gone?

Looking around, he saw a distorted, broken cross-shaped object lying between the four black cylinders embedded in the ground. Could it be...?

—No, that's not it.

It can't be.

The emperor didn't recognize such a thing. It wasn't the one he knew.

The 'Hero's Shield' in the emperor's memory shone pure white, with intricate circuits filled with the light of magic, exuding a dignified presence—never a miserable heap of scrap metal.

"Could it be that it was destroyed?"

But there was no denying it. That was the 'Hero's Shield,' the ultimate defensive weapon that was supposed to repel everything, the invincible shield that was supposed to protect the undefeated magic empire army.

Why was it in such a state? The emperor was full of questions.

As the man reappeared and turned his gaze toward the emperor, he held a ominous black sword in his hand.

—Wait. What is that?

The emperor noticed the sword for the first time.

"C-Could it be...!"

No, there was no mistake. This was the emperor's own memory. It was the labyrinth relic, the 'Black Sword,' which he had pursued ever since seeing it in the hands of the foolish king.

And he had another question. If that was really the 'Black Sword'—who was this man? Why did he have the sword that the foolish king had never let go of?

And why—

Why could this man stand so normally? The unknown metal of that sword was far too heavy for any ordinary human to carry.

Its unique property of rejecting all magic, its unparalleled hardness that even royal metal, dragon fangs, and the hardest metal couldn't scratch, and its abnormal weight that exceeded human understanding—these were the characteristics of the 'Black Sword.' It was an object that even ten strong soldiers couldn't lift, let alone wield with one hand.

To hold it in one hand?

Such a ridiculous thing couldn't be possible. Even the foolish king, known for his absurd strength that could blow away a hundred people with one strike, could only wield it with both hands. And this man was handling it so effortlessly—

"There's no way such a ridiculous thing could be true."

If that was the case, this man might have even greater power than the monster king.

Now that this man possessed the 'Black Sword,' it meant that the foolish king had transferred it to him.

Then, who was this man?

No information about such a man had ever come to him.

It was inconceivable that he had overlooked such a core force of the kingdom.

How could something like that exist without anyone knowing?

"It's ridiculous, such a thing."

The words that came out of his mouth were a refusal to understand.

But the emperor already understood. He had no choice but to accept it.

He didn't know how or what methods were used, but he was certain.

—This scene in front of him was caused by this man.

The loss of the soldiers' 'swords' and 'shields,' the chaos in the imperial army, the 'Spears of Light' cruelly embedded in the ground, and the miserable state of the 'Hero's Shield'—

—This man did it all alone.

There was no other explanation.

Rationally, he understood, but it was hard to believe. It felt like a bad dream, and the emperor's face contorted in agony as he accepted the reality.

But he still couldn't understand.

Why—?

Why was this man, who possessed such power, letting him live?

The man repeatedly appeared and disappeared, seemingly ignoring the emperor.

Why was it necessary to do this?

Why not just kill him?

At that moment, the man suddenly twisted his lips in a mocking smile.

"Hiss!"

The emperor let out a dry scream from the back of his throat. At the same time, he understood the man's sinister smile.

—This man was toying with him.

He was enjoying the emperor's terrified, contorted face.

Understanding the battlefield, comprehending everything, and then—

—Humiliating and crushing him, toying with him before killing him.

This man could do it. There was no reason not to.

Remembering what he had planned to do to the foolish king—

"Ugh—"

Something warm flowed from the emperor's lower abdomen, trickling down his legs. The man vanished like a phantom right in front of him.

"—!"

At that moment, the emperor remembered what he should do right now.

That is—

The emperor remounted his horse, turned his back on all his bewildered subordinates, and, riding his prized steed equipped with the highest-grade magical horse gear made of royal metal, which amplified his strength several times over, he fled the battlefield alone at full speed.