Chapter 99

In the imperial capital of Aldar, the emperor and the grand duke were having a secret discussion.

The topic was clear. The death of the awakened mage knight.

"..."

Even Gias seemed unable to maintain his composure.

He felt like going mad, wailing, lamenting, and screaming. This was the history of the Subarokia Empire, and four of their trump cards had been killed. It was impossible to blame Gias.

Of course, the grand duke, who held power and authority close to the emperor, was in the same situation.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Everyone remained silent, and the heavy air filled the small room.

Perhaps thinking that nothing would progress this way, Grand Duke Noaz spoke up.

"This is the worst."

The meaning hidden in those words was clear without being said.

It was the worst in the history of the great empire, not in a metaphorical sense, but in a factual one. It meant that the worst era in history had arrived.

"Even if we repel the revolutionary army, we cannot stop the fierce attacks of the Holy Grinia. It seems that the new 'King' of the Crimson King Sherry is rampaging in the mainland of Holy Grinia."

Grand Duke Sauz tried to offer a more optimistic opinion. While the Subarokia Empire was suffering from the attacks of the Nether King, the Crimson King was also wreaking havoc in Holy Grinia.

Sauz, who had been instructed by the emperor to investigate the Crimson King Sherry, was the most knowledgeable about the current situation in Holy Grinia.

"The Crimson King commands numerous undead and repeatedly attacks cities. It is said that it transforms the residents into undead through magic. Now, it has become a massive army of over a million undead."

"Transforming humans into monsters? What do you mean, Sauz?"

"Your Majesty, as you know, the progenitor of the undead-type monsters is the Undead King Zenon Life. That 'King' reincarnated as an undead to gain eternal life, becoming the first undead-type monster in history. In other words, the human species can be transformed into an undead-type through reincarnation. It seems that the Crimson King has the magic to do so..."

"I see. The Crimson King is a threat even if left alone."

"We realized this with the Nether King. The 'Kings' are in a different league."

The Nether King and the Crimson King are the newest 'Kings' of the monsters.

The power of the 'Kings' increases over time, and considering this, these two could be considered the weaker ones. However, the Nether King, which has rapidly gained power through necromantic magic, might not fit this description.

In any case, the Subarokia Empire is in crisis due to the weakest 'King,' and Holy Grinia is also being ravaged.

"Ah, Sauz... Optimism is not good."

"I agree with Ista. We have no room for error. We cannot act based on optimistic predictions."

"Then, what do Ista and Veste think?"

Gias asked the two grand dukes.

Honestly, there were few possible countermeasures for the current empire. The two thought for a moment before answering.

"Meeting the revolutionary army in the imperial capital... I think that is the most efficient approach."

"Your Majesty mentioned that weapon at the beginning. Should we use the Staff of Albein?"

"Your opinions will be the same... Well, I think the same. There are no other options..."

The Subarokia Empire still possesses a large number of mage knights and legions. If they are to meet the threat, they have the necessary forces.

Considering that a massive army of over ten thousand is approaching, dispersing their forces would be a foolish strategy. They should gather all their forces in the imperial capital of Aldar and engage in the final battle. Additionally, the capital has various strategic weapons, making it easier to intercept the enemy.

One of these strategic weapons is the Staff of Albein.

"Then, Your Majesty, what is the status of the Staff of Albein?"

"It is completed. It is currently being integrated into a magical weapon."

"However, Your Majesty, is it safe? I am concerned about that..."

"There is a risk, but it is also controllable. According to the researchers, it's like walking on thin ice."

The Staff of Albein is a treasure of the Subarokia Empire.

It was once used to seal the 'King' monster, the Prison King Belorg. The seal was incredibly strong, and it was said that the Prison King would never revive unless something was done. Using it as a weapon means slightly loosening the seal, which could lead to its accidental release.

Ista was worried about this.

"I understand Ista's concerns. But if we are to perish, we will use our power. That's all there is to it."

There's no point in holding back and losing.

That's what Gias was saying.

The grand dukes understood this and began preparing for the defense of the imperial capital of Aldar.

◆◆◆

The army of the Crimson King Sherry was recognized as a threat in Holy Grinia.

Her blood magic transforms any being into an undead by giving them blood. Humans, animals, and monsters all become undead.

The transformed humans become mid-level vampire thralls. If their magical power is high, they can become high-level vampires.

In any case, a swarm of over a million mid-level and high-level monsters is attacking.

It is a terrifying threat.

"Seeing this makes me scared."

"Hehe. Are you scared?"

"A little."

To respond to this emergency, two S-rank holy knights were sent.

Aroma Fidea of the 'Tree Sea' and Floria Rayburn of the 'Heaven's Eye.'

"I'll take care of the minions, and Floria will take care of the leader, the Crimson King... as planned."

"Yes, I understand."

Fortunately, the Crimson King Sherry lacked military strategy. She simply gathered her subordinates and advanced. There were no tactics like attacking multiple cities simultaneously or luring a small number of soldiers and then ambushing them.

She simply overwhelmed with numbers and brute force.

"I'll go first."

Floria manifested her magical armor bow and began casting a spell.

She could generate and fire spells as arrows. As her nickname 'Heaven's Eye' suggests, she could hit any target, no matter how far away.

For this encounter with a 'King' monster, she chose an appropriate spell.

The Ninth Tier Fire Spell, "Crimson Lotus Flame."

This spell normally rains down crimson lotus flames from the sky. She condensed it into a single arrow, focusing its power. When the spell casting was complete, a deep crimson arrow was nocked on her bow.

Her target, of course, was the Crimson King Sherry.

Floria's eyes had already locked onto her.

"I will eliminate the leader and then sweep away the chaos with my magical armor. Failure is not an option."

"I will not miss."

"That's true."

Floria's arrow was certain to hit.

It was impossible for it to miss. The arrow, drawing an arc, disappeared into the depths of the undead swarm. Floria followed it with her heavenly vision.

The arrow's speed exceeded the speed of sound.

It would be impossible to defend against or avoid such a sudden attack.

At the moment of impact, the hidden fire tactical spell would burn the Crimson King from the inside out.

"I see her."

With her confident eyes, she saw the Crimson King. The Crimson King Sherry, promised eternal life, was wearing a dress that symbolized the night.

But it was about to be burned to ashes, along with the dress.

The arrow was almost in front of the Crimson King.

But in the next instant, Sherry's right arm moved. She caught the incoming crimson arrow.

"......Huh?"

Even Floria couldn't help but gasp.

It was understandable to catch a regular arrow. No, it was impossible to catch an arrow flying at the speed of sound, but it was still within the realm of comprehension. However, she casually caught an unstable arrow composed of magic. Normally, the spell would have exploded, burning Sherry.

Floria carefully observed what happened.

Then, she saw blood dripping from Sherry's right palm.

(Did my arrow wound her? No, that's not it!)

Sherry's power was blood magic.

Not only could she transform other life forms into undead with blood, but she could also control blood itself. Sherry used her blood to intercept the magical arrow. The magic in the blood suppressed the spell, which would have otherwise exploded.

It was outrageous.

Aroma, noticing something was wrong with Floria, asked what happened.

"What's wrong?"

"...She caught the arrow. It's impossible."

"J-Just kidding, right?"

"There's no way!"

Even Aroma, the oldest S-rank holy knight, 'Tree Sea,' could not catch Floria's arrow with her bare hands. It was an impossible feat. It was no wonder she was shocked.

But the truly shocking part was yet to come.

Sherry, who had caught the arrow with her hand, now placed it on a bow made of blood. Simultaneously, the fire spell arrow, created by magic, was covered by Sherry's blood magic. The magic in the blood was awakened, and the arrow's power was redirected to target its original master, flying in the opposite direction.

In other words, the arrow that was supposed to be fired by Floria would now hit her.

Blood was the source.

Sherry's blood magic awakened dormant power.

The awakened arrow was fired.

It returned straight to Floria.

"You really have some tricks up your sleeve..."

The condensed Ninth Tier spell arrow was now returning to her.

She realized that running would be futile and tried to intercept the arrow with another arrow. She didn't have enough time to condense another Ninth Tier spell, so she decided to use a condensed Seventh Tier spell, "Great Explosion."

It would be enough to deflect the arrow.

Floria fired an arrow for defense. The feat of shooting down a small incoming arrow in mid-air was easily possible with her magical armor. The arrows collided in mid-air.

However, the arrow with the power of a Ninth Tier spell, combined with Sherry's blood magic, was too strong. The arrow Floria fired to intercept it was instantly absorbed, and the combined magic increased its power. This was unexpected, and Floria panicked.

"I can't intercept it...!"

"There's no choice!"

Aroma, in the sky, also noticed the deep crimson object.

She immediately recognized it as the returned arrow. It carried the power of a Ninth Tier spell, Sherry's blood magic, and the absorbed Seventh Tier spell. Its power was enough to kill both Aroma and Floria.

Awakened mage knights were, in the end, human.

They protected their bodies with vast amounts of magic, but their original durability was the same as a human. A direct hit from a spell could easily kill them. This was one of the reasons why awakened mage knights could not match the 'Kings' of the monsters.

"Great tree..."

Aroma placed her hands on the ground and activated her magical armor.

Instantly, the ground cracked, and a giant tree emerged. Multiple layers of the tree served as a shield for both of them.

If this were a regular tree, it would have been destroyed and burned by the magical arrow. However, the tree created by Aroma's magical armor absorbed the magic. As the most powerful and oldest holy knight, her magical armor was indeed strong.

The crimson arrow pierced the giant tree.

It seemed like the arrow would burn the tree to ashes, but it was instead contained, as if wrapped in a cocoon.

"Floria, it might be better to take care of the minions first."

"To defeat the Crimson King, we need to work together..."

The vanguard battle, a fight of two against a million, began.