Chapter 329: Aftermath and Resolve

With that, the future matters were roughly settled, but the present moment is what truly matters.

Outside, humans are advancing towards the Imperial Palace, weapons in hand. They seem lost in confusion and excitement, failing to realize that the demons have long since departed due to internal strife. So, we can ignore everything else and focus solely on quelling this rebellion.

The method lies in the statement Elpidius Deserth made before he drank the poisoned cup, but…

“But….”

Lindel asked cautiously.

“Are you really going through with it?”

“……What do you think our conversation has been about until now?”

Their entire conversation had been predicated on carrying out that method. To ask now if he was really going to do it? Ardal looked bewildered, as if questioning what Lindel had been listening to all along.

“Ah, my question was poorly phrased. Let me rephrase. Can you… bring yourself to do it?”

“……”

A pause.

……I understand what you mean.

Ardal had known Elpidius Deserth since he was the Crown Prince. Though their relationship had become somewhat strained after Elpidius became Emperor and acted erratically, and Ardal had tried to restrain him, the bond they shared over the years couldn’t simply vanish.

Witnessing his death firsthand was already bitter enough. Even if Elpidius himself had permitted it, the thought of severing his head and using it wasn’t as easy as saying it.

“……I must.”

But it must be done.

He repeated firmly, as if making a vow to himself.

“I will do it.”

“……”

“Without this method, we’d have to take a considerably longer route. Besides, it’s something he himself authorized.”

Even for a sinner, unless they committed a truly heinous crime, one wouldn’t desecrate the body of the deceased in this manner… Ardal used the excuse of Elpidius’s permission as a shield, squeezed his eyes shut, and turned away from his own repugnant act.

Lindel, watching him, picked up the sword he had grabbed just in case.

“……Then I’ll do it.”

“No.”

“?”

“I will do it.”

“Huh…?”

He had learned swordsmanship to protect himself. He couldn’t possibly feign innocence and step back now, not after he’d handled everything up to this final confirmation.

Despite the unspoken question, Ardal didn’t answer. He strode forward and snatched the sword from Lindel’s hand.

A long shadow fell over Elpidius’s corpse.

…….

The rebellion quickly subsided once word spread that their target, the Emperor, was dead. Stunned by the loss of their objective, the people soon calmed down and began to focus their attention on the one who had beheaded the Emperor.

“Chancellor…?”

And so began the era of the Later Empire under Ardal.

***

The unexpected mention of Dan’s name stirred his emotions, but there was no time for sentimentality.

Enemy legion commanders, sensing Deon Hart’s agitation, saw it as an opportunity and their eyes gleamed. In particular, Commander Myers of the 12th Corps, who had deliberately expended his magic power to unleash a powerful spell, abandoned his regret over its failure and calmly considered his next move.

His tightly closed lips moved slightly.

“……Spears.”

A sharp-witted subordinate quickly handed him a javelin. He took it, drew his arm back to throw… then abruptly infused it with magic and swung it to deflect the incoming spell.

“Did you really think I’d just stand by and watch?”

He might have missed once, but not a second time. Commander Lirinel of the 11th Corps glared at him fiercely.

“If you want to attack Sir Deon, you’ll have to go through me first.”

“……”

Myers gripped his spear tightly, and as if the previous attack had been a signal, the legions clashed once more. Deon, pulled back to the present, glanced at Lirinel.

……No attacks landed, but thanks to her, he’d regained his focus. He couldn’t afford to be lost in thought in this enemy-infested place. He surveyed the legion commanders on his side and stated firmly.

“Then I leave it to you.”

He meant that he had somewhere to go, and was entrusting them with clearing up this battlefield.

With those words, he strode forward. Unfortunately, a chaotic brawl was unfolding in the direction he needed to go, effectively placing him right back in the heart of the battlefield. However, thanks to his legion commanders who surged forward the moment he spoke and began to fight fiercely, he wasn’t particularly bothered.

“Die!”

“Not so fast.”

A miniature apocalypse unfolded.

As Deon Hart advanced, legion commanders attacked, and legion commanders defended. Amidst this chaos, Deon calmly traversed the battlefield at an unhurried pace.

The 6th Corps’ axe failed to pierce the 8th Corps’ shield, instead getting crushed and the soldier killed. Lirinel, about to engage Commander Myers of the 12th Corps who was charging at her, hastily erected a barrier against a surprise attack from Commander Develania of the 2nd Corps.

Kagagak!

The eerie sound of transparent threads scratching against an unseen wall echoed through the air.

“……Is this a cheap 2-on-1 fight?”

“Sorry, but your magic is quite a nuisance. I figure it’ll be easier for us later if we take you out first.”

“I won’t allow that.”

He wouldn’t stand idly by while the enemy gained an advantage. Commander Lirinel of the 11th Corps was, after all, an ally.

Commander Derniban of the 5th Corps intervened in their standoff, attacking Myers. He slashed at the spear shaft with nails as sharp as blades, then instantly leaped back. He drew a bow and arrow from who-knows-where and drew the string. A rain of arrows followed.

“……Tch, guess there’s no choice.”

Just as expected, it quickly devolved into this.

Develania, roughly messing up her hair, strung threads between her fingers and glanced at Myers.

“Myers, I’ll leave that one to you.”

“……By all means.”

Meanwhile.

Commander Sillua of the 7th Corps, who had charged at Deon Hart to fight but was sent flying by Commander Jaykar of the 1st Corps, jumped up and charged back in, furious.

“Even before coming here, you’re just infuriating!”

“……”

It’s infuriating that you attacked first and then ignored me to come here, and also that you’re blocking me from seeing Sir Deon’s ‘that’ combat style again.

Sillua, recalling the chilling figure she had once accidentally witnessed, bathed in white moonlight as he scattered blood and hacked down enemies, smacked her lips. Then, meeting Jaykar’s impassive gaze, she scowled.

“You’d better step aside while I’m asking nicely.”

She had fallen head over heels for that chilling yet beautiful figure at first sight. But because she was usually stationed at the border, she rarely had the chance to see it again, much to her regret.

Now that this opportunity had finally arrived, and traces of that familiar combat style were discovered among some of the Hero corpses strewn around, raising her expectations to a fever pitch, he was spoiling it all. How could she not be annoyed?

Ultimately, killing intent settled in her sharp, vertical pupils.

“……No choice then.”

Only option is to kill him as quickly as possible.

“Fighting Jaykar wouldn’t be bad, and I’d normally enjoy it… but right now, something far more appetizing has caught my eye.”

So die.

Her pupils dilated wide. Jaykar’s body froze for an instant as he met her fiercely widened gaze head-on.

This wasn’t about emotions.

‘……A unique ability, perhaps?’

Sillua seized the opportunity and lunged, but Jaykar, having shaken off his momentary paralysis, belatedly moved to counter.

Too late to block with his sword, he hastily kicked at a nearby corpse, shoving it forward as he retreated. The displaced corpse tripped his opponent, disrupting the dagger’s path.

Chwaak!

Even retreating wasn’t enough; the dagger grazed across his face. Starting from his cheek, it sliced precisely across his eye and up to his forehead. A thin red line marked its passage, followed immediately by a trickle of blood.

“That was one of my better moves, and even that didn’t work… Guess you’re not the Commander of the 1st Corps for nothing.”

“……”

Whether his opponent clicked her tongue in disappointment or not, Jaykar closed his injured eye and raised his free hand to wipe away the blood. His hand came away soaked in red.

……He’d been careless because he’d never properly crossed blades with the 7th Corps Commander before. Especially since her unique ability was something he was facing for the first time today.

‘I understand now.’

Losing just an eye was a cheap price to pay.

Whether from the injury to his eye or the blood, only a blurry red haze filled his slightly opened eye. Despite the distorted depth perception, Jaykar straightened his stance.

“Sorry, but we want to finish this quickly too.”

The sounds of a large-scale clash echoed behind him. It must be because most of the legion commanders had ordered their troops to prioritize dealing with this side.

Passing through the 0th Legion had significantly reduced the number of legion members hostile to Deon Hart. And while the 1st Legion was elite, he wasn’t sure how long they could withstand such a concentrated assault.

“Judging by the situation, it looks like I’ll have to handle you lot?”

……Commander Trober of the 9th Corps had intervened in their fight. Though just one man, he was, as expected of a legion commander, already turning the tide of battle that had been pushing them into a defensive position. Jaykar caught a glimpse of this in his peripheral vision.

That lessened his worries. Jaykar took a breath to compose himself and was about to refocus on his own fight when—

Kuung!

“What’s all that noise? I’m right here.”

“Why don’t you go over there and save your legion members who are getting thrashed by the 8th Corps? They look like they’re about to get wiped out.”

“There’s no reason for me to save those who die because they’re weak!”

“That may be true, but still!”

Commander Belitan of the 6th Corps stepped up to oppose him, and they began to clash.

……As expected, it would be best to finish this quickly and then deal with the others.

“Let’s end this quickly.”

Jaykar ignored the blood dripping from his chin and raised his sword.

Meanwhile, Commander Idelia of the 4th Corps, who had ordered the 3rd and 4th Corps to prioritize the 1st Corps and even attack the 1st Corps Commander if they had the chance, stepped in front of the 10th Corps, fanning herself languidly.

“You’re fighting me.”

Or rather than ‘fight’, should she say ‘deal with’?

Beyond them, with grim expressions, she could see the 3rd and 4th Corps soldiers, along with other legions sent against the 1st Corps, being pushed back from the high ground they had almost completely occupied by the arrival of the 9th Corps Commander. Fortunately, that was quickly checked by the intervention of the 6th Corps Commander…

Watching the two legion commanders locked in fierce combat, and the 1st Corps Commander wielding his sword with noticeably increased intensity – likely aiming to finish quickly and provide support – she added, with a hint of reluctance after a short silence.

“……It’d be best to finish this as quickly as possible.”

***

Deon Hart continued walking without pause. Even as his body froze, soaked from the cold winter rain, and even when he passed the corpses of 0th Legion members, his steps never faltered.

With each clash of weapons and each death cry, the blood-tinged water within him rose a little higher. It was the same when a familiar face was injured, or when familiar people who had once followed him now stood divided and facing off against each other.

From his ribs, just above his navel and below his chest, the blood-tinged water rose – sometimes like grains of millet, sometimes rising by the length of a finger joint or two, eventually reaching his chest. Even though he deliberately kept his gaze fixed forward, the sounds of countless dying people echoed around him, impossible to ignore. Deon pressed on, wading through the ever-rising blood-tinged water.

Any attempts to pursue him as he moved away were quickly blocked by others, so even without hurrying, he soon exited the battlefield.

Then, when a snowflake falling from the sky touched his eye, Deon finally paused and lifted his gaze.

“Ah…….”

A dreadful snow was falling, set against the backdrop of a familiar place.

This place was the border where my brother had died, the catalyst for me merging my memories. Since it was far from any city, and even well beyond the battlefield, the Snowfall Stick’s influence wouldn’t reach here, meaning this snow must be natural.

How long had it been since this war began? The full-scale second battle hadn’t started long ago, but if he factored in sending legions one by one in advance to use the Snowfall Stick, it must have been longer than he’d realized.

And how many days had he been battling the Heroes? As Deon mentally tallied the days and nights that had passed in combat, he suddenly realized something and his eyes widened.

“Today is….”

Amidst the pure white snowflakes fluttering down, his red pupils trembled with agitation.

“……It’s hyung’s death anniversary.”