Chapter 371: The Final Battle (2)

Boom—!!!

With a deafening explosion, a section of the capital’s massive walls crumbled.

Crash!

“Enemy ambush! Aaaahhh...!!”

The screams of the soldiers on watch faded as they were swept away by the wave of debris and dust.

“Don’t panic! The wall isn’t entirely destroyed! Hold them back...! Don’t let the enemy brea—”

Shnk!

The commander of the defensive forces tried to take control of the situation, but his head fell before he finished his sentence. His last moments were seen by no one, his death obscured by the falling wall fragments.

“Ugh, my blade has dulled...” Zigra muttered to himself irritably, though he had beheaded the commander with utmost precision, not a drop of blood left on his blade.

Whoosh—

He borrowed another sword from one of the fallen soldiers and swung it a few times, trying to get a feel for it. As his own sword had been reduced to ash by Darryl Harian, Zigra had been forced to get a new blade for this assault.

“There’s a magical barrier on the second wall. We’ll need to create a commotion to distract the enemy long enough for our lord to breach it.”

“Yes, sir!”

The ten warriors of the Moonlit Night had already scaled the towering walls at the moment of the first explosion, now standing at the top of the fortress. Following Zigra’s command, each of them took out a small sphere from within their robes.

Swoosh—!!

They proceeded to hurl dozens of those spheres ahead, with another warrior sending needles scattering toward them.

Woosh! Thoom...!!

As the needles struck each sphere with precision, a thick cloud of smoke spread through the air.

“Light it up.”

Nodding at Zigra, one of the Moonlit Night warriors swung the bow from his shoulder, the weapon almost as tall as him. He held the bow horizontally, braced one leg against it, and drew the string back almost to its breaking point.

Swooosh...!!

As the arrow flew from the giant curved bow, a spark ignited, cutting through the smoke at incredible speed.

Boom!! Fwoosh...!!!

In an instant, the spark erupted into a blaze, flames leaping onto the nearby buildings.

“Fire!!”

“Hurry! Keep it from spreading!”

“Request backup from the water sorcerers...!”

The soldiers scrambled, turning on nearby hydrants and using water from the fountains in the square.

Ssssss...

But strangely, the fierce flames disappeared the moment they touched the rooftops, vanishing like a fleeting breeze.

“Huh?”

“What is this...?”

The imperial soldiers looked at each other in confusion, having assumed the fire was an attack from the invaders.

“Haha, those morons screwed up! Take them down!!”

“Everyone, scale the wall!”

More defensive troops swarmed in from below. Zigra merely nodded as though all was going according to the plan.

“Cover your nose and mouth. Jannabi’s poison is deadly.”

Even though imperial troops were rushing at them, the Moonlit Night warriors simply stood still, silently watching them approach.

“

Cough

...! Huh?”

One of the soldiers began coughing. When he looked down, he saw blood spattered across the ground—his blood.

“What the...?

Cough

...! Gh—!”

“Gah...

Cough

...!!”

“Ugh...! Guh—!”

The imperials suddenly started collapsing mid-charge, all of them coughing up blood.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

“Use shield magic!”

“No, heal us first!

Cough

...! Gah!”

The panicked cries of the soldiers reached the sorcerers, but it was too late. They too were coughing up blood, collapsing to their knees.

The defensive ranks fell into chaos, their confidence in the magical shields shattered as they succumbed to the deadly poison.

“...It’s poison! They’ve spread poison along the wall...!!”

“Help! Please!”

As the troops atop the wall drew their last breaths, those below scrambled to retreat. Chaos erupted on the staircase—some rushed to flee the scene, while others desperately tried to save the soldiers atop the wall.

It was a scene of utter chaos.

“Aaagh...!!”

Many were shoved to the ground, their screams silenced beneath the boots that crushed their skulls.

“Proceed according to plan.”

Zigra briefly glanced at the panicked enemy before disappearing into the shadows.

***

“Hah, infiltration is so much simpler through these secret passages... I’ll have to thank Randol later,” Karyl muttered to himself as he opened a trapdoor beneath an old building.

Outside, chaos had already erupted. The rumble of soldiers stomping on the cobblestones echoed from all around.

[You’d think someone like you doesn’t need to sneak around. Is this roundabout route really necessary?] Allen’s voice carried a hint of amusement.

My father and the empire’s Sword Masters have already been deployed to the battlefield. Only Belin Vallention’s Golden Knights and Kadin Luer have remained at the palace,

Karyl responded with a faint smile.

The Golden Knights, the empire’s elite guard, were highly skilled, but Karyl knew they posed no threat under their aging commander. Kadin, once the empire’s only Great Sorcerer until Serga’s rise, was technically capable of challenging Karyl, but he was still merely at the 7th Class.

Karyl had witnessed Kadin’s multi-seal formation with his Academy sorcerers and knew it was no real threat to him.

If anyone poses a real challenge... it would be them.

His gaze sharpened, as if he was waiting for something.

Click—

The moment he opened the door, he sprinted down the alleyway.

“...Interesting.”

As he reached the square, he paused briefly, gazing up at the massive pillar before him with a faint smirk. A woman was tied to it, displayed like a criminal. Her ashen skin made it clear she had died quite some time ago.

[This is a ghastly sight, but a potent message. The empress, once a dominant figure on the continent, now serves as a warning against treason.]

Allen gazed at her corpse with a bitter smile.

[Not even 100,000 soldiers could save her, huh?]

Even after returning from the marquisate with a force of 100,000 troops, the empress was shown no mercy. Her life had been forfeit the moment she outlived her usefulness.

“He may be a benevolent emperor, but this serves as a declaration that he will never forgive betrayal.”

[I see that by sacrificing the empress, he extends mercy to the returning soldiers from the marquisate and instills fear in the nobles within the palace. What a strategic trade-off.]

“The death of the empress who once dared to defy him was all he gained in exchange for losing a genius like Bran Gamunt. It’s no wonder he’s furious. That man’s death would’ve enraged him far more than the loss of a hundred thousand troops.”

Looking at her lifeless form, Karyl recalled Olivurn’s face from the moment of his betrayal.

So was it the same with me too? The ten of us fought for you, and yet... What did you gain by killing them and abandoning me?

Overwhelming anger flared up within Karyl as he gripped the hilt of Lakna tightly.

“...”

He turned from the hanging corpse and sprinted toward the Sun Hall—where Olivurn awaited.

***

“Stop him! It’s only one man!”

Crash—!!

“Aaaah...!!”

“S-Spare me!”

The bold shouts of the knights quickly gave way to screams of terror.

The intruder’s footsteps echoed through the palace corridors, drawing ever closer to the Sun Hall.

“Damn it... What does that man think war is?!” Belin Vallention shouted in disbelief at the reports of Karyl’s audacious invasion of the palace on his own.

His nation was surrounded by an army of 700,000 troops, and yet Karyl had launched an assault in the heart of the empire.

Belin clenched his teeth, unable to suppress the shame burning within him as an imperial knight. The empire’s palace—hailed as the strongest fortress on the continent—was being breached a second time by the same man. And just like before, no one could stop him.

Boom...!!

The towering doors to the Sun Hall burst open, one of them shattering against Karyl’s kick and crashing to the floor with a thunderous sound.

“...”

From his throne, Olivurn gazed at Karyl as he strode into the hall. At his side stood Kadin Luer and Belin Vallention, their faces tense with apprehension.

“Olivurn...” Karyl called out, his voice imbued with magic, resonating clearly even from five hundred meters away.

He walked slowly, surveying the vast Sun Hall as if replaying old memories. The absolute gap of 250 meters made it nearly impossible to grasp the true scale of the Sun Hall. From this distance, the emperor was little more than a speck.

The hall’s vastness was not solely for grandeur; it was also a matter of the emperor’s protection. Every imperial citizen possessed mana, which allowed them to communicate over great distances. However, this gift also meant they could wield mana as a weapon, hence the need for extra protection for the emperor.

But now, those 250 meters were meaningless to Karyl. No matter the distance, no barrier could stop him once he decided to act. He was a one-man army.

Karyl moved through the assassins stationed in the hall and the hidden magical traps with utmost ease and zero hesitation.

Swish—!!

“Have all the traps in the Sun Hall... been deactivated?” Kadin Luer murmured in disbelief, unable to hide his shock as Karyl drew his sword.

These defensive magic formations had taken decades to perfect. Kadin, a master of barriers, had inherited and enhanced these traps—an ancient legacy from the old empire. Yet with a single sweep of his hand, Karyl dispelled them all, a gesture of ultimate mockery toward Kadin.

“Anyone who comes forward will die. You all know well that you’re no match for me. I urge you not to sacrifice your lives for an emperor who’s already dead.” Karyl delivered his warning without even glancing around.

The assassins stationed throughout the hall stood frozen, none daring to shoot the arrows they had nocked at Belin’s command.

However, a sharp cry cut through the heavy silence.

“You bastard...!!”

Belin Vallention drew his sword and charged at Karyl, his Mana Blade glowing fiercely. He was determined to strike Karyl with everything he had.

“...”

However, his attempt to fight was simply pitiful to Karyl. His swing was forceful and lacked any precision. It posed no real threat.

Karyl dodged effortlessly, his expression of cold indifference.

Thud—!!

Twisting to Belin’s rear, Karyl struck him in the chin with the palm of his hand, lifting him off the ground. Without hesitation, he then swung the Frozen Talon across his back.

“Urgh...!

Cough

...!”

Belin gasped, his spine bending under the impact as he coughed up blood. His once-sturdy armor had shattered like glass.

“Sir Belin!” Kadin Luer shouted in alarm as he watched Belin roll across the floor. But before he could rush forward, Olivurn raised a hand, stopping him.

“You truly think yourself above dragons to storm in here alone,” Olivurn remarked in a low voice.

“Perhaps I am above them, as I’ve made it all the way here by myself. Now shut up and prepare to die. Like you’ve said, it’s time to end this war.”

“You think I came unprepared?” Olivurn replied, his gaze fixed on Karyl.

Chrring...!!

Shhhaaak—!!!

In that moment, a transparent barrier appeared between Karyl and Olivurn, like a shimmering curtain of light. The barrier expanded, wrapping around Olivurn and forming several more layers, pushing Karyl back.

“...”

Karyl tapped the barrier lightly with his finger.

Crackle...!!

Sparks flew, and a buzzing sound filled the air as a sharp electric shock repelled his hand.

“That must be the Church’s doing,” Allen remarked in a low voice.

Karyl glanced back at Olivurn, who wore a self-satisfied smile.

“So this is your final card? You’re betting everything on a god?” Karyl scoffed.

Bzzz...!! Bzzz...!!

Then, as if he had been waiting all along for this moment, Karyl thrust Lakna into the barrier.

“If so, that’s just perfect...”

Bzz...!! Bzzz...!!!

The barrier trembled, and a violent sound reverberated through the hall. Yet Olivurn watched Karyl with a calm expression, certain the barrier would hold.

Crack!! Crack...!!!

Bzzzzz...!!

Nevertheless, Karyl kept pushing Lakna deeper into the barrier. Little by little, the blade forced its way in.

“...”

Seeing what was happening, Olivurn’s expression faltered.

“Watch closely,” Karyl uttered each word slowly, his voice laced with anger as he locked eyes with Olivurn.

“Watch how your god crumbles in my grasp.”