Chapter. 21. Another Solo Play (26)
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A completely different space outside and inside, bordered by the door.
The giant tree that appeared like a lie through the purple fog wrapped its branches and roots around all the structures inside the castle.
“It is said that the Emperor… appears as the empire the emperor imagines.”
When the professor entered here, he met the old emperor sitting alone on his throne in the large, empty throne room.
Lucilla and Idrasil wandered through a strange village full of log cabins and old buildings.
The old Emperor Siod IV placed his body on the lonely throne and placed the sword Lionel, which symbolized the imperial family, in the barracks from the days when he roamed the empire with his knights. To him, the empire was a place ruled by the emperor alone, and at the same time, it was a place where the struggles of his youth still continued.
So what on earth is the current Hwangseong?
“It’s a huge tree…”
What filled the castle was a huge tree that was very similar to the symbol of the empire that Gainax had changed.
Clap!
“….crazy.”
The floor was thickly covered with breathing flesh, forming soil.
Sigh! Phew!
“Khuuk-!”
“…Fuhu Huu-”
The huge stake-like roots moved alive like spider legs, and every time they pricked the flesh, blood and painful breathing came out.
[Loyalty….]
[Only to the great….His Majesty….]
[Everything according to the oath….]
Above the root that tortures my foundation, the sword and armor, the owner The thick silver tree trunks were reflecting the ominous light that filled the place.
‘Citizens who root. The stem is an article. Then, what is above… is probably the most important thing this emperor thinks about.’
As I slowly lifted my gaze from the disgusting sight, a completely different figure from the loonies below unfolded, as if a line had been drawn.
The branches are in full bloom, beautiful in appearance, and the thick and abundant branches are so vibrant that they seem to be fluttering in the cool air at any moment.
There was an old man, seemingly asleep, lying between beautiful branches full of strange purple fruits.
‘It’s the emperor.’
The main culprit of all the disgusting things encountered in the capital. The emperor was there.
Eyes that are bulging, arms that look like they might break, leather that is stretched too tight, and a thin neck that looks like it might break at any moment because it cannot support the weight of the crown.
“You… Iroh. “I went into Jim’s grand responsibility and made a fuss…”
Plop, plop, plop!
The emperor’s voice was heard along with the sound of the roots surrounding the emperor’s body being torn apart. The emperor, who seemed to have awakened from a deep sleep, was spewing out a thick purple mist every time he breathed.
“Be polite… I won’t command you. “When a criminal steps forward in front of the burden, it is the same as showing the courtesy of a lowly barbarian….”
A personality that is extremely arrogant and despises everything except itself.
“Is this the Baltin Empire you think of? Emperor?”
“To some extent… yes.”
“Look… what a beautiful union this is… Isn’t it truly the sight of the empire becoming one? The people are nourished to raise the knight class… The knight class is wielded for the sake of a higher monarch… The sight of it bearing shining fruit at the end is truly… a true empire. Just like the empire of the past did.”
The emperor stretched out his bony arms as if he was unbearably proud of the disgusting results he had created.
“You idiots don’t know. “You can only see how much the vast empire has been divided and scattered by looking down from the eyes of someone as high as me.”
“A family that has been loyal for generations leaves the empire on its own, the common people raise their heads and look upward without knowing the subject for a few vulgar coins, and the nobles dare to stand side by side with the emperor’s will with a Buddhist scripture called ‘opinion’ on the tip of their tongues. “It is not only the land that has been divided in this era.”
“The moment the capital of the empire was trampled by disgusting bugs, I realized. “This is all wrong!”
Ouch!
Feeling my toes tightening, I quickly jumped up and stuck to the wall.
“This…”
It wasn’t something that was holding me back. The tree roots were sucking up the blood from the living soil, and the dried flesh was tightening around my legs.
‘The guard is let down.’
As the emperor’s voice, intoxicated by his words, grew louder, the giant tree soaked in blood also radiated an ominous energy.
‘It’s an opportunity.’
I hesitated for a moment because there are often cases where a curse is not resolved by killing the subject, but it is a hundred times better to rush in than to hesitate and fail.
The branches and stems, which were tightly coiled, were fluttering wildly as if they were representing the emperor’s emotions. A trunk covered in swords and shields replaced the castle’s interior, but the wall surrounding the emperor disappeared.
Lesser Wizard: A warlock that requires more time to prepare catalysts and rituals compared to regular magic. You never know what might happen if you give it time, so now that there was a gap was the most advantageous opportunity.
“It’s a natural right! “I am sorely lacking in the empire that I deserve to enjoy!”
“Even before you usurpers appeared before my eyes, the empire was already uncontrollably divided! Before it’s too late… we must come together as one! To the empire-”
Grumpy-
“To my empire-!!”
Tuhwaak!
With the emperor’s sudden change in attitude, the trunks of giant trees covered in swords and armor began to rush in.
‘130 steps away. A height that cannot be reached by jumping.’
My cold brain calculates the distance between me and the other person. It is difficult to approach through obstacles, and even more difficult to move forward when there are enemy bodies on all sides.
‘My combat power against the enemy. mass. retention. ‘Everyone follows here.’
If you get hit, you die. Even if you block it, it will just be crushed or thrown away like trash.
The emperor’s appearance is revealed in an instant like a needle’s eye amidst the countless porous castles and scattered fog. I lay it all out in my mind like a photograph and draw my image on it.
Where should I go and how can I reach there?
‘….five.’
‘Just five times.’
I looked at the enemy, looked at the road, set up a flag at the countless crossroads, and then took flight.
Tadat!
Kagak! Cough!
A curtain created by hundreds of tree trunks the size of temple pillars swirling around greeted me.
‘one. The only advantage I have.’
Well done!
honest. The first tree trunk is cut away with a white aura.
Touwooung-!
‘It bounces off.’
As a reward for blocking an attack of overwhelming mass, the body is thrown backwards.
At that moment, countless arms swing swords from the stem cut to the left, aiming for the entire left half of the body.
‘two.’
Squirt!
As soon as I hit the ground, a blade brushes my toes. He barely maintains it and avoids the attack in return for shifting the center of his body, which had been pushed away.
I dodged it, but my body is now floating in the air.
Three strands of blades cut through the walls of the castle and stabbed towards me.
….Snap
‘Three four. Movement and positioning.’
Activate the bomb, spill it behind your back, and grit your teeth.
Although it was said to be a complete disaster, it was a mixed bomb that sent away the merciless knight in one blow.
Quang!
It wasn’t enough to blow away an adult man.
The rag-like cloak that the dragon made had no scratches and only conveyed shock, making people exclaim,
“Whoops!” ….Kuhuh-!”
I could feel with my whole body the sensation of being crushed between giant cogwheels.
Sigh! Kwagwagwak!
Thanks to this, the stems that would have pierced my body split the air. The body, which was blown away with blood spattered, rolled around miserably on a pile of dried flesh, but it arrived at the desired location.
Something is flowing from the nose. It’s blood.
I can’t even see ahead.
‘floor. floor. If it bounced this way on the floor, it would definitely fall this way…’
It’s not a blade. bone. It’s not a piece of armor or bone.
How many seconds have passed? 0.5 seconds? 1 second? How much room do you have left until the outstretched stem is recovered?
Armor. bone. bone. Shield-
‘Shield!’
Thump!
The moment I touched the thick tower shield covered in blood vessels and roots, I lifted it, forcing my brain, which had been dazed by the explosion, to wake up.
It is a knight’s shield attached to a tree trunk that was cut down by an Auror when blocking the first attack.
The first attack sent me flying backwards, which sent the second attack far away from the emperor, and the impact of the explosion sent me flying forward, jumping over a tree trunk.
Locations listed in order of large trees or already extended tree trunks. The stem extending behind me returns to me as I raise my shield. An attack that approaches as if slashing downwards at an angle.
bang! bang! Quang!
The bombs that were scattered exploded one after another with exact accuracy, slightly lifting the tree trunk just before impact –
wow!
“Ugh ugh! Da-seo-eot!”
He raised his shield at an angle and sent it flying upward.
It’s a technique that makes so much sense that it’s mind-boggling. A movement that cannot even be attempted without near-perfect calculations and eyes that can remember every moment like a photograph.
Creep, boom, boom!
‘I feel like I’m going to die….ugh!’
Even though he was protected by a shield and aura, the bone in the arm holding the shield was completely shattered due to being hit so hard,
‘As long as I have my right arm… I gave it to you cheaply!’
The body, flying like a shattered bullet, stretched out its entire length and was flying toward the clearly exposed throne.
Squirt-!
30 steps. The expressionless face of the desiccated emperor is seen.
20 steps. Drops of blood from the blood-soaked curse began to pour down the tree like rain.
10. The emperor’s slender arms lift a large crystal.
5. The limp right arm was unable to hold the shield and dropped it.
.
.
.
.
1.
“Huh!”
One step. A distance where each other’s breath can touch each other.
Grasping the handle of the sword,
“…how can this be-”
Ahhh!
Combined with the flying speed, it goes from bottom to top.
It was cut in two from the side to the shoulder.
thud!
Fluffy!
The body of the emperor, cut diagonally, and the body of the knight, who was completely mutilated, were rolling on the leafy branches.
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Syaaaa –
The blood drops that fell from the cursed flowers in full bloom filled the sealed castle with the sound of bloody rain.
“Huh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!”
Every time I took a breath I was holding, the fishy taste and disgusting sweet smell burned my nose and throat.
The giant tree stopped moving, the emperor was torn in two, and I was still standing, although I was in ruins.
‘…Why why doesn’t it end?’
The emperor is dead. A severed torso was lying around at my feet, looking like it was about to say something, and the lower body rooted to the tree had lost its strength and was hanging like a corpse.
Crackling-crackling-
The ominous sound was the sound of a still tree branch moving again.
“…How foolish, foolish, and so foolish!”
The emperor’s severed body began to convulse wildly and become covered with countless tree branches.
“Shit!”
Sigh!
Several more cuts were made before it was completely covered, but the Emperor’s mouth did not stop.
『This—- I’m so sorry- bastard!!! Just an iron skewer in the sky of Jegugeukgeukgeuk-Giikkk!!』
‘….It’s not without blows.’
It feels like something has burst. Either in a good way or in a bad way.
『Extremely Jeguuuk-Eun! It’s history! 750 years!!! A cult that has lasted for generations!!! “Isn’t that what I should have received?”
『It’s not enough! It’s not a half-baked empire that can’t even stop a swarm of bugs! lack! A deserved reward that should have been in my hands! mine! My right! It’s not enough!!!』
Thump-thump-thump-thud-
The sound of something hitting hard inside the wooden cocoon was heard. As the Auror peeled off the wooden cocoon, the sound of the crash turned into a sound mixed with sticky liquid.
Sigh!
Eventually, when all the layers of cocoons were cut off.
This was the moment when Siod VIII, who had only his upper body left, hit something in his hand and smashed his head.
Sreuk Sasak!
“Ah ah…”
A branch rose from beneath his feet and instantly snatched the large lump in his arms and dragged it into the tree.
“I have to protect it…. Je-e-guk…. It scatters between my fingers…. Je-e-guk….”
Puck. puck. puck.
The sight of him tapping his split head on the missing part. It was as if he was bowing to the sky over and over again.
The thought that came to mind along with that cute sight froze me.
“I killed my older brother… my younger brother… my father and my uncle… I did my duty as an emperor to protect the empire…”
Tuk. Tap….
“The emperor’s duty….”
Tap.
“The Emperor…. the self that rules…. wields everything…. the most glorious…. the one that is right for me…. the Empire!”
Was it a coincidence?
The emperor’s eyes, completely bereft of reason, looked straight at me.
Push!
And his head hit the tree branch and was completely shattered.
His small body collapsing and the giant tree twitching.
The words appear in the emperor’s blood where something big has disappeared.
[The empire works through its own history.]
It works through history. We build ourselves up through the past.
‘It is complete.’
I don’t know what kind of curse it was, but at this moment, I knew that the curse that the emperor had created by squeezing everything in the capital was completed.
The highest ranking noble in the empire.
A loyal knight.
A citizen who has lived as a citizen of the empire for several generations.
And the spell was completed by sacrificing the emperor’s own life.
‘The curse created by Mea Maria takes root, spreads, and sucks the vitality of living creatures that exist in that place.’
‘The sucked life force is used to fulfill the caster’s earnest wish.’
‘…in a somewhat twisted way.’
I don’t know if the curse corrupted Mary or if the curse was created because of Mary’s corruption. Mea Maria wanted to save as many abandoned souls as possible, so the curse killed all souls that approached her and turned them into corrupted dead.
‘I didn’t want to completely take the empire into my own hands.’
‘I just wanted to strengthen the unity of the empire that had been scattered since the two great imperial wars.’
If the curse created by the purple flower was like that, how did the emperor’s wish come true?
Ssaaaa-
…
..
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.
.
The rain of blood drops from the tree branches stopped.
Tuk. Fighting. Tuk.
In the meantime, I heard the sound of something heavy falling one after another, like ripe fruit falling.
‘root. stem. egg plant. And fruit.’
Why didn’t I notice? If the emperor regarded the empire as a symbol of a tree, the answer would have already been decided.
As I swung my knife and cut off the dense tree branches, I could see what was below.
A purple fruit that I saw in passing when I first entered the castle.
When I saw it up close, it didn’t look like fruit.
Toaduk toukduuk!
They are just corpses hanging from tree branches, filled with purple curses.
“This crazy bastard…!”
It was only when I encountered a familiar face among the falling corpses that I realized it.
The meaning of the last words of a completely lost emperor.
[Swing everything… to the empire that is right for me.]
Not to his empire that collapsed with time, but to the glorious empire of the past.
Just as the empire’s history builds its future, its past builds its future.
The great empire of the past that I longed for so much.
In this place at
this moment .
Kuung –
After the ‘fruit’ that was hanging on until the end fell, the giant tree withered away rapidly, as if it had finished its work.
twelve. Twelve corpses that had collected and divided up all the life force absorbed from the entire capital over a period of three years.
Unlike their half-decayed appearance, with their bones exposed, the things they wore were all extraordinary.
A person who once carried armor with the emblem of the most prestigious family in the empire.
Among the seals of the sword family that first comes to mind when thinking about the power of the empire, he is the one who wears the seal of nine sword pieces around his neck, which historically only three people have received.
A man wielding a large ax who went from being an executioner to a knight, from being the humblest to serving the most precious.
A person who rides a ghost horse and wears a crown, a person who holds a book that is more than two spans long, or a person whose body is covered in black burning flames.
and.
Crash.
A large sword that once had a lion head decoration, but only the lion head decoration was removed for someone a long time ago. Someone holding a sword that symbolizes the history and legitimacy of the imperial family.
“…Gainax.”
A friend I had no plans to meet again was there.
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