Chapter 150: The Capital’s Collapse (5)
Chapter 150: The Capital’s Collapse (5)
The Emperor sat comfortably with a haughty smile on his face as he continued to talk.
“Look at them, look at these pathetic beings locked up in the Imperial Palace waiting for the Empire’s crisis to arrive.”
The Emperor looked at the members of the Imperial Family that were fighting for him.
Among the members of the Imperial Family, only the Emperor, the next-in-line as well as the most powerful members of the Imperial Family could be granted a complete death. That was the reason why they all tried so hard to take that power to the point that they even created their own factions. All of the members of the Imperial Family who disappeared without a trace became nutrients and fertilizers that helped protect the Empire.
This situation just went to show the viciousness of the Imperial Family. They could even stomach using the bodies of their dead blood relatives. If they could use their blood relatives like that, then they would definitely not have any reluctance to use the innocent public for their experiments.
The Imperial Family even held hands with the nobles while promising them of a greater return of interest just so they could gather more power. And since this was something that had repeated over the years, the Empire had turned completely rotten. It was something that could not be reversed anymore.
“Of course, some of the previous Emperors wanted to save this garbage nation. But is there any meaning in doing that?”
The Emperor smiled with ridicule.
“No matter how hard you try to revive a rotting nation, will your efforts prove to be meaningful?”
The Emperor looked unblinkingly at the Death Lord, whose death energy and desire to kill were overflowing. His eyes did not hold any fear of death.
― If your efforts were proven futile, then you should have ended the Empire in your own hands!
The Death Lord’s anger increased the death energy in the area.
Ghosts began to gather to eat the death energy that filled up the audience hall.
“Hahahaha! Did you think we haven’t tried that?”
The Emperor cackled upon hearing the Death Lord’s words.
“We have deliberately weakened the Imperial Family’s power while raising the power of the nobles. In addition! We made sure to inject drugs that we have obtained from all kinds of experiments to our blood relatives from an early age to make sure that their power would remain weak. It has been more than a decade, more than a decade since we gave everyone the justification for treason and promoted the destruction of the Imperial Palace. But!”
The Emperor stood up and approached the Death Lord one step at a time. But the more he approached, the more the secret guards protecting the Emperor pushed the Death Lord and widened the distance between them.
“Their attempts have always been thwarted by these people.”
The Death Lord looked at the Emperor’s secret guards upon hearing his words.
Their eyes looked like they wanted to step down immediately but their bodies were moving and contradicting what they wanted. It seemed like they weren’t doing this on their own will.
“At some point, more and more nobles knew the truth. But no one thought of rebelling despite the Imperial Palace becoming weak. Perhaps, that’s why these friends have become extremely bored.”
The Imperial Palace would always have a set number of secret guards. Even the Emperor had to die and become a secret guard if that number was not filled. That was the reason why the Emperor and the Imperial Family always made sure to birth numerous children. That was so they could sacrifice them to the secret guards.
However, no rebellion ever happened. Even the attempts to assassinate the Emperor had gradually disappeared. If there was no harm that was being inflicted to the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Family, then there was no reason to deliberately create these secret guards.
The Imperial Family was given enough time to spare with these boring times. So, they started to do research to get rid of this curse plaguing them.
“After long deliberations and studies, the Imperial Family was able to think about something. Let’s get rid of it like this.”
The Emperor tore the clothes that he was wearing and revealed a clear red pattern on his chest.
“This curse was formed in the name of doing noble sacrifices for the Empire.”
― That’s the result?
“That’s right.”
From monsters to demihumans, they used everything to experiment. They even used the bodies of those beings who made a contract with the gods from the other dimensions just so they could eliminate the curse that was plaguing the Imperial Family. But all of them had failed.
“Unfortunately, it failed on the secret guards. So, I tested it on the still living ‘Imperial Family’. But as you can see, they became terrible vermin.”
The Emperor spoke as if he was extremely apologetic but the Death Lord’s expression remained distorted.
During the battle, he had created a powerful magic to blow away the entire Imperial Palace but it was blocked by ‘something’. However, he did not lose hope and tried several times. But each time, his power was scattered even before he could complete it.
“Do you know why those followers who borrow God’s power are reluctant to enter the Imperial Palace?”
The Death Lord gritted his teeth at the Emperor’s question. This was because he had realized what the Emperor was trying to say.
“Because the Imperial Palace restricts those who borrow God’s power. That’s the reason why the black archmage who borrowed the power of the devil to become an archmage, the spiritist who signed a contract with the spirit king, and the cardinal could only beg us in front of the palace.”
The Emperor continued to speak as he recited the Imperial Family’s weaknesses.
He told the Death Corps about their information as if he was sincerely hoping for their own death.
The Emperor opened his arms after telling them everything.
“I have talked too long. I still have to wait and see if you can get through all of these and get to me.”
The Emperor went back to the throne, sat on it, crossed his legs and tapped on his heart. He sat there looking at them arrogantly with a tint of curiosity coloring his face. He was wondering if they would be able to reach him at all.
The Death Lord took a step back with gritted teeth when he saw him like that.
― It seems like that’s the only way.
The lords gathered around the Death Lord and bowed their heads.
― As the lord wishes.
Hearing their consent, the Death Lord began to chant something.
Perhaps it was because they felt something unusual that the secret guards rushed straight towards the Death Lord. However, the vampires, liches and dark knights blocked them with all their might.
The Death Lord’s blood seeped through the heart of the four lords.
― I’m going to ask you one last time. This decision will cause you an eternity of suffering. This is not something that can be avoided by death. And pain that will make you think that hell is much lighter and easier will plague you. Nevertheless, do you still agree in choosing this?
― Yes!
All of them bowed their heads as they answered the Death Lord firmly and without any hesitation.
Then, a bloody light wrapped around the bodies of the four lords before dragging them down underground. A circle made of bloody light surrounded the Death Lord as something huge pierced through the ground and took shape.
However, just like the Emperor had said, the Imperial Palace had the power to restrict and limit the intervention of external gods. Because of that the blood giant kept on collapsing, unable to complete its shape and form.
The Death Lord shouted loudly to the sky when he saw this happen.
― God of Death! We want to fulfill our final contract!
At the end of his words, a black pillar suddenly fell from the sky and pierced the blood giant, pushing something out of its body.
A red and black energy fiercely fought against each other while the blood giant began to complete its form. As the blood giant’s form began to take on a clearer and more distinct shape, the Death Lord’s body slowly, very slowly, turned to dust.
“Hahahahahaha! Keuhahahahahaha! Pretty good! Pretty good!”
Even though a death crisis was looming over the Emperor’s head, he still smiled as he looked at the blood giant. His expression looked like he was eagerly awaiting the moment the blood giant ended this bloody Imperial curse.
The same was true for the secret guards. Although their bodies were running to prevent the blood giant from moving any further, their eyes showed their willingness and expectation that this terrible chain would finally break.
Slam! Slam!
The secret guards were thrown back from the blood giant’s punches. However, they still continued to attack. The giant’s fist was continuously slashed, cut and stabbed. Even the experiments and the Imperial Family monsters stuck and fought against the blood giant.
The Imperial Palace was slowly being decimated with every shake of the arm and every stomp of the leg of the blood giant. But strangely enough, nothing reached the Emperor’s throne. It was truly mystical how none of the stones that were thrown all over the place reached the Emperor.
“What do you think?”
The Emperor asked as he looked blankly into space. In fact, he was looking at the souls that only the Emperor of the Empire could see.
All of them were tied with a blue chain and watching the battle in front. Some were shaking their heads while some were looking ahead with anticipation. Dozens of these souls predicted the possibility through their experiences and thought about whether they could finally break this goddamned curse or not.
“I can’t believe they signed a contract with the Blood Devil and the God of Death… That human’s body is quite amazing.”
The Emperor identified the source of the Death Lord’s power in just a glance.
His body had been able to endure all kinds of experiments and his extreme hatred towards the Imperial Family had resulted in his willingness to sign a contract with the external gods who wanted to interfere with this land.
The God of Death was pushing the power of the Imperial Palace while the Blood Devil decimated and destroyed the Imperial Palace.
And the price that they paid for this was themselves.
“Is it my turn now?”
The souls and bodies of the Emperor and all the members of the Imperial Family that they hated so much, perhaps even the souls of the previous Emperors. As long as they could get out of this garbage Imperial Palace and not become a nutrient that would protect the Empire and have their souls bound like the Emperor, they were all willing to walk to hell. The Emperor was even willing to walk down to hell on his own to break this goddamn chain but unfortunately, it was something that they couldn’t do themselves.
Even though the Blood Devil and the God of Death had shown their power, the Imperial Palace was still trying hard to stop them. But these external gods would never miss this golden opportunity. And the same was true for the Death Lord.
Something incredible happened in the Imperial Palace when their wishes overlapped with each other.
The external gods sacrificed their own power and used the blood giant as a medium to tear the space. The Death Lord was wrought with excruciating pain as some of his soul got torn apart but he still endured and remained standing.
“Dimensional gate?”
The Emperor looked surprised when he saw the dimensional gate opening above the Imperial Palace. It was something that could never happen but was made possible since the God of Death personally tore apart the space, albeit only temporarily.
A huge dimensional gate opened above the Imperial Palace as hundreds of beings of the void swarmed the area. Since this was a gate that had been opened thanks to the sacrifice of a part of the power of the external gods, it wasn’t just the dimensional insects or dimensional fish that came over but even the soldiers that followed the void’s corrupted gods.
The Emperor’s secret guards failed to stop the blood giant and ended up dying as they blocked the beings of the void.
Eventually, even the blue barrier that surrounded the throne was torn apart by the beings of the void, who eventually turned to dust after tearing the barrier apart.
The Death Lord approached him as the barrier disappeared.
“You have finally reached me.”
The Emperor looked at the Death Lord incredibly.
― Don’t even think about dying comfortably.
“Fufufufu~ I am not even expecting something like that.”
The Emperor nodded. He knew full well that hoping for something like that was just a luxury that he couldn’t afford.
“I’m sure that what you desire is over there. So, hurry up and finish this so you can move on.”
The Death Lord gritted his teeth as he looked at the Emperor’s relaxed and comfortable expression that remained until the very end. And with his remaining arm, he pulled out the Emperor’s heart out of his chest.
“Kgghk! Fi… nally…”
The Death Lord sliced off the Emperor’s neck after taking out his heart before looking at the souls that were wandering around him. They were the ugly souls of the Emperors of the past. This was the last he saw of them before throwing them to the God of Death.
Then, he turned to look behind the Emperor’s throne.
The place, which was covered by a wall, began to break down and collapse the moment the Emperor died. At the same time, the Imperial Palace and the entire capital began to shake and tremble.
The pillars and the barriers that supported the Imperial Palace and the capital had collapsed resulting in the collapse of both the capital and the Imperial Palace that stood solidly for hundreds of years.
“This is…?”
One of the soldiers murmured blankly when he saw a video being played through illusion magic that spread over the capital. Everything that had transpired in the Imperial Palace was broadcasted to everyone in the capital through the vampire’s illusion magic.
The hideous truth.
The unbelievable deeds of the Imperial Family.
The Imperial Family who had become monsters and the Imperial Palace and the capital that were now beginning to collapse.
While everyone was confused at the sudden influx of facts, the voice of God rang loudly in everyone’s heads.
― Protect the Imperial Palace from this swarm of evil.