Chapter 220

Duchess Tenitia cut through the skeletal waves, and I ran along the path she created to stand before the monstrosity.

“The world.”

The creature in front of me was immense.

Estimated height of 250m and a body length of about 1km.

It was an unprecedented monster, even considering my life before the return.

I found my legs stiffening and my breath becoming ragged.

I gritted my teeth and propelled myself into its gaping maw.

“Anima!”

A fierce wind burst forth from my steel-encased shoes, and my body soared into the sky.

It was fortunate that it had its lower jaw and front legs blown off and was propped against the ground; had it been fully intact, I might not have been able to enter its mouth.

I kicked off its lower lip once more and plunged inside.

The inside of its maw was several times wider than my own palace, and it wasn’t too dark since it was keeping its mouth open.

Due to Sererassie’s lightning scorching everything from the roof of its mouth to its throat, I couldn’t see any of its seagull-like features or teeth, nor the whiskers it used to filter food.

I removed my gauntlets from my hands and strapped them to my waist, and I also took off my helmet and hung it at my side.

I thought about either just wearing the breastplate from now on or asking Jeilliris to drill holes in my helmet for spikes.

As I summoned the power of incantation, horns curved like a mountain goat’s sprouted from my head.

Of course, even with the flame of the incantation, I couldn’t turn this gigantic monstrosity into a live candle.

It might be possible if I fully risked a dragon transformation, but I had been trying to maintain my human form until now, so even taking Sererassie’s red potion wouldn’t make it possible at this moment.

But now, another power was mixing within my body.

I had never handled the power of spirits before the return.

“Flames, come to me.”

When I had received the essence of spirits from Jeilliris, I questioned whether I could use it properly.

Kwaaaaaah!

All of that was unnecessary worry.

An elemental with a self-aware personality is an elemental spirit, and as much as I had absorbed the essence of that spirit, everything regarding fire unfolded as I imagined.

My hands turned transparent, and my vision became slightly hazy as if shrouded in a white veil.

I moved an invisible hand to grab the energy of fire hanging in the air and pulled it fiercely, like a greedy fisherman reeling in a net.

Whoosh!

Flames in the area began to converge toward me.

Sssss!

As if the hellhounds were responding to their master’s call, flames that started from a great magical tool and burned the surroundings flew toward me.

“Yes, that’s it.”

Duchess Tenitia, who was fighting the giant skeletal soldiers below, looked up at me with a surprised expression.

I felt pleasantly drunk, my body gently heating up, and nothing seemed scary.

Just like when I fought Marcus, I gathered the flames into a single point.

Back then, I drew them in with an incantation, but this time, I summoned them with the essence of spirits.

Sssss!

The flames that covered dozens of cubic kilometers began to coil around me naturally.

Handling the fire felt as easy as moving my hands.

I stepped toward the creature’s throat.

I walked deeper into the pitch-black cave.

“Kuwoo!?”

I felt its panic.

I had quite a bit of mana compared to my body size when compared to it, so it made sense.

The creature stood on what remained of its five legs.

The charred flesh cave trembled.

Thud thud thud!

The ground cracked, and teal beams shot through like veins.

The wicked energy of the creature tried to engulf me whole.

“I’m sure I’ll taste quite terrible, you ugly monster.”

I declared firmly and drew the great sword, Black Tear.

The orange flames of the incantation coiled around Black Tear, and the greedy flames surrounding me flowed into the sword as well.

Since Sererassie unleashed nearly a 6-circle grade spell, the creature’s magical resistance would be nearly depleted.

If this wasn’t near the magical realms, it might have died instantly.

Now this creature could not block my flames.

I plunged Black Tear into the wall of charred flesh.

Thwomp!

The blade slid in smoothly, and the heat that had been compressed to its limits exploded outward, beginning to burn its muscles and melt away its fat layer.

Crunch!

The sound of shattering glass echoed, and the teal light that had been gathering to consume me scattered like mist.

More.

I inhaled and summoned the power of incantation.

I felt the sensation of the horns protruding a bit more, and the flesh walls of the creature flushed red and split apart, flames leaping up from all sides.

Whoosh!

Now my orange flame chased down the scattered teal light and burned it.

More.

I called upon the surrounding heat with the power of spirits.

As its muscles burned, I gathered all the heat produced and pushed it back into its body.

A ring of fire materialized out of thin air, and its massive body quickly began to crumble.

More.

I felt blood flowing beneath my eyes.

At the same time, flames ignited the fat layer around its neck.

More!

I guided the flames to spread even further, reveling in the thrill.

The horns were growing by the moment, and my hands up to my forearms became translucent, but I paid it no mind.

“Oooh?!”

The creature howled, shaking its body.

I was winning.

The chance to end the long con and schemes was right before me.

I was overwhelming the creature that had shattered countless lives.

“Yes, you creature.”

– “You shall never be welcomed.”

I raised my translucent hands.

The flames surged and spread in all directions.

“I hope you die painfully.”

I cursed, spreading my hands wide.

As the heat created by burning it returned to me, it expanded into its fat layer following my guidance.

Whoosh!

The monstrosity, nearly 1km in length, began to implode from the inside out.

* * *

It was the darkest dawn.

Rudi felt that the army of monsters had markedly diminished at some point.

“Duke Valen!”

She sensed that the young duke had succeeded and looked up at the giant creature.

The titan groaned and twisted its body.

“Graahhh!”

Its once-untouchable skin split from the inside, smoke rising from various parts of its body.

“I knew you could do it. I believed in you.”

She chuckled as she bound the ripped edges of her maid uniform with a bandage and wiped the blood flowing from her temple away with a smile.

It was a kind yet chilling smile.

She lightly launched herself down beneath the stone building.

Without even glancing at the corpses of the creatures and infiltrators crushed beneath her feet.

Sererassie stumbled and stood up on the rooftop.

“At least you accepted what your sister offered, didn’t you?”

Her students and warlocks rushed to support her and fed her various high-grade potions.

Her lightning had exhausted the creatures, and Valencius turned the exhausted monsters into candles.

“Worried we might all roast to death together, huh?”

She smiled weakly, wearing her pointed hat and leaning on her staff.

She was contemplating stepping out.

“I will grant you rest!”

Tenitia swung her red mana blade, slicing through the massive amalgamation of skeletal soldiers, abominations, and zombies.

“I said I would grant you rest!”

The moment she smashed one skeleton soldier with a swift strike, laughter echoed from one side.

“Hahaha! The Duchess remains the epitome of a knight!”

“Duke Seberik?”

Duke Seberik of the North had fully cleared one street.

The writhing infiltrators and undead had been reduced to mere pieces lying on the ground.

It was only a moment until a giant over twenty meters tall was severed at its torso.

“Damn it, I was a step late. I was thinking of waiting and then rushing to the encampment to feast.”

Duchess Cariosa of the Eastern Region grinned lasciviously, baring her sharp teeth.

She and the eastern knights had also completely cleared one street and reached the city’s center.

“What are you talking about in front of a priest? Besides, you two are unmarried, aren’t you?”

Saint Matheos arrived, leading holy knights and combat priests.

Cariosa shrugged her shoulders and grinned wickedly.

“Sailors don’t care about that sort of thing.”

“It is blasphemy! Maintain your dignity!”

While the two bickered, figures began to emerge one by one from other streets and across the canal.

The leader of the Ironblood Party, Marcus, along with mechanical knights, the Silver Knight Order, the Black Iron Knights, the Blue Silver Knights, the Brass Knights, the Gold Knights, the Sky Knights, Helena, and the knights from the Central Region.

Though they were exhausted and many were injured, their expressions were all bright.

“We did it, Your Excellency.”

“I’m looking forward to what we can extract from Duke Valencius.”

“It’s been urban warfare until now!”

As if to welcome them, flames erupted from the creature’s back like a volcano.

Kwang!

Its remaining legs snapped like a fallen tree, and the enormous creature, stretching over 1km, lay sprawled on the ground.

Boom!

A shockwave radiated, and dust billowed as layers of burned and ripped flesh melted away.

Inside, something red started to flicker, and when the light finally broke through the fat layer, the creature that had devastated the capital became nothing more than an oil candle.

The towering creature was engulfed in flames.

But the blaze did not spread in all directions.

“Guuuuu.”

Amidst the dying screams, Cariosa, Sererassie, and several high-ranking battle mages from various families recognized what was happening.

‘Controlling the flames to prevent them from spreading.’

‘Using fire to purify the body and energy of the creature, absorbing the heat.’

‘A greedy fool! This is going to be quite the affair.’

As the creature’s back turned into ash, they could see Valencius.

His white hair was neatly combed as usual, and his expression remained calm yet confident.

From his head sprouted two horns, and his translucent hands waved through the air.

According to his gestures, immense rings of fire whirled around, devouring the monstrosity.

He stood amid the flames as if conducting an orchestra.

It seemed as if he was saying he would soon be the flames themselves, showing no signs of heating up.

The giant heart of the creature was engulfed in red flames and blazed fiercely, the fierce teal energy becoming food for the fire, roaring red, and was absorbed by Valencius.

“What the hell! What is the Bandit Duke doing before the saint?”

Matheos was taken aback but soon sighed as if he had given up.

“I knew he would handle it…”

Cariosa cackled, and Seberik chuckled softly.

“Yes, one must have that much courage to…”

“Why are you getting obsessed with strength like those from the North?”

Rudi subtly cast a glance at Cariosa.

‘What was she about to say? Surely not “my man,” right?’

Sssss!

The creature blazed away, leaving no ash behind, and Valencius absorbed the last fragment of its flames.

He stepped out with a languid expression as if he had just finished a feast.

Despite the still unruly flames dancing beneath his skin, he quickly closed his eyes tightly, gathering all his strength.

With his once-translucent hands now opaque again, he sheathed Black Tear and addressed Duchess Tenitia.

“Thank you, my lady.”

Tenitia bowed as if to say it was nothing special.

“I only did what I had to do, just as you did. I’m sure everyone felt the same.”

Valencius made eye contact with each person gathered around him.

“Then, thank you all.”

Matheos seemed to doubt what he had heard.

“Show your faith if you are grateful!”

Seberik smiled warmly.

“That is indeed fitting for a duke, Valen.”

As Cariosa approached discreetly.

“Duke, I would like to spend this evening with you. The answer is…? Of course, you would like to, right?”

Sererassie began to scold him for what danger he had once again taken on.

“What’s going to happen if you get sick eating something Carelessly picked up? What transformation spell did you use?”

“I took the red potion my sister gave me.”

“That was… good job.”

The sun rose over the eastern horizon.

* * *

“We can’t get in.”

“What do you mean by that nonsensical talk?”

“I mean, we cannot enter the magical realms.”

The top magical expert of the Ivory Tower said after flying back and forth several times between the magical realms and the surface on a broom.

Valencius held his nape while Sererassie insisted there must be some mistake and directly checked the calculations.

“…Valen.”

“What exactly is happening? Explain it clearly.”

“Well, it’s a large-scale disturbance caused by the entrance of a specific high entity—”

“Make it understandable!”

“The magical realms are a space for the ancients to cross over, right? But because His Majesty is too powerful, they have closed the door from that side.”

“You mean to say that the ancients shut the door because they were scared of His Majesty? Scared that similar beings might swarm our world?”

“Do you really have to frame it in such a vulgar way? Well… if you insist, then yes.”

“So when will it open?”

“When His Majesty strikes the core, it will open. But as you know, the magical realms have some oddities. Occasionally, time flows differently. There may also be a lack of oxygen. The laws of physics might behave oddly too. If we base our analysis on the calculations made last time in Purioaito… well, it likely won’t take several decades, but I can’t say for sure.”

Sererassie tried to sound calm as she spoke.

Even she, who usually had little interest in the world, understood what this meant.

‘The ancient energies seeping out from the magical realms are immense. So as long as the magical realms remain closed, we can’t restore the affected area.’

In other words, the royal family would have to endure an uncertain war of attrition outside for several days, weeks, or even years.

Valencius remained rigid for several minutes.

‘Jeilliris, oath of loyalty, infiltrators, kingdom alliance, republic invasion, Amir Dukedom.’

Images of the chaotic world before the return and a future without the restraint of Jeilliris vividly painted themselves in his mind.

‘Cariosa would advance east, Seberik would move south, the Amir Dukedom would push north, and from the west, the kingdoms and republics would invade… just how many lives would be lost? Would it easily surpass several hundred thousand a year? Ten million? Would it exceed ten million?’

Eventually, as doubt appeared in his mind about how long it would take to practically deploy the meteor summoning magic that the emperor used if the magic guild and the Ivory Tower worked together on research, it dissipated.

He opened his mouth with the cold expression characteristic of a desperate strongman.

“Gather everyone.”

He summoned his four squad leaders and the heads of each department, Sererassie, Helena, Hadrian, and the multi-term members of the imperial council, and declared.

“I cannot show His Majesty the shattered state of this city upon his return. I have no doubt that mental contamination and erosion are wreaking havoc outside. As the Elder Brother in the Imperial Family, I cannot stand idly by in this situation. Until His Majesty returns, I will govern the empire in his stead. Ensure that is known.”