〈 Chapter 151 〉 Siege Battle (1)

*

Inside Leim Royal Castle.

In one of the dozens of rooms rendered useless, a man sat alone.

With the festival of anonymity in full swing and the light having vanished from the barrier, the room was dark enough that the man’s face was barely visible.

At that moment, a voice finally broke the silence.

­Hello, Laus. What brings you here?

“Violet, can you connect me to your side?”

­Well, I can, but they’re in a rather urgent situation over there…

“What?”

­It seems the Second-ranked Hero’s hideout was in the Central Sea System.

Having seen the Second-ranked Hero, albeit from a distance, he had no desire to relive that horrifying encounter.

“That madman was hiding there?”

­Fortunately, it seems he’s not taking any direct action, but our plans have inevitably been disrupted… Ah, it appears the connection can be made now.

At that moment, another voice chimed in.

­Laus, is everything alright over there?

That question implied that things were definitely not alright on their end.

“Are you okay over there?”

­I asked if that place is fine.

“Yeah, it’s fine. The princess who fled before caused some commotion when she returned, but she was caught quickly.”

­Laus, Allen Pleuk is not here.

Allen Pleuk not being in the Central Sea System?

That meant a whole world of other possibilities had opened up.

Of course, what could he achieve coming here alone while several Demon Kings remained?

At that moment, the castle trembled slightly.

Just as he began to ponder the sudden tremor, a much larger shake overwhelmed him.

There was only one thing that could cause such a disturbance.

The castle walls had collapsed.

­What was that just now?

Levia asked, but he had no time to respond.

He shouted to Violet, who must have been listening to the conversation.

“Pass the message to all the Demon Kings in the kingdom! We’re under attack! And tell the 72nd not to leave the White Tower, we need to seal it off!”

*

In an instant, the castle walls crumbled.

Those walls, which seemed unyielding, ready to withstand any siege, fell too easily.

And this sight rattled the hearts of both the enemy knights and the Black Knights watching.

Simultaneously, it ignited their morale.

The trustworthy ally the enemy commander and the captain of the Black Knights spoke of had just shown their strength.

“Charge!”

“Charge!”

Fueled by their morale, they began their assault.

Meanwhile, most of the coup forces’ main troops were likely holed up in the castle’s underground passages.

Getting as far inside now was beneficial.

“We’re under attack!”

It was once the same order of knights that protected the Leim Kingdom together.

But now they were enemies.

While it might have been easy to feel sympathy, there was no hesitation in their charge.

If they retreated, the future of the kingdom was a foregone conclusion.

The current peace was just a temporary false peace, and if it continued, the country would inevitably rot from within.

And though they didn’t realize it, retreating now would lead to the kingdom’s destruction at the hands of the Demon Kings.

“I’ll spare your lives if you surrender!”

Nevertheless, the enemy commander showed mercy.

Not everyone wanted to be inside the castle.

That’s why they weren’t going to kill those who surrendered.

“Grah!”

However, there was no mercy for those who resisted.

Most knights inside the castle were users of Light Magic, and having lost their light due to the festival of anonymity, they were utterly powerless against the fire magic of the Reedval Family.

The enemy knights following the Reedval Family and the Black Knights overwhelmed their foes with their rising morale.

But such morale couldn’t last forever.

While the commanders were already aware, the regular members didn’t know an important fact.

That fact was the existence of the Demon Kings.

“W-What is that…?”

The Demon Kings no longer concealed their human forms.

They revealed their Demon King forms without holding back.

This display shocked those who were encountering such powerful beings for the first time.

Their size was double or even triple that of a human.

Their forms were utterly incomprehensible by human standards.

More than anything, their presence was suffocating, surpassing mere grotesqueness.

“That’s a Demon King?”

The enemy commander felt the same way.

Though she knew of the existence of Demon Kings, seeing one in person for the first time was overwhelming.

She too couldn’t help but freeze in place before the might of the Demon Kings.

Fortunately, both the Demon Kings and the enemy army were momentarily immobilized.

But as soon as the enemy realized that the Demon Kings were aiding them, their rigidity faded quickly.

Just when it looked like the tide was about to turn.

“Sky Cleaving.”

The darkened sky above Leim Kingdom split open.

No, it felt as if it split.

That’s how primal the attack was.

Smash!

Sure enough, the Demon King form, which should have been several times sturdier than a human, couldn’t withstand it and shattered.

That was the consumption of the third Sacred Replicant.

But hesitating to use a two-star relic on a Demon King just didn’t make any sense.

Immediately next, arrows flew through the air, striking the shattered body of the Demon King in quick succession.

At first glance, it seemed like a meaningless attack.

The arrows simply lodged in without causing significant damage.

However, in the next moment, a sound similar to strings being plucked echoed from somewhere.

The three arrows embedded in his body began to resonate.

Szzzzz!

Simultaneously, blood and flesh exploded from the severed edge.

This was why Hero Ludmilla had differentiated herself from other archers and risen to the rank of high-ranking Hero.

‘But as for the finishing blow…’

Yusera had delivered a fatal wound with Sky Cleaving.

And Resonance had disrupted the Demon King’s regeneration ability.

Still, the Demon King didn’t die.

For a typical Demon King, that much damage was just the typical amount they could withstand, even within a barrier.

This meant a decisive finishing strike was necessary.

‘Relic Gravitas Replicant.’

Light as feather.

‘Wind’s Power.’

As fast as possible.

‘It’s been a while.’

It was a long-neglected technique.

The moment the strike accelerated was so swift that the onlookers couldn’t comprehend it.

‘Weight release.’

The Relic Gravitas Replicant became so heavy that even now, he couldn’t handle it.

By the time they realized what was happening, it had already obliterated the Demon King into pieces.

Just like that, one Demon King fell so easily.

The emergence of two clearly stronger beings was enough to restore the morale of the enemy knights and the Black Knights.

On the contrary, the enemy army began to hesitate, one by one surrendering.

While witnessing such a shift in battles, searching for other Demon Kings, I also looked for Elsie.

But there was no sign of Elsie anywhere.

Fortunately, it seemed the operation was proceeding smoothly.

At this point, Elsie likely…

My gaze landed on a distant white spire.

She must be inside the White Tower.

*

Szzz.

A slight vibration could be felt from the floor.

Elsie knew it was a signal.

The outer castle walls would soon crumble, and the siege battle would begin.

However, she had other matters to attend to.

While Allen and Yusera drew the attention of all the other Demon Kings, she would have to reach the White Tower.

And there…

“It’s time to end this.”

She took out two pills from her inventory.

Awakening Pills that Allen had given her.

With these, she could gain considerable strength for thirty minutes.

‘But after thirty minutes, it seems there will be severe penalties.’

So, she needed to finish everything in thirty minutes.

Steeling herself, she swallowed the pills.

At the same moment, the sound of walls crumbling echoed around her.

‘Here we go.’

If she makes her move now, it would be easy to escape.

She grabbed the iron bars that held her captive with her bare hands.

Thanks to the Awakening Pills, she definitely felt her strength had increased dramatically.

“Gah…”

They were pretty thick iron bars.

Even with her powers elevated, it seemed sturdy enough.

But as she gritted her teeth and pulled with all her might, the bars slowly began to bend.

‘Just a little more…’

Remaining focused, she continued to pull the bars apart until they widened enough for her to slip through.

Wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, she turned translucent.

‘Optical Modulation.’

Now invisible, she slipped through the opening in the bars.

The only place she needed to go was to one destination.

The White Tower.

*

In the most secluded corner of the royal castle stood a pure white spire, exuding an air that felt out of place against the surrounding gray walls.

This spire, sharp as if a giant were to bleed when pricked, was just a decoration, its structure preventing anyone from entering.

However, this decorative spire held one secret.

Behind the spire, a door leading to the underground was magically concealed.

And a man draped in a white robe was there, attempting to seal that door.

Due to the external attack.

Moreover, if a seal command had come directly from the Demon King, it indicated the enemy’s significant strength.

Even if they were overwhelmed in battle, it meant that at least those inside would have to be preserved as much as possible.

‘And perhaps…’

If ‘that’ succeeds, they could potentially sweep away the intruding enemies.

‘Yes, if we succeed in creating the real thing.’

While thinking that, he was in the middle of the sealing process when suddenly he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head.

He turned around.

But no one was there.

It certainly looked that way to his eyes.

However, he could recognize her.

“Princess…?”

Naturally, the sealing procedure was still incomplete.

Knocked out, Elsie, who recognized him at the last moment, opened the door to the spire.

At that moment, a voice rang out from afar.

“Sky Cleaving!”

It was Yusera’s voice.

Just then, a Demon King was split in two.

Finally, three arrows flew in and struck.

This was an entirely different scale of battle.

According to Allen, he said that if he had the Royal Sword, he could easily manage, but right now, he couldn’t help in such a fight.

So what she was tasked with was something else.

While Allen and Yusera risked their lives battling the Demon Kings, she had to infiltrate the underground of the White Tower.

And there, stop the potential awakening of the 72nd Demon King.

She stepped foot into the White Tower, leaving behind Allen, who had drawn his sword for battle.

*