Chapter 196: Divine Presence (2)

The Emperor, peering out from his carriage, murmured to himself.

“How quiet it is.”

For the past two days, the monster attacks had ceased, leaving the islet strangely serene. It was as if they weren’t in the midst of a war. Yet, the scattered remains of orcs and collapsed houses throughout the area bore witness to the truth of the events that had unfolded over the last few days.

The Emperor, drawing his gaze away from the desolate scene, turned to the armed guard riding beside him.

“What is the status of our defensive forces’ casualties?”

“Our troops have suffered minimal losses, as the enemy has only resorted to hurling orcs at us without any other significant attacks. The houses have been destroyed, but our soldiers remain intact.”

“Thankfully, that’s some relief,” the Emperor said, feeling a sense of ease.

It was a justified sentiment—each trained soldier was indeed more valuable than any mere house.

Eventually, the Emperor’s procession arrived at the eastern castle wall, slightly later than initially planned.

The emperor dismounted from the carriage and walked towards the castle wall. The guards formed a protective barrier around their emperor clad in high-quality armor.

Initially bewildered by the emperor’s sudden appearance, the resting soldiers hastily dropped to the ground. The emperor strode past them, climbing the steps with purposeful strides. Once at the top, he halted, his figure standing tall and imposing.

A sound escaped his lips.

“Mmm…”

The main body of the Snow King’s army, rushing from the east, came into view. It was the first time he had seen the monster army since the onset of Starvation, and their numbers were far greater than he had anticipated. The monsters’ distinctive dark green skin carpeted the earth, appearing even more menacing against the backdrop of the early morning sky. Amidst these creatures stood a massive, towering sedan chair.

The Snow King is supposedly over there…

The mere mention of the Snow King’s palanquin sent shivers of fear through those present. As the emperor’s gaze lingered on the castle walls,

“Huh? You’re here?”

A voice suddenly cut through the air.

Locating its source wasn’t difficult. It came from the center of a group of soldiers, swords and spears at the ready. The emperor approached amidst their fervent greetings.

“Your Highness, if you’ve come, then could you please move these soldiers? They don’t believe I’m your guest…”

Who wouldn’t be startled by a person suddenly falling out of the sky, especially during wartime? Thanks to this, Louis had been surrounded by soldiers ever since arriving at the eastern castle wall.

The emperor, grasping the gist of the situation, promptly issued an order.

“Stand down.”

At the emperor’s command, the soldiers sheathed their weapons and dispersed.

Along with them, Louis’s snow-white hair came into view. The emperor’s brow furrowed deeply as his gaze fell upon the figures behind Louis.

It was their first encounter with this group. A silver-haired man and woman, and a pair of redheads. A giant warrior over two meters tall, and a tiny girl barely 150 centimeters high. Even the little girl cradled a small cat in her arms.

Their striking and unique appearances drew the eye, as they gathered on the castle wall.

The emperor opened his mouth, disbelief plain on his face. “The great warrior aside… Who are these others?”

“Ah, they are neophytes from our order. I wanted to have them observe this matter. Is that alright?”

“Witness a battle?”

The emperor’s brow furrowed at Louis’s casual tone, as if he were treating this like some sort of game instead of war. It only took a moment for the emperor to regain his composure.

“Do as you please—provided you accomplish what needs to be done. But if any problems arise, your head will be the first to roll.”

“Oh, absolutely. Shall we begin, then?” Louis turned to the Flame siblings with a grin. “Kendrick, Tania.”

“Yes!” they both responded eagerly.

Louis crossed his arms and scrutinized his disciples. “I’ve noticed your training has been rather lacking lately.”

“What? No way!” Kenneth protested.

“We’ve been working really hard!” Tania added defensively.

“Is that so? Then why do I see you with your minds wandering while your bodies are just going through the motions?”

“Ah…”

”…That is.”

Kendrick and Tania fell silent.

Louis was right.

After their defeat by Khan and Kani, the two had thrown themselves even more into training. But the more they trained, the more it felt like walking through a fog. No matter how much they practiced, it didn’t feel like they were improving; instead, only growing more uncertain.

They’d hit an invisible barrier.

And it wasn’t just one of them—it was both Kendrick and Tania.

They’d shared their thoughts with each other afterward, but neither could find a solution. Louis, however, understood their predicament perfectly.

“You should’ve told me about this sooner, children.”

”…I’ve noticed you’ve been quite busy lately…” Tanya replied somberly as Louis scratched his cheek at her response.

Hmm… I have been preoccupied with various matters.

Although his educational philosophy leaned towards a hands-off approach, it wasn’t about completely letting them roam unchecked. He intervened when necessary and provided guidance when appropriate.

To ensure they listen, I must at least project the demeanor of a competent teacher. Besides…

The wall the Flame siblings had confronted was one created by Louis himself. He had brought them here in the hope of helping them dismantle that barrier. However, he hadn’t anticipated the twins and Lavina tagging along as well.

With a slight smile playing on his lips, Louis gently patted Tanya on the shoulder.

“Keep an eye out,” he whispered to her.

”…Teacher?”

Tanya called out, but Louis walked towards the outside of the castle wall without a word.

Then from the castle wall tens of meters high…

Duck.

He jumped off.

“Huh?!”

“Gah!”

The soldiers who were watching swallowed hard, but their subject landed on the ground lightly. Soon Louis’s actions were unchecked as he easily cleared the wide ditch.

From the Emperor on, everyone on the castle wall followed the lone figure walking.

Then the red sun started peeking over the crest of the hill beyond the castle wall.

The reddish dawn was breaking.

The light illuminated the monsters on the ground, dyeing them a dark red.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the light from the east gradually dispersed the darkness as it approached Louis.

Clop-

Behind him, the islet was still shrouded in darkness.

Clop-

Ahead, the world was slowly brightening.

The contrast between the two hues, Louis moving from shadows into the light, evoked an indescribable atmosphere.

“Ah…”

”…”

Kendrick and Tanya’s gazes were fixed on Louis, unwilling to look away.

Perhaps sensing their eyes on him, Louis smiled.

Let them watch carefully.

The wall confronting Kendrick and Tanya had arisen because of the disconnect between their past and current goals.

In the bygone days when the Flame siblings were still young, their aspiration was none other than Louis himself.

Back then, Louis had displayed astonishing valor against an ogre, and this feat served as both a goal and milestone for the two children’s growth.

But as time marched on, with each step the siblings took towards maturity…

The remarkable pair, blessed with monstrous talents, began to approach the martial prowess of their past idol. As they did, the once-insurmountable goal that had loomed large in their childhood started to waver.

Is this truly right?

What was the teacher like back then?

Just how powerful is our teacher?

At my current rate, how close have I come to matching the teacher?

Despite having been surpassed by his twins and learning from them about Louis’s strength, he found himself unable to establish such clear and definitive goals as before.

With the driving force and milestones of his growth now unstable, it was only natural that his training would falter.

Recognizing this situation, Louis made a decision.

If the boys were wavering due to the goals he had set for them in the past, then he would give them new goals.

He would become their new guiding light.

Open your eyes wide and commit this to memory. This is the path you must follow from now on.

Louis put even more resolve into each step, moving forward with determination.

Soon, his figure reached the boundary between light and darkness. In a flash, he emerged from the shadows and crossed over into the world lit by the sun.

At that moment…

Fwip.

Louis raised his right arm. He lifted it until it was parallel to the ground, at shoulder height. That was just the beginning.

Hwoom, hwoom, hwoom!

A black energy started from Louis’s forearm and undulated outward in a straight line.

First, thirty centimeters.

Then one meter.

Five meters.

Ten meters.

The tiny streak of black energy had geometrically increased in size until it reached a hundred of meters but quickly formed into a single figure.

This sight caused the emperor to mutter under his breath.

“A sword…?”

The black energy formed from Louis’s outstretched arm. It was a giant sword—one so black that it seemed to absorb all the darkness in the world. As the black sword completed its shape above his arm, Louis…

Whoosh.

He casually swung his arm forward.

To those watching, it appeared as though the sword on the right had instantly materialized on the left. Silence descended upon them simultaneously.

The emperor felt his breath catch in his throat, sending shivers down his spine amidst the suffocating stillness.

There’s… nothing… I can hear…

How peculiar. Normally, this early in the morning, he would hear the sounds of soldiers stirring within the fortress walls. Beyond the castle’s perimeter, there should have been the unsettling chorus of nearby monsters. Yet all these sounds had vanished.

The emperor cautiously opened his mouth, attempting to speak with his usual voice.

”…?!”

Though he could see and feel his lips move, producing no sound, it was as if Louis’s horizontal slash had severed all noise from the world. However, Louis’s blow hadn’t merely muted their surroundings.

Um…?

The Emperor, who had been gazing blankly ahead, clearly witnessed a strange phenomenon.

The sun…

The sun was slowly rising over the ridge, ablaze in red.

Has been sliced…?

It was being divided into upper and lower parts.

Along with this, the sunlight that had been illuminating the world as it advanced also stopped.

A mirage…?

It was too vivid to be a mirage, yet it was impossible to believe it was real.

What the hell was that?

Sacred Scripture?

Demonic Scripture?

What kind of realm did one have to reach in order to perform such an absurd feat?

”…”

As the Emperor faced the extraordinary situation, all he could do was open his eyes wide and observe everything.

He wasn’t alone in this.

The twins, the flame siblings.

Pablo, Lavina.

And all the soldiers positioned on the eastern wall.

Everyone watched, dumbfounded, as Louis performed this impossible miracle right before their eyes. In full view of the gathered crowd:

Whoosh.

Louis lowered his arm. Simultaneously, the black sword that had materialized along his forearm vanished into thin air.

And then—

Cu-tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu!

As the pent-up sounds erupted like a torrential waterfall, filling the air, the sun—previously split into upper and lower halves—rejoined into one. However, now something else was divided in two.

Shhhk.

With a soft slicing sound, the numerous monsters positioned in front of Louis suddenly froze. Moments later, their bisected torsos toppled backward, resembling nothing so much as decaying bundles of wheat.

Splatter!

Sssssshhhhhk!

A bizarre spectacle unfolded as the cutaneous blood of the slain monsters surged forth in the blink of an eye.

Sssssshhhhhk!

The Emperor swallowed hard, his maternal grandfather grimly nodding at this unbelievable sight.

How many monsters had perished in that single blow? Were there any survivors among them? No matter how the emperor strained his eyes, Louis stood alone amidst the sea of destruction. The implications were unmistakable.

A pained groan escaped from the emperor’s lips: “They’re… annihilated.”

In one fell swoop, tens of thousands of monsters had been wiped out. Realizing this, the emperor couldn’t contain his trembling.

”…”

It was terrifying and fearful. If the Priest’s attack had been directed at the Islet instead of the monsters…

Would this Islet have survived?

The attack that could decimate tens of thousands of monsters with a single strike—was this not what the Emperor had envisioned when he thought of the High Priest handling the creatures? A display of sheer power overwhelming them all at once. But this…this was far beyond anything he could have anticipated.

God’s power?

Could such a feat truly be possible by borrowing the strength of mere gods? If not…

Then perhaps…this being was the true embodiment of the Church of the Whole.

While the Emperor pondered these thoughts, Louis continued wading through the swamp of dark crimson blood.

How long had he been walking like this?

Suddenly, Louis froze, leaned down, and picked something up from the ground.

The sharp-eyed warriors immediately recognized it.

“The Snow King’s head…”

The monster’s neck, which not even a sword could sever, now hung uselessly in the air. One soldier’s murmur quickly spread to those nearby.

“The Snow King is dead…”

“The Orc Lord has fallen!”

What had started as one man’s quiet announcement grew into a deafening cheer that reverberated off the castle walls.

As if in response, Louis raised the Snow King’s head high, causing the jubilation to swell even more.

Through the cacophony of voices, the emperor let out a barely audible curse.

“This damned old fool…”

The target of his curse was the elderly noble who had forced this contract upon him. If the man were present, the Emperor would have gladly smashed his face in. The enraged Emperor gritted his teeth.

In an instant, the surge of anger subsided, replaced by a deep sense of futility in the Emperor’s eyes.

How… How am I to deal with such a monster…?

To strike down the creature that had displayed such unbelievable divine power and render the contract null and void? It was then that the Emperor realized the truth.

The choice he had agonized over for so long, convinced it was the perfect solution, was in fact the worst possible decision. A decision that would inevitably plunge his Empire into an inescapable predicament.