NOVPUB#165
The air was scorching hot.
Without deploying a magical power field, it would have been impossible to even breathe in this tremendous heat.
Duke Buckenheim hastily surveyed his surroundings, assessing the situation as he looked at the remaining heads of houses and knights.
“Imprint fusion, and the awakening that followed.”
Eugene, who had returned from the war with the Republic.
The flame that the Emperor had nurtured had truly returned as a monster.
An unprecedented incident where hundreds of knights and thousands of nobles were massacred.
‘Don’t panic. There are still… still numbers remaining.’
Though he felt like he might lose his mind from the shock, the Duke regained his composure while clenching his fists.
‘Though we’ve lost most of our knights, several heads of houses and commander-level knights are still intact.’
Three head-level mages with seven stroke imprints.
And about five commander-level mages from each house of similar caliber.
If they combined their strength, they had a chance.
Whoosh-!
“Was it necessary to kill so many nobles?”
Having made his assessment, Buckenheim personally stepped forward and addressed Eugene.
What they needed now was time for the other heads of houses and knights to collect themselves.
To buy even a little time, he had to suppress that monster himself.
What appeared behind him was a massive upper body made of magical power crystals.
Buckenheim’s domain, [Hall of Avatar].
“To massacre so many nobles right after revealing His Majesty the Emperor’s will. Won’t this provoke other nobles who were watching the situation from the outside?”
“No, this is enough.”
Looking at Buckenheim who spoke thus, Eugene replied in a monotone voice.
“From the moment His Majesty’s will was revealed, you’re no longer nobles.”
“…What did you say?”
“Your legal rights guaranteed by the revised Imperial law are no different from those of any other Imperial citizen. That means now, we don’t need to persuade your former noble class.”
Former nobles.
At those insulting words, the faces of other heads of houses who had regained their senses twisted in anger.
“I, and our Kalhyram Army, will need to converse with and persuade the majority of Imperial citizens who will encounter the Emperor’s will.”
“There must have been innocent nobles who merely agreed with the magic nobles.”
“Probably. But what can you do?”
It would be impossible to sort through and deal with each one individually.
Having said that, Eugene looked at the knights and heads of houses who were starting to regain their composure.
“Three seven stroke imprint specialists. And the Knight Order commanders who serve as the core of the three houses.”
“……”
“I can’t miss this perfect opportunity to kill you all at once while searching for some worthless sense of justice.”
His words came without a moment’s hesitation.
The Duke smiled while gritting his teeth.
“So you’ve become a villain.”
“We’re all the same.”
This was never a battle between good and evil to begin with.
It was merely the worst and the lesser evil clashing for their own interests.
“But at the same time, you’re arrogant.”
With those words, Buckenheim subtly signaled with his eyes.
This brief exchange with Eugene.
It had been enough time for the surviving knights to form their ranks.
Swish–!
Count Branvilde and his Mirror Sword Knight Order took the front line.
The knights glared at Eugene with burning eyes.
What those eyes held was the fear of encountering an unknown enemy.
And likely the desire for revenge for their fellow knights who died without knowing why.
“Seven stroke level or higher. As a mage, it’s an honor to witness in person what I’d only heard of in legends.”
“……”
“However, you underestimate… the power of the Knight Order that has been accumulated for over 100 years.”
Five six stroke mages.
And about ten five stroke mages who had been far from Eugene’s explosion.
Buckenheim and Dvorak’s sides also had similar numbers of surviving knights forming their ranks.
– The Mirror Sword Knight Order will buy time. Duke and Countess…
– We’ll need to prepare a mass formula. Don’t worry. We’re already constructing the spell formation.
Leave the rear to me. Buckenheim will provide cover.
A brief discussion through magical power communication.
As the knights from each house took their positions with nodding heads, the Knight Order led by Count Branvilde charged toward Eugene.
“For the Knight Order-!”
In an instant.
In just one moment, Count Branvilde’s knights closed the distance and swiftly surrounded Eugene from all directions.
The Mirror Sword Knight Order of Branvilde suppressing the front and the Count himself taking the rear.
These warriors, who amplified their magical power within the domain, immediately exchanged signals and.
Swish swish swish–!
The next moment. Branvilde’s knights, who had numbered only about ten, instantly multiplied to dozens and thrust their swords toward Eugene.
Branvilde House’s magic imprint, [Mirror Castle’s Fantasy Realm]
The secret technique of the Branvilde Knight Order, masters of illusion spells, was reproduced in an almost perfect form due to the Count’s deployed domain.
‘Illusions with substance. Each possessing magical power, able to exert the same force as the original for a moment.’
Dozens of six-stroke mages and five copies of Branvilde himself.
Even as he faced this massive wave of magical power rushing toward him, Eugene’s eyes remained calm.
“Eugene Lorentz!”
“You shall here…!”
As countless sword strikes thrust toward Eugene simultaneously.
Clang—!
A spherical barrier surrounding him perfectly blocked all the attacks.
“A barrier?!”
“Impossible, he blocked all of that…!”
Though the knights were taken aback by this unexpected defense, the barrier Eugene had deployed didn’t last long.
The barrier gradually cracked and began to break.
However, at the moment the barrier was breaking.
Whoosh-!
The flames condensed in Eugene’s hand were aimed at the knights positioned on his flank.
“Damn it!”
“Barrier! Hurry-!”
Boom–!
Before the knights could finish speaking, flames erupted from Eugene’s hand.
The flames engulfed the knights, burning through their barriers entirely.
When it finally subsided, nothing remained where the flames had passed.
‘Though they hadn’t mastered Domain, six stroke mages with magical power rivaling seven stroke mages…’
‘Were annihilated in a single strike…?!’
Count Branvilde ground his teeth, nearly losing his mind.
But during that time.
“Keep your distance! Quickly!”
The Dvorak Orchestra, having completed their spell construction from the rear, deployed their mass formula.
Screech–!
Along with the spine-chilling high pitch, an invisible force pressed down on Eugene.
It was Dvorak’s specialized spell, mind control.
“We’ve got him cornered!”
“Now! Knight Order! Full charge-!”
Tremendous magical power emanating from the mass formula.
While numerous illusions and ringing assaulted Eugene’s mind, the Mirror Sword Knight Order, having regained their formation, resumed their attack.
Whoosh–!
With his movements restricted by the mass formula deployed by the seven-stroke imprint specialist, Count Branvilde’s strike headed straight for Eugene’s throat.
‘The coordination between two seven-strokes. This is the true strength of the Knight Order.’
As he watched the blade approaching him, Eugene’s eyes began to take on a strange light.
‘If just Drexler and Dvorak can do this much… facing the entire Knight Order at once would be impossible.’
They truly would have been unbeatable.
Though Eugene thought this, what showed on his face wasn’t an expression of defeat.
A smile.
Even while enduring the noble house’s mass formula alone, with Branvilde’s strike approaching his face.
Eugene wore a cold smile, showing his teeth.
“In this situation…”
“He’s smiling?”
The moment the two heads of houses noticed this with puzzled expressions.
“Huff.”
Taking a deep breath, Eugene activated his magic circuit at maximum output while looking at them.
Magnificent magical power turned Eugene’s magic imprint, [King of the Burning Constellation], golden and.
Rumble—!
Eugene’s newly deployed [Domain] shattered the mind control that had been binding him.
“Spell collapse! The backlash…!”
“Aaargh?!”
Dvorak staggered from the backlash of the failed spell.
Meanwhile, the heat flowing from Eugene’s domain melted Count Branvilde’s sword on the spot.
Swish–!
“Ugh?!”
Golden chains created by Eugene wrapped around the Count’s neck and limbs.
Like a beast, the Count knelt on the ground, looking up at Eugene.
“Kuh… kuhk…!”
“Come to think of it, I just remembered.”
Looking down at the Count, Eugene drew Heresy from its holster.
As if something had occurred to him while looking at the Count, Eugene slowly pointed his gun at Count Drexler’s forehead.
“Our imprint specialist Rennie was in your debt for a while.”
With those words, Eugene pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Boom—!
With a thunderous roar, Count Branvilde’s body vanished on the spot.
The impact was so powerful that Buckenheim’s Avatar in the rear had to assume a defensive stance to block the aftermath.
Yet as if he had plenty of power left despite using such a massive spell, Eugene’s gun barrel turned toward the Countess who had collapsed on the opposite side.
“No, don’t!”
“My lady–!”
Boom—!
Eugene’s magic struck the Countess’s Knight Order, already weakened by the mass formula.
“Ah… Aah…!”
When the explosion’s aftermath passed, Countess Dvorak could only collapse where she stood.
Her subordinates who had been with her for over a decade.
Those she believed would be with her for life had vanished in an instant.
“Damn it, retreat! Retreat!”
“I’ll hold him off, quickly, take the head of house!”
“Your Grace! This way, hurry…!”
While the Buckenheim Knight Order, covered in crystal magic, engaged Eugene, Duke Buckenheim, judging there was no chance of victory, slowly backed away and began to flee from Eugene.
“Huff.”
From the imperial capital that had turned to ashes, Buckenheim retreated with only a few knights.
He completely withdrew the Knight Order from the capital.
***
“Hic, hicc…!”
In the imperial capital after the battle.
Only one remained, Countess Dvorak, exhausted and lowering her body.
“I, I surrender. We… no, I… have lost.”
“Oh? Then I order you.”
As she knelt, declaring her submission.
Looking at her, I commanded.
“Take your own life, right here.”
“…What?”
Ah, seems she was quite surprised.
The Countess looked at me with an urgent voice and said.
“I-I’m a seven stroke mage! My information and power are among the Empire’s highest! If you spare me, I could be quite useful as a fighting force…!”
“No.”
What nonsense at this point.
Looking at the Countess begging for her life, I spoke in a cold voice.
“Thanks to the Imperial Intelligence Department and our ‘partners’, we have more than enough of your information.”
So much that we even get reports about what your territory’s administrators ate for lunch.
“And a mage? Excellence? That’s even more laughable.”
I thought of the overflowing mage personnel in the Special Magic Unit.
Guille, who still had magical power to spare even after receiving a six stroke imprint.
And the two people following closely behind him.
Even the five stroke imprint mages being mass-produced to overflow in the Special Magic Unit.
In a much shorter time than the magic nobles, they had achieved such remarkable growth.
The rate of advancement to higher imprints is lower than the Knight Order?
Then we’ll just increase the numbers.
“Now that the Special Magic Unit’s training system is complete, we have more than enough mages.”
“…!”
“Thousands of magic imprints are being mass-produced in factories for them to use.”
“…!”
“And in this situation, what? You’ll be useful? Valuable?”
I continued speaking.
“You idiotic bastards who monopolized imprints while prattling on about knightly honor and dignity, playing at being heroes? I wouldn’t take you even if offered. Don’t need you.”
Telling her to submit or die was just something I said.
My true feelings were this.
The magic nobles gathered here were tumors that needed to be removed from the Empire.
Nothing more, nothing less.
“Then why did you let Buckenheim go?”
Hearing my words, the Countess, her face pale, asked.
“He’s the center of the Round Table. The strongest mage among us, so why…?”
“Hm? That’s obvious.”
To that question, I tilted my head as if asking why she’d ask something so obvious, and said.
“We need to let him escape so we can keep fighting.”
“…What?”
Having pushed things this far, the Duke has no way back.
He’ll scrape together everything he has to try to kill me and consume the Empire somehow.
“But if we kill Buckenheim here, we’d have to hunt down everyone cooperating with him behind the scenes.”
With all the work we have ahead, who has time for such troublesome things?
“Buckenheim is bait.”
“…!”
The magic nobles’ collaborators remaining in the Empire’s shadows.
Bait to draw in the numerous forces trying to eat away at the Empire.
“So Buckenheim needs to keep acting as resistance against the Kalhyram Army.”
Until every knight disappears from this Empire.
Until not a single magic noble remains in the Empire. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
“If that happens… in that process, how many Imperial citizens do you think will die?”
Having heard my words, the Countess spoke as if dumbfounded.
“Just how many people in the Empire do you plan to kill…?”
As if asking when did I ever care about such things.
With a sneer, I said.
“I’ve already caused the deaths of tens of millions in the Republic. What’s killing tens of thousands more at this point?”
Having said that, I pointed my gun at the trembling Countess.
“I’ll put your imprint to good use.”
“…!”
“A mind control spell should be useful when dealing with captured magic nobles.”
“W-wait…!”
I pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang-!
With the gunshot, the Countess collapsed.
Branvilde imprint destroyed. One seven stroke imprint as spoils of war, huh.
Muttering that, I slowly walked out of the venue.
The imperial capital where the Knight Order had all retreated.
What remained there were the many who had fled from the imperial palace, and the guards protecting them.
Seeing me come down after crushing all the nobles, they uniformly bowed their heads toward me.
The one who killed Meldir and drove out Buckenheim.
The one who walked alone into the Empire’s heart and accomplished all of this.
They had already acknowledged me as the Empire’s master.
“Please prepare for a broadcast.”
After slowly looking them over, I said with a smile.
“Let’s save this Empire that His Majesty cultivated from the clutches of the magic nobles.”
With those words, cheers erupted throughout the imperial capital.
The real revolution to overturn the Empire from its roots.
It had begun.
