251
emperor
– Okay.
Oman’s voice, which I hadn’t heard in a long time, was very excited.
Unlike before, the guy’s voice sounded distant, as if it was coming from far away rather than right next to me. It was as if God was really giving me an oracle.
– It will sting a lot.
Even now, it feels like my body is on fire, and it’s going to hurt even more here.
‘That’s ridiculous.’
He stared straight ahead, clicking his tongue.
At the gesture of the emperor from far away, all kinds of monsters were approaching me.
There were roughly a hundred of them in the form of apostles, and behind them were giants that looked like a combination of those, wyverns with wings made out of humans and knights riding on them, and even dragons.
In addition, monsters of various forms were showing hostility towards me.
The ground continued to shake as if an earthquake had occurred due to the countless monsters moving around.
Hell was coming towards me.
‘They say he’s the king of demons. Now he has to fight hell.’
He nodded with a small smile.
‘Hand it over.’
– Still the same.
Oman chuckled. Oman’s voice was very excited, as if he was so excited about something.
‘I guess I was bored when I actually went up there.’
– Maybe.
Soon, the muscles in his entire body began to twist and make a terrible sound. Snap. Snap. His muscles screamed as if someone was grabbing them and forcibly tearing them apart.
I could see my muscles expanding and swell. My muscles were swelling in real time. Then my blood vessels felt hot as if they were on fire.
‘No, I’m actually riding it.’
A dark red energy was rippling beyond the skin. The skin turned dark red as if it was contaminated. A terrible pain that was incomparable to a normal burn arose.
I wanted to scream, but only intermittent gasps came out.
······························································!!!
I lay down ugly and groaned.
It was already so painful, but now the pain was growing from within.
It wasn’t something I could feel, but the pain was literally growing. It was a strange sensation, like my soul was being torn apart.
If the pain I felt during Vivian’s magic circle was a feeling of my soul swelling, now it felt like a huge being was forcibly tearing into my soul.
The moment I was even slightly off, my soul literally felt like it was going to shatter.
– Don’t worry. You won’t die.
I wanted to curse at the arrogant voice, but it was too much to bear with the pain of wanting to tear my throat out.
The crimson fire grew larger and larger. As if it was fueling me, the fire grew larger as my suffering grew.
In extreme pain, I felt as if time was stretching out infinitely.
Although I was confident that I had a fairly high tolerance for pain, I soon found myself shedding tears.
No, actually, there was fire flowing from his eyes.
The crimson fire that filled me moved to my eyes, and was actually flowing down.
– Stinging.
Oman kept nagging me. It seemed like it was his way of keeping me sane. Of course, it was completely useless.
I just kept myself awake, sobbing. I did my best to stop the hand that was trying to tear my throat, to end this pain.
After such a long time had passed-.
– Are you okay?
Oman asked with a worried voice.
It was ridiculous. Are you giving me this to use now?
– I thought I could endure it.
I let out a sigh of relief at the completely unwelcome admission.
Gray smoke filled the air.
The smell of ash was everywhere.
With each breath, the air around me moved closer and further away. It felt like the world was moving along with me.
The excruciating pain still shook my mind, but my body was definitely filled with strength beyond compare.
‘This stings like hell.’
Arrogance snickered at my comment. I didn’t mean for him to laugh-,
I clenched and unclenched my fist.
The crimson fire moved according to my will.
It was definitely a strength that could withstand the pain.
but-.
‘This isn’t enough.’
I looked at the Emperor beyond Hell and said:
Those monsters seemed like they could be dealt with, but the emperor beyond them was the problem. It was a judgment close to intuition, but it wasn’t enough.
– Heh heh···.
Instead of answering, Oman laughed. He laughed in a hollow manner, as if he found it ridiculous, or as if he had seen a madman.
It seemed like there was still more left.
‘Get ready.’
The sight of their core was visible through a black field of vision. Perhaps, the part where the mark was.
I waved my right hand. The black claws were long and stretched out. I waved it again. Dark red fire flowed through my body.
A dark red fire flickered like an aura on the claws.
Phew······.
As I exhaled deeply, the ash and flames rose simultaneously.
‘That’s cool.’
– That crazy guy.
I chuckled at the arrogant insults and kicked the ground.
A huge burst of excited laughter erupted from Oman.
The noise wasn’t bad either.
***
············!!
A piercing scream filled the space.
‘He is truly a spirit.’
The Emperor muttered as he watched the creature writhing in the crimson flames.
When I saw him, a great anger rose up inside me. It was not the Emperor’s, but a feeling of hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy hated and loathed arrogance, which did not pass over despite all means, but rather despised itself.
But because Oman achieved in an instant what Hypocrisy had worked and desired for so many years, Hypocrisy began to run wild.
When the emperor came to his senses, the capital had already fallen.
I had no particular attachment to the capital. It was a capital that had recently begun to go astray. It was not a bad move.
Hypocrisy assured him that Arrogance could not have achieved his karma, and that he must have received help from someone.
Hypocrisy in him has found a new way to rise.
It was a simple and ignorant plan to push through the water.
Since he was the emperor, it was easy for him to gather people to share the karma. He gathered countless people, but sharing the karma was not like that.
When faced with the endless, enormous karma, most people become frustrated and cannot even properly remove one thing.
He did it differently. He absorbed them all and created a situation where he had no choice but to receive power.
Although the efficiency dropped drastically because of this, progress was made unlike before.
‘Is that guy really doing the work for you?’
The emperor muttered as he looked at the bastard. It was a karma that could not be filled even with so many teeth.
Even arrogance must have had a lot to bear compared to hypocrisy, so I couldn’t believe how that was possible.
However, looking at that appearance, I had no choice but to admit it. It was clear that the bastard had helped Oman.
‘I have to take that guy.’
The emperor’s eyes sparkled.
It didn’t matter whether this was a hypocritical thought or the Emperor’s own.
At that moment, the thing kicked the ground. The things underneath it burst and red blood gushed out. When the red blood touched the thing’s flames, it was absorbed.
The bastard’s movements were quite fast.
He was so clever that even the emperor missed him for a moment.
Before he knew it, the bastard was running towards the soldier.
To Hypocrisy, he was just a soldier, but since it was Hypocrisy’s territory, he could be quite useful, but the bastard cut the soldier in half in one move.
The crimson fire easily erased and absorbed the power of hypocrisy worn by the soldier.
The emperor bit his lip at the rough emotions rising from within. Seeing him being pushed away so easily, it was clear that arrogance had risen above hypocrisy.
The bastard continued to move his claws without stopping. There was a trace of swordsmanship in his movements.
‘···There is reason.’
The power of a god is a power that humans cannot handle, yet the bastard was able to receive it and move completely. While maintaining his sanity-.
It was a wonderful display of mental strength and determination.
At that moment, his eyes met mine. Those eyes, burning with crimson fire, seemed ready to tear me apart.
From the beginning, he had only eyes on the emperor.
The aura emanating from him was quite murderous, but the emperor was not worried.
This was a place of hypocrisy, a place where hypocrisy had been entrenched for so long that its influence was deeply rooted.
Even now, he had absorbed the people of the empire with the intention of establishing a new empire.
Here the emperor was invincible and hypocrisy was god.
Even if Oman truly became a god -. No, rather, because of that, there were more limitations. Because the distance had grown.
He won’t even have any evidence.
Without the token, he had to bear the full weight of the god’s power himself. Even Oman would be reluctant to send his power to him.
It was a guess, but looking at the bastard’s form now, my guess seemed to be correct.
The crimson flames he was emitting were not only burning the surroundings, but also himself as fuel.
That guy will fall apart on his own.
The emperor watched him silently.
‘You fight well.’
Pure admiration came over me. No matter how foolish he was, the strength contained in him must have been considerable, yet he dealt with the soldiers with ease.
His fighting style was quite unique. At times, he would bite with his mouth or rip with his hands like a wild beast, and at other times, he would display extremely high swordsmanship like a master of the sword.
He simply chose the most appropriate way to kill his opponent without hesitation at each moment.
Even if it meant tearing the opponent’s neck with his mouth, he didn’t hesitate.
It seemed like a being born just to kill.
It was a rare sight even for an emperor who had lived for a long time.
He grabbed the small ones and then joined the dragon. Without hesitation, he entered the dragon’s mouth. Then, a huge flame burst out from inside the giant dragon.
A moment later, a crimson shape emerged from the dragon’s back.
············!!
The eyes of the man who jumped out while letting out a loud scream were still staring at the Emperor.
A chill rose in the eyes where the fire was burning, but the emperor smiled calmly.
He was definitely a threat.
However, this was his territory.
“Come and see for yourself sometime.”
The Emperor was certain that the bastard would collapse before he could even get past those soldiers, let alone reach him.
***
‘I am Aaron.’
I muttered and stuck my hand in. The brick men, melting and flowing in the crimson fire, cheered.
The blood that burst out from them turned into smoke and was absorbed when it touched the crimson fire. It wasn’t a very good feeling.
As I absorbed him, my existence became fainter and my mind became hazy. An indescribable emotion rose up. In fact, I welcomed the intense pain. Because it held my wavering mind-.
‘I am Aaron.’
I pulled my hand out, muttering as if it were a habit. Something that looked like a token came out. I put it in my mouth and chewed it. Agh-. The chewing taste was quite good.
At that moment, I felt a huge flow from above. When I raised my head, I saw a dragon giant, a combination of a dragon and a giant, extending its fist towards me.
It seemed like a combination of the dragon’s byproducts and the giant’s traces. They were definitely tricky things that could only be recycled if not burned.
Because the Dragon Giant’s fist was so large, it was too late to dodge. There was no reason to dodge it.
I raised my claws and put strength into my legs. Kwaaaaang-! A heavy sound came along with the impact through my claws.
The guy’s fist cracked against my claws, and I went deep inside.
Kill me-. Please, just the child-. I curse you-. Brick men were chattering from all directions. Those who tried to bite me melted into a crimson light and flowed.
The curses turned to cheers. The brick men scurried like insects towards fire. They begged each other to burn them. They were tired of being popular.
Blood was absorbed again in large quantities. The crimson fire burned brighter as if it had been given fuel.
The pain shot up. My whole body felt like it was burning. My mind was shaken. My existence became faint.
‘I am Aaron.’
He muttered and twisted his hands. A dark red fire burst out through his claws.
He didn’t stop there, but he gained more strength. A crimson flame shot out from his right hand. It looked like a greatsword or a giant claw.
I swung him around. The brick men were cut lengthwise. The burst blood poured out like a waterfall. It was all absorbed into smoke before it reached me, but-.
The red-hot fire spread. The brick men clung to each other, spreading the fire even faster. A disgusting, yellowish smell filled the air. I continued to run inside.
Starting with the Dragon Giant’s fist, he moved to his elbow, shoulder, and chest. Finally, he reached the core and pulled it out, causing the Dragon Giant to collapse.
The surroundings were filled with a reddish smoke that was naturally sucked in. My spirits were rising. It was fading away.
‘I am···.’
I muttered softly and shook my head. Flames sprayed around me, and the floor melted. I gritted my teeth and strained my eyes.
As the dragon giant fell, this time a three-headed giant was running towards them.
It was as if three were combined because one was not enough. It was a simple and ignorant calculation, but unfortunately it was effective.
Since they were guys without any sense, the bigger they inflated, the more annoying it became to deal with them. The guy must have sensed it, because the little guys stopped rushing at him and kept inflating their size.
Of course, it was all just a hassle.
‘The problem is that guy.’
I stared at the Emperor. He was still sitting in the same spot, watching silently.
It felt like watching a play. It seemed like they still didn’t know that it was an audience participation play.
At that moment, the triple giant fell towards me. It was so casual, not even a punch, but just falling down.
Funnily enough, that worked better.
‘You changed your method.’
I clicked my tongue slightly. The guys were getting bigger and bigger. It seemed like they were just going to push forward with their numbers.
It seemed like they sensed that I was in danger. They kept pouring in more and more water, waiting for me to collapse on my own.
It was definitely an effective method. In fact, every time I drank blood now, I was getting more and more confused. I couldn’t even count how many times I hit my head.
If I were the guy, I would have adopted that method.
but-.
– You idiot, you don’t know how ignorant you are.
I chuckled with excitement and arrogance.
‘I am Aaron.’
He muttered and hit his head again. The sharp pain that had become somewhat familiar became new and grabbed his wavering mind.
That was enough. At that moment, the overturned belly of the three giants crushed me. As the flames rose, the brick men quickly melted. Then, the thing embraced me.
I had to burn the entire upper body of the bastard. The blood mist scattered around was absorbed and I became dizzy again. I hit my head again and fixed it.
As I passed him and came out, this time I came face to face with a five-fold giant. The five-fold giant also hugged me without mercy.
The crimson fire left my hand and devoured the creature greedily. The reddish smoke grew thicker. My breathing became ragged.
From then on, they started to fall on me continuously, and I continued to advance while burning them.
What mattered was the direction.
How much time has passed like that?
– You are Aaron.
‘know.’
I gasped for breath and strained my eyes. My blurred vision returned.
Now, the crimson fire that I could not control was spreading beyond me.
Everything around him melted, and a thick red smoke billowed out.
Hell was literally melting and flowing.
The Emperor was still sitting there, staring at me, but unlike before, his upper body was slightly tilted.
The emperor’s face crumpled for the first time as he met my eyes. He had always had a sullen expression, but now his face looked quite pleasant.
Around the emperor, things grew increasingly larger.
I think I caught quite a lot, but there’s still a lot left.
‘I am Aaron.’
I shook my hands and ran again.
***
The emperor frowned.
The flames that covered him burned even brighter, and now even his form was no longer visible.
That crimson fire was definitely burning him too. And it was burning fiercely.
But the bastard was still approaching the emperor, staring at him.
This guy should have collapsed a long time ago. But I couldn’t believe he was still showing his fighting spirit and approaching me.
The Emperor knew Kangshin’s suffering better than anyone else.
That’s why I thought the bastard would collapse on his own soon.
To encourage him, the Emperor willingly threw his own soldiers at the bastard.
In fact, every time he grabbed one, he rolled, crumbled, and fell over. However, he eventually got up.
He continued to approach the emperor, staggering.
How is that possible?
The emperor bit his lip at the burning eyes of the man staring at him.
An incomprehensible emotion rose up in him. The Emperor realized that the emotion was fear.
‘···I’m afraid?’
The emperor muttered softly and clicked his tongue.
It was impossible.
He was the emperor.
He was the ruler and master of the continent.
At that moment, the bastard set a giant on fire and fell down.
Kwaaang-!
There was a loud noise as the crash occurred, and reddish smoke rose up.
The man staggered, but eventually got up. His eyes were still fixed on the Emperor.
I had no choice but to admit it.
Soldiers were no match for him.
The emperor rose from his seat.
It was a bit burdensome because my body was not yet stable, but there was nothing I could do.
“You woke me up. That’s amazing.”
The emperor said this and spread out both his hands. He drew out his divine power. Hyeseon raised his head from within.
Hypocrisy, having discovered arrogance, gave the Emperor more power than he wanted. No, hypocrisy was not satisfied with it and sought to encroach upon it.
The emperor belatedly adjusted his strength. It was dangerous, but he was barely able to push it away.
‘···I thought Kangshin was easy because of that guy.’
The initiative almost went to Hyeseon.
The Emperor waved his hand, still glaring at the man approaching him.
All the giants collapsed and were absorbed into their surroundings.
At first glance, it seemed as if the Emperor had paved the way for himself.
He melted all his soldiers.
He ran towards the emperor without a moment’s hesitation.
‘It’s definitely rougher than before.’
It didn’t seem like the guy was completely unscathed. I don’t know how he was holding up, but he was definitely collapsing.
The Emperor lightly snapped his fingers. A thorn sprouted from just below the creature.
At that moment, the guy twisted his body and dodged. It was a surprising reaction.
However, there was more than just one thorn.
The space beneath him itself rose. His fire melted the thorns, but the thorns were moving so fast-.
A huge hole appeared in the bastard’s abdomen.
“The position of crown prince is still valid.”
The emperor smiled and said as he watched the staggering man.
Then-.
“There is an insider in that position.”
The guy was giggling and cracking weird jokes.
Flames dripped from the bastard’s smiling eyes.
On the contrary, the emperor’s face hardened.
***
‘Nimiral. What the hell is going on?’
Dylan scratched his head in annoyance.
I couldn’t figure out what the heck was going on.
The ugly Swallowtails that I thought were shit have suddenly become archmages and are driving out the imperial army.
Those who reach the capital will not enter but will instead hold out in the surrounding area.
‘What are those guys doing when they get there? They just go in.’
It was too far away to see the exact situation, but it was clear what had happened.
Even Dylan could see that the key to the war was the giant god-child above the capital. He had to take it down to finish the job, but instead of going in, he was loitering around in front.
At that moment, a sudden sense of unease came over Dylan. A feeling that he couldn’t even tell where it came from came over him.
Death, no, this wasn’t just any death.
Dylan hurriedly picked up Kanna, who was next to him. Kanna, who had been concentrating hard, opened her eyes and frowned.
“It’s dangerous!!”
“What···. Ah.”
At that moment, Kanna’s head turned. Dylan’s eyes widened as he turned his head accordingly.
The giant god child above the capital began to crouch.
The new baby was so huge that even the smallest movement made the world feel like it was shaking.
The imperial army stopped moving and looked up at him blankly.
Even though they were stabbed and slashed from the side, the bastards didn’t move and just stared at the new bastard.
However, the rebels also looked up at the god blankly. There was something about the movement of the giant god that weighed on the hearts of those who saw it.
The noisy battlefield became quiet.
Everyone looked up blankly.
The crouching god then folded his huge wings.
Originally, the god had a presence so great that it took one’s breath away just by looking at him, but he suddenly disappeared as if he had been washed away.
“I just got word that Aaron went in alone to deal with hypocrisy.”
Selena said in a sharp voice, her eyes bloodshot.
‘······A ten-year-old?’
Dylan thought it was a really bratty thing to do.
“I focused all the power that was being directed outward inward. I focused on dealing with Aaron······.”
“Shouldn’t we help Aaron!?”
“Leaving Cardinal Emeritus Aaron alone. Who knew what he would do-.”
“Let this go! Me! Knight Adela-! I will go to my lord!”
Selena’s words caused chaos everywhere. Everyone was making a fuss as Kanna woke up and came to their senses.
In the midst of the chaos, Dylan scratched the ball.
Anyone can see that······.
‘······Do you need to take a dump?’
Dylan mimicked the pose.
Then my lower abdomen started to hurt.
While I was wondering what to do with this, Kanna poked me from the side. When I turned my head, I saw purple eyes filled with worry.
Kanna just looked up at Dylan without saying a word. Dylan could tell what Kanna was trying to say.
Kanna was worried about the ten pups. Even for the ten pups, it seemed like that new kid would be too much for them.
Dylan looked back and forth between the tiny hand holding him and the purple eyes.
Kanna, who always pretended to be an adult, was now trembling with fear. Perhaps, it seemed that she felt it better because she was Mana or something.
If he had been in his right mind, he wouldn’t have been hanging on to himself, a piece of shit.
The emotion in Kanna’s eyes was truly unfamiliar. It was an emotion I had never felt before. It was burdensome and heavy, but-.
It wasn’t bad.
“I told you to trust me. Don’t worry. I am Dylan, the master of the sword!”
Dylan smiled coolly and patted Kanna’s head.
Although she was worried that she would get bitten, Kanna simply kept her mouth shut and nodded.
Even if you pretend to be an adult and are smart, you are still a child.
Dylan jumped back, spinning his dagger in a cool way. He was quite high, but he was able to land lightly. It was the result of special training to hit the back of the head of a punk.
Dylan twirled the daggers in both hands as if he was looking at something and headed towards the new kid and the ten-year-old.
How long did it take?
When I reached a place that Kanna’s eyes couldn’t reach-.
‘······Fuck. This is fucked up.’
Dylan burst into tears.
I didn’t understand why he was pretending to be cool.
Doesn’t everyone know that you’re a piece of shit?
Tears flowed down his face and he cursed without realizing it.
I didn’t stop walking.
