Chapter 24: End of an Empire
Jircniv glared up at the ceiling from his bed, unable to think of anything other than how much he hated and feared the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul. He had dealt with countless stupid nobles, uncovered treachery that could shake the Empire to its core, and learned of deteriorating relationships between other countries. Through it all, Jircniv never panicked. But Lucifer Dracul was a problem that didn't have a solution. He wished for nothing more than the death of that hateful man. With a sigh, he sat up and looked down at his pillow to see, just like every morning since he heard what happened on Katze Plains, his hair that had fallen out that now adorned his pillow. He stomach ached so much he thought he would explode. The first problem Lucifer had caused were the casualties among the Imperial Knights Corps from the battle of Katze Plains. 143 deaths was a trivial number for a direct clash with the enemy, but the losses were entirely self-inflicted. What was worse was that Lucifer had remained after the battle and had turned their fallen into more monsters to serve him. The second issue were the countless petitions he had received from the Knights Corps requesting that they NEVER go to war with the Eternal Empire. Like anyone in their right mind would ever declared war on Lucifer Dracul. The reason they sent the petitions anyway was because they had lost faith in Jircniv. Because he had requested that the Immortal Emperor use his strongest spell, the blame for that miserable hellscape landed at Jircnuv's feet. He had only asked for him to use his strongest spell as a means to evaluate the Immortal Emperor's power. He had no idea that such terrible magic existed, but the knights didn't see things that way. Because Jircniv was such a fantastic ruler, they felt that he had specifically asked for that spell, knowing full well what it did.
"Damn him! This is all the Immortal Emperor's fault!" Jircniv shouted at nobody in particular. "No, it's not his fault. It's the Immortal Emperor's conspiracy. It's very possible that the state of the Empire has been orchestrated by him." Jircniv's musings were interrupted by a knock at the door and scribe entered his room.
"Your majesty-" the scribe began before being cut short by Jircniv.
"Skip the greeting. Just get to the point," Jircnivsaid irritably.
"Yes you majesty. The "traders" from the Theocracy have returned with certain "guests" who are eager to speak with you," the scribe reported.
"Excellent," Jircniv said with a sigh of relief. This was the best news he had received in a long time. Progress had been slow, but it seemed that things were finally going his way. He had been careful about who was privy to certain information. After he had discovered that Fluder was a spy, he was hit with the unsettling realization that someone must have compromised Fluder in the first place, so there were more spies in the midst of the Empire. How many and how high ranking they were was unknown so Jircniv decided it was best not t tell anyone anything they didn't need to know. He could not allow word to get back to the Eternal Empire that he was planning to betray their evil ruler. "When will they get here?"
"They are expected to arrive within the next two days, your majesty," the scribe responded.
Now all I need to do is set up a meeting in a place that would not be conspicuous. The Imperial Coliseum should do, but we need to take every precaution. This is a high stakes game we play. That spell of utmost cruelty was basically telling me "I am undead. Slaying the living is natural." There's no way in hell I can ignore a monster like that. It is my duty to improve our chances of winning, even if by just a little. The Slane Theocracy is no doubt the best nation to appeal to in order to battle undead abominations, but if Dracul found out what was happening it could spell doom for us all.
"My liege," the scribe spoke up. "Is the act of opening hostilities with the Eternal Empire not a most foolish course of action?"
"If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them," Jircniv snapped.
"Shouldn't we continue to strengthen our bond with the Eternal Empire and give in to any requests they may have us?" the scribe asked. Jircniv grimaced. He was already sending a fortune's worth of stone, marble, lumber, and other resources to the heart of evil: Nazarick. Apparently they were constructing a city of some sort.
"You're probably right," Jircniv sighed. "They have military might that we could never even hope to deal with and the personal power of Lucifer Dracul is befitting a god. However, does that not mean we should prepare for the worst? If he decides to destroy the Kingdom, do you really think that bending a knee will make such a problem go away?"
"You are right, your majesty. Forgive me," the scribe bowed.
"It's fine. It is a logical conclusion to come to," Jircniv sighed.
The people of Re-Estize were gathered at the gates of the Royal Palace, beating on the gates as guards tried to keep them back. The Royal Guards had ended up bringing in some of the mercenaries the nobles had hired to help secure the palace. Inside the Royal Palace, the remainders of the Royal and Noble factions had assembled in the room where they used to discuss the war with Lucifer. Count Ritton had survived the battle because he fled before the battle even began. He still continued to insult Lucifer over and over, but every time he did, he also looked over his shoulder fearfully. Margrave Urovona had a heart attack upon hearing what happened at Katze Plains and died while Bowlrob and Volumlash never made it back from that hellscape. The only two nobles left were Ritton and Raeven. King Rampossa was sitting on his throne with the expression of a broken man and Prince Zanac was standing on his right while Renner and Climb stood to his left. The remaining nobles were gathered around Raeven and Ritton.
"How did it get like this?" Zanac muttered.
"It doesn't matter how this happened. What matters is what we plan to do about it?" Raeven interjected.
"Let the idiotic commoners throw themselves at the guards we hired," Ritton scoffed. "This rebellion is nothing but a distraction. The real question is how we intend to deal with the Antichrist!"
"The Immortal Emperor has been unexpectedly merciful in his rule," Raeven reported. "Many of the commoners want to leave this country to join his, however the fact that he is a vampire is a bit off-putting so they are attempting to reform this government and strip the power away from the nobility. What began as several ridiculous riots has become a single, organized movement that calls itself the "National Liberation Party" and have begun organized hit and run attacks on Royal and Noble properties. They have chosen to rally behind a man named Sebas Tian, who is the founder and acting leader of the National Liberation Party."
"Sebas?" Climb perked up. "Sebas is the leader of the rebellion?"
"Yes," Raeven confirmed. "It seems that his message is to end the nobility and the monarchy and set up Princess Renner as the first ruler of the government he seeks to create." Climb, Zanac, and Renner's eyes widened. Climb was proud of his mistress, Renner was surprised, and Zanac was fearful. With Barbro out of the way, he was next in line for the throne and he had no intention of letting his fearsome and brilliant sister take control. However, he knew she was smarter than him and his father would never let him get rid of her. He would have to be very careful with how he let this play out.
"A QUEEN!? Preposterous. Unheard of. Never in the history of the Kingdom has a woman been in charge," Ritton sneered. "Why would they want a woman in charge anyway?"
"It appears that many of the policies Princess Renner has been attempting to put in place align with the NLP's beliefs," Raeven reported.
"I think Princess Renner would do an amazing job as this country's ruler," Climb offered which resulted in Ritton throwing a bottle of wine at him, forcing him to duck.
"No one asked you! Know your place you filthy commoner!" Ritton screeched.
"Was that really necessary?" Renner asked.
"Absolutely. We need a firm hand with these uncivilized peasants. The more they think they can get away with the more they will continue to rebel," Ritton said with an arrogant smirk. "Once we beat the lower class back down to their rightful place below us, everything should return to normal. They're called "lower class" for a reason you know. Besides, my men have already tracked down the NLP's leader to a warehouse in the Market District that was abandoned during the Demonic Disturbance. Soon this ridiculous civil uprising will be over."
"I don't want to know," the king sighed. "What of the Eternal Empire's invitation? What of the countries that haven't had an invitation come to them?"
"We have no idea why the Baharuth Empire wasn't invited," Raeven reported. "As for the Elf Kingdom, very few people are privy to the exact location of its capitol and even fewer won't be killed on sight upon arriving there. The Theocracy has made them very wary towards humans. I imagine Agrand Council State wasn't invited because their leadership is entirely made up of dragons who are not very social and probably wouldn't fit into this "Nazarick" anyway. The Holy Kingdom has always treasured its state of isolationism so I imagine they wouldn't come even if asked."
"So, are we all clear on who will be attending?" Zanac asked.
"Yes, prince," Ritton replied. "I, of course, will be attending in order to show that bastard vampire that although he has defeated us in battle, the nobles remain strong despite his efforts undermine our authority."
"I will attend as well," Raeven announced.
"My family and I shall seek to smooth over our past misunderstandings," the king said.
"And Blue Rose will act as security," Renner stated.
"Very well. The International Diet is in three days. I suggest we begin our journey to the Great Tomb of Nazarick tomorrow afternoon," Raeven declared.
Sebas was assisting his people in a warehouse he and several members of the National Liberation Party had refurbished into a temporary command center. Earlier that day, they had scuffed with another few political parties. The Royalists, who believed that the King should rule over all and remained loyal to the Kingdom, the Separatists, who wanted a portion of Re-Estize to become a new country, and the Prophets, who wanted to tear down the monarchy and install a puppet government for the Theocracy. Because of these groups clashing, several members of each group were injured or killed. By the end of the fight the Separatists had been completely dissolved while the others came away with scrapes and bruises. As a result, the majority of the warehouse was being used as a makeshift infirmary. Sebas had just finished patching up another activist when a bulky young man ran over to him.
"Sir Tian!" he called out.
"I've already told you Freddon, just Sebas is fine," Sebas said. "We're all family here, united by a single cause." Freddon had become Sebas' second-in-command over the past few days. He was a skilled Mythril ranked adventurer who had fought during the Demonic Disturbance. Many members of the Adventurers'' Guild had taken a "temporary leave of absence" in order to help fight for the cause they believed in.
"Family huh?" Freddon chuckled. "Well if we're all family, then that makes you the wise old grandpa everyone looks to for guidance."
"Please don't call me grandpa," Sebas said with a smile. "It makes me feel old. Now, what is the issue?"
"We found a noble snooping around outside. Wondered what we should do with him," Freddon reported, suddenly all business.
"Show me," Sebas ordered as he narrowed his eyes. Freddon whistled and two me dressed in haphazardly collected armor dragged Raeven in. "He's alright," Sebas said with a sigh of relief. "Marquis Raeven has been spying on the other nobles for us and providing monetary support for our movement." Upon hearing that this man was an ally, the rebels brought him back onto his feet and shook his hands. "What brings you here anyway?
"I have good news and bad news," Raeven reported as he brushed some of the dirt off his clothes. "The good news is that the royal family as well as several nobles such as myself will be attending a formal ball within the Eternal Empire being hosted by the Immortal Emperor himself." Several of the rebels started muttering amongst themselves.
"Even in the middle of a rebellion those bastards find a way to party."
"Are they ignoring us?"
"The Immortal Emperor?"
"Do you think he would help us?"
"Isn't he a vampire?"
"He's the guy who killed Barbro!"
"If he was being honest about what he believes, I'm sure he would help us."
"Since I will be there, I can ask for the Immortal Emperor's assistance in person and see what manner of support he can lend us," Raeven said.
"Having the backing of the Eternal Empire would be a hell of an advantage," Freddom stated.
"Indeed," Sebas nodded. "What is the bad news Raeven?"
"Count Ritton is aware that you are all using this warehouse and is sending several mercenary groups to flush you out," Raeven said grimly. "I suggest you send one of your men to inform the others."
"Agreed," Sebas nodded. "Freddon, tell our people at the other posts that it is time to evacuate this city. We'll regroup at E-Pespsel."
"You got it boss!" Freddon shouted as he ran out of the warehouse's side exit.
"Everyone else load onto the wagons. We're leaving immediately," Sebas declared as he picked up two shields from off the ground. On his command, the rebels left the warehouse, carrying those who were incapable of moving on their own, and began loading on to the wagons until several dozen archers appeared on nearby roof tops. The archers took aim and began unleashing a constant stream of arrows upon the rebels. It would've been a bloodbath if it wasn't for Sebas. As the first volley of arrows soared through the air towards a group of rebels, Sebas jumped in front of them and used the two shields he picked up to deflect every single arrow. Once there were no more arrows in the air, Sebas threw both shields as if they were boomerangs. They spun through the air and smacked the enemies on the roofs across their faces, knocking them unconscious before they soared back to him, allowing him to use them once again if more attackers found their way on to nearby rooftops. The wagons finally started to move out of the Market District and towards the city gates so Sebas jumped on top of one of the wagons in order to defend from more arrows. Another two groups of archers appeared on rooftops up ahead and unleashed volleys of arrows at the Nation Liberation Party members in two different wagons. Faster than anyone could see him, Sebas blocked all the arrows headed for the wagon he was standing on before jumping to another wagon and blocking the arrows headed for that one. The archers weren't abl to launch another volley because the wagons raced by them and out of range.
"We've reached the gate!" one of the drivers yelled. Sebas turned around to see the exit from Re-Estize, but two guards were attempting to close the gates to keep them in. Seeing this, Sebas threw his shields at the two guards striking them each in the head and stopping their attempt to box the rebels in. With no other obstacles in their way, the caravan of wagons burst out of the city and raced towards the horizon.
A platoon of soldiers from the Slane Theocracy marched through the Great Forest of Evasha. It was quiet and there were no elves in sight, but that was what unnerved them the most. It was usually in situations like this where they would be ambushed. Luckily, they had a secret weapon with them. The platoon commander grinned as he turned to the teenage girl at his side.
"It's an honor to have you with us, Lady Zesshi," he told the woman who had a cross-shaped scythe on her back.
"Yes, you've said that already. Eight times in fact," Zesshi snapped. She didn't want to be here. Sure, this was a step up from sitting around Humanika doing nothing, but these elves would hardly be a challenge. Still, the leader of the elves, the elf king Augustus Connard, was a helluva consolation prize. He was the bastard who raped her mother and was Zesshi's father, much to her dismay.
Oh, hurry up and attack us you idiots. I want to wrap my hands around that sunuva bitch's throat.
As if answering her prayers, forty elves started swinging down from the trees on ropes and began butchering the knights.
"Hostiles!" the platoon commander yelled. Zesshi grinned as she slid her scythe from its sheath. One elf tried to bring an axe down on her head, but Zesshi blocked it with the lower part of the scythe's handle before applying force to the upper part of the scythe allowing her to slide around him and cut him in half at the same time. When the other elves who weren't fighting the knights saw this, they ran to engage. Unfortunately for them, Zesshi wasn't called "No Death No Life" for nothing. Laughing like a madwoman, Zesshi rushed to meet them and began her brutal assault. She bashed in heads by using the handle as a blunt weapon, she stabbed and sliced with the scythe blades, she stomped on heads, and broke bones with her free hand. One of the few remaining elves tried to bring his sword down on her, but she caught his wrist and slowly began crushing it. The elf cried out as the audible sounds of bones cracking were heard until Zesshi ripped his arm off as if was nothing and left him to bleed out all over the grass. Zesshi laughed at the suffering elf manically while the knights finished off the last of the elves. The platoon commander was staring at her. He wasn't so sure he liked having her around anymore. She scared the hell out him. That's when he noticed her hair that always covered her ears had become untidy during the battle. His eyes widened as he saw her ears. They were elven, but not as long as the standard elf's ears, so that meant…..
"You're a filthy half-elf?" he spat. Zesshi immediately stopped laughing and gave the commander a cold glare. She glanced at the other knights who hadn't noticed this exchange and, after she fixed her hair so no one could see her ears, she cut off the commander's head when no one was looking. The force of the swipe not only removed his head from his neck, but sent both his body and his head flying deeper into the forest.
"Lady Zesshi," a knight called out. "Have you seen the commander?"
"No," she lied. "He's either been captured or killed. Let's move on. We need to establish a forward command center for the others to meet us at in preperations for the final assault on the elven capitol."
"Yes ma'am!"
A man that nobody recognized walked through the streets of Arwintar towards the Imperial Coliseum. He was, however, wearing impressive armor. He smirked at the people who raised their eyebrows at him. Of course they wouldn't recognize him. He had applied [Mortal's Mask] and, unlike the face he used whenever he acted under the guise of Momon, it was a relatively unnoticeable and easily forgettable. Lucifer and Ainzach had set up a bout between himself and the Martial Lord, Go Gin. This had been set up under the guise of marketing the new Adventurer's Guild, but this was just a front. The real reason was because one his Shadow Demon spies had reported that Jircniv was meeting with representatives from the Slane Theocracy in an attempt to forge a secret alliance against him. Lucifer chuckled.
Fool. He doesn't even realize that this is exactly what I wanted. With this single move, I will sow mistrust between the Theocracy and the Empire and claim the entirety of the Baharuth Empire as my own. Jircniv will no doubt panic when he learns that I do not want vassals. This should be a fun way to unwind before the diet. Now, how should I make my entrance?
Angela Pious and several holy knights from Roble stood in the center of a village. All the villagers were hiding in their homes and watched fearfully as the prepared for battle. Angela bitterly recalled the message from the Eternal Empire they had received. It had said: "We are aware that Jaldabaoth has attacked several of your villages. Based off the frequency and locations of the villages he has attacked, we have uncovered a pattern that has allowed us to figure out when and where he will strike next. Enclosed within this document are our predictions for the next five locations he will attack. I recommend you send your strongest warriors to intercept this demon before he can claim any more innocent lives. Please be aware that if you fail to kill him or subdue him, he is likely to realize that his pattern has been discovered and will switch tactics. If I was to predict what he would do, it would be a logical assumption that he will attempt to attack the Holy City of Roble. Should you be unable to handle this matter, feel free to contact me and the Eternal Empire will happily provide military support. Sincerely, the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul." Angela fumed as she thought back to the contents of that letter. The Holy Kingdom of Roble had always been proud of it independence and had opted for isolationist policies. They did not like accepting help from anyone, especially unholy creatures such as vampires, but in light of the severity of these attacks and the threat Jaldabaoth posed to their citizens it had been decided that they would use the information provided by the Eternal Empire and kill the demon before this problem got out of control.
That goddamn vampire. Who does he think he is? Pretending to care about the lives of these people. He's undead, he can't care. What's more offensive is that he thinks that we might not be able to beat this cowardly demon when he attacks. Does he know who I am? I am the Valkyrie Knight! I've killed thousands of demons and this one is no different! The most ridiculous thing that was in that message is that he thinks that this demon may actually attack Roble. There's no way that would ever happen. There's too much holy energy and people devoted to the gods for a demon to be able to take two steps in there. And to think he had the gall to offer military support. My sister may be better at handling the politics of these things but even I could understand the true intention behind that offer. He wants to send his undead abominations to destroy the Holy Kingdom, it's the only reason an undead creature like that would ever send military forces over here.
Her thoughts were interrupted when a circle of fire surrounded the village. It matched the style of the previous attacks. The Immortal Emperor had been correct: Jaldabaoth was here.
"He's here. Defend the villagers!" Angela commanded her subordinates as demons emerged from the flames giggling maniacally. Angela drew her Sacred Blade and cut three of the demons that were charging at her in half with a single strike. While her subordinates handled the demons coming from the North and East, she handled the demons coming from the South and West. After a few minutes of basic hack and slash, she found herself surrounded by demons and a group of six hellhounds were jumping over their fellow demons towards her in an attempt to rip her apart. "Guess I have to get serious," she smirked. "[Sixfold Slash of Light]!" she cried, activating her martial art. She made six simultaneous strikes against the hellhound, who died before they even realized what had happened, and turned her attention to the demons that had encircled her. They all simultaneously pounced towards her with weapons and claws drawn while another demon horde rushed towards her from the South.
At least they're not stupid enough to attack one at a time.
"[Whirlwind]!" she exclaimed, activating yet another martial art. She started spinning rapidly, so fast that a regular human eye could not keep up with her. When the demons that had pounced at her collided with the whirlwind they were shredded, but it didn't stop there. The whirlwind moved forward into the horde that had been approaching her resulting in all of them being shredded as well. The whirlwind ended and Angela flapped her wings, taking the sky where she began to rain down holy magic down upon the unholy. "{Holy Smite]! [Holy Nova]! [Banish]! [Arrow of Divinity]! [Purifying Flame]! [Div-]," she didn't get to finish that last spell as another person used a spell.
"[Evil Ray]," a sinister voice calmly proclaimed as a purple ray of light clipped through Angela's wings. She yelped as she lost altitude and collided with the ground. She moaned as she picked herself up and found herself face to face with a demon wearing a suit and a mask. She didn't even need to ask who this was. "You are quite the battle lover, are you not?" he asked mockingly polite. "You haven't even noticed that your friends over there are dead." Angela's eyes widened and turned to see the corpses of her comrades being feasted on by hellhounds. She turned back around and glared bloody murder at Jaldabaoth.
"Demon! I will avenge my friends by slaying you. Repent and embrace the gods!" she roared as she pointed her Sacred Blade at the evil creature. "[Sixfold Slash of Light]!" she roared as she made six simultaneous strikes with a grin. There was no way that this demon would be able to dodge that. He didn't. What he did was far more terrifying, He blocked each individual strike with his claws. If her strikes were as fast as light, then he was faster than light and that scared the hell out of her.
"Don't tell me that's all you can do little angel?" he sneered.
"[Positive Burst]!" Angela cried, releasing a wave of holy energy. Jaldabaoth simply stood there and let the attack hit. Such an attack was impressive to come from a native of this world, but not impressive to a being from Nazarick. Angela stared, eyes wide in pure terror at the fact that he remained completely unharmed. With a war cry, she swung her Sacred Blade at him, only to have it knocked out her hands by his claws. Jaldabaoth simply scoffed and didn't even consider her worthy of a real attack. So he grabbed her by the arms and threw her down into the dirt. Angela tried to pick herself back up, but the foot on her back would not allow her to move.
"This isn't how you thought this would end, is it? I do apologize if I disappointed you," Jaldabaoth mocked. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to let you go so you can flee back to your so-called "Holy City" and tell your sister, Queen Hope Pious, that Jaldabaoth is going to pay her beloved city a visit very soon. When I get there, I'm going to make you watch as I snuff your sister's life out and slaughter your people. I will make you watch the consequences of your failure and then I will let you go to either spend the rest of your days wallowing in misery or let you kill yourself. Not that it matters. Once my work in the Holy Kingdom is complete, all human life on this planet will be extinguished." Angela was panting now out pure panic. This demon couldn't actually do what he said could he? "Now, as preview of your painful future, I will make you the first angel who will face what is inevitable for all your kind." Angela couldn't see what he was doing, but he could feel his hands on her wings. It was only when he started pulling did she realize what he intended to do.
"NO!" she screamed but as she finished that word her scream of panic became a scream of pain as her wings were ripped off. She was crying because the pain was so intense and she couldn't see straight. Her vision was going dark and blurry.
"I think I'll make a nice cloak out of these feathers," were the last words she heard as she lost consciousness.
Jircniv had been escorted by Nimble and Baziwood to the Imperial Coliseum. He had left Leinas at the Imperial Palace because he suspected that she was planning to gather Intel for the Immortal Emperor in order to raise her value in his eyes before defecting to the Eternal Empire. Currently, they were sitting in Jircniv's private VIP room while the adamantite ranked team Silver Canary guarded the door. Jircniv was pacing as he waited for his "guests" to arrive while Baziwood and Nimble kept glancing between their emperor and the fight going on in the arena.
"Your majesty," a voice called from the other side of the door. "Your guests have arrived."
"Good, please let them in," Jircniv said with a sigh of relief as he finally took a seat. The High Priest of Fire and the High Priest of Wind entered the room followed by several hooded figures. They kept their hoods on even after the door was closed. Although impolite, it was understandable. Everyone here was on edge and cautious with the cause of their wariness being the Immortal Emperor. "I apologize if my guards inconvenienced you."
"It is not a problem. Our guards aren't exactly harmless anyway," the High Priest of Fire shrugged as he and his compatriots sat down. He didn't even look at Jircniv as he sat down and simply handed him a piece of paper. On it were questions like: "Why did you ask the Immortal Emperor to use that spell? What is the Empire's position on the matter? What do you know about the Eternal Empire? What do you know about Lucifer Dracul? How did you end up in contact with him? Are you on his side?" Jircniv frowned but understood why they didn't necessarily trust him as he started filling in his answers.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" a magically amplified voice called out. "Up next we have a match you've ALL been looking forward to! But first, let me call your attention to our very own Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix who has come to spectate this bout!" Jircniv put on a smile and waved to the masses who cheered in response. "Thank you very much! In a few minutes, we will have our grand Martial Lord's return to the arena to battle his latest challenger!"
"Who is the Martial Lord facing anyway?" the High Priest of Wind asked.
"Nobody knows actually," Jircniv replied. "It seems it was intentionally kept a secret. Even I don't know."
"Well anyone who can go toe to toe with a beast like that must surely be adamantite ranked," the High Priest of Fire commented. "Someone from Eight Ripples perhaps?"
"Maybe," Jircniv responded thoughtfully. "Either way anyone who can beat the Martial Lord may stand a chance against Lucifer Dracul. We should watch."
"Ladies and gentlemen the wait is over!" the announcer called out again. Everyone in Jircniv's VIP booth leaned closer to get a good view. "Our challenger's name may well be known to all of you! A great and powerful man has graced us with his presence today! I present to you, the Immortal Emperor of the Eternal Empire, LUCIFER DRACUL!"
"WHAT!?" Jircniv screamed. "IMPOSSIBLE!"
The leader of a country would never appear in a gladiatorial match in another country. That would be insane. I ordered my people to keep him under surveillance anyway! If really did come here then that news would've reached my ears immediately. If he managed to sneak in without alerting any of my spies then all my precautions have been for nothing! But why would he come here to the arena? Don't tell me….
Jircniv looked over at the High Priests who were glaring at him with a mixture of fury and fear. They thought that he had brought Lucifer down upon them intentionally.
"Wait! This is a trap!" Jircniv cried.
"A trap laid by the Eternal Empire, or by you, Jircniv?" the High Priest of Wind asked scathingly. "After all, this is the place you specified and we only learned about the location a few hours ago!" That was correct. Jircniv had been trying to minimize the risk of information leaking out.
"No! It's possible that the Intel was extracted by magical domination!" Jircniv proclaimed, desperately trying to salvage the situation. "If I set this trap, why am I panicking?"
"You expect us to believe that?" the High Priest of Fire bellowed. "Were you trying to draw us in, or perhaps sell us out?" They didn't trust him at all. Jircniv wouldn't trust him if he was in their situation.
The Immortal Emperor is more cunning than I ever dared to imagine. How many more of my actions has he predicted? How elaborate is his scheme? If I don't act quickly this situation will be beyond repair!"
"Please wait! Lucifer Dracul-" Jircniv began.
"Speak of the devil and he will appear," a terrifying voice called from the shadows behind them. Everyone turned around to face those shadows, slowly and fearfully. Jircniv knew that horrible voice. He had only ever heard it once and he would never forget it. Laced within that voice were the sounds of demonic hounds howling, evil laughter, and millions of souls crying out in agony. What they saw was a creature so dark it cast a shadow on darkness itself. Its skin was like looking into a window of the deepest darkest pit of hell. Glaring, soulless eyes that covered its body stared at them, there were mouths filled with sharp teeth all over, and grotesque faces that either seemed to be grinning psychotically or looked like they were suffering unimaginable pain were everywhere. Tendrils that moved about like they had lives of their own seemed to be slowly spreading from it, slowly consuming the room. As for his face, a massive, twisted, inhuman, fanged smile was on its face proudly displaying every fang and if Lucifer's soulless red eyes were like looking into an abyss then this was like seeing evil incarnate. The irises weren't red like with Lucifer's regular eyes, these eyes were completely crimson with tiny, pinpoint sized black pupils staring at them hungrily practically radiating pure evil and malice. Then the figure stepped out of the shadows revealing it was Lucifer Dracul looking as normal as ever, or as normal as he usually looked, apart from the silver armor and red cape he was wearing.
Holy hell, the looks on their faces! That was priceless.
"jircniv, you look like you're doing well," Lucifer said with a pleasant smile. The humans stared at him, pale and scared out of their wits.
"L-Lord Dracul. What a pleasant surprise," Jircniv managed to stutter out, still not able to banish the horrifying THING he just saw from his mind.
"What a coincidence," Lucifer chuckled as he glared at Jircniv wordlessly telling him that he wasn't buying any of this coincidence crap. By taking control of the discussions with the Slane Theocracy Lucifer would apply pressure to both factions and prevent them from forming an alliance.
He really is a twisted, evil genius. Where was the leak? How did Lucifer find out? Don't tell me that he was simply capable of predicting this!
"Friends of yours, Jircniv?" Lucifer asked as he dropped the false politeness and shot the emissaries from the Theocracy an evil grin. Jircniv was sweating now. It was a scheme so evil that it made him want to throw up.
He wants to know where my allegiances lie. Will I lie to this monster to protect them or sell them out as a friend of the Immortal Emperor?
"Are you alright, Jircniv? You look unwell," Lucifer stated with a raised eyebrow and a slight frown.
"I-I'm fine. I think I just stood up too quickly," Jircniv lied uncomfortably. The fact that Lucifer sounded genuinely concerned terrified him and made him feel like he was a tiny animal squirming in the hand of someone who was trying to help him. It was unnatural for Jircniv.
"I see," Lucifer responded, drawing out the "ee" sound. "Then would you gentlemen like to introduce yourselves? I am the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul. You are?" Jircniv grimaced as he imagined an evil grin widening across Lucifer's face.
"I apologize, but a dire emergency demands our attention," the High Priest of Wind stated while trying to keep his fear under control. "We must leave immediately but I'm sure his majesty can tell you later."
"Very well," Lucifer smirked. "The Martial Lord demands my attention, so if you'll excuse me." With that he jumped out of the VIP room's window and transformed into a swarm of bats that raced towards the arena floor.
"You sold us out!" the High Priest of Fire roared once he felt that Lucifer was out of earshot.
"I didn't!" Jircniv practically squeaked.
"You didn't?" the High Priest of Wind laughed scornfully. "No matter how you look at it, he knew everything about what was transpiring here! Everything he has done is clearly to mock a bunch of fools who are moving exactly as he predicted! How much did you tell him? How many people do you plan to sacrifice to save your own skin? You must've asked him to use that illogically powerful spell as well, didn't you?" Jircniv gulped. The Immortal Emperor had struck a magnificent blow against them when it was most effective. With a single stroke Lucifer had crippled the Empire and told them that they had no choice but to betray humanity.
"Please, I didn't tell him anything," Jircniv pleaded.
"Even if you are telling the truth you cannot deny that your operation has been compromised!" the High Priest of Wind rebuked. "I'm afraid we will not be meeting again."
"Wait! Please tell me what the temples think! What do you think of the Immortal Emperor?" Jircniv demanded.
"The Immortal Emperor is a wicked undead abomination and we will not suffer him to call himself an emperor," the High Priest of Fire growled. "However, we cannot defeat him in conventional battle, so we must find another way to destroy him."
"Betray us if you will Empeor Jircniv, you who have been seduced by evil power," the High Priest of Wind spat, practically excommunicating Jircniv from the churches for being in league with one of the universal enemies: the undead. The Empire was doomed. The churches would no longer provide healing, chaos would reign, and when the Eternal Empire decided to "send troops to keep order in an ally's nation" there would be no one to help with the dead and injured, just a bunch of undead creatures taking control.
"Please allow me to say one last thing," Jircniv sighed, deciding all he could do was be honest. "That man's cunning far surpasses my own and I fear that he didn't even need spies, he simply predicted that we would be here. I wouldn't believe me if I were in your position, but I truly did not sell you out. While this may be hard to believe, as a fellow human being, I wish to tell you that the Immortal Emperor has been surprisingly merciful to the people of E-Rantel."
"But we don't know how long that will last, do we?" the High Priest of Fire scoffed.
"No, but for the time being at least they are safe," Jircniv continued. "If we embark on a war that we cannot win I fear that we will all be annihilated. So, please, do not make any rash moves." The priests looked at each other before looking back at Jircniv with less hostility than before.
"Perhaps we were too emotional," the High Priest of Fire sighed. "If that monster is truly as cunning as you say, then all of this may very well have been part of his plans. I hope that we may meet again."
"Thank you," Jircniv said, letting out a sigh of relief. "Please, keep an eye on the fight. If you can discover a way to defeat him, please tell me." The priests nodded in response and left without a word.
"Good luck Martial Lord."
A swarm of bats raced towards the arena floor and merged together to become a man armed with a staff. Lucifer smirked as the arena went silent. They couldn't look away from his soulless red eyes or his magnificent armor. He had used [Perfect Warrior] before coming her and was now wearing Touch-Me's armor, except for the helmet. He had thoroughly interrogated Fluder about whatever magic items the Martial Lord may have and had prepared accordingly after rewarding Fluder with several spell tomes. He could sense the Martial Lord approaching through a mixture of instincts and a pungent odor that his improved senses, unfortunately, picked up on. When the armored behemoth finally emerged from his end of the stadium, the crowd erupted in cheering. The Martial Lord was clad in a suit of full plate armor and carried a massive club. He was like a fortress on legs. He was a War Troll, but unlike the ones he had encountered in the Great Forest of Tob this one had the aura of an honorable warrior instead of a crazed barbarian.
"I am the War Troll Go Gin. Most refer to me as the Martial Lord," Go Gin introduced himself.
"I am the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul and the father of all vampires," Lucifer returned the favor.
"I look forward to our battle," Go Gin said with a nod.
It seems he doesn't have a problem with long names like the other trolls I encountered. Judging by their differences in demeanor I'll consider him an exception to the rule.
"I like you Martial Lord. How about I keep you if I win?" Lucifer offered.
"And if I win?" Go Gin asked as he tilted his head.
"What do you want?"
"You," Go Gin growled. "I will feast on your corpse and become stronger by devouring a worthy opponent.
Ah. I can understand that. We vampires aren't too different from that, except we drink blood of powerful foes instead of eating them.
"Very well. How far apart should we start? Ten meters or so?" Lucifer suggested.
"There are no rules pertaining to distance and it doesn't matter. You'll be within my striking range soon enough anyway," Go Gin replied.
"This is handicap for you," Luicfer taunted. Go Gin simply nodded, not baited at all, as the two of them walked to their spots.
Smarter than he looks. At least he's not some overemotional idiot who'll throw a fit at the slightest insult.
The bell went off and a large shadow immediately swallowed Lucifer up.
Dammit he's fast!
Go Gin swung his club down on Lucifer, forcing him to roll to the side. When the dust settled, it revealed Go Gin had remained standing where Lucifer had been seconds ago with his club pointed at Lucifer, implying that any attacks he made would be intercepted. Lucifer accepted Go Gin's nonverbal challenge and charged. As he came into range, he swung his staff with tremendous force at the tip of the club, knocking Go Gin off balance. The force of the impact had temporarily numbed Go Gin's limb, so Lucifer closed in to attack while sending a mental command, [Billowing Flames] to his staff. The staff was covered in flames, drawing Go Gin's attention. Trolls had regenerative abilities, but these were negated by fire and acid attacks. However, the flames were diversion and Lucifer simply placed his empty left hand onto the Martial Lord. Go Gin shuddered like he had been electrocuted and wildly swung at Lucifer, who was sent flying. He had turned off High-Tier nullification for this fight in order to get more out of this fight in terms of XP. However, bludgeoning attacks didn't do much against vampires anyway. Only fire, silver, and holy attacks would be a real threat to him. Lucifer spun in the air and landed on his feet while the momentum from the strike made his feet leave skid marks in the arena floor. The crowd started cheering wildly.
I know you're all hoping that he'll kill me, but in vain. Idiotic humans think that strike actually hurt.
There was no follow up attack, which made those who were cheering shut up as they realized something was wrong. Go Gin was panting and moving sluggishly.
"Wh-what is this?" Go Gin gasped.
"I didn't break the rules, if that's what you are worried about," Lucifer chucked ominously as he slowly approached Go Gin once again. "My touch can simply infuse negative energy into an opponent's body to damage you, but a troll's regeneration can heal that. So instead, I thought it would be best to stick with physical ability damage, slowing and weakening you until you're as threatening as a caterpillar." The closer Lucifer got, the farther away Go Gin tried to move away. The audience was turning pale as they realized who had the advantage. Lucifer took a stiletto from out of nowhere, one of the stilettos Clementine had used, and shot towards the Martial Lord like an arrow. Go Gin swung his club wildly in an attempt to keep Lucifer away, but Lucifer ducked under the massive weapon and stabbed through Go Gin's armor and into his body.
"[Reinforce Hide]! [Greater Reinforce Hide]!" Go Gin shouted, activating his martial arts. It was as if something in his body was pushing the stiletto back out, but Lucifer had anticipated this. He activated the [Fireball] embedded within the stiletto, causing the fire to explode inside Go Gin's body. Go Gin howled in pain and lashed out, knocking Lucifer back about ten meters. When Lucifer looked back at the wounded troll, he saw his arm dangling limply at his side as he readied the arm that was holding his club. The crowd started wailing as they realized their beloved Martial Lord was losing.
"Lay down and accept defeat, mortal," Lucifer smirked.
"No! I am the Martial Lord! It is my honor to bear that title and in accordance with my reputation, I will struggle until I die!" Go Gin declared as he removed his helmet.
"Commendable but futile," Lucifer shrugged and walked towards him only to be met with a charge, faster than how he was moving earlier. Lucifer's eyes narrowed.
Sneaky bastard. He was faking an injury in order to attack me when my guard was down! Well played Martial Lord well played.
"[Strong Strike]! [Divine Skill Single Flash]!" Go Gin roared as he closed in. Lucifer felt pain this time as he was sent flying. "[Flow Acceleration]!" Before Lucifer could even hit the ground, he was attacked from above by Go Gin, sending him slamming into the ground leaving a large dent.
It just HAD to be divine!
Go Gin made a third follow-up attack from above but Lucifer rolled away with a grin on his face. Go Gin didn't waste a second and swung his club upwards out of the ground in an attempt to hit Lucifer from below, but Lucifer jumped back out of range. The crowd was cheering again. Smirking at what their reaction would be when he finished off their beloved Martial Lord, Lucifer dropped his staff, ran at Go Gin, jumped over a wild swing from his club, and grabbed the Martial Lord's face with both hands infusing him with negative energy once more. Go Gin yelled as he lifted his club in an attempt to get Lucifer off him, which he did, but Lucifer took a part of Go Gin with him. Those fangs aren't just for decoration after all. He clamped his jaws onto Go Gin's neck eliciting a roar of pain and when Go Gin landed a strike on Lucifer, sending him about twenty meters away, a portion of Go Gin's neck was removed by Lucifer's fangs. With a smirk, he swallowed the part of Go Gin's neck he had in his mouth, savoring the taste of blood.
"Am I weak?" Go Gin suddenly asked causing the audience to go silent.
"Excuse me?" Lucifer asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Your majesty, you haven't revealed even a fraction your true power up until now," Go Gin said solemnly. "Even without the mighty wings of your magic, this clearly isn't taxing you. Am I really that weak?"
"Yes. You are weak," Lucifer responded coldly. "During this battle, I forbade myself from using several abilities, magic items, and magic itself."
"Otherwise you would have ended this instantly?" Go Gin asked although he already knew the answer.
"Yes. If it makes you feel any better, you are very skilled considering that you are a mortal," Lucifer stated as he started walking back towards Go Gin.
"Still, I am glad. Knowing that there is someone stronger than me drives me to improve," Go Gin chuckled.
"I understand that to an extent," Lucifer commented as he thought about Touch-Me, whom he had never been able to beat in PVP.
"Your majesty, at the very end, please show me your true power. Even if it is just a fraction, I want to experience the pinnacle of might!" Go Gin declared.
"Very well," Lucifer responded as he reactivated his skills. He walked into range of Go Gin's club, who began frantically raining blows down upon Lucifer. Lucifer didn't feel them since he had reactivated his High-Tier Nullification. He took blow after blow but continued to slowly and calmly approach Go Gin. Finally, Go Gin stopped and gave a smile that said "I give up". Lucifer preformed a backhand slap across Go Gin's face which caused his head to turn around 360 degrees, snapping his neck. Lucifer looked back up at the audience who were still silent.
"Hear me, people of the Baharuth Empire!" Lucifer shouted with a magically amplified voice. "I am the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul! I intend to establish a program to train and raise adventurers within my country. This is because I consider it advantageous for my empire to cultivate and protect adventurers before sending them off to discover the blank spaces of the maps. Many adventurers must survive on their own resources, but what of those who are cut down before they reach their prime? Therefore, I intend to incorporate the Adventurer's Guild into my own nation! Those who fear that they will lose their freedom and be shackled down once it becomes a national organization, I cannot rule it out. However, I do not intend to use you as tools of war for, as I have just shown, my own strength is more than adequate. The Eternal Empire thirsts for those who truly seek adventure! If you wish to explore the unknown and understand the world we inhabit, come to me! I will give you the power to stand strong in the face of the unknown!" Lucifer paused in his speech to walk over to Go Gin's body. "The Martial Lord is dead. Death is the end of everything, yet as many of you probably know, death can be fought off," he said as he drew a wand of resurrection. He cast a spell on Go Gin, returning life to him and causing him to sit up suddenly and start coughing. "Ressurection magic is the province of high level priests, yet it is no challenge for me! I am the God of Life and Death, changing one's state of being from dead to alive is as easy as breathing for me! Come to me, you who seek to become true adventurers and I, who controls life and death, will support you!" With his speech finished, Lucifer used [Fly] and flew up to where Jircniv was. The two of them simply stared at each other for a minute before Jircniv broke the silence.
"That was incredible, Lord Dracul. I didn't expect you to be able to triumph over the Empire's strongest warrior so easily. How foolish of me." Jircniv praised, although he sounded like a man who had abandoned all hope.
"Thank you Jircniv, but we both know that's not why I am here," Lucifer said coldly. "You remember what I told you when we first met? I gave you the benefit of the doubt and you betrayed me. I gave you a chance and you blew it. I don't give second chances. Consider this an official declaration of war." Jircniv gave a wry smile.
"I understand. Then please consider this our official surrender," Jircniv sighed as Nimble and Baziwood stared at the two of them.
"You're not even going to try to fight?" Lucifer asked.
"All fighting you would do is get more people killed," Jircniv sighed.
"You do know I do not want any vassals, correct?" Lucifer smirked.
"Then the entirety of the Baharuth Empire will be officially dissolved and become part of the Eternal Empire," Jircniv replied. "We shall adhere to you laws and whims. All I ask is that the citizens be treated fairly."
"I accept your terms," Lucifer nodded. "I will give you the task of administering my will in this region. You are a skilled mortal and it would be wasteful of me to dispose of you, therefore I will give you the position of senator. My subordinates will arrive within the hour to dictate what is to be done, Senator Jircniv."
"As you command, your majesty," Jircniv bowed. Lucifer simply nodded in response before teleporting away.
"Your majesty!" Nimble cried out once Luicfer was gone.
"No, not "your majesty" anymore. I am but a humble senator in service to our Immortal Emperor," Jircniv said lifelessly.
"Why sir?" Baziwood asked, eyes wide.
"What else can we do?" Jircniv asked, laughing at himself. "We will get no help from the Theocracy and the temples hate us. The only way to keep our civilization from collapsing is to allow him to start building his own churches like he did in E-Rantel for us where we can receive healing. He is truly a twisted genius. First he lets his prey grow proud and arrogant then he cripples them at the moment it would hurt them the most. It was a scheme so perfect I don't know what to say. He is a master of breaking a man's will."
"I see," Baziwood grumbled. "He got us by the balls."
"And then he took away all our options when he said he would declare war on us," Jircniv sighed. "It would've been a war that we could not win, a war that we would get no allies to help us with, and a war that would've left millions of our people dead while his own remain practically unscathed. It was either surrender now and save our people or surrender later after the deaths of millions of innocents. You saw it in the war, Nimble. He is most powerful as magic caster. But as a warrior? Even the Martial Lord couldn't beat him. I didn't think there was such a thing as invincibility until today. He TRULY is an Immortal Emperor. He truly is a god. The God of Life and Death, you saw it yourselves. He is an opponent we cannot possibly defeat and cannot hope to fathom. At least that announcement to the adventurers will turn people against him."
"I don't know sir," Nimble interjected. "While having one's freedom restricted is unappealing, having the backing of the immensely powerful Immortal Emperor is extremely tempting. A lot of adventurers die before they can make a name for themselves, but with that man supporting them they could reach new height."
"Damn you Lucifer Dracul! Why must you intelligence surpass my own so greatly?" Jircniv yelled as he gripped his head before sighing. "Let's just get this over with. The Baharuth Empire is no more, and the Eternal Empire has grown even stronger. Our best bet is to make ourselves useful to him. My only hope is that our lives will not be destroyed and that things may actually improve. Keep an eye on the priests, they will no doubt be a problem. Who knows how the nobles will react." It had only been a month since Lucifer founded the Eternal Empire and already everything had changed.
And thus the Baharuth Empire was no more.
Would've uploaded earlier but I had company yesterday and I was fucking tired as hell.
HAIL AND KILL!