Chapter 22: ….Our Antichrist Is Finally Here
More than a month had passed. Word about the King's outburst and Barbro's execution had gotten around fast. There wasn't anybody who hadn't heard about it. Those who hadn't been there to see it were told by others about the events that took place. Every time someone told the story, it was embellished just a little more. By the time the story had reached everyone in the capitol, Lucifer Dracul, despite being a vampire, was a hero who stood up for what was right and never compromised his principles. Those who lived in the slums practically worshipped him at this point. The nobles tried to play it off as the ravings of a single madman, but they had wronged so many of the commoners so many times that their claims were met with jeers and curses. When the nobles went to the Royal Palace for a final meeting before the battle, some of the small time nobles were robbed and beaten in the streets. The people cursed the nobles and the members of the Royal Family. There were those who were normally patriotic that decided the Immortal Emperor was in the right and that their own country was the villain in this circumstance. People were rioting and tearing the city apart even though they hadn't even recovered from the Demonic Disturbance. The only aristocrats the people didn't hate were Princess Renner and Margrave Urovona. Somewhere far away, Lucifer Dracul was probably laughing at them. Gazef didn't know what to think about Lucifer being a vampire and he didn't know how he could be loyal to the king he was once proud to serve who has now thought of nothing but revenge since the incident occured.
The King himself had changed drastically. The kindly old man who wanted nothing more than to leave a decent Kingdom for his heir was gone and replaced by a vengeful father. His kind smile was nowhere to be seen and now he usually had a scowl and a glare as the man who haunted his dreams continued to dog him even when he was awake. But of course he would, he was what more than half of his meetings were about now. He hated Lucifer Dracul and he hated all of the commoners who sided with him. He was a vampire for crying out loud! How could they choose an unholy bloodsucking creature like that over their own king? It was treason! This wasn't about the Kingdom or the war anymore, it was about revenge.
"Report, Marquis Raeven," the king demanded. The nobles had become much less rowdy around this king who, despite his old age, looked like he was ready to order a genocide if it meant that Lucifer would die. Even Count Ritton kept the snide remarks to a minimum.
"Your majesty," Raven began. "As you have ordered, we have increased the levy and our forces are making their way to E-Rantel and from there to Katze Plains. It is almost time for our war."
"Good," the king grunted as his eyes twinkled at the thought of Lucifer's head on a pike. He had ordered that conscription become mandatory for all men over the age of twenty. In the past, he had given peasants a chance to refuse but now he was so captivated by the thought of revenge it had become his obsession.
"We are all familiar with the cursed Katze Plains," Bowlrob spoke up. "We all know what is going to happen."
"Since it's the same place as always, won't they just do the same thing as usual?" Ritton asked. Most of the nobles still felt that Lucifer Dracul was just a puffed up commoner and that the Empire was using him as a casus belli for them to declare war. It was easier for them to think this way, rather, it was more like they didn't want to admit that they had a crisis on their hands. The king's personal vendetta just made things easier for them because most of the noble faction had supported Bowlrob and they wanted revenge on Lucifer for taking all the years they spent investing in the prince and making them a worthless waste of time.
"I'm afraid that may not be the case. The Empire has fielded six full legions to Katze Plains to assist the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul," Raeven interjected. Everyone in the room froze. Up until this point, the most the Empire had ever committed to the field was four legions. But never six.
"Are they serious this time?" Volumlash asked. The nobles looked fearfully at each other. The delusion they had built up about Lucifer Dracul being nothing more than a commoner who needed to be put in his place was starting to crumble.
"Hmph," Bowlrob grunted. "It seems they have mobilized more troops under the pretense of helping that magic caster. They'll claim that they would lose face if they didn't put on a good show in aiding their ally." And just like that, the delusion was saved.
"Indeed, but we still don't know how Lucifer Dracul is involved," Volumlash said. "I would think that the Empire had tricked him into partaking in this war if it wasn't for his execution of the prince. Clearly, he has some sort of stake in this but we don't know what he wants or why he's doing this."
"He's just one mere sorcerer," Ritton sneered. "The fact that he was able to escape after killing the prince is, quite frankly, an embarrassment that needs to be rectified. Once he's dead, all those filthy commoners he riled up will slink back into whatever barbaric hovels they crawled out of. This whole thing has been one bad joke and that declaration from the Slane Theocracy is just the icing on the cake." Several of the nobles chuckled as they thought of the Theocracy's absurd proclamation, although a few who had understood what it really meant cringed. Usually, the Theocracy would send a proclamation that said something along the lines of: "E-Rantel and its surrounding territory originally belonged to the Slane Theocracy. The Kingdom has unlawfully taken control of this region and are obliged to return it." However, this time they had said something different in their proclamation: "The Theocracy has no records of his reign, but if the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul has indeed ruled E-Rantel and its surrounding region in the past, the Theocracy will acknowledge the fact and his sovereignty." To most of the nobles this was nothing more than a bad joke, but Urovona and some of the others had understood its true meaning and became afraid. The Slane Theocracy, the most powerful nation in the region, was not willing to make an enemy of a single magic caster.
"Do not be naïve," Gazef said. "He decimated the Sunlight Scripture and the Theocracy is afraid of making an enemy of him so they have simply rolled over for him."
"So what?" Ritton laughed in Gazef's face mockingly. "We have 300,000 people!"
"Count Ritton is right!" Bowlrob declared. "No matter how powerful he is, a single magic caster cannot change the course of a battle! As nobles of the Kingdom, you should be ashamed of yourselves! Cowering at the sight of his shadow!"
"Shall we draft those adventurers?" Volumlash asked.
"No. if we did that then the Empire would do the same. It would become a systematic slaughter of the rank and file," Urovona interjected. "The losses would be greater and the Adventurer's Guild would never allow that to happen anyway." Many of the nobles started growling as they thought about how they couldn't push the adventurers around and started cursing them.
"Damn commoners!"
"No respect for their betters."
"They're nothing more than peasants!"
"Meh."
"Who do they think pays them?"
"If they're citizens of the Kingdom, they should do as they're told!"
"Perhaps the adamantite ranked adventurer Nabe of Darkness could give us some insight on this Immortal Emperor as a fellow magic caster," Ritton spoke up. A few nobles murmured in agreement.
"Very well then," the king said with a nod. "Raeven, will you be able to speak with her?"
"Of course," Raeven said as he bowed his head.
"Then the next time I see you all will be on Katze Plains," the king said as he stood up and left the room, closely followed by the nobles. Raeven sighed as he prepared to go home and wait for the so called "bandit raid" organized by his true master that would keep him from attending the battle.
Katze Plains. A barren, crimson wasteland that was almost always covered in fog. A bloody land of death devoid of all life and home to undead creatures. However, there was no mist now and the undead had dispersed with it. It was as if the land itself was welcoming the combatants of the Empire and the Kingdom as future undead. On opposite sides of the rugged terrain were two fortresses, one for the Empire and one for the Kingdom. As the Imperial Knights were marching about and making preparations, a man in full plate armor that was different from the rest of the soldiers of Baharuth rode up on horseback and unmounted. A few of the knights stopped what they were doing and stared at him wondering who he was. When he took off his helmet revealing his handsome features, they immediately recognized who he was. Nimble Arc Dale Anoch, one of the Four Knights. He was the picture of what everyone believed a knight should look like. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a calming demeanor. He usually would have a pleasant smile on his face but not today. Today he had to meet that monster Baziwood and Leinas told him about, the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul.
"I seek your commanding officer, General Kabein of the Second Legion," Nimbe informed a nearby knight. "Do you know where I may find him?"
"Yes sir!" an imperial knight replied. "General Kabein is at his praetorium planning our offensive against the Kingdom. I can take you to him if you like."
"Very good," Nimble said with a nod. "Also, has the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul been sighted here?"
"No sir! The Immortal Emperor has not been sighted here!"
"Good, good," Nimble said with a sigh of relief. "Please take me to General Kabein, I must discuss the upcoming battle with him." After a minute or two of walking, Nimble found himself brought before a luxurious tent. Inside was a middle-aged man whose hair was pure white and had a kindly air about him who was hunched over a map accompanied by two guards. Although he was armored just like the other knights, he gave off a completely different vibe, similar to that of a noble but without the idiocy or arrogance. This was Natel Inyem Dale Kabein, leader of the Second Legion and a brilliant strategist. With him commanding the battle, the Second Legion had high morale and held great respect for him. In this situation, not only was Kabein responsible for the Second Legion, but the entire Imperial Army.
"Welcome Nimble," he greeted in a soft tone that didn't seem to suit a man of his position.
"Thank you for seeing me General Kabein," Nimble said as he approached.
"Think nothing of it," Kabein said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Although you picked a good time to come. It seems that the mist that usually covers this barren wasteland had dispersed as though it were welcoming you."
"I think the welcome isn't for me, but for the tragedy that is about to unfold," Nimble replied grimly. "I shudder to think of what may happen and I just can't shake the feeling that all of this was planned somehow."
"I know what you mean," Kabein sighed. "The death of the Kingdom's prince, the political situation with the nobles, and now this magic caster. It's like someone has been controlling both sides of the chess board. Forgive me but, can you explain to me what this war is meant to accomplish? Until now, it has been to exhaust the Kingdom's resources. Now it is to comprehensively defeat the Kingdom in battle and claim E-Rantel." Kabein stood up away from the map he had been hunched over up until now and crossed his arms. "We face the largest army the Kingdom has ever mustered in recorded history. I know our knights are more than a match for the average conscript fielded by the Kingdom, but they are fielded in staggering amounts and there are sure to be heavy casualties. All of this for the purpose of claiming E-Rantel and handing it over to the Immortal Emperor free of charge? Why?"
"Before I answer that, can we please make this a private conversation?" Nimble requested as he glanced at the two guards accompanying Kabein.
"Gentlemen, you are excused," Kabein stated with a frown, soliciting salutes from his men before they marched out. "Now can you tell me why I'm about to send my men out to die in this godforsaken wasteland?" Nimble sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before speaking.
"The objective of this war is to build a good relations with the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul," Nimble informed Kabein. "As such we are to obtain E-Rantel at any cost and relinquish control of the city immediately to Lucifer Dracul in order to strengthen ties with both sides."
"So my men will earn the Immortal Emperor's allegiance through the spilling of blood?" Kabein asked with a frown. "Is he really worth all that?"
"Yes."
"Very well," Kabein sighed. "If it is his majesty's desire then I shall carry out my orders."
"Thank you, General."
"There is no need for gratitude, although my approval of the Immortal Emperor is another matter."
"About that, I have a request on behalf of his majesty," Nimble spoke up since this was his main reason for coming here. "At the start of the battle, the Immortal Emperor is going to cast a spell in order to create an opening for your men."
"Aren't we supposed to buy his sympathy with our blood?" Kabein asked.
"Yes," Nimble replied with a nod. "However, we also intend to investigate just how powerful the Immortal Emperor really is. As such, we have asked him to use the most powerful spell he is capable of using. Emperor Jircniv wishes to see what manner of magic that may be."
"So Dracul is an enemy?" Kabein asked with furrowed eyebrows.
"It seems you understand," Nimble responded. "Lucifer Dracul is without a doubt an enemy of the Baharuth Empire and what's more disturbing is that he is far more powerful than Fluder Paradyne." Kabein's eyes widened when he heard that.
"That is quite shocking to hear. I can see why his majesty wants to build good relations with him," Kabein said just as a knight barged in.
"Sirs!" he exclaimed with a salute. "A carriage flying the colors of the Immortal Emperor has arrived! Shall we grant them entry?"
"Let them in," Kabein replied. "Come Nimble, let us meet this Immortal Emperor." Nimble gulped as he followed Kabein out of the tent and towards where the Imperial Knights were gathered. They could see a carriage approaching swiftly.
"Present your arms to our guest!" Nimble ordered. The knights looked confused. Things like this were usually set in more formal surroundings, not a military base. The only person it would ever make sense to do this for would be their own monarch. A foreign leader? Unheard of.
"You heard the man didn't you? Present arms when the Immortal Emperor approaches," Kabein ordered. The soldiers quieted down a bit. If it was an order all they had to do was follow it. The carriage finally stopped in front of them causing everyone to gasp. It made the Emperor's royal carriage look like a hay wagon. It was a black that was so dark it seemed to be cut from the night sky. Combined with the golden embroidery, it made them think of a giant treasure box. The other reason they gasped was because the beast that was pulling the carriage was monstrous. It was reptilian in nature with rippling bands of muscle prominent under its scales. It was constantly growling, giving all an unpleasant view of its sharp, jagged teeth. The flag on the carriage was blood red and had a fanged black skull with bat wings on the sides of its head emblazoned upon it. Finally, the carriage door opened and a beautiful woman with blue hair stepped out.
"Lord Dracul," she called back into the carriage. "We've arrived."
"Thank you Avenir," came a soft, cold, commanding tone. From out of the carriage, another woman with silver hair emerged followed by death given human form. He was dressed in black, had a high collar red cloak, a cold smile, and soulless red eyes that looked at them all as if they were insects. In his hand was a strange but magnificent staff that had an aura of death swirling around it. The air turned somber as the Imperials gazed upon the vampire, the Immortal Emperor.
"Company!" Kabein roared. Gone was the soft voice he usually spoke in and now it was a crisp bark that suited a general like himself. "Present arms to the Immortal Emperor!"
"Sir!" the knights shouted as they raised their swords to the sky and bowed.
"Thank you for your welcome, Imperial Knights," Lucifer said uncaringly. Every human present shivered. To them, it felt like something monstrous was trying to pretend to be human. The feeling only got worse every time someone dared to look at those red eyes that seemed to look through their skin and right into their very soul.
"Please raise your heads," Kabein commanded. No one moved. "Can you not raise your heads?" This time, everyone rose. After all, waiting for a third time was an honor only granted to one's own monarch. "My apologies your Excellency. My men were so overwhelmed by your presence that they forgot themselves."
"Do not be concerned," Lucifer said as he just walked past them with a smirk, causing dread to well up inside the knights. He walked to a clearing where there was absolutely nothing, with all of the Imperials turning their heads to watch him. "[Gate]," he said as he raised his hand. A swirling black mass emerged from out nothing and then from out of the darkness came monsters. Death Knights, Skull Knights, Dark Paladins, Vampire Knights, Death Warriors and Soul Eaters emerged from the blackness. The Immortal Emperor's army had arrived. "Now then, when can we get started?"
The captain of the Holocaust Scripture, Oskar Atrenn, stiffened when he saw Lucifer emerge from the carriage. He and five of his fellow Holocaust Scripture members had been watching from a ridge about a mile away. He and his men stared at the scene for a few moments before he finally spoke up.
"This may be our only chance to rid the world of this infidel," he said in a drawling voice as he looked back at his fellow assassins. "Although he is formidable, there is nothing he can do against a knife in the back."
"S-s-sir!" one of his men cried out. "Look!" Atrenn looked back to see the army that had been summoned. Some of them he had no idea what they were but the others he recognized from legends.
Death Knights? Soul Eaters? By the gods that's impossible. It must be some form of illusion!
"It is an illusion," he snapped. "And it has nothing to do with our mission. Prepare to infiltrate the Imperial camp and kill that monster!"
Gazef was highly disturbed. Apparently, there was an ongoing bandit raid on Marquis Raeven's Estate that forced him to be unable to attend the battle. This meant that overall command fell to Marquis Bowlrob who had been filled to the point of bursting with pride, arrogance, and military bravado all day. He was parading around in front of the three columns of the Kingdom's forces telling them not to fear Lucifer. The central column of the Kingdom's forces was made up of 150,000 soldiers while the columns on the right and left of it each had 75,000 soldiers. Currently, Gazef was where he should be: with his king. His very angry, vengeful, borderline psychotic king. With him was an increasingly uncomfortable Climb, who had chosen to keep his armor white so that anything he accomplished on the battlefield would be Renner's accomplishments as well, and Brain who was just here to keep Climb from doing anything stupid. Additionally, there were several nobles gathered around, mostly the ones Gazef hated like Volumlash and Ritton. Bowlrob was up at the front making sure he was seen as the leader of this army. Approximately twenty minutes ago, the Imperial and Royal emissaries had met and made ridiculous demands of each other just to show that each side was willing to avoid war until the very end. It was only symbolic.
"What's taking those bastards so long?" Brain muttered. "Don't they usually attack by now?" Gazef made a humming noise as he nodded. Every other time a battle had taken place on Katze Plains, the Empire would parade in front of the Kingdom's troops, they would exchange a few blows, and then everyone would go home.
"Where is he? Where is Lucifer?" Rampossa kept asking as he stared at the Imperial forces with a thirst for the blood of his son's killer.
"Look!" Climb shouted as he pointed toward the center of the Imperial column. They had parted and split the column in half. What were they doing? Were they going to try attacking from two sides? Then they saw it, a monstrous regiment full of undead creatures. Gazef recognized the Death Knights, who were mounted on Soul Eaters, from the battle at Carne Village. Above their heads flew a flag that had a black fanged skull with bat wings depicted on it.
"What are those ghastly things?" Ritton asked snidely.
"The Empire is using monsters?" Volumlash asked with a fearful expression on his face. "That is rather surprising."
"No, those are the armies of Lucifer Dracul," Gazef said grimly.
"I don't know what most of those monsters are," Brain said grimly. "But I know what they are riding. Those are Soul Eaters."
"What are Soul Eaters, Brain?" Climb asked as he shook with fear.
"They're monsters that, according to the reports, they once appeared in the Beastmen Kingdoms," Brain said as he slowly turned pale.
"How many casualties were there?" Gazef asked as Volumlash and Ritton listened in, although they wouldn't admit to listening to commoners.
"100,000," Brain grimaced. "A mere three Soul Eaters devastated the city and it became known as the Silent City of legend."
"And they're out there? In those numbers?" Climb asked weakly.
"Impossible," Volumlash breathed. Rampossa didn't seem to care and kept grumbling about Lucifer Dracul and how he needs to die.
"HOW CAN THEY SERVE THAT FILTHY COMMMONER!? No, it can't be. Please no. I'm too rich to die in a cesspit like this!" Ritton panicked as he started breathing heavily. As they continued to stare at the army of the Immortal Emperor, two beautiful women walked forward. One, Brain recognized from the Demonic Disturbance: his apparent relative Avenir Unglaus. The other was…
"THAT'S SHALLTEAR FUCKING BLOODFALLEN!" Brain screamed. Climb and Gazef's eyes widened as they remembered all that Brain had told them about her. If she was a vampire of immeasurable power who served Lucifer who was also a vampire, then that would mean…..
"What have we gotten ourselves into?" Volumlash gulped. He turned back to look at Ritton, but he was gone. He had already jumped on his horse and fled like a coward.
"Attention humans!" Shalltear's voice echoed across the wasteland. "You have unlawfully taken control of my father's land!" Brain gulped when he heard the word "father". "Should your king bow and hand over our territory, you may yet be forgiven. Now kneel! All hail the father of all vampires! The God of Life and Death! The Antichrist! The Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul!" As she finished her little speech, a familiar man with red eyes and a cold smirk swaggered over to the front of the formation from in between the ranks of monsters. King Rampossa's eyes went mad with fury as he saw the man he hated more than he ever thought it was possible to hate someone. Lucifer Dracul.
"NO RETREAT! KILL HIM!" Rampossa yelled at the Kingdom's troops who stared back at him dumbfounded. "HE MUST PAY FOR WHAT HE'S DONE! KILL HIM NOW! WE DO NOT LEAVE THIS BATTLEFEILD UNTIL THAT MURDERING SONUVA BITCH IS DEAD!" The conscripts looked at one another. In their eyes, Barbro got what was coming to him and Lucifer was a hero. However, they knew that they would be charged with treason and killed if they disobeyed a royal decree so they readied their weapons. Lucifer simply spread his arms and began a Super-Tier Spell. The last glimpse of the setting sun shone red light from behind him, making his shadow cast onto the plains look similar to the shadow of an upside-down cross. Magic circles appeared around him, lighting up the plains.
If there were any players among them they would've attacked by now. I know they won't bow so let's get this over with. The most of these I ever summoned back in Yggdrasil was two. But combined with the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown and the rules of this new world, what will the results that this spell produces be? It's playtime.
This was the day the last remnants of his humanity truly died, and Lucifer Dracul was all that was left.
"[la Shub-Niggurath]!" he exclaimed with an evil grin. The Super-Tier spell activated and a black wind blew toward the Kingdom's left column. Out of the 300,000 soldiers the Kingdom had gathered, 75,000 were in the left column. And now they were all dead.
Every. Last. One.
The Holocaust Scripture stared with their jaws agape. They had been moving close, with twenty meters of the target now, when they saw that. All hope had left them.
"By the Six it shouldn't be possible," one of Atrenn's men said.
"The power of the gods," another muttered.
"We're going to die," yet another said, practically sobbing.
"Men," Atrenn looked at his fellow assassins, with whom he had never failed a mission, with tear filled eyes. "Let's just go home. The mission is aborted."
The Imperials were shaking in their boots. They knew he was supposed to be powerful, but they couldn't imagine that this would've ever happened. 75,000 souls extinguished like they were nothing. The knights had the horrible realization that Lucifer Dracul was a being who could take the empires forged by man and obliterate them the way a child kicks down a sandcastle. What made it even worse was that this man was building his country right next to their own and he may one day set his sights on the Baharuth Empire where there friends and families lived. They felt sick. Nimble, stared at the scene in horror when a thought popped into his mind. What kind of face was the vampire making? Slowly, he looked up at Lucifer's face in curiosity. To his shock, Lucifer's face hadn't changed a bit. Same cold smile, same soulless red eyes. He wasn't happy nor was he sad, he just didn't care.
How? How can this be possible? How can someone like him just not care? HOW CAN HE BE SO CALM? He just killed 75,000 people! I know that a battlefield is a place of death and the weak losing their lives is inevitable. But still, shouldn't he at least feel SOMETHING in his heart after killing so many? DOES HE EVEN HAVE A HEART IN THERE!? Is this indifference some kind of defense mechanism? No, it must be that he's done horrible things like this before! Whether it's pity humans feel when they step on an ant or some kind of sadistic joy, none of these emotions are present! Why is this happening? What did we do to deserve his existence? WHY DOES SOMEONE LIKE HIM EXIST IN THE WORLD!?
"How long are you going to keep staring at me human?" a cold voice interrupted his thoughts. Nimble let out an unmanly squeal and jumped.
"I'm sorry," Nimble choked out. "I was just so captivated by that spell."
"Yes. Unfortunate but necessary," Lucifer said, not even attempting to mask the fact that his remorse was completely false as he let out a small chuckle. "However, the spell is yet to be completed."
"Huh?"
"Now comes the fun part," Lucifer snickered in his true voice, which made Nimble think that it was evil given a voice.
The king had lost his voice when he saw the carnage. Gazef could understand why. So much death, he didn't want to believe it. Volumlash had gone comatose, simply staring at the carnage and drooling. His mind had ceased to function.
"W-w-we must- we must k-kill-," the king stuttered out as he began to sob. "I'm never going to be able to avenge my son. Not against that." He was crying openly now, with no sense of hope. He fully understood now that there was nothing he could do against Lucifer Dracul.
"We need to retreat right this goddamn minute!" Gazef bellowed. But no one reacted. They were all staring at the sky. Gazef, wondering what they were looking at, looked up too. It was bizarre. There was a giant black sphere floating in the air, its very presence seemed to pollute the world. It was growing larger and larger, until eventually it fell to the earth. It burst like a water balloon and some sort of sticky fluid that was like liquefied darkness swallowed up the dead soldiers. After another few moments, a vast black tree grew out of the corrupted ground, but instead of branches there were tentacles. The adorable sound of several bleating goats rang out. As if drawn by the sound, the ground buckled and writhed as it gave birth to something horrible and unnatural. Ten meters in height, although if one added the tentacles on its back the number became unclear, and its body was shaped like a turnip. It had numerous black tentacles, five legs tipped with black hooves, and its body was made out of a massive thick slab of meat. Multiple fissures appeared on its body creating mouths as the sounds of goats bleating erupted from those mouths. These creatures were the Dark Young of the Black Goat. And there were eight of them. As the last red rays of sunlight disappeared and the plains became enveloped in darkness, Lucifer started laughing like an absolute madman (anyone ever watch Hellsing Ultimate? It's that laugh Alucard makes after he kills Rip van Winkle).
"Marvelous!" he exclaimed. "Throughout all of history I may be the only one to ever summon eight Dark Young at once! My thanks to all those who have perished here today!"
"Congratulations father!" Shalltear cheered as she jumped up and down clapping. Avenir, like the rest of those gathered on the plains, had an expression of fear on her face. Nimble looked like he was going to vomit. The sound of armor clattering arose from the Imperials. They had already been scared out of their wits, but when they heard that evil laughter, they wanted to just curl up and cry. They all had the same wish, the same prayer. They prayed that the wrath of Lucifer Dracul would never fall upon them. Lucifer was ecstatic to have the chance to simultaneously command eight Dark Young, which was something he could not do in Yggdrasil.
"Slaughter them," he ordered coldly. On his command, the Dark Young began a quick but ridiculous looking five-legged gait. It was like a frantic tangle of movement and energy, and from a certain point of view it could be considered comical. That is, as long as they weren't headed straight for you.
[Ah yes, I almost forgot. There are a few people we need to let walk away from this battle alive…]
"This isn't real, is it?"
"I ain't going out like a bitch!"
"I don't wanna…"
"We're all going to die!"
"I want to wake up now."
"Meh."
"This is a fucking nightmare."
"Get your spears up!" a half mad nobleman started to scream shrilly as he foamed at the mouth. "Spears up! Get your fucking spears up! GET YOUR SPEARS UP IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!" The Kingdom's soldiers raised their spears and planted the spears' butts into the ground so that the enemy's speed would only hurt them. But then again, did they really think that would work against these monsters? The Dark Young broke through the hedge of spears with ease. It was like a truck smashing into a swarm of rats. They raised their hooves and brought them down on the pitiful humans, trampling them underfoot and flattening them. As soon as the soldiers realized that there was nothing they could do against these creatures, they threw their spears to the ground and fled as fast as they could. They couldn't outrun those hooves thought. If it was any consolation, there was no pain. They were dead before they can even feel the pain. The plains were filled with the sounds of bones cracking, bodies splattering, screaming, flying meat chunks, and humans being trampled to a pulp.
"Lucifer Dracul," Volumlash whispered as a Dark Young came for him. "What are you?" Those were the last words he ever spoke as a Dark Young flattened him like he was nothing. Rich or poor, old or young, it didn't matter. The Dark Young gave everyone the same treatment: Death.
"Run!"
"NONONONONO!"
"Dammit! I was two days from retirement!"
"I don't want to die!"
"Fuck you, gods!"
"I don't deserve this!"
"Meh."
"I'm too rich to die here!"
"Not like this!"
"Just kill me already, pussy!"
The Imperials were outright crying as they watched the horrible massacre taking place before their very eyes. They weren't afraid, they were beyond afraid. They felt like the life had been sapped from them and all that was good in the world was dead. They could practically feel the coldness of Lucifer's nonexistent heart in the air, chilling them to the bone. So wretched was this bloodbath they prayed that at least some of their enemies, the Kingdom's soldiers, would survive. This could not be dismissed as a simple matter of "us vs them". Sure, from point of view of the Empire and the Kingdom this was happening to "them" but from the point of view of monsters and humans this was happening to "us".
"You seem displeased," Lucifer said calmly as he turned towards the Imperials. "Were you expecting more? After all, you did ask me to do this." As he said those last words, his face twisted into an evil grin that proudly displayed his fangs. Lucifer was enjoying how he could make the Imperial Soldiers feel guilty when the Empire really did, after all, ask him to use a devastating spell against the Kingdom. Everyone would fear Lucifer for having such power but they would hate Jircniv for requesting that such a power be used and Rampossa would be accused of sending his people to die in droves in some mad quest for revenge. "Cheer if you think that this was enough, Otherwise I will have to use more spells to achieve the desired effect." The knights stiffened as they realized what he was saying. They didn't want to applaud a monster who brought such cruel butchery with him. This wasn't war, it was a massacre, the beginning of what they felt was the systematic annihilation of all that was good in the world. They immediately started clapping and cheering, not just because they didn't want him to cause any more bloodshed, but because three of the Dark Young were headed this way. The closer they got, the louder the knights cheered and applauded. But the Dark Young didn't slow down. Finally, the knights snapped and started screaming and running. Those who were too slow were pushed out of the way, those who fell were trampled by their fellow knights, anything to get further away from the monsters and Lucifer Dracul. It was a disgraceful retreat. The Imperial Army's casualties were not caused by enemies, but by themselves. Of course, not everyone had fled. Nimble, Kabein, and a few hundred knights remained. The Dark Young stopped abruptly before their master and bent their front legs, bowing to him in submission. As he petted the gore caked creature, Lucifer turned his head back to Nimble. "Are your men not going to make their assault?" Nimble's heart stopped. The Empire had broken the terms of the agreement they had made with the Immortal Emperor, the terms they themselves had made.
"I-I don't-" Nimble stuttered out.
"Do not fear," Lucifer said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "If you did indeed launch an assault while these little lambs were running amok, there would be a chance of your men getting trampled along with the enemy. Because of that, I will take things from here." Nimble looked over the undead army, which hadn't moved an inch.
"Will your forces be making an assault then?" Nimble managed to ask coherently.
"No, no, no," Lucifer chuckled. "These little lambs have taken care of that for the most part. It's all clean up from here. Shalltear, Avenir, mount a Dark Young and follow me. There is still work to be done!" he commanded as he floated onto the back of a Dark Young. Shalltear immediately hopped on closely followed by Avenir, who was reluctant to touch the monster.
"It's not enough? Does he want to exterminate everyone on the battlefield?" Nimble asked himself. "Is he a demon?" Lucifer laughed, making a trembling Nimble realize he was speaking out loud.
"Do not be ridiculous. I am undead," Lucifer stated coldly. Nimble started to sweat as he thought about the implications that statement had. He wasn't a demon who exalted the idea of evil, but rather he was simply undead and he hated the living. This meant it was most likely only a matter of time until his sights were set on the Empire. He looked up to see if Lucifer had anything else to say only to find him and his two companions had taken off on the backs of the Dark Young.
Back at the base camp of the King Rampossa, the remaining nobles had gathered along with a few others. Marquis Bowlrob was nowhere to be seen and King Rampossa was sobbing. Gazef, Brain, Climb, Gazef's vice-captain of the warrior band, and two or three additional soldiers were all that was left of the armed force in this area.
"Leave me behind!" the king shouted. "This is all my fault!"
"Your majesty, please calm yourself!" Climb exclaimed.
"There's nothing we can do here anyway!" Gazef roared. "The best we can hope for is to retreat to safety and prepare a counterattack! These monsters target large groups so fleeing on horseback is out of the question!"
"Gazef!" the vice-captain shouted. "Protect his majesty! Some of the men and I will lure the creatures away from the rest of you!"
"Brave, but foolish," a cold voice echoed over to them. They looked up to see three Dark Young slowly clamber over. Atop one of them stood Lucifer Dracul. "Gazef, my friend. We really must top meeting like this. The corpses are a bit distracting."
"Lucifer," the king sobbed. The hatred he had held for the vampire in front of them was nowhere to be seen. All he felt was an absence of hope.
"Kneel before your god, humans!" Shalltear proclaimed as she jumped down from her Dark Young, eliciting an "eek" from Brain as he backed up. "Don't I know you?" Shalltear asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"Nope," Brain lied immediately, being so scared of Shalltear that it made him want to puke.
"Please surrender," Avenir said as she elegantly hopped down from the Dark Young she had been riding. "I don't want to see any more bloodshed today,"
"Yes," Lucifer said as floated down from his own Dark Young with his hands folded behind his back. "It would be a shame if my beautiful little lambs had to go frolicking through your capitol." As he said these words, the Dark Young he and his children had dismounted began to circle the group of the Kingdom's men. Three Dark Young behind them and three powerful vampires in front of them. This wasn't looking good.
"Brain, what are we going to do?" Climb asked shakily.
"We're going to die," Brain sighed as Lucifer leisurely walked towards Gazef.
"Now Gazef, I have an offer for you," he said in his usual cold voice as he held out his hand. "Serve me. Become a vampire like me and help me bring a new order to this vile world. Agree to this, and….." he snapped his fingers and the five Dark Young that were still running around pulverizing the Royal Army halted the carnage. "….. my little lambs will cease their attack and allow you all to return home alive. Refuse, and we'll kill you all."
"I will not betray my king!" Gazef declared as he rushed towards Lucifer with his sword, Razor Edge, drawn. The moments he gets too close, Lucifer smacked him away, sending him tumbling across the dirt and finally stopping in front of King Rampossa. Lucifer simply raised an eyebrow at the entire exchange.
"You would rather die and sacrifice countless people for the sake of your ego?" Lucifer asked. Gazef, who was getting up, didn't know how to respond to that. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but your king is still right behind you. Killing him would be like taking candy from a baby. Now Gazef, join me or I'll make you watch me kill your king and all of your friends who are gathered here before I turn you into a vampire and make you serve me anyway. I will get what I want, I'm just giving you the option to come quietly and save your friends. Or do you actually think you stand a chance against me?" Gazef grimaced as he realized he was backed into a metaphorical corner. Lucifer would get what he wanted either way and Gazef didn't stand a chance against him. The fact that he was offering to let everyone else go was nothing short of charity.
"It's okay Gazef," King Rampossa said bitterly. "This is all my fault anyway. I am not a king deserving of your loyalty." With that, he turned to look at Lucifer Dracul with eyes full of sorrow. "Did my son really do those horrible things you said?"
"Yes," Lucifer replied bluntly.
"It was all for nothing, wasn't it?"
"Obviously. Are you coming Gazef?" Lucifer asked the Warrior Captain.
"One moment," Gazef said as he turned to Climb. "Take this, you'll need it to protect Princess Renner," he said as he handed Razor Edge to Climb.
"Are you done?" Lucifer asked as he gestured for Gazef to come to him. Gazef nodded in response and walked over, trying to keep calm. "Good, let us be off. King Rampossa, my forces and I will move into E-Rantel and the surrounding region in one month. Your forces had better be gone by then, otherwise I will recreate this scene in Re-Estize." Gazef stood before Lucifer and took a deep breath as Lucifer grabbed him and sunk his fangs into the former Warrior Captain. Gazef cried out in pain while King Rampossa, Brain, Climb, and the reaming members of the Kingdom stared in horror.
"I can't believe that just happened," Climb said with a vacant look in his eyes.
"Hmm," Brain grunted, berating himself for not asking Avenir why her last name was Unglaus when he had the chance. But then again, in his line of work he was bound to cross the Immortal Emperor's path again, which would lead him to her. "He wasn't joking when he called himself immortal."
"None of this would've happened if I hadn't been so blinded by revenge," King Rampossa sighed.
"No, I think that Lucifer orchestrated all of this," Brain interjected.
"Yes! You can tell that to our people your highness, that way we can-" Climb started, but the king raised his hand to cut him off.
"He's turned the people against their leaders, Climb," the king sighed. "Anything I tell the people, no matter how true, will just sound like an excuse. The best course of action would be to apologize for my rash behavior and abdicate the throne."
"This isn't the end, is it?" Climb asked sullenly.
"Probably not," Brain replied with a grim expression on his face. "A vampire has declared himself a ruler and has unimaginable power. Jaldabaoth is still running around gods know where, and a new country has been founded. The Slane Theocracy is bound to get involved, not to mention the Holy Kingdom of Roble. I'd say this isn't the end, it's only the beginning."
"No matter what, I will protect Princess Renner!" Climb declared.
"I just hope Gazef won't suffer too much under that monster's rule," the disgraced king stated as he looked up at the night's sky.
One month had passed since the events of Katze Plains. Today was the day that E-Rantel would become the first official city to join the Eternal Empire. The people of E-Rantel were awaiting the arrival of their new emperor. They had mixed thoughts about him. Some, especially those who were poor or were abused by the nobles, thought of him as a hero of the people while others thought that he was a mass murdering monster. Many had fled in fear, but not as many as there would have if it wasn't for his appearance in Re-Estize. Everyone held their breath waiting for the Immortal Emperor's arrival until the first bells rang, signaling the opening of the first city gates. A few minutes passed before the second gates opened, signaled by the second set of bells. Finally, the third set of bells rang and the gates that everyone had their eyes glued to swung open. The rumors they heard about him immediately started to float about in their heads as they saw the Death Knights, Dark Paladins, and Clockwork Soldiers begin marching in.
They said he was dedicated to justice.
They said he was a vampire who would suck the blood from children.
They said he didn't care how rich the nobles were he would make them pay for their misdeeds.
They said he massacred the Royal Army while laughing.
They said he cared about the common people.
They said he was evil incarnate.
Many of these rumors didn't fit together so everyone watched carefully to make their own judgements. Finally, a group of Dark Paladins carrying a palanquin marched through the gates. Upon the palanquin was a throne, the back of the throne shaped like a coffin, and upon it were two figures, a man and a woman. The woman was sitting sideways in the man's lap and was absolutely beautiful. Yellow eyes, white dress, black hair, black wings spouted from her waist and curved horns from her head. The more keen eyed individuals could make out a baby bump on her stomach. The man whose lap she sat on was death given human form. Dressed in black, had a high collar red cloak, a cold smile, black hair, pale skin, and soulless red eyes that seemed to peer into the hearts of all he looked at. They immediately knew who he was: the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul. He matched the more negative rumors about him and it terrified the people. Suddenly, a rock flew towards him. It would've connected with his face if he hadn't lifted his hand and caught it in the blink of an eye.
"Give me back my daddy, monster!" a little boy cried out as his pale faced mother finally caught up with him. She grabbed her son and hugged him to her as she shivered under the cold gaze of Lucifer Dracul.
"H-h-he's just a boy! I b-beg you forgive him your majesty!" she begged.
"No harm done. You and your son are free to go," Lucifer said with a charming smile. He hated putting on these acts, but compared to the painfully long time it would take him to seize control if he didn't, this was a small sacrifice. Those who were watching this were baffled. His appearance fit all of the negative rumors, yet his attitude coincided with the rumors that painted him in a more positive light. They didn't know how to feel about him.
"Th-thank you, your majesty," the mother said with a grateful bow as she backed away.
"That was unexpected," a heroic voice called out. Everyone turned to see the newcomer and recognized him instantly. A living legend, the Holy Hunter, a gentle hero with no fear, the Dark Knight Momon. "As a vampire I would've expected you to rip them apart."
Pandora's Actor really enjoys getting into character as Momon.
"It's true, some of my children have been poorly behaved," Lucifer said as he motioned for Albedo to move. She pouted but did what she was told and removed herself from his lap. Now that he was free to move, Lucifer floated down to Momon with his hands folded behind his back. "You are the Dark Knight Momon, correct?"
"I am," Momon grunted.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, I am the Immortal Emperor Lucifer Dracul," Lucifer pleasantly introduced himself. The citizens thought that this was surreal. A hero dedicated to hunting unholy monsters that threatened humanity was speaking with what would qualify as a vampire god.
"Let me just cut to the chase. Are you going to hurt these people? If you do then I will stand against you," Momon declared.
"I have no intention of committing any mindless acts of violence if that is what you're concerned about," Lucifer responded. "I understand your reluctance to trust a being such as myself so let me make you an offer."
"I'm listening."
"Become my personal bodyguard. By being at my side all the time you can ensure that I do not commit any actions that would harm the people of this city," Lucifer said. "And if I do in fact commit an atrocity you are not fond of, you will be there to cut my head off." The people who were listening were shocked. This vampire, who was supposed to hate the living and take joy from their demise, was offering the strongest adamantite ranked adventurer in recent history the chance to kill him if he crossed the line. The rumors that painted him in a more positive light were becoming more and more believable. Momon stared at Lucifer for a few moments before responding.
"I accept," he finally said.
"Wonderful," Lucifer smiled. "I believe this arrangement will lead to great things in the future." And with that, Lucifer floated back to his throne, sat down, allowed Albedo to hop back onto his lap, and signaled his forces to continue to march with Momon following them. The people tentatively came back out onto the streets. They weren't sure what they thought of their new emperor, but they believed that with Momon keeping an eye on him they were safe for now.
And thus E-Rantel was taken over peacefully with a population that didn't think their ruler would start killing them on a whim.
A hooded figure watched from a distance outside E-Rantel as the army of the Eternal Empire marched into the city. He had heard of Lucifer Dracul, but now that he had seen him for himself, he had confirmed his worst fears.
"Momonga, what the hell have you done?"
Bonus Story: Raeven's Reward
Raeven sat in his study with his head on his desk. Waiting. Just waiting. The massacre at Katze Plains was three days ago and he still hadn't received any word from Lucifer Dracul. He had told his servants not to disturb him unless he had a visitor. Since one of them was knocking on his door right now, he could only assume that his "visitor" had arrived. With a grunt, he stood up and opened the door.
"Yes?" he demanded.
"Sir, that strange man is here again," his butler said. Raeven's eyes widened.
"Tell everyone not to disturb me until he leaves!" he shouted as he ran towards his bedroom. Sure enough, Lucifer Dracul was already waiting for him there. Raeven gagged when he saw his wife's perfectly preserved corpse laying on the bed.
"You kept your part of the bargain so I shall keep mine," Lucifer stated as he drew a Wand of Resurrection from the folds of his cloak. He cast the spell on the woman's corpse and the two men waited. After about twenty seconds, she started to move. Raeven gasped and wrapped his arms around his wife, who was breathing again for the first time in months.
"Raeven?" she muttered. "What happened?" Raeven didn't respond and simply broke down into tears of joy as he thanked Lucifer over and over and over again.
"Just remember, Raeven," Lucifer spoke up. "You still have a lot of work to do and as easily as life can be given, it can just as easily be taken away. Remember that when you continue your work and remember what will happen if you fail me."
"Yes my lord! I swear I will not let you down!"
The reason I didn't finish this yesterday was because my computer randomly died on me and I wasn't able to get it to turn on until hours later. Also I did the math to figure out how many Dark Young would be summoned from the spell with the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown and the additional enemies.
HAIL AND KILL