Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 0

Prologue

Thud! KWA-AAANG!

Whoosh! WEEE-IIING!

In a desolate wasteland, beneath the shadow of a dark, colossal fortress, a gray-robed mage and a knight in golden armor clashed.

Black energy surged from the mage’s hand as red lava erupted from the ground.

The lava streams, like giant, fiery snakes, whipped towards the knight.

But the moment the knight unleashed a golden aura, an illusion of an angel holding a shield materialized, blocking the lava’s onslaught.

It didn’t just block it; it repelled it.

The knight, swiftly switching to offense, coated his gleaming sword with aura and relentlessly attacked the mage, as if to tear him apart.

‘Damn it!’

Bang!

The mage, hastily raising his magical power to block the knight’s attack, was pushed back, coughing up black blood.

“Die, demon Seimon!”

At the knight’s cry, the gray-robed mage, Seimon, gritted his teeth.

He blocked the knight’s descending sword with all his might and asked,

“Demon? Am I a demonkin [a being of demonic origin]?”

“Yes! Look at the lands and cities that have suffered from your vile black magic! How could you cause such chaos if you weren’t a demonkin!”

Seimon was stunned.

The knight’s words held a grain of truth.

Seimon was a black mage who had reached the 9th Circle [the highest level of magic].

And as the knight said, he had nearly destroyed two kingdoms and one duchy using black magic.

However, there was a crucial fact the knight ignored.

Seimon had only targeted the nobles who stood in his way and the corrupt officials who exploited the people.

He had not harmed innocent commoners or the guiltless.

Moreover, he had spared all those who surrendered.

He had also rescued various races enslaved by humans.

That was why he was called ‘The Black Sage’ and ‘The Liberator of the Fairies’ by other races.

But the knight ignored the truth. No, he twisted it.

“Tch, I’ve heard all sorts of nonsense in my life.”

As the knight sneered, Seimon spoke again.

“Lakan, what did I do wrong? Is it wrong to seek revenge on those who corrupt the country and exploit the good people?”

Seimon’s eyes blazed.

“If you have eyes, you will see, and if you have ears, you will hear. Aren’t the nobles who seize land with their filthy greed, harm people, and enslave other races the real demons!”

Yet, Lakan shook his head firmly.

“No, they are different from you, who have disturbed the world with evil black magic!”

“Heh heh heh, different? Yes, they are different. At least I didn’t pretend to be a lamb following God’s word, nor did I live like a wild dog tearing at the weak.”

“Shut up! Don’t try to deceive me with that wicked tongue!”

“Fool! You’re already being deceived! By those wolves in sheep’s clothing!”

Seimon raised his magical energy.

A dark storm erupted from his fingertips.

His bloodshot eyes glistened with tears.

In his tear ducts, which he thought had long dried up, were an unquenchable rage, an indelible sorrow, and a deep-seated grudge.

* * *

20 years ago.

Seimon was an ordinary mage at the Veritas Magic Tower.

He came from a poor commoner background and had no exceptional mana affinity.

Because of his humble status, he was always looked down upon and mistreated in the Magic Tower.

Naturally, he was assigned all the dirtiest and most difficult tasks.

But he endured it steadfastly.

His ingenious ideas and hard-researched papers were always stolen by higher-ranking mages or elders.

Yet, he never uttered a single complaint.

‘If only she were here… If she looked at me and was with me, I could endure anything!’

For the woman he loved. Only for her.

He could forget the pain of the past, be content with the happiness of the present, and dream of the hope of the future.

But those people…

Those greedy mages and the insidious nobles, like wild dogs, took her away.

Seimon’s precious person.

And above all, what he could never forgive was…

Their evil deeds drove her to her death.

Seimon was furious.

He lost his reason and rushed at them.

But… he was powerless.

With the power of a 4th Circle lower-level mage, he could do nothing.

In the end, his Magic Circle was destroyed, and he was kicked out of the Magic Tower as a cripple.

Seimon lost everything.

Power, life, and even the person he loved.

However, Seimon wanted to live.

He created another reason for living.

For revenge, a life that would burn everything and leave only black ashes, he picked himself up.

‘If they invoke God, I will join hands with the devil!’

Seimon, consumed by his grudge, obtained the power of darkness and reappeared before them.

With an army of jet-black golems that trampled and swept away everything.

* * *

“Get lost, Lakan! I have no business with an idiot like you!”

“Kuh-euk!”

Lakan, pushed back by the dark storm, was surrounded by a magic circle.

The magic circle, filled with complex symbols and formulas, was blood-red, as if it were burning.

Soon, the magic circle emitted a dazzling light.

And finally, giant golems were revealed.

The summoned golems simultaneously threw their fists.

Each attack was overwhelmingly powerful.

If hit by this, even the strongest monster, the Twin-Headed Ogre, would have been turned into pulp. But Lakan was different.

He was a Holy Knight who could use divine power and also a Sword Emperor [the highest rank of swordsmanship], the ultimate knight.

Lakan, who had instantly cut down the giant golems, coated his orichalcum [a mythical metal] holy sword with his Hyper Aura.

“Take this, Seimon!”

‘Kuh, this, this is…!’

Seimon, facing the holy sword imbued with Hyper Aura, unleashed his strongest black magic, Dark Ruin, with all his might.

Kukukukung—!

The collision of the two superhumans sent powerful shockwaves and dust clouds spreading around.

The match seemed to end in a draw.

However, soon the scales of victory began to tip.

A crack appeared in the Dark Ruin, and the tip of Lakan’s holy sword pierced through.

And finally…

Thwack!

“Kuaaaaak!”

Lakan’s orichalcum holy sword pierced Seimon’s heart.

Red blood flowed down the brilliant holy sword.

The divine power imbued in the holy sword purified the dark energy, causing immense pain.

But Seimon did not fall.

Clutching the holy sword that had pierced his chest, he glared fiercely at Lakan with eyes filled with hatred and resentment.

“Kuh, Lakan! You foolish fool! I curse you and those who will live through your blood!”

Seimon burned his last remaining life to curse Lakan and his descendants.

Seimon’s blood, which had flowed down to Lakan’s feet, drew a magic circle with bizarre patterns.

“Just… you wait! Your family line will be as thin as a thread… and your bloodline will writhe in agony from all sorts of misfortune and disease… AAAAAH!”

Seimon’s hair shot up into the sky, and his wrinkled face transformed into a demonic visage. From his eyes flowed resentful tears of blood.

Lakan flinched at the sight that was frightening even in dreams.

But soon regaining his composure, he coldly pulled out the holy sword. And without mercy, he beheaded Seimon.

Snik!

The Black Sage, falsely accused of being a demon or a demon king, finally met his end.