Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 146

Another Crisis

1

The central army knights, who had been ordered to an emergency assembly, and those stationed near the capital, gathered at Brenden’s headquarters one after another.

“An emergency assembly all of a sudden, Your Excellency? What on earth is happening in our kingdom?” asked Count Philip, the commander of the 1st Army, who had arrived first due to his proximity, to Marquis Rogers.

Rogers, the commander-in-chief of the Royal Army, spoke with a worried expression.

“An hour ago, we received a report that the gateway city of Enverry is under attack by an unidentified monster.”

“What!”

Philip was startled.

However, he soon asked with a puzzled look, “There was no information about an enemy invasion, was there?”

Since Enverry was close to the capital, Brenden, if an enemy had invaded, a report would have been sent to the 1st Army, which was in charge of the central region.

Marquis Rogers nodded, as if understanding Philip’s confusion.

“That’s right. The problem isn’t how that monster appeared in Enverry. It’s that His Majesty went out to stop it, taking only Royal Guard Commander Hwangbo Sung with him.”

“Oh, if His Majesty has gone out…”

Philip waved his hand dismissively.

He didn’t know the identity of the monster attacking Enverry.

However, Luke, who had single-handedly subdued a high-ranking demon and won a 5-on-1 fight against the Sword Masters of the Symphonia Kingdom, would be able to defeat it easily.

“We just need to go and clean up, so was there a need to issue an emergency assembly for the knights?”

“It’s not as simple as you think.”

When Philip thought optimistically, Erewine, who was next to Rogers, retorted.

“The monster attacking Enverry is Lich Arsen.”

“Lich Arsen? N-no way… !”

“Huu, that’s right. He’s the founder of the Veritas Magic Tower, the great mage who threw himself into darkness. He’s the worst opponent who drove His Majesty to the brink of death in the Southern Continent last time.”

“T-this can’t be!”

Philip jumped up.

He had heard the story of what happened at the Zhuge family from Luke, so he knew about Lich Arsen.

He had considered him a terrifying opponent just from the stories, but to go and face such a guy with only Royal Guard Commander Hwangbo Sung!

“I will lead the knights and march out immediately!”

Rogers shook his head at Philip’s words.

“No. His Majesty ordered us to bring the entire central knight order, from the Royal Guard to the 1st to 4th Armies. I think that’s the minimum we need to face that monster without taking heavy losses.”

If they sent the core forces of the kingdom, the knights, to face Arsen in stages and lost a significant number, Symphonia would be in a precarious situation, like a candle in the wind.

The Barok Empire would not miss that golden opportunity and would invade.

That’s why Rogers wanted to gather as much force as possible to face him.

“But if we wait until then, His Majesty could be in danger!”

“I know that. But…”

“Damn it, Commander-in-Chief! This is not the time to be rational! If His Majesty dies, our dreams and future will all be over!”

Marquis Rogers was jolted awake by Philip’s shout.

That’s right.

Luke was their lord before he was the king.

If he died, the future of the Rakan family that they had dreamed of with him would disappear.

Luke had no direct descendants to succeed him, let alone any collateral relatives.

No, even if they didn’t consider blood ties, there was no one in the Symphonia Kingdom who had the skills or magnanimity to carry on Luke’s will or ideology.

‘I was too focused on the affairs of the nation.’

Rogers reflected on himself for only caring about the safety of the kingdom after he was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Symphonia Kingdom.

There were times when he had to care more about his lord than the kingdom, and he realized that now was one of those times.

“Alright, Philip. Let’s march out with the Royal Guard and the Rakan Knights of the 1st Army first!”

“Hah. Are you going with us, Your Excellency?”

At Philip’s question, Rogers grabbed the hilt of his beloved sword and said,

“Of course. I will be at the vanguard.”

It had been a long time since Marquis Rogers had gone on an expedition.

Moreover, the opponent was a monster who had driven even Luke, a Rune Knight with skills beyond a Sword Sage, to the brink of death.

However, Rogers did not feel any fear or hesitation.

Rather, a strong fighting spirit against the enemy was burning fiercely.

Feeling a long-absent sense of elation, he said to Erewine,

“Court mage, Marquis Philip and I will lead the Royal Guard and the Rakan Knights to march out, so you gather the central army knights who are arriving one after another.”

“Understood.”

Erewine stopped trying to dissuade them from marching out.

She didn’t think that Philip and Marquis Rogers’ determination would change even if she tried to stop them.

And honestly, she hoped that someone would go and help Luke as soon as possible.

“Please, save His Majesty.”

“Don’t worry, then I’ll leave the rest to you.”

With that, Rogers tried to ride his Gigant [a large, mechanical war machine] and march out to Enverry.

However, his departure was thwarted by a messenger who suddenly arrived.

“It’s a disaster, Commander-in-Chief! The southern ports, including Lamer City, are under attack!”

A few days ago,

Chathan, under Nesta’s orders, boarded a Veritas Magic Tower’s sailing ship disguised as a merchant ship at a port in the Castia Kingdom.

There were five mid-level undead on the sailing ship: one lich and four death knights.

“Oho, this is chilling! To feel such a magical power that even I, a 7th circle black mage, am intimidated!”

Was it because they were mid-level?

The immense magical power emanating from the lich and death knights overwhelmed the 7th circle black mage.

Even now, with his eyes closed, it was like this, so how terrifying would it be if he opened his eyes and they were activated?

Nesta had told him that a mid-level lich was as powerful as an 8th circle archmage, and a mid-level death knight was similar in power to a Sword Sage.

Even if only half of what he said was true, it was truly an amazing story.

“To create such monsters… as expected, the founder is amazing!”

He had been too busy with his spy activities in the Holy Empire to see the process of creating the undead.

However, he had heard the general story from the pyramids of the Hell Islands.

But he never expected the results to be this great!

The problem was that this was not the end.

There were 90 more mid-level undead currently being created.

And there were more lower-level undead than mid-level undead, and although fewer in number, there were even more powerful high-level undead than mid-level undead.

Nevertheless, the founder was not satisfied with this and had reportedly enhanced the lower-level undead.

“Hehehe. The day all the creations are complete, the middle realm will be subjugated under the feet of our Veritas Magic Tower!”

Chathan’s arrogant laughter and shouts echoed loudly in the cabin.

Chathan arrived in the southern part of the Symphonia Kingdom by sailing ship.

As soon as he arrived near the port, he activated the undead.

As he recited the undead activation spell that Nesta had told him, the undead, who had been in a deep sleep with their eyes closed, awoke.

Kkkkkkk!

Kiiiiiii!

The lich and death knights emitted an enormous magical power that made his skin crawl.

Chathan, whose face turned pale in an instant, trembled as if he had been thrown naked into a frozen lake in the middle of winter.

‘This, this is more than I imagined!’

Would these monsters really obey his orders?

He had doubts due to the fear that was washing over him, but Chathan gritted his teeth.

He had to complete his assigned mission perfectly so that he could live a life of luxury in the world subjugated under Veritas in the future.

Focusing his mind, he gave orders to the undead connected by the spirit of black magic.

“Go, go to the land and destroy everything and slaughter the humans!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the undead’s eyes flashed fiercely.

‘Could it be, a failure?’

The moment Chathan flinched, the five undead disappeared from their spots.

Shortly after, they appeared in the major port cities of the Symphonia Kingdom, including Lamer City.

The lich appeared in Lamer, which had been Luke’s source of funds.

The soldiers on guard on the lighthouse of the port looked puzzled at the object flying across the sea.

“Huh? What is that?”

Seagulls and migratory birds usually passed by, but it was too big to be one of those.

Looking through his telescope, he saw a fluttering old robe and staff.

“What kind of wizard is using flying magic without permission?”

“It’s suspicious. Report to the higher-ups immediately…”

Those were the last words they uttered in this world.

Kuaaaang!

The lighthouse was shattered by the long-range black magic attack that the lich had launched.

“Wh-what is it?!”

“It’s an enemy! The enemy has invaded!”

Ding ding ding ding!

The sound of the emergency bell rang throughout Lamer City, and at the same time, the lich’s merciless attack began.

At the same time, death knights were slaughtering in other port cities, and the Symphonia 5th Army stationed in the south was in an uproar.

The unexpected attack had tied up the Symphonia Royal Army, which was about to march out to help Luke.

2

Luke, who was frantically blocking the black magic that Arsen was pouring out, felt that the presence of people in the city was rapidly disappearing.

He had already seen the surviving soldiers evacuating the citizens.

They had much weaker power compared to him, but their desperate struggle in a dangerous situation was a great help to Luke.

‘Thank you, everyone.’

Luke, who had expressed his gratitude to the soldiers in his heart, turned his gaze back to Arsen, who was proudly spreading black magic.

‘Shall I start counterattacking now?’

Luke had not been able to launch an aggressive attack on Arsen because he was protecting the city’s residents.

However, that was not the only reason why he had been constantly pushed back.

He had a hidden card, and he was waiting for the opportunity to use it.

No matter how triumphant an enemy is, they can suffer a devastating blow from just one proper counterattack.

‘Something’s strange. Why is Luke just being pushed back like this?’

Arsen also felt puzzled as Luke continued to act passively.

Even if it was because of the safety of the city’s residents, he couldn’t understand why a guy with such outstanding skills that he could launch a dangerous attack on him was only focused on defense.

‘Could it be that he’s planning something…?’

It was when Arsen’s attack momentarily faltered because he was pondering.

Kwaaang!

Luke suddenly used Blink [a teleportation spell] to quickly close the distance and launched a powerful blow.

The gold aura that stretched out from the half-broken greatsword cleanly cut off one of Gorgos’s wings.

“Haha. You let your guard down, Arsen!”

“Kuh, y-you. Filthy. Bug!”

Arsen, whose one wing was cut off, gritted his teeth.

‘Yes, there’s no need to think. Thinking itself is giving him an opening!’

Therefore, he would kill him in one fell swoop.

With that determination, Arsen quickly chased after Luke and unleashed a terrifying attack.

Boom, bang!

Whoosh!

Gorgos’s fists, swung like iron maces, seemed capable of turning even steel into powder, and the flames of black magic that poured down at the same time were as hot as volcanic lava.

The Avenger, whose armor was tattered, was glowing red as if it was about to melt.

No, it might have already melted if it weren’t for the cooling magic that Luke had cast.

Despite this situation, Luke was not flustered, but rather wore a triumphant smile.

He had arrived at the place where he had hidden his card, a trap, to face Arsen.

“Now, Hwangbo Sung!”

“Understood!”

With a loud Song Empire phrase, a giant wooden doll rose from the rubble of the destroyed building.

A Southern Continent’s Taoist weapon comparable to a Gigant.

It was a Mok-Woo [a large, animated wooden puppet].

Arsen’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the Mok-Woo that had appeared right in front of him.

‘Th-that is…!’

“Receive the punishment of the Thunder God!”

Before Arsen could even react, the Mok-Woo [a large, animated wooden puppet], piloted by Hwangbo Sung, relentlessly struck Gorgos’s torso with the Three Thunder God Fist technique, moving with lightning speed.

Thundering! Rumbles!

The Three Thunder God Fist rained down on Gorgos’s body like a storm, each blow accompanied by a deafening thunderclap.

Bang! Bang, bang, bang!

Sparks flew as the Mok-Woo’s ironwood fists collided with Gorgos’s body, which was harder than steel.

‘Ugh, this!’

Gorgos, pummeled by the Three Thunder God Fist at point-blank range, suffered a massive tear in his side and cracks spreading across his entire body.

Both Arsen and Hwangbo Sung, who had launched the attack, were surprised by the unexpected level of damage.

‘Huh! They said it was neatly repaired, no, enhanced!’

Hwangbo Sung’s Mok-Woo had been destroyed in the previous battle with Hiros.

However, it had been repaired while he was away with Luke in the Holy Empire.

The person who fixed the Mok-Woo was the court Taoist, Jegal Soha.

She had incorporated the magical engineering of the Rhodisia continent, which she had learned while making the Avenger, into Hwangbo Sung’s Mok-Woo.

This doubled the Mok-Woo’s attack power.

Of course, it wasn’t a fatal blow to Arsen.

He could easily recover from that level of damage with his dark magic.

The problem was that he wasn’t just facing Hwangbo Sung.

Arsen’s main enemy was currently Luke.

He was exploiting the opening that Hwangbo Sung had created and was now attacking.

“Take this, Arsen!”

“Ugh! You set a trap well!”

As the Avenger charged, Arsen, instead of defending, deployed a series of Black Spheres to block Luke’s attacks.

Clang!

The half-broken greatsword that the Avenger was wielding shattered like glass from the barrage of dark magic attacks.

Seeing this, Arsen inwardly cheered.

‘Heh, I knew it!’

Even with a Gold Aura coating, the Gigant’s greatsword was just a large lump of iron.

Due to its enormous size, it contained little to no high-priced magical materials and special metals that would be found in a fine sword.

Naturally, it was bound to reach its limit after repeated battles.

Moreover, it would be even weaker in battles between those who surpassed ordinary superhumans.

‘Now you have no choice but to fight barehanded. So you’ll definitely attack with magic!’

Arsen made that judgment in a split second and quickly prepared to counter the magic.

His plan was to neutralize Luke’s attack magic and then deliver the final blow.

However, instead of retreating or using attack magic, Luke, who had momentarily hesitated after losing his greatsword, charged forward.

‘Wh-what? Surely not barehanded?’

Looking closely, he was clenching the Gigant’s two fists tightly.

It looked similar to the attack and movements of the Mok-Woo that had sneakily attacked earlier.

‘Is he planning to use martial arts like when he defeated Hiros? Hah, as if I’d fall for such a simple attack!’

As Arsen had predicted, Luke unleashed the Three Thunder God Fist that Hwangbo Sung had used.

It wasn’t that difficult for Luke to learn the Three Thunder God Fist; the challenge was creating the Lightning Energy.

Because it was a straightforward punch, even a novice in martial arts like Luke could easily follow it.

‘That’s it, my lord! Don’t worry about whether the opponent blocks it or not, just unleash a powerful blow!’

Whatever blocks the way, smash it to pieces.

That was the basic spirit of the Three Thunder God Fist.

Hwangbo Sung nodded as he watched Luke’s Three Thunder God Fist.

The movements were so clean that they were comparable to his own.

The problem was what Luke, who had not mastered the Lightning Energy, would use to strike.

When he defeated Hiros, he had wrapped his fist in three layers of electric magic with properties similar to Lightning Energy.

However, it was questionable whether that method would work against Arsen.

“Heh heh heh! You think I’d fall for the same trick! Anti-Magic! Anti-Cancel!”

Seeing the Avenger’s iron fist flying towards him, Arsen quickly countered.

He simultaneously deployed white and dark magic cancellation between himself and Luke, creating a wall that neutralized both.

‘All that’s left is Aura, but that’s enough…’

The look on Arsen’s face, which had been one of triumph, changed to one of bewilderment.

This was because the Avenger’s iron fist, flying like a meteor, was imbued with a pure white light instead of electric magic.

Arsen couldn’t help but be shocked by the light, which was so bright it could blind him.

“H-holy power!”

The power that only priests who believed in and followed God could use.

The power of light and life, completely opposite to the energy of darkness and death, charged in, completely ignoring Arsen’s great white magic and great dark magic defense wall.

“Try to block this, Arsen!”

“Damn it!”

Wham! Wham! Wham!

The three consecutive iron fist strikes imbued with holy power struck Gorgos.

Gorgos’s body, which had already been damaged by Hwangbo Sung’s Three Thunder God Fist a moment ago, cracked like a spiderweb and completely shattered.

No, at the same time as it shattered, it turned to ash and burned away.

Along with it, the spirits that had formed Gorgos’s body were released from the shackles of dark magic and ascended.

Kuhhhhh!

Thank you for releasing us…

Now… eternal rest!

“Heh, this can’t be happening… !”

Arsen couldn’t help but be shocked as he watched Gorgos collapse.

It wasn’t easy, but it was possible to master both magic and swordsmanship at the same time.

The world called those who achieved this Rune Knights.

If one lived a life of constant asceticism like a priest and had a devout faith, it was also possible for magic and holy power to coexist.

That was the case with the mages of the Holy Artenia Imperial Magic Tower.

However, it was unheard of for someone who had mastered dark magic to wield holy power.

Even in ancient times when magic was advanced, such a being did not exist.

“This is a cheat!”

With Arsen’s resentful cry, Gorgos completely disappeared.

3

‘Whew, did I win?’

Luke watched Gorgos disappear and inwardly sighed in relief.

The attack just now was not a simple blow.

It was a final move that amplified the maximum amount of holy power he could deploy with the Avenger’s core engine.

That was why he had saved it until the very end.

Although he had successfully landed the attack, Luke’s face was stiff rather than joyful.

He didn’t think that this attack would kill him.

‘Arsen is a lich. He will continue to revive unless I destroy the life vessel he has hidden somewhere.’

That was the same even if he completely destroyed the body he was currently using.

To Arsen, a body was no different from a Gigant [a large, humanoid combat machine] that he could switch into at any time.

“My lord, did you defeat him?”

“It seems so… but I can’t be relieved yet.”

Luke recalled the time he fought him at the Jegal family.

At that time, he had unleashed the most powerful attack he could use.

Even after his body had completely melted away with Gorgos, it had been restored.

‘Still, wouldn’t it be different since it was an attack with holy power, which is the opposite of dark magic?’

Luke hoped that his expectations were correct.

It would be the worst if he recovered in a situation where he had already shown his hand.

Anyway, Luke kept his guard up, staring at the spot where Gorgos had disappeared.

One minute passed, and then five minutes passed, but there was no change.

‘It seems that Arsen’s body has completely disappeared.’

Just as he was inwardly relieved, Hwangbo Sung urgently shouted.

“M-my lord! Look at your feet!”

“Why my feet…?”

Luke, looking down at the Avenger’s legs, was startled.

This was because his legs, starting from his feet, were rapidly turning black.

Kiiiiing!

Luke hurriedly activated the core engine and emitted Gold Aura from the Avenger’s entire body.

He tried to shake off the dark energy that was rapidly corroding the Gigant, but it didn’t work.

Rather, the rate of corrosion increased even faster.

“Wh-what is this?”

“Heh. Heh. Heh! Did you think I’d be so easily destroyed?”

A creepy voice came from the blacked-out leg area of the Avenger.

“Arsen?”

“Yes, it’s me. I’ll swallow you whole, Gigant and all!”

Immediately after being hit by Luke’s holy power attack combined with the Three Thunder God Fist, Arsen’s body, along with Gorgos, had collapsed into dust.

Unlike any other attack, it was an extreme attack using holy power, which was the opposite of dark magic, so Arsen’s undead body did not recover easily.

So Arsen tried to give up on his collapsed body and retreat.

‘But I can’t go back like this!’

It was a body that had contained the essence of magic and dark magic for over 500 years.

If it was a body that was going to be destroyed anyway, he wanted to at least cut off Luke’s breath.

So, instead of using his remaining power to restore his body, Arsen scattered into dust and hid in the Avenger’s shadow.

And while Luke was focusing all his attention on the traces of Gorgos’s disappearance, he quickly clung to the Avenger.

“No way. How can you do that to a Gigant!”

As if mocking Luke, who was struggling to restore the Gigant’s condition, Arsen’s voice was heard.

“Heh. Heh. Heh! Why do you think it’s impossible? If you inherited Seymon’s progress, you should know that the magic applied to Gigants originally originated from dark magic.”

‘Th-that’s right!’

As Arsen said, the Gigant originated from the combat golem that he had created when he was Seymon 500 years ago.

It was made with white magic, not dark magic, and although its structure had developed considerably over time, its most basic form remained unchanged.

Because there was a connection with dark magic, Arsen was able to infiltrate the Gigant.

Of course, he had to give up his body, which contained the essence of his dark magic, as a price, but he judged that it was not a loss if he could exchange it for Luke’s life.

‘No, if I can take over this guy’s body at this opportunity!’

If he could do that, he could simply swallow Symphonia and conquer the entire Rhodisia continent, including the Holy Empire, under his feet.

The thought of the ignorant humans bowing down to him as the descendants of a great hero made him laugh.

“My lord! Please escape quickly!”

“Ugh, the hatch won’t open!”

Arsen had completely taken over not only the armor but also the core engine.

Naturally, the Avenger no longer followed Luke’s commands.

Luke wore a flustered expression as the cockpit was also taken over and the hatch would not open.

“Heh. Heh. Heh. It’s best to give up now… Huh?”

Crack!

Arsen had deployed Anti-Cancel and Anti-Magic magic around the cockpit to prevent Luke from escaping with teleportation or blink-like space movement magic.

However, he was dumbfounded when Luke broke the hatch open with force and came out.

‘Ugh, did he still have that much power left?’

‘Damn it, losing the Avenger is the worst situation!’

Luke, who had barely escaped, looked at the Avenger with a troubled face.

As it was his personal machine, he had used all sorts of good materials and applied the latest magical engineering technology to the Avenger.

The new core engine with an output of 4000 fight, which applied artificial magic stones and Taoist techniques from the Southern Continent.

The synchronization helm that allowed him to control the Gigant like his own limbs by applying mental magic.

These two were the most representative.

There was no Gigant stronger than this in the Symphonia Kingdom.

No, there probably wasn’t one in the entire Rhodisia continent right now.

“Hmph! This is similar to Atlas. Did you steal our Magic Tower’s technology?”

At Arsen’s question after briefly examining the structure of the hijacked Avenger, Luke frowned and retorted.

“You’re the one who stole Seymon’s research data!”

“What?”

“My lord, don’t delay! Quickly summon your Gigant from the subspace!” Hwangbo Seong urged, moving his Mok-woo to block Luke’s path.

Being in a Gigant offered a significant advantage in both defense and offense compared to being on foot.

Luke had an emergency Gigant stored in his subspace bracelet.

It was a Knight-class Gaius, not as powerful as the Avenger, but still functional.

‘It’s an emergency, I have to make do. If I don’t have teeth, I’ll have to bite with my gums.’

Just as Luke was about to access his bracelet’s subspace, Arsen, who had deflected Hwangbo Seong’s attack with a shield spell, rapidly fired a series of dark projectiles at Luke.

*Pheeing! Ping! Ping!*

‘Heh heh heh. I can’t allow any complications!’

Arsen, already confident in his victory, was determined not to give Luke any openings.

His dark projectiles were more than sufficient for this purpose.

The dark projectiles, amplified by the Avenger’s core engine, were practically like cannonballs.

As a result, Luke was too busy dodging and blocking attacks to even open the subspace.

“Damn fiend!” Hwangbo Seong roared, seeing his lord in danger, and charged forward.

He unleashed a flurry of Three Thunder God Fists, trying to prevent Arsen from attacking Luke.

Arsen was well aware of his intentions.

Instead of engaging Hwangbo Seong, Arsen focused on dodging his attacks and continuing his assault on Luke.

This led to an absurd situation.

Hwangbo Seong was relentlessly attacking Arsen, while Arsen was relentlessly attacking Luke.

However, neither of them could decisively subdue their opponent.

‘How do I deal with this annoying Southern Continent guy?’ Arsen wondered, realizing he couldn’t maintain this charade indefinitely.

He considered another approach. He could easily turn the Mok-woo into charcoal if he wanted to.

But doing so would give Luke the chance to summon his Gigant.

Also, the Avenger was in worse condition than he had initially thought.

From the battle with Gorgos, there were cracks and broken parts in its joints and internal components.

‘A Gigant battle would be disadvantageous… That’s it!’

After a moment of thought, Arsen devised a plan.

He deliberately created an opening, a sinister glint in his eyes.

Hwangbo Seong, unaware of Arsen’s intentions, struck at the opening.

*Kwaaang!* The Avenger’s shoulder armor, hit by the Three Thunder God Fist, exploded with a deafening roar.

Hwangbo Seong, about to follow up with another attack on the staggering Avenger, stopped abruptly.

The Mok-woo’s right fist had turned as black as if it had been dipped in ink.

“Th-this is…!”

“Keh. Keh. Keh. You. Too. Will. End. Up. Just. Like. Your. Lord!” Arsen taunted.

Arsen had deliberately taken the hit, using it to corrupt the Mok-woo.

Because their technology systems were different, it couldn’t corrupt as quickly as a Gigant, but it was enough to unsettle Hwangbo Seong.

“You cowardly bastard!” Hwangbo Seong gritted his teeth and severed his right arm with a left-handed chop.

Arsen smirked at the sight.

“Why. Don’t. You. Cut. Off. Your. Legs. Too?”

*Puh-pung! Pung!*

The dark spears that Arsen quickly fired shattered the Mok-woo’s knees.

The Mok-woo, with both legs destroyed, fell helplessly forward.

Arsen, having crushed the remaining arm, looked at Luke and smirked.

“Now. That. The. Obstacle. Is. Gone. All. That’s. Left. Is. To. Crush. You. To. Death, Luke. De. Rakan!”

He rushed towards Luke like the wind.

Thanks to Hwangbo Seong buying him some time, Luke barely managed to open the subspace.

However, he had not yet summoned Gaius.

‘Damn it, if only I had a little more time…!’

He clicked his tongue in regret and stopped the summoning, dodging Arsen’s attack.

The power was too strong to withstand head-on with his bare body.

Slowly being pushed into a corner, Luke pondered how to overcome this difficult situation.

However, with no clear solution in sight, his expression grew increasingly grim.

4

*Thump thump! Kwaaaang!* Explosions echoed incessantly, and flames erupted in various parts of Lamer City.

Amidst the raging flames and smoke, Gigants and city defense forces were engaged in battle.

Their enemies were bizarre-looking monsters, unlike any known on the continent.

The Gigants were primarily in open spaces or main streets, while the soldiers were scattered throughout the city, fighting in urban warfare.

“Move it, move it!”

“We have to eliminate them before the whole city burns!”

A group of soldiers moved through an alley.

These people, dressed in casual attire, were not regular soldiers but mercenaries hired by the Kirillov Trading Company.

The Kirillov Trading Company’s mercenary group was different from typical mercenary groups in other kingdoms.

Most of them were either Volga refugees or former guards or central army soldiers who had been loyal to the Kirillov royal family.

As such, their skills, organization, and loyalty were exceptional.

They also possessed nearly 10 Gigants, a number that even most territories did not have.

In addition, they could mobilize 20-30 Gigants belonging to the Clan from the Gigant Arena in case of emergency.

With these mercenaries and the regular army, Lamer City had the strongest military power in the Symphonia Kingdom, except for the royal capital, Brenden.

That was why they were able to hold out without being captured when the Grenada Kingdom’s navy invaded before.

However, Lamer City was now facing an even greater crisis.

Urban warfare was breaking out in various parts of the city due to the sudden appearance of demonic beasts.

*Kyaaaaak!*

“Shhh! Everyone, stick to the wall!”

A monster with two pairs of flapping wings flew overhead with a shriek.

The mercenaries, hiding in the shadows of buildings, waited until the monster disappeared before resuming their march.

However, the monster they thought had disappeared suddenly appeared on the roof, plunging its sharp beak down.

“Uwaaak!”

One unlucky soldier was pierced through the torso.

However, the surrounding soldiers did not panic and run away, but rather charged at the monster.

“Damn it! Die, you monster!”

“Don’t back down!”

While the spearmen held them back with their spears, the archers fired arrows.

However, the monster continued to rampage, unharmed even after being hit by countless arrows in the head and body.

“Everyone, get out of the way!”

A large mercenary stepped forward, holding a spear with a large metal tube attached.

The metal tube was filled with gunpowder and small buckshot, and it was called a hand cannon because it was a handheld cannon.

The mercenary shoved the hand cannon into the monster’s mouth.

*Puh-ung!* The moment he pressed the firing device, the monster’s eyeballs and the back of its head exploded with a bang.

As the monster slumped, the mercenary captain poked it with the tip of his sword.

“It’s dead. Keep moving!”

There were still many monsters to deal with.

With no time to rest, they hurried on.

*Puh-puh-pung! Kwaaaang!* The citizens who had taken refuge in the city’s underground shelters looked at the ceiling or Mayor Pavel with anxious expressions.

Pavel, along with Commander Volant and other commanders of the 5th Army, was devising a plan to subdue the mysterious enemies who were destroying the southern cities, including Lamer City, in one side of the underground shelter.

“The black magician currently attacking Lamer is presumed to be a lich, not a human. And the ones slaughtering in other cities seem to be death knights,” Commander Volant explained.

Pavel’s eyes widened at the explanation.

“Is that true?”

“According to the reports from the units that engaged them, it is. They say they are moving even after taking hits that no human could survive.”

Immediately after founding the Symphonia Kingdom, Luke also granted titles to the old retainers of the Volga Kingdom.

As a result, Commander Volant had the same title as Pavel, but he was speaking respectfully to the older statesman.

It was because he was the closest aide to Princess Reina, the king’s consort.

“Goodness, what kind of fiend is doing such wicked things…!” One of the commanders responded to Pavel’s words, grinding his teeth.

“They must be the ones who summoned the Archdemon in our kingdom before.”

In fact, it was Luke who summoned it.

However, everyone believed it was the work of hostile forces such as the remnants of the Barok Empire or the Veritas Magic Tower.

“To think this would happen while the navy is out for training!” Pavel lamented.

As Pavel said, the main force of the 5th Army, the navy, had left for a large-scale fleet training, leaving only a small part behind.

They were attacked while their most powerful force was gone.

Unlike Pavel, who was disappointed, Commander Volant was secretly relieved.

The attacking lich was not only skilled in black magic but also had the ability to summon demonic beasts from the demon realm.

They were not beings that the navy, trained to fight human sailors and fleets, could handle.

If they had remained in Lamer, they might have lost the navy they had worked so hard to train over the past year.

“We have requested support, but it will take time for the navy to return. The same goes for the central army.”

“Hmm, is it because of the monsters that appeared in the gateway city of Enverie?”

“Yes, it is said that there is chaos in the general headquarters because of that. They are debating whether to split their forces to subdue both sides simultaneously or to defeat them one by one.”

The important thing was that they couldn’t just wait for reinforcements.

The damage was escalating even as they were talking.

‘It’s fortunate that we prepared underground shelters.’

Lamer and the southern port cities had suffered considerable damage from the Grenada navy’s shelling during the war before the founding of the kingdom.

Luke had ordered preparations for this, and underground shelters were built in each city for citizens to take refuge.

They were completed quickly because there were many dwarf technicians skilled in excavation and construction.

“Fortunately, Lamer is doing well because the city defense forces and the mercenaries of the trading company are fighting hard, but other southern cities are in a very difficult situation.”

“Are the death knights that strong? Can’t they be dealt with by Gigants?” Pavel asked.

Commander Volant sighed.

“According to reports, they avoid Gigants that are difficult to deal with by hiding in alleys and slaughtering defenseless civilians.”

“Ugh, how vicious!”

When it became difficult to chase them with Gigants, they mobilized ordinary knights, soldiers, and even mages.

Nevertheless, subduing them was not easy.

If they moved in groups, the death knights would avoid them, making it impossible to find them properly, and if they searched separately, they would be immediately attacked, increasing the damage.

“Huu, then we have no choice but to wait until the central army arrives?”

“That might not be easy either. According to the most recent message from the general headquarters, the monster that appeared in Enverie is said to be stronger than His Majesty.”

“Huh, then…”

“The higher-ups will probably prioritize supporting His Majesty the King. In fact, that’s the normal thing to do.”

King Luke was the pillar and symbol of the Symphonia Kingdom.

Even if the south was devastated, the general headquarters would try to save Luke first.

“Then, do we have no choice but to wait?”

“We can’t mobilize any more forces domestically…”

When Commander Volant said that, he and Pavel looked at each other with a glint in their eyes.

“If we can’t do it domestically, how about internationally?” Commander Volant spoke first.

“Well, I heard that the Holy Empire has only recently recovered from the zombie soldier incident…”

Moreover, as Pavel knew, the Undead Knights led by the Pope and Grand Duke Gregory were still in the Saxon region.

Even if they came, it would take quite some time.

“Shouldn’t we grasp at straws? Let’s contact them first.”

Pavel nodded at Volant’s suggestion and told the communication mage to quickly contact the Holy Empire.

Hoping to hear good news.