Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 184

5. The Forbidden Gate Opens

1

Marquis Magreb, appointed commander of the Baroque Empire’s Central Army earlier this year, was a high-ranking noble from the Emperor’s faction. Though lacking extensive military experience, his leadership and popularity allowed him to quickly gain control over the military nobility.

Currently, he was in charge of the Imperial Army gathered in the capital, acting on behalf of Emperor Rudolf.

The Nemesis Imperial Army Headquarters.

In a large conference room, about twenty high-ranking nobles were seated. These were the commanders and staff of the Central, Northern, and Eastern Armies. Among them, Count Zemo, commander of the Northern Army, addressed Marquis Magreb, who sat at the head of the table.

“Your Grace, is it wise for us to remain idle?”

The Volga Republic and the Holy Empire’s armies were pouring across the now-undefended northern and eastern borders. The situation in the south was even more dire. The self-proclaimed Continental Allied Forces had advanced to within three days’ march of Nemesis.

It was a truly critical situation. However, the Baroque Imperial Army had made no significant response. For a time, the Western Army and support forces from the Kingdom of Libya held them back, but they collapsed in a single battle.

Even without the commanders and staff urging him, Marquis Magreb was acutely aware of the situation.

“I’ve petitioned His Majesty about this repeatedly. But he insists that defending the capital alone will secure victory.”

At these words, the high-ranking nobles began to voice their concerns.

“I cannot fathom His Majesty’s thinking.”

“Indeed. The Empire is as vulnerable as an orc facing a dragon, yet he says we only need to defend the capital. Are the other regions not part of the Empire?”

“Even in the capital, posters criticizing the Empire and the Imperial Family appear nightly, yet no effort is made to appease public sentiment.”

Every night, suspicious posters were appearing throughout the capital. It was the least of their worries that they detailed Emperor Rudolf’s misrule and the suffering of the Empire’s people. There were even absurd claims that the last princess of the old Kingdom of Libya, who disappeared 500 years ago, would return to punish the Baroque Imperial Family.

“Surely a princess who disappeared 500 years ago cannot still be alive?”

“Exactly. It’s clear that disgruntled elements are spreading rumors to avoid facing reality.”

“The problem is that public sentiment is volatile, and we have no way to address it.”

The alienation of public sentiment was already severe. Due to the Berserk outbreak, Rudolf’s cruel suppression of it, and the harsh taxes and forced conscription resulting from the civil war, even the capital’s citizens had lost their loyalty to the Imperial Family. Now, events were adding fuel to the fire, causing great worry. In the worst-case scenario, a rebellion could erupt in the capital.

“What does Count Voltaire say? Is he still trying to persuade His Majesty?”

“I met Count Voltaire yesterday, and he said it wouldn’t be easy.”

If even he, a long-time close aide of Rudolf and recently his father-in-law, couldn’t succeed, then frankly, no one could stop Emperor Rudolf.

“What will become of this country…”

The military nobles were unaware that Rudolf was restoring the Ruins of Time. In fact, except for the Imperial Magic Tower and a few of Rudolf’s closest aides, they didn’t even know of the ruins’ existence. Naturally, Rudolf’s current actions were incomprehensible to them.

“Can’t we take action ourselves and stop the enemy?” Count Zemo asked, pounding his chest in frustration.

“What are you saying! Moving the army without an imperial order is treason!” Count Sochi, commander of the Eastern Army, immediately opposed him.

“Who doesn’t know that? I’m saying this because I can’t bear to see my country fall apart!”

“Even so, it’s not something we can do.”

“Then are you saying it’s acceptable for the Baroque Empire to collapse?”

“Who said it’s acceptable? What I’m saying is…”

As the two commanders began to argue, raising their voices, Marquis Magreb, unable to watch any longer, slammed his fist on the conference table.

“Quiet! Everyone, be quiet!”

“S-sorry.”

As the room quieted, Magreb spoke.

“For now, we will prioritize the defense of the capital as per His Majesty’s orders.”

“Your Grace, if we do that, most of the regional cities and territories will be in danger…”

“Who doesn’t know that! I also have a large territory in the east!” He cut off the commanders who were about to retort, raising their voices, and outlined his plan.

“Instead, we will gather the territorial armies scattered in each region into one.”

“The territorial armies?”

“Yes, many territories remain unoccupied, and I know some troops remain. We will gather them in one place to stop the Volga Republic, the Holy Empire, and those outrageous Continental Allied Forces.”

Marquis Magreb didn’t know the Emperor’s intentions, but he believed an order to stop the invading forces would be issued soon.

“We just need to buy time until then.”

“However, even if we gather the territorial armies, their strength will be limited.”

They had already used all usable Gigantes [large, humanoid war machines] and cannons for the center, leaving only retired old knights and soldiers. Even with their combined forces, they couldn’t stop the enemy’s main army.

At Count Zemo’s words, Magreb nodded in agreement.

“As you said, it will be difficult. So, I plan to secretly dispatch one knight order from each legion to support them.”

According to the Imperial Army’s structure, one knight order consists of about 100 Gigantes. He was proposing to support them with these Gigantes.

Only then did the nobles, understanding Marquis Magreb’s plan, nod and say.

“Hmm, it’s not bad, but… shouldn’t we also consider how to support them covertly?”

“Of course, I have. His Majesty ordered us to focus all efforts on defending the capital, but he didn’t forbid scouting.”

“Indeed! We’ll use scouting as an excuse to dispatch the legion’s knight orders to the regional territorial armies.”

“I think it’s a good idea. I agree.”

As they reached a consensus, Marquis Magreb was about to discuss a more detailed plan, such as the list and size of the knight orders to be supported. But then, something ominous happened.

Boom! Bang!

Rumble!

Suddenly, explosions were heard from all four directions, east, west, south, and north, and the ground began to shake violently.

“Wh-what is it?!”

“What’s going on…?”

As the commanders were bewildered, not knowing what was happening, the conference room door burst open, and Marquis Magreb’s adjutant rushed in, shouting.

“It’s a disaster, Your Grace! Explosions and fires are erupting all over the capital. It seems an insurgent force has started a rebellion.”

“What? These crazy…”

What a time to start a rebellion!

Just as Marquis Magreb was about to issue an order to move out immediately, two messengers rushed in simultaneously, shouting.

“The security magic circle installed on the capital’s walls has suddenly gone berserk!”

“A monster we’ve never seen before has appeared in the sky and is threatening the barracks in the south! They’ve contacted us requesting immediate support troops!”

Marquis Magreb and the high-ranking nobles were stunned by the sudden series of events. But one thing was clear. Regardless of the reason, they had to stop it first. If the commotion grew and reached Emperor Rudolf’s ears, they would all be purged.

“Use any means necessary to suppress them, then find the ones who caused the commotion and annihilate them all.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

At Marquis Magreb’s command, the commanders and staff of each army, who had saluted, hurriedly left the Imperial Army Headquarters.

Thump, thump, thump!

“Hurry! We have to save our allies who are being attacked by monsters!”

“Catch the troublemakers who are setting fires! If they look suspicious, arrest them all!”

“Gather all the cannons! We have to catch the monster in the sky!”

Gigantes and soldiers poured out of the barracks where each legion was stationed. Their target was the areas where the commotion was taking place, mainly the outskirts of Nemesis. This left the center of the city empty.

“Hehehe, it’s going according to plan.”

Luke, who had climbed to the top of the temple’s bell tower and watched the scene, smiled knowingly. The series of commotions was his doing. The servant demons hiding in the intelligence department, including Henri, set fire to government offices and the residences of the powerful to divert attention. They had also sabotaged the security magic circle to secure a retreat, and the magic circle prepared by Jomi Mi and Karen was also activated. With these events happening one after another, the Imperial Army stationed in Nemesis was flustered and didn’t know what to do.

‘With this, only the Imperial Guard and the Royal Guard will be left in the Imperial Palace for the time being.’ Luke planned to destroy the Ruins of Time and escape Nemesis during that short window.

“Now, shall we begin?” At his gesture, Archduke Gregory and the Undead Corps members, as well as the special forces members, began to run towards the Imperial Palace. Since various units were moving around and they were also disguised as Baroque Imperial soldiers, no one stopped them. But when they were halfway there, a strong wind and a familiar wave were felt from the Imperial Palace. It was the energy of Aether [a mystical energy source].

‘Could it be that they’ve already activated the ancient ruins!’ The moment Luke’s heart sank, Karen shouted sharply.

“Dad! It’s a disaster! It seems Rudolf has already activated the ruins!”

“Damn it! Everyone, run at full speed!” Luke channeled his mana to the maximum and began to run towards the Imperial Palace.

2

Thirty minutes before Luke caused the commotion, Rudolf received the report he had been waiting for from Count Voltaire in his office.

“Your Majesty, the preparations to activate the ruins are complete.”

“Kuhuhu, is that so?” A sinister smile filled with anticipation appeared on Rudolf’s lips as he rose from his seat. Today was the promised seventh day.

“We were fortunate. If it had been just one day later, I would have executed all the mages.”

As they headed to the ruins, Count Voltaire trembled as if he had malaria at Rudolf’s words, which he had spoken casually. He could feel that his words were not a joke, but his true feelings. The total number of mages currently in the Ruins of Time was 300. They had selected the most skilled mages from the Imperial Magic Tower and called in former elders who had retired due to old age. If they all died, the Baroque Empire’s magical engineering technology would regress by two or three stages. The regression of magical engineering technology was not limited to magic or academics. It would lead to the regression of Gigante manufacturing technology, considered the pinnacle of modern war weapons. They would be unable to produce Hero-class and Knight-class Gigantes, and even existing Gigantes would be impossible to repair if they broke down. In other words, the Empire’s safety would be in grave danger.

‘He’s crazy! His Majesty is truly insane!’ Voltaire followed the Emperor, who was completely blinded by revenge, and inwardly shook his head. He could foresee the end of the Baroque Empire, which had reigned as the strongest power on the Rodisia continent for the past 500 years. He had tried his best to make the Emperor regain his senses over the past week, but his efforts had been in vain. Now, there was only one thing left.

That the ruins would function properly and everything would go as Rudolf intended.

That was the only hope for the Baroque Empire.

‘If that really happens, all the chaos and misrule that has occurred will be as if it never happened. No one but His Majesty will remember it.’

But is it really possible to turn back time?

Or is it just a pipe dream of the mages?

While Voltaire was pondering, a huge dome made of wood and canvas came into view in the distance.

The ruins, originally underground, had collapsed and been buried. During the excavation, a huge tent was placed over it to conceal the ruins’ existence.

The security was very tight, with the Imperial Knights guarding the perimeter with Gigantes [large, humanoid war machines].

As they entered the dome, greeted by the knights, they saw a sunken arena.

All the numerous workers and mages had left, and only the Imperial Guard and high-ranking mages of the Imperial Magic Tower remained.

The restored ruins of time, or rather, the time travel device, looked like a long-distance teleportation gate.

Various magic circles and magical devices were intricately connected to the large circular ring in the center and the control device that looked like a tombstone.

“How do we activate this?”

At Rudolf’s question, Marquis Kepler stepped forward and explained.

“You input the time and coordinates into this tombstone-like controller and activate the charged ether [a magical energy source].”

When the ether is activated, the ancient magic circles engraved on the circular ring will activate simultaneously, and then you can enter the circular ring.

In fact, some time-related devices were only designed by the ancients and never completed.

It is unknown why they were not completed, but Kepler and the mages of the Imperial Magic Tower had reproduced even that.

This was more out of a desire to accomplish what the mages of the ancient magic empire had failed to do than out of fear of Rudolf’s threats.

“Well done, everyone! As promised, I will grant you wealth and honor that will never run out for generations to come.”

At Rudolf’s praise, Kepler and the elders bowed their heads, inwardly relieved.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“But the ether is fully charged, right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thanks to Your Majesty’s generous provision of top-grade magic stones, we were able to complete the ether charging safely.”

“Then, input the coordinates to ten years ago, to the Imperial Palace.”

Rudolf set the time he wanted to go back to as ten years ago.

That was when the Baroque Empire was at its peak.

Hostile forces, including Luke de Rakan, were no match for them.

As Marquis Kepler entered the time and coordinates into the controller, he immediately spoke.

“Let’s strike while the iron is hot and activate it right away.”

“Now? You mean now?”

Kepler asked, startled. If the Emperor of the Empire suddenly disappeared, there would be chaos in the state affairs.

No, not only in state affairs, but the nobles and soldiers who had lost their center of gravity might scatter.

If that happened, the empire would collapse in an instant.

Count Voltaire, who was watching from behind, strongly opposed it.

“Your Majesty! Please give us at least two days, or even just one day, to prepare!”

However, Rudolf had no intention of doing so.

“If I go back to the past and fix everything, the current chaos will not happen. There is no need to think about the aftermath, is there?”

“W-Well, that is true, but…”

What if something went wrong?

But he couldn’t say that in front of Rudolf. The moment he uttered even the ‘s’ of failure, his sword would flash.

In the end, Count Voltaire had no choice but to shut his mouth.

“What are you doing! Activate the ether right now!”

“Y-Yes, I understand.”

At Rudolf’s murderous shout, Marquis Kepler closed his eyes tightly and pressed the activation button for the ether injected into the time travel device.

Whoooosh—!

The moment a wave and a strong wind blew out from the time travel device, the ancient ruins began to vibrate.

The ether, which had been in a stable state, began to fluctuate.

“How long will it take for all the ether to be activated?”

Perhaps he was excited about time travel. Rudolf asked with a flushed face.

“About one hour, Your Majesty.”

“Then, I have no choice but to wait leisurely until then.”

‘Damn it, it has to succeed…’

Unlike the relaxed Rudolf, the mages, including Kepler, were inwardly burning with anxiety. They had not been able to conduct a test run due to lack of time.

If the time travel device stopped midway or failed to activate, Rudolf’s anger would surely be directed at them.

Thus, the time travel device, carrying the wishes of many people, began to operate to open the forbidden gate.

3

“What are those?”

The Imperial Knights guarding the main gate of the Nemesis Imperial Palace looked puzzled at the group of soldiers running towards them.

“They look like the Eastern Army… There’s an Elder Knight at the front.”

A senior knight, who was examining the soldiers, spoke.

“Did the Commander request reinforcements from that side?”

“No, we didn’t.”

They had heard through messengers that there was a commotion in various parts of the capital, with explosions and monsters appearing.

It was possible that they had requested reinforcements to strengthen the defense of the Imperial Palace, but if that were the case, the higher-ups would have told them.

But they had not heard anything.

“Something seems suspicious.”

“Report to the higher-ups first, and stop them right away…”

That was when the senior knight was speaking.

Swoosh— Thud!

An arrow, flying with a sharp sound, pierced his head.

Scarlett, who had just shot the arrow, fired another arrow and brought down another Imperial Knight.

“That’s quite a skill. But as a princess from the land of bows, I can’t lose.”

As if a sense of competition had arisen, Princess Jaye started to draw her bow, and the Yemaek warriors following her also fired arrows.

Thanks to the sharpshooters who never missed, the Imperial Knights at the main gate were annihilated before they could do anything.

“We need to go and open the gate…”

“There’s no need for that.”

It was Hwang Bo-sung who pushed aside Scarlett and Princess Jaye.

He gathered his inner energy into his fist, which was pulled back, and then forcefully thrust his lightning-flashing fist towards the main gate.

“True Thunder God Fist!”

Kwaaaang—!

The energy, carried by the lightning, flew like an arrow for 100 meters and shattered the main gate of the Imperial Palace, which was made of thick magical alloy.

Archduke Gregory, who was not easily surprised by anything, exclaimed in admiration at the terrifying power.

“That’s really amazing. With that kind of power, he could smash a Knight-class Gigante in one blow.”

“Yes, it’s actually that powerful.”

Hwang Bo-sung replied with a pleased smile at Gregory’s admiration, who he thought was the second strongest person after Luke on the Rodisia continent.

Although there was a disadvantage that the attack was too linear, the speed and formidable power of the energy covered that disadvantage.

“Count Hwang Bo-sung, how about we talk about martial arts later? We are in a situation where every minute and second counts.”

“Ah, I apologize, Your Majesty.”

Luke, who had reprimanded Hwang Bo-sung, ran into the broken gate.

Perhaps they had heard the sound of the main gate being smashed, the Imperial Knights stationed throughout the Imperial Palace swarmed out like bees.

“An intruder has appeared!”

“Report to the higher-ups quickly…!”

Perhaps because they had been reinforced during the war, the number of Imperial Knights that appeared before them was greater than expected.

Of course, whether it was in the hundreds or thousands, Luke was confident that he could annihilate them all.

But what was important to him now was not defeating the enemy, but destroying the ruins that had begun to operate.

He had no time to be held back by these small fries.

“Your Grace, please take care of the rear. The situation is urgent, so I must go ahead.”

Before Gregory could answer Luke’s request, Jo Mimi stepped forward.

“Please leave this place to me.”

“Your Highness?”

“Yes, I can handle this much.”

She replied with a confident face.

Luke did not want to entrust a dangerous mission to the princess of an allied nation.

However, he could not help but admit that it was a needless worry after seeing the ability that Jo Mimi showed right after.

“Universal Samadhi Mudra, Great Vajra Wheel Mudra, Outer Lion Mudra…!”

As she scattered small stones on the ground and quickly chanted a spell while making hand seals, the stones glowed and quickly swelled up.

And about 100 stone giants, about 3 meters in size, took on a complete form.

“Hehehe, these are the guardians that have been passed down in our imperial family. I am the only one who can control them.”

The source of Jo Mimi’s confidence was these guardians.

‘Guardians?’

As far as Luke knew, in the Southern Continent, guardians were similar to a mage’s familiar [a magical creature bound to a mage].

The problem was the appearance of the stone giants that Jo Mimi had created.

The facial features and equipment did not look like they were from the Southern Continent at all.

With their distinct features, plate armor, shields, and large swords, they were typical knights of the Rodisia continent.

Most noticeable of all was the double-headed lion emblem engraved on their breastplates and shields.

‘That is…?’

It was not only Luke who recognized the emblem.

The Imperial Knights who had rushed to stop them also looked startled.

“T-That is…!”

“It’s the emblem of the old Kingdom of Libya!”

“Could it be that the rumors that have been spreading in the capital are true?”

Since the Baroque Empire was the successor to the Kingdom of Libya, they knew the emblem of the old Kingdom of Libya.

A princess of the old Kingdom of Libya will appear and punish the Baroque Imperial Family!

The Imperial Knights recalled the rumors they had heard recently.

The higher-ups had strictly forbidden them from being swayed by such nonsense, and even from mentioning anything related to it.

Whether it was a false rumor or not, the Imperial Knights could not just let rumors that insulted the Baroque Imperial Family go unpunished.

So the Imperial Knights pretended not to know, even though they did.

Frankly, it was such a ridiculous rumor that they did not take it seriously.

But now, stone statues that looked exactly like the knights of the old Kingdom of Libya had appeared!

“Was that rumor a trick by the Libyans?”

“No, their emblem is different!”

Shaykan, or rather, Leikart, had founded a country by borrowing the name of his maternal family’s old kingdom.

However, he used a dragon, which was no different from the Baroque Empire, as the royal emblem.

This was not only to boast of his Draconian lineage, but also to assert that he was the true successor of the Baroque Empire.

In any case, the Imperial Knights had no time to think about what was going on.

The stone guardians were rushing at them.

The stone guardians, who spoke in clumsy voices after seeing the armor of the Imperial Knights, mercilessly slashed the Imperial Knights with their swords or struck them with their shields.

Jo Mimi was startled.

These guardians were not mere stone dolls. Though they were not talkative, they were beings with emotions.

However, it was unprecedented in history for them to show such agitation, bordering on fury.

‘What’s going on?’

The guardians were created by combining spirit magic, secretly passed down within the Imperial family, with necromancy based on ancient arts.

It was said that the souls of actual, highly skilled generals were used.

Moreover, they were not just any generals, but the Heavenly Generals who had assisted the Celestial Empress Myeongtae, a celestial maiden who appeared to aid Emperor Jinjong during the Rebellion of the Eight Kings.

‘Could it be that the guardians had some connection with their ancestors in their past lives?’

Only Luke could answer Jo Mimi’s question.

However, Luke was already gone.

In a hurry, he had led another detachment to the location of the ruins of time before the guardians began their battle.

4

“Intruders have entered the Imperial Palace!”

“They are not to be trifled with! Deploy the Gigantes [large, humanoid war machines] at once!”

As the situation at the main gate was reported, the Imperial Guard quickly responded.

The Baroque Empire’s Imperial Guard was divided into three organizations based on skill and duty: the Gold Guard, the Silver Guard, and the Iron Guard.

Among these, the most skilled Gold Guard was guarding the ruins along with the Emperor’s personal guard, so it was the Silver Guard and the Iron Guard that were actually defending the Imperial Palace.

Usually, the Iron Guard was in charge of guarding the main gate and patrolling, while the Silver Guard was in charge of defending the buildings within the Imperial Palace and escorting the Imperial family and other high-ranking officials.

Upon receiving the urgent report from the Iron Guard that the main gate had been breached, the Silver Guard, who had been stationed in each building, mobilized to help.

“Damn it, what’s with this sudden chaos!”

“Tell me about it. The country has been going to hell lately, and now even the Imperial Palace… Keok!”

A Silver Guard knight, who had been complaining with his comrade, suddenly screamed. An iron arrow was lodged in his neck, and it looked like he was beyond saving.

“There, the enemy is there!”

The Silver Guard knights, having located where the arrow had come from, looked in that direction.

They saw a group of about a dozen people, led by a red-haired woman dressed in Imperial army attire, drawing their bows from atop a building.

Swoosh! Ping—!

“Kyak!”

“Don’t just stand there, block with your shields or take cover!”

The power of the arrows was tremendous, as if they had gathered only master archers. They accurately struck the gaps in the helmets and armor.

In particular, the red-haired woman’s arrows were even more terrifying, piercing through steel shields and armor alike.

Sometimes, three people were pierced and killed by a single arrow.

Because of this, the Silver Guard was busy hiding behind nearby stone statues, building walls, and pillars.

“Damn it, that’s a Bow Master!”

A person who has reached the pinnacle of archery is called a Bow Master.

It was said that even elves, who were known for their archery skills, found it difficult to reach such a level, yet there was a human who had achieved it.

“Call the archers immediately!”

“No, a War Mage would be better.”

The Silver Guard was in an uproar, but before the War Mages and archers arrived, the intruders subtly retreated.

They were very familiar with this kind of guerrilla warfare.

“There’s no need to engage in a frontal battle. Don’t forget that our role is just to draw the enemy’s attention and disperse their forces.”

Scarlett, having emphasized this to her subordinates, drew her bow and shot an arrow while running.

Swoosh—!

Her arrow flew into the sky.

A War Mage, who had flown into the sky to assess the situation after hearing the news of the sudden change in the Imperial Palace, was startled by the sudden arrow.

“W-what!”

He hurriedly dodged, but was hit in the leg by Scarlett’s arrow.

“Aaaagh!”

‘Tch, did I miss a little?’

Just as Scarlett was about to draw her bow again, an arrow from another direction pierced the War Mage’s head.

She turned her head slightly and saw someone waving at her from the other side. It was Princess Jihye and the Yemaek warriors, who were in charge of luring and dispersing the enemy, just like Scarlett.

She nodded in thanks and then thought as she ran.

‘It’s going to be difficult to keep hitting and running like this… I wonder if His Majesty has reached the ruins?’

The group that had left Jo Mimi in charge of the rear had split into three groups to disperse the enemies coming from all directions.

Not only Scarlett’s guerrilla unit and Jihye’s Yemaek warriors, but also Shirley and the special forces knights were using the Gigantes that Luke had taken out of his subspace bracelet to carry out the disruption operation.

It was said that it was impossible to use space magic due to the powerful interference magic spread across Nemesis, but it seemed that Luke had found a way.

‘But according to Henri, the forces deployed at the ruins of the Imperial Palace are the strongest… I wonder if Hwangbo-seong is alright.’

Scarlett was in love with Hwangbo-seong.

In fact, they had been hostile at their first meeting.

She had been in a position where her father’s territory of Albertville had been taken away, and Hwangbo-seong had come as a subordinate of Luke, who had been appointed as the new lord.

However, it turned out that Luke had a connection with her teacher, Erenes.

After joining his command, she quickly became close with Hwangbo-seong. As she was from Albertville in the Holy Empire, she was in a similar position to Hwangbo-seong, who was from the Southern Continent.

Feeling a sense of camaraderie, Scarlett developed feelings of love.

Hwangbo-seong also seemed to have feelings for her, and when he returned from the Southern Expedition last time, he had even obtained a specially made horn bow and given it to her as a gift.

When he gave her the special horn bow, he said this:

“I met my father when I went to my homeland. When I told him about you, he was very happy. The day His Majesty achieves his goal is not far off. When that time comes, the work of warriors like us will also decrease. How about opening a martial arts school together and training the next generation?”

Although he had subtly changed the subject, it was a proposal.

Scarlett had gladly accepted the proposal.

‘This time, His Majesty will even eliminate Rudolph. Then he will achieve his goal…’

“Captain, ahead!”

At her subordinate’s words, Scarlett quickly regained her senses.

A huge Gigante had appeared in front of her.

It was a Knight-class Gigante made by the Baroque Imperial Magic Tower, and the insignia of the Silver Guard was engraved on its breastplate and shield.

“Retreat inside the building!”

“Yes!”

Even if they didn’t know the rider’s skill level, a Gigante was not an opponent that could be dealt with by shooting arrows.

So Scarlett’s group immediately retreated into a nearby building. They thought that they wouldn’t be able to attack recklessly because there were people working in the Imperial Palace inside the building.

However, the Gigante pushed its way in, regardless of whether the Imperial Palace building was destroyed or not, and swung its greatsword to attack.

Thud! Kwaaang!

‘Damn it, we’ve become rats in a trap!’

Scarlett blamed herself for making the wrong decision.

However, the greatsword that was falling towards her subordinates flew in the wrong direction.

A familiar Gigante that had appeared from behind had cut off the Silver Guard Gigante’s arm with a huge halberd.

“It’s Baroness Shirley’s Orion!”

“We’re alive thanks to you.”

Shirley, who had slaughtered the Silver Guard Gigante with a halberd for Gigantes, gave a hand signal to Scarlett and her subordinates, who were giving her a thumbs up, to be careful before retreating.

She had sensed an enemy Gigante approaching from behind.

Thump thump thump!

She taunted the 10 Imperial Guard Gigantes approaching her by flicking her fingers.

“Heh, try to come at me! Shirley de Cail, the traitor of the Baroque Empire, has arrived!”

Shirley’s shout, which echoed loudly through the communication device, startled the Imperial Guard, especially the Iron Guard members who had been under her command in the past.

“Shirley de Cail?”

“That damn mixed-blood traitorous bitch!”

The Iron Guard had suffered greatly due to Shirley’s defection.

Those who had been close to her, like Ferrero, had been imprisoned or exiled to the outskirts, and even those who were not very close had to undergo harsh interrogations to prove their innocence.

Therefore, they could not maintain their composure.

“Die, you mixed-blood bitch!”

Three Iron Guard Gigantes charged fiercely at the same time.

However, the moment Shirley’s Orion’s halberd drew a white arc in the air, all three had their breastplates shattered and fell to the ground.

No matter how skilled the Iron Guard members were, they were only Sword Expert level.

They could not defeat Shirley, who was a Spear Master.

“Tsk tsk, you have the spirit, but your skills are terrible. If I had known this, I would have gone to take Rudolph’s head.”

“Ugh! That bitch…”

The Imperial Guard Gigantes, who had been hesitating and retreating after seeing three of their own being destroyed in one blow, became enraged and charged.

This kind of fighting was happening all over the Imperial Palace.

Due to the actions of the small but highly skilled Symphonia special forces, the Imperial Guard could not focus on the number one thing they had to protect.

Thanks to this, the main force of the special forces led by Luke arrived near the ruins without much resistance.

“It seems to be there.”

“Yes, it seems to have been going on for quite some time.”

As Archduke Gregory spoke, looking at the huge dome in front of them, Luke frowned and nodded.

Originally, they had planned to find the ruins with the guidance of Shirley, who knew the structure of the Imperial Palace well.

However, there was no need to do so because the ruins, which were already activated, were emitting ether [a magical energy].

“It seems like quite a few formidable enemies are gathered there.”

“Even so, we must break through. It will be irreversible if the ruins are fully activated.”

“Indeed, whatever it is, we can’t let something happen that Rudolph would like.”

Gregory, agreeing with Luke’s intention, turned his gaze towards Karen.

“Princess, please return my Gigante.”

“Okay.”

Karen immediately formed a spirit magic hand seal and summoned Veda.

Unlike space magic, which was heavily restricted within the Imperial Capital, spirit magic had no restrictions on its use.

Luke, who had boarded the Avenger first, charged towards the dome where the ruins were located, along with Hwangbo-seong, who was riding a wooden ox, and Archduke Gregory.

“Follow His Majesty!”

“Undying Legion, charge! Don’t fall behind the Symphonia knights!”

Thud thud thud!

As the special forces charged in, the Gold Guard and the personal guards, who had already discovered the enemy and gathered, began the battle, leading with their Gigantes.

They knew that intruders had entered the Imperial Palace.

Nevertheless, the reason why they did not mobilize, unlike the Silver Guard, was because of the Emperor’s strict order to thoroughly protect the ruins.

“Kill the intruders!”

“Long live the Emperor! Glory to the Baroque Empire!”

The Gigantes of the Gold Guard and the personal guards boldly confronted the Avenger and the Gigantes of the special forces that were charging in like a storm.

However, those who had shouted bravely soon began to scream.

“Kuaaaak!”

“D-don’t retreat!”

The Avenger, ridden by Luke, the strongest Rune Knight on the continent.

And on his left and right were Veda, the guardian of the Holy Empire, Archduke Gregory, and the Fist Sage Hwangbo-seong’s wooden ox.

The moment they swung their greatswords and threw their iron fists, more than a dozen Gigantes were reduced to scrap metal in the blink of an eye.

Erewyn and Karen helped Luke at the front and the special forces members in the second line by casting attack magic from behind or deploying support magic.

While providing magical support, Karen closely examined the state of the ruins.

‘It has been activated, but it’s not too late yet!’

There was still some time left before it was fully activated.

They could stop it.

They could prevent the birth of ‘another hell’.

With a light of hope in her eyes, Karen accelerated the ether globe, which had been converted into a mana circle, even faster to manifest more magic.