He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 221

“Is this the Sun’s Relic?”

A sacred object that radiated divinity.

It was the complete opposite of the undead relics I had seen before.

“Now is not the time to be lost in admiration.”

It was time to escape with it, while the darkness still held.

I worried it might shine too brightly, but surprisingly, as soon as I held it, the light dimmed to a subtle glow, as if reading my thoughts.

Reassured that there was no risk of being discovered, I held it carefully and returned to the Dark Knights.

“I have obtained the Sun’s Relic. We retreat now.”

“Yes, but where is Probius?”

“He….”

I hesitated for a moment, then concluded, “He has returned to the light.”

“…I see. He was a good man.”

Kaliel spoke with a hint of sorrow, but quickly picked up his sword, steeling himself.

The ceasefire was still in effect, the surroundings were dark, and the enemy response was slow, so escaping wasn’t a problem.

Of course, when the light returned, many of the Soul Reavers, who were busy plundering souls, failed to escape in time.

Naturally, they perished, but I had no reason to feel sympathy for them, so I ignored them.

“Kaliel, now that we have this, what should we do?”

“Probius told me everything in preparation for the worst. We must take it to Acherus.”

Having just left the Celestial Realm, I went straight to Acherus as Kaliel instructed.

The members of the underground order in Acherus mourned the death of their leader, Probius, but soon focused on what needed to be done.

“The Sun’s Relic must be returned to the core of Acherus.”

“The word ‘returned’ is interesting. Was it originally supposed to be there?”

“Yes, the place where the Sun’s Relic was located is right here in Acherus.” A follower of the underground order added.

“Acherus is the royal family’s tomb and the light that originally illuminated the abyss. Until the usurpers stole that light.”

“Then let’s put it back quickly.”

“You must do it, not us.”

“What? Why does an outsider like me have to do it?”

I wondered if they were trying to pass the task to me because it was dangerous, but they shook their heads.

“That’s not it. Now that the royal bloodline has disappeared, there is no one left who knows how to use the light of the Sun Royal Family. At least, not among the Celestial Race.”

Then he pointed at me.

“But you can use it. The light of Justia.”

With those words, everyone in Acherus knelt before me and pleaded, “Please return the light to this place, Your Majesty, Emperor of the Empire.”

* * *

The inside of Acherus was dark, but more than that, it was cold and desolate.

The cold, as well as the sensation of ‘emptiness,’ seemed to explain why this place was called the abyss. Just feeling that sensation would cause ordinary people to feel unbearable despair and isolation, driving them mad.

“Is it here?”

But I navigated that abyss without any ill effects.

Rather, my very existence was creating light there.

To be precise, the Sun’s Relic in my hand was dispelling the emptiness of the abyss.

As I pushed through the darkness, I found the core of Acherus.

The core of Acherus wasn’t really a core, but a black sphere of dark matter floating in the air.

“Let there be light.”

I instinctively muttered those words and placed the Sun’s Relic into the dark matter.

Then, the Sun’s Relic, now buried in the dark matter, emitted an intense light. The dark matter vanished along with the surrounding empty darkness, and the entire interior of Acherus was filled with light.

Even if I didn’t know for sure, the entire abyss would have changed.

Even if it wasn’t completely bright, it would have been much brighter thanks to Acherus, which had become a new sun.

According to Probius, those who lived there would regain their souls.

“Their souls will slowly recover.”

At that moment, a woman’s voice was heard from behind.

Turning towards the voice, I saw a familiar face standing there. I recognized her.

“Justia.”

“Emperor of the Empire, well done.”

“For returning the light to your people?”

At my question, Justia smiled softly.

“My people? I am the guardian deity of the Empire. My people are only the people of the Empire.”

“You were a princess of the Celestial Race.”

“A position I lost a long time ago.”

Justia did not show any particular sympathy or sense of belonging to her former people.

Rather, she sometimes expressed emotions close to hatred.

“Those who regarded their innate divinity merely as a right and were stingy in bestowing it. The usurpers were the most radical of those.”

From Justia’s point of view, it was understandable. As a member of the royal family deposed by her own people, it was no wonder she hated them.

“But the underground order was different from those people, wasn’t it?”

“You’re talking nonsense. They weren’t that different before they lost power to the usurpers. They were just a little less arrogant.”

In other words, even when the underground orders were in power, they were reluctant to bestow divine power on the races of the earth.

“The usurpers said that divine power should never be taught and tried to monopolize it. Those who were the predecessors of the underground order said that it should only be bestowed on the great warriors of the earth.”

“In that case, there’s certainly no difference.”

Those who say that slaves should not be educated at all, and those who say that smart slaves should be taught and used.

It’s foolish to argue about which of the two is better. They’re both just people who use slaves.

“My father sided with the latter. Then a rebellion broke out….”

“And it became like this. But you eventually became the guardian deity of the Empire, didn’t you?”

What happened after that? I thought of her descending on Leonis and giving him the sword.

“It’s not a very beautiful story.”

Justia said bitterly.

“The underground order tried to reclaim the heavens with the races of the earth. They weren’t really doing them any favors.”

That was the whole story. Probius had also lied to me. Or, he didn’t really know the truth either.

“But the races of the earth weren’t fools either. In particular, those with strong intelligence or those who already had divine beings to care for them did not pay attention to the insignificant favors offered by the underground order. The underground order’s attempts ended up in a ridiculous state, creating countless slaves in the heavens.”

According to Justia, the underground order was also largely responsible for the current state of the Celestial Realm.

Indeed, there was a reason why those who now occupied the Celestial Realm did not bother to subjugate them.

“Then what happened to you?”

“I also looked around for beings on earth as they wished. I wasn’t that different back then either. But then… I met humans.”

Justia spoke with a look that conveyed many emotions.

“A race that was weak, oppressed, easily corrupted and fallen, and even easily engaged in infighting. At first, I thought they were insignificant.”

“Then why did you become their guardian deity?”

Justia gave a bitter smile at the question.

“Why, I wonder?”

Why? Rather, the question seemed to create ripples within me.

“They are weak, but they get back up even when they are broken. They oppress each other, but at the same time, they have a lot of compassion. They are as jealous as they are passionate.”

What did Justia see in humans? Their good side? Or the potential they might have in the future?

Even if she saw those things, it would have been subtle to say that they were better than other races.

But one thing was certain.

“Before I knew it, I had come to love them. So I decided to become their light.”

The guardian deity of the Empire, Justia of Justice, was created in that way.

Ironically, the goddess of justice was made with love.

But isn’t that really the case? Could justice be achieved without love?

Some believe that hatred of evil will achieve justice, but just as darkness cannot defeat darkness, the essence of justice lies in loving.

Loving what is right, having compassion for the weak, and longing for what is right is what justice must be.

“Emperor, may I ask you one thing?”

“Tell me.”

“What is the Empire that you envision?”

It was a difficult question. I didn’t know what answer she wanted.

But I gave her my own answer.

“My Empire is an Empire for the people of the Empire.”

Even this answer was not a simple one.

It was an answer as an emperor, but at the same time, it was an answer from me as an individual.

Before I was an emperor, I had the memories and values of my previous life.

I had seen countries disappoint their people more than they pleased them, so it was natural for me to give such an answer.

“Then, how far does the term ‘people of the Empire’ extend?”

“I don’t know what that means. Of course, I mean those whom I rule.”

“Then, if you were to rule the Celestial Race in the future, would they be your subjects?”

I was slightly surprised by Justia’s question, but I was also skeptical.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to rule the Celestial Race.”

“You’ve already accepted the god of the Dark Knights as the god of the Empire, haven’t you?”

“That’s a different story. Their lifespans are different from those of humans.”

Not all Celestial Races are like that, but some of them live for thousands of years.

Their lifespans and cultures are too different from those of humans.

“As long as there are such differences, it won’t work to forcibly subjugate them.”

“That’s probably true. But it’s different now. My light, your light, is spreading through the heavens.”

“……!”

That’s right. Justia’s light, the light of the Imperial Soul, was spreading through half of the heavens, in what was originally the abyss.

“They will soon know. They will know that the light that surrounds them is different from the original. They will know that it can be a light for all beings.”

“Is that what you want? For them to become members of the Empire?”

Justia simply smiled at the question, but did not nod.

“That will depend on what you do.”

“There are limits to what I can do. Moreover….”

I honestly expressed my views on the future of the Empire.

“There will never be an eternal Empire.”

Even my reign is not perfect, and even that cannot last forever.

Rather, my reign was not due to an inevitable flow, but was forcibly created and patched up by an irregular being called me.

If I were to disappear, I thought it would soon scatter like a castle built on sand.

But even so, it’s fine.

Even if it is divided into dozens or hundreds of kingdoms, if they share the roots of the Empire or the people of the Empire, or if the power of humans can be maintained.

That alone would be enough to achieve what I originally intended.

“If that is your belief, then please do so.”

With those words, Justia kissed me on the cheek.