Became The Son Of The Final Boss [EN]: Chapter 267

267.

“Vera!”

Olivia personally led the knights.

I scanned the surroundings with a heavy heart.

This place was no longer the Empire, but more like a fractured kingdom coalition.

The southern part of the Empire was once famous for its beautiful natural environment.

There were many places considered scenic wonders, and the cities each had their own distinct characteristics.

Now, that southern Empire was nowhere to be found.

Everywhere I looked, it was filled with Undead.

There were no traces of humans, and the few remaining were just criminal groups obsessed with looting, using the Undead as tools.

The southern Empire was a land without a nation.

‘Damn it.’

I barely swallowed the harsh words.

The situation was far more dire than I had imagined.

“Your Highness.”

It was Gail.

Gail, who had been silently leading the Knights, was standing by my side today because Olivia took the lead.

“I heard he was a righteous friend.”

Gail’s face turned bitter.

Having actually met Karen and talked with him for a long time, Gail must find Karen’s transformation hard to believe.

After all, he was someone who had met the righteous Karen.

“His corruption must be because of the Purifying Flames Order, right?”

Gail shook his head at my words.

“He is someone capable of choosing his own path in life. The ignorant citizens of the Empire may be swayed by the Purifying Flames Order’s propaganda and fall for their wicked schemes, but Karen is not someone who would be deceived by such tricks.”

Gail was firm.

“It is a path he chose himself. Just because he was righteous in the past does not mean his current actions can be justified.”

“That’s right.”

Gail gripped his sword tightly.

“If I have the chance to end his life, I want to do it myself.”

Gail felt responsible for the series of events, partly because he had recommended Karen to me once.

I spoke softly.

“Okay.”

Realistically, Gail is no match for Karen.

After becoming a Sword Master [a highly skilled swordsman], Gail’s progress had been slow.

Of course, that was only compared to those who showed extraordinary growth rates, like Olivia and me.

Reaching the realm of Sword Master is an incredible achievement in itself, and growing further from there is extremely difficult.

Gail didn’t get discouraged or take reckless gambles to forcibly raise his level.

Instead, he constantly worked hard, growing slowly and steadily.

I valued Gail, who had always silently stood by my side, more than anyone else.

“Let’s go.”

Olivia and the knights had cleared out all the Undead for now.

Ken approached from behind.

“Your Highness.”

“Are there more Undead?”

“No. Let’s rest here today and continue marching tomorrow.”

“Hmm.”

I pondered for a moment and then agreed with Ken.

“Alright. Set up the encampment.”

“I’ll deploy some soldiers separately for purification work.”

“Purification work?”

“Yes. If we leave the land like this, it will never recover. We need to burn all the Undead corpses and plow the land.”

At those words, I summoned all the spirits.

“If you work with the spirits on the purification, it will be finished more quickly, so hurry.”

“Yes.”

The spirits spread out in all directions, driving away the dark energy.

The soldiers gathered the fragmented Undead corpses.

It was incredibly grotesque to gather only the heads.

Some couldn’t help but gag.

I also turned away from the disgusting sight.

The Fire Spirit ran and set fire to the Undead head fragments.

Smoke rose from everywhere.

Once all the tents were set up, I went inside my tent.

With Duke James gone, Gail filled the empty spot.

Olivia and Ken also gathered in one place.

I asked Ken.

“How far away are they?”

“We should be able to catch up with the rear of Karen’s forces in about three days.”

It really wasn’t long.

“Then shouldn’t we send scouts ahead to check the current state of Karen’s forces?”

Ken replied.

“Scouting Karen’s forces could reveal our exact location. It would be better to send scouts to the gate that Karen is currently attacking.”

“It would be good to leave it to Hamilton.”

If it was important not to be detected by the enemy, there was no one more suitable than Hamilton.

“Yes.”

“Send Hamilton to the gate to accurately assess the current frontline situation.”

Olivia opened her mouth.

“While breaking through the south, I realized how bad the current situation is. I think we should send someone to the Imperial Palace as well.”

“To the Imperial Palace?”

“Yes. Right now, the Order is hardly helping with the war. I heard that the Pope met with His Majesty, but they are only preparing for the battle with the Demon King. The Order is more specialized in restoring the land devastated by the Purifying Flames Order than in fighting battles.”

Ken agreed.

“That’s right. The Kingdom Alliance has become a land of death, and the southern Empire is in a similar situation. However, while the Kingdom Alliance is inaccessible because the Demon King is stationed there, the southern Empire is different.”

I nodded.

“Send someone to the Imperial Palace and ask them to send the Order’s priests to the south.”

“That is the right decision. The Kingdom Alliance is destroyed, but the Empire is not. If we want to think about the aftermath of the war, it’s better to move quickly from now on.”

At Ken’s words, I turned my gaze to Gail.

“How is the morale of the knights?”

They had seen so many terrible things on the southern front.

Unlike battles with fairies, battles with Undead are more mentally exhausting for humans.

“Yes. The knights’ morale is higher than ever due to the continuous victories.”

At Gail’s words, I clapped my hands.

“Good. It’s three days now. The time the Purifying Flames Order has left in this land.”

* * *

Karen bit his lip tightly.

For Karen, who had been on a winning streak until now, the two defeats were very painful.

In particular, the fact that he couldn’t cross the gate with the Imperial capital of the Empire within reach caused great anger in Karen.

“Damn it.”

At his uncharacteristic harsh words, the priests around him flinched.

One of the priests opened his mouth.

“High Priest, don’t worry too much. The gate will be breached soon.”

“The source of evil, the Emperor, is desperate for revenge for the last defeat.”

“The magician is more of a problem than the Emperor.”

Karen knew it too.

‘The Emperor is more of a problem.’

He thought he could win if he faced the magician Lilian alone.

‘It’s my first time facing a 9th circle magician [the most powerful mages], but I can handle it. The problem is that we don’t have anyone on our side who can face the Emperor.’

Neither the priests nor the Undead were a match for the Emperor.

The Emperor was not only skilled in swordsmanship but also proficient in magic and spiritism, demonstrating strong power in area attacks.

Far more barbarians and Undead soldiers died from the Emperor’s magic than from the magician Lilian.

“I can keep the magician busy. The problem is the Emperor.”

At High Priest Karen’s words, the priests who had been complaining about the magician shut their mouths.

“If the magician starts rampaging, we will be annihilated. The magic of a 9th circle magician… is by no means easy.”

“Why isn’t the High Priest who went to the Holy Land coming back!”

“The God has already descended, but there is no change! We must send someone to the Holy Land even now.”

Karen nodded.

“I agree with that point. It is certain that the God has descended… but there is no calling for us.”

Wasn’t the descent of God what they had so desperately desired?

They believed that if God descended, this dirty continent of evil would be purified.

In reality, there has been no news from God since the descent.

Then, did God not descend?

Karen and the priests knew.

The High Priest had clearly succeeded in bringing God down, and part of the sky was already stained with God’s power.

“One of the priests should go to the Holy Land in person. I will take care of this place.”

The priests’ faces hardened.

They also knew it in their hearts.

The High Priest was probably dead.

There was a high probability that he died in the aftermath of God’s descent.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense that there had been no contact so far.

They were people who believed in God more than anyone else, but they couldn’t avoid the suspicion that was rising in one corner of their hearts.

Is God really our God?

At this point, the priests’ doubts were growing enough.

A God who doesn’t answer.

The High Priest who disappeared.

Continuous losing battles.

Clearly, until recently, the Purifying Flames Order boasted the best momentum.

“Who would be good to go?”

At the words of one of the priests, everyone looked at each other.

Karen was frustrated.

‘It was easier when the High Priest was around.’

The High Priest had no fear.

His faith was firm.

They were saving their own lives as the situation became slightly unfavorable.

“Then, will you take charge of this battlefield while I go?”

Karen’s voice became somewhat sharp.

The priests couldn’t do this or that.

Karen eventually made a decision independently.

“Except for the two who will control the soldiers of God, everyone go to the Holy Land. Go and listen to the words of God.”

The priests swallowed sighs.

Karen left the camp without hearing an answer.

The gate was visible in the distance.

His heart grew heavy as he looked at the densely lined Imperial soldiers.

How did it come to this?

The purification of the continent, led by the Purifying Flames Order, was right in front of his eyes.

‘I didn’t even think about the existence of a 9th circle magician.’

He had inwardly prided himself on being the strongest on the continent, but the power of evil was by no means easy.

After defeating the Emperor, the magician Lilian appeared.

‘I should have killed the Emperor then.’

Not killing the Emperor on the southern front became a regret for eternity.

If it weren’t for the Emperor, he would have easily crossed this gate.

Lilian was a tricky existence, but fighting her one-on-one was not difficult for Karen.

If he, who had reached Grand Sword Master [an extremely skilled swordsman, even beyond Sword Master], focused only on Lilian, Lilian would not be able to use magic elsewhere.

‘The gap in power is so great. The soldiers of God… are too weak.’

Karen felt regret at the lack of absolute power.

If there were only a thousand Death Knights, he could have tied up the Emperor.

Karen pondered deeply.

He researched how to fight the next battle to cross that gate.

‘It’s a big problem that the liches [undead spellcasters] can’t use magic. When the battle starts, the 9th circle magician uses dispel, and all the liches’ magic is blocked. I have to stop that first.’

If even the liches could play a proper role, the situation would change.

Karen felt lonely again.

There was no one by his side.

When the High Priest was there, he had many discussions with him, but now he thinks alone and decides alone.

The sight of the Imperial soldiers laughing and chatting on the ramparts came into view.

Karen exclaimed, “Ah.”

Are they… really evil?

Are they the ones polluting the continent?

A streak of doubt seeped out from within Karen’s heart as well.

He turned his gaze from the ramparts to the camp.

“Kueooo.”

“Let’s roast one of those and eat it.”