Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 163

Creating Subordinates to Build a Human Empire 165

A Small, Round, Purple Jewel

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Ethemos.

An old god referred to as a researcher, creator, or artist.

He has many titles, including the Lord of Creation.

As if to prove this title, he created many monsters.

Grrr…

A monster guarding the five old gods.

A monster with a form that seemed to be modeled after a demon.

That was also one of Ethemos’s creations.

– Aesthetic senses differ from race to race, I suppose.

And there were not just one, but hundreds of creations.

Monsters with different shapes stood next to the demon.

– That’s too hideous. Edar, don’t you think so too?

The pendant trembled, conveying Tiamar’s thoughts.

Edar chuckled at her words and nodded slightly.

“Indeed.”

– You’d better focus on developing aesthetic senses rather than trying to capture my children.

Tiamar scoffed at Ethemos.

The reason he appeared with his group was obvious.

He intended to capture subordinates and create copies of them.

– I wonder what kind of expression he’ll make when he realizes it’s an impossible dream.

“We’ll see.”

She vaguely knew the identity of the subordinates.

She had been watching Edar create subordinates every few hours.

Even if she didn’t know about the ‘Subordinate Creation’ skill, it was easy to guess that he was creating subordinates with an unknown power. Moreover, the act of creating subordinates didn’t consume magic power, nor did it consume anything else.

– Even Father can’t create something from nothing.

So she was certain.

Even the Lord wouldn’t be able to understand the principle.

Even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to imitate it, she thought.

“He doesn’t know it’s impossible, so his expectations must be high.”

– Right. Ignorance is a sin. Because he doesn’t know, he’s swayed by desire.

Tiamar conveyed her thoughts again with a smile.

– Ethemos, his desire lies in creation.

“So he’s obsessed with principles he hasn’t created, principles he doesn’t know.”

Moreover, Ethemos had the best craftsmanship among the old gods.

A being with both desire and ability, and yet there’s something he doesn’t know?

Then he would surely try to find out.”

There had been reports that several subordinates on external operations had been attacked.

The reports also stated that the attacking group was a strange monster, different from other races.

Through the reports, Edar realized the culprit and their purpose.

“The missing subordinates are his doing. He must have taken my subordinates to find out how they were made. But there’s no answer from the dead subordinates.”

– He must have thought the material was wrong or insufficient, right?

“Yes. His personality makes ignorance an unbearable pain.”

Edar cut off external operations to prevent him from obtaining materials. There was no reason to foolishly throw bait when the enemy was clearly targeting the subordinates. Also, knowing the enemy’s purpose revealed how they would act.

“This expedition is also an opportunity for Ethemos. A chance to obtain a large amount of material. He won’t want to miss this opportunity.”

The prediction was correct.

A monster smiled behind Ethemos.

Because there were so many materials to stimulate his desire.

He scanned the subordinates with greedy eyes.

“Gehard, Raimondo. Help your brothers.”

Edar sent out the subordinates who had been withdrawn from the battlefield.

Kwang!

At that moment, the battle resumed.

Ethemos’s demon-like monster swung its axe.

It swung the axe that had been thrown at Mersephone at Calliope, and she dodged it, but two subordinates next to her couldn’t avoid it and were cut in half from the waist.

“······.”

While her brothers’ upper bodies were falling to the ground, Calliope plunged into the monster and bisected it as her brothers had been.

Swish! Thud!

However, the monster did not die. Although the upper bodies of the two subordinates fell to the dirt floor, the monster didn’t shed a drop of blood, and the wound healed immediately after the blade passed through.

– Capture her!

As Ethemos forcefully spread his thoughts, other monsters rushed at her. As hundreds of monsters targeted her alone, she retreated, cutting off the reaching hands.

“How long are you going to watch!”

Codkievitz, Pirrolini, and Karakol, the three corps commanders, led the subordinate corps and clashed with the monsters. They abandoned the orcs and goblins they had been fighting until just before.

It was because they knew Ethemos’s aim. They knew that he was targeting Calliope, wanting to use not only her but all the subordinates as materials for his creations.

“Don’t fall behind! Don’t move independently! The enemy’s goal is to hunt us!”

Ethemos’s monster was stronger than the undead raised with magic power or the orcs mutated by baptism [a ritualistic process]. However, it was not enough to face the subordinates.

Because Ethemos had not been active in the abyss for long, he didn’t have enough ‘good materials,’ according to him.

“You— little— rats—!”

At least that demon-like monster could be said to have good materials, but that was it. It had only taken the initiative against Calliope and Mersephone, and couldn’t overwhelm either of the two subordinates.

It was only able to heal wounds and strengthen its body with the blessing of the old god. When the three corps commanders coordinated their attacks, it was unilaterally pushed back.

– What the hell did you make? It’s just big and useless?

– Has your hand rusted from being in the abyss for too long?

Kimon and the four other old gods sneered.

– Tsk, what can you do when the materials are low-grade? Are you in a position to complain to me? You couldn’t even use the slaves I made for you properly.

The four old gods fell silent at Ethemos’s criticism.

– You guys just bring the materials! If you don’t want to be swept away by the Lord like Barmet! Offer the materials so I can make slaves. Bring the humans here, the Emperor’s creations, capture them alive!

The old gods reluctantly moved at his command. They reached out to capture the subordinates who were hunting Ethemos’s monsters.

– What’s the big deal with this?

– Got it!

They used magic to bind them, grabbed their necks, and hunted the subordinates to fulfill Ethemos’s wishes.

“Be careful!”

“Ugh···!”

“Armel! Armel’s been captured!”

In response, the subordinates adopted a different tactic than before.

Before, they would have recklessly thrown their bodies [sacrificed themselves].

But now that they knew the enemy’s goal was to capture them alive, they protected each other and responded flexibly to prevent the goal from being achieved.

They were not afraid of death, but they did not throw themselves recklessly, and they fought against the old gods while exchanging thoughts and coordinating.

– Slippery bastards···!

– Capture them! I said capture them!

The old gods and Ethemos’s monsters, plus the orcs and goblins.

Enemies stronger than them and more numerous than them rushed to capture the subordinates. The situation was that they were isolated in the middle of the enemy, and a huge wave was engulfing them.

“These impious beings!”

To protect them, the humans advanced.

The first to move were the monks of the Gongyo Church.

They knocked away orcs and goblins with the maces in their right hands, smashed their heads with the scriptures in their left hands, and chanted hymns.

“Father, Father, my Father!”

“I call your name in distress!”

“Grant salvation and accept me!”

Rahel led them on a horse soaked in the blood of orcs and goblins. The horse, which was originally white, was a mix of green and red, and no white was visible at all.

“Louder! Shout louder! So that the enemy fears our devotion!”

When she swung a flail with three iron balls once, the head of a mutated orc, who had grown close to a giant after being baptized, exploded. The monks admired her martial prowess.

“Oh, oh!”

As those who were crazy about faith began to make way, the soldiers of the Empire followed.

“You bastards! Aren’t you ashamed!”

The soldiers had been struggling against the orcs and goblins.

The human soldiers felt embarrassed by the enemies who were running towards the subordinates, leaving them behind.

But soon they were surprised that the Emperor’s warriors were surrounded by the enemy, angered that they were trying to hunt them, and felt humiliated that they didn’t care about humans at all.

“Look! At the enemy turning their backs on us! If they truly considered us enemies, there would be no such treatment!”

“Are you just going to watch like this? Are you just going to watch the Emperor’s descendants fighting isolated from the enemy!”

“Humans are not prey!”

The officers shouted provocations at the front.

The shouts erased the hesitation that remained in the humans.

They planted fighting spirit in the place where hesitation had disappeared.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!”

The humans ran like a wave, shouting rough cries. The humans, who had been protected by the subordinates, now threw their bodies at the enemy to protect the subordinates.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Long live the Empire! Long live the Human Empire!”

There was no tactic in the soldiers’ movements. One soldier shoved a bayonet into a goblin’s chest, another shot an orc in the back, and another fired a siege cannon right next to them.

“H, humans! Humans are coming!”

“Kill! Kill all the alien races!”

The enemy could not ignore the humans because they were rushing in with madness in their eyes. If they fought them, the encirclement would weaken, but if they didn’t fight them, the encirclement would break.

Alien races and humans, a gap that would not have been matched originally. Even if ten humans rushed at one orc, it was a gap that they could not win with their bare bodies, but the humans had gunpowder weapons and blessings.

As the subordinates did, if the soul did not leave even if the neck was cut off or the heart exploded, the human god drove away death several times. The gap that could not be narrowed by fighting spirit alone was narrowed by repeated resurrections.

“Humans! Don’t die! Humans! Don’t die!”

“Long live the Emperor!”

The orcs and goblins were so intimidated by the sight.

Even the baptized mutants were pushed back in fighting spirit.

– Pathetic bastards! Capture at least one! At least one!

Ethemos was angry. His thoughts were filled with impatience. It was because he realized that his wish was getting farther and farther away.

– There are humans everywhere! The Emperor has so many dolls, why can’t you catch even one! Don’t fight, cooperate!

When he saw 3,000 subordinates, he had expectations.

How many of them would fall into his hands? He came to this place with expectations, but he had not captured a single subordinate alive. There were dozens of corpses, but the subordinate he wanted was a living subordinate.

– The dead ones are enough! Capture the living ones!

He was running wild. Just as Edar and Tiamar had predicted. Because he had discovered a work that surpassed his skills, he threw himself recklessly, knowing the danger, with the expectation that he might be able to reveal the secret of the work.

Even if he lost all the works he had made after coming out of the abyss, it would not be a loss if he could know the secret of the subordinates. Because the subordinates were a work beyond what he wanted.

But he was accumulating losses without gaining anything.

– I finally caught··· you damn it!

The subordinate he thought he had finally caught took his own life.

Ethemos distorted his expression fiercely and resented.

– Vicious bastard!

When the old gods and monsters thought they had caught a subordinate, they received concentrated attacks.

The subordinates did not hesitate to sacrifice themselves to save their brothers and sisters, and when they managed to shake off the attacks and capture a subordinate alive, they stopped breathing.

It was a truly cruel response in the eyes of the old gods, who had a vague concept of death.

– It’s really perfect··· If I could make these··· It’s really perfect···!

The tide of the battle was turning rapidly.

The tide that Ethemos had turned for a moment was turning back to the Empire’s side.

Time was definitely not on Ethemos’s side. Of course, he knew it too. But it was not an easy choice to retreat without achieving anything he wanted and losing all the cards he had.

“E—themos—!”

He even lost the only work he had made with decent materials.

The three corps commanders butchered the monster. Even if it rose from the dead several times like the subordinates, the end would come.

When Gehard joined, leading the Emperor’s Imperial Guard, the damage could not be sustained and he died.

“You guys are still far off.”

Gehard swung his greatsword and cut the monster vertically from head to crotch.

He and the corps commanders felt their strength increase even more immediately after hunting the monster.

“Gehard, you caught what we had already caught.”

Gehard felt sorry for Pirrolini’s sneer and rushed at the remaining enemies.

The orc and goblin forces collapsed, and only a very small number of monsters remained. The only remaining enemies were the five old gods.

Calliope and Mersephone were fighting with the four old gods, coordinating their attacks. Only Ethemos was far away, trying hard to catch the subordinates and repeating failures.

“······.”

Calliope and Mersephone did not exchange a single word, but their coordination was perfect. They helped each other in their respective crises without looking at each other, and they moved so exquisitely that it seemed dangerous to those who did not know.

– Don’t interfere!

On the other hand, the old gods did not coordinate with each other.

The fact that the two subordinates could face the four gods was due to the blessing given by their master and the power gained from hunting Barmet and several old gods, but the fact that the old gods were in great discord and interfered with each other was a major factor.

– Keuk!

– Get out of here!

The old god, Kimon, found an opening and tried to attack Calliope, but at the same time, another old god who had found the same opening collided with him.

It was because they were trying to attack the same place at the same time that their movements became tangled.

– I told you not to interfere!

Tiamar laughed at the truly pathetic sight.

It was the problem of the old gods, who were born on their own and lived alone.

Fzzzt···!

The problem was not only that.

The old gods could not easily use magic power.

The flow of magic power was disturbed, so they could not fully exert their power.

They realized that it was Edar’s interference.

The human Emperor looked down from afar as if observing.

But there was no time to approach him and stop his tricks.

Because the subordinates in front of them would not let them go.

“Die, you false race!”

In this situation, the subordinates, monks, and imperial troops who had dealt with Ethemos’s monsters joined one after another.

The old gods realized that the time had come to retreat and stepped back.

– Ethemos!

– Damn it! You said there was only one!

Ethemos spat out curses and retreated. It was regrettable and regrettable, but he could no longer endure it. He suppressed his desires and dealt with it rationally.

Sss···

A gate opened with a rough gesture.

But it closed before it could even fully open.

– What are you doing!

Kimon, who had hastily stepped forward, shouted. His foot was cut off as the gate closed. That was not a big problem for the old god, but the reason why the gate closed was the problem.

– I didn’t close it.

– What?

The old gods asked back like fools.

– The Emperor, that human closed the gate.

The gods sighed.

– We have to choose another way besides the gate.

– Are we just going to run away?

He said another way, but it was just running away.

It was just another way of saying to turn their backs and run away.

The five old gods frowned, but there was nothing they could do.

– Then? What are you going to do? If you stay here, you’ll be sealed like Barmet.

They believed that Barmet and the old gods he led had been sealed.

– To the abyss again? Damn···.

The gods ran away, recalling the most terrible pain after death.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

The subordinates did not let them go.

Codkievitz stabbed a spear deep into the back of an old god.

Thwack!

– You, you little bug!

He collapsed and then stood up, knocking out Korkievitz.

The other gods were no different.

In a situation where the flow of magic power was being disturbed, what they could do was limited.

Running away by kicking off with both feet was not much different in speed from the subordinates.

Rather, the encirclement was only narrowing because the escape was slowed down by knocking out the rushing subordinates.

The five old gods could not even run far and stopped.

– I don’t want to go to the abyss again.

– I thought I was finally free, but you’re telling me to go back?

– Ethemos, is there no other way?

Ethemos did not answer. He glanced at the sky, and the dark clouds that had been scattered during the battle were gathering. He recognized the owners of the magic power and smiled.

Rumble— Kwang!

Thunder and lightning struck.

Then, golden light emanated and blocked the lightning.

A hemispherical light appeared above the heads of the subordinates and humans.

The lightning struck several times, as if trying to break the sphere.

The humans waited inside, praying to the Emperor.

– Karkas!

– Ooh···!

The old gods recalled the owners of the magic power and admired them.

There was also the most powerful of those who had been liberated from the abyss.

Sss···

But they were wrong.

The help their comrades gave was a small opportunity.

A gesture to stabilize the flow of magic power for a moment.

Only Ethemos realized that fact.

He also realized that there was no time to tell his comrades.

So he abandoned the four old gods and fled beyond the gate.

– Ethemos!

– You traitor!

He crossed over so precariously that the feathers behind his crow’s head were cut off as the gate closed.

“Oh, dear.”

“We missed one.”

Raimondo and Gehard clicked their tongues.

“It can’t be helped.”

It was a situation where they had missed a fish they had already caught.

But the remaining gods felt a sense of incongruity in the subordinates’ attitude.

It was clearly a situation where they should have been disappointed, but it wasn’t that kind of tone.

As if they knew it would happen or as if it had gone as they had intended.

The subordinates smiled and approached the remaining gods.