Emperor Of Steel [EN]: Chapter 141

9. Unexpected Gains

“Kuh-erk! How could I be defeated…!?”

Beymon, with half of his upper body, including his left shoulder and arm, blown away, staggered as he fled. He had believed that, aside from his master Arsen, no one in the world could match him. Thus, the unexpected blow from a mere child was utterly shocking.

Beymon glanced back to see if Karen was pursuing him. Fortunately, the brat was nowhere in sight. However, perhaps due to the shame of being frightened by a child, anger surged within him.

“Grind! That damned little girl! I’m retreating for now, but next time, I’ll tear you to shreds!” He vowed that once he healed from this injury, he would exact the most brutal revenge imaginable.

As Beymon fled towards his subordinates, he encountered someone along the way. He was startled to recognize the person’s face.

“You, you are!”

The young man, glaring at him with a bitter gaze, was Luke, the King of Symphonia. Luke, equally surprised, spoke in a cold voice.

“Do you remember who I am?”

“Yes, I saw you at the border of the Kingdom of Castia during the Magic Tower War.”

Beymon continued, his expression resentful. “Hmph, if I had known that the mercenary I briefly encountered four years ago was a descendant of the hero Rakan, I would have never let you pass.”

If he had known that the hero’s descendant would become his master’s greatest concern, he would have dealt with him no matter what. Luke chuckled at Beymon’s outburst.

“It’s already in the past, so what can you do? Rather, shouldn’t you be thinking about how to escape your current predicament? You can’t possibly defeat me in that miserable state.”

“Hah! I can easily defeat the likes of you with a single finger. Because…” Beymon paused, then straightened his back and raised his voice proudly. “My true identity, Beymon, is the legendary Demon King Seymon!”

‘Is he still believing he’s Seymon?’ Looking at Beymon’s bluster, Luke felt a mix of contempt and displeasure. The real Seymon was him. Yet, this creature, cobbled together by Arsen as an undead monster, was impersonating him!

“You’re Seymon? Then you must know who you cherish the most.”

“Of course. The one I cherish and am most grateful to is… my master and the great transcendent, Lord Arsen!”

‘…As I thought.’ If even 1 percent of Seymon’s soul remained, he could never give such an answer. Luke, with a wry smile, said, “You’re a fake. The real Seymon would never follow Arsen like that.”

“What?”

“Arsen killed the person Seymon cherished most in the world. In other words, they are mortal enemies.”

“Th-that can’t be…” A blurry image of a woman flashed before Beymon’s eyes. It was a remnant of a memory from his body, triggered by Luke’s words. However, Beymon, brainwashed as Arsen’s guardian, continued to deny Luke’s words.

“Hmph, don’t lie!” Fwoosh! Beymon, extending his right hand towards Luke, unleashed a powerful flash of light magic. It wasn’t just meant to blind him. He had a card he believed in.

“Are you trying to call your subordinates? Too bad, I’ve killed them all.”

“Wh-what?!” Luke, shrugging at the bewildered Beymon, slowly repeated his words, raising his voice. “I said, I’ve killed them all.”

“… !” Beymon’s heart sank. Now that he thought about it, it was strange. Despite sending several signals with flash magic while retreating, he hadn’t seen any of his subordinates. Something must have gone wrong.

“Did you think you could do anything to me with your lackeys? Didn’t Arsen tell you about me? About my power and my abilities?”

“Sh-shut up! He must have told you! I can easily defeat the likes of you with a single finger…”

“You still haven’t come to your senses. You’re far weaker now due to your injuries than when we first met. And yet, you think you can defeat me?” Luke’s assessment was accurate. Beymon’s power was less than half of what it used to be, due to Karen’s Million Impact Sphere. In fact, it was a miracle that he had survived that attack.

“My master is the great transcendent, Lord Arsen. He can turn your country into hell in an instant. Are you trying to challenge him knowing that?”

“Pathetic. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” Luke, not wanting his past body to be further disgraced, extended his hand and gathered his magic power. A powerful gravity magic pressed down on Beymon.

“Kuh-erk!” The moment a groan escaped his lips, Luke unleashed his next spell. “Black Bind!” Whirr! Whirr! Beymon, slammed to the ground, was instantly entangled by the black tendrils summoned by Luke.

“This is Black Bind? H-how do you know this…?” Beymon knew from rumors that Luke had learned black magic. But he never imagined that Luke would have mastered Black Bind, which he thought was his own specialty.

Facing a desperate crisis, he looked at Luke and asked, “Surely, the noble descendant of the hero wouldn’t absorb a demon king like me, would you?”

“It has nothing to do with bloodline.” After all, Beymon’s body was originally his. He intended to absorb all of the monster’s magic, every drop of blood, and every piece of flesh.

“N-no! I can’t die like this!” As his body’s power was being drained, Beymon struggled desperately. However, there was no way for Beymon to escape this situation. His hands, scratching at the ground, became skeletal over time, and his fear-stricken face withered like a mummy.

Crackle! Eventually, his body, drained of all life, crumbled like a cookie. The finely broken remains were completely absorbed by Luke.

“Hah, does this mean I’ve regained my lost power and body?” The amount of magic he gained was less than expected. This was because Beymon had little magic left due to the injuries he sustained from Karen. However, there was a greater gain than magic, which was the improvement in his physical abilities. And it wasn’t just that he had become physically stronger.

Fwoosh! Whoosh! Luke cast a 1st circle fire magic. The small flame that emerged from his fingertip burned much more fiercely than before. “As expected, the reaction is much faster.” Perhaps because it was the body of a pure mage, one who was once called a demon king or a dark sage, his body’s reaction speed in handling magic and black magic had improved. Moreover, the efficiency of his magic had also increased significantly.

“I’ve gained an unexpected benefit. But who injured this guy to this extent? Was it Reina?” He assumed it was possible with her divine power. However, he didn’t think that she, who was not accustomed to fighting, could have defeated an undead monster that could easily overwhelm an 8th circle archmage.

‘Anyway, I need to hurry. I’ve already delayed too much.’ Worried about Reina, Luke quickly flew towards the location where he sensed the ether.

Shortly after, Luke arrived at a narrow alley. Due to the aftermath of the battle, the surrounding buildings were all collapsed, and bloodstains were clearly visible everywhere. On one side, corpses with their faces covered by handkerchiefs were lying down. Injured people, moaning softly, were being treated by Reina.

“Reina!”

“Ah, you’re safe!” Reina, seeing Luke, shed tears of joy and hugged him. After carefully checking her for any injuries, Luke belatedly burst into anger.

“I told you to retreat if anything dangerous happened!”

“But I couldn’t help it because I was worried about you.”

“Huu, you’re really a troublemaking Pope.” At Luke’s sigh, Victor and the escort knights nodded in agreement. Baroness Bertier, still harboring resentment, even tattled.

“Your Majesty, Her Holiness treated you as if you were almost dead. She insisted on recovering your body, and we couldn’t stop her.”

“Recover my body… No, do you not trust my abilities that much?”

“Even sword masters can die from stray arrows, you know.”

“How dare you look down on me! My skills are beyond that of a sword master!”

‘Ugh.’ Karen, who had been dozing among the injured, opened her eyes at the loud noise. She had been resting after defeating Beymon, exhausted, but somehow her dad had come and was having a marital spat with her mom.

‘Surely, they won’t get divorced over this, will they?’ She worried that history might be twisted again, but thankfully, there were no more arguments. It was all because they were worried about each other.

“Anyway, are those corpses the members of the Undead Order who died in the attack?”

“Some of them are, but there are also those who attacked us and we had to kill them.” Luke was startled by Victor’s explanation.

“Attacked? By the Undead Order?” The Undead Order was the bulwark of the Holy Empire and the Pope’s personal guard. Indeed, judging by their attire, they were all paladins of the Undead Order. But how could they attack the Pope?

“They are members of the 4th Division who were dispatched earlier and survived, but they treated Her Holiness as a fake, as if they were being used for something.” Those who were captured alive had just returned to normal. This was because Beymon, who had manipulated them with mind magic, was dead, but there was no way Reina’s group could have known that.

“Wh-what have we done…?” “Ah, Elkasel! [A deity in this world] Forgive our sins!” The paladins of the 4th Division of the Undead Order, remembering what they had done, burst into tears and lamentations. Reina approached them and comforted them.

“Don’t blame yourselves too much. You were merely brainwashed by a wicked person. And now, it’s urgent to eliminate those who caused this.” Luke, watching her with a pleased expression, noticed a girl who was slowly backing away and was surprised.

“Karen! You’re Karen, right?” Karen, who was trying to slip away, thinking the matter was settled, was caught by Luke’s hand as he rushed towards her.

“Why did you disappear without a word? And what are you doing here? Did Nanda bring you here?” Luke asked a series of questions while examining Karen’s body. When she disappeared, she was in such a precarious state that she looked like she was about to die. But now she was fine, and it seemed like she had grown a bit taller than when he had seen her before. However, a significant amount of ether was detected from her body, causing Luke to tilt his head in confusion.

“Is that child’s name Karen?” Luke nodded at Reina’s question, who had approached him. “Yes. She saved me when I was in danger before.”

“I see. She saved me this time. The one who seems to be behind this incident revealed himself and attacked…” Luke was shocked to hear the whole story from Reina. Who had defeated Beymon? It was Karen!

‘No, now that I think about it, it’s not that strange. According to what Hwangbo Seong-kyung said, this child is considered the only hope, a genius mage in the original future.’ It seemed that she had recovered some of her power, perhaps thanks to Nanda. She probably knew about the future, so she came to save Reina. Although this zombie incident was not supposed to happen, she could have inferred that Arsen was behind it from her future experiences.

“Anyway, I’m so glad you’re safe and healthy. You don’t know how worried I was about you.” At Luke’s words, filled with joy, Karen unconsciously smiled and held her father’s hand tightly. She had felt it when she fought alongside her mother earlier, but she knew that blood ties were not easily broken, and that they were connected in any situation.

Boom! Fwoosh! Luke, who had been caught up in the heartwarming atmosphere, snapped back to reality at the explosion he heard in the distance.

“What is that sound?” At Reina’s question, Luke spoke his thoughts.

“It sounds like the Holy Empire army is fighting the zombies.”

“That can’t be. I clearly issued a retreat order.”

“Do you think Grand Duke Gregory would have listened to that order so easily?”

Luke knew that Gregory was the type of person who would rush into a zombie den, no, even the demon realm, to find the Pope.

Thinking about how Gregory must be fuming made him smile.

“Interesting. A Pope who doesn’t listen to her husband, and a Holy Empire army commander who doesn’t listen to the Pope. A very fitting relationship between lord and subject.”

“That’s too much! You don’t have to go that far!”

“Hahaha. Too much? Did I say anything wrong?”

When Luke looked around at the paladins, Viktor and Bertier, among others, nodded vigorously as if in agreement.

“Anyway, I’ll go check on the Holy Empire army’s situation, so stay here and wait. And don’t wander off again.”

“Yes, please hurry back.”

“Karen, I’m counting on you to look after Reina.”

At Luke’s request, Karen nodded as if to say she understood.

Luke, having patted Karen’s head, used Fly magic and flew south towards the Holy Empire army.

Due to the surprise attack by zombies that poured out from all directions, the Holy Empire army charged into Bremen to save the Pope.

Constantine and Count Marquez couldn’t help but be flustered by their reckless momentum.

They had judged that the Holy Empire army, having been ambushed, would retreat to a safe area first.

So, they had secretly set up gunpowder and fire magic circles at the expected points and deployed numerous zombies as ambushes around them.

They had planned to inflict fatal damage when they retreated, but the Holy Empire army instead pushed into Bremen.

“Advance! We must find His Holiness the Pope!”

“Do not fear the zombies! Even if you become zombies, His Holiness will save you!”

Their courage and fighting spirit, which arose spontaneously to not lose hope in the Pope, rather than from someone’s orders, could not be stopped by zombies.

The zombies that stood in their way began to crumble like sandcastles under their fierce charge.

Constantine’s faction tried to stop the Holy Empire army, which was surging in like an angry wave, by any means possible.

However, there was no suitable way to respond.

“Hurry and call the zombies at the ambush points and the Gigant units in the city! We can’t hold out like this.”

“Understood, brother!”

Count Marquez, who had gone out to deliver the order, returned shortly after with a pale face.

“T-This is terrible! The Gigant unit deployed around the Great Temple has been completely destroyed.”

“What? What on earth happened?”

According to a follower who had gone out to scout, a Gigant had emerged from the Great Temple, which had collapsed due to an explosion, and annihilated the Gigant unit that was lying in ambush.

“O-One unit annihilated an entire force?”

“Yes! Moreover, the enemy Gigant unit that was with it is attacking the rear of the zombie forces, and the Holy Empire army is flooding into the city like a tide.”

“This can’t be happening… !”

Constantine was furious that things were unfolding in the exact opposite way he had predicted.

But he thought that this was not the end.

He still had a reliable card up his sleeve.

“Call Beymon! Tell the Gray Friars priests to stop their advance!”

If they could buy time, they would win.

The number of zombies at the ambush points alone was over 100,000.

Moreover, unlike humans, zombies do not get tired.

At Constantine’s instruction, Marquez tilted his head and said,

“Beymon, you say? He went out with the brainwashed 4th Undead Corps members to catch the fox woman.”

“Tell him to come back immediately! Is the magic communication device just for playing marbles?”

At Constantine’s urging, Count Marquez ordered his mages to send magic communications to Beymon and the Gray Friars priests.

However, none of them responded.

“Why the hell aren’t these guys receiving the magic communication!”

Marquez had no idea that Beymon and his subordinates had all been killed by Luke.

‘Could it be that they used us? Have we become useless now?’

Such a question suddenly arose.

However, Marquez immediately shook his head.

Who in the world could turn zombies back into humans?

Not even the Pope, who was called the apostle of God, or Beymon, whose identity was suspicious, could do that.

Marquez believed that Constantine had obtained the true power of God, and he did not think that Beymon would easily abandon them.

‘Still, the situation is not good right now. If the Holy Empire army occupies the city and conducts a massive search, we’re finished.’

Constantine had the tremendous ability to control zombies or turn them back into humans, but that was all.

Moreover, the Gigant unit in the city had been annihilated, and it would take time for the zombie unit hidden at the ambush point to arrive.

After strategically analyzing the current situation, Marquez immediately went to Constantine and said,

“Brother, we must leave Bremen immediately!”

“What? What about Beymon?”

“Strangely, we can’t contact him or his subordinates. Let’s get out of here before something more troublesome happens!”

Constantine, sensing that the situation was unusual, led his followers out of the base they were using as a command post.

However, by the time he made the decision to retreat, it was already too late.

The Holy Empire army had already pushed to the front of the base.

“T-This is bad! Stop them!”

Keeeek!

Kikikiki!

As soon as Constantine’s order was given, hundreds of zombies guarding the final defense line blocked the Holy Empire army.

“No, those are… !”

Grand Duke Gregory, who was leading the troops at the front, was startled by the sudden appearance of the zombies.

The zombies blocking their path were, judging by their uniforms, the soldiers who had been sent to Bremen as the advance party.

However, his hesitation was only momentary.

Having made up his mind, he immediately gave the order.

“Charge! Sweep away the zombies!”

“Wait, Grand Duke!”

It was when the Undead Knights were about to move upon receiving the order.

Luke, who had flown in hastily, stopped him, and Gregory was surprised.

There had been a huge explosion near the Great Temple.

Yet, he was completely unharmed!

Gregory could feel that Luke’s power had reached a truly astonishing level.

“You are safe, Your Majesty. Have you perhaps seen His Holiness the Pope?”

Luke nodded and said,

“I just met him. His Holiness the Pope is safe. I will take care of these zombies.”

Having finished speaking, Luke switched his Ether Glove to Black Circle [a magical artifact].

And he deployed black magic to control the undead.

Whoooosh!

The purple light that spread from Luke’s body enveloped the zombie soldiers, and their movements stopped as if it were a lie.

Not only did they stop, but they also moved to the sides of the road as if to let them pass.

“They won’t attack anymore.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief.”

The riders and soldiers controlling the Gigants [large, powerful war machines] were already very tired from having to break through the relentlessly attacking zombies without rest.

In that situation, Luke’s help was more than welcome.

Unlike the rejoicing Holy Empire army, Constantine, who was watching this from afar, gritted his teeth at the power Luke had just displayed.

‘Ugh, who is that guy? Where did he suddenly come from and take control of my zombies…’

“There are suspicious guys over there, catch them!”

At the shout of an Undead Knight who had discovered them, Constantine and his followers were startled and began to flee hastily.

However, escape was not as easy as they thought.

As if they had been waiting, the Gigants of the Symphonia Royal Knights, led by Hwangbo Sung, were blocking the road ahead.

“Damn it, we’ll escape into the city’s underground!”

“They might be the ones controlling the zombies! Capture them!”

Hwangbo Sung and Grand Duke Gregory gave the order at the same time.

‘Damn it! Why did things suddenly turn out like this!’

The plan was perfect.

When the Great Temple was destroyed and the Holy Empire army was attacked with the hidden zombies, the plan seemed to be succeeding.

But he couldn’t understand the sudden reversal of the situation.

Constantine, grinding his teeth, began to run deep into the dark underground waterway, avoiding the pursuing paladins.

“Huff! Huff!”

Constantine navigated through the underground waterway.

Marquez and the subordinates who had been following him were nowhere to be seen, having scattered along the way.

Instead, only the shouts and footsteps of the paladins chasing them could be heard from all directions.

“There! He escaped that way!”

“Heeek!”

When the voices of the paladins were heard not far away, Constantine started his tired legs again.

‘Why… why am I, as the messenger of God with the power of God, the one who will become the master of the new world, being chased like this?’

How long had he been lamenting like this?

It was when he turned a corner where the underground waterway bent.

Someone appeared before Constantine with a faint lamp.

“Wh-Who are you!”

Constantine, startled, took a step back, and the other person spoke in a gentle tone.

“There is no need to be afraid. I am the one who has come to take you.”

At his words, Constantine examined the other person.

Although his appearance was a bit unusual, he let out a sigh of relief at the sight of his long, gray attire.

‘Is he a priest of the Gray Friars [a religious order]?’

In fact, if he had taken a closer look with a little more composure, he would have noticed that there were some differences in the attire.

Of course, Constantine, who was being chased right now, did not have the luxury to do so.

“Did Beymon send you? Where is he now?”

“He has returned to where he was originally supposed to be.”

‘Returned? Where to?’

But there was no time to think.

The noise of the paladins chasing them was getting closer and closer even at this moment.

“A-Anyway, get me out of here right now! Take me to your leader, Beymon!”

At Constantine’s urging, the old bald priest, who had been silent for a moment, nodded with a gentle smile on his face.

“I understand. Then, take my hand.”

Constantine quickly grabbed the hand that the bald priest offered.

Whoosh!

Then, the surrounding scenery changed in an instant, and instead of the narrow and dirty underground waterway, a desolate cityscape appeared.

‘Is it teleportation magic?’

The priest had displayed magic that only high-ranking mages could use, but Constantine did not find this strange.

He already knew that the Gray Friars priests used magic.

In fact, the mages of the Royal Magic Tower of Artenia were also priests who had studied magic.

“Where is this? It seems like it’s still Bremen…”

“People will be coming to pick you up soon.”

Constantine, who was bewildered by the bald priest’s words, soon felt his heart sink when he saw the people who appeared from the opposite alley.

Because Veronica III and Grand Duke Gregory were standing at the front of them.

“Your Holiness, you must never leave us behind and do dangerous things again.”

“I understand. I will never deceive the Grand Duke again… Huh? Who are you?”

The two, who were chatting as they walked out of the alley, were startled when they discovered Constantine.

As far as they knew, Constantine had escaped into the complex underground waterway.

Since Marquez, who had been captured first, had testified to that, they thought he was still wandering deep underground while being chased by the paladins.

But here he was, out on the surface!

“Hieeek!”

Constantine screamed and tried to turn around and run away.

But he could not move even a single step.

Because the man standing next to the Pope had rushed forward and blocked his path.

“Y-You are Lef…?!”

“I am also Luke de Rakan, the king of Symphonia.”

Clang!

Luke, who had pointed his sword at Constantine’s neck like lightning, smiled.

Because he had finally met the person he had been looking for, the one who knew the key to solving this situation.

(To be continued in Steel Emperor Volume 16)

The Golden Apple’s Creative Space