He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 212

“Is this the… Skull Lord’s relic?”

Victory. But for the Purification Order, it was not a welcome one.

They had triumphed against the unholy undead, but they couldn’t be happy about becoming members of a new empire rather than defeating them.

You could tell just by looking at their eyes as they gazed at the Primordial Coffin being moved to the Holy Temple.

It was the look of seeing something profoundly unholy.

“That’s right. The Primordial Coffin. A relic imbued with ancient necromancy.”

“It is truly an unholy power. It is not something to be kept in this Holy Temple, let alone the Imperial Palace.”

The priests subtly suggested getting rid of this monstrosity as soon as possible. But I shook my head with a wry smile.

“I can’t do that. The moment I get rid of this, all those undead will be released defenselessly.”

“To purify them all….”

“It’s just a waste of divine power, and why should we?”

Even though they are undead, they are under our control. Wouldn’t it be natural to use them?

“They can fight against the undead. No, not just the undead. They can fight against all the enemies of the empire.”

“But, that can be done with the power of the people….”

“Maybe it can. But how many of our people have to die in vain to do that?”

The more undead we use, the less blood our people have to shed.

We don’t even use the undead as expendables. If they are damaged, they can be repaired with a little effort. Moreover, they can eventually be embraced by the Imperial Soul [a concept where souls of the worthy are absorbed into a collective consciousness, enhancing the empire’s power].

All of this can be solved by simply accepting the undead legion.

“If the blood of my people can be shed even a little less, I will overlook minor unholiness.”

I stood up from my seat and walked towards the Primordial Coffin.

“Of course, this cannot become a relic of the empire as it is. This is still a relic of the dead. So, I will give it meaning. Scribe, listen.”

The scribe is an official who records all my words and actions.

I ordered him to record the following command.

“In the future, after I die, my remains will be placed in this. And by that, I will make this a relic of the empire.”

“Your Majesty!”

All the priests and holy knights present were shocked.

They couldn’t help but be so. The supreme ruler of the empire, the noblest person in the empire, had declared that he would put his remains in an unholy relic.

“If you consider this unholy, then I will purify it with my flesh and blood.”

“Your Majesty, you can’t do that!”

Everyone opposed, but I did not accept it.

“I will not accept any opposition. I order you to adapt to this. If the doctrine is the problem, then change the doctrine. If there is opposition, persuade them. I will take all responsibility.”

After saying that, I turned my gaze to Vostok, who was standing on one side.

“Vostok.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Vostok, who had sworn allegiance to me, answered politely.

“I will entrust you with the command of all the undead legions. I will also bestow upon you the title of Duke of the East in the empire, so protect this place.”

“……! You mean to entrust me with that many troops?”

“That’s right. I believe in your loyalty.”

Vostok had already been persuaded by me, and in the process of finding the balance between life and death, he found the answer in the Imperial Soul.

So, he wouldn’t betray me easily. I decided to trust him.

“I hope you will become the shield of the empire. In return, you no longer have to wander.”

You are not a dead man with nowhere to go. You don’t have to wander the cold underworld. Lead them to me. Follow me.

I will lead you to the light.

“I will follow Your Majesty’s will.”

Vostok knelt before me and swore.

“I will protect Your Majesty and the empire until this soul wears out.”

A new duke was born in the empire.

* * *

“Unfortunately, further advance will be impossible for the time being.”

“That’s right. The other death lords are already on guard.”

It was good to have defeated the Skull Lord and stolen the relic, but when the Skull Lord was defeated, the other death lords became extremely cautious.

They were not just being cautious, but were actually building fortresses and fortresses.

Necropolis [a city of the dead]. As undead cities and fortresses were being built, it became difficult to attack rashly.

The level of defense was much greater than that of the Skull Sanctuary, so the same strategy could not be used at all.

“We’ll have to challenge this side after building up more internal strength.”

The current weapon system is not enough. At least we need to bring artillery, but how far has the research progressed?

“For now, the Eastern Territory is stable, so the only urgent place is the North. Igrid, what is the situation in the North?”

After returning to the Imperial Palace, I decided to focus on the North.

It seemed that Grand Duke Hector was defending well, but it was true that support was needed there as well.

“The damage from the Great Change is not great in the North. Gates and dungeons have appeared, but most of them have been resolved by the warriors of the North. However…….”

“However?”

“The Demon King’s army is directly targeting the North.”

“……That’s a more serious problem than I thought.”

For the empire, the biggest enemy is the demons who live in the Demon World in the North, no matter what anyone says.

More precisely, it is their army, the Demon King’s army.

If they are directly targeting the North, it is much more threatening than other places.

“Fortunately, the military power of the North is full. Unless there is a full-scale invasion, they can withstand it for the time being. But recently, a troublesome problem has arisen.”

“What’s the problem?”

“The Ratmen.”

Igrid finally showed his difficulty and said.

“Those guys have built an underground city under our city. This is causing a lot of problems.”

They appear everywhere, spread diseases, kidnap people, and sometimes even collapse cities or towns.

“Then shouldn’t we clean up that place as soon as possible?”

“We are already doing that. But they keep appearing. Through the warp gates they have created. We need help destroying them.”

According to Igrid, the warp gate is not ordinary, but a kind of powerful artifact created by the Ratmen.

Not only is a powerful army needed to advance to it, but a powerful artifact is also needed to destroy it.

“So, you need me.”

Then, of course, I have to go there.

There was no reason to stay in the Imperial Palace with a heavy butt.

* * *

“Kalibaal!”

On a battlefield in the North, a northern warrior shouted and charged at the Ratmen who appeared from all directions.

“Squeak! Die!”

The Ratmen shot magic-triggered guns at the charging northern warriors.

Those who were hit in vital spots invariably collapsed, but surprisingly, most of them did not fall even when hit by gunfire.

“Squeak! Unbelievable! Why don’t you die!”

“Do you think we’ll die from just that!”

Crack!

The head of a Ratman was smashed by an angry axe.

Other Ratmen also fell helplessly one by one to the attacks of the warriors who charged head-on.

Although they were numerous, close combat was literally poison to the Ratmen, who were small and weak.

“Hoo, hoo… Cheer up, warriors. We can keep fighting.”

“They keep coming from all directions. We’ll be at our limit soon.”

“I know. But if we retreat here, the residents will die. Are you going to cowardly run away?”

“I’d rather fight to the death!”

“Then pick up your axe.”

The veteran warrior said to the young warrior. Their eyes were again directed at the approaching Ratmen.

This time, they weren’t just carrying guns. There was also a type of volley cannon called a six-barreled cannon.

Even strong warriors cannot withstand that. But the warriors did not back down.

“In the name of Kalibal!”

“Charge!”

They shouted Kalibal and made their final charge.

Thud! Thud!

The six-barreled cannon fired in bursts of three shots.

They turned the warriors into minced meat.

Even so, they did not stop.

Even with limbs flying off and large holes in their stomachs, they only moved forward with indomitable will.

Ta-ta-ta-ta-tang!

“Keuk!”

But soon the limit came. No matter how strong they were, they could not withstand the pouring barrage of bullets.

“Squeak! Stop firing. Save the bullets.”

“Kehehehe, good sacrifices. Let’s catch them and offer their souls.”

There were warriors who were incapacitated but still alive.

But the Ratmen were planning to catch them and offer them as sacrifices.

Even with their tattered bodies, the warriors grabbed their axes and tried to fight to the end.

The Ratmen just laughed at that.

“Ihihihit, it’s no use resisting-”

Shooooooooo- Kwang!

“……Da?”

At that time, a comet fell in the middle of the Ratmen’s formation.

Of course, it wasn’t a comet, but me who looked like a comet.

At the same time as the fall, fire spread in all directions. The flames of purification burned all the Ratmen, and in particular, a chain explosion occurred as it touched the black magic of the magic-triggered cannon.

“Hmm, am I not too late?”

I, who was in the middle of the explosion, leisurely looked around.

Fallen warriors, Ratmen almost wiped out in one fall.

“Squeak! What is that guy!”

“Shoot, shoot!”

The Ratmen were horrified by my appearance, but they suddenly shot their guns.

But the bullets could not reach me. It was easily blocked by a thick barrier of divine power.

Shushuk! Shushuk!

On the contrary, shadow blades stretched out and killed the Ratmen.

“Ru, run away!”

There was no need to kill them all. The few remaining guys were frightened and ran away.

I ignored them and moved forward.

“Yo, you are…….”

“Get up, warriors. It’s not time for you to fall yet.”

Drawing out the Imperial Soul, I cast a healing divine spell.

It was a healing spell that allowed even those who had reached the brink of death to get up right away.

However, those who were hit by the cannon were too damaged to be revived. Nevertheless, I was able to revive a considerable number of warriors.

“Hmm, I saved a lot.”

“……Your Majesty the Emperor.”

“Do you recognize me?”

“Yes, I saw Your Majesty from afar in the North last time.”

Did you see me then? Well, there must be more than one or two warriors who saw me then.

“It seems that the situation in the North is not as good as I thought.”

“To be honest, it’s a bit like that. They appear from all directions…….”

“That’s why I came. But I had to fly all the way here.”

The imperial influence here was also unstable, so the Throne of Prosperity could not properly send the teleport coordinates.

So I had to fall nearby and then fly. But thanks to that, I was able to save them.

“Where is Grand Duke Hector? Can you guide me to him?”

“Of course. He is now on the battlefield. But that battlefield is a bit…….”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

The warrior scratched his cheek as if he was in trouble and said.

“He is now in another world… that is, a hell dimension.”