He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 213

“A hell dimension? How did you end up there?”

“That is…”

The northern warrior scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed, and then answered me.

“You know how those Ratmen are using warp gates to attack from all directions. Their underground cities are popping up everywhere.”

“And?”

“The problem is that these underground cities are connected to the hell dimension. Hell’s demons are constantly pouring out from there.”

Oh, great.

It’s not just the warp gates that are the problem?

I had a feeling that things might be more complicated than I thought.

“Then, would you guide me? I need to see him right away.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

Anyway, I needed to meet him first.

Soon after, guided by the warriors, I descended into the underground city created by the Ratmen.

“It’s called an underground city, but it’s basically a huge rat hole.”

I was expecting something like the dwarf cities I had seen before, but thinking about it, that didn’t make sense.

There’s no reason to put so much effort into a place built under the enemy’s city for terrorist purposes, and it would be difficult to build anyway.

“Still, it’s not something to be ignored. They use these rat holes to do all sorts of things. Kidnapping people is basic, and they spread epidemics… In severe cases, they’ve even caused entire cities to collapse. Several cities have already fallen victim.”

“This is the capital, so it’s fortunate that it’s still intact.”

“It was a close call here too.”

Of course, the Ratmen also tried to collapse the northern capital, but they barely managed to stop them.

“Here it is. There’s a dimensional portal like this in every underground city.”

After a while, at the edge of the Ratmen’s underground city, we reached a dimensional portal burning with ominous green hellfire.

“It’s surprisingly quiet right now?”

“That’s because His Excellency the Grand Duke’s army is stationed on the other side. Other places… aren’t as quiet as here.”

I see. If there are countless places like this, they would need countless troops. The Grand Duke must have had a hard time.

“Let’s cross over right away.”

But now I’ve arrived.

What will hell be like?

* * *

Hell was more two-sided than I thought.

There was no concept of day here. The sky was always pitch black without a single star.

Instead, there were flames everywhere. Only those flames created the light and warmth of hell.

“Ugh, it’s cold. I need to take care of my business and leave quickly.”

The nights in hell are cold. No, hell is always cold. Because of that, the soldier who had strayed slightly from the garrison to relieve himself wanted to hurry back.

“Ah, that’s refreshing… Huh? I suddenly feel warmer?”

“That’s fortunate. Human.”

“……!”

A voice suddenly rang out from behind.

The soldier quickly turned around, but the one who had taken him by surprise was even faster to grab his neck.

“A, a demon…!”

A demon that looked as if it was burning with hellfire.

Its form, surrounded by flames, inspired an incomprehensible fear in humans.

“Human, are you afraid?”

The demon asked. But the soldier couldn’t answer.

Soon, the soldier’s body began to burn.

“Ugh, aaaaaah…!”

His body was burning, but he didn’t die. His body didn’t even burn away. He only felt the burning pain.

The demon wanted fear. It wanted the fear of helpless humans.

“Ah….”

The soldier watched as the garrison burned.

Before he knew it, demons were attacking the garrison. Screams and shouts were mixed together.

“I’ll ask again. Are you afraid, human?”

“I, I’m….”

Fear had already stained the soldier’s heart. It was not a fear that a mere soldier could handle.

“There’s no need to resist. Accept the fear. Tremble helplessly in fear. And become our daily sustenance.”

The demon smiled contentedly and spoke mockingly. The soldier could only close his eyes tightly.

“I’m….”

“No, there’s no need to be afraid.”

Thwack!

The moment the soldier was about to answer, I intervened and cut off the demon’s arm.

“Huk….”

“Stand up, soldier. The demon was only trying to subdue you with fear.”

“But the garrison….”

“Pull yourself together and look again.”

“Uh…?”

At my words, the soldier looked back at the garrison, but the garrison was fine. There were no demons flying around, and it wasn’t burning.

“Your pranks are cruel, demon. Was this worth it?”

I asked the demon whose arm had been cut off. But he didn’t seem particularly embarrassed even with his arm cut off.

“Humans are weak. They only hide that weakness under the name of courage. Stripping away that layer of courage and revealing fear is so much fun for us demons.”

Whirr- Whirr-

Flames blazed from the severed part of the demon’s arm, and his arm regenerated.

The demon smiled even more sinisterly in the flames.

“That’s disgusting.”

“Oh, do you think so? But there’s a race similar to us. Do you know who that is?”

“Who is it?”

“It’s the kings and emperors like you.”

“……!”

The demon made a surprisingly accurate point.

Who else enjoys fear and terror as much as demons do, except for kings?

Like the saying, if you can’t give love as a ruler, then give fear, kings have done so throughout history.

A benevolent and wise ruler? Even they are nothing more than ordinary people without the authority established by reverence for the king.

“You call yourself the leader of humans and are called an emperor, but all your actions are just self-satisfaction.”

“I won’t deny that, demon. Half of the words like guardian are just deception. But-”

Clang-

“At least I won’t let someone who doesn’t wear a crown spread fear.”

Thud-! Thwack!

This time, I cut off the demon’s head.

But the demon was still smiling even as his head was being cut off.

“How amusing, human emperor. Then I, Balthazar, will look forward to the time when I can compete with you.”

Whirr-

The demon turned into flames and disappeared.

“Tch, it won’t be easy to escape next time we meet. Damn guy.”

I stared at the place where he disappeared and then turned my gaze to the soldier.

More precisely, I looked at the person who had come with the knights before I knew it.

“Your Majesty, it’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while, Grand Duke Hector.”

The Grand Duke, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, looked a little older.

Was he overworked because of recent events? Well, thinking about it, it was understandable.

“You’ve come all the way to a place like this and are suffering.”

“Are you talking about this, Your Majesty? Your Majesty, you have come all the way here.”

“Well, haven’t I always wandered around here and there?”

In hell, there was a huge canyon of unquenchable flames.

I looked at the flames burning in the canyon and talked to the Grand Duke.

“I thought the empire was stabilizing a bit, but the Great Cataclysm came. But thanks to it, I realized who the empire’s true enemy is.”

“The Creator God… are you talking about him?”

“Yes.”

Even though he was stationed in the north, the Grand Duke would have heard the news about the Creator God.

The Grand Duke nodded and said.

“I apologize for saying this… but he is truly a fearsome enemy.”

“He hasn’t done anything specific yet. But it’s not because he’s powerless. He’s probably regained his strength by now.”

Quite some time has passed since the God’s Dice was unsealed.

The guy who had only been watching until now would now have a different response.

“The enemies in each region… I’ve defeated them once. But now the counterattack will come.”

The Beast King of the Western Territory, the Celestial Race of the Southern Territory, and the Undead Lords of the Eastern Territory.

Even if they are cowering now, the Creator Gods will soon support them. I would if I were them.

“But the biggest enemies are still the Creator God and his direct subordinates.”

“The Demon Race.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

For the empire, they are like irreconcilable enemies. Those who cannot live under the same sky. Those people were the Demon Race.

“It’s impossible to punish them now, Grand Duke. It’s hard enough just to defend.”

“……Unfortunately, that’s true.”

“But it’s coming soon.”

Soon, when the empire is ready, when all the enemies of the empire that are closing in from all directions are judged, and only the enemy in the north remains.

“Then we attack.”

For the first time in the empire’s history.

We can plan an attack on the Demon Race.

That alone was a great opportunity that we couldn’t even have imagined until now.

“You will also be at the forefront then, Grand Duke Hector. Will you do that?”

“Of course, Your Majesty. But Your Majesty will surely be at the forefront with us.”

“Of course. Have you ever seen me back down?”

I chuckled and said quietly, and the Grand Duke sighed softly and said.

“……Please take care of your health.”

* * *

“The demons are cooperating with the Ratmen’s invasion.”

“It seems so. They’re connecting the hell dimension to the underground cities. Is that why demons are appearing too?”

“Yes, but that’s secondary. If that was all, I wouldn’t have come all the way to the hell dimension myself.”

The expectation that the problem in the north would be more complicated was correct.

The Grand Duke soon told me the real reason for the hell expedition.

“The driving force behind the warp gates created by the Ratmen is not ordinary magic. They are using the magic of hell.”

“So, the demons of hell are supporting them for that?”

“Yes, to be precise, it’s not so much support as… they feel forced to do it.”

“Forced to do it? Are they not in cahoots?”

There was also some good news. The demons of hell and the Ratmen weren’t that close.

“Yes, the demons of hell and the demons of the Demon World have the same origin, but they are divided into hell and the Demon World.”

“The original is probably hell… Well, is it like jealousy that the derivatives are doing better?”

“It’s similar. Anyway, the demons of hell don’t particularly like the Ratmen, who are the minions of the Demon Race.”

“Then why are they helping them?”

“Perhaps the Creator God has intervened.”

Well, if there is someone who can mediate between those races, it is only him.

“So, the goal of this expedition is to block the demons of hell from supplying the Ratmen with the magic of hell.”

“Okay, I understand that. But is there a way?”

It is absolutely impossible to conquer the hell dimension.

The empire does not have the capacity to pour in that much manpower or resources, and it will be difficult to create in the future.

“There is.”

But even so, the Grand Duke said there was a way. And the Grand Duke was not one to make empty words.

“The magic of hell also has its source. It is the ‘Eternally Burning Canyon’. If we neutralize just a little of the magic there, the Ratmen’s warp gates will be useless.”

“Then what is the way to neutralize that place?”

“Frostfire.”

“Ah.”

A flame that is also cold in nature.

That flame would be extremely compatible with the flames of hell.

What if it gets mixed up? Even if nothing else, it would not be possible to use it on artifacts that originally used the magic of hell.

“Calibal’s legacy is useful here too.”

A new goal has emerged.