He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 234

“This is nothing like I imagined the Spirit Realm to be.”

I had always pictured the world of spirits as a vibrant, blue domain teeming with life, but this gray landscape was the antithesis of that.

The reason, I suspected, was me.

“Could this be because of me?”

“Wouldn’t you think so? At least partially.”

It was hard to argue, so I nodded. I had clashed with the Spirit King multiple times and, admittedly, set a good portion of the Spirit Realm ablaze. It wasn’t surprising it looked like this.

Still, I wasn’t sure if this desolation was widespread.

“It would take forever to explore on foot.”

[Activating Watcher’s Web.]

Rather than wander aimlessly through the endless gray forest, I deployed the Watcher’s Web.

Invisible tendrils of aura radiated outwards.

Where I was once limited to a kilometer, I could now scan dozens with ease.

“Found them.”

Almost immediately, I detected movement not far off.

“That way. But moving openly will get us spotted.”

Alone, I could easily mask my presence, but that wouldn’t work with Loretta.

“Fortunately, the environment lends itself to stealth.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“I can manipulate shadows.”

[Shadow Veil Deployed]

“Like this.”

The shadows coalesced around us, concealing Loretta and me.

Oddly, we could see our surroundings perfectly, while others remained blind to our presence.

A faint distortion in the shadows might betray us at close range, but in this drab environment, that was unlikely.

“Alright, let’s move.”

“Your Majesty is truly versatile.”

“Thanks for the compliment. But I’m already spoken for, so don’t get any ideas.”

“I’ll take that as a joke.”

“Of course, it’s a joke.”

If my wives heard that, I’d be begging for mercy. I only dared make such a jest because they weren’t around.

In any case, Loretta and I traversed the gray forest until we reached the source of the detected movements.

What we saw was… unexpected.

“What is that?”

“Demons? And elves, too…”

Demons and elves. Normally, they’d be at each other’s throats, but these were elves who had thrown in their lot with the demons, so their alliance wasn’t entirely surprising.

What they were doing, however, was.

“They’re kidnapping spirits.”

“So it seems.”

In a shocking turn, the elves, once allies of the spirits, were now helping demons capture them.

-Save me!

-Someone, help us!

-Please, don’t do this!

The colorful spirits struggled in vain. It looked like children being abducted by wicked adults, but…

‘Weren’t spirits not exactly nice either?’

It was a while ago, but I recalled my first encounter with spirits when I defeated the Spirit King.

Back then, they struck me as innocently, purely malevolent.

Devoid of any concept of good or evil, they had no compunction about harming living beings.

Not with the crazed glee of murderers, but with the detached indifference of nature itself.

Seeing them now created a sense of cognitive dissonance.

“What should we do? Should we save them?”

“What do you sense? Do you feel anything from the Spirit King’s soul?”

“Um… I’m not sure. I don’t feel particularly drawn to them… But I don’t know what will happen if they recognize me.”

“Then we should try saving them.”

I needed to observe the spirits’ reaction to Loretta to glean more information.

“We’ve got them all. So, where to next, elf?”

“It would be best to head to an untouched area. That way… Wait, what’s this?”

The demons and elves, basking in their successful hunt, were suddenly thrown into confusion by the encroaching shadows.

While they were distracted, I expanded my shadow to engulf them completely.

“It’s… it’s getting dark!”

“Someone’s attacking us!”

Whoosh!

As darkness enveloped them, I unleashed Black Rose.

“Come out, coward! Face us like a man!”

“Rich coming from a demon talking about honor.”

Clang!

The demons tried to ignite the surroundings with hellfire, but the darkness conjured by the Dark Dragon’s form proved resistant.

Those who revealed themselves with flames became immediate targets, their heads swiftly removed.

“Aaaaaah…!”

“Sorry, but there’s no escape.”

Shu shu shuk! Thwack!

“Cough…!”

With the demons dispatched, some of the elves lost their nerve and tried to flee, but shadow blades found their marks without fail.

I had intended to take a few alive for questioning, but unfortunately, I struck vital points, killing them instantly.

Oh well, perhaps another opportunity would arise. Or maybe the spirits could provide sufficient information.

“That’s all of them. Loretta, your turn.”

“Yes.”

At my signal, Loretta approached the spirits, who floated like will-o’-the-wisps.

-A human we’ve never seen before.

-But the soul feels familiar.

-Who are you? Do you know us?

The spirits seemed perplexed by Loretta. Her demeanor, too, underwent a subtle shift.

“You must obey me.”

-…! You are…?

-That feeling, that soul… it’s him.

-The Spirit King.

-But he’s dead.

The spirits recognized the Spirit King’s soul within Loretta. Despite their astonishment, they didn’t immediately obey her command, and Loretta’s eyes hardened.

“I won’t repeat myself. You must obey me.”

-…….

With those words, the temperature seemed to plummet. Loretta exuded the same oppressive aura as the deceased Spirit King.

“I will ask you, why are you being hunted by demons and elves?”

-The elves betrayed us.

-They showed the demons the way into the Spirit Realm.

-Bad elves, bad demons.

Loretta’s tone was icy, but the spirits responded with childish complaints, as if tattling to their parents.

“Pathetic. You can’t even defend yourselves? You can’t even protect the Spirit Realm without someone holding your hand. No wonder you were raised by elves… No, what am I saying?”

Loretta spat out venom, then seemed flustered by her own words.

Elves raised the spirits? Ah, so that was the relationship?

-Heeing… It hurts when you say that.

-But it might be good.

-Better than when he was a dad.

-Mom.

Meanwhile, the spirits seemed to enjoy Loretta’s harshness.

These guys… Is that their preference? Are they masochists?

“Loretta, instead of that, ask them if they can be won over.”

“Won over?”

“Yeah, ask how I can help them, and if they can be on our side.”

“Okay. But it doesn’t seem like we need to ask.”

Loretta fixed the spirits with another cold stare.

“You must now obey me. Obeying me means obeying the Empire and the humans. Do you understand?”

-Huh? Then we don’t have to listen to the elves anymore?

-Well, I don’t care if it’s humans.

-I like humans better. I’m tired of elves now.

The spirits began to sing and dance around Loretta, their earlier fear forgotten. They seemed like innocent children, but…

-Then tear the elves to shreds!

-Demons too, as a bonus!

-So, we can play with the humans instead of the elves now?

-Let’s give the elves as nutrients to the trees.

As expected, their true nature surfaced. Yeah, these guys aren’t exactly saints.

“That’s a problem. There are imperial citizens who are elves now.”

If they weren’t imperial citizens, it wouldn’t matter, but I doubted these spirits could distinguish between friend and foe.

“More importantly, I’ll help you. Elves and demons are invading the Spirit Realm? What do we need to do to stop them?”

-Valley of Fire.

-Demons are coming in through there.

-The elves showed them the way.

-Stop them. Can you do it?

They seemed to know where and how to stem the invasion.

“Well, that depends on your cooperation. But what are they trying to do with you?”

The question remained: why did the elves betray the spirits, and what were the demons planning?

-They’re using us to attack the Material Realm.

-If you destroy the spirits and the Spirit Realm, the Material Realm will also collapse.

-Probably the place where the elves used to live is the target.

-The elves seem to be fighting each other.

-They’re really stupid. They’re destroying the place where they live.

So, the spirits revealed the demons’ goal. It all clicked into place.

“Then we definitely need to kick them out of the Spirit Realm.”

The problem was ‘how’.

Should I bring in the army?

If the enemy was mobilizing troops, that would be the logical response.

But without knowing the full situation, a reckless deployment could be disastrous.

Reconnaissance was essential.

“You said Valley of Fire? I want to check it out first. Guide me.”

-Okay. But help us.

“What do you want me to help you with?”

-Friends, many are captured. Free my friends.

“Um, I can save them later by bringing an army.”

-The demons will eat them in the meantime. We have to hurry.

Oh, man. I hadn’t expected a rescue mission. I considered using Loretta to coerce them, but she shook her head.

Even her influence had limits.

“Okay. I’ll save your friends first. In return, you have to help us, including guiding us.”

-Wow! Are you saving our friends?

-I’m happy. Humans are better than elves.

-Sorry for bothering you all this time.

Well, I wasn’t exactly thrilled by their apology.

Still, I decided to be content with having them on our side.

“Wait a minute, I’ll go with you too.”

“Loretta, I don’t think it’s safe for you to come.”

“No, I can feel it now.”

As she spoke, Loretta extended her hand.

Whirrrrr-

“Now the spirits follow me completely. I can borrow their power. I can fight.”

“…Well, that changes things.”

Even if she wasn’t as powerful as the Spirit King in his prime, Loretta’s awakening would be a significant asset.

In the end, I decided to bring Loretta along.

“The Valley of Fire is that way.”

“How do you know that?”

“I can feel it, little by little. The entire Spirit Realm.”

“…You’re really becoming the Spirit King.”

I could only hope it would be a boon to the Empire.