He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 73

Became the Greatest Crazy Emperor – Chapter 73

Grand Lustrom, the City of Purification.

Originally, it should have been a city of reverence and holiness, but now only a grim atmosphere lingered.

“These days, the Executioners are out too much. It’s scary to live like this.”

“Right. Even Stella was captured.”

“Hey, what are you going to do if someone hears you?”

“It’s just us, what does it matter? Huh? Halt there!”

A group of refugees was approaching the city’s gate, guarded by soldiers.

The number of refugees easily exceeded twenty.

Refugees had been appearing recently as the rebellion in the Eastern Territory intensified.

“Halt! You can’t enter here!”

“We, we are refugees with nowhere to go… We haven’t eaten or drunk for days, please…”

“…That’s too bad, but there were orders not to let any more refugees into the city.”

“That’s…”

The soldier also felt awkward as the haggard old refugee became dejected.

It wasn’t like he was happy to stop them.

“It’s unfortunate, but orders are or-”

“What’s going on there?”

“Ah, Sir Antonio. Well, refugees are gathering now…”

“Hmm, is that so? Let them all in.”

“Yes? But the order from the Order is…”

“Ahem, such things are originally handled with flexibility. Are you going to let these poor people starve to death? Is that what a brother of faith should do?”

“Ah, no…”

“Yes, I’ll take responsibility, so let them through.”

“Yes! Well, well. Come in quickly!”

The soldiers were letting the refugees through as soon as the knight’s permission was given.

“Oh, thank you, thank you.”

“The refugee relief center is over there. There are quite a few people, but there shouldn’t be any major problems.”

“Thank you so much.”

The Order’s Holy Knight, who had just granted passage, guided the refugees.

And he soon headed somewhere, seemingly intending to lead some of the refugees directly.

“We passed safely. Good work, Mirror.”

The knight was Mirror, who had infiltrated in advance. He was sent ahead of us to infiltrate this city.

Of course, to find Stella’s location.

“To make me do even this, it feels different from the initial contract!”

However, he complained a little. He was so used to playing around in the Imperial Palace now that he didn’t enjoy running around in the field at all.

“Don’t be like that, I’ll get you whatever you want to eat.”

“…Strawberry cake.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

[Doppelganger Mirror’s loyalty is very high.]

Fortunately, he was easy to tame.

“This one is a Doppelganger…? Are you using a demon?”

“That’s not important right now, Priest Thomas. We need to save Stella, right? You guys gather the city’s resistance forces. Can you do it?”

“Of course. The Council faction will revolt as soon as they fall into chaos.”

“Good, then hurry.”

After Priest Thomas left, I changed into the knight’s armor that Mirror was wearing, disguising myself as a Holy Knight.

Mirror used his transformation ability to transform into a priestess.

“Did you find out where she’s being held?”

“I couldn’t find it, but there was a place I could guess.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s definitely in the temple, but there’s only one place I couldn’t go. The security there is so tight that I couldn’t break through.”

I was a little dubious, but I had no choice but to trust Mirror, who was more knowledgeable about infiltration.

After a while, we arrived at the city’s temple.

The disguise was quite good, so no one suspected us.

“The Emperor’s army is coming, can we hold out?”

“The Elves will support us. Or even the Druid followers.”

“To join hands with heretics…”

“Ahem, they’re not exactly heretics anymore.”

As we entered the temple, we could see priests, Holy Knights, and clerics talking.

All of them were Council faction… those who sympathized with separatism like the Elder Council or had even apostatized were mixed in.

“This way.”

“It doesn’t seem to be towards the underground prison?”

“Stella wasn’t there.”

The place Stella was heading to wasn’t the direction of the underground prison where prisoners were held.

“Here.”

“This is like a study?”

“It’s where the Order’s elders use. I saw Stella being taken here.”

“Certainly, it’s a place where no one is around, but a knight is standing guard.”

It was a bit strange to have Holy Knights standing guard in a seemingly meaningless place, even if there were only two of them.

“Then here…”

Mirror immediately changed his appearance. He transformed from a priestess into an old man.

Looking at the clothes he changed into with his transformation ability, he seemed to be one of the Order’s elders.

“Ahem, good work, brothers.”

“Loyalty! Elder Chairman! What’s going on?”

“I came to see if the prisoner is doing well. There haven’t been any problems so far, have there?”

“Yes, there haven’t been any particular problems during duty.”

“I should see it myself once.”

“I understand… But who is the person who came with you?”

“Ah, this is a newly arrived knight. It’s the first time you’ve seen his face, but he’s someone you can trust, so don’t worry about it.”

“I understand!”

Thanks to Mirror’s skillful acting, we were able to pass through without difficulty.

However, the scenery inside the study didn’t reveal the location of a secret passage.

“There must be a device somewhere here…”

While Mirror was looking around, I also looked around.

Then there was a place that was caught in my sight in red.

[The ‘Sharp Weakness Detection’ ability has identified the entrance to the secret passage.]

“Here.”

Koo-roo-roo-roong-

When I pulled the lever disguised as a book, a secret passage opened.

“Oh, how did you know?”

“I have something like that.”

I vaguely glossed over Mirror’s question and went down the underground passage.

A narrow and dark underground passage.

The underground space that can be created with general construction methods is limited.

Unless they’re making more underground prisons…

“As expected, it’s an alternate dimension.”

There was an alternate dimension like in the Gerheim cult incident.

Alternate dimension technology that is difficult to create with human magic.

It meant that they had received help from demons or elves.

“Bright green light… This is using the elves’ spiritism [magic that communicates with and draws power from spirits].”

“There’s no doubt that the Elder Council is in cahoots with the elves.”

Then the question is what they are doing inside.

If they locked Stella up here, why did they lock her up?

If they had captured her, it would have been politically advantageous to brand her as a witch or apostate and execute her.

But the fact that they didn’t meant that they were using her for other purposes.

And as soon as we crossed that alternate dimension portal, we were able to quickly find out what they were doing.

“This is…”

“…Cruel.”

The place was a forest covered in trees on all sides.

Magic power was infinitely springing from the trees, and the spirits surrounding the trees were taking that magic power.

However, what nourished the trees was not the nutrients in the soil.

It was the people who were entangled in the tree vines and eaten by the trees.

People, from children to the elderly, regardless of gender, were being held captive by man-eating trees and having their magic power extracted until they became mummies.

“Stella.”

And in that place, Stella was on the largest tree, a sapling of the World Tree.

Similarly, she was entangled in tree vines, and some were digging into her flesh, sucking her divine power and magic power.

“…Franz?”

“You’re safe. I’ll release you.”

I immediately drew my Holy Sword. After infusing the sword with Aura [a manifestation of inner energy], I was about to cut the tree vines that were restraining Stella.

“Keuk!”

“This… the nerves are synchronized.”

But this vile man-eating tree that the elves had created was synchronized with the host’s nerves.

If I recklessly cut this physically, the host would also die.

“I, I’m okay. Run away. It’s a trap.”

“It’s okay. I’m going to save you and leave.”

“But soon the elders will…”

“If I was afraid of that kind of thing, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place.”

“Franz…”

I knew it might be a trap.

But Stella was worth taking the risk to rescue.

She is overwhelmingly supported by the people of the Eastern Territory.

What could be more valuable than rescuing such a person and keeping them on my side?

“Oh my, what a tearful sight. Not only have you become the Emperor’s dog, but you even have a lover in the body of a priest, Archbishop Stella?”

While I was exchanging such words with Stella, a dry voice was heard from behind.

In the place where that voice was heard, there were seven old men in high priest robes.

“Are you the elders?”

“That’s right, but are you the knight sent by the Emperor?”

“Knight, it seems you don’t know my face either.”

I was revealing my face because I had taken off my helmet.

But the elders didn’t seem to recognize my face at first.

“Hmm? Could it be that you are…!”

“Oh, is there someone who recognizes me?”

“Emperor… The Emperor came here himself?”

“Emperor, is that really true?”

“I saw him at the previous inauguration ceremony, it’s been a few years and his impression is a little different, but it’s definitely him.”

But soon one person recognized me.

Then they were briefly agitated, but soon their eyes lit up as if it was an opportunity.

“Emperor, to be so reckless as to come here alone. I don’t know whether to call it brave or foolish.”

“That’s something you’ll find out as you watch.”

Cheok-

“Come on.”

“I’d be happy to.”

The Order’s Guardian Knights, who were accompanying them as escorts, rushed in immediately.

Chaeng! Chwaak! Seokeok!

“Keuk!”

Two Guardian Knights of the Order rushed in, but their skills were far lower than mine.

Thanks to that, I lightly cut and severed their arms.

“Spirit of life, heal the injured with the healing power of nature.”

“Spirit of earth and rock, attack the enemy with the rage of the earth.”

But soon bark sprouted on the wounds they had suffered, and the wounds healed and their arms grew back.

At the same time, earth upheavals rose like thorns and aimed at me, so I had to hurry and avoid them.

“Spirit of ice, freeze the enemy with cold fury.”

“Spirit of lightning, inflict the punishment of nature on the enemy.”

Following that, the elders of the Order poured out murderous spiritism.

Cold air that would freeze you in an instant or lightning that was good for roasting flew in.

I avoided them or cut them with Mana Blade [a weapon enhanced with magical energy], but…

[Currently, this space is filled with the energy of spirits.]

[The effect of Mana Blade is reduced.]

[Until the cause is removed, all abilities except spiritism are weakened.]

This space itself was too advantageous for them.

As Stella said, it wouldn’t have been easy for anyone to come here to save her.

“Hehe, give up, Emperor. It would be better to cooperate with us willingly.”

“I refuse.”

The elders, who thought they had seized the victory, urged me to surrender.

But I refused with a single stroke and focused my mind.

[Mana Heart output increased]

[100… 150… 200… 300… 400]

[…Current Mana Heart output 600%]

[Dangerous Mana Heart amplification has reached a dangerous level.]

At the point where the elixir of amplification, my power, was no longer needed, I maximized the amplification of Mana Heart.

As Mana Heart soared as if it was going to run wild, the surroundings were filled with Aura.

[Your divinity is resonating with the Aura and spreading in all directions.]

[The divine power contained in the divinity is synchronized and the spirit world unfolds.]

Then something happened that was beyond my intention.

Unlike the intention of simply aiming for a power-up, a pure white world unfolded like when the guardian spirits had descended in the past.

In that world of souls, I saw what human eyes could not see.

Green energies filled all directions. Those were probably the power of spiritism.

They were exploiting people’s magic power. Those who had become their sacrifices had already been completely sucked dry without any way to save them.

But there was only one person that they hadn’t completely taken from yet.

-Franz.

In the spirit world, Stella, who was piercing through that world just like me, called me.

Her inside was filled with divine power.

Originally, it was a divine power as calm as water.

-Please… use me.

She yearned for sacrifice. I hesitated for a moment, sensing what I had to do.

-Do it. I’m okay.

“…I understand, Stella.”

I took the Holy Sword, and then I stabbed her heart with that Holy Sword.

Hwa-roo-roo-reuk-

[You have awakened ‘Authority of Purification – Flame of Purification’.]

She was no longer calm water.

She became the purifying fire that hates evil and burns fiercely.