I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 465

Royal Palace. Central Prison.

Guards stood watch with uneasy expressions when,

Bang!

The door was violently thrown open, and Metallic and the 1st Legion appeared.

“Everyone freeze!”

“This prison is surrounded! Do not resist!”

The guards were not foolish enough to resist the 1st Legion, the elite of the Imperial Army.

Their morale was already at rock bottom due to the Emperor’s speech.

The guard unit was quickly subdued, and Metallic rushed into the prison.

Most of the prisoners in the central prison were those who had been captured for opposing Fernandes.

Metallic ordered their release and moved deeper into the prison.

“My lord! Where are you!”

As Fernandes began to prepare the shutdown protocol in earnest, Larc had been transferred here. Metallic had obtained this information beforehand.

“My lord! It’s Metallic! We’ve come to rescue you!”

Metallic, shouting as he went inside, suddenly stopped.

In the deepest part of the prison. In a narrow cell where even light barely penetrated.

The man was imprisoned.

Having lost both arms and legs, he was in a pitiful, slumped state.

“My lord!”

Metallic cried out as if spitting blood and rushed forward. Larc, who was dying in the cell, opened his cloudy eyes.

“…Metallic, is that you?”

“Yes, my lord. It is I! I will get you out now.”

Metallic, holding back tears, took Larc out of the cell.

Larc was in a terrible state, having lost all his limbs, but as soon as he was carried out of the cell by Metallic, he sharpened his senses.

“What is the current situation…?”

“Prince Ash is leading the entire operation to stop Prince Fernandes!”

Metallic briefly reported the overall war situation and tried to escape with Larc on his back.

However, Larc stopped Metallic.

“Metallic, leave me behind.”

“…Yes?”

“I must go to where my brothers are fighting.”

Larc looked at the royal palace, which was not far from the prison entrance.

The royal palace, where black thorn trees had grown wildly, already looked more like a bizarre dungeon than a palace.

“I must be there… where the fate of our brothers is decided.”

“…”

“So, leave me behind.”

“I cannot do that.”

Metallic, carrying Larc on his back, spoke in a blunt voice as he headed towards the royal palace.

“I will escort you to where you wish to go, my lord.”

“You won’t come out alive.”

“I do not care. I will share life and death with you, my lord.”

“…”

The resolve in the old knight’s voice was clear.

Having fought on countless battlefields together, Larc knew well that he could not break this old knight’s will.

“Thank you, Metallic.”

Therefore, without refusing his loyalty any further, Larc spoke heavily as he entrusted himself to him.

“Let’s go. To the final battlefield.”

Metallic silently lifted Larc onto his back and took a step forward.

Towards the royal palace covered in thorns.

To the decisive battleground where Fernandes and Ash were engaged in a bloody fight, a place that would determine the fate of the world.

***

Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

The audience chamber was already destroyed beyond recognition.

Fernandes was wielding the branches of Everblack like his own limbs, attacking me, and I blocked them all with the fortress walls I had summoned.

“Kuh!”

The problem was that Everblack was not just a simple tree.

It was the guardian tree of humanity, directly connected to the Spirit Realm, a magical antenna that transmitted the power of the Spirit Realm to humanity.

In other words,

Kugugugugung!

The branches themselves possessed more powerful magical attributes than any other weapon…!

Thorn trees poured in from all directions, crushing the walls I had summoned like clay. I gritted my teeth and kept retreating.

“If you keep retreating like that, how are you going to stop me, little brother?”

Fernandes, still sitting leisurely on the throne, smiled faintly.

“You don’t have much time, do you? You don’t have the luxury to circle around and look for my openings, do you?”

“Haa, shut up, haa, I’ll punch you in the jaw myself, haa, so be quiet.”

I roughly caught my breath and wiped the sweat from my chin.

Before I knew it, the distance between me and Fernandes had grown quite large.

Between us, countless thorn tree vines were tangled, their tips menacingly flickering. Like a pack of venomous snakes.

‘This is harder than I thought…’

I grumbled inwardly, and then Fernandes slowly rose from his seat.

“Look at this, Ash.”

Then, he suddenly threw off his top.

I frowned as hard as I could.

“I don’t have a taste for looking at men’s bodies…”

“Do you think I’m showing it because I like to? Look at what’s engraved here.”

Fernandes’ body was covered in writing, like tattoos. I clicked my tongue.

“No, why did you draw so many pictures? You won’t be able to go to public baths.”

“These are the records left by me from past iterations.”

Fernandes lightly brushed off my joke and pointed to his upper body.

“From the distant past before your regression began, to all the iterations I have recorded. This world has never survived.”

“…”

“It always perished. The front lines collapsed due to the final great invasion of the monsters, the country burned, and people died.”

Fernandes stared at me intently.

“Do you think this time will be any different?”

“So?”

I growled.

“You’re going to kill everyone with your own hands, and then run away to the Spirit Realm with only their souls… is that your crazy plan?”

“At first, I tried to surrender to the Demon King and beg for my life. But I soon realized that even if he accepted my surrender, I couldn’t trust him.”

That was true.

It was more likely that he would say, ‘I’ll spare you since you surrendered,’ and then slaughter them all.

If a flock of sheep entrusted the key to their fence to a pack of wolves, the result was obvious.

“So, what I prepared was this ‘Final Ark’ plan.”

“The name is quite fancy…”

“If the Demon King accepts the surrender, the humans who did not board the ark might survive. But if he does not accept the surrender, at least the humans on the ark will survive.”

I shook my head.

“This isn’t survival.”

“No! It is definitely survival. Even if the body perishes, the soul and will continue. With this, the human race, and our empire, will endure.”

Fernandes nodded heavily.

“This was the best measure I could take in the face of certain destruction.”

“The best measure…”

I sneered, openly mocking him.

“It looks like a monumental blunder to me.”

“A blunder…?”

“It’s like you’re kicking a huge own goal.”

Fernandes’ eyes narrowed. I growled fiercely.

“The game isn’t over yet. But instead of thinking about fighting to the very end, you’re already thinking about running away…”

“You’ve lost in every fight so far, yet you have so much to say, little brother.”

Kugugugugung…!

The thorn trees intertwined and surged. The thorn trees coiled around me, their tips constantly approaching, aiming for my throat.

“After constantly losing, breaking, and being consumed—even losing yourself. Yet you still say you’re going to fight.”

Fernandes knew.

That I was in a state where I had overlaid the memories of others.

Even so, he continued to treat me like his younger brother… Could it be that, despite everything, he acknowledged that the subject of this will to conquer was still me, Ash?

“This iteration is the last chance for survival left to the humans of this world! I am not foolish enough to gamble that chance on an uncertain bet!”

Fernandes roared.

“I will save the people I can save. I will guide their souls to the new world!”

“…”

“And Ash. You are also included among the people I will save.”

“What?”

“You are fully qualified to be saved. No, you are the one who must be saved.”

Fernandes’ crimson eyes flashed with clear determination.

“As a price for inheriting the heavenly punishment called a regressor… you have been fighting for the world while abandoning yourself, you must be saved.”

“…”

“Therefore, I will defeat you here. And I will forcibly board you onto my ark.”

The thorn trees had already completely surrounded me.

With one gesture from Fernandes, they would all attack me at once.

Before that final attack, Fernandes spoke desperately.

“Let’s go, Ash. Let’s go to the new world together.”

“…”

“Let’s rule the eternal empire that endures in the Spirit Realm… together. You, no, only you are qualified to do so.”

I listened to Fernandes’ proposal with my head bowed,

“…My salvation.”

I chuckled and replied.

“Is not hiding in such a refuge.”

“…!”

“My salvation… is something I obtain by fighting and winning.”

I raised my head, met Fernandes’ gaze, and spoke with emphasis.

“You’re right, brother. I’ve lost every game so far. But that doesn’t mean I’ll fail this time too, does it?”

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

Fernandes gritted his teeth. His fists trembled.

“You haven’t won even once! Why can’t you understand! We can’t win! Look at these countless records of defeat engraved on my body!”

“…”

“Let’s give up now, Ash. Please! This is the last chance! No one will blame you for running away!”

“It’s not a matter of whether someone blames me.”

I shook my head slightly.

“It’s a matter of whether I’m being honest with myself.”

“What…”

“There’s definitely a chance of winning. Brother.”

Games exist to be conquered.

The true ending.

I had already grasped the faint clue leading to it.

Of course, it would be a difficult and arduous path. But-

If there is a path before me.

As the one who holds the flag.

I must stand at the forefront and forge that path.

“I’m the one who should be making the proposal. Let’s not give up, brother.”

“…”

“Let’s go through this final iteration… together. Fight alongside me.”

As long as the possibility is not zero. I will not give up.

Because I am the player of this game.

So, I did not give up on Fernandes, who had already crossed the point of no return, and reached out my hand to him.

…However.

“It seems we cannot communicate.”

Fernandes slowly raised his hand with a hardened face.

“Yes, from the beginning, I didn’t think I could persuade you with words.”

Kugugugugung-!

As if thousands, tens of thousands of snakes were coiling, the thorn tree vines aligned around me,

“I will make you listen to me, Ash… even by force!”

Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

The thorn trees began to pour down on me like a wave.

“Well… sometimes there are relationships that can only be understood by throwing punches.”

Watching that, I gritted my teeth and smiled.

“Then, shall I go all out too?”

It was time to use the exclusive equipment I had obtained this time, the [Great Commander’s Flag], for the first time in a real battle.

“Huuup-!”

Thwack!

I planted the flagpole on the ground.

Fernandes scoffed at me.

“It’s useless! Your walls can’t stop Everblack! You should know that!”

That was true.

My fortress summoning magic, [Imperial Territory Declaration], had been completely destroyed by Everblack.

…So, it was necessary to evolve it to the next level.

My ultimate skill.

And, myself too…!

Flash!

A gray fortress rose from under my flag.

The thorn trees poured in from all directions towards my fortress. The gray walls were quickly split, collapsed, and crumbled.

It probably wouldn’t last more than a few seconds.

…That was enough.

“-I declare.”

Inside the collapsing fortress, I murmured softly.

“This is a battle that will determine the fate of the world.”

Clutching the flag, yearning with all my heart-

I shouted.

“Everyone who once held this flag—gather here!”