Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 586

Hale looked at Beric, who was standing still, with a puzzled expression. He seemed lost in his own world, only muttering that it was the same as before.

Even as Rutherford slowly rose and removed the object from his mouth, Beric remained blank and unresponsive. Judging by his trembling pupils, it seemed he was seeing something, but Rutherford didn’t say a word.

…Unless the hallucination wasn’t caused by words—

‘Powder?’

Is it because of the powder? Because of the fine particles floating in the air?

Hale decided it was best to retreat for now and tried to pull Beric towards him. But at the same time, Rutherford shouted in a metallic voice.

“You won’t be able to move!”

“……!”

Rutherford wiped the blood from his mouth and smiled. As he said, Hale couldn’t move. He felt a weight as if something was fiercely grabbing his ankles.

“Just stand there and watch. I’ll send you along soon enough.”

The sharp Idgal [a magical weapon] stretched out like a tree branch, long and thin. Rutherford didn’t hesitate to stab Beric’s side with it, and Beric was helplessly thrown to the ground.

Beric’s sticky blood dripped from the tip of the Idgal that had pierced through his flesh.

“Beric!”

“Ugh……”

Beric is crying. It’s not physical pain, but the weight of the hallucination that’s crushing him.

Hale stared at Rutherford, feeling bewildered, surprised, and vaguely emotional.

He’s just a mortal. He’s already let go of his magic, and now he’s just a human being brainwashed by the Underworld, believing his path is right. But how can he become this strong just by eating Laromedia [a red flower that causes hallucinations]?

“Hale. Your magic is sealed.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous? Does it look like a joke? Then try it. Just like that red mutt did earlier, come at me while causing an explosion!”

Swoosh!

It feels like something is blocking my chest. Just like that bastard said, I’m trapped in the hallucination that my magic is sealed.

Rutherford grabbed the newly created Idgal sword and slowly walked towards Hale. His gait was unsteady from Beric’s attack just now.

“How did I get this far……”

The moment he flashed his eyes and raised the Idgal sword—

Buzz! Buzz!

Boom! Clang!

Something flashed and exploded in front of my eyes. It was Ian. His clothes and hair fluttered lightly. And around him, the shattered pieces of the Idgal sword sparkled.

Rutherford’s bloodshot pupils widened, and Ian’s green eyes flickered coldly.

“Ian-nim!”

Swoosh!

Rutherford, who had retreated, lowered his stance and barely regained his balance, and Ian stood in front of Hale with cold eyes. Even in the midst of that, he glanced at Beric, who had fallen to the ground.

“Ian-nim. Rutherford ate Laromedia. The red flower, Beric called it Silask. It makes you hallucinate. You have to be careful of that bastard’s voice!”

“Ian!”

Be careful. It makes you hallucinate.

As soon as Ian heard those words, he flew towards Rutherford. He couldn’t suppress the opponent’s tongue with restraints, and the place was too narrow to unleash Manyeop or Hwirok [powerful magic spells]. It would only put Ian and his comrades in danger.

“Rutherford.”

Then, there’s no choice but to physically subdue the enemy.

Ian dove into the opponent’s arms as gracefully as a swimming fish. It was a move that would overwhelm him before Rutherford could even shout, or even decide what to say.

Whoosh!

“……!”

Ian swung the Idgal towards his neck, and Rutherford barely dodged it. If he had been even a little late, his Adam’s apple would have been cut.

Unlike Beric, Ian seemed to have decided to cut off Rutherford’s tongue. He thought that taking away his voice was the safest way to subdue the situation right now.

Clang! Clang!

The swords clashed endlessly, but it was a rather one-sided battle. Ian was on the offensive, and Rutherford was barely blocking. Each attack was fatal, so Rutherford had no choice but to focus on Ian’s attacks, unable to even open his mouth.

“Rutherford. I told you.”

“…You!”

“You are going down the wrong path. The god you believe in is a shadow of a god, a demon challenging the authority of a god. And—”

Clang!

Whenever Rutherford tried to say something, Ian’s attack became stronger. As if telling him to shut up and listen.

In an instant, the right side of Rutherford’s neck was cleanly cut, and blood splattered. But since his tongue was still attached, Ian continued to push forward without caring.

“The reason your soul was weathered by repeating the same cursed death hundreds of times was, in fact, the Underworld’s trickery.”

“Shut up! Ian, you can’t move—!”

“The reason they saved you from the abyss was because they needed a pawn to move outside of Gaia [the world]. Aren’t you a mage from Bariel? There was no one better than you, who knew the Imperial Palace well and had deep hatred.”

Swoosh!

Ian covered his mouth and slashed his shoulder. The scream that was blocked by his hand faded away without being able to escape.

Rutherford just breathed roughly and kept muttering something, but Ian couldn’t understand it. Even if he could understand it, it wouldn’t matter. He could just raise his sword again.

Swoosh.

After confirming that Rutherford was unable to fight, Ian finally turned his body. He wanted to check on Beric’s condition for a moment. His body was already in bad shape after his abdomen was torn and burst during the war, and the Idgal attack had completely finished him off. What was especially worrying was that his regeneration ability might also be affected.

“Beric.”

Ian straightened Beric’s body and then slowly shook him.

“Wake up. It’s me, Ian.”

Beric, who hadn’t answered even after being called several times, slightly opened his eyes. Then, the tears that had welled up flowed endlessly, and Ian frowned as if he was sorry.

…You saw the darkness within, too. You too.

“There are tears in your eyes. Wake up when they stop flowing.”

“…Damn it, Ian. This is really annoying.”

As Beric mumbled while curling up, Ian finally felt relieved.

At that moment, Nakina and other mages who had come as support entered the cave.

“Ian-nim! There are no other enemies around!”

“Huh? It’s Rutherford!”

“Captain Hale! Are you okay? Why are you standing like that?”

“I’m hallucinating. I can’t move.”

“Huh? Hallucinating? Then should we knock you out?”

“Are we going to have to carry him? Captain, try to break free. How are we going to carry the captain?”

“Ian-nim! The Imperial Guard has arrived, and it seems like the upper area is slowly being cleared!”

“Rutherford, you bastard! Do you remember me? 10 years ago, I owed you a lot! I’ll pay you back with interest!”

Even with the mages’ shouts, Rutherford was lying down, barely panting. Something was wrong with his condition. Besides the wounds from Ian’s cuts and stabs, there was something else gnawing at him.

“Cough—!”

“Eek! Ian-nim!”

Dark red blood flowed endlessly from Rutherford’s mouth. Whether it was a side effect of Laromedia or a side effect of Idgal, even he didn’t know.

He staggered and stood up, and the mages flinched and huddled together. It wasn’t that they were afraid of Rutherford, but rather that they were afraid of his bizarre appearance. Didn’t he look like a dead man?

“He, he’s gone crazy, that bastard.”

“Ian-nim, uh, what should we do?”

“Take Hale and Beric out.”

“Ah, yes, yes!”

Ian ordered that and pulled out the Idgal sword.

What is there to fear for someone who has completely fallen? Rutherford spewed out Idgal and let out a rough, resentful shout.

“Who do you think you are!”

Swoosh!

Idgal was spreading out in hundreds of directions from the spot where he was standing. The mages hurriedly created a shield, but it was difficult to respond because the place was so narrow.

“Who do you think you are to keep making me a useless being! A shadow of a god? You arrogant bastard!”

“If that is truly a god, then think about why it can’t come out from under the rift. It’s a demon itself, so it has its limits.”

“Shut up! Isn’t it because of you Bariels that the god can’t exert its full power?”

“That’s enough. I have no intention of persuading you. I just—”

As Ian lightly dashed forward, Rutherford shouted. Blood dripped from under his chin.

“Ian! You’re going to die with your heart exploding! You’ll be torn to pieces and die, your bones will be crushed, and not a single trace of you will remain in this world!”

“Ian-nim! You mustn’t listen to him!”

Hale, who was surprised, shook off his subordinates’ hands and turned back. He was still limping because the hallucination hadn’t completely worn off.

The mages grabbed Hale again and looked at Ian, and in the meantime, Beric dashed towards Ian.

“Ianaaa!”

Ian felt his heart pounding fast. Just like Rutherford said, it felt like his heart would explode soon.

But all of this is a hallucination. Seeing that Hale and Beric, who had experienced this earlier, had no external injuries other than the Idgal wound, only the mental shock was valid.

Swoosh!

Ian ignored his pounding heart and rushed at Rutherford.

“You will die! You will die! Your heart will stop and you will die torn apart!”

The only thing to give to that ugly man who is not causing hallucinations but just shouting like a curse is one thing.

“Death, huh……”

Thump.

It’s tearing. My heart is tearing……

Ian clenched his lower lip and endured it.

“I’ve already experienced countless deaths in the abyss thanks to you. Now that I know it’s not real, I can endure it again and again. Even if it’s… a real death.”

Thud!

It felt like time had stopped as his heart sank. Immense pain and loss instantly engulfed Ian.

It was at this moment that Ian briefly stopped. Rutherford, sensing his last chance, grabbed the Idgal sword again and lunged at Ian.

“Ughaaaa!”

Tap tap!

Clang! Squeak!

But it was Beric who blocked him. His side was torn, and he had no magic left, but he was able to block Rutherford’s attack. The sound of metal grinding was heard as the two men’s strength was balanced.

“I-!”

“I told you! You, I’ll make you in front of Ian-!”

Swoosh!

Beric clenched his teeth so hard that his molars were grinding and pushed the sword up. Then, he squeezed out the remaining strength and punched Rutherford in the abdomen.

“Cough!”

“Make you kneel!”

Thud!

Rutherford finally collapsed forward. He concentrated his mind, unable to even groan, feeling a sense of crisis that he would pass out if he took a wrong breath.

But soon, a shadow fell over him.

“……”

“It’s a good sight. Your situation, where you should be existing below with the Underworld.”

Squeeze.

Ian’s heart was still beating irregularly, but it was okay. He could endure it. He roughly grabbed Rutherford’s blood-soaked hair and whispered.

“You asked me what I am?”

“……”

“I’m the same as you. Just like you move according to the will of the Underworld, I am here according to the will of God.”

Rutherford’s consciousness gradually faded. The bitter and sweet smell he had felt when chewing Laromedia rushed up.

“Ian Verosian. This is my name. The master of the empire that you so desperately want to destroy.”