Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 718

That was both a declaration and a vow.

Ian stretched out his hands, grasped the Idgal sword, and calmly gazed at the swarming monsters like dark clouds. Everywhere he looked was filled with monsters. Each one was similar in size to the monster that had been associated with High Priest Raju.

Then, perhaps?

‘Could those be connected to something above Gaia?’

Like High Priest Raju, those who secretly wear human masks and plant black seeds in Bariel.

They transcend time and human abilities. If the monster that can be called the source is eliminated, they will not last long and will fall.

How could those with severed roots possibly endure? They would wither and crumble even under the small sunlight of Bariel.

“Ian, we are ready.”

“Just give the order.”

“We will follow without fail.”

The mages also glared at the monsters from behind Ian with determined expressions.

They instinctively knew why they had come to possess the power of God, why they were born in this era, and why they were facing those things with Ian.

“We will protect Bariel.”

Protecting the Bariel of the present and the Bariel of the future.

The mages were both tense and delighted, their lips curving slightly. It was an honor. They were doing something more glorious than any mages of any era.

Ian, sensing the mages’ resolve had solidified, whispered softly.

“Everyone, watch closely. This is what I learned from you, and what you learned from me.”

Zhiing! Zhiing!

All the truths Ian Verosian had learned in the Magic Department were now the legacy of the mages. And in addition, what the mages were learning now was the power of the future that Ian Verosian was conveying.

In the gears of fate, the mages’ vision, which was digging into the truth, became clearer.

「Thunder Fire」.

It was a natural magic considering this place was the sea of the abyss. Thunder and lightning flashed madly along Ian’s Idgal sword, and an unquenchable flame soared around it.

The mages quickly captured the magic circle drawn by Ian with their eyes and followed it.

“Ah-!”

Thunder, lightning, and fire. It was possible to combine three elements of nature into one! The mages each created their own light, and at the same time, they felt admiration and joy.

Kiiiik!

Then, the monster whose palate had been blown open by Ian twisted its body, making a scraping sound. At the same time, the swarming monsters also let out high-pitched screeches as if responding. The shockwave made the water rough and sharp, spreading in all directions.

“Kuh!”

The mages cringed and frowned, but Ian faced the raging shockwave head-on. His hair was disheveled.

“Ian Verosian.”

A displeasing voice was heard from somewhere.

Ian slightly raised his head and found High Priest Raju, whose whole body was in tatters. Blood was continuously flowing from his heart. It was the thing that had summoned the darkness.

He was clearly dead, but his eyes rolled erratically, and his mouth moved unnaturally. It was the work of a monster.

“Aren’t you afraid? We already existed in your world. If you defy fate, not only us but you may also disappear, isn’t that so?”

So, put down your sword and become a piece of us. If you do, I will swear one thing. That day, I will not let you die like that. Just as the gods gave, we will give you your Bariel.

As High Priest Raju muttered, clicking his teeth, Ian just laughed.

“I already told Arsen.”

That dying means nothing to me. That for Bariel, nothing else matters.

Ian lowered his stance and then rushed towards High Priest Raju without hesitation.

“And I have already heard the god’s request.”

Change everything, even if it is existence itself.

Ian vaguely realized what the Winchen tribal chief’s revelation meant. There was something that could be overcome by becoming Ian Hiel, not Ian Verosian.

Even if his actions now completely changed the future….

‘I believe.’

I will meet Naum again, and my Bariel will bloom vibrantly. For that, am I not here?

“Ian! Be careful of the blood!”

The moment Ian got close to Raju, Hale shouted worriedly. They had just been submerged in darkness because of that. It was presumed to be the effect of Laromedia, which showed the water of the abyss and illusions.

The dark red blood of High Priest Raju spread even more fiercely.

Chwaak!

But Ian repelled them by lightly swinging the Idgal sword.

There was no more darkness now. His darkness was broken, collapsed, and disappeared into the void. So now, this was just the dirty blood of a monster.

“Everyone, do not fear!”

Ian shouted as he cut High Priest Raju’s body in two. Blood gathered around him in clumps. It was so thick that it seemed like he would be submerged, but Ian did not disappear.

“Even if you are submerged in darkness, I will save you. Just remember one thing. Darkness is nothing the moment you realize it.”

Chwaaak!

Then, Ian immediately rushed towards the main body of the monster. The mages also held magic in their hands and followed him without hesitation.

Kwaaang! Kwang!

Kwaaang!

“I’m going too! You bastards!”

Berrick also swung his sword as if he couldn’t stand still.

Vanusa, who was watching the scene, fell into silence. What could this be called? Each monster was like a huge mountain, yet the small humans who were attacking them showed no sign of fear. Rather, they were fiercely tightening the noose around their necks.

‘Magnificent.’

Ah, yes. If I had to define it in one word, that would be it.

The sight of the fragments of God confronting the monsters to protect their world was nothing short of magnificent. It was sacred and sublime. Vanusa could only watch the breathtaking battle in a daze.

“Ah.”

What woke Vanusa was a cool sensation at the back of her head. It was a connection of senses made out of curiosity about the temple’s situation from the Toolun capital. She squeezed her eyes shut and left the place.

Chwaaak!

‘I can’t give information to Toolun.’

That all the mages were in the temple, and that the monster of the underground god they followed was on the border between life and death.

The help of the mages was essential to erase the traces of the shadows that had deeply permeated Toolun. No, to be precise, just as Ian Verosian was for Bariel, Vanusa had no choice but to be for Toolun.

She closed her eyes and hid far away, in the darkest place possible.

* * *

“Your Majesty. What is wrong?”

Tweller did not miss even the smallest movement of Jin.

When the Emperor’s head tilted slightly, Tweller’s gaze followed him. It seemed the Emperor wanted to look back at the path he had come from.

“It is nothing.”

“If you have any discomfort, please tell me immediately. We have a long way to go.”

“I was just worried and curious about the temple, so I did that without realizing it. It is not an ordinary place, is it?”

A suspicious place connected to Damon and Rutherford. Ooze was flowing out, and the High Priest was said to be using amazing abilities. Naturally, the more he thought about it, the more he had to look back.

Tweller pondered for a moment and then cautiously asked back.

“Whom are you worried about?”

“Who else? All those who have stepped forward for Bariel.”

Jin retorted curtly, as if asking why he was asking such a thing. He also raised his guard in case there was any mention of Aileen.

However, Tweller’s answer was unexpected.

“I believe it is appropriate for the Emperor to worry about those who have stepped forward for Bariel. However, you must not go too far, nor should you favor anyone in particular.”

“What do you mean by that?”

He truly could not understand his intentions. He had already felt that there was some hidden meaning in Tweller’s direct words these days.

As Jin’s voice grew slightly louder, the officers who were guarding nearby slowed down their pace and distanced themselves. Tweller was silent for a moment, then barely opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty. Who do you think is the final gate of this war?”

Jin pondered the answer.

Burgos? The dynasty had already collapsed, and a person who inherited the blood of Bariel was preparing to open a new era. Luswena? Just by crossing the border, the palace gates were torn down, and the king’s corpse was hung on the street.

In addition, Clifford had become an allied nation, and separately, they were in a position where they could not rebuild the capital with the cracks without Bariel. The three neighboring countries? All were under the influence of Bariel.

Then suddenly, Jin realized that the question was strange.

“…Sir Tweller.”

It was not ‘where’ but ‘who’?

Jin paused for a moment.

“Do you think it is Toolun, the destination? Do you think it will end if you defeat the underground god that has deeply permeated?”

If so, peace would surely settle in Gaia. But that does not mean the peace of the Bariel Imperial Palace.

Tweller looked at the Emperor with a much gentler gaze. It was a private and soft look of trust that he had never shown before. Jin was a little surprised. Tweller had always treated Jin with the attitude of a warrior.

“…I apologize, Your Majesty. This old man has many worries.”

“Sir Tweller. What is going on?”

“As the Minister of the Imperial Defense Department, I will lead this war to victory. Thus, I will fully mark the end of my life. Sir Ian is the same. Defeating the underground god is his duty. If he achieves that, his end will also become clear. But, what about Your Majesty?”

What do you think you will gain from this war? Burgos, Clifford, Luswena. Through what process did they all come to Bariel’s feet?

“Please think deeply.”

This old man warns you, Your Majesty’s final gate will surely be Sir Ian. This is not a matter of who is doing well or not. It is fate.

The god sent Sir Ian to this era not only to erase the traces of the monsters but also, in my opinion, for Your Majesty.

“Because the Emperor’s seat must always shine alone.”

Jin could not answer and remained silent. It was amazing, embarrassing, and he felt like his thoughts were opening up.

Jin asked himself a question.

‘What is the history that I, as an Emperor, will achieve on my own?’

For the past 10 years, Sir Ian’s absence was a time for him to grow. Then, what about now? What about the future?

It was a moment when Jin’s thoughts became complicated and intertwined.

Boo-oo-oo-

Boo-

The unit that was going ahead waved a flag and then blew a water buffalo horn. It meant that they had found a village.

“Your Majesty. It seems we have arrived.”

Landarin Village, a gateway that must be passed to go up to the Toolun capital. It was the place that Taoma had requested in his letter. The indigenous people of Toolun lived there, and he had kindly added a warning that they were insidious and that their front and back were quite different, so they should be careful.

“Give the order.”

The village looked peaceful from afar. Smoke was rising from chimneys everywhere, and dried meat was being dried on the roofs.

Jin pondered for a moment, then gripped the reins tightly and ordered.

“Advance.”

A place that had to be passed without the help of the Magic Department. Jin nodded calmly as if he had made up his mind.