Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 748

Those submerged in the abyss needed a host to crawl out into the world. Their foundation was shadow, and shadows could only exist by virtue of something else.

Swoosh.

Koomasha pressed down on his shadow, his back to the light. Blood continued to flow down the child’s chin, and the physicians, alarmed, brought cloths to his nose and mouth. It seemed the internal injuries from the bamboo needles piercing him outside the castle walls were causing continuous bleeding.

“Hey, Prime Minister.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The child turned his pale eyes to the Prime Minister. They lowered their heads as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have. ‘Am I dirty? Me?’

“Aren’t you the talents of the Masantar Temple? In this national crisis, there must be something they can do, so why are you just watching?”

It was a question of why he was the only one bleeding like this.

The king’s voice was laced with monotonous irritation. The ministers glanced at each other, unable to answer, and the Prime Minister simply remained silent, choosing his thoughts for a moment.

“Your Majesty, are you struggling?”

“Can’t you see my blood in your eyes?”

“…The god of Toolun will be truly saddened.”

‘You are a child chosen by the gods, so why are you complaining so much,’ the Prime Minister rebuked indirectly.

At those words, Koomasha picked up a bamboo needle lying on the floor and threw it at him.

“Saddened!? You say you’re saddened for me? It’s not the gods, it’s you lot who are!”

His father was dead, and he didn’t know what had happened to his half-brother, but now, thinking about his own existence, he was confused about what he was standing for. What was Toolun? What did it mean to him?

The Prime Minister raised his head, his eyes sharp.

“Your Majesty, regain your composure.”

“Prime Minister-!”

“If that is what you wish, then so be it. We will also offer our breaths to aid Your Majesty. But remember this.”

‘Our breaths?’

The ministers, who had been kneeling and listening, paused in confusion. They had no intention of sacrificing their lives for the country. If things went wrong, they would flee to Buksan and escape the capital, so what was this about their lives? Who decided that?

‘No, what is the Prime Minister talking about?’

‘That’s what I’m saying. Seriously. Who, whose breath are they going to use?’

‘The situation is turning strange.’

The ministers, with different intentions, exchanged glances. They sensed it was best to seize the opportunity to slip out.

Whether he knew that the flow of air had subtly changed or not, the Prime Minister paused for a moment to breathe and then continued.

“Your Majesty’s existence is the will of the gods. Engrave in your heart that it cannot be defied. Do you understand?”

Swoosh.

Then, the Prime Minister and the ministers who followed him took out daggers from their robes. Koomasha frowned, not knowing what was happening, and the physicians and attendants froze in place.

“Hey, Prime Minister.”

“The spirit of the Masantar Temple is not yet dead.”

Swish!

They began to slit their own throats.

Blood splattered, and screams echoed everywhere, but Koomasha did not react. He simply watched as the dark red blood gathered together. The form gradually became more detailed, creating a human shape like a shadow.

‘A doll and a shadow. And…’

The faces of the Prime Minister and the ministers were formed, then blurred, then half-formed again, repeating and seeming to split. Things that could only exist depending on their counterparts. The last one was…

“It’s like looking in a mirror.”

The mass of blood transformed into Koomasha, his own image. The clothes he was wearing, the hardened bloodstains. And even the contemptuous gaze was perfect.

“It is not like a mirror. We are you.”

“That’s nonsense.”

“It’s true. I, and we, can see your inner self.”

Koomasha came closer to Koomasha and tilted his head. It was so close that their noses almost touched. The child smiled, pulled his body back, and looked at the pale attendants.

“Your Majesty, please fulfill your duty here. ‘We’ will go and deal with Ian’s group.”

They were the same beings as the High Priest Raju of the Masantar Temple. Beings who wore human masks and resonated with the demons. And that meant they were closer to the underworld gods than Koomasha, the king.

They devoured the attendants, making strange noises. It was impossible to tell if it was a satisfied laugh or a battle cry to boost morale.

“Aaaah!”

“Save me, save me-!”

The more humans they consumed, the more they could mask the scent of demons. They pierced the hearts of every human they saw and tore off their flesh to eat.

Koomasha just watched the gruesome scene. It was disgusting, but he had to deny that feeling. To hate them was to hate himself. He and they were not fundamentally different.

Tap tap!

“That Banusa guy, they said he’s with the mages, right?”

“They’ve already entered the capital, so it’s only a matter of time before they reach the palace.”

“Let’s wrap it up. There’s not enough time to make a trap.”

“We just need to blend in with them once.”

Contact. Once that was made, copying the opponent was as easy as breathing. First, it would be good to transform into ordinary people, ask for help, and split the group in half.

As they ascended to the surface, they felt sharp, fine threads being strung throughout the palace.

“…Has the king regained his senses?”

Koomasha was preparing a trap by weaving threads inside the palace.

‘How childish.’ They clicked their tongues and disappeared into the darkness. Soon, guests would be storming the palace.

* * *

The demon, transformed into Beric, hid behind a corner, waiting for Ian to approach.

It would only take a moment. Just by touching him, he could copy everything about Ian. A mirror was like that. Just by standing in front of it, the world became two. Something like this!

“……!”

Swish!

Soon, everything about Ian flowed into him. He didn’t have a heart, but he felt as if his heart was about to burst, and the blood in his body was moving wildly.

‘Was this a fragment of a god? And the future emperor of Bariel?’ It felt like he had swallowed a hot piece of iron, and his whole body was burning.

But that was just a quiet tremor within. Outwardly, he had perfectly copied Ian’s appearance.

“Ian-nim!”

“Huh!”

The two Ians chuckled and turned around. The mages who had followed behind stopped, seeing the two of them.

The demon knew that his current form wouldn’t last long. Other humans lasted at most a couple of hours, but Ian was a very special case.

“T-there are two Ian-nims.”

“T-two…”

So, his top priority was to quickly shake up the situation.

He looked back at the mages, who were standing there with bewildered faces, without saying a word. Ian Hiel would never panic or act rashly in this situation.

“Beric.”

“Huh? Uh?”

“Restrain this one.”

Zzzing! Zzzing!

And with that short command, he immediately unleashed his magic.

Since they were close, the real Ian stepped back and reflexively created a shield.

Boom! Bang!

A strong wind blew, and as the dust settled, the surrounding situation slowly became clear. The demon, transformed into Ian, realized that something was pointed at the end of his neck.

“……!”

Ding!

It was Beric’s sword. Without a moment’s hesitation, he aimed it at the demon’s neck and grinned, baring his fangs.

And in quick succession-

Swish!

“Where did this bastard-!”

“He’s pretending to be Ian-nim, huh?”

“You wanna die.”

The mages, without exception, surrounded the demon and took an offensive stance. The murderous intent was not just a gesture to calm down. They were ready to cut his throat at any moment.

He was flustered. No, he was clearly no different from Ian in appearance, and he had even used magic first, so how did they know he was fake?

“What are you doing?”

“Whaaat are you doooing? Seriously, if you do that with that face, will my heart beat or not? Huh?”

“…You’re all making a mistake.”

It felt like a part of the world he had firmly believed in was collapsing. The demon had no idea how they could distinguish him.

Hale put a cigarette in his mouth and chuckled.

“A mistake… That’s right. It’s your mistake to transform into Ian-nim.”

The invisible sixth sense. The sense that connected the mages could perceive Ian as clearly as possible. It was because his very body was a god.

How could those who were born from a god, wagered their fate, and were returning to a god not know that?

“Sorry, but the senses are different. The senses.”

“Yeah. And the smell too.”

Beric now understood. How was it possible that he had sensed Ian’s scent even after so much time had passed?

Just as the mages sensed Ian with their sixth sense, he, as a magic swordsman, sensed Ian with his most developed sense.

It was called a smell, but it was ultimately Beric’s sixth sense.

“Oh, what should we do? Ian-nim. We can’t dare to touch Ian-nim’s face.”

“Could you do it yourself?”

“Hey! You, quickly change to another face. It hurts my heart to kill you.”

“Yeah. Go back to Beric’s face like before.”

Ian, completely surrounded by the mages, bit his lower lip hard.

‘Oh, look at that? Even the furrowed brow and sharp eyes?’ The mages simultaneously held their breath.

‘Gasp!’

‘…He’s handsome.’

A face they had never seen on the real Ian!

The mages’ nostrils flared without them realizing it. Their hearts were pounding, and they were sweating. That guy was dangerous in many ways.

“It’s okay, kill him.”

“No, but Ian-nim, that’s a little…”

The demon took a deep breath and raised his hand to his face. Then, he began to transform his appearance again.

Who would he become this time? The mages watched with indifferent faces. They had completely surrounded him and taken their positions, so no matter who he transformed into, there would be no confusion.

“Now, stop-”

“…Huh.”

The mages’ mouths slowly opened.

Silky, flowing golden hair, clear green eyes, and radiant skin. They immediately knew who the demon had created.

“Philia.”

It was Philia. There were some slightly different parts, as it was based on Ian’s memories, but she was definitely Philia.

Ian, who had been crossing his arms, straightened his posture and looked at Philia.

“Is this not it?”

The face flowed down again. The blonde hair turned brown, and the slender figure changed into a male physique.

Hale, Tommy, Nakina, and the mages except for Beric frowned, wondering who that was.

“Ian-nim. Are you still going to kill me like this?”

The voice was the same as Philia’s, but the appearance was Naum’s.

“……!”

Hale unconsciously touched his forehead, and Tommy and Nakina sighed softly and averted their eyes. This was what it meant to copy Ian-nim and take on the pain in his memories.

“Ian-nim-”

‘Don’t worry about it, please turn your head away for a moment.’ That was the moment Hale was about to say that.

Thud!

Ian passed him in an instant. He reached out to Naum with a fierce gaze that he had never shown before.

A rage that no one could add to swallowed the space.

O