Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 751

“Ugh…”

The mages groaned, their eyes squinting. It wasn’t often they felt sympathy for monsters, but the scene before them was far beyond ‘ordinary.’

Ian, covered in the monster’s black blood, gasped for breath, his grip tightening. Crunch! Once again, the monster’s head was crushed, its remains oozing out.

“L-Lord Ian.”

“…”

“It’s dirty, please stop.”

At Hale’s plea, Ian tilted his head and looked back. In his hand was the monster’s hide, torn in half, barely holding its shape. It had been a fleeting moment. Ian, filled with rage, had lunged at the monster and ripped it apart.

Thud.

Ian lightly tossed the monster’s corpse aside, then dusted off his fingertips. Thick blood dripped down with his gesture.

The monster, which had been wickedly taunting just moments ago, was now completely still. Was it so reckless just for this? It was laughable.

“Handkerchief.”

Ian approached Hale, extending his hand and nodding his head. His hands were dirty, so he wanted Hale to take out the handkerchief from his pocket instead.

Hale took it out from his inner pocket and handed it over. Ian roughly wiped his hands and neck.

‘Lord Ian is really scary when he’s angry.’

‘Berik, can’t you do something?’

‘What can I do? Just shut up at times like this.’

The mages and Berik exchanged glances, having a silent conversation. It was as if the anger Ian had just shown was different from anything they had seen before. It was vivid, explosive, and raw, like an untamed emotion.

Ian, having roughly wiped off the monster’s blood, raised his head and spoke.

“I believe you’re watching.”

It was a message to the King of Toolrun.

“Stop trying to do anything with such insignificant monsters, and show yourself. Otherwise, your palace will be wiped out entirely. And I swear, I will kill everyone who followed you as king and bowed their heads to you.”

It was a warning that if even a shred of your self as a king remained, not just a shadow’s clone, you should show yourself for the sake of the country.

There was no answer from the void. The surroundings were still silent, and Ian’s voice scattered somewhere.

“Lord Ian. It seems there’s no response. Perhaps we should shift the search towards the north mountain…”

Screech!

Screech!

It was then.

The doors of the palace, which had been open, all closed simultaneously. The door behind Ian’s group was the same.

Wham!

It wasn’t the wind, but the doors slammed shut as if they would break.

The mages tensed up and strengthened their guard. In the darkness where nothing could be seen, only the moonlight faintly streamed in.

Flicker!

“They’re coming!”

Whoosh!

The king’s attacks rained down like a storm on the mages. Dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of needles fell as if to crush them.

Buzz! Buzz!

While the mages maintained their shields, Hale, Berik, and Ian unleashed their magic to break the needles.

And at that moment-

“Ian Hielro.”

A clear voice came from one side. Kumasha, who had appeared out of nowhere, stood with threads tied to his fingertips.

“Or Ian Verosian. What should I call you?”

Whoosh!

White hair, pale skin, and red eyes. The mages were momentarily stunned by the sight of the child, who was smaller than they had imagined. The one who had been behind the puppets was such a young child.

The first to react and rush forward was Ian.

“Don’t you dare-”

There was an enemy in front of him. The source of the black seed that would save Bariel a hundred years later.

Ian floated into the air and twisted his waist. His fist, condensed with magic, flew towards the king.

“-speak of it.”

Wham! Bang!

And blocking Ian’s path were three unfamiliar humans. Mages. Judging by their attire, they didn’t seem to be from Toolrun, nor were they from the Empire.

“It’s hard to break old habits.”

They were mercenary mages secured by thoroughly exploiting the spiritist families of Toolrun.

Their eyes were empty. Ian smiled wryly, as if he had expected it, and the king moved the three mages simultaneously using the strings attached to his fingertips.

“Lord Ian! Leave them to us!”

“We’ll take care of these guys!”

Although the mages were set up, they wouldn’t be able to use forbidden magic like before. Even when controlling Mrs. Darci in Luswena, they had suffered severe side effects. If that happened again, the burden would be more than doubled without someone to filter it.

Buzz! Buzz!

Every time the mages clashed, the surroundings flashed. Ian left his back to them and turned towards the king.

As the child flicked his fingertips, something that seemed to be a huge pillar fell relentlessly.

Wham! Bang! Wham-!

Tap!

Ian dodged the pillars, ran over them, and if necessary, smashed them immediately.

The distance to the king was getting closer. As Ian reached out, he saw something sparkling around the child.

‘Ah.’

It was the string that had cut Banusa alive.

As Ian tried to cut it with the Idgal sword, Berik suddenly appeared and swung it instead.

“Ian! Go!”

Yes, he would go.

Finally, they faced each other. There was nothing more between them. Kumasha calmly watched Ian approach, then lightly lifted his fingertips.

“Verosian.”

Pause. The moment the child spoke Verosian’s name, Ian’s limbs were bound as if caught in a spiderweb. Was there another invisible string?

The child slowly lowered his upper body and brought his fingertips to Ian’s forehead.

“You and I are in the same situation, how can you not know?”

Nonsense. He wanted to shout to shut up, but strangely, all his muscles were paralyzed and wouldn’t move.

The king’s red eyes came closer. It was the gaze of crimson flames. The child was clearly speaking in front of him, but the voice seemed to echo from somewhere below his brain.

“We are both destined to be pawns moved by the will of God. Verosian, you know you cannot eliminate the shadow. If there is light, there will always be a shadow beneath it. As long as God exists, the shadow will not die.”

He knew. Yet, he was doing it. He was trying to kill it so that the darkness of the shadow would not grow. If he couldn’t kill it, he would try to fulfill his mission by covering it.

“Verosian. When your purpose is fulfilled, God will erase you. Will you still wield this sword? The you of before and the you of now are very different, aren’t they?”

He knew that too.

But… weren’t there many precious things?

Intense images flashed through Ian’s mind. The gazes of the mages, the sunlight in the palace, the rustling noise of the conference room, Berik and Romandro’s pranks, Jin’s back… as if telling him not to forget, as if he must not forget.

Ian unknowingly took a sharp breath.

“So, Verosian. Stop here. Then, God and the shadow will coexist at a proper distance, and your life will continue.”

The child’s whisper felt incredibly sweet. The surroundings slowed down, and he felt as if time was distorted.

Ah, yes. This was-

‘That’s it.’

The ability of High Priest Raju, who had severed Berik’s head.

“Ian!”

Berik’s drawn-out call was heard. Following that, a strong grip was felt on his neck. Someone had grabbed his neck and pulled him back.

And at the same time-

Wham!

A huge pillar fell where Ian had been.

“…”

“Why did you stop?”

“Ah.”

Ian stood blankly, looking down at his hands.

Everything was back in place. The flow of time, the buzzing noise, and somewhere in his heart that had been soaked in sweetness.

Ian stared at Berik, and Berik winked playfully.

“I saved you, you know.”

“Berik! Stop fooling around and move!”

“Lord Ian! Is there a problem?”

Wham! Bang!

Ian got up and slowly rolled up his sleeves. Problem? No. Such a thing did not exist.

“…Everyone, fulfill your assigned duties.”

How foolish. It was foolish that he had been momentarily tempted by that wicked thing’s words.

Was it the power of illusion? He didn’t know. But one thing was clear: if he stopped here, his Bariel would disappear.

Ian warned the mages.

“-And don’t get close to the king. You’ll fall into an illusion.”

“Yes, we understand!”

The mages answered energetically. They were already too busy dealing with the mercenary mages to even get close, though.

Meanwhile, Banusa continued to look around while the mages continued the battle. Since the king had shown himself, it meant that he had set up some safety measures. It wouldn’t be enough just to activate the illusion magic nearby.

‘What should I do? Maybe that guy…’

Ah. That’s right. There was a model of the Toolrun capital built in the basement. All of the king’s attacks would pass through there. The pillars falling now were also definitely attacks using it.

Banusa hid her presence and turned her body into liquid. Soon, she seeped into the cracks in the floor and felt the continuous vibrations all over her body.

‘I see it.’

The model was lying alone with the corpses scattered in the basement.

She slipped out of the crack and landed, then examined the corpses that had fallen while bleeding. Each of them had been pierced near the heart. Was it the work of a monster?

Swoosh.

She was about to turn around but looked back at the corpses again. Was it a monster that had torn through the bodies of the palace officials?

If so, what would come out if Ian were to tear the king apart? Would it just be a death filled with regrets that would engulf the king? Or…

“Damn it.”

Wham!

The basement shook as if it would collapse. Banusa bent her shoulders and immediately drew her sword, then smashed the capital model.

And at the same time, on the upper floor, Ian’s Idgal sword pierced Kumasha’s heart.

Whoosh!

The blood from the child’s body quickly soaked his white clothes. Berik and the mages all turned around at the sound of the blood bursting. Was it done? Ian’s sword was extended in a straight line, so it should have been.

But Ian’s expression was strange.

Likewise, the expression of the bleeding king.

“Ian Verosian. I clearly told you.”

Clench.

The child muttered, firmly gripping the Idgal sword with both hands.

“This is your own doing-!”

Thud! Thump!

The space condensed and twisted. Gravity increased, pressing down on them, and their hearts stopped as if they would be crushed to death if they lost consciousness.

It was beyond what could be handled with a shield. It was the power of the space-time itself that surrounded them, so the mages could only kneel and continue to vomit blood.

“Cough!”

“Cough!”

Thump-! Thump!

Ian was the same. Blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth.

The king, who had been looking down at this, hardened his lips and smashed the Idgal sword.

Clang!

Ian, who had lost his balance for a moment, twisted his body and stepped back. Then, something thin and long shot out from Kumasha’s hand. It was amber-colored like Idgal, but a little more red, something murky.

“Even Idgal casts a shadow.”

It just needed certain conditions.

Kumasha, holding a sword like Ian, took his first step. The mages and Berik could only follow the child’s movements with their eyes.

“Lord Ian!”

Crack! Wham!

At that moment, Ian’s Idgal and Kumasha’s sword collided, and the world flashed with a hot burst of sound.