Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor [EN]: Chapter 761

With Hale’s signal, the mages immediately reacted, turning as one. The wind stirred with their movement, scattering gray dust everywhere.

That someone who had just been alive could vanish so quickly… Beric stood frozen, forgetting to breathe. His pupils trembled, and tears welled in his eyes.

‘Ah…’

Only Jeyrut’s discarded clothes remained.

Beric walked unsteadily, as if in disbelief, then knelt. His breath seemed to have stopped; he couldn’t inhale.

‘Jeyrut.’

He wanted to resent him, but he couldn’t. Captain Jeyrut, no, all the Imperial Knights, had risked their lives in every moment of their duty.

Just as he had, so had Jeyrut. It was simply that the thread of fate had snapped, unable to bear the weight. Beric clutched at the dirt, as if trying to grasp his scattered remains.

Kwaaak.

King Tolun had died with his eyes open, pierced in the same place as Captain Jeyrut, his whole body soaked in blood.

…It was unbearable, unacceptable. Jeyrut had disappeared without a trace, yet that thing lay there, meeting its end so completely. Tears streamed down Beric’s chin.

‘Ah…’

‘This, this…’

‘Is Captain Jeyrut dead? R-really?’

The squad members were also in shock, frozen in place.

Jeyrut was the center of the three commanders. All the commanders who had taken office after the civil war ten years ago were essentially Jeyrut’s disciples. With his death, it was as if a great pillar supporting the Imperial Knights had collapsed.

‘What should I do?’

It was a sense of helplessness he hadn’t felt since Ian had disappeared into the abyss with Rutherford. As Beric stood there blankly, tears streaming down his face, a gentle voice echoed in his ear.

-Beric.

It was Ian.

As soon as Ian failed to save Jeyrut, he immediately ascended again, attached himself to the Shadow God, and began to attack like a madman.

Now, it was the opposite. Due to the endless spread of dark energy, black wounds had spread beyond Ian’s hand and onto his white neck.

-What were Captain Jeyrut’s last words?

What were they?

Beric sobbed, stammering.

‘F-for the honor of the Empire, everyone, until the end…’

Fight following me.

Beric roughly rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

-There is still a chance. The captain is not dead.

His will was still alive. And it was with Beric and the squad members. But if they lost here, even that would disappear with the wind, to a place they could never reach.

-What was the captain’s last look like?

It was firm. It shone without wavering. His spirit was sharp, filled with belief instead of worry. There was only the conviction that the Imperial Knights could do it. And a hint of satisfaction, a feeling of gratitude for being able to complete his mission and die with honor on the battlefield… He could feel everything in the brief moment he saw his gaze.

Beric took a deep breath, crouched for a moment, and then opened his eyes wide.

Saaak!

At that moment, a giant World Tree bloomed from behind. It was a combined magic the mages had created by gathering their power.

Solid, fresh stems rose endlessly, surrounding the palace grounds. The vines climbed onto the shadow like living beings, tightly binding it.

Chwaaak!

Like stars orbiting, the mages exploded with power, continuously circling the Shadow God. The more they did, the denser and thicker the World Tree became, as if it would swallow the shadow.

Sseuek.

Beric rose to his feet. Then, he turned and looked at the squad members standing there in despair. Their eyes were all red. No one tried to hide it.

‘All hands—’

As Beric raised his hand and spoke, the squad members choked back their sobs and repeated the command. It was a ritual all too familiar to the Imperial Knights.

‘All hands!’

‘From now on, we will support the Magic Division and annihilate the Shadow God. The top priority is unconditional victory.’

Cheoeok.

Beric’s voice and Captain Jeyrut’s voice seemed to overlap. The squad members wiped away their tears and placed their hands on their chests. Their hearts were pounding under their palms, just like when they had followed Captain Jeyrut’s orders.

Jiiing! Jiiing!

The magic swordsmen once again drew out all their strength and unleashed their magic power. It was a faint light compared to the mages, but they were confident.

They were Jeyrut’s disciples, and Jeyrut’s Imperial Knights had never failed a mission in history. They had died completing them, but never failed.

Beric closed his eyes and declared. The image of Jeyrut saying these words sometime in the past appeared vividly before his eyes. And that memory echoed through Beric’s lips, resounding once more in the world.

‘Let us remember. We are the heart of Bariel.’

Those who pierced the heart shall be repaid with that heart.

Beric slowly opened his eyes and looked at the squad members. He would send all those who remained back alive. No matter what, he would not let anyone else go. Jeyrut had entrusted them to him, so he would do whatever it took.

Taat!

Tadaktadak!

With Beric in the lead, the magic swordsmen all charged forward. They climbed the World Tree, striking down the demonic beasts that leaked through the gaps.

They knew it well. That unless it was someone like Ian, or the mages who had combined their power, it would never work.

But they were not the kind of people who only fought against opponents they could win against.

Chwaaaak!

‘…!’

The moment the magic swordsmen’s swords touched the demonic beasts, a pure white light settled on them from somewhere. They couldn’t immediately tell where it came from. They were only focused on the fact that their swords had cut down the demonic beasts.

‘It works!’

‘Why?’

‘We cut it!’

The Imperial Knights rejoiced simultaneously. Was it thanks to the combined magic? Or was it for another reason? It didn’t matter. The important thing was just one thing—

‘We can do it!’

They had taken a small step.

Change solidified belief, and belief led to another step forward, which would bring hope to everyone. The beginning of a solid virtuous cycle.

‘Haa, haa—’

Eileen looked up at the scene with her hands clasped together. Surprisingly, the white light that had settled on the magic swordsmen had originated from her. Her eyes were filled with overwhelming energy.

‘…Eileen. Is that ‘our prayer’?’

‘Yes, Your Majesty. It is certain.’

Buuuu-! Buu!

Instead of the stopped song, the water horn sounded low and reverently. It added weight to the desperate prayers of the Imperial Army.

All the soldiers of the Imperial Army were constantly seeking the gods, just like the mages chanting spells, and this was embodied through Eileen. That was the light. The power that allowed the magic swordsmen’s attacks, which had not reached the Shadow God, to penetrate the darkness.

Sseuek.

Eileen stretched her hands up to the sky and continued her prayer. Her whole body glowed with white light, emitting a sacred aura. It continued to overflow, filling the area, and the mages felt the concentration of power growing stronger.

‘Let the inner flame burn forever!’

At Hale’s lead, the mages followed. Light streaks left traces along the swirling orbits. The swirling golden waves grew even stronger.

‘It is the light that illuminates the world—!’

It was the mages’ oath. The teachings of the sages that had been passed down for over 1,000 years, and the truth that they used as their compass.

In response, the World Tree began to tighten, as if it would cut the Shadow God in half.

‘May it warm you, may it warm us.’

Kwajik! Kwajijik!

The shadow’s form distorted and twisted. But even so, its momentum did not falter. Rather, the darkness deepened as if reacting violently, just as a deep shadow appears under a strong light.

Ian took a moment to catch his breath, then lightly moved his fingertips to draw a magic circle. Was it an attack? All the mages and magic swordsmen focused on his movements, ready to support him.

Jiiing! Jiiing!

But what Ian created was a magnification magic. The difference from before was that this time, the target was everyone alive and breathing in the capital of Tolun.

A message to the Imperial soldiers who were engrossed in prayer, the Tolun remnants who had barely survived in the piles of corpses, and even the followers of the Shadow God who were hiding somewhere, not giving up hope.

-The King of Tolun is dead.

Stop. The Imperial soldiers were surprised and flinched at the same time. And soon after, they understood the situation and cheered. They had climbed one step closer to victory.

‘O-oh, oh—!’

‘Wow, the king is dead!’

‘The King of Tolun is dead! The king is dead!’

‘Waaaaa! Waa!’

‘Bariel! Bariel! Bariel!’

The Bariel Empire flag fluttered greatly. The soldiers’ clenched fists punched the sky repeatedly, and joyous cheers continued to echo.

-The god you believe in has manifested directly on earth, yet he could not protect even one small human child. How can this be called a god? The king’s heart was pierced by a sword, and he could not even leave his last words. When the rain stops, I will personally hang his corpse high for all to see.

The King of Tolun was the medium connecting the believers and the shadow. So, if that was cut off, the shadow’s power would continue to weaken. Furthermore, the Imperial Army’s faith would grow stronger.

Ian, who was delivering the message magic, looked directly at the Shadow God.

-Do you still believe in this? Face it. This is just a monster that wants to become a god.

Ian’s voice was mixed with ridicule. Pieces of the shadow that had squeezed out of the World Tree lunged to block Ian’s magic, but they were destroyed by the magic swordsmen.

Pueoong! Pung!

Everyone who faced the underground god instinctively noticed. Faint but clear, the shadow’s power was weakening.

‘Ian! Keep going!’

‘The bastard is dying!’

‘Keep struggling, you son of a bitch!’

‘There! The stem is about to burst!’

‘Focus! Focus consciously!’

‘Yes, Captain!’

‘Uaaaaa!’

Kwajik! Kwajik!

The Shadow God, displeased, tried to break out by bursting the World Tree stems, but the mages did not back down. One by one, blood began to flow from their faces.

-You bastards!

Gooooooo!

The World Tree stems slowly widened. It was because the Shadow God’s body had swelled. Ian gracefully raised his hand and created a giant bow.

‘Ian.’

‘Just a little more.’

‘Just a little more! Hold on!’

Then, thin streaks of light were engraved at the ends of the bow, and an arrow was created at Ian’s fingertips. When Ian placed the fletching on the bowstring, flames surged from the tip.

「Fire Arrow」.

‘Shadow of God.’

Kkiiiiik.

Ian called out to it, pulling the bowstring tightly.

‘I am one who moves according to the will of God, and I fully accept all processes. But, have you ever thought about this?’

The rain grew heavier. As Ian closed one eye to aim, a stream of water flowed along the curve. Even in the downpour, the flames of the arrow tip burned even stronger. In addition, divine energy was also imbued.

‘That your existence, will, and all actions might be above the fate called the will of God.’

The shadow cannot move alone. It must follow the movement of light.

‘Return to the light and reflect.’

Tiing.

Ian muttered and released the bowstring.

O