The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 482

Azadin’s vassals were horrified by the monster that suddenly emerged from beneath their feet.

A creature resembling a giant salamander, with a body spanning over twenty yards, had burst out from under the frozen river.

Its massive body was covered in snake-like tentacles, which were absorbing and fusing all sorts of flesh—people, fish, and even mutated Nether creatures—in a half-digested state.

The monster swung its tentacles, aiming for Azadin, who had been flung into the air.

“Herald Clan!”

“How dare you call yourself a god!?”

Surprisingly, the voices of the people embedded in the monster’s body cried out in unison.

Filled with resentment, hatred, and rage towards Azadin, the tentacles lashed out.

Azadin, hanging onto a shattered piece of ice in mid-air, used Grimslaw’s mace, with the Executioner’s axe head attached, to strike the ice cliff, avoiding the tentacle attack.

“What is that? A Sebalhan?” [A creature corrupted by demonic energy, often a former member of the Yaegas Divine Clan.]

Azadin recognized the monster’s true nature.

Though it was a grotesque sight, with no trace of humanity left, he could sense a faint aura of the Yaegas Divine Clan.

‘Is it because I’m providing divine magic to those who believe in the Yaegas Divine Clan? My senses have become more acute.’

Azadin was surprised at his own ability to identify it as a Sebalhan. He drew Aurelia Dawn.

Now, as the emperor of the Yaegas Divine Clan, Azadin felt a pang of pity, as if he were looking at a broken nephew, upon sensing the presence of the Yaegas Divine Clan within the Sebalhan.

He wanted to free it from that horrific form as soon as possible.

A golden ray shot out from Azadin’s hand.

He had thrown Aurelia Dawn. It flew with terrifying speed, not from a bow, slicing through Sebalhan’s tentacles and piercing its torso with a burning beam.

“Kkyaaaak!”

The monster writhed in pain, regenerating its tentacles. As the tentacles grew back, the flames engulfing its body intensified.

However, immediately after the attack, Azadin grabbed Grimslaw’s mace and moved behind a piece of ice.

The monster’s tentacles struck only the ice, unable to reach Azadin.

Moreover, the ice chunk began to move above the monster, Sebalhan’s, head.

“Accept your rest, you poor thing.”

No sooner had Azadin spoken than the ice chunk fell, crushing Sebalhan’s head.

Like a salamander whose belly had burst from a rock, Sebalhan’s abdomen exploded.

Black and red demonic energy poured out from within.

This energy transformed into countless human figures and scattered into the blizzard-swept sky.

“Kkyaaaaa!”

Sebalhan continued to thrash, but there was no way to stop it.

Azadin floated Grimslaw’s mace, used it to slow his fall, and landed safely on the snow.

“Ah! Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”

“His Majesty has defeated Sebalhan and rescued the souls of the captured residents!”

Azadin’s vassals, the elves and Northern Aragas who had just become his people, and the supply soldiers from Asander who had been assigned to transport supplies and sleds, cheered at the sight.

Those familiar with Azadin’s tactics, such as Jibek and Ismail, were not surprised.

No matter how bad Azadin’s condition was, there was no way a monster as large as that could capture him.

They were more concerned about the stamina he had used up fighting the monster.

“Your Majesty.”

“You need to rest more. The blood….”

“Ah. It’s a real mess.”

Azadin wiped the blood from his nose and examined his body.

The more he used miracles, the more achievements he made, the more people worshipped and followed him, and each time, Azadin drew closer to death.

He was still okay, but he needed to inform Chitae about this incident.

He would declare that he had killed Sebalhan, the former king of Chitae who had been corrupted by demonic forces, and claim the throne of Chitae.

“Sion Etar. The Sun of Seonwoo….”

“Yes.”

Sion Etar understood why Azadin was bringing up the Sun of Seonwoo [A sacred artifact of the Herald Clan] at this particular moment.

When Azadin arrived in Chitae, he couldn’t be sure whether he would be able to retrieve the Sun of Seonwoo from the Herald Clan’s sanctuary.

“Choose you, your wife, and the clansmen who will go with you. I will bless them so they can endure the cold. I will provide sleds.”

The battle was coming to an end.

Azadin’s initial use of a cold blast had decimated the enemy forces, and the elven knights had bravely charged into the enemy lines, eliminating Atra’s high-ranking spider apostles. The Nether beings lost control and began to devour each other.

Having devoured each other on their march here, they had developed a habit of cannibalism.

Without the magic of Atra’s apostles, they became mindless monsters, devouring each other… It was a terrible end for those who were originally residents of Chitae, but there seemed to be no other way to save them.

“Haa.”

Azadin carefully cast a spell as he looked at the horrific battlefield.

As the emperor who had been consecrated with the funeral rites for the dead, Azadin’s spell covered the entire battlefield.

The souls of the dead were freed from the Nether’s corruption and the Kurut Divine Clan’s coercion, and they headed to the afterlife, which also drew admiration from the soldiers.

“…I’m as good as dead now.”

Azadin smiled bitterly, knowing the side effects of this admiration.

*********

When Azadin’s army arrived at Changgok Pass, Sion Etar chose to return to the Herald Clan’s sanctuary hidden within the Kerim Mountains with his in-laws, the elders of the Northern Aragas.

Azadin entrusted the production of official documents to Scholar Garasan and his disciples and followers.

They drafted a declaration announcing that Azadin had defeated Sebalhan, the former king of Chitae, and officially claimed the throne.

Garasan and his scholars composed writings that matched the etiquette and elegance of Chitae, and proclaimed them in various places. Not only the nobles who had already defected, but also those from other regions submitted to Azadin.

Azadin marched into the capital of Chitae without any major problems, defeated the Nether monsters, and sat on the throne of Chitae.

And….

Azadin lost consciousness while sitting on the throne of Chitae.

*********

The Nislaph, the treasure of the Rescue Knights, was tearing through the sea, which was raging with cold and strong winds.

Each time it cut through a house-sized wave, ice accumulated on the ship.

Even the Nislaph, said to be a gift from the angels, could not withstand so much ice.

A priest had to consecrate it in the name of Emperor Azadin and cast a spell to break the ice on the ship and let it fall back into the sea.

“Because you use so much power, His Majesty is in danger….”

A girl standing on the forecastle, watching the work, grumbled.

She was Midiam Etar, the empress of Emperor Azadin, wearing light armor, a crescent moon bow, characteristic of the Herald Clan, around her waist like a belt, and a short sword.

She had boarded the Nislaph herself to meet Azadin and was making a forced march towards Chitae.

Although she was a young empress, she maintained her balance firmly even on the swaying ship, preventing the sailors from looking down on her and keeping her position.

“Empress. If we don’t do this, the ship will capsize.”

“What are the Rescue Knights’ priests doing?”

“…I’m sorry. My training is insufficient, and I cannot break the ice on the entire ship like that.”

The priests and holy knights of the Rescue Knights confessed.

Their insufficient magical skills could not keep up with the rate at which ice was accumulating on the ship.

‘So… Ah, fate is truly cruel. Azadin has only been persecuted by the Herald Clan and the whole world, yet he has to give everything to the world. How can such a situation where he can’t last a moment without doing so be possible!’

Midiam knew well about Azadin’s childhood. She herself was a member of the Herald Clan who had looked down on Azadin and challenged him.

But now, Azadin had become the emperor who protected the world, a giant human pillar providing the power of miracles and the power of the Divine King’s Scripture to people.

He endured the weight of the whole world alone. Thanks to him, people realized their mistakes and began to praise him, but that praise, that prayer, was also eating away at Azadin.

The reason Azadin collapsed in Chitae was that by then, the rumors of Azadin’s miracles had spread far and wide, and more people had begun to worship him.

“I understand, so just do your shifts well.”

“…Yes.”

Every time the ship crossed a wave, it swayed up and down, so the sailors were working on the sails while hanging onto ropes and wearing shoes with metal studs on the soles.

The sailors were working in three shifts, but when sailing in such a strong wind zone, even resting was meaningless.

Even in the cabins, the ship was swaying up and down, so no matter how brave they were, they could not fall asleep.

“I’m sorry! But please hold on a little longer!”

Midiam asked her vassals and ordered a forced march.

*********

After a terrible forced march, the Nislaph safely arrived at Junggyeong, the capital of Chitae.

Unlike the rough seas they had endured so far, the sea route near Junggyeong’s port was calm, and the water was not frozen.

Midiam disembarked at the port of Junggyeong, where Nicelda, Jibek, and Ismail were waiting to greet her.

“You have arrived, Empress.”

“It must have been a difficult journey, but it is a relief that you are safe.”

“Yes. Thank you for coming to greet me. Sir Jibek, Ismail, what happened? I heard he lost consciousness.”

“Yes. His Majesty has been using divine magic from the churches of various kingdoms, and he is currently unable to leave the throne because he is using his power to sustain it.”

“Unable to leave the throne? Is he conscious?”

“…….”

Jibek and Nicelda hesitated, not knowing what to say.

Azadin’s current state was terrible. Should they show it to Midiam?

But the empress, who had crossed the raging winter sea of Netherstrom, must also be worried, so what should they say?

Then Ismail said,

“He is repeatedly waking up and collapsing. He is in terrible pain, as if he has been struck by lightning… It’s a gruesome sight.”

“I’ll see him. Lead the way.”

Midiam began to walk towards the palace in Junggyeong.

*********

The entire city of Junggyeong, the capital of Chitae, had been destroyed by the Nether’s forces, and its residents had been massacred.

Fortunately, their supplies and food were still plentiful, so Azadin’s army occupied Chitae, cleared away the corpses and pollutants, and collected as much food and supplies as possible. They were salvaging as much of the unpolluted supplies as possible.

That work was still ongoing. They were salvaging materials from the collapsed buildings to build defenses and shelters for the refugees, and the work was progressing very quickly.

It was amazing that things were running so smoothly even though the emperor, Azadin, had collapsed.

“The scholars and nobles of Chitae are all pledging their loyalty to His Majesty. They are helping with all their hearts.”

Jibek praised the sincerity of the Chitae people, and Ismail grumbled.

“They know that His Majesty is sustaining the world even in that state. If they are not beasts, they should be doing that.”

What kind of state was he in that they were saying such things?

Midiam steeled herself and arrived deep inside the palace, in the throne room.