What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 752

Noctiluca (3)

-Kugugugugu…!

“Liester! Brace for impact!”

“Aaaaaaagh!”

-Kwaaaang…!

“Get down! Everyone, close your eyes and get down!”

“Brace for impact! Just follow orders! Everyone down and protect your heads!”

-Beeeeeeeeep!

A tremendous earthquake swallowed the entire Heavenly Road, and a ringing in the ears that shook the skull rattled the ranks of the Liester Empire army.

Despite having been warned of such a situation, the soldiers couldn’t help but be shocked by the world-collapsing impact.

Flattened on the dirt floor, they gritted their teeth, fearing they might bite their tongues.

A sandstorm reminiscent of the desert blew in, and intense silver-white rays banished the darkness of dawn, stretching out in all directions.

Frederica closed her eyes for a moment and prayed. She had abandoned faith long ago outside the Imperial Palace, and the memory of the last time she pleaded with God had faded.

But at least she could mourn.

For an old man who had made himself a foundation for the country and its people.

-Kwaaaang, Kwaaaang, Kwakwakwaaaang…!

“Uwaaaaaaagh!”

“Endure with prayer! The Main God will protect us!”

“Falling rocks! Watch out for falling rocks…!”

“……”

The Emperor quietly opened her eyes and looked down at the treasured sword in her right hand.

She suddenly remembered when her mother was in charge of state affairs, and the Fleur-de-lis mages [mages known for their flower-shaped magic crests] and astronomers flocked to the Imperial Palace to see her.

At the time, Frederica, as a princess, was a tomboy preoccupied with swordsmanship and companionship, going back and forth between the training hall and the temple all day long.

But the stories of the old scholars, which she had expected to be boring, immediately caught her interest.

‘This is a supernova, Your Majesty. The Main God’s star is exploding in the night sky.’

‘What happens after the explosion is over?’

‘It will remain as a beautiful light for several months, and then gradually disappear beyond the eyelids of the Mother God.’

‘When a star dies and sows seeds, a new star is sure to be born in the universe. I implore Your wise Majesty…’

-Kugugugugung!

-Ssaeeeeaeaeae…!

A whirlwind of storms raged, and the Emperor’s silver hair fluttered violently.

From afar, the screams of the Divine Kingdom’s army erupted. She murmured quietly.

“The Divine Kingdom’s star is falling.”

‘I implore Your wise Majesty to offer a Mass to the Main God so that the soul of the star does not wander the Milky Way but descends as a light on this land.’

-Kwakwakwakwakwang…!

“……Please, be a light to illuminate the darkness. Grand Duke.”

‘Papat…!’ The aftershock, she didn’t know how many times it had been, swept through the Heavenly Road with the momentum to shatter it.

The Emperor and her beloved horse, Silvester, stood a hundred paces away from the army, watching the beginning and end of the disaster.

The explosion was not long.

It must have felt like time in front of the gates of hell to the soldiers, but to Frederica, the owner of Durendal [a legendary sword], the dry flow of reality was directly felt.

If the Grand Duke had not stopped it, Adriana Albina’s suicide would have claimed at least thousands of lives.

-Gugugung…

As the roar subsided and the earth’s rumbling died down, someone came riding a horse.

The Emperor knew who she was without looking back.

“Your Majesty. I have brought the sacred object, the ‘Saddle of the Late Emperor.’”

“……”

At the Emperor’s signal, Duke Cecil Blanquer calmly unloaded the luggage from her saddle.

Soon, a crimson saddle with gorgeous gold thread embroidery on velvet adorned Silvester’s back.

It seemed like an ordinary horse harness, but it was a relic that had been passed down as a treasure of the Cise family for a long time.

It was used by the late Emperor Esther, who was praised as the ‘Guardian of Faith’ with utmost devotion, and it became greatly famous when the priest Francis Cise, her religious companion and lover, consecrated it with a tearful kiss when she left to suppress the rebellion in the southwest of the Empire.

Later, after Esther’s death, Francis did not inherit any inheritance and lived in seclusion in his territory, but he cherished the saddle of the late Emperor until the day he closed his eyes.

“I am worried about whether Silvester will be able to adapt easily.”

And the current head of the family, Marquis Leon Cise, presented this to the Emperor before heading to the northern part of the Divine Kingdom.

Frederica raised the corners of her lips, looking into the eyes of her beloved horse, which shone brightly.

“Of course, a guy called a divine horse will adapt quickly.”

-Prrr

As she stroked his gray mane, Silvester playfully neighed.

Frederica climbed onto his back without hesitation.

It was to immediately fulfill the ‘agreement’ with Grand Duke Judith Kamingha.

Cecil bowed politely and stepped back a few paces.

The Emperor looked down at her one last time and patted the horse’s neck.

“He is fearless and enjoys adventure, like your brother.”

“……”

“There won’t be any problems.”

A deep sadness flashed across the Duchess’s face and quickly disappeared.

In the battlefield where every minute was precious, there was no need to add words and comfort each other.

Because one wound was the strongest bond connecting the two.

“……I will lead the Imperial Army with all my heart until you return.”

“The Border Count must feel the same way.”

The Emperor joked briefly.

She looked back at the Liester-Corleone Allied Forces, which were filling the canyon like seawater in the distance.

In the Heavenly Road where the blood-colored dawn was seeping in, she saw the people slowly rising.

She had come so far. The thought suddenly occurred to her.

‘That will be swordsmanship that will amaze the continent in the future. If the late Emperor Romero had seen it, he would have been very proud. He was a Demon Swordsman, but he loved the sword even more.’

‘I don’t respect my grandfather very much, Father?’

‘……Yes. Even that point is so like him.’

It was dawn when the memories of her childhood filled up like sap.

Frederica shook her head once and let go of the conversation with her father.

And she reminded herself of what she had to protect here today.

Finally, she took out the Aether Stone [a magical stone] from her arms, kissed it, and thought of her only son’s face.

-……Sreung!

“Giddy up! Hah!”

-Hihing!

Drawing Durendal and spurring the horse, and as the horse born on the Great Festival stood up on its hind legs, the Emperor’s figure shot out alone with a cloud of dust. ‘Thud, thud, thud!’ The sound of hooves ringing as if to break the ground, Silvester’s hot breath, and the echoes of the Imperial Army’s cheers quickly faded behind her. ‘Jiiiiing…!’ Finally, a silver aura began to form on the blade of the treasured sword, and sharp murderous intent unique to the great swordsman family settled in her red eyes. ‘Hyah!’ Frederica accelerated even more. Silvester, following his master’s will, shook off the saliva and heated the horseshoes at full speed.

-Tagak, tagak, tagak, tagak…!

Finally, the enemy’s ranks, which were in disarray, came into view.

Catapults that had fallen in all directions due to the Grand Duke’s last thorny vines, and the appearance of the badly injured rebels could be seen.

As the old man had promised, the Divine Kingdom’s army that had been confronting them was retreating far away.

At the same time, the Sneider rebels also discover this side.

“There, someone’s coming! Someone’s coming alone on a horse!”

-Paaaa…!

Finally, a pale yellow glow spread before the Emperor’s eyes, and a thin spherical shield enveloped her and Silvester.

With that, the divine horse stepped into the air and stretched its hooves towards the sky.

-Swaaaaa…!

“Let’s go, Silvester! Hah!”

-Hihihing!

The moment the sacred object exerted its true power, it became the earnest grace of a priest-level clergyman.

The Emperor and the divine horse soared above the morning glow without a single wing.

Frederica directly sensed the ardent sense of liberation and excitement that Silvester felt.

She wielded Durendal and looked down at the ground.

The faces of the enemy, as white as blank paper, were as clear as a portrait by an imperial painter.

“It, it’s the Emperor! The Emperor of the enemy country has appeared in the sky!”

“All troops, defensive formation! All troops, defensive formation!”

Before the bewildered voices could completely fill the canyon, the Imperial Family’s sword moved first. ‘Whiririk! Swish, swish, whiriririk!’

-Jiiiiing!

-Kiiiiing, kiiiiing…!

Soon, a fierce aura pierced and flew into the ground, creating a spectacle.

Around the rebel area, four huge, square silver pillars soared.

They were so heavy and dizzying that one could not bear to look at their tips.

They were all empty and transparent, but for some reason, one could not breathe due to the pressure the pillars gave off. Those who had never heard of or seen such a sight were greatly embarrassed and took a step back.

When no one knew what these were or why they had sprung up on this land—

-Hwiik, ssaeaeaeak!

Durendal began to command.

-Ssaeeeeae, ssaeeae, ssaeeeeae!

“Ugh, ugh, uwaaaaaaagh!”

“Aaaaaaagh!”

-Kugugugung…!

“Haaaaak, kkeuaaaaaaagh!”

Each corner of each pillar turned into a silver aura and rushed into the center.

The monuments, which had all pointed to the sun, collapsed in no particular order and turned into the most horrific weapons in the world.

Each sword strike sharpened its blades like a thicket of stinging nettles, spun quickly like a wheel with a missing axle, and swept away the enemy before they could even scream, leaving only the screams of another enemy in its wake.

Every knight and soldier who was still alive lost their minds and ran somewhere.

The words lord, Sneider, and new god were forgotten in red. The innocent lives of the Venetians they had mercilessly killed were also forgotten in black.

They just had to live—

-Ssaeeaeang, tat!

“Are you trying to be a coward?”

“Heuaaaak!”

But before they could even get out of the pillar’s square, this time, bloodshot eyes flashed right in front of them.

The moment the sun’s sword that had descended to the ground reflected the light, it was already too late.

-Hwiik!

-Kwakwakwakwakwang!

-Swaaaaaaaaa…!

The blade cut through the air in a straight line, and the brilliant aura annihilated the enemy.

In the ensuing aftershock, the pillars scattered eerily into a mirage.

‘Silver Obelisk’.

This was the ultimate skill of the first head of the family, Duke Lazar Liester, and the name of the greatest sword master of the ancient desert and the Emperor of that era.

*

I had another dream.

This time it wasn’t a nightmare.

‘Take the bus? It’s good to just walk slowly and get some exercise, right? It’s close.’

My mother, who was in good health, said. I blinked.

The hand that filleted sea bream for our brothers was meticulous.

The table and chairs were all the same as the ones we use now, but when I checked my brother’s young voice and my mother’s young face, my thoughts slowly reached me.

This is a memory from before Eunseo was born.

I had forgotten it for so long… How did I suddenly remember it?

‘It’s too hot, Mom. Yeseo is sensitive to heat.’

‘Oh, that’s right. Our second child is very sensitive to heat.’

‘Mom is so clumsy, what should I do? Does everyone become like this when they’re busy trying to make a living?’ My mother giggled and put fish on top of my brother’s heaping bowl of rice.

I couldn’t grasp the context of the conversation.

The memories of my childhood were usually cut off like that, and only the atmosphere and colors of that day remained vaguely.

Were we going to a nearby amusement park or exhibition? More than that, was I sensitive to heat when I was young?

……Then maybe, was I also very sensitive to the cold? Like Prince Yeseo.

‘Mom and Dad met on a blind date.’

‘Yeah.’

The topic of conversation changed in an instant.

I didn’t know if time had passed or if my mother’s consciousness had flowed that way.

I chewed the rice quietly and listened.

Anyway, if it was a memory with my mother and brother, anything was precious to me.

‘Actually, at first, they were only supposed to pretend to be dating. Isn’t it funny?’

‘Only pretend to date? Why?’

My brother’s voice asking back was filled with laughter.

Even though I didn’t fully understand what my mother meant, I laughed along.

‘No, Mom originally went as a substitute for a friend’s blind date. But when I talked to him over coffee, guess what, that person also said that he had no choice but to come instead of a friend who didn’t want to come. I didn’t know at first? So…….’

Stories that were so fun and enjoyable that I wanted to listen to them forever.

I woke up with a pleasant smile.

“Ah, ouch……”

My arm was asleep, so my fingertips were so numb!

“Ugh, ptui. Ptui……”

In my dream, I clearly thought I was chewing rice, but when I woke up, my mouth was full of Demi’s tail fur.

I rubbed the damp tail of the child with my sleeve and fumbled to raise my waist.

-Tok, todok……

“……”

The campfire was soundly asleep, leaving only the minimum embers, and the friends lying in a circle around it were also fast asleep.

The surroundings were still as dark as pitch, and it took time for my eyes to get used to the darkness.

I felt like the sleepiness was fading quickly, perhaps because I fell asleep early.

Or maybe it was because I kept massaging my hand. Hmm…….

I feel strange. I don’t think I should fall asleep again like this.

“Sleep more. Don’t make a face later saying you’re tired.”

“……Prince Diop?”

On the opposite side, turning gray and revealing its outline, Djibril Diop was sitting with one knee raised.

I diligently tapped the computer in my slowly turning head. Why isn’t that person sleeping yet…….

“Night watch.”

“Ah……”

“If you understand, go back to sleep.”

The man spoke bluntly.

I nodded, but sat still without lying down.

Come to think of it, the dream I just had was something I didn’t want to forget.

But if I sleep now, I’ll definitely forget it in the morning.

“……Why? Was it another nightmare with your brother in it?”

“No, it’s not like that…… I can’t do that twice. Maybe my vessel can’t handle it…… I’m not a cardinal yet. It’s not easy for the phoenix to enter and exit by borrowing the dreams of a clergyman…….”

“I don’t know if you’re talking in your sleep or explaining.”

“No, my mom came out in my dream for the first time in a long time…… She was filleting sea bream for me and my brother. And we talked about blind dates too…….”

“As expected of someone who’s not a pig.”

“Pardon?”

I frowned. Then the thug across from me snorted.

“You ate grilled sea bream for dinner and you’re eating grilled sea bream in your dream too, but you’re not a pig?”

“……”

Annoying. I laughed in vain and swept my hair back.

The prince, who was staring at me, quietly got up from his seat.

“Come out. If you’re awake, let’s go on patrol.”