What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 787

The Decisive Battle (1)

“Receive my divine power!”

-KWA-GWA-GWA-GWANG!

[Kuk!]

-Jjeo-jeo-jeo-jeok······!

I gritted my teeth, bracing for a massive impact, but thankfully, Duke Johann’s wind protected me.

Rather, it felt like his power was pushing me, further amplifying my attack.

I breathed heavily, having planted the Scepter into the barrier that rounded and protected the royal castle.

Below the staff, which emitted a light stronger than the moon, I could see the astonished faces of the royal castle’s inhabitants.

Though I couldn’t make out their expressions clearly, they were all frozen like ice, holding swords and spears, so I figured I was halfway there.

Of course, the soldiers’ shouts were deafening from all directions, and the golden radiance of ‘Noctiluca’ [a type of bioluminescent algae, here likely a magical artifact] was pouring down, so I was actually quite disoriented myself!

“Waaaaaaaah!”

-Swaaaaa······!

“Your Highness, there’s a crack here! The barrier is really cracking!”

“Ah, yes! I see it!”

I smiled brightly at the ground and answered loudly.

Gaine’s pink hair and arms were shaking wildly from side to side.

The night air was much colder and crisper than the air in the city.

Being so high up, I could see the entire cityscape at a glance, which was refreshing.

Although I never expected Valentin or the Sneider family’s troops to come up from the south······.

-Flap, flap, flap!

“Aaaaaaah······!”

“Liester! Liester! Liester!”

When has our plan ever gone exactly as planned? This is a great start.

I flapped my six wings grandly and greeted the Liester cavalry gathering at the royal castle.

The knights at the front, raising their weapons and shouting, looked reliable as they rode their horses.

Seeing the divine lights spreading like stars in the sky, I suddenly remembered Eitz Village and smiled.

“Charge!”

“Yaaaaaaaaa······!”

“Let’s go, Demi!”

-Kkihat!

I whispered to the divine beast in my arms and pulled out the Scepter with all my might. Jjeo-jeo-jeok! The barrier, already cracked, was further scarred.

The royal castle was, without a doubt, a royal castle.

Just as all mages in the Liester Imperial Palace were unable to use mana, all paladins in the Venetian royal castle were unable to use special aether [a magical energy source].

In addition, there was also a dome-shaped aether barrier that perfectly protected the castle from external attacks.

This so-called ‘barrier’ was usually completely transparent and invisible to anyone, but when it received a strong impact like just now, it revealed its true form.

I heard from Pantheon that it was the will of the first king, Yuri Venetian, and a part of the power he left behind······. In other words, the ancient cardinal was still protecting his descendants.

Or protecting something that must never be broken.

However, it could not even block the full power of the Scepter made from the roots of the World Tree.

“Gaine! Cedric!”

-Tat!

I focused the power of my heart entirely on the staff and landed quickly.

As the crescent moon at the top of the Scepter emitted a bright light once more, some soldiers who were trying to attack the group were horrified and ran away.

While Duke Johann smiled like an angel, raising the tip of his index finger and spinning it around—a quiet wind was being born above his hand—Gabriel Dioph grabbed his staff that had flown in from somewhere!

“Looks like Sneider put some thought into it.”

“What happened?”

-Ssarrrrr······!

As I took a deep breath and asked, the golden boundary temple implemented with Noctiluca throbbed.

The people, whitened like starch, were trembling on the floor.

I tried my best to make a face that wasn’t scary.

Dioph looked back at them and replied coldly.

“He rounded up those who failed the paladin creation experiment, ‘Alchemy,’ in his mansion and warehouse, kept them barely alive, and······.”

“It seems they tried to overthrow the royal capital using the corrupted. That old man who works at the Duke’s residence must have deliberately released them. Then the royal capital would naturally fall into chaos, and at that time, the Sneider family’s private soldiers would appear and save the royal capital—that’s the strategy?”

‘In short, a self-made drama to create a hero,’ Gaine said, gesturing behind her with her chin.

I took a breath and followed her gaze, then flinched.

‘Krrreung.’ Lopi’s giant fire lion was holding a knight who appeared to belong to the Sneider family in its mouth.

I don’t know how it interrogated him, but it was clear that it had extracted information from him while I was in the sky.

Finally, Cedric added, checking the blade of the Hyegeom [a legendary sword].

“In addition, they planned to turn Baron Valentin, who was chasing them, into an enemy of the royal capital. Valentin is politically close to the Kamingha Grand Duke family, so if used properly, they could have created a flow that suited their taste.”

“······They really put some thought into it.”

“I told you.”

“But we already took everything from them.”

I smiled and readjusted the Scepter. Then my friends chuckled and looked back at the front gate of the royal castle.

Some of the royal castle’s guards, whose formation had completely collapsed, were gnashing their teeth at us.

More than half of the soldiers who had densely surrounded the castle walls had already been deployed inside the castle.

Inside the royal castle, the sound of drums and shouts continued to ring out, and red flames and black smoke were rising.

Nevertheless, I was inwardly chilled to see those who remained without batting an eye.

“Indeed. They cannot be controlled by religious reverence alone.”

“They must already have devoted their faith to Sneider.”

Cedric and Duke Johann had a brief conversation.

The Crown Prince glanced at his teacher for a moment but did not say anything more.

The wind generated from the Cardinal’s fingertips was gradually growing and becoming a sign.

-Hwee-ee-eeng······!

-Kwaaaang! Kugugugung!

-Dung-dung, dung-dung, dung-dung, dung-dung······!

“······.”

I quietly stared straight ahead, holding Araumi’s reins.

The bridge leading to the castle gate was now completely open, so there was no way to enter without crossing the deep blue moat.

Of course, that was only for ordinary people.

We naturally had wings and wind, and the Cardinal who ruled the ocean and navigated it.

If we wanted to, forcibly opening the castle gate would be no big deal.

“Your Highness, all the partisans of the Imperial Army have arrived here!”

Around that time, a knight holding the flag of the Imperial Army high, fluttering her cloak, rode her horse towards us from over there.

“The front of the royal castle is completely surrounded, and our army also has the upper hand in the rear, the north side. If you give the order, I will immediately assist Your Highness and enter the castle!”

While she bowed politely and waited for an answer, we quickly exchanged glances.

-Hwae-ae-aeng······!

“······.”

However, the best way to reduce the trouble for our allies and save time is for the castle gate to open on its own.

For example······.

-Ssae-ae, ssae-ae-aeng······!

Finally, Duke Johann’s wind, which had become as fierce as a typhoon, touched the white barrier towers extending from the royal castle.

The aerial garden, located at the noble summit, scattered leaves in all directions as if it would be uprooted entirely.

The towering statues seemed to sway shallowly in the darkness, and the blackened scars here and there resembled waves of flame.

However, what was most important in our operation was the belfry.

Two towers standing symmetrically, guarding both sides of the royal castle, alternately ringing the bell every hour on the hour······.

-Tting-geureong, tting-geureong, tting-geureong······!

-Ttaeng-geurang, ttaeng-geurang, ttaeng-geurang······!

The very moment they burst into tears ‘simultaneously’ [a metaphor for the bells breaking].

-Kwaga-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa······!

“Aaaaaaack!”

‘Kwareureureu!’ Suddenly, one side of the royal castle’s wall collapsed like a toy, and a huge, crimson claw like a heart of fire gripped the spot.

It was our Gugus, who had infiltrated the royal castle and had been waiting for Duke Johann’s signal all along.

In an instant, thirty percent of the Imperial Guards were crushed under the bricks.

The rest, who had fallen into panic, also began to collapse like a sandcastle.

The one who appeared to be the captain of the Imperial Guards was shouting something at the vanguard, but this time it didn’t work at all.

“Uwaaaaaack······!”

The winged priests and the temple of the boundary may have frightened them, but they did not kill or threaten them.

However, this time the situation was very different.

-Taang!

[Those who do not surrender will be cursed by the Divine Dragon!]!

The moment I struck the Scepter and delivered the oracle—

-Keureo-eo-eong······!

-Ureureureung! Kkwaga-ga-gang!

Gyu, who had revealed almost his perfect true form, opened his mouth wide and roared, and at the same time, the night sky flashed brightly, and a sharp lightning bolt struck the royal castle.

Of course, it was Gabriel Dioph’s specialty!

The dragon’s scales reflected all kinds of colors, showing off a fascinating and terrifying figure, and Gyuh rolled his door-sized gray eyes and looked down at the humans outside the castle walls.

There was no need to use the power of any main god anymore.

The thick, long dragon whiskers curled as if they had found an interesting prey. ‘Keureureureung······!’

-Deng-geureong!

“Ah, ah······.”

The Imperial Guard captain, who had turned pale, dropped his vine-covered sword.

Apparently, he was a Great Air Attribute Paladin.

We could clearly see his legs trembling from afar.

That was the signal flare.

“Liester, are you ready—!”

When Gaine shouted coolly and raised her right fist,

-Swaaaaa, swaaaa, swaaaa······!

-Ppadeudeuk! Ppadeudeudeut!

The water in the moat surrounding the royal castle instantly surged, beginning to create a certain shape.

The fire-attribute paladins who could have blocked this were already kneeling on the dirt floor over there, or had fainted after meeting Gyuh’s eyes a little while ago, or were already rioting inside the royal castle.

Dozens of Imperial Guards without aether finally threw away their weapons and ran away.

I realized that the sound of the army’s horns was already close at hand.

“Yaaaaaaaaa······!”

“Langbui! Langbui! Langbui! Langbui!”

Carrying the hot shouts, I turned around.

-Ppuuuuuuu! Ppuuuuuuuuu······!

“Is that the Divine Nation Army?”

“Yes.”

Duke Johann replied lightly as if talking about today’s weather.

I gently floated into the air and met his gaze.

Then his mint-colored eyes drew a familiar arc. ‘Of course.’

“I can hear His Majesty the Emperor’s roar too, though.”

That remark brought a hearty laugh. It felt like even the last bit of tension was being released.

I looked at Gabriel Dioph and Lopi one last time.

“······Please take good care of Lopi. I’ll see you again soon.”

“Don’t worry about this side and make sure to destroy the summoning circle.”

“······.”

“Because after that, you’ll be seeing us all the time.”

It wasn’t a bad farewell. I let out a small laugh and aimed at the front gate of the royal castle once more.

The most beautiful canal bridge in the holy city, born from the assembly of perfect rectangular ice, was already waiting for us.

With the path leading to the inside of the royal castle wide open.

-Seureung!

The Hyegeom of Mars soared as if piercing the sky.

“Liester, follow me!”

The crimson cloak fluttered in the wind, and a dignified command came out from the saddle of Charlemagne. ‘Cheok, cheok-cheok!’ The soldiers surrounding the royal castle matched their steps and pointed their weapons forward.

I soared into the sky from between Cedric and Gaine.

-Hwiuuuuu······

The moment a pure white feather flew beyond my vision, all noise flickered off.

“······Players, let’s go!”

-Kkiyaaaaa!

“Waaaaaaaaaaaa······!”

And with Christel Langbui’s shout, the world began to move again.

Spreading all six wings, I gritted my teeth and passed through the front gate of the royal castle.

Like melting ice, it was flowing down quickly before my eyes.

“What is this, what is this······.”

-Dag-dak, dag-dak, dag-dak······!

All of Wilhelmina Sneider’s plans.