153
‘Madman strategy.’
The word pierced my mind.
I continued to act irrationally and unreasonably. It was an impulsive choice that even endangered my own safety. Because of this, Akbaran fell into greater chaos than the rulers had expected.
‘I was willing to put my life on the scale.’
Everyone values their own life. Even those who pursue values more precious than life do not take their lives lightly.
‘The position and career I have built up.’
I was a career-oriented person. I acted boldly to get ahead. I was a person at the bottom, so I had to risk my life every time to get here. I was able to get to this point because I won several times in a gamble where I would die if I failed.
However, I made the decision to be willing to give up even the status I had built up while risking my life.
‘Even I didn’t expect that I would act like this.’
Even after the storm started, I continued to worry endlessly.
‘That’s why even the emperor could not have predicted my actions.’
I only chose the option of mutual destruction to get what I wanted. It was a very awkward choice for the Emperor.
My actions and judgments caused great harm to the Emperor. In a way, it was natural. That was my motivation.
… … This whole situation was unpleasant to me. No matter how grandiose the reasons were, the essence was the same. I didn’t like the situation going according to the Emperor’s intentions.
‘Rebel.’
It’s a bad trait that’s always been inside me.
I tried to make rational decisions, but none of the rational choices appealed to me.
As a result, I unknowingly adopted a crazy strategy. How unpleasant must my existence have been to the emperor. It was almost laughable to think about it.
‘The shadow using the full body would be one of the Emperor’s strongholds.’
We do not know what power the Emperor Ivan warned about, but apart from that power, the Shadow is the Emperor’s most powerful weapon.
‘The Emperor has brought out the shadows he does not want to reveal to the public. That shows how cornered he is.’
The Emperor has assembled his elite forces to intercept. Even if the winner tonight becomes the Emperor, rumors of a secret guard cannot be stopped.
A unit directly under the Emperor that is not even in the organization. If its existence is revealed, it will become more convincing that the Emperor’s purpose is to ‘dehumanize soldiers.’ He will have difficulty ruling in the future.
‘But I haven’t succeeded yet. So it’s too early to celebrate my success.’
… … I’m still the one who’s on the defensive. If things continue this way, the Emperor will suffer a blow, but I’ll be the one who’s being wiped out.
“Luka, if you have any hidden plans, you’d better bring them out here. I can’t think of a way to stop them right now.”
Francis said, drawing his sword from his sleeve. He also prepared to fight. Francis’s camp was already collapsing from the outside.
The armored bodies that fell from the sky approached us, mercilessly cutting and stabbing the soldiers. The weak firearms could not penetrate the armored bodies and bounced off helplessly. Even the heavy explosions only made them hesitate.
‘Franseque and I were surrounded.’
It was funny, but it was true. The 22 armored vehicles were pressing the army and Francek from all sides. There was nowhere to run but the sky.
“Isn’t there an air vehicle that can be called in this weather? Something special for the Imperial Family.”
“If there were any, I would have called them earlier. All those who served me in the palace are my father’s people. All of those gathered here are mine.”
Francesque was a man who had never thought of rebelling against his father until a few days ago. He was not prepared for the unexpected.
“I, I surrender! I surrender!”
“I, I was threatened! My loyalty is to Your Majesty… … .”
Those who had lost their will to fight without even fighting shouted and declared their surrender. Since they were a force created by the atmosphere, if they collapsed even a little, they would be finished.
And then there was the cunning traitor.
Ta-Ang!
I quickly pulled out my pistol and fired. My bullet hit the nobleman’s eyeball as he aimed for the back of Francek’s neck.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh!”
The nobleman who was about to attack Francesque ran away in a panic, covering his broken eye.
Francec’s forces crumbled like dry sand. The soldiers who had pretended to be brave were trembling and sitting down, or were busy running away to find a way to survive.
The nobles and officers were no different. The cunning ones were targeting Francesque, but when they noticed my presence, they tried to run away cautiously.
Kwajik!
However, the shadows singled out and killed the fleeing nobles and officers. The sensors on the armored body would have been able to pinpoint only the important figures in the crowd.
“I will tell you in advance because I will not be able to speak if the escort fails. Your Majesty did his best. This situation is my fault. I am sorry, Frances.”
Even as I spoke, my brain was analyzing the situation to find a way to survive until the end.
Some of the guardsmen who were fighting tried to come towards us, but they were not strong enough to block the shadows.
“I have nothing to be sorry about. If it weren’t for you, I would have died without knowing the truth. Even if the truth hurts, I think it’s better than a lie.”
Even if the truth hurts, it’s better than a lie. These are the words that comfort me now.
Kirick.
Francis held a gun and a sword like a guard.
My brain was on fire. As the drug wore off, my head started to feel hot.
Creak, creak.
And the foreign feeling blocked the flow of my thoughts.
‘Something is strange.’
My intuition sensed something was wrong. I had to figure out what it was as quickly as possible. If I was late in making a judgment, I was finished.
‘A soldier who runs away or surrenders does not die.’
The shadows ignored the soldiers and passed them by as long as they did not display hostile behavior.
‘But the nobles and officers… … if they run away, they will be killed.’
The nobles and officers who fled were eliminated by shooting or chasing. However, not all the nobles and officers were killed.
‘Nobles and officers will not be killed if they surrender.’
This fact was strange.
‘Why would the emperor spare a noble who rebelled?’
I don’t think so. One of the emperor’s goals was to root out and kill the subversive nobles. It would have been better to execute them immediately than to capture them and try them.
‘They don’t even use weapons of mass destruction. With all those armored vehicles gathered there, they must have high-powered weapons of destruction… … .’
The shadows were minimizing casualties.
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“Your Majesty, you must put down your weapons.”
“Are you suggesting that we give up resistance? Even if we survive here, it will only be for a short while… … .”
“There’s no time to explain! Come on!”
I screamed. No wonder one of the shadows was pointing his gun at us.
Bam.
Francesque and I put down our weapons. I raised my hands first, as if to show that I had no intention of resisting.
‘My crazy strategy worked?’
I kept thinking about Kinuan’s message. My thoughts circled around it. I didn’t miss a single little clue that crossed my mind.
‘If I succeed, it means the Emperor is willing to compromise. What has he compromised?’
The thinking didn’t progress here because of lack of information.
Get more information, Luca. Insert pieces of information into the margins. Quickly figure out the picture Kinuan drew!
The shadow was looking at me and Francek with its gun pointed at me. But my prediction turned out to be right. The shadow didn’t pull the trigger.
“Your Majesty, give orders to those who remain.”
I muttered. I don’t know what it is, but I have to maintain Frances’ power as much as possible. It can’t be reduced any further.
“All surrender! Do not resist!”
Francesque’s voice spread in an instant. The soldiers had already lost their will to fight, and the nobles and officers, puzzled, put down their weapons for the time being.
Kiiing, kiiing.
A shadowy figure in full armor approached us. He glanced at us and bowed to Frances.
“I, Your Majesty, am the first in the line of succession. Please, preserve your jade body.”
Francis fell silent and his expression crumpled. He too must have sensed that something was odd.
‘Why did you suddenly emphasize the line of succession?’
It goes without saying that Francesque is ostensibly first in line for succession. Is there any reason to emphasize this verbally in this situation?
And the shadows didn’t look at me. No one paid any attention to me. They treated me like I was just one of Francek’s subordinates.
I am a person who has strongly offended the Emperor. However, the shadows showed no sign of being wary of me, and did not even warn me.
‘They’re acting like I’m not even a thing.’
What on earth is going on in Akbaran?
“Wasn’t your goal to subjugate us?”
I spoke to the shadow behind me. The shadow stood still for a moment, then walked forward without answering.
Think again, Luca.
Where did you miss it? Gather the clues and rearrange the information until you get the answer.
I didn’t even wipe the blood flowing from my nose.
Stop!
I almost lost consciousness just now. I heard something snap in my head. I don’t know if it was a blood vessel or something.
‘My plan unintentionally became a mad strategy. And Kinuan said it worked.’
What compromise did the Emperor make because of me? Why did the Shadows come here? Why didn’t they kill us? Wasn’t I an important person? If my strategy was successful, shouldn’t you have talked to me first? Why did you talk to Francek about the line of succession?
Wow!
I concentrated so hard that the sound became painfully strained. I read the shadows’ paths and checked their contact points. I could see where they were going.
‘Ivan Krachia?’
The shadows were walking towards the command vehicle where Ivan was trapped.
… … I was astonished.
“Ah, ah, no way, this is, ridiculous… … .”
My reasoning pointed to one outcome, but this could not have happened.
What the hell is going on?
earthly?
why?
How did the finished picture turn out?
How did it turn out like this?
Does this make sense?
Right now, at this moment?
I was shocked to the point where I felt like my world was falling apart. I came to a conclusion alone that no one in this room could have predicted.
And I don’t know if that conclusion is fortunate or unfortunate for us.
Everything is confusing, no, strange.
Only the tangled chaos whispered reality next to me.
dump.
I sat down. Blood flowed from my face.
Beep beep.
When I started having tinnitus, my auditory field of vision became extremely narrow. I could barely see anything around me.
“Luka? G-You can’t fall now. It’s not over yet. If Haylas does something… … .”
Francesca tried to support me.
“… … No. It just ended.”
I spoke in a hoarse voice. I could taste the blood clearly in my throat.
Kwak! Boom!
There was a sound of the command vehicle being forced open. The scene was narrow, like a telescope, through my blurred auditory vision.
How can this be?
The questions don’t stop. If I keep thinking like this, I’ll die.
Yes, here is the easiest way to kill an Archie’s Victory user. Just throw a conundrum that can be inferred but cannot be solved or proven into the reality right in front of you.
I’m the only one who knows what’s going on. Even Ivan, the ‘person in question’, probably doesn’t know anything.
Swish!
The shadow pulled Ivan out of the command vehicle. Ivan, his body half destroyed, came out sitting in a chair.
thud!
The shadow that had pulled Ivan out knelt before him and bowed.
Ah, my guess was correct.
I hoped it wasn’t the end. No, is this the right way? Is it right that the flow I created produced a different result? Is this a better result for me?
It’s hard to think now. I don’t know. There were just too many things going on.
Boom! Boom!
The shadows approached Ivan one by one and knelt down. It would be quite a sight to see the armored men collectively swearing their loyalty.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty has passed away. According to the rites of the Imperial Family… … .”
The dry, dull voice of Jeon Gap-ui-che spoke surprising words. The expressions on the faces of those who heard those words must have been distorted or shocked to an extent that was difficult to describe.
The body of the full-body suit spoke slowly and long.
To summarize, the content was simple. Emperor Yuri Kratia was dead. That was why the shadows urgently appeared before the next emperor.
The next emperor to be registered in the empire was not Francis, but Ivan.
“… … So, the next god, the leader of the people and the protector of the empire is you. This, half, big, lacia.”
“The bloodline of the founding of the nation will guide us, the path ahead of us.”
“K, Latch, Ah, Hurray.”
The shadows spoke coldly.
“Luka, what is happening right now?”
Francesque also spoke in a shadowy voice. It was a situation that would make even the most eloquent speaker look like a fool.
I felt the same way as Frances. I don’t know what’s going on. They say the Emperor is dead. I don’t even know if that’s true or not. Is he trying to fake his death to get out of this situation?
‘That can’t be true.’
The imperial family is more obsessed with securing legitimacy and justification for its rule than anyone else. If they resort to such shallow lies and schemes, even if they can avoid this situation, the imperial family will collapse.
One of the shadows stood up and whispered something in Ivan’s ear.
-… … a thousand people.
Emperor Ivan Kratsya spoke the first words. Although he could not even control his own body, he was full of intense life force. It was such a dynamic energy that even I, with my blurred hearing and vision, could feel it.
Ivan was like a newborn baby, a bundle of life that could do nothing on its own, but had infinite potential.
