#140
The Immortal King’s Movement (4)
Immediately after the Immortal King who had attacked the conference hall left.
‘It’s unnatural.’
This was the sentiment of Viscount Audrey, a senior officer in the Azerion Empire’s Intelligence Service and the Crown Prince’s aide at this summit.
‘I don’t know how you were able to infiltrate the Great Hall, but the process probably wasn’t that simple. Why did you go through all that trouble to suddenly leave like this?’
He was one of those who believed that everyone’s actions in the world had a purpose.
‘It would be more correct to say that the bastard had some plan, achieved it, and then leisurely escaped.’
Just as there is a valid reason for a baby to cry, even if it is the thinking of a crazy person, they have their own logic and basis.
But this time, the Immortal King’s appearance seemed unnatural enough to be considered the behavior of a madman.
‘Of course, these people, including the warriors, were not easy, so if the fight had continued further, we could have driven them out somehow. The casualties would have been greater, but it was a grand battle after all.’
If that had happened, it wouldn’t have ended with just a dozen or so people dying.
Perhaps the barrier that had been set up separately at the back was destroyed, and the delegation, including himself, inside it may have been killed en masse.
It should be seen as a blessing from their perspective.
but···.
Sarak— Sarak—
Audrey took out the paperwork containing the personal details of several people and looked through it again.
It contained the contents of an investigation conducted by the Imperial Intelligence Service immediately after obtaining the list of meeting participants.
‘Count Kaien Turkan of Imperial origin, the right-hand man of His Highness the Crown Prince. Kanbul and Peyton of the Mercenary Guild, the Mercenary King and his right-hand man. Of the Kingdom of Charlotte…’
And as he went back through the details of the dead, he was eventually able to piece together what they had in common.
‘They all had a dark side. There were those who survived the battle despite having similar conditions, but at least none of the dead were good people.’
Could this be a coincidence?
…No, he doesn’t believe in coincidences.
Everything happens for a reason, and this case is no exception.
The problem was that he couldn’t figure out why.
An immortal king who only kills bad guys. Where in the world can you find a combination of words that is so incongruous?
‘To collect the negative power contained in the souls of the wicked? Then wouldn’t it have been easier to kill them all and select them rather than not killing others? Or was it a necessary process for some black magic ritual? Or…’
All kinds of hypotheses and inferences filled my head, but no clear results came out.
Because of that, Audrey had no choice but to rack her brain and brood alone for several days.
In addition to the commonalities among the dead, the reason why the Immortal King stepped down so easily was also questionable.
‘···Am I being too fixated on stereotypes? Well, there’s no way the Immortal King would be like ordinary crazy people.’
He was also a veteran investigator who had analyzed the behavioral principles of numerous madmen, including warlocks, but even so, they were only human.
In the first place, it is something that cannot even be compared to the Immortal King.
Just as he was about to give up analyzing this matter, news about the Duchy of Rohan finally reached him.
Naturally, at that moment, there was only one person who came to his mind.
As the situation became more and more complicated, he shut his eyes tightly and muttered the name in his head.
‘···Immortal King, Hans.’
The name that is the root of all evil.
***
“What is this all of a sudden?! The Duchy of Rohan is collapsing?”
“I heard that it was still holding up well, although it was dangerous, but it’s so sudden that things have gotten worse…”
“Wouldn’t there have been some warning signs? If so, how could I have contacted you in advance…”
The conference hall where the continental summit was held became noisy.
Everyone looked visibly taken aback by the unexpected news.
Even the alien races that didn’t know much about the continent of Ion were assessing the situation with serious expressions upon hearing the news that one of their countries had finally collapsed.
Rattling—
In the midst of such confusion.
The conference room door opened and representatives from the Duchy of Rohan, the Magic Tower, and the Church entered together.
The noisy space suddenly became quiet, and everyone’s attention was focused on them.
However, while Dennis and others sat quietly with stern faces, the one who stepped forward was Cardinal Cordelia, who also had a stern expression.
She seemed to understand the others’ doubts and got straight to the point.
“Let me get to the point. First of all, the principality wasn’t completely destroyed. But···”
The Duchy of Rohan borders the Northern Mountains on three sides except the south, and since the outbreak of madness, the country has been putting all its efforts into protecting its borders.
The main sect also actively helped them by sending reinforcements, including the temple troops located there and the paladins of the main sect.
“···It is said that in the midst of a fierce battle with monsters, the three-sided defense line collapsed at once for an unknown reason. Also, around the same time, suicide bombings occurred simultaneously at important facilities of the principality.”
The headquarters of the Knights Templar, the temple of the Lord’s Church, the Magic Tower of the Magic Tower Alliance, etc., located in the capital of the Duchy.
Even the royal palace where the King resided was attacked by an unidentified group.
The sudden surprise attack left the temple, which was supporting the border defense with only a minimal number of troops, suffering great damage, and even the gate, which was the core of the cult’s mobility, was destroyed.
Of course, the circumstances of the places that were attacked together were not much different from theirs.
“Even if the troops were weak, they were still able to destroy the temple of the Lord’s Church?”
“That’s not all, is it? How many places did they attack at the same time?”
“Considering the timing, it must have been them who were causing trouble on the border. There must have been reinforcements from the Empire as well as the religious order there.”
The delegation began to chatter again as additional information was revealed.
And quite naturally, their thoughts soon converged on one point.
“This is also the work of the Immortal King Hans, isn’t it?”
“No way…! Were you raiding this place to divert our attention before you did anything?”
“Even so, his actions were a bit strange···.”
“Isn’t that how things ended up? After all, it was just an attempt to mock us!”
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It was quite natural for them to point to the Immortal King as the mastermind behind the incident.
Because of the notoriety he had built up over the years, even those who were initially skeptical eventually naturally followed the mainstream opinion.
And among those who listened to the conversation and nodded with a serious expression.
Heinrich, a saint of the Shinsin Church and a warrior who would stand against the Immortal King, was also included.
But his true feelings were quite different from his appearance…
‘No, what the hell is going on?’
He was also bewildered by the reality that a single word he blurted out without thinking had come back to him as karma.
He frowned at the unexpected turn of events and carefully reviewed the information he had received so far.
‘I can sense their malicious intent to destroy Rohan by any means necessary. While fighting the incoming monsters, they collapsed the defense line all at once, and attacked the church and the magic tower to cut off additional support.’
It was not only beyond the capabilities of an average organization, but it was also something that could not be done in a short period of time.
It would take at least a few years of time to be able to do so.
And Heinrich knew very well one way in which something like this could be possible.
‘The oath of reversal… Did they move?’
In fact, there was a perception that they were nothing special because they had been beaten up by him so many times, but they were definitely not easy guys.
Above all, isn’t everything explained by the fact that he is the culprit who opened the abyss and brought out that ‘madness’?
If they had put their mind to it, it wouldn’t be a big deal to overthrow a country.
‘I haven’t heard anything about this from Oldman. Is the problem really the tactical organization?’
Oldman, the branch manager of the Tulk Kingdom, was captured by all executives based on information obtained by Banshee Queen Olivia.
Even though she had captured the bastard, she was reluctant to get information from him because of the unidentified gold inscribed on his heart, but that would not work on Hans, who had reached the peak of his magic.
‘Of course, it was a bit cumbersome because it was a technique close to a self-destruct code.’
It was a prohibition that restricted the soul solely to prevent information leaks, without any concern for the subject’s safety.
According to the “Forbidden Knowledge”, it is a high-level black magic that humans are not capable of using, and only those at the level of demons can use it…
‘I might have missed something though, so I’ll have to check on him again.’
The current situation was too big to be passed over lightly.
In the collapsed defense line, even at this moment, mad monsters will continue to rush in without rest, and with the temple gate and even the magic tower collapsed, there is no way to quickly provide support.
Of course, there was a rear defense line, but how long could it last when the front line, into which all the country’s strength had already been poured, had been breached?
This is not simply a matter of public security deteriorating; it is literally a crisis affecting the very existence of the country.
“Cardinal Piray, who is in charge of the Imperial Jeron Temple, has decided to personally step forward for this matter. He said that he plans to gather the elite members of the religious order within the Empire and move to a temple as close to the Rohan Principality as possible, and then try to save as many people as possible.”
Cardinal Cordelia’s voice continued softly.
But no one could fail to notice the boiling anger contained within that calm voice.
The damage the continent has suffered so far has been considerable, but I can’t help but feel depressed when I think about the refugees that would arise if a country were to fall.
The subsequent meetings centered around responding to the Duchy of Rohan.
The primary ones who could provide quick support were the Lord’s Church and the Azerion Empire, but the Continental Allied Forces could not sit still either.
While the discussion was going on so actively.
Heinrich watched the situation, quietly lost in thought.
***
“Mullo, is there any new news from the Duchy of Rohan?”
“Yes, Lord. Right now, the border has completely collapsed and the monsters are being blocked by the second line of defense, but it is said that it is not enough to properly stop the monsters.”
Heinz’s efforts to create a global information organization have continued steadily.
Of course, a vampire from the clan was dispatched to the Duchy of Rohan, and Mullo was able to receive real-time information from the local area through him.
‘I’m telling you, he’s definitely talented. This is something that Mulro, who has mastered the art of blood magic, can do.’
Having become stronger through the “Refined Blood”, he now has the ability to communicate with the vampires under his command in real time whenever he wants.
An indispensable skill for the head of a continental intelligence organization.
Even as Heinz looked on with a pleased look on his face, his report continued.
The hastily constructed second line of defense is said to be better than nothing, as there are many monsters that can leak through the holes.
But the situation didn’t even allow that…
“They say that the second line of defense won’t last long either. That’s why they’re setting up a third line of defense in front of the Rohan capital, but…”
Mulro, who had been speaking, closed his mouth and shook his head quietly.
There was no need to say anything after that.
“Hmm···.”
Heinz closed his eyes tightly and fell into thought.
Of course, I have no intention of leading the vampire clan to help the Duchy of Rohan, which is in danger.
There is no reason for that to begin with, and the conditions are not right.
The Blood Gate of the Eupersch Clan, which allows them to travel long distances, is a magic that consumes considerable time and resources, and it was still premature for them to come to the forefront.
“I guess that’s the only way.”
“Yes? Is there anything else you would like to ask me to do?”
“No. More importantly, is Theodore’s work going well?”
“Yes. It might take some time since the clan members are spread all over the world, but there won’t be any major problems in gathering them here.”
The Kingdom of Thalia, located at the western end of the continent.
Heinz II planned to make this place his territory and gradually expand the influence of the vampire clan.
After I was somewhat prepared, I was thinking about stepping out into the world for real.
So, the next thing we need is—.
‘···It’s about time Hans made at least one base.’
In fact, it was inefficient to keep the Immortal Army in Hans’s negative dimension space as it was now.
In order to properly operate the army, a garrison was needed, and due to their nature, a place that was difficult for continental people to access and sparsely populated was suitable.
The west has already been designated as Heinz II’s territory, the center contains the Empire and the Holy Land, and the east contains the Republic and the island nation of Magic Kingdom.
The southern desert is sparsely populated, but you will inevitably come into conflict with the southernmost tribal confederation.
In the end, there is only one place left.
‘The Demon King’s Castle is definitely the place to be.’
The continent’s largest magical realm, inaccessible to anyone due to its harsh environment and rugged terrain, and teeming with all sorts of ferocious monsters.
A high-level field that even beginners cannot access.
Northern Mountains.
That was the most suitable place.
‘But if you hide too deep, you won’t be able to properly show off the power of the immortal army. It’s a good idea to find a location that’s difficult but can be reached after much effort.’
Isn’t there a suitable place at the moment?
Yes, for example···.
‘···The mountain range north of the Duchy of Rohan would be perfect.’
And of course, if that happens again.
The existing residents living there will have to change their affiliation, even by force.
In ‘Madness’.
With ‘death’.
