Episode 258
“The operation failed.”
The atmosphere in the room became heavy.
Everyone just lowered their heads with dark faces.
The impact of the words ‘operation failure’ was enormous.
“I couldn’t get through the enemy legend and cardinal. I’m sorry…”
Olaven Grimier placed a hand on the reporter’s shoulder.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
His expression was indifferent.
At this time when everyone is shaking.
Because he, as the commander, could not show himself looking discouraged.
“Focus on treating the wounded, and declare a state of alert throughout the empire. Prepare for war with Gatren from now on.”
As soon as the order was given, the command center began to move.
As if I had never been so gloomy.
People stayed true to their roles in their places.
These are the elites that the Dracaen Empire has painstakingly raised.
No matter how shocked he may be, he never gives up on his mission.
A person so pathetic should never have been allowed to set foot in this headquarters in the first place.
“What happened to Sir Choi Hyun-seok and Sir Park Hyun-ah?” “Sir Park Hyun-ah is returning to the capital Draxel under the protection of the support unit that was waiting. The assessment on the scene is that her injuries are critical, but her life is not in danger.” “A blessing in disguise. What about Sir Choi Hyun-seok?” “… Sir Choi Hyun-seok did not return.”
This was something that had already been reported once, but it needed to be confirmed again.
Olaven Grimier spoke in an even lower voice.
“Did he die in battle?” “According to what Kyung Park Hyun-ah said, Kyung Choi Hyun-seok was also in critical condition. I don’t think he survived that fierce battle.” “Yeah… I guess so.”
The number of Gatren’s elite there alone was well over a hundred thousand.
Against all of them, legends, and the Pope, Choi Hyun-seok and Park Hyun-ah held out for an hour.
At the end, Choi Hyun-seok said that he sacrificed himself to save Park Hyun-ah, so it was right to say that there was no chance of him surviving.
‘Afterwards, when magic was observed, a battle broke out again…’
There were reports of a legion commander-level magic being observed, and fighting continuing for several more hours in the capital city of Gratiam.
I don’t know why, but the demons
It seemed like there was intervention from the side.
The thought that perhaps the Demon Clan had saved Choi Hyun-seok crossed his mind for a moment, but Olaven Grimier soon shook his head.
Survival is impossible.
It makes no sense that Choi Hyun-seok, who was already dying, was able to survive for several hours in the fierce battlefield.
Besides, didn’t even that magic eventually disappear?
‘It seems that an all-out war is now unavoidable.’
My mouth feels bitter.
Even though it was to stop the great mad magic called ‘Imperial Devotion’, Drasen attacked Gatren by surprise.
The blame was on Gatren, and Drasen will not be able to avoid blame.
It is natural that war will break out.
‘No, it would be better if war broke out.’
When I think about it again, the real problem isn’t war.
A cornered Gatren really uses his Imperial devotion.
That was the worst thing that could happen.
‘That would be giving up on Gatren and Deusis. They won’t use it so easily.’
Even if the Pope was not in his right mind, it was unlikely that he would use that magic easily.
Because it was truly a declaration to abandon everything and pursue only chaos and destruction.
Having more means having more to lose.
The Pope will not give up everything and enter the path of Asura.
That was when Olaven Grimier tried hard to maintain positive thinking.
Gugugugugu…!
Suddenly the ground began to shake.
The people at the command center lowered their posture and assessed the situation.
“What is it? Is it magic!?”
“No magical or magical energy detected nearby!” “Then is it a natural disaster?” “This is an earthquake…?”
As everyone looked around in confusion, someone shouted.
“Commander! It’s divine power! The divine power level is rising!” “Divine power? Is it divine magic!?” “No. The concentration of the divine power is simply increasing.”
The concentration of divine power increases.
It’s not easy for something like that to happen naturally.
Moreover, if the numbers are abnormal enough to warrant special reporting,
“Still growing fast, doubling from previous numbers! Just reached 3x!”
The vibrations were still continuing.
Anxiety appeared on Olaven Grimier’s face.
“Is it only here in Draxel that the divine power level increases?”
Please, it has to be that way.
This vibration now.
This had to be a spell directed at the capital city, Draxel, which Gatren was sending priests and paladins to attack.
If not that, then this is…
“No! The numbers are rising across the continent beyond Drassen territory! This must be continent-wide magic!”
“Damn…”
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Olaven Grimier closed his eyes.
In the end, the worst we had feared happened.
The Empire’s devotion has been activated.
“Everyone, don’t panic and continue with your assigned duties. I must see His Majesty the Emperor.”
At that moment, Olaven Grimire was heading straight to the palace to meet the Emperor.
“Kkaaaaaaah-!”
A piercing scream echoed from the command center.
***
A village in the Holy Empire of Gatren.
The sudden earthquake left people panicking and in disarray.
“Oh my! What is this!?” “Mom! I’m scared! Whoa!” “God is angry! Hurry up and pray!”
I was momentarily surprised by the unprecedentedly large earthquake.
People regained their composure in the suddenly rising warmth.
“What is this…?”
“God is calling us!” “Deusis…!”
Every human being possesses a small amount of magical power.
Additionally, if you are a devout believer in the Deusis religion, there is a good chance that you also possess some divine powers.
Most people only have so little that it’s practically meaningless unless they’re a priest or a paladin.
A very small amount of divine power is sufficient.
The divine power latent within them consumed their bodies and minds in an instant.
“Entrust yourself. God will guide you.”
Imperial devotion does not coerce its subjects.
Just guide.
Surrender to the divine power and become one with it.
Then all anxiety, fear and distress will disappear and we will be able to become one.
There was no believer who did not fall for those sweet whispers.
“iced coffee…!”
My spirits are lifted.
Warmth filled my body and my head became clear.
To be exact, it doesn’t become clear, but rather emptied.
Of course, what do you think?
You don’t have to suffer anymore.
You can be immersed in happiness forever.
“Khuhhuh, huhhuh!”
“Huh huh… hoot!”
“Haha! Hahahaha!”
The laughter that erupted from everywhere soon filled the entire village.
More than half of the continent’s humans believe in the Deusis religion.
It is no exaggeration to say that 99.9% of the population of the Holy Empire of Gatren believes in the Deusis Cult.
Tens of millions, perhaps even hundreds of millions, of people surrendered themselves to the warm divine power.
“We are one.”
“We are one.”
“We are one.”
The townspeople opened their mouths simultaneously, without a single error.
They all had a strange smile on their faces.
“God guides us.” “God guides us.” “God guides us.”
People crazy about happiness started to move.
***
Same time.
A cave located in a remote area where no human footsteps set foot.
Rachel hesitated and glanced around.
‘Sigh… scary…!’
In front of her lay Choi Hyun-seok, almost dying.
Although his condition was critical, he seemed to be able to survive somehow because his vitality was so tenacious.
So the reason Rachel was nervous right now wasn’t because of Choi Hyun-seok.
‘You’re not going to eat it, are you…?’
Hemis is giggling right next to me.
The so-called ‘lip monster’ was staring at Rachel.
“Hello~?”
“Haha… Hello…”
Rachel bowed at a 90-degree angle and greeted him cautiously.
Hemis’ smile deepened even more when he saw that sight.
“Is this your first time having a conversation like this?” “Yes…! You’re beautiful!” “Ohhohoho! Thank you.”
Random compliments.
Even at the polite words that did not seem to convey any soul, Hemis smiled in her characteristically high tone as if she was in a good mood.
“…”
The silence continues again.
Hemis still looked at Rachel with an incomprehensible smile.
‘Why are you looking at me like that…!’
Those eyes and expression.
It feels strangely familiar.
It was exactly the same face he made when he saw a new macaron and imagined what it would taste like.
“Ra, Rachel doesn’t taste good…!”
“Really~?”
“Yes, yes, yes! I’ve gained weight because I only eat macarons all day! And I don’t even wash, so I smell terrible!”
Rachel lifted the collar of her own garment, sniffed, and then her expression became exaggerated.
“Eww! This is going to give me a stomachache!” “I’ve never had a stomachache in my life!” “Oh! Here, eat this warrior instead! Since I’m a warrior by profession, I worked out hard and ate a lot of protein! It’s very nutritious!”
Rachel lifted Choi Hyun-seok’s arm, grumbling.
As if to tell me to eat this plump arm instead of my small, insignificant self.
She looked at Hemis with trembling eyes.
“What do you think of these strong arms!? They’re so mouth-watering… .” “What should I do with these? I like soft fat more than muscle~”
Hemis stuck out her tongue and licked her red lips.
Rachel felt goosebumps all over her body.
For a moment, I trembled in fear.
Suddenly, she was overcome with sadness and started shedding tears like chicken droppings.
“Rachel still has so much she wants to do… Please save her…”
“What should I do~?”
“If you just spare my life, I’ll do anything you say! Sob sob!”
That’s when the ground started shaking.
Gugugugugu…!
The ground shook and rocks fell from the ceiling.
At the same time, Rachel trembled as if struck by lightning.
“Eugyagyagyagyagg!”
It doesn’t look like he’s in good shape, shaking and rolling around.
Hemis watched the scene with interest.
“Hoo, what is this phenomenon?”
It’s visible in her eyes.
Two rings on Rachel.
One is connected to Choi Hyun-seok.
The other is connected to somewhere else, beyond the dimension.
The shock came from another dimension.
“I guess that guy did something really wrong.”
A great divine power descends from the sky.
To be exact, it’s something that tears the dimension and flows from somewhere.
The divine power distributed in the atmosphere was increasing abnormally.
“Eugyagyagyagyagyagyagg!”
“Can I help you?”
Rachel couldn’t even answer and just screamed.
However, those eyes were desperately asking for help.
“Hmm, if I do something wrong I might die… Well, does that matter?”
“Huh?!”
Hemis held out his pure white hand.
Rachel shook her head frantically, but she was powerless to stop Hemis’s movements.
Tsk-tsk!
Hemis’s fingertips split open and he chewed on the chain.
Crunch!
One of the two links connecting Rachel to him was snapped.
At the same time Rachel stopped moving and fell to the ground.
“Are you dead?”
Hemis poked Rachel’s back.
Rachel didn’t move at all, as if she were really dead.
“There’s nothing I can do. Since he’s already dead, I guess I’ll just have to eat him.” “He’s alive! He’s alive!”
Rachel jumped to her feet.
She looked all over her body.
“Hahaha! Resurrection complete…?”
Free from pain, you can laugh for a moment.
Rachel’s eyes darted about.
Nothingness.
A vast void stretched out before her.
Oh my god!
A pit of unknown end is approaching.
“ah?”
Crunch!
