#271
271. Catastrophe (2)
I opened my eyes.
[Floor 76.]
[Mission Type – Exploration]
[Mission Goal – Search the Imperial Palace ‘Ragnasars’!]
A mission window popped up on the right side of my field of vision.
The goal is to explore. It was something I had been expecting.
The troops guarding the ecliptic suffered near-annihilation damage on the 75th floor. In the course of the battle, most of the commanders and other high-ranking officials were massacred, and now only a few remnants remained.
‘Ecliptic of Bardia.’
It was the capital that started with the empire.
A beautiful city built around a huge imperial palace, like a picture.
Roar, thump!
Remnants of the golden roof fell.
All over the city was on fire.
“His Highness the Prince… Long live.”
The kneeling soldier’s head was blown off.
The sparsely bearded mercenary wiped the blood off the blade and urged his men.
“There will still be some rats left. Find them and kill them!”
“yes!”
Garden outside the Imperial Palace.
Bodies are strewn across the marble pillars.
The screams of death and the thick smell of blood mingled and spread out.
‘You don’t have to fight… … Is there any?’
I looked up.
A fleet floats above the twilight sky.
It was an allied force created by the joining forces of the heroes and the princess.
By breaking the 75th floor, the power of the prince’s army was virtually crushed, but
The combined fleet prepared to bombard as if they would not be vigilant at all.
<Listen to Prios all Ragna, the weightlifter who betrayed ten million people!>
A booming voice echoed from the flagship of the fleet.
<The imperial capital is completely blocked. There is no way out for you! Come out and be judged with justice! I will declare it once again. This war will be won by our army under the protection of Her Highness, the rightful bloodline… … .>
“Oh, that’s noisy.”
Belquist pierced his ears.
“It boosts our morale. It’s a declaration that we’ve won, right?”
Jenna looked around and nodded.
“Now the civil war is almost over. It’s not long before we return home. I think we just need to catch the prince or something.”
“Isn’t he the problem?”
Belquist clicked his tongue lightly.
From the 50th floor onwards to the 75th floor, while his henchmen died and disappeared one after another, the prince never showed up. If he had actively intervened, it was clear that the war would have been completely different.
‘What’s your intention?’
If his purpose was ‘liberation’ as he stated at the beginning, then he should have come out right away.
However, even in this situation, when the tip of the princess’ sword reached in front of his neck, he still did not appear.
I thought about it several times, but no clear answer came out.
The only way to find out is to find out for yourself.
I looked to the side.
Gardens and pathways surrounding the Imperial Palace.
In the middle of it, there is a gate that leads to the palace.
and… … .
“……one.”
Fria stood there in a silvery white dress.
“I thought you would come.”
Fria smiled at me.
A dimple bloomed gently on the side of the mouth.
Wearing a dress and wearing a crown, under strict security, her attitude was unmatched.
Even on the 60th floor, he had a very immature appearance, but now he even showed a sense of solemnity.
‘now… … .’
There was no girlishness to be found in Freea anymore.
Well, it’s because the 30th line is getting closer.
She has become older than me.
“Welcome, brother.”
Yoshu, who was holding a sword beside him, lowered his head.
He has scars all over his face, and he has a thick beard.
He completely escaped the weakness of his childhood.
“With the help of my brother and the heroes, our army has won. Now, just plant a flag on the throne and it will be over.”
“There’s still one left. It’s too early to like it.”
“There are limits to what one can do alone. And I don’t worry about what he does. We have invincible warriors.”
Yoshu grinned.
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“Yoshu, don’t burden Han any more. He’s already worked hard enough.”
“I said it as a joke, Your Majesty.”
“……I am not Your Majesty.”
Freea sighed.
“Anyway, this damn war is about to end. Now we must join forces and move forward into a new era.”
“Open the door.”
profit.
At Yoshu’s instructions, the gate to the inside of the imperial palace opened.
A cold wind blew inside.
“He’ll be here. I’ll send in an elite unit immediately…”
“No, I’ll go alone. I have something to say to my brother.”
“It’s dangerous. Please know that His Majesty’s body is not alone.”
“It’s okay. You’ll be with a knight you trust more than anyone else.”
Freea looked back at me.
“Will you wait for us outside?”
“Haona…”
“If my older brother had tried to fight me, he would have started right away. Trust me just once. Can I ask the warriors behind me?”
“Oh, that’s…”
Jenna looked me in the eye.
Freea is the main escort target. If they fall apart here, there will be a gap in the escort.
This meant that the risk of being attacked increased exponentially.
However, Fria’s words have some truth.
If he had the will, he would have struck back much earlier.
I nodded.
“Thank you, Han.”
Freea grabbed the hem of her dress and greeted me.
Then, he slowly walked inside the imperial palace. I followed behind, holding on to Bifrost’s scabbard.
thud.
As soon as the two entered, the door that had been open slammed shut.
The lanterns hanging from the marble pillars all lit up all at once, illuminating the inside.
‘Well, I won’t be sent without a plan.’
I muttered so that Freea couldn’t hear.
“Belquist, Jenna, when I signal, go right in. Check for anything suspicious.”
<I do.>
<Old story!>
“Please prepare for entry, too.”
<Okay.>
Roderick, who is in charge of Taoneer’s engineering team, also received a response.
This is the end of basic insurance. No matter what happens, if I wait a little longer, reinforcements will arrive soon.
Tboob.
Corridor of the empty imperial palace.
The sound of Freea’s shoes echoed softly.
“one.”
“why?”
“I’m very old too. Don’t you look worse than before?”
“What’s ugly. It’s the same.”
“Huh, then it must have been worth the hard work.”
Freea was more than expected.
Looking at the outside, you would believe it even if you were in your early 20s.
“You haven’t decided on the answer at that time, have you?”
“That’s… yes.”
“Think about it slowly. I’ll do my best not to hate you.”
Freea murmured as if in a sigh.
“I’m ten years old, but…”
I didn’t reply.
I just gripped Bifrost’s scabbard even tighter.
“I don’t know. Everything is full of questions. What was the dream that led me to? Why did my older brother do such a thing, and why did you guys come to us? This Distortion…”
“Well. Maybe he can tell you.”
I said looking ahead.
Inside the open door, the scene I saw at the 4-star promotion ceremony spread out.
‘The emperor’s room.’
It is the place where the heroes prepared for the final stand before Taonier was destroyed.
I thought there would be at least one seed, but the inside of the palace was quiet as if it had been washed.
Not a single mouse was visible.
It was a completely uninhabited space.
Except for one person who sits on a golden throne over there.
[Danger!]
[Black Prince]
[Praios All Ragna Lv.391]
A name tag floated above his head.
Level displayed is 391.
‘It’s insanely high.’
Even if you search all accounts, you won’t be able to find monsters of this level.
indeed. It was a level suitable for the last boss of an S-class account.
I was ready to draw my sword at any moment.
You don’t know what to do, so you shouldn’t be vigilant.
“……Brother.”
Freea narrowed her eyes and moved toward the throne.
I followed him slowly.
[The special event has started.]
[Event 001 – Reunion]
‘Special event?’
It’s varied.
I shrugged.
“They were both there. It saved me the trouble of finding them.”
The corners of his mouth under the bandages were curved.
He was examining the object placed on the armrest with his back half-stretched in the golden throne.
A blue sphere on a metal pedestal.
That… … .
‘globe?’
Unexpected things popped out.
“You brought a lot of troops, Fria.”
“…”
“It’s all useless. Even if you have a million troops, the result is the same.”
The prince spun the globe once.
and looked down at me
“Isn’t that so? The future of this world is fixed. We mortals can’t change anything.”
“The bullshit has increased.”
sereung.
I pulled the bifrost halfway through.
“I don’t have time to joke with you. If you have business, finish it quickly.”
“you…….”
The prince spun the globe.
“It’s from an interesting place. It’s a very interesting place. Earth, I guess. Horseless carriages galloping down the roads, iron palaces towering high into the sky.”
“this guy…….”
“Don’t ignore it too much. I’ve become a mere sacrifice, but it’s not like I don’t have any means of communicating with the outside world. I had a faithful helper.”
slither.
Shadows rose from both sides of the prince.
two small children. It was a boy and a girl in old robes.
They looked at me with emotionless expressions.
‘Rantia and Stenberg.’
They were ancient Taoni tribes like Halgion.
“Older brother, you are…!”
“I wanted to know.”
Praios slowly walked out of the throne.
“I wanted to know like crazy. Why do we have to perish?”
Priaos tore off the bandages tied to his face.
On the other side of the sculpted face, the scars from the burns were clear.
Black blood vessels pulsated outside the scar.
“Where did that wound come from…”
“Let’s call it the price of not knowing the truth.”
“What is the truth, Your Highness! I have seen the destruction of the Taoniers. I have seen the burning city and its suffering citizens. But, Your Highness…”
The prince opened his mouth.
<Remember.>
Freea’s eyes went blank.
dump. she sat down
The prince smiled as he watched me pull out his sword.
“Don’t worry. How could I ever touch my lovely little sister? It just reminded me of a forgotten memory.”
“A forgotten memory?”
“Memories before Taonier became a toy.”
4 star upgrade.
Was it when Tell took Freea hostage and forcibly concluded the contract?
“The time for us to decide is not now. Isn’t this world saying that too?”
The prince held out his hand to me.
The hand was pushed away with a soft wave.
It was a system effect that signaled inaccessibility.
“What do you want to say?”
“Look up, Han.”
The prince pointed to the ceiling.
I turned my gaze towards it.
There was a small hole in the middle of the ceiling.
The midday sun shone through the hole.
“Do you think that glow will last forever?”
“…?”
“That’s the light of Taoni, called ‘Eye of the Goddess’.”
I frowned.
I don’t quite understand what you’re talking about.
“Even if hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of years pass, the eyes of the goddess will still shine. The light of life will shine down on the entire continent of Taoni. But if millions or tens of millions of years pass. No, if trillions of years pass. what will happen?”
“What bullshit…”
“What would the world be like where you were?”
A strange light flashed in Priaos’ eyes.
“Does the paradise called Earth, the universe you are in, seem to last forever?”
A voice that feels like madness.
The prince held out his hand behind his back.
The globe floated up and was wrapped around his hand.
“……Those damn bitches.”
The prince looked down at the globe.
Pass. The metal globe began to corrode rapidly.
Like accelerating time hundreds of millions of times.
“I undid what shouldn’t be undone.”
The prince wiped his hands.
Remnants of pulverized metal flew.
“There are four left. Let’s prepare a stage suitable for the finale.”
The prince snapped his fingers.
The next moment, Fria and I were standing outside the gates of the palace.
“What is this…!”
Yoshu, who was waiting, ran out.
Freea sat down with a dazed expression.
“What happened, brother! Why suddenly…”
“I was forced out. I don’t think it’s time yet.”
I muttered.
It is said that a decision cannot be reached until the 80th floor.
Even if the level exceeded 400, it seemed that it was bound to the restrictions of the system.
“Why do you tell me…”
“He’ll wake up soon. Take good care of him.”
[Stage cleared!]
[‘1 party’ is the limit level, so it does not grow!]
[‘Roderick (★★★★★★)’, ‘Benik (★★★★★★)’, ‘Anan (★★★★★★)’… … .]
[Reward – 3,000,000G, Token of the Imperial Family (B) X 4, Black Marble (A) X 13… … .]
[MVP – ‘Roderick (★★★★★★)’]
76th floor.
I had already expected that it would be an outpost on the 80th floor.
But I never thought it would go like this.
“What happened inside?”
Jenna said urgently.
The light of return enveloped me from the bottom of my feet.
“I talked to him for a while.”
“What did you talk about? Did you reveal the secret of your birth?”
I clicked my tongue.
The degree of secrecy of the birth was a topic that could not even be put on the axis.
‘He brought up the story of the Earth out of the blue, and talked nonsense about the stars and the universe.’
I think he was trying to give me a hint.
Taoni is… … No, the fundamental reason why Mobius was destroyed.
I don’t know how he found out.
They said that two ancient servants helped, but I didn’t expect that a monster could have obtained this kind of information.
‘Did you undo something that shouldn’t be undone?’
I looked up.
Dismissed!
Beyond the blurry landscape.
Cracks were carved in the sky, like cracks in a window.
