Sword Emperor Reincarnated as a Sword Master Chapter 296

Geomje reincarnated as a swordsman (296)

―Holy Empire Arcadia. From this moment on, I declare that our empire is a country protected by God!

The emperor of the empire, Laila, spoke diplomatically for the first time in three years and shook the entire continent by declaring that he would change the name of the country.

It had to be that way.

As we went through the age of mythology and the age of dragons, the existence of God had long since been reduced to a fantasy whose existence was unclear. Since it was the empire that first carried out the distortion of history that denied God, it was bound to be absurd to those who knew it well.

As soon as they heard the emperor’s proclamation of the name of the country, most people lamented that Arcadia had finally come to an end, or their eyes lit up with unknown ambition, saying that an opportunity had come.

Although it was only a very small number, even the denominations that had maintained their faith since ancient times and had worshiped gods who did not respond to their prayers for over a thousand years were on the verge of sending out letters of protest with the determination to die. In a previous empire, the White Dragon Knights would have been dispatched immediately, exterminating every single member of the church, and even erasing its records.

but.

-You are infinitely ignorant. However, I will not rebuke that ignorance. It was also the empire that covered our eyes and ears and made us ignorant. The time has finally come to know the truth.

Laila casually ignored the reactions of outsiders and revealed everything that had been thoroughly concealed from the empire.

A mythical era that ended in a war of destruction a long time ago.

The era of dragons, where dragons created as protectors of the world took their place and exploited humanity.

Until modern times, it is said that the founders of Emperor Jian and the Three Dukes exterminated dragons and protected the world and humanity for nearly a thousand years.

“… “Wow, you’re talking nonsense!”

“exactly! Do you think we would fall for this lie?!”

“You’re distorting history with unverified content! “I am greatly disappointed in the Arcadia Empire!”

Naturally, it was extremely difficult to bear the weight and size of the truth. Even if you admit it, it was a problem. It was as if the entire world was acknowledging that it had owed Arcadia, the empire, a favor it could not repay.

―Starting tomorrow, we, Arcadia, will hold a three-month triumphal festival to celebrate the victory of the Humanity Alliance. Since it is not a victory for the empire, but a victory for humanity, we will accommodate unlimited number of delegations and tourists from other countries, so if you want to know the truth, come visit us.

No matter what the outsiders were talking about, Lila just said what she had to say without even snoring once.

You may visit as a guest, or you may not visit.

Now that the empire no longer has the burden of dealing with external enemies, there is no reason to focus most of its power internally. Although there were quite a few casualties as a result of the decisive battle, world conquest was easy with just 10% of the remaining troops.

If you think it’s pretentious, see it with your own eyes.

If you think this is a bluff, listen with your own ears.

Know that you have been kept in a narrow and safe cage, and that the era you must face from now on is outside the cage.

“No matter how empire it is, this warning crosses the line!”

“Imperial answer… That’s a rude attitude. Normally, I would have just sent a command without knowing the reason. “This time, I’ll explain everything and let you decide for yourself.”

The leaders of each country put their heads together and discussed countless ways to respond, but there was no clear solution.

All the weak could do in the face of the overwhelmingly strong was passive resistance and active submission. After 1,000 years, an emperor who has lost his mind appears and calls himself a god, but the power of the empire is far greater than that of an entire continent.

It was as if there was no option to recognize the Holy Empire or not to accept the emperor’s invitation.

“let’s go! Let’s go and listen to their nonsense, and then have fun laughing at them as a snack on the way back!”

The monarchs stood up as if agreeing with what someone had said.

“cancer! That’s how it should be! “Let us prove once and for all that our intelligence cannot be trampled upon by force alone!”

“Why don’t we just do what we already do, send as many people as possible and let the whole world know how foolish the people of the empire are? “It could cut into the empire’s finances, and it would serve as a smokescreen to hide agents.”

“What a good plan! “I must do as you say!”

The foolish people colluded like that, struggling to somehow forget the anxiety and doubts in each other’s hearts.

Just as the sky cannot be covered by a human’s palm, reality does not change no matter how much you turn your head and look away. There will be no light for those who desperately reject the truth.

* * *

It was some time after that.

The scale of delegations sent from 16 countries across the central and southern continents was enormous. Dozens of powerful figures from each country who could be considered great nobles were brought along, as well as a few master-level people to prove the lies of the empire.

Even if you just roughly count the number of people, thousands of people, perhaps even more than 10,000, flowed into the empire.

Eterna, the capital of Arcadia.

The sight of the most prosperous and developed city in the world mesmerized the envoys who flocked there in numbers. As the popular saying goes, I was even convinced that the level difference between the inside and outside of the empire would exceed several decades, and would definitely exceed a century.

“… … “Empire, the walls are so high!”

“This is not a gap that can be narrowed no matter how hard we try… ! “It would be impossible to destroy the empire from the outside, even if it collapsed from within.”

“Even if internal strife breaks out and divides us into three countries, each of those countries will be more powerful than our union. “The shadow of the empire will always hang over our heads.”

Although they were subjects of a country that was far behind the empire, they were talented people who rose to the top by proving their talent and skills.

It was possible to understand the level of economic and technological power just by looking at the scenery of Eterna. I realize that there is an overwhelming gap in my country that I can never win.

Arcadia was not just a huge country.

In order to deal with multiple fronts against other races that surpassed humans, all of the empire’s capabilities had to be used efficiently.

There was a need to optimize both the industrial base and economic structure, and even excluding magic formulas and technologies for war, things that could be helpful in running the country were developed to an immeasurable degree.

“Well, that… What the heck… ?!”

Nevertheless, there was something else that brought the biggest shock to the delegation. This was the death squad that roamed the city of Eterna once a day in a triumphal ceremony.

Talented people from each country recognized that face as soon as they saw it.

Even the person who appears to be the weakest among them is a strong person who can easily defeat them. In fact, just looking at those who were conscripted to Arcadia and those who were not conscripted, the difference in level between the two groups was clear. Since they have grown tremendously through three years of hellish training and the final battle, the gap in skill is bound to widen.

furthermore.

“It is said that the person who reached the halfway point actually existed… ? No, not just one or two, but five or six people? “Are there three great mages of the 9th rank?”

It didn’t even make sense for the Transcendental World or the 7th rank archmages to be gathered together like regular infantry, but when they saw the demigod-level commanders in person, their spirit of victory was completely shattered.

There are only about 10 masters gathered from 16 countries, and the number of master-level talents the empire possesses can be counted in the thousands, and there are about 10 demigod-level strongmen? In this case, expecting to win was no different from being a thief.

There is no war between Arcadia and them.

“… If even one knight corps pushes down, they will all die that day. “They will be swept away as if they are subduing bandits.”

One sword master, whose eyes were wide open as if he had seen a ghost, muttered softly, and the others could not object and only let out a deep and long sigh.

Until they visited the empire, the bridge of their noses seemed sharp enough to pierce the sky, but dark clouds naturally appeared on the faces of those whose pride and self-esteem were shattered overnight.

Those with relatively little patriotism and loyalty even had slightly different thoughts.

‘Wait a minute, what if the idiotic king or nobles declare war? Do I have to fight those monsters? I?’

‘I heard that a drake’s head is better than a dragon’s tail… . If he were to become a naturalized member of the empire, wouldn’t he be treated better than if he were a nobleman of the kingdom?’

‘I felt like I was wasting my time because I didn’t have a suitable sparring partner and there was no place to get instruction… ‘Good.’

‘There is no loyalty to be maintained in a ship with a hole in it.’

The national leadership, which had unintentionally encouraged the escape of powerful people, was not yet able to understand the situation.

Not only they, but also nobles with an excellent understanding of the situation were looking for a way to naturalize in Arcadia, so expanding the size of the mission proved to be a fatal poison.

It was a time when multinational delegations could not even dare to go to an audience with the emperor and were only watching the triumphal ceremony several times.

Suddenly, a group of people appeared blocking the front of the death squad.

“You unbelievers! Cut off our heads!”

“Heavenly punishment will come to those who falsely call God!”

“How long do you think your prosperity will continue? “The gods in heaven are just looking down in laughter!”

They were members of the church who were hiding somewhere on the continent to avoid the White Dragon Knights’ extermination operation. Unlike those who worship gods from an external dimension, those who worship gods that existed in the past are those who are on the kill list because they could be supporters of Heo Shin.

This was not a metaphor, but a literal, life-threatening protest.

The demigod who was leading the triumphal procession that day happened to be Damien, and he giggled when he recognized the identity of the uninvited guests.

“You deny the returned God and look for the destroyed God. “There are no people more stupid than you.”

“It’s blasphemous! God’s existence is immortal, so destruction itself is impossible! “Everything you say is false!”

“Well, I thought it would come out like that. If I thought you guys would understand through conversation, there wouldn’t have been a need to kill them on sight. “The only fanatics are idiots, no matter who they worship.”

Damian even showed his contempt for that blind faith, looked up at the sky, pulled one corner of his mouth, and spoke. As if someone was listening somewhere in the heavens.

“These guys are questioning your existence, what are you going to do?”

and.

―It is blasphemous.

Suddenly, the color of the sun changed from golden to five colors, and a brilliant brilliance was scattered in all directions. No, not the sun. At the exact center of the glowing light, there was a pupil to adjust its focus.

“… Oh God.”

It is of a different class from the application of magic or aura.

It was a sight that could only be described as the power of God, looking down on the earth with the sun rising in the sky as the pupil of its eyes.

The fanatics who saw this fell flat on the floor, tears of blood pouring out of their eyes, and headbutted the ground until their foreheads burst, muttering an apology for the divinity they had momentarily doubted.

“Do not forgive! Look down and watch over me! Please mercilessly punish the foolishness of the lowly!”

“Strike down with the thunderbolt of judgment! Burn it with the flames of purgatory! Please punish my foolishness for forgetting faithfulness!”

“Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!”

Leonard answered the fanatics’ heartbreaking prayers, which were scary even to those who didn’t know them well.

It was a cold voice that did not convey even the slightest hint of severity.

-Make sure you prove your worth. Only those who prove their faith with their lives will be able to ask for my forgiveness.

The fanatics were pounding their heads into the ground, rejoicing at this little mercy. If Leonard told them to die, they would immediately rip out his heart and put it on the altar.

The believers of the church left the square as quickly as they had come, led by the hands of the soldiers.

Leonard, who watched the scene until the end, had his cold eyes shining somewhere in the ecliptic.

‘To me, the faith of mortals is all that matters. It would be no problem to just kill them all, but that would be leaving the rats unattended to run around in secret. ‘It is better to collect and manage them in a visible place like now.’

They were people who couldn’t live their lives without being dependent on someone, so if Leonard allowed them to become dependent, they would gladly accept it even if they ordered them to do all sorts of penances.

If I left them alone, they would only cause trouble to other people, so I was planning to use them in this way.

And this exercise of power, unintentionally, played a big role in establishing the identity of the Holy Empire of Arcadia. Not only did the sun rise in broad daylight turn into the pupil of the eye, but there were too many witnesses.

“Arcadia is now a holy empire! Leonard is a god! “Our Emperor is invincible!”

“Shouldn’t we build the temple quickly first? You said no? Then, how about making a few statues and erecting them?”

“They say there is also [Hades] who rules the afterlife.”

Even before the three-month improvement ceremony was over, everyone’s perception of the Arcadian Empire had changed.

Holy Empire.

A one-of-a-kind paradise on earth, protected by the god of mankind.

Who wouldn’t want to live there? Migrants from all over the world continued to pour into Arcadia, stretching from one edge of the horizon to the other.

Countries that were losing their people in real time did not dare to oppress or detain them, but only rolled their feet.

I was afraid to even imagine what kind of punishment would come if I intercepted them in a world where God was watching.

Lila smiled helplessly as she was briefed on the situation.

“Wow, I didn’t know we would unify the world from one sitting.”

The curtain has risen on the peaceful conquest of the world.

fantasy,