Chapter 301: 159. Yet Another King -2 (Part One)
Translated by A Passing Wanderer
Edited by RED
The vampires were tense.
Their excellent eyes could see the Holy Emperor, Kelt Olfolse, standing on the Imperial Palace’s highest balcony in the far distance.
That was the Holy Emperor, one of the most fearsome beings in their thousands of years of history, ruthlessly suppressing and hunting down vampires.
Not only that, the man was also referred to as the strongest monster ever in the long line of the Holy Emperors.
Because of that man, their kin were hunted down to have their heads chopped off, and skewered by stakes.
Such an absolute being didn’t even get flustered by their invasion, but was grinning away madly instead.
The vampires raring to go only a second ago suddenly all went pale.
Marquis Kirum took a close look at Kelt in the distance before lowering his head. “As expected… it’s still unrealistic, sire. Even if the Holy King isn’t here, Holy Emperor Kelt is still going strong.”
He was addressing his liege, the Vampire King.
Kirum was responsible for planning this event, but only because the Vampire King had expressed his unwillingness to delay things any longer.
This matter had escalated to the point where the Vampire King himself chose to get involved, so there had to be a matching price to pay.
Duke Duran was that sacrifice.
The Vampire King, covered in the torn rags and bandages tightly wrapped around his body, wordlessly raised his spear, then slit his wrist lightly, just enough to draw some blood.
He then held his bleeding arm towards Marquis Kirum. “I shall now bestow on you the peerage of a Duke, Kirum. Now that we no longer have Duran with us, we need you to fill the void in the ranks of the Dukes.”
“Such an honour! B-but Your Majesty, Holy Emperor Kelt is right before us, so for you to split off a portion of your power like this…”
“A small ‘power’ will serve no purpose in front of a man like that,” the Vampire King replied.
Kirum bowed his head with an enraptured expression, then cupped his hands to catch the falling blood to drink.
The Vampire King stared at his own spear. Its color grew even redder after coming in contact with his blood. “Grand Duke Ivaldi, it seems that the time to test your creation, this spear, has finally come.”
He slowly shifted his attention to the side, and stared at a man filled with rippling crimson muscles all over his two metre-tall frame.
His head was covered in an unkempt beard and hair, while a pair of horns protruded out from his crown. In his hands were a pair of tongs and a hammer used by a blacksmith.
Grand Duke Ivaldi held his head high despite being in the presence of the Vampire King. “That spear has been allowed to drink the blood of one hundred sacrifices annually. And that tempering process has lasted for the past five hundred years. As such, I can proudly say that its performance will not fall behind the treasured tools of the Imperial Family.”
“Excellent.” The Vampire King strode forward.
“What are you all doing, not getting ready to attack?!”
“Where is your pride?! We are the apex predators, so do not be cowed by some measly livestock!”
Two Duke-class vampires were roaring out now. The royal knights and the vampire nobles heeded their orders and stood in orderly files.
Once the organising of the troops was completed, the two Duke-class vampires bowed their heads deeply in the Vampire King’s direction.
He scanned his fellow vampires, over five hundred Progenitors, before asking a question, “If we fail at this task, how much more time will we need to waste again, Kirum?”
Kirum bowed deeply as well and replied, “Although it’ll depend heavily on the unfolding situation, if we work under the assumption that both of our Dukes survive, then around four hundred years, Your Majesty.”
The Vampire King turned his head and stared at Holy Emperor Kelt in the distance. Their glares collided mid-way.
“We no longer have any more room to retreat. I shall not sit back and watch my brethren get slaughtered any further.” He pointed with his spear. “We shall turn this place into our territory; turn every human found inside into our livestock, and we shall all ascend to become the new gods!”
At the loud roars of the Vampire King, all the other vampires cheered raucously, while the other undead screeched out loudly.
“I shall lead from the front. Prey on the blood of the livestock, rip the limbs off the bastards, and turn them into undead!” the Vampire King roared out again and jumped up, landing lightly on top of one of Cerberus’s heads. “And with that, we shall leave behind a legendary feat that will be remembered for generations to come!”
He valiantly waved his spear. “Let’s go! For the glory of the Blood Kingdom-!”
“Yes, for our Vampire King-!” the vampires roared loudly in return, then began dashing forward.
Cerberus also broke into a frenzied sprint; the Vampire King riding on the demonic beast stared ahead with his sharply gleaming eyes. Around the same time, blood drops started falling from the crimson-hued storm clouds blanketing the skies above.
“Kill them all-!”
“Hunt down all the livestock-!”
Over fifty thousand undead creatures charged towards Laurensis, the capital of the Theocratic Empire.
**
Drip… drip…
The Paladins standing tall and in silence on top of the city’s outer walls raised their heads to look up.
The crimson storm clouds were blocking out the rays of the sun. A rain of blood was dripping down from them. However, it wasn’t just any rain, but one that contained demonic energy. There was also a deadly toxin mixed in into each drop.
Humans would suffer torment simply by breathing in, and if there were corpses around, they would turn into undead without exception, not to mention how the rain would greatly enhance the strength of the vampires.
The citizens staying within the city trembled in fear as the rain of blood fell. They had all heard the news by now; that an army made up of horrifying evil creatures was setting up a camp outside the city walls, and that an army full of creatures that drank blood and consumed human flesh had come to invade their city.
The citizens hid themselves in their homes at this nightmarish reality. They shut the windows tightly and embraced their families in a huddle while shivering in fear.
But a loud call rang clearly within their hearing.
“His Majesty the Holy Emperor, hooray-!”
The sounds of metallic armour clanging reverberated throughout the city. Although faint, the ground seemed to rumble as well.
The citizens cowering along with their families heard the sounds and hesitantly raised their heads.
“Oh, hear ye! Subjects of the empire, do not be afraid-!”
Rays of golden light could be seen beyond the shut windows of the unlit rooms.
The citizens worked up their courage and reached out with their trembling hands to open the window panes. Right at that moment, their eyes caught the sight of a procession radiating a brilliant golden hue.
A shining legion clad in golden armour was marching forward. Their armour was imposing and grand, while all sorts of weapons were gripped in their hands.
Every step they took shook the ground, while the rain of blood simply evaporated before it could even touch them.
A trio of old men were leading them forth.
Holy Emperor Kelt Olfolse was accompanied by Cardinal Raphael Astoria and Oscal Baldur the Sword King. The Order of the Golden Cross followed behind them.
“His Majesty the Holy Emperor, hooray-!”
The closer they got to the outer wall, the louder and more powerful the calls grew, until they echoed throughout the area.
Thousands of devoted monks had gathered in the city’s main plaza, and went down on their knees. They brought their hands together and began praying ardently to Goddess Gaia’s statue.
Holy Emperor Kelt roared out, “Be courageous, oh my people!” His gentle yet powerful Spirit Speech rang deeply within the ears of his subjects. “We shall never be defeated by the likes of these evil creatures leading false lives!”
The Holy King’s procession finally arrived before the goddess statue.
“We are the victors. The goddess’s care will protect us all!” He roared out once more, prompting the prayers of the monks to intensify even further.
Raphael also opened his mouth, and began singing a sacred hymn.
Sparks began dancing over Kelt’s warhammer. He held it up high in the air. “Oh my subjects and you vampires! Behold!”
He slammed the hammer down on the altar placed before the goddess statue with all his strength. “This is the power of the Imperial Family-!”
The altar crumbled from the warhammer’s strike.
As if to match that exact timing, a streak of lightning bolt broke through the crimson storm clouds.
The azure hue of the sky gradually spread open amid all those crimson clouds above them. The crimson clouds began dissipating, starting from the empire’s capital as the centre.
As for the power of lightning leaking out from the warhammer and the lightning bolt falling from the heavens, they enveloped the goddess statue.
The jaws of all those citizens who had opened their windows to take a look fell to the floor.
Their eyes grew wider in shock, and their whole bodies were overcome with convulsion.
“G-G-Goddess… Gaia?!”
The goddess statue at least twenty metres tall began moving. It secured its armour, and even put on its helm. The statue, a shield slung on its back and a sword resting on its side, moved forward as if it was a living entity.
The goddess statue strode forth over the ground, placing its hand on the hilt of its sword, then pulled it out. The friction of the blade being pulled out sent forth sparks to dance in the air.
“Our goddess has descended among us-!” the monks called out loudly.
The statue lowered its empty hand, and Kelt stepped onto it.
The gigantic goddess statue headed towards the city’s outer wall. The citizens hiding in their homes looked on their Holy Emperor Kelt Olfolse and cheered fervently.
They were no longer afraid. Their deepening faith prompted them to offer even more ardent prayers, instead.
“Pray with all of your hearts. All of your prayers will soon become our strength-!”
The soldiers on standby above the outer walls had also prepared their weapons. They slammed their chosen weapons down on the ground, and the resulting noise reverberated throughout the sky, rousing their spirit for battle.
“Alright, then! Let’s have a showdown, oh you foolish vampires-!” Kelt guffawed heartily, while the Paladins roared out at the top of their lungs.
