The Duke’s Eldest Son Escaped to the Military (148)
Translator: ChubbyCheeks
50 The Capital’s Collapse (3)
The main culprit that caused the collapse of the Central Army as well as the being who inflicted a fatal injury on Leopold.
Death Lord.
He personally fought against the commander of the Imperial Knight Order.
The catalyst for the war was the battle between these two beings.
The Death Corps’ took advantage of the battle between these two master-level beings as they advanced towards the walls of the capital.
“Stop them!”
Bombs and cannons flew in the air with the shout of the commanders. The soldiers also fired numerous magic bullets against them. However, regardless of their assault, the endless Death Corps continued to rush towards the third gate, the remaining solid wall that protected the capital.
The Capital Defense Corps did their best to stop their attacks. They even poured down holy water on the undead that survived from the baptism of magic bombs and magic bullets. They deployed hundreds of airships above the capital and fired bombs at them while the drake knights stopped the corpse wings and zombie drakes.
The Capital Defense Corps did not buckle despite the Death Corps’ overwhelming momentum. They whipped their gigantic fortress canons and newly developed weapons and killed hundreds of the Death Corps’ troops to protect the capital and the Empire.
However, no matter how much they shaved off of their ranks, skeleton soldiers would appear and fill in the gaps. The Death Corps’ advance could not be stopped that easily.
In just a blink of an eye, the area in front of the third gate of capital had turned into a black land as the army of the undead created a death field.
“We have to endure until the sun rises!”
“Stop them! His Majesty is behind us!”
The Imperial Knights, who were loyal only to the Emperor, shouted loudly.
They were those who only believed and protected the Imperial Family despite the countless criticism from the Imperial public on their corruption, atrocities and hideous experiments.
From the Imperial Knights, who were raised and brainwashed since childhood, to the elite Central nobles, all of them moved to cut down the Death Corps. They firmly believed that they should protect the Imperial Family.
― Are they the Imperial Family’s dogs?
Death Knight Ivan Rodlio, the vampire who broke the 1st gate, appeared with a gigantic black sword on his back. The dark knights appeared lined up beside him and pointed their swords at the Imperial Knight Order.
“Death Knight…”
One of the Imperial Knights, who recognized Ivan’s identity, couldn’t help but gulp.
Only the elites were gathered in the Imperial Knight Order but the presence of the Death Knight still made them feel fear.
The news about the collapse of the first gate and the death of a 6th Stage warrior in less than five minutes under his hands alone was a famous story that spread among the knights.
“Don’t be scared! We must return His Majesty’s grace with our lives!”
“Yes, sir!”
The deputy commander of the Imperial Knight Order, a 6th Stage warrior, pulled out his sword and pointed at the Death Knight. The Death Knight also created his own death blade the moment he saw the intense mana radiating off of the deputy commander’s sword.
― Pierce through and create a path.
The dark knights moved to follow the orders of the Death Knight as he himself moved to fight. He swung his sword to deal with the deputy commander of the Imperial Knight Order and several Imperial knights.
While the dark knights and the Death Knight dealt with the Imperial Knight Order’s knights, the Death Lord’s Guards also began to move. The Death Lord’s guards were the high-ranked vampires that received death seals.
The Emperor’s Guards moved past the chaotic soldiers and prevented the Death Corps as they infiltrated the castle. The Emperor had personally decided to send his own guards to prevent the Death Lord’s Guards.
With the Royal Guards and the Shadows moving to block the Death Corps, the battle in the capital finally began in earnest.
“Sa… Save me!”
“The… The enemy is now inside!”
The public panicked and ran away to avoid the enemies that entered inside the walls.
“What the hell is the army doing?!”
“Wh… what are the knights doing?! Block the front!”
The nobles immediately ordered their personal knights to block the front.
The undead created by the Death Lord Guards created chaos and placed the entire capital in a panic. They did not want to believe it but the undead truly appeared in the capital.
And that was just a part of it.
In the eyes of the army, they were just hundreds of undead animals and were of no significant value. However, to the public and the aristocrats, that was not the case at all.
The security and guards quickly overpowered them with weapons doused with holy water but the aristocrats and the public, who had already fallen into a panic, couldn’t be stopped. They screamed and shouted, which added to the confusion and chaos in the capital. The security and public order forces tried to calm down the chaotic capital but to no avail.
The commander of the security and public order forces couldn’t help but grit his teeth. It was already hard to deal with the undead without any distractions but the nobles and the aristocrats even added to the confusion and chaos.
Then, a huge explosion suddenly resounded in the capital.
Boooooom!
“Where is it?!”
The commander of the security and public order forces shouted loudly as he asked the trembling security guard who pointed a finger to one place.
The place where the trembling security guard pointed out was a place that he knew well.
It was the safest place in the Empire and the place located in the center of the capital.
“The Imperial Palace! This… shit…”
The commander hurriedly led his men and moved towards the huge fountain inside of the gates of the Imperial Palace to go where the explosion had occurred.
“How did they come all the way here?”
The commander of the security and public order forces hurriedly rushed towards the Imperial Palace. The gate was not yet fully broken and even the soldiers and the knights guarding the gates were still perfectly fine.
He immediately deployed his men in the palace and prepared for an emergency. However, he still couldn’t understand how an explosion could occur at the Imperial Palace’s main gate.
“Keuaaack!”
His men running after him collapsed one after the other as they frantically rushed and searched the grounds of the Imperial Palace.
“Keok!”
“C… captain…”
The commander of the security and public forces pulled out his sword when he saw his men falling one after the other after calling out to him.
“Which bastard is it?!”
― Me? The Azure Witch.
The commander let out his mana when he heard a whisper ring in his ears.
The owner of the voice spoke as if him being able to handle mana was something unexpected.
― A garbage like you knows how to deal with mana?
A woman with an impressive body and shocking blue hair appeared in front of the commander. However, she disappeared from his sight in a cloud of smoke.
“How dare you use petty tricks!”
A bone shield appeared and blocked the attack of the commander, who swung his sword behind him as if he had anticipated that she would appear there.
― You became the commander of the security and public order forces through corruption but it seems like you also have a bit of skills, huh?
Dozens of bone spears appeared and flew towards the commander as she swung her bone staff.
― But you’re still a bug though.
“A… Azure Witch…”
The commander of the security forces gritted his teeth and swung his sword at her after successfully stopping the Azure Witch’s devastating attack. However, his attacks were easily blocked. As a warrior, being pushed back by a wizard in a battle of force was something humiliating. But all he could do was grit his teeth and endure.
The Azure Witch chuckled at the commander when she saw him shaking as he stood and took his stance. It was as if he could not admit the result of their bout.
― That level… Are you sure you’re the commander of the security and public order forces?
“Keuk! You bitch! How dare you destroy…!”
He pulled out all of his strength when he saw the Azure Witch lightly ignore him. A clearer and sturdier mana sword appeared as he went head on against the Azure Witch’s bone staff and stabbed her. However, the Azure Witch just yawned in boredom at his decisive blow that she easily deflected.
Stab!
At the same time, the bone spear appeared again and stabbed him on his shoulder.
“Keup!”
The commander couldn’t even scream in pain and could only tremble.
― Do you think you’re worth something? I think your subordinates are much stronger than you, you know?
The Azure Witch turned to look at one of the senior guards that was struggling against a few vampires from afar before roughly pulling out the bone spear on the commander’s shoulder herself.
“Keuaaack!”
The Azure Witch sighed as she looked down at the kneeling commander, who was grabbing his shoulder in pain.
The level of the commander of the security and public order forces in charge of the safety of the capital was too low. In fact, it was his men who were much stronger and much more courageous than him.
The Azure Witch clicked her tongue and looked for her next prey.
She had chosen the commander since he looked the strongest but he turned out to be someone who was worse than trash.
“Sp… Spare me.”
― Where did all your courage from earlier go?
“P… Please…”
She used her magic to blow up the commander’s head when she saw him begging her with tears in his eyes. It seemed like she felt that there was nothing more to see against such an individual.
― Who’s next…
She looked around and looked for another target.
In just a blink of an eye, the capital was dragged into chaos.
The security guards were busy fighting and fending off the attacks of the vampires. The nobles were running towards the Imperial Palace while the vampires killed the knights protecting them. The vampires killed them off and attacked the Imperial Palace altogether.
― It’s time for our revenge. Does everyone want to enjoy the festival with me?
Her words triggered the darkness that spread on the ground as beings covered in black robes and holding bone staves appeared one after the other. Blue light flashed in their eyes as they used their magic and directed it towards the Imperial Palace.
“L… Liches!”
“What the hell are the guards doing?!”
The liches’ magic bombarded the Imperial Palace.
The Imperial knights and the royal guards left inside the palace all came outside to stop them. However, the liches’ unit was too much for them to handle. The main reason was because none of their enemies wanted to rest just so they could exact their revenge. And for those trying to protect the Imperial Palace, their power and momentum were too much.
The main gate of the Imperial Palace collapsed, like a thin sheet of paper blown by the wind, under the indiscriminate and non-stop offensive from the Death Corps’ vampires and liches.
The Imperial Wizards rushed forward to respond to their offensive but the sheer number of the undead that the Azure Witch had summoned was too much for them.
“Sa… Sanctuary! A sanctuary has been triggered!”
A sanctuary covered the entire capital. It was a sanctuary that was created through the efforts of hundreds of priests, not the sanctuary that was created through Iron’s efforts alone. There was also the purification magic that the majority of the wizards of the Wizard Tower created together. With these two overlapping forces, the overwhelming power and momentum of the Azure Witch and the undead were gradually reduced.
However, despite the sanctuary’s effect on the beings of death, the smile that hung around the Azure Witch’s lips did not disappear.
― I was wondering where all the priests and wizards went but… did they gather here to create something like this?
The Azure Witch mumbled to herself as she increased the death energy in the surroundings.
Black energy began to seep out of the collapsing undead soldiers.
― Is this a secret move that you had planned? But, it’s nothing much?
The undead rushed recklessly and frantically towards the Imperial Palace with just a gesture from the Azure Witch.
She issued the order for them to rush forward immediately after seeing the sanctuary and the purification magic. It was as if she was waiting for this, their last and final move. Even the liches and the vampires flew towards the knights blocking the broken main gate as they used their death and blood magic.
“Stop them! There’s nothing special with these weakened undead!”
One of the knights of the Imperial Palace shouted to encourage the soldiers as they tried to block the broken gate. The knight thought that they could somehow hold out as long as they protected the gate against the undead and the vampires that had been weakened by the sanctuary and the purification magic.
However, the knight’s hope was easily destroyed.
― You’re too late.
― Hoo… Don’t you think that’s a bit too much? I was only barely able to survive, you know?
The Azure Witch smiled when a red-haired woman sitting in the arms of a man appeared from a black hole.
― She was too greedy. She wanted to kill the old commander… But she almost died, you know?
― I would have killed him if not for the Saint.
The red-haired woman sulkily answered as she got off the man’s arms.
Flames erupted under her feet the moment she stepped on the ground as the demons from hell began to crawl out. Then, drops of blood spread out from man’s body as he revived and raised the bodies that had already died in the battlefield. All of them became vampires but they were only similar to beasts, only filled with aggression without any reason. Vampires who were only left with their instincts, just like the undead who did not have any reason.
The royal guards stared at the army that had grown in size once again in despair.
Not long after, the gates of the palace, which had been firmly guarded throughout generations, were opened as the Death Corps marched inside the halls of the palace. The Imperial Palace was now completely broken through after being closed off and protected for hundreds of years.
Screams began to ring loudly in the confines of the palace as the beings of death, and not the humans, opened the gates of the palace.
― Where is our little Majesty hiding?
The Red Seductress also spoke sensuously after hearing the mocking words of the Azure Witch.
― Your Majesty, the Emperor. This missy has come to see you. Hurry up and show yourself.
The Emperor did not appear despite the calls of the seductive Red Seductress and the playful Azure Witch.
They had no choice but to resort to torturing the innocent maids and servants of the palace.
“Keuaaaack!”
“I… I don’t know!”
“I really don’t know!”
The Red Seductress killed the servant and the trembling maid as they headed towards the place where the Emperor was most likely in.
The servants immediately ran away as they shrieked in fear. They trembled and screamed in fear despite the fact that the Death Corps were just moving forward. This was because their appearance was more ferocious and vicious in the eyes of the servants and maids.
The Red Seductress tilted her head as she looked forward.
A huge monster suddenly appeared and blocked her path with a loud roar.
“Keuhahahahaha! Vermins! Bow down to me!”
The being, who sounded like a human, tried to force the Red Seductress to kneel. It’s entire body was covered with some sort of weird skin as its flesh bulged weirdly in places. In other words, the being was grotesque and creepy. The fact that the being was a human was only revealed as it spoke towards the Red Seductress.
“Kneel down in front of the majestic Imperial Family! These lowly things!”
***
