Episode 139 The Immortal King's Uprising (3)
The Immortal King's head was violently thrown back with a loud explosion.
Crackle—
Flames engulfed his head, and smoke billowed.
The fierce battle between the Immortal King and the hero, which had momentarily stopped,
"…Saint?"
Heinrich, who had retreated for some reason, subtly raised a hand with a serious expression, stopping the others who were about to attack again.
As if he had sensed something.
And at the same time, the undead, who had been fiercely fighting the humans, all hesitated and started to retreat simultaneously.
Those who had been fighting them cautiously looked around, trying to grasp the situation as they caught their breath with their opponents suddenly gone.
The battlefield was enveloped in silence for a brief moment, but…
[Kuh— Hahaha! Ah— This is quite something!]
A gloomy voice broke the silence after a while.
As expected, considering the difference in level and magic power density, Harris's attack didn't inflict much damage on him.
But it wasn't a meaningless attack.
As if to prove that…
Thud—
The grotesque mask, which was practically the symbol of the current Immortal King, shattered and scattered on the ground.
Only a part of the wooden mask remained, still clinging to his face.
"Hmm."
"That's…"
And the handsome skull with overwhelming charisma, meticulously crafted with "Customization", was revealed.
A smooth skull with perfect contours, a sharp jawline, straight and sharp teeth, and burning ghost fires in his sharply upturned eye sockets.
"…Indeed, terrifying. It's enough to give me nightmares."
"Whew— Damn it, I can't look him in the eye…"
But unfortunately, the public's reaction wasn't very good.
Of course, it was more because of the fear effect of his existence itself than his appearance, but it was still a bit much to react like that right in front of him.
Hans would have been hurt if he wasn't mentally strong.
"Kkuk, kkuk… No matter how I look at it, that's not a normal human skull, what race is he? Don't tell me he's a demon? No, he doesn't have horns, so he's a hybrid?"
Some, like the high shaman, noticed Hans's plastic surgery with their sharp eyes, but that wasn't important right now.
The Immortal King, who had been arrogantly looking down at them as if he ruled the world, started to speak.
[To think a small fry I ignored would be able to do this much. Very interesting.]
His gaze turned to the Elves standing in front of the barrier in the corner.
Harris, who was still calm, Cecily, who was sweating profusely but standing tall, and Shapiron, who was almost about to faint.
The gazes of the others around them also turned towards them… especially towards Harris, who was standing at the front, facing the Immortal King with an extraordinary bow in his hand.
The heavy energy still emanating from the bow showed that he was the one who had just attacked.
The undead under the Immortal King's command even raised their energy as if to tear apart the arrogant Elf who had dared to disrespect their king…
[Hmm— I've changed my mind. I'll retreat for today.]
But they had no choice but to calm their energy and retreat at Hans's single word.
But there was someone who reacted first to his words.
"Who said you could! Do you think this place is somewhere you can just come and go as you please…!"
"Saintess."
Liesta, who had stepped forward in excitement, stopped talking and looked back at Heinrich at his call.
"We're not properly prepared to fight right now. Unfortunately, the damage we've suffered so far is too great."
"…But!"
Over ten strong individuals, even with the help of the holy barrier, had already died, even though it hadn't been long since the Immortal King attacked.
And there were dozens of injured, mostly holy knights who had joined the fight out of a sense of duty despite their lack of skill.
On the other hand, the only damage the immortal army suffered was the destruction of undead.
Of course, there were quite a few who were completely destroyed and became permanent losses, but could that compare to human lives?
And they couldn't help but be more sensitive to it, as they were different from the undead who could be repaired with their remains.
'The Main God Church's position will also be shaken by this incident.'
They could somehow gloss over the fact that they allowed the intrusion, but they couldn't avoid responsibility for the casualties that occurred at an event hosted by the Church.
They would probably have to suffer considerable political losses.
And this was their home ground!
It was practically Hans causing a huge mess right after Heinrich cleaned up the previous incident, but the commotion this time wasn't a meaningless one.
'It's an opportunity to show the world the danger of Hans and Heinrich, who will oppose him, and also Harris's debut. And as long as the Immortal King and the hero exist, the Church's voice can only grow stronger.'
It wasn't even that bad to think of it as slightly adjusting the Church's overly strong influence.
It would also make it easier for Heinz, who was based in the Talia Kingdom, to operate.
"…Whew."
Liesta sighed deeply after briefly making eye contact with Heinrich.
She eventually conceded, gritted her teeth, and stepped back, and he stepped forward again, facing the Immortal King directly.
The hero, facing his nemesis with a battered and disheveled appearance from the fierce battle.
Even though Heinrich must have been exhausted like the others, his presence didn't weaken at all and was on par with the Immortal King facing him.
As if emphasizing to the world that he was his only opponent.
[Hehehe— The entertainment went on a bit longer than I expected. I was just planning to say hello. Well, it was definitely impressive.]
The Immortal King laughed mockingly, looking down at them.
No one here could understand why he had suddenly attacked and then retreated…
After all, how could ordinary people understand the thoughts of the Immortal King, a being of the abyss?
'This is enough, right? Should I make my exit now?'
…Everyone thought so.
Swoosh—
The undead started to disappear into the darkness on the floor one by one.
The enemies were openly retreating, but the strong individuals from each force, whose morale had already been broken, just sighed in relief that the immediate battle was over.
[Ah, right, you're all busy with the monsters consumed by madness, right? I'm glad you seem to like the gift I prepared.]
"…Hannibal Strauss, you!"
[Hehehe, I've taken up too much of your time when you're already busy. Go ahead and struggle as much as you can. I'll enjoy watching.]
"Ha! It won't end so easily next time."
[Yes, that might be interesting.]
Hans, who had collected all the undead, moved as if gliding through the air and flew out through the large hole in the window behind him.
It was already pitch black outside, as the battle had taken place after the meeting ended.
[This isn't the end. Despair hasn't even begun yet, so try harder. Otherwise…]
And from the middle of the night sky, where not even moonlight could be seen,
A voice that terrified the listener echoed softly.
[You will not be able to escape destruction.]
And with those meaningful words,
The Immortal King, who had attacked the conference hall, disappeared.
"······."
"···Ahem."
An uncomfortable silence hung over the conference hall.
Everyone frowned, feeling an unknown sense of foreboding at the Immortal King's prophetic words.
'Okay, it was a bit cheesy, but it was a decent ending. It seems like I'm getting used to this.'
But the person involved didn't think much of it.
____________________
"Huh… I didn't expect things to turn out like this, it's truly amazing."
"Lord Rapori, you think so too, right? I was so surprised, even though I was right next to him! The envoys from other countries were also paying attention to Harris!"
Rapori and Cecily examined Harris as if they had encountered something fascinating.
It was their first time seeing someone right next to them suddenly become qualified.
"Ugh— He's always ahead of me…"
Shapiron grumbled in the corner, but she quickly quieted down when Harris silently handed her a bag of popcorn.
"Sigh— Anyway, what will happen now?"
Cecily sighed softly and looked out the window of their lodging.
After the Immortal King disappeared,
The Roselia Cathedral couldn't help but have a sleepless night.
They had to clean up the aftermath of the incident, even though they had sent the envoys back to their lodgings.
Fortunately, there were no casualties from the Enamel Continent, including the Elven Kingdom.
The representative from Wild Land was seriously injured, but he was able to recover without any major aftereffects thanks to the Main God Church's immediate treatment.
"Well, the Main God Church must be the busiest right now. Let's just wait and see."
As Rapori said, the Church had a hectic few days.
They took care of the casualties from the battle and cleaned up the conference hall, which had become a battlefield.
And security was further strengthened, practically entering a wartime state.
He wondered what the point was now that the conference hall, which had been thoroughly prepared, was breached, but they couldn't just do nothing.
And they were also trying to figure out how the Immortal King had infiltrated, something they had failed to do once before.
They started a detailed investigation with the help of the Magic Tower Alliance's leader, but unfortunately, the results weren't much different.
But even while they were busy cleaning up the mess, they didn't forget what was truly important.
There was something that needed to be done urgently in this situation.
And so, just three days after the Immortal King's attack,
The 'Continental Summit' resumed normally in a different conference room.
"I believe everyone is aware of the gravity of the situation."
That was Cardinal Cordelia's first sentence after the second meeting began.
Unlike before, everyone present listened to her words with serious expressions.
"Hans, the Immortal King of this generation, has been showing unpredictable movements from the beginning. And his abilities are also unpredictable, making it difficult to respond."
Most of those present had experienced it firsthand, so they keenly felt it.
Those who had been newly dispatched after their representatives died were also aware of the situation.
"Shamefully, our Main God Church failed to properly block the Immortal King's intrusion. And because of that, many people were sacrificed again."
Crown Prince Simon's expression twisted at her self-reproachful words.
He didn't speak up, perhaps because they had already argued for days, but he couldn't help but be sensitive because he had lost his right-hand man.
But the conclusion of her introduction was just one.
To finish this meeting as quickly as possible, gather everyone's strength, and prepare to respond to the Immortal King.
Everyone agreed with her words, which left no room for disagreement, and the meeting proceeded smoothly.
There was hardly any friction like in the first meeting, as everyone had a sense of crisis.
'They're still holding back a bit. Well, it can't be helped.'
They were in positions representing their respective organizations, so it was only natural for them to represent their own interests.
Still, it was a significant improvement that they were trying to reach an agreement as much as possible without clashing with each other.
And one morning, a few days later,
Shocking news was delivered to the representatives who were about to leave their lodgings for the meeting.
"Suddenly…? How?!"
"No, what the hell happened?!"
Everyone's reactions were similar.
Shock and bewilderment at the news that came out of nowhere.
But there was one person who reacted more intensely than the others…
"Wh-what? N-no. That's impossible! There was nothing wrong until yesterday, how could it suddenly…!"
It was Prince Dennis Rohan of the Rohan Duchy.
He immediately ran towards the cathedral's gate with his subordinates, ignoring the upcoming summit.
He had no choice.
- Rohan Duchy, all border defenses breached.
He had received news that his country, which had been holding out well, had collapsed in an instant.
And most of those who heard the news simultaneously thought the same thing.
-[This isn't the end. Despair hasn't even begun yet, so try harder. Otherwise…]
-[You will not be able to escape destruction.]
That the Immortal King's ominous warning…
Meant this.