Raising the Princess to Overcome Death

Chapter 379

Lena - The Emperor

"By the gods..."

The people of Orville believed a deity had descended upon them.

A deafening explosion tore through the air, drawing their gazes to the royal palace, where a colossal figure now loomed. Astroth, the eternal guardian of Orville, gazed down at the city and its panicked citizens with a blend of disdain and amusement.

This was his city—a place he had nurtured for millennia, built on the bloodline of Leonel, the architect, and Reisia, the progenitor of the imperial lineage.

The Grand Duke, stirred by an overwhelming sense of nostalgia, declared:

Orville! This beautiful city shall become the sustenance that completes me!

As soon as his proclamation echoed through the land, black moss began to sprout across Orville.

It spread like fungal spores, a deathly shroud reminiscent of a condemned man's blanket. Once the land was thoroughly tainted, the Grand Duke raised his arms, reaching for the heavens.

He sought to banish the sun early and summon the crimson moon.But before his incantation could complete, Astroth staggered.

Count Herman Forte was relentlessly hacking at his leg.

"Someone has him pinned!"

"Cut him down!"

The Church, nobles, knights, and soldiers had united against him in an uncharacteristic display of solidarity.

Astroth's fractured face twitched with displeasure, but his irritation quickly subsided, replaced by an almost paternal whisper.

So many children stand in defiance. Look, Reisia. These are all descendants of you and your brother.

"H-help! Let me go!"

I, too, am no different. I have lived on, carried by the blood of your descendants. And now, I shall complete what was left undone in the past. Ah, but first—

Astroth ripped a portion of the collapsed palace ceiling apart. Before seizing Leonel, he intended to dispose of the one who had tormented him for so long:

Marquis Benar Tatian.

The marquis had already fled far into the distance, surrounded by a crowd of soldiers ensuring his safety. From his vantage point, he watched the chaos with an air of detached amusement.

How revolting.

Astroth hurled the chunk of rubble in his hand. Shattering under the force of his grip, the stone fragments rained down on the marquis and his troops. But as if he had anticipated even this, the marquis calmly shouted:

"Irene!"

However, she did not move.

"Did you know the marquis killed Toton Tatian? Ah, I see—you knew but chose to ignore it."

It was Prince Lean de Yeriel who had spoken during his brief stay at her estate as a guest.

With an air of pity, he handed Irene two letters. She read them helplessly, unable to resist their truth. Only then could she bid farewell to the unrequited love she had harbored for so long.

/ To Count Gustav Peter: First, I must apologize. Your daughter is undoubtedly beautiful and virtuous… (excerpt)… However, I have someone I hold in my heart, and any further meetings would only hurt both parties. I pray a fine gentleman will appear before Lady Jenia. Respectfully, Toton Tatian. /

/ It is embarrassing to admit, but since you insist, I will confess. She is not a noble lady but a knight of impeccable character. Please keep this from my father. /

It had not been unrequited love after all. Irene read and reread the unsent letters, her heart clinging to every word Toton had written, even as their scent faded from the pages.

Her loyalty to Marquis Benar Tatian eroded bit by bit until nothing remained.

She turned to face the incoming rubble.

She glanced briefly at the marquis calling her name. At least, she thought, he bore no resemblance to his son.

"...I see."

Perhaps the marquis noticed the change in her eyes. His expression twisted in confusion.

Irene pushed off the ground, leaping into the rain of stone.

Blood splattered across the rocks in an instant.

Consumed by anger, honor discarded, the knight turned her back on the marquis and drew her blade. She would not die by her own hand but would fight to the bitter end.

Toton!

I love you.

I dared to love you.

The battlefield burned with renewed fury.

"Do something, anything! Otherwise, we're all marching to our deaths!"

"E-even if you say that..."

My name is Rera Ainar!

A warrior with an elongated "a" sound in her name... but this isn't the time for introductions.

The Evil God had descended.

We had come to stop it, but the creature was a monstrosity far beyond our imagination. Honestly, I regret coming here.

It was enormous.

A pale, gray mass towered into the sky, its goat-like legs the only feasible targets for our attacks.

Knights and soldiers swarmed its legs, but even that proved futile.

The scales that covered its goat legs repelled our blades, while one hand gripped a princess tightly, and the other casually swept the ground.

The leisurely motion belied its ferocity, as the talons tore through flesh with incredible speed, leaving a cloud of blood in their wake.

If not for Count Herman Forte holding the line with his white aura blade, we would have been annihilated already.

It was almost miraculous that our formation still held. Anyone else would have fled in terror.

[Achievement: King 6/6 - Rallying Ability Granted to All Leos. Duration: 1 year.]

"Let go! That's my sister!"

"Get a hold of yourself, Lean! If you get captured too, it's over!"

To make matters worse, Prince Lean was in hysterics, screaming that the girl in the Evil God's hand was his sister.

Who could stop a prince's tantrum? Sir Rev, apparently, who brazenly put the prince in a chokehold to restrain him.

Phew.

At least that's one crisis averted. I turned my attention back to the Evil God, though I still couldn't see a way to defeat it.

"Ray, what do we do? It feels like anything we try would be pointless."

"...You're right. Rera, any ideas? You have that staff and the brass goblet, don't you?"

A staff? A brass goblet? What are they supposed to do?

Rera looked apologetic as she shook her head.

"The staff is useless right now, and I don’t know how to use the goblet. It just absorbs my divine power. I’m sorry."

"Hmm... Then just give us all the blessings you can muster. Rera, let's go."

Ray hesitated briefly before unsheathing his sword and turning toward the Evil God.

I blinked in disbelief.

"Wait, what? What are we supposed to do? Even the Swordmaster can't do anything!"

"I'll create an opening. You attack."

"What? How?!"

Ray didn’t answer. He simply strode toward the Evil God.

One step at a time.

Ray’s figure appeared minuscule, a speck of defiance against the towering Evil God that seemed to pierce the heavens. Yet, despite the stark disparity, something about his silhouette stirred a deep, unyielding emotion.

He must have resolved to die gloriously.

Ashamed of my hesitation, I chased after him. Yet, the closer I drew, the more certain I felt: this wasn’t going to work.

The stench of beast and decay grew thicker as we approached.

Though we had only covered half the distance, the creature's size loomed ever larger—mountainous, overwhelming. Even craning my neck until it hurt, my gaze could only reach its abdomen.

I still couldn’t comprehend why no one had fled.

A moment ago, everyone seemed terrified. Had they been paralyzed by fear, numbed into submission? And how, for heaven's sake, were we supposed to attack something like this? It was madness.

At that moment, the Evil God bent down, as if to inspect us, casting its shadow over all. Or so I thought—until its gaze locked onto mine.

Another Swordmaster has come. Count Forte, you were amusing.

Its leg, which I had presumed too massive to move, shifted. Contrary to my expectations, its hoofed limb darted forward with lightning speed.

"Ugh!"

"Aagh!"

The movement was surreal. Large creatures should be slow—shouldn’t they? Instead, the Evil God delivered a devastating kick to Count Herman Forte.

Dozens of soldiers caught in the aftermath exploded into the air like shattered dolls.

[ The overwhelming might of Grand Duke Astroth drastically shortens the morale-boosting effect. 27 seconds remain. ]

The splatter of blood finally shook us out of our stupor.

Fear gripped me.

We can’t defeat this thing. It’s impossible.

As the Evil God pulled back its leg for another strike, I reached out instinctively to push Ray aside—when something unexpected happened.

The girl in its grip hung limp, utterly drained. Despair threatened to engulf us when a boy emerged.

From what must have been the palace’s central hall, the boy shook off rubble and rose. He whistled, a piercing sound so pure that it seized everyone’s attention.

Hiiiiiing!

A massive black stallion materialized, charging the Evil God.

The beast, a demonic steed known as Doheukpoma, slammed into the deity, and for a moment, it felt as though the sky itself had fallen.

I swear I saw four figures descending from that lowered sky.

A goddess of noble sacrifice, crowned with thorns—Boar.

A god of patience and devotion, his hair unbound—Namer.

A god of guidance, his eyes fathomless, piercing through all wickedness—Binar.

And a god of honor and battle, shield upon his shoulder, sword across his back—Lachar.

The boy leaped gracefully onto Doheukpoma's back, then used the momentum to propel himself upward. Drawing an aura-blade, he severed the Grand Duke’s wrist in one decisive motion.

"Lean! Minseo’s here!"

Rev’s shout rang out. Lean let out a sigh of relief, seeing his sister safely in Minseo’s arms.

= Astroth. It’s been a while.

Lachar sneered. Astroth, clutching his head in both hands, seemed unaware of his severed wrist.

Why… Why are you here? No! The Lord God must have betrayed me! This is treacherous...

= Hardly. We were summoned by a hero of great deeds.

Boar shook her head, even as her crown of thorns sank deeper into her scalp. She didn’t flinch.

= That hero has opened all four of our sanctuaries. Even Azura couldn’t accomplish such a feat.

= Enough, Boar. Let’s get to the punishment. Astroth, the time has come. All things rise and fall; even your arrogance will meet its end. For this day, the Lord God laid three rivers...

While Binar rambled on, Namer remained silent. Astroth knew why.

Silence, Binar. I will not die today. Freed from my chains, I have secured my eternal future.

Even the verbose Binar faltered, unable to rebut.

Astroth, unbound, was indeed unkillable—this was why even Saint Azura had failed to capture him.

But Lachar smirked.

= Today will be different. Let’s see which is longer, eternity or fate. Banun, come forth.

I have waited. Though my reincarnated body is fading fast.

An animated doll appeared on Lachar’s shoulder. Banun Laono pointed to the passage Minseo had emerged from moments earlier.

From the rubble came Baron, Nil, and Sir Wendy, having pursued Princess Lerialia. They had used the young Swordmaster’s assistance to breach the iron gate, retrieving the princess along the way.

Santiago Rauno, the man who had abducted the princess, lay bleeding on the ground. They had carried him for treatment, only to lay him down again, realizing there was no time.

Lachar waved his hand lightly.

= Healed. Go, live your lives to the fullest. And… Namer, it’s time.

[ Understood. ]

The four avatars clasped hands, pinning Astroth down. Despite his furious roars, they carried out their duty.

On the ground below, the priests gasped in awe.

"Ah! He’s shrinking! He’s diminishing! This is the grace of the gods!"

"Thank you, O Lord... Huh?"

Astroth’s forced manifestation dissolved. Yet he still had another body—

Karoman de Tatalia.

The king rose, his face twisted in displeasure. He uttered a single chant:

"The Imperial Spear."

A lance, hewn from the Crimson Moon, split the heavens. One landed in his hand, while hundreds more floated, aimed at the foolish mortals below.

He was the emperor who had shaped millennia of history. All knelt before him.