The Emperor Has Returned

Chapter 59 – The Voice (2)

Kamil immediately drew her sword as she felt the unusual change in the atmosphere. The dust that rose from beyond the pile of ruins died down. When Kamil raised her sword and swung it, something flew in front of her eyes instantly.

The sharp sound of blades clashing echoed, and Kamil staggered back a few steps. Upon looking ahead in a haste while holding her numb hand, Kamil found a boy with a grumpy face landing on the floor while clutching a short dagger in his hand.

Kamil could feel sweat running down her back as she realized that she couldn’t sense the boy's presence or movements at all. If it weren’t for her sword which had been bestowed with His Majesty’s Grace and her body being used to speed training, she wouldn’t have been able to block the boy’s attack.

“I already knew that it wouldn’t be easy, but the guard is pretty decent, just as expected…” Juan muttered a complaint.

Kamil was convinced that he was one of the enemies who had come to assassinate Bishop Rietto. She didn’t expect a little boy to come, but it was certain that he wasn’t an easy opponent.

“Who are you? One of the Order of Huginn’s knights?” Kamil asked.

“Is that even important?”

It really wasn’t. From the moment he pointed his sword at a Templar, he was bound to be sentenced to execution. Furthermore, Bishop Rietto who was just behind Kamil had witnessed his transgressions.

Kamil repositioned herself.

Meanwhile, Juan lowered his body as if he wanted to stick to the floor, and surveyed the surroundings. Then he found an unexpected face; it was Sina Solvane.

Sina was also looking at Juan with a perplexed expression, but she could neither help nor act as a distraction as she was restrained.

‘As expected, she’s safe.’

Bishop Rietto was still standing behind Kamil. Although he took a glance at Juan when he first entered the room, he didn’t seem to care anymore. Rietto continued to chant his prayer at a fast rate in a disturbing voice in order to shower the Order of the White Crow with the Grace. The only way for the Order of Huginn to win against the Order of the White Crow would be through Juan shutting Rietto’s mouth closed.

‘She’s not an opponent that can be easily defeated.’

Juan glared at Kamil. Although Kamil wasn’t as good as Ethan, she was still a skilled knight. Speedwise, she was on the same level as Ethan or even better.

Kamil was also evaluating Juan’s skills. She couldn’t help but be conscious of the incredible speed she witnessed from him when he first appeared.

As speed was their biggest strength, both Kamil and Juan only eyed each other for a while to search for a timing to rush in.

‘I won’t be getting many opportunities to attack.’

The first one to charge was Juan. Juan kicked the rocks on the floor a couple of times, then instantly used Blink to charge toward Kamil.

Kamil was able to quickly swing her sword at his projection since she had been staring at him all along, but the stone particles that Juan had kicked up blurred her vision.

When Kamil closed her eyelids, Juan noticed that her arm exposed a weakness. Juan didn’t miss his chance. Juan swung his sword and sliced her long arm. Blood burst out from Kamil’s wound.

“Keuk…!”

Juan ran wildly toward Rietto at the same time he had cut Kamil. At that moment, he felt a sharp pain on his calf. The world overturned in front of his eyes and he suddenly found himself stuck to the floor. Juan quickly wrapped his head with his arms as a form of protection, but his head was already ringing due to the pain. Juan quickly rolled his body out of Kamil’s reach. Blood was flowing out of his head as if his scalp had been cut.

Kamil was still blocking Juan’s way to Rietto with her arm now dripping blood. Before she knew it, her arm had already started to heal and regenerate new flesh.

At the same time, Juan noticed a stiletto stuck in his calf.

“Waiting for my movement to slow down when I cut your arm, and stabbing a stiletto in my calf…” Juan muttered.

“I expected your movement to slow down once I gave you the opportunity to cut me.”

Kamil had made a quick judgment when she was momentarily blinded by the stone particles; she knew that Bishop Rietto’s Grace would heal her wound anyway.

She was a strong opponent with a different way of fighting compared to Ethan who fought back as soon as he could detect Juan’s movement.

Juan clicked his tongue in acknowledgment of her good sense and judgment. On the other hand, he realized just how far he was from getting his full power back. Juan kicked the floor while he waited for his calf to heal. His body would heal as long as he had mana, but it took him a much longer time to heal compared to Kamil.

Juan expected Kamil to attack him while he waited for his wound to heal. However, Kamil didn’t move an inch from Bishop Rietto’s side.

‘She knows her priorities.’

.

Juan considered attacking her one more time, but soon rejected the notion; it would be hard to take down Kamil in an instant, since she was protected under Rietto’s Grace. It might have been possible if he had more time, but the Order of Huginn was heading toward collapse with every passing moment. Time was the one thing Juan did not have.

***

Bishop Rietto’s prayer suddenly stopped. Rietto stared at the eastern sky with glaring eyes.

“He is coming.”

Kamil and Juan’s gaze headed toward Rietto. Something other than a prayer had come out of his mouth for the first time since he started praying.

“Bishop Rietto?” Kamil carefully called Rietto’s name.

“The devil is coming! The Mighty One of Death!” Rietto shouted.

Rietto turned his head left and right, then began to mutter something nonstop while frothing at his mouth. His voice was much faster than before, and he spat out in an ear-ringing dialect. Kamil only felt unpleasant from hearing his dialect, but Juan understood his prayer and recognized the Grace that he was about to use.

“That son of a bitch…”

Juan tried to run toward Rietto in haste, but Kamil stopped him. Juan attempted to hop over Kamil’s sword at the same time as he blocked her attack. Kamil dragged his body down in panic, and they rolled on the floor. Juan stumbled and moved away from Kamil.

“Did you really think you could get past me?” Kamil asked.

“Everyone’s gonna die if I don’t shut that bastard’s mouth right now,” Juan said with a distorted face as he pointed at Bishop Rietto.

Kamil flinched at Juan’s words and looked at Bishop Rietto. His spirit was nothing like before ever since he had started the new prayer.

Wind from an unknown source was lightly blowing and dark clouds were gathering to cover the sunrise. Kamil felt anxious, but she still didn’t move away from Bishop Rietto.

“You would behead him with your own hands if you knew what that lunatic is summoning right now. Back off right this instant!”

Kamil calmly raised her sword despite Juan’s shout.

“I would never doubt His Majesty's top servant just based on the words of a heretic from beyond the border. Don’t you dare try to deceive me, you bastard.”

“What that bastard is summoning is a monster called the Kelegrenon. Perhaps you know it as Mananen McLeir’s dog. Once summoned, he sucks out all the mana from his surroundings. When that happens, your knight order will be the first one to die.”

“You mean His Majesty’s personal beast from the legends? Even if what you are saying is the truth, why would His Majesty’s beast harm his own people?” Kamil asked in doubt.

“Because the emperor swallowed Mananen McLeir’s heart, and Kelegrenon was only controlled due to the emperor’s mana! After that crazy bishop dies, Kelegrenon will be out of control and free to rampage through Hiveden while everyone is still trapped under the emperor’s foot!”

Kelegrenon was a monster that couldn’t be handled by anyone other than Mananen McLeir or someone just as powerful. Even Juan had only summoned Kelegrenon once during his time as the emperor, due to the extreme side effects when it was summoned outside of Juan’s area of authority.

Summoning Kelegrenon meant the complete eradication of all life in that area. When the hungry Kelegrenon is summoned, not a single seed nor insect would be left alive on that land; Hiveden would be wiped out completely.

Kamil still didn’t bother to step back, although she was filled with doubt.

Juan became nervous as he knew it would be too late once Kelegrenon appeared. There might be some chance to restrain it, but Ras’ death would be guaranteed the moment Kelegrenon appeared. Furthermore, Juan would also be in danger as his body was formed with mana.

‘It might be a dangerous gamble…’

Juan didn’t have much time left. He instantly charged at Kamil, and Kamil dodged his attack with deft movement. Juan didn’t hesitate and bounced back to run toward Kamil once more.

Kamil was suspicious of his simple and obvious attack, but continued to trace his movement.

At that moment, Juan jumped up high. He took a deep breath and his chest inflated. He didn’t know whether this would work, but recalled that it worked on Sina Solvane.

“I speak in the name of Juan Calberg Kennosis!”

***

A rumbling voice that vibrated the ground echoed throughout the city of Hiveden. At the same time, Juan’s voice, Juan’s will, and Juan’s power dug deep into everyone’s ears and shook their minds.

With a splitting headache, Juan felt that everyone’s minds had been connected to him. Be it the mind of dying civilians, the scared children, or the furious knights…. All of them were inside Juan, just as Juan was also inside them, including Bishop Rietto.

Juan suffered terrible pain, almost as if his soul was shattering and focused on Bishop Rietto’s mind.

Once Juan successfully focused Bishop Rietto’s mind, Juan couldn’t help but be stunned. The world inside his mind was broken like a kaleidoscope, with every object fragmented and distorted. Everything showed only one side, and none of it had light or shade. No one with such a mind could be sane.

Juan suddenly noticed the split in the sky of Rietto’s mind. There was a crack in the sky, and black tar-like lumps dripped down from it. The crack, which was ripping apart Rietto’s mind, began in the north, where there was an even bigger fissure. Juan’s eyes began to blaze when he saw the fissure.

“Keuk…!”

Juan felt immense pain as he disconnected his mind from the minds of everyone else, and fell to the floor. Juan had only invaded Rietto’s mind for a short second. However, the entire Hiveden fell silent during that short second.

Juan spat out blood on the floor. It seemed that his organs had been damaged from using the emperor’s voice with such a weak body. Juan tried to raise himself up, but he staggered as he couldn’t put strength into his legs.

In the meantime, instead of attacking Juan, Kamil stared at him blankly as if she couldn’t believe what just happened.

“What, how on earth…” Kamil muttered.

‘It’s definitely different from when I only spoke to Sina.’

It took quite a lot of effort to connect to Bishop Rietto’s mind, as he was out of his mind while he concentrated on his prayer. Looking at Kamil, Juan figured that his voice had been effective. It seemed like the Templars and the Priests were affected by his voice much more than others. After all, they had been using Juan’s mana.

Juan looked at Rietto, while Rietto also stared dumbfoundedly at Juan as he sat down on his bottom. Juan was satisfied to realize that Rietto’s prayer had completely stopped. Juan gathered himself and started approaching Rietto.

“S-stop,” Kamil said as she belatedly came to her senses and blocked Juan.

Unlike before, the tip of her sword was shaking wildly. It was clear that she couldn’t even cut a scarecrow in her current state of mind, but Juan’s state was no different from her’s.

Instead of drawing his sword for bloodshed, Juan decided to try and use his strength a little harder.

“Knight. You dare to point your sword at your master?”

Although his voice was much weaker than before, it was enough to make Kamil falter as she was already agitated. Juan walked past Kamil to approach Rietto.

Both Kamil and Rietto stared blankly at Juan, as Juan stopped in front of Rietto.

Juan noticed a rosary with his symbol hanging at Rietto’s feet, and swung his short sword at it instantly.

At the same time the rosary exploded, the emperor’s foot in the sky dispersed completely.

Kamil felt the disappearance of the Grace that had been protecting her and the Order of the White Crow, as the emperor's foot dispersed as if it was being washed away.

Kamil realized that she failed her duty, but there was nothing she could do. All she could do was blankly stare at Juan’s back.

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