Chapter 139

Chapter 139
## Chapter 139

The Immortal King’s Uprising (3)

A resounding detonation forced the Immortal King’s visage sharply backward.

Crackle—

Blazing heat consumed his countenance, sending dark plumes of smoke billowing into the air.

The violent clash between the Immortal King and the hero ground to an abrupt halt.

“…Saint?”

Heinrich, having pulled back for reasons of his own, hoisted a single hand with a grim expression, halting the remaining combatants who were preparing to launch a follow-up assault.

It was as though he detected an underlying shift.

Simultaneously, the legions of the undead, who had been locked in a ferocious struggle against the mortals, froze mid-action and commenced a synchronized withdrawal.

The warriors who had been locked in combat with them scanned the immediate surroundings with wary eyes, taking ragged breaths as their foes vanished from their immediate reach.

An oppressive stillness descended across the battlefield, lasting only for a fleeting sequence, until…

[Kuh— Hahaha! Ah— This is truly remarkable!]

A sinister, resonant chuckle shattered the quietude a moment later.

Predictably, given the immense gap in combat tiers and the dense concentration of raw mana, Harris’s strike had failed to deliver a devastating wound to the sovereign.

Yet, it had hardly been a futile gesture.

As if to demonstrate the impact…

Thud—

The bizarre visor, which served as the iconic emblem of the reigning Immortal King, fractured into pieces and tumbled to the dirt.

Merely a splinter of the wooden facade remained, clinging stubbornly to the side of his countenance.

“Hmm.”

“That is…”

With its removal, the strikingly handsome cranium possessing an undeniable, majestic presence—meticulously formed through the art of “Customization”—was laid bare to the world.

It was a flawless skeletal structure defined by impeccable contours, a sharp jawline, even, well-aligned teeth, and emerald spirit flames flickering within his angular, upward-slanted eye sockets.

“…Truly chilling. It possesses the quality of a recurring nightmare.”

“Whew— Curse it all, I cannot even maintain eye contact…”

Regrettably, the observers did not offer a flattering assessment.

Naturally, this stemmed far more from the absolute dread radiating from his literal presence than his actual visage, though their vocal revulsion was still somewhat excessive given his proximity.

Hans might have taken offense had his internal resolve been less resilient.

“Kkuk, kkuk… No matter how I examine it, that is far from a standard mortal cranium. What manner of lineage is he? Could he be of demonic blood? No, horns are entirely absent, so perhaps a crossbreed?”

A select few, such as the high shaman, perceived the details of Hans’s structural refinement with their perceptive vision, though such matters held little relevance at this current juncture.

The Immortal King, who had been looking down upon the gathered forces with supreme arrogance as though the entire realm lay beneath his boots, opened his mouth to speak.

[To think a mere nonentity I brushed aside could accomplish such a feat. Exceedingly fascinating.]

His focus shifted toward the Elves positioned near the protective boundary in the far sector.

Harris remained entirely unperturbed; Cecily was perspiring heavily yet maintained a resolute posture; while Shapiron appeared on the verge of losing consciousness entirely.

The attention of the surrounding crowd followed his gaze, converging particularly upon Harris, who stood at the absolute forefront, gripping an exceptional longbow as he stared down the Immortal King.

The dense residual energy vibrating from the weapon made it undeniable that he was the architect of the recent strike.

The undead thralls under the Immortal King’s absolute rule began channeling their dark power, eager to butcher the insolent Elf who had dared offend their sovereign…

[Hmm— I have altered my intentions. I shall withdraw for the duration of this day.]

Yet, they were forced to suppress their malice and step back into alignment at Hans’s solitary command.

Even so, an immediate objection arose from the opposing side.

“Who granted you permission! Do you presume this sanctuary is a place you can enter and exit entirely at your own whim…!”

“Saintess.”

Liesta, who had stepped forward in a surge of outrage, ceased her tirade and glanced back at Heinrich upon hearing her title called.

“Our forces are entirely ill-equipped to sustain a prolonged engagement at this moment. Tragically, the losses we have sustained up to this point are far too severe.”

“…And yet!”

More than ten elite combatants, despite receiving the augmentation of the sacred boundary, had already perished, even though the Immortal King’s onslaught had only just commenced.

Furthermore, dozens lay wounded, predominantly holy knights who had thrown themselves into the fray out of sheer obligation despite their deficit in martial prowess.

In stark contrast, the sole detriment to the eternal legion was the loss of basic undead components.

Granted, a fair portion had been utterly pulverized into irrecoverable dust, representing a permanent reduction in numbers, but such material could hardly be equated to the value of mortal souls.

The living were naturally far more vulnerable to such losses, given that they could not be reconstructed from salvaged parts like the unliving thralls.

‘The standing of the Main God Church will face severe destabilization as a direct consequence of this occurrence.’

They might manage to obfuscate the reality of allowing an infiltration, but dodging the accountability for fatalities at an international gathering managed by the Church itself would be impossible.

They were bound to experience immense political repercussions.

And this occurred within the very heart of their own territory!

In essence, Hans had generated a massive catastrophe immediately after Heinrich had rectified the previous crisis, yet this current upheaval was not without strategic value.

‘This serves as a perfect demonstration to reveal the global threat of Hans, the rise of Heinrich who stands against him, and the formal introduction of Harris. As long as the shadow of the Immortal King and the figure of the hero endure, the authority of the Church can only expand.’

It was not entirely disadvantageous to view this as a necessary moderation of the Church’s otherwise overbearing leverage.

Furthermore, it would streamline the operations of Heinz, whose activities were centered within the Talia Kingdom.

“…Whew.”

Liesta let out a prolonged breath after a brief silent exchange with Heinrich.

She ultimately relented, clenching her teeth as she stepped into the background, allowing him to advance once more to confront the Immortal King directly.

The hero stood before his ultimate adversary, his appearance battered and ragged from the intensity of their exchange.

Though Heinrich was undoubtedly drained to the same degree as his peers, his majestic aura remained completely undiminished, matching the weight of the Immortal King who towered before him.

It was a visual declaration to the realm that he alone was the true counterweight to this threat.

[Hehehe— The diversion persisted somewhat longer than my calculations anticipated. My primary intent was merely to offer a greeting. Regardless, it proved quite entertaining.]

The Immortal King offered a derisive scoff as he gazed down upon the assembly.

Not a soul present could fathom why he had initiated a sudden raid only to call a retreat so abruptly…

Then again, how could commonplace minds comprehend the motivations of the Immortal King, a creature born of the deep void?

‘This ought to suffice, yes? It is time to make a graceful exit.’

…Such was the consensus among the crowd.

Swoosh—

The unliving forces began to melt into the shadows manifest upon the stone flooring, one after another.

The opposing army was retreating in plain view, yet the champions of the various factions, their fighting spirit thoroughly broken, merely exhaled in profound relief that the immediate slaughter had ceased.

[Ah, of course, you are all preoccupied with the beasts consumed by madness, are you not? I am pleased to see you appreciate the token I arranged for you.]

“…Hannibal Strauss, you vile creature!”

[Hehehe, I have occupied too much of your schedule when your hands are already full. Proceed to struggle with all your might. I shall take pleasure in observing your efforts.]

“Ha! The outcome will not be so simple when next we meet.”

[Indeed, that may provide some amusement.]

Hans, having recalled the entirety of his undead legion, glided through the atmosphere as though weightless, soaring outward through the massive rupture in the window pane behind him.

The outer world was already draped in absolute darkness, the conflict having transpired well after the conclusion of the evening council.

[This marks no true conclusion. The depths of despair have not even begun to manifest, so exert yourselves further. Lest…]

And from the center of the midnight sky, where even the brilliance of the moon was completely obscured,

A voice that struck primal terror into the hearts of all listeners resonated softly across the land.

[You find yourselves entirely unable to flee from total annihilation.]

Following those ominous words,

The Immortal King, who had laid siege to the Grand Pavilion, vanished into the night.

“………”

“…Ahem.”

A deeply tense stillness settled over the Grand Pavilion.

Every individual present creased their brow, burdened by an unsettling premonition brought about by the Immortal King’s prophetic declaration.

‘Very well, it leaned a bit toward the theatrical, but it served as a proper closing note. It appears I am growing accustomed to this role.’

However, the individual responsible for the statement harbored no such anxieties.

—

“My… I scarcely anticipated events unfolding in this manner, it is genuinely spectacular.”

“Lord Rapori, you share that sentiment, do you not? I was utterly dumbfounded, despite standing directly beside him! The dignitaries from the neighboring realms were entirely transfixed by Harris!”

Rapori and Cecily scrutinized Harris as though they were observing an extraordinary phenomenon.

It was their very first encounter with an individual achieving such qualification so suddenly right before their eyes.

“Ugh— He remains perpetually a stride ahead of me…”

Shapiron muttered discontentedly from her position in the corner, though she fell silent almost instantly when Harris wordlessly extended a container of popcorn toward her.

“Sigh— Regardless, what path lies ahead for us now?”

Cecily let out a faint breath and directed her gaze through the window of their temporary residence.

Following the departure of the Immortal King,

The Roselia Cathedral was subjected to a sleepless evening.

They were forced to manage the consequences of the assault, even though they had already dismissed the foreign dignitaries back to their respective quarters.

Mercifully, no casualties had been suffered among the delegations from the Enamel Continent, including the Elven Kingdom.

The delegate representing the Wild Land had sustained severe trauma, but he managed to recover without permanent impairment due to the instantaneous medical intervention of the Main God Church.

“Well, the Main God Church undoubtedly faces the greatest burden at present. We have no choice but to bide our time and observe.”

Just as Rapori asserted, the Church endured an incredibly chaotic sequence of days.

They attended to the fallen from the engagement and restored the Grand Pavilion, which had been converted into a war zone.

Furthermore, defensive measures were elevated significantly, effectively transitioning the area into a state of martial readiness.

One might question the utility of such measures now that the Grand Pavilion, despite its extensive preparations, had been penetrated, yet remaining idle was simply not an option.

They were also attempting to decipher the mechanism by which the Immortal King had bypassed their wards, an enigma they had failed to resolve once before.

They initiated a meticulous analysis with the assistance of the Grand Master of the Magic Tower Alliance, though regrettably, the findings yielded nothing new.

Yet even while consumed by the task of repairing the destruction, they did not lose sight of what truly mattered.

There was a matter demanding immediate execution under these circumstances.

Thus, a mere three days following the onslaught of the Immortal King,

The ‘Continental Summit’ reassembled in a different assembly hall.

“I presume every individual present comprehends the sheer weight of our current reality.”

Such was the opening remark delivered by Cardinal Cordelia as the second session commenced.

In contrast to their prior demeanor, every delegate present received her words with absolute gravity.

“Hans, the Immortal King of this current era, has exhibited entirely volatile conduct from the very beginning. Furthermore, his capacities defy conventional estimation, rendering strategic counters immensely difficult.”

The majority of those present had witnessed this firsthand, causing them to internalize the truth deeply.

Even those who had been newly appointed to replace their deceased predecessors were fully apprised of the crisis.

“To our great discredit, our Main God Church proved incapable of successfully repelling the Immortal King’s breach. As a direct result of that failure, numerous lives were forfeited once more.”

Crown Prince Simon’s features contorted upon hearing her self-deprecating statement.

He refrained from voicing an objection, likely because they had already disputed the matter for days, yet he could not remain indifferent given that he had lost his foremost confidant.

Nevertheless, the ultimate point of her introduction remained singular.

To conclude this gathering with the utmost celerity, unite the collective might of all nations, and format a defensive strategy against the Immortal King.

Not a soul contested her logic, which offered zero ground for debate, allowing the session to advance without impediment.

There was virtually none of the discord that had plagued the inaugural session, as a shared sense of impending doom united everyone.

‘They are still withholding their full commitment to a degree. Well, such is the nature of diplomacy.’

They occupied roles requiring them to advocate for their respective nations, making it entirely predictable that they would prioritize domestic advantages.

Even so, it represented a monumental advancement that they were striving to forge an alliance to the best of their ability without fracturing into disputes.

Then, on a particular morning a few days afterward,

An earth-shattering update was brought to the attention of the delegates as they prepared to exit their quarters for the daily session.

“All of a sudden…? By what means?!”

“No, what in the world has occurred?!”

The astonishment was universal across the board.

Pervasive shock and utter bewilderment met the sudden, unannounced intelligence.

Yet, there was one individual whose response far exceeded the panic of the rest…

“Wh-what? N-no. That cannot be accurate! Everything remained secure as of yesterday evening, how could it disintegrate so rapidly…!”

It was Prince Dennis Rohan of the Rohan Duchy.

He immediately sprinted toward the main entrance of the cathedral alongside his retinue, completely abandoning the scheduled gathering.

He possessed no alternative.

* Rohan Duchy, the entirety of the frontier fortifications have been decimated.

He had just been informed that his homeland, which had maintained a steadfast defense, had buckled in a single instant.

And the vast majority of those who became privy to the bulletin instantly arrived at the exact same realization.

-[This marks no true conclusion. The depths of despair have not even begun to manifest, so exert yourselves further. Lest…]

-[You find yourselves entirely unable to flee from total annihilation.]

That the sinister prediction uttered by the Immortal King…

Had meant exactly this.