Chapter 156

Chapter 156
## Chapter 156

The Empire’s Turmoil (6)

Boom—!

Zzzt!

Murky, tempestuous clouds blanketed the heavens, and the defensive wall encircling the capital city wailed under immense pressure, showering the area with electrical discharge.

Positioned right in the center of this cataclysmic display, Hans, having accomplished his primary objective, was systematically gathering his remaining forces to make his exit.

[Let us conclude our business for today. I shall await our next meeting with great anticipation!]

“Immortal King!”

The legions of the dead were already fading back into the shadows, yet the human forces found themselves paralyzed with fury, unable to strike carelessly due to the two royal captives currently suspended in his grasp.

‘To be fair, capturing the princess wasn’t part of my initial design.’

Hans cast his eyes toward the two royals levitating adjacent to him, securely bound by coils of obsidian shadow magic.

His intended target had solely been the Crown Prince, planning the ambush precisely for the moment the man utilized the teleportation array.

Specifically, during the window after he departed Jeron Cathedral but before he could reach the safety of the sovereign estate.

‘A high-ranking figure possessing immense leverage as a hostage. Simple to trail, and most importantly… ’

“Mgh—!”

Hans turned his attention to Crown Prince Simon, who was currently squirming like a trapped insect.

The prince glared intensely at his personal guard, wordlessly demanding an intervention despite having his movements restricted and his mouth sealed.

He was practically ordering them to execute a rescue operation this instant.

It was an incredibly pathetic sight.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

“Y-Your Highness!”

“Immortal King! Restrain your hand!”

A dense concentration of dark energy struck the back of the crown prince’s skull, causing him to emit an ungraceful whimper before losing consciousness completely.

The surrounding knights erupted into renewed outrage, though Hans completely dismissed their shouting.

‘I found him utterly repulsive from the moment we crossed paths.’

From his initial demeanor to his actual conduct, the man was thoroughly disagreeable.

Furthermore, he was deeply complicit in the systemic decay rotting the foundations of the Empire, meaning he should consider it a mercy that his life was being spared for now.

‘He still possesses transactional value.’

As for what fate would await him once that utility expired…

His attention shifted next to Princess Riley.

The striking blonde royal was taking measured, deliberate breaths, fighting to maintain an aura of calm through a piercing gaze despite the hopelessness of her predicament.

Naturally, her pulse was racing and a subtle tremor shook her pupils, yet she managed her composure so meticulously that a casual observer would never detect her internal panic.

‘Remarkable control for someone who hasn’t even reached twenty years of age. Capturing her was mere happenstance, but individuals of her caliber always prove useful.’

Unlike his distaste for her brother, he harbored no malice toward the princess, meaning he had no intention of keeping her confined indefinitely.

She would merely serve as a brief catalyst to heighten the narrative tension of this particular event…

‘Wait?’

Right then, Hans pivoted slightly, catching a minute ripple of distortion in the surrounding fabric of reality.

His ascension to a transcendental state granted him the ability to perceive the threads of causality, allowing him to identify an anomaly that theoretically defied normal parameters.

‘Isea?’

The focal point of this distortion was the transmigrator originating from Earth, just like himself.

Her spiritual karma was churning violently, and her sheer presence began to expand outward, displacing the heavy atmosphere around them.

Her gaze remained entirely focused.

It mirrored the look of someone reading an invisible projection floating directly ahead, though to anyone else, the space was entirely vacant.

Yet, with every passing second of this silent observation, her internal strength surged.

At this point, the reality of the situation became glaringly obvious.

‘If I recall correctly, Isea has inhabited this world for eight years now. Holding the rank of an Archmage along with an imperial title, she must have amassed more than enough Karma to trigger her return sequence. Is she actually… ’

Securing a passage back home required a baseline of 1 million points.

While he couldn’t gauge the exact surplus she possessed, one truth was undeniable…

She had just discarded her ultimate safety net in the event of a fatal crisis.

Rather, she had deliberately severed her own escape route.

Reallocating those reserves toward an entirely different function.

Behaving as though she had abandoned all intent of fleeing this world.

This transformation was brief, given that the expenditure of Karma scaled exponentially with each level of enhancement she forced.

Even so, the pressure she exuded was fundamentally altered from moments prior.

‘Is her objective to launch an assault? While the princess is actively held captive?’

Validating his underlying suspicions, she initiated her spellcasting without a moment’s hesitation.

Whirrrr—

A monumental torrent of arcane energy instantly burst from her core, tightly coalescing.

This wasn’t a manifestation drawn from gathering the environmental ambient mana.

It was energy already perfectly refined for a singular intent, breaching the natural limitations of this realm as it erupted outward like a collapsing reservoir.

‘This magnitude… is it transcendence? No, she hasn’t crossed that threshold yet.’

Hans simply observed the unfolding phenomenon without intervening.

Dispassionately assessing the absolute limit of her capabilities.

The highly concentrated mana deployed outward, organizing itself into a geometric matrix that amplified its output, establishing a firm anchor based on a pre-existing formula before being launched by her sheer intent.

The execution materialized in a fraction of a second.

“What is happening?!”

“Viscount Pristine?!”

The surrounding humans, lagging behind in their perception, manifested expressions of pure bewilderment.

Isea paid them no heed whatsoever.

She simply released the devastation she had engineered.

Screeech—!

A lance of absolute zero temperature, bursting from the runic circle hovering before her, pierced through the air with a friction so violent it sounded as though space itself was fracturing.

It was a localized strike that offered no window for evasion, impacting the destination the exact millisecond it was unleashed.

This maximum-compression variant of the ‘Ice Dragon’s Breath’ shattered the defensive veil of dark magic her target had frantically raised, and…

Completely swallowed Arch-Lich Dwell alongside the surrounding undead vanguard.

Crack!

[Aaargh! You insolent mortal…!]

Having detected the sudden spike in mana a moment too late, his desperate countermeasures proved entirely inadequate.

His vocalizations ceased entirely as the strike connected, his flash-frozen physical form fracturing and disintegrating into a shower of crystalline frost.

The accompanying undead units flanking him suffered an identical fate, reduced to static ice sculptures.

Granted, his core essence remained tethered to Hans, rendering future reanimation entirely possible, but the spiritual toll Dwell would suffer from this annihilation would be substantial.

“Hah— Hah—”

Isea’s complexion, already devoid of color, drained to a deathly pallor following the execution of a high-tier spell at such an unnatural velocity.

“Viscount Isea Pristine!”

“Have you lost your mind?!”

The remaining nobility could only reprimand her in utter confusion.

Their previous inaction wasn’t born out of cowardice.

The individuals held hostage were the primary successors to the imperial throne, and the perpetrator was the Immortal King himself.

They dreaded the potential repercussions should they provoke his wrath.

Their sole strategy was to rely on the Immortal King maintaining his stated terms while they devised a future counteroffensive.

“…My motives are not treasonous. I merely had… an unresolved engagement to settle.”

“This is hardly the occasion for—”

An officer loyal to the crown prince barked in anger, but she ignored the outburst entirely, focusing her gaze solely on Hans.

“I offer my regrets if my actions displeased you, Immortal King. However, I am not accustomed to suffering a loss without retaliation.”

Her delivery was entirely collected, her features showing no genuine remorse.

It appeared she had accurately gauged Hans’s behavioral patterns, concluding that he wouldn’t execution-style murder the royals over a minor act of defiance.

‘But what drives this? A simple outburst of frustration? She never struck me as a foolhardy individual.’

Her assessment of him was correct, but what purpose did that strike actually serve?

Hans studied her with renewed fascination…

Before realizing that Isea’s focus wasn’t directed at his person, but rather slightly adjacent to him.

Specifically, toward Fifth Princess Riley.

Simultaneously, he noted that the princess’s rapid pulse and labored respiration were steadily returning to a controlled baseline.

‘Ah, I see. Was this demonstration meant entirely for the Fifth Princess?’

The rationale behind her dangerous gamble finally became transparent.

Just as he deduced,

Isea was locked in direct eye contact with Princess Riley.

Those aquamarine eyes, which had been vibrating with hidden terror beneath her regal mask, stabilized completely as the moments ticked by, silently observing without uttering a word.

‘…Hold on.’

Isea opting to obliterate the Immortal King’s lieutenant directly in front of a captured Riley.

This wasn’t born of petty resentment.

It served as a manifestation of her unwavering commitment and a covert message directed at Riley.

Over the course of their long-standing companionship, Isea had disclosed the reality of her circumstances to the princess.
She had explained the mechanics of unique skills, the accumulation of Karma points, and the inevitability of her eventual departure from this world.

The highly perceptive Riley had even assisted her in optimizing her Karma acquisition…

Collaborating on creative applications for her abilities to accelerate her growth curve.

Despite knowing that doing so would quicken the arrival of their separation, she maintained absolute faith that Isea would never vanish without a proper farewell.

‘Understand my signal!’

Bred from their shared history, Princess Riley possessed an exact understanding of Isea’s typical threshold and the boundaries of her magical arts.

…Or at least, she did until this very moment.

By manifesting a level of destruction that utterly shattered Riley’s prior understanding of her limits, Isea had signaled her resolve and provided absolute reassurance.
That she had consciously abandoned her path of retreat.

I will tear you from their hands regardless of the cost, and I will never abandon the pursuit.

Even if the adversary is the Immortal King, the literal manifestation of world-ending despair.

Therefore, maintain your resolve and endure.
Do not succumb to hopelessness.

‘Until the moment I reach you!’

The astute Princess Riley deciphered the underlying message instantly.

Her eyes, which had fought so hard to remain stoic, welled with unshed tears as her throat constricted, yet she forced the emotion down, clenching her jaw and offering a subtle, definitive nod.
Her heart, which had been hammering against her ribs in sheer terror, settled back into its rhythmic, calculated pace.

[Heh… quite amusing. Very well, let it stand. A bit of unexpected diversion does no harm. In fact, I am quite pleased to discover another variable of note within this realm.]

Hans, having silently monitored the unspoken pact passing between the two women, brought the encounter to a close and hovered toward the fractured rift in the barrier alongside his captives, preparing to depart.
He had been delayed long enough by this impromptu performance from a minor player; it was time to officially withdraw.

The remaining undead legions had already been safely sequestered within his dimensional pocket, leaving him entirely unencumbered to depart with the two royals.

…Naturally, a lingering sense of awkwardness tugged at his mind, whispering that this exit lacked proper grace.

‘Hmph, this truly makes me look like the villain of the piece.’

In truth, it wasn’t a mere matter of perception; by any objective or subjective metric, he was playing the antagonist perfectly.
The quintessential scoundrel, earning the absolute condemnation of society.

…The irony being, that scoundrel was himself.

With that, the Immortal King vanished from the skies of Jeron, carrying the two royal hostages away.
Leaving behind a stage marked by dramatic tension.

—

~♪

Click! Click!

The rhythmic tapping of a computer mouse filled the quiet room, underscored by a bright, upbeat melody playing from the speakers.

“Oh? It finally dropped.”

Having just wrapped up a training session in my personal workout area, I was browsing the latest online updates when a particular headline caught my eye.

-New Entry) The Realm of Auterica.

Data concerning an unmapped world—officially published on the domestic platform after undergoing verification by the Global Association of Returnees.

‘Let’s review this… two confirmed returnees have successfully crossed back so far. Beyond that, the data remains sparse.’

The brief overview summarizing the parameters of that world consisted entirely of facts he already possessed.

It appeared the informant, currently residing within the borders of the Republic, had provided extensive details to the organization, given the heavy cultural nuances present in the report.

‘They clearly executed an emergency evacuation following the emergence of the Immortal King and the subsequent hysteria event.’

The document placed heavy emphasis on the volatile state of the current landscape, advising extreme levels of paranoia, concluded by a brief note stating that a supreme fiend had manifested and begun a full-scale campaign to subjugate the continent.

“Hmm…”

I leaned back against the headrest and allowed my eyes to drift shut, processing the newly acquired public intelligence.

‘Experiencing events from the outside looking in, especially when you’re the catalyst, is quite bizarre. I wonder how long the administrative delay is before the current timeline updates.’

The fact that this file was formally uploaded indicated it had cleared multiple verification protocols across at least two distinct returning entities.
Which meant, tracking the chronological disparity between realities, the public data was already significantly outdated.

Even so, he found a unique amusement in observing how his alternate persona’s actions were being analyzed by fellow baseline humans.

‘Ah, it’s already time for my scheduled rounds. The local anomalies have died down significantly lately, but maintaining a consistent monitoring routine is necessary… Oh, that reminds me.’

A momentary hesitation struck him just as he prepared to channel “Individual Projection” to assume the guise of Hans.

The dissemination of Auterica’s existence within public channels meant the likelihood of information regarding the Immortal King bleeding into Earth’s network was steadily rising.
While few individuals would ever connect the dots to link the two identities, predictability wasn’t a guarantee.

‘…He’s already gained notoriety as the Hahoe Mask on Earth, so perhaps a change of wardrobe is in order for Auterica? The current visage is fractured regardless.’

Alternatively, it might be visually striking to utilize an intact traditional Hahoe mask solely during Earth operations, while retaining the shattered remnants as a stylistic choice across the rift.
He had grown rather fond of the asymmetrical look.

‘Well, there’s no rush to decide that now.’

It was a fundamentally minor detail to obsess over.

Particularly when contrasted against the massive political vacuum currently destabilizing the Azeria Empire as a direct consequence of his latest campaign.