"Ugh…"
Originally, the Kingdom's army had barely managed to hold their ground against the undead legion, relying entirely on Reinhard's overwhelming individual power to resist the tide.
But after just a single exchange—Reinhard was sealed within the Depiction of Nature and Society.
The Lugnica Kingdom's battle formation instantly collapsed.
"Sir Sword Saint is gone!"
One of the Royal Knights was the first to cry out.
Immediately after, panic spread through the entire royal army, discipline vanishing in an instant.
The kingdom's strongest warrior—the one whose mere presence could shift the entire balance of a battlefield—had vanished in the blink of an eye.
They didn't understand how the Depiction of Nature and Society worked. Many assumed that Reinhard had been instantly slain by some kind of undead sorcery.
Rumors spread rapidly through the ranks, mutating with every retelling until they became: "Sir Reinhard has fallen in battle!"
Confronted with such a devastating revelation—and the horrifying charge of the Black Goats and Death Knights—the army's morale completely shattered.
They fled in chaos, abandoning formation and training.
Desperately pushing aside comrades to escape—some stumbled and were trampled by the panicked mob.
Those who fell never stood up again, buried under the stampede of their own fleeing allies.
All around, the ground was littered with chunks of armor and mangled flesh.
In fact, the kingdom's self-inflicted losses surpassed even those caused by the undead.
Boom—!
Rumble—!
Under Gargantua's command, the undead army smashed through the city walls and poured directly into the royal capital.
Above, bone dragons and gargoyles soared through the sky, spewing freezing breath down upon the streets below.
The Royal Guard stationed at the gates barely lasted half a minute before being completely engulfed by the undead horde.
"—Once again, proclaim the decree of the Supreme."
Spectral messengers drifted through the city, their ghostly voices echoing across every street.
"All of you—lay down your arms and cease resistance immediately."
"Further defiance will only anger the Supreme. Surrender now, and you may yet be spared."
The hoarse, chilling voice reverberated above the city.
Staring at the endless tide of undead flooding in, countless soldiers lost the will to fight on the spot.
Some, hoping to live, threw down their weapons and knelt by the roadside.
They bowed their heads, too terrified to look upon the grotesque visages of the undead.
To their surprise, the undead seemed to have little interest in ordinary people.
They merely glanced at the surrendering humans—and moved on.
Once one knelt, others followed. Then another, and another… until the streets were lined with kneeling figures.
Within half an hour, every remaining soldier and citizen within the capital had surrendered.
Many even sighed in relief.
At least these undead seemed to possess intelligence—nothing like the mindless, drooling zombies of legend.
Albedo rode at the head of the procession, the Guardians following behind her on horseback as they advanced down the main avenue toward the royal palace.
The banner of the Starsea Empire fluttered proudly behind them.
On either side of the road, kneeling soldiers and civilians trembled, daring only to glance up with the corners of their eyes.
"So beautiful…"
By human standards, Albedo and Shalltear's beauty was breathtaking—so divine that none could look away.
Especially Albedo, astride her black twin-horned steed, exuding an aura both regal and terrifying.
Yet the moment people remembered that she was the same death goddess who had just slain tens of thousands with a single spell, their blood ran cold.
Any forbidden thoughts evaporated instantly.
"That's better. Keep those heads low, yes."
The wolf-eared maid nodded in satisfaction at the trembling crowd.
"You see? If you'd just surrendered earlier, none of this would've been necessary. The commander is actually quite merciful—though, I must say, a good fight is rather fun~."
"..."
No one dared to respond.
The procession advanced into the palace.
Some of the defected soldiers had already captured every noble and member of the Council of Wise Men, tying them up and presenting them as offerings to the Guardian of the Great Tomb.
—The kingdom was finished. Nobles had no use anymore. From now on, only one power ruled this land.
"Your Majesty, these are the Council of Wise Men, and this is the Duke of the Borderlands…"
A soldier reported enthusiastically, presenting the captives to the Guardians.
"Don't call me that. Leave."
Albedo waved her hand dismissively, sending the soldier away.
Her gaze swept across the group of richly dressed yet utterly disheveled nobles before her. Judging from their appearance, they had clearly suffered quite a bit.
"Who… who are you people…?" one of the sages stammered, lifting his head.
"We surrender! We surrender! The kingdom is willing to become your vassal! You're from the Starsea Empire, aren't you?!"
A nobleman shouted hoarsely, voice trembling with desperation.
"I can help you manage this country! Collect taxes, raise troops—anything! You can even take those peasants if you want!!"
"…"
Albedo let out a soft, derisive laugh.
"Too late. The Supreme One has no need for you."
"As for governing the nation—we have far better candidates."
She turned slightly and gestured toward the Death Knights, who immediately dragged the nobles away.
Then she began issuing new orders.
Her golden eyes shifted toward a beautiful young woman who had quietly followed behind the group, her presence unremarkable throughout the battle.
"Lana, you'll handle the administration of the kingdom for now."
"Once we've conquered the Empire, the Holy Kingdom, and the City-States, we'll hand the entire world over to the Sophons and the Angeloids. Any objections?"
To the Guardians, conquering the world and offering it to their Commander was the only acceptable outcome—a single kingdom meant nothing.
"None, Lady Albedo."
The blonde-haired, blue-eyed princess lowered her head respectfully.
"Managing a kingdom… I may be far beneath the Commander's brilliance, but I do have some experience in such matters."
"Good."
Albedo nodded approvingly and assigned her a division of troops.
The Great Tomb's roster was diverse—there were not only fighters, but capable administrators as well.
"Now then, that only leaves one matter."
Yuri Alpha took out the Depiction of Nature and Society.
Though the Guardians, Antilene, and Evileye had been eager to spar with the Sword Saint, the timing of the earlier battle had not allowed it.
After all, their primary mission was world conquest. Trapping Reinhard had simply been a way to minimize casualties and complications.
Now that victory was secured—even if he broke free—it would no longer change the outcome.
It was time to deal with the final loose end.
"Should we… hand him over to the Commander?" Lana suggested softly.
"According to the data, Reinhard is extremely powerful. If he escapes, it'll cause us even more trouble…"
"Keeping him sealed inside the Depiction of Nature and Society is as good as capturing him, isn't it? That should be enough to count as mission accomplished…"
"No!"
Antilene, Evileye, and the other battle-hungry women immediately objected.
"This is the strongest being in the world! I have to spar with him!"
"Very well."
Albedo nodded in approval.
She had already planned out several contingencies in her mind.
And truthfully—she also wanted to witness the Sword Saint's true power. If not for her duty as commander, she would have joined the fight herself.
Shua—
Yuri Alpha spread open the Depiction of Nature and Society across the ground.
"Who's first? I can teleport you into the painted world."
"If you're at a disadvantage or make a mistake, just teleport out."
"Me."
Evileye was the first to raise her hand.
Yuri activated the artifact.
Vmm—
The Nation-Destroying Loli vanished from sight.
Inside the alternate dimension—
Reinhard, who had been cautiously observing his surroundings, suddenly noticed a small blonde girl appear before him.
"You are…?"
Reinhard had just opened his mouth when the Nation-Destroying Loli proudly introduced herself.
"Come, Reinhard! Let me see the power of this world's strongest!"
She drew out a scroll—the gesture itself an expression of respect.
"Super-Tier Magic: Fallen Down!"
"So… an enemy then."
Reinhard sensed her aura—it was formidable.
A foe worthy of drawing the Dragon Sword.
"Come, then."
Boom!!—
In an instant, the interior of the Depiction of Nature and Society trembled violently. If not for the world-class artifact's incredible stability, the sheer force of their attacks might have shattered the dimension itself.
Three minutes later—
Thud—
Evileye was thrown out of the scroll, tumbling across the floor several times before standing up and rubbing her head.
Her face was full of disbelief.
"What's with that guy?!"
"Five hundred forty-seven ranged spells, not a single hit! Even super-tier magic couldn't kill him! He… he revives?! Infinite resurrection?!"
"How does anyone have such a broken ability—aaagh!!"
Reinhard had given Evileye a small taste of what true cheat power looked like.
"You're too weak. If you're bad, then train more. Who told you not to study his abilities properly before we came here?"
Antilene shot her a cold glance as she drew her massive cross-shaped scythe from her back.
"For an opponent like this, you should use instant-death magic—to make sure he truly, completely dies."
"Watch closely. I'll show you how it's done."
Shua—
Five minutes later—
Bang!
Antilene came flying out of the Depiction of Nature and Society, crashing into the wall.
"He… he's too fast. And he has long-range attack capability too."
"I couldn't even cast The Goal of All Life is Death on him."
The two-toned-haired girl wiped blood from her cheek, her face tight with frustration.
"I'll go next."
Without a moment of hesitation to mourn Antilene's defeat, the next challenger—Lupusregina—leapt into the battlefield.
"Hehe~ My turn!"
The wolf-eared maid dove into the scroll.
Thud—
"Can't win!! Absolutely can't win!!! Should we just all jump him together?!"
"I'll go."
Next up was Narberal.
Thud—
"…My apologies. His abilities directly counter mine."
"Albedo, do you want me to try?" Aura asked uncertainly.
"Huh?! Me? Fight the Sword Saint? Are you serious?!"
"…"
Watching her once-proud squadmates being thrown out one after another, Albedo's expression turned strange.
It almost felt like the roles had been reversed.
"Enough. Reinhard isn't someone you can take lightly. You've seen it yourselves."
"Let's end this with a more reliable method—"
"Wait."
Shalltear suddenly stepped forward.
"It's only natural that ordinary people can't match Reinhard's power."
"Step aside. I'll handle this."
—
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