Chapter 26: Wrathful King
Blood covered the streets as echoes of agony reverberated through the air. No soul, man or woman, emerged unscathed, be it physically or mentally. The demons had purposefully seeded fear in the minds of the common folk, leaving behind a trail of slaughtered families, their limbs and bones repurposed as trophies.
However, their reign of terror was short-lived. An armored figure flew above the capital in what seemed to be a futuristic suit, an Armored Suit.
Upon hearing the chaos outside, he wasted no time donning his armor, swiftly dispatching demons from the skies above.
'I think that was the last one.' He mused after he shot another Gazer Devil, leaving the streets clean from these grotesque beings and without eerie laughter echoing through the city.
His gaze shifted towards the castle, propelling him towards the Valencia Palace.
'As I thought.' He quickly spotted Blue Rose at the entrance, shed in blood and exhausted from the looks of it. The Warrior Captain and Brain Unglaus seemed to be there as well.
"Is that Red Drop?" Evileye inquired as she spotted an armored figure flying above. Lakyus, catching her breath turned around in surprise.
"Uncle?!" She shouted.
"Lakyus, nice to see you." Azuth greeted, lowering to the ground and lifting his visor to reveal his face. To his surprise, Lakyus seemed somewhat angry.
"Where were you all this time?! We were fighting demons left and right, and you show up now?!" Lakyus shouted at her uncle, who looked at her with a raised brow.
"What do you mean? I was cleaning the streets with this baby right here." Azuth said as he raised his machine gun. "Just because I wasn't with you didn't mean I wasn't fighting those monsters." He answered, and Lakyus's face quickly went from anger to embarrassment.
"I'm-I'm sorry, uncle. I was too quick to judge. This whole situation really stressed me out." She admitted.
"No worries, Lakyus." Azuth reassured, patting her shoulder. "Gagaran, Evileye, Tia and Tina, nice to see you two." The group returned with a slight nod. Turning his head even more, he was met with the Warrior Captain and the swordsman called Brain Unglaus, the former being someone he didn't have a great relationship with.
"Unglaus, Stronoff." He met their eyes, they nodding in return without words.
"If you excuse me, Brain and I must see the king." Gazef stated, departing toward the castle.
"So, Lakyus. Maybe you know why demons suddenly appeared in the capital?" Azuth asked.
"It was the prince. Somehow, he got into the possession of a powerful artifact, which seemed to summon hordes of demons." Lakyus answered, at which Azuth rubbed his chin.
"Barbro was it then. I didn't really understand how he managed to become the ruler of Re-Estize, even if it was for a short amount of time. But he seems to be pretty dead now." Azuth commented as he glanced at the separated head of the prince.
"It was all very confusing. The whole situation was like a nightmare. But we managed to eliminate the hordes of demons. A shame some had to die to Barbro's madness." Lakyus reflected, her eyes meeting the ground as she wondered how she could've prevented the bloodshed.
"Hey, kid, don't worry. It's over now. You saved a lot of people. Think about that." Her uncle said, highlighting the positive impact she managed to accomplish.
"You're right. Thanks." Lakyus said as she turned to her team, they patiently waiting for her to finish her conversation. "I suppose we're going inside to meet the princess. I don't think you want to follow us."
"You're right, I don't." Azuth replied as his visor went back down, hovering back into the sky with a final salute before speeding away.
"Well, there he goes." Lakyus said, walking back to Blue Rose.
"Ready to see the princess?" Gagaran asked, cleaning her hammer with a tissue.
"Let's go." She answered, the group following her.
Inside, they changed into more comfortable clothes, taking a bath to cleanse themselves of sweat and stench.
Afterward, they found themselves in front of the same room they had visited countless times, yet the atmosphere was different. The palace no longer felt entirely safe, even with loyal guards around.
The doors opened, showing Climb and Renner as if they had never left.
"Welcome back, Blue Rose." Renner stated, sipping on a cup of tea.
"I didn't really think you would be here that soon. But I guess the battle against the demons went longer than we thought." Lakyus commented, sitting at the round table as the rest followed suit.
"We were already on the way the moment you left and followed your steps into the castle." The princess explained with a smile.
"Well, I am relieved to see you safe." Lakyus said, but a hint of concern lingered. "But how did it come to this? Barbro returns from a battle with the Sorcerer King and decides to overthrow King Zanac. It all doesn't make sense to me. And how he managed to get that dangerous item, that's also somewhat suspicious." Lakyus expressed her worries.
"He seemed normal, and with normal I mean how you would think Barbro would always act." Renner replied, taking another sip from her tea.
"But he was proclaimed dead, the king said so himself. When the Sorcerer King decided to send those floating monsters and let our capital rain with-, with the remains of the army the king sent against him." Lakyus recalled, shuddering at the gruesome memory. A rain of blood came from the skies, a feat even Evileye could not explain.
"That is true. But it seemed the king had thought wrong the moment we saw my brother enter the palace grounds." Renner revealed, a smile forming in her head.
'If they only knew…'
"It all doesn't really make sense to me. You, Evileye? What do you think?" Lakyus turned to the sorceress, who caressed her mask's chin in thought.
"I don't know. Pretty weird that Barbro came back alive, all on his own. To know where he found the artifact isn't something I can say. Maybe he found it, maybe Eight Fingers found it, or he bought it. This requires a more detailed investigation. But since this city has so much chaos, you won't find anyone to tell you anything about that artifact or its seller." Evileye answered, not lifting the mood in the slightest.
"Well, things will go normal from now on."
'More work, perfect.'
The day had just started, and another pile of documents was piled on Ainz's desk, waiting for him to pick them up. Memories of his previous life on Earth, where the grind seemed endless, briefly flickered through his mind.
'Well, at least I can say when I want to work.' sifting through the documents, his discerning eye seeking out priority items. 'Aha, what do we have here.'
A distinctive envelope adorned with the emblem of the Baharut Empire caught his attention. Opening it, Ainz was met with something that Demiurge had hinted at earlier, a letter from none other than Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix, Emperor of the Baharut Empire.
To the Illustrious Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown,
We have received intelligence regarding the Re-Estize Kingdom's audacious invasion, with aspirations to claim your territory. As allies and friends, I, Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix, extend the might of my legions to assist you in repelling and thwarting the Kingdom's forces.
Best Regards
Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix, Emperor of the Baharut Empire
Ainz couldn't help but smirk at the unexpected show of camaraderie.
'Heh, so it seems he really is an ally. He could've simply ignored the troops marching into my domain and waited until I would've been weakened enough to conquer E-Rantel and make an attack of his own. But, he is clearly smarter than that.' Ainz contemplated, placing the letter aside. Swiftly, he summoned a pen and paper, crafting a response.
'I'll accept his offer, for now.'
20'000 men marched forth. Most of them were peasants and only the elite trained warriors. Conscripted from their homes to fight for a noble they would never give their life for. Yet, such was the harsh reality of living in a feudal society, where the hierarchy placed nobles at the pinnacle and commoners beneath their lofty station.
Marquis Boullope was the first who offered himself to invade the Sorcerer Kingdom, if one could even call it a kingdom.
'I will honor myself in conquering E-Rantel back from this wretched magic caster. To think the late King Zanac was unable to defeat this sorcerer's army. Unforgivable. King Barbro is and always will be the first heir, the strongest out of the royal family!' The Great Noble mused, riding atop his horse with his iron armor on.
"My Lord, we have sighted an army approaching us in the distance! They seem to be the Sorcerer King's troops!" A scout reported with a respectful bow, prompting Marquis Boullope to clench his fists at the news.
"No matter! We will continue marching and prepare ourselves for a short battle! There won't be many! Thus, we will use our archers first to attack, then charge in with our infantry!" The Marquis spoke, his optimism unwavering as he imagined victory.
'I will take revenge for the kingdom! Nobody tramples over our name and flag and conquers one of our cities without consequences! That damn mage will pay!' Marquis Boullope's fury was matched only by his pride in being the one to vanquish such an arrogant mage.
'Gazef's seems to take a liking to this one. Telling us not to underestimate him. He is a warrior. That is why I trust his words. And because of that, I brought the strongest warriors I could muster with me.' Yet that would not be enough, but the great noble was unaware of that.
"We'll meet them in two hours! Set camp here and prepare for battle! I want every man ready to fight for their lives! This isn't some peasant army, but they're low on numbers! Meaning, we should overcome them!" The Marquis declared, and a determined silence fell as his men diligently readied themselves with iron and steel.
Two hours later, the enemy was before them, a couple of hundred meters away, but pretty close for the Re-Estize army to notice their equipment. Clad in identical armor, swords and shields, this enemy force seemed almost legendary, with not a scratch on their obsidian-dark armor. The only light that reached the peasants' eyes emanated from the faint glow behind the knights' visors.
"Prepare for battle!" Marquis Boullope commanded, his troops brandishing their pikes as they charged towards the enemy. However, the opposing force showed no sign of preparation.
'Hah, arrogant bastards! Just because you wear that heavy armor doesn't mean you are invulnerable to our pikes and spears!' Marquis mused as he grinned. Signaling the archers to shoot their arrows, a wave of projectiles fell upon the upcoming knights.
'Now I got them!' The Marquis thought, yet the Dark Paladins proved him otherwise.
Raising their shields, they blocked the arrows from reaching them. And if some got through, they bounced off the armor, or if one got stuck, the knight would remove it without care.
The Marquis was angered to see his arrows failing to do any damage.
'Not a single one fell?! What is their armor made from?! No, I won't fail now!' The Marquis felt stress overcome him but signaled the archers to take another shot. Yet, the heavily armored troops remained unscathed.
"Tch." Boullope couldn't fathom it. His archers were now depleted of arrows, rendering the advantage ineffective. The thought of hiring mages briefly crossed his mind but was swiftly dismissed. Magic would never replace practical weaponry in his eyes.
"Charge now, men!" He commanded, and his troops went forth, he himself as well.
He saw his men getting cut down faster than his eyes could track. And as he reached the front lines, his horse was quick to fall prey to the enemy's attack. As he tumbled to the ground, the looming figure of a knight marked the last image before darkness enveloped him.
From the highest point in Re-Estize, the king, or the former monarch, who in turn now was again its ruler, sat upon his chair gazing into the horizon.
Aware of Barbro's deeds, the seeds he had sown, the king foresaw the bleak harvest that awaited, a harvest tainted with despair, devoid of any glimmer of hope. A chaos that threatened to befall the once-proud Re-Estize kingdom.
'It all started with that man…' Rampossa remembered the first time he heard of Ainz Ooal had once spoken highly of him, but now, the ruler harbored nothing but disdain for the man. Since he appeared, his whole family was torn apart, the last thing he cherished in this god-forsaken world.
Rampossa did not believe in gods. Even if his country had a religion, he was not one to rely on them. No divine intervention had ever aided him throughout his long years, and he saw no reason for it to begin now.
'I won't betray my people! I will stand against Ainz Ooal Gown! Against the person who made my life hell! First, he sent a shower of blood over my city, and even with E-Rantel, he wants more.' With a firm resolve, the king clenched his fists around the ornate chair, nails digging into the polished wood as he set his mind on what to do.
'It is time to call upon the sons and fathers of the kingdom to defend our nation against Ainz Ooal Gown!'