episode_0159

Burning Empire.

The pungent scent of blood and horrific screams filled the air.

The Imperial hospitals are already insufficient to accommodate the wounded.

In this temporary tent that had been set up to serve as a medical room, Iris wiped the sweat that had formed on her forehead with her hand.

“Ahhh!! Save me!!”

“Saint..!! Bring the saint!!”

“Sigh…sob…it hurts..”

The terrible sounds coming from everywhere made Iris feel more anxious.

“Please bear with me for a moment!”

“Ugh…!!”

A man with a huge wound that looks like he was clawed by an animal.

As Iris placed her hands on his body, a pure white light appeared and his wounds slowly began to heal.

After a few minutes, the man began to breathe steadily again, and Iris, confirming that he was okay, took a moment to calm her dizzy head and take a breath.

But that only lasted for a very short time.

“Saint! This patient is in critical condition!”

A priest calling the saint with an urgent expression.

Iris closed her eyes tightly and then immediately sat up.

How many hours had passed since the endless hell began?

There were few people who could treat the wounded, and the number of wounded who came pouring in was countless.

Iris tried to run straight to the priest, but her steps stopped as someone grabbed her hand.

“Seo..Saint! My husband is in so much pain right now..Please help me..!”

A middle-aged woman speaking with a desperate expression while holding onto her clothes.

Iris spoke to her with a troubled expression.

“Please wait a moment, I’ll be there right away..!”

But despite Iris’s words, the middle-aged woman did not let go of Iris’ hand.

“Can’t you please look at my husband first? I’m seriously trying to die right now.!”

“Uh…First, the other priests will take care of it-”

“The priests are doing nothing!”

“Saint! You should come quickly!”

An urgent situation, even for a moment.

But the middle-aged woman had no intention of letting Iris go.

The people around her, who were waiting for their turn, also approached Iris and grabbed her by the collar.

“Saint! Stop it! Please look at my wife first! She has been bleeding since a while ago!”

“When on earth is my father’s turn coming? He’s been saying he’ll be here soon!”

“Hey! I’ll give you as much money as you want, so treat my son first! Even if I do this, Baron’s-”

Desperate calls for help are heard from all over.

But since Iris only had one body, she couldn’t help but say things that would disappoint them again.

“I’m really sorry..! Please wait a moment and I’ll be back soon-”

“So how long do I have to wait?! Can’t you see that my husband is dying right now?!”

A middle-aged woman who gets angry at Iris’s words.

But before she could say anything else, a knight approached them and spoke to them in a stern voice.

“If you are disrespectful to the saintess any longer, you will be kicked out of here.”

“……”

The people around them suddenly became quiet after seeing the knight’s size.

They all returned to their families with rotten expressions on their faces.

“Please hurry, Saint.”

“….Yes. Thank you, sir.”

After expressing her gratitude to the knight, Iris ran to the priest and resumed her treatment, suppressing her throbbing heart as best she could.

To the patients screaming in pain. To the priests who care for them. To the saintess Iris.

It was a very long and grueling dawn for everyone.

* * *

The Imperial Palace.

This place, which seemed impenetrable due to its strong barriers and strict security, was burning fiercely.

“Stop it! We must protect His Majesty the Emperor!”

Soldiers wearing armor with red decorations and gold.

They all drew their weapons and charged at the pitch-black knight in front of them.

“It’s useless.”

But their momentum was in vain. They were easily able to give up their lives to the being clad in pitch-black armor with a single sword strike.

The dark knight enters the palace, holding his sword again.

He arrived at the audience room and looked at the emperor sitting on the throne.

“The emperor just sits there and watches his people burn. How pathetic.”

“How dare you, a demon, tell me where this place is!”

The Emperor glared at the knight, gritting his teeth, but he could not look him in the eye due to the dark helmet that obscured his appearance.

“Once again, it is time to shed blood upon the world, King of Humans.”

With a short word, the dark knight raised his sword and stepped towards the Emperor’s throne.

“Now is the time!”

At that moment.

Several knights suddenly rushed towards him, each swinging their mana-filled swords at the dark knight.

The Emperor’s direct bodyguard, Dawn. All of them have reached the Expert level.

Knights who each and every one of them possess the strength to be looked up to.

Even though they all threw away their knightly pride and ran at the same time to protect their lord, the Dark Knight easily blocked their swords.

“Weak.”

The Dark Knight’s counterattack followed immediately.

As he swung his sword once, ominous and dark black mana scattered around him, devouring all the soldiers without a trace.

With no more obstacles in his way, the pitch-black knight approached the throne and aimed his sword at the Emperor’s neck.

“What was your last word?”

“…..Even though you take my life, the empire I built will not fall to the likes of you.”

The Emperor looks at the Dark Knight with burning eyes.

In his eyes, there was a mixture of anger at not being able to protect the empire and a sense of emptiness at dying in such a vain way.

“Good words. Let’s take back the words “pathetic.””

With those words, the knight swung his sword towards the emperor’s neck.

The great sun of the empire lost its light that day.

.

.

.

Some time passed like that.

The pitch-black knight sits still on the throne of the palace, stained with the king’s blood.

A demon with bat wings quickly flew in and knelt before him.

“What’s the situation?”

“The resistance from humans is quite strong. It won’t last long.”

Dark Knight Tyros nods his head to the demon’s words.

He sat on his throne, staring into space and muttering.

“I wish the Demon King was here.”

The only master he swore loyalty to.

It was clear that she was more violent and cruel than anyone else. But she was still more important to him than the world.

A benefactor who saved him from a vicious and extremely evil human being.

Everything Tyros did was for the sole benefit of the Demon King.

“What is the situation with the elves and the water people?”

“The elves are stuck in the forest and not coming out. The water nation is not paying attention to the empire.”

Tyros nodded with satisfaction at the demon’s words.

“Today will be the day the empire falls.”

“It’s a beautiful day.”

A bat-like demon with an evil grin and wide open mouth.

Tyrus slowly rose from his throne and gave him an order.

“Go and prepare for any unexpected situations. I will join you soon.”

The demon who had been laughing strangely bowed his head in respect to Tyros’ words.

“Yes. I’ll go first-”

Chook-

The demon tribe stopped talking with the sound of something being torn.

The demon’s body was split in half and he fell powerlessly to the ground.

A figure that appeared behind the split demon tribe.

A monster with golden eyes. Athena looked at Tyros with a mischievous smile.

“Ding. Your defeat.”

“What!”

Tyros jumped up from his throne at the appearance of a figure he had never imagined.

‘..Have you already slain the dragon?’

That can’t be happening.

The dragon is a being of natural disasters, a master of mana, and a being of omniscience.

No matter how strong that monster is, it won’t be able to be captured this easily.

Seeing Tyrus in great confusion, Athena took something out of her bosom and showed it to him.

“I got this thanks to you. Isn’t it pretty?”

What she holds in her hand is a single, giant horn that emits a brilliant blue light.

The horn had a color more beautiful than any jewel.

“Did you kill the dragon?”

Athena shrugged her shoulders in response to Tyrus’ words.

“No? I don’t want to kill a dragon for no reason and be resented by Mother Nature. I just took off the horn.”

“…..This was the plan from the beginning.”

Tyrus lamented inwardly.

In the first place, she had no intention of fighting the dragon properly.

Of course, it was true that just bringing the horn had caused great damage to the dragon, but if they had fought to the end, they would not have been able to arrive this quickly.

Moreover, she appeared immediately after she killed the emperor.

The circumstances were too exquisite to be a coincidence.

“Are you aiming for the emperor’s seat?”

“Phehe. What’s so great about that? It’s just a coincidence. ”

Tyrus frowned inside his helmet at Athena’s calm words.

‘…That’s funny.’

Even in a situation where it was so clear, she shamelessly lied.

A demon who invaded the palace and killed the emperor. However, a hero appeared like a comet, dealt with him, and saved the empire.

Even without looking, it was obvious who people would praise.

“Then you lost the bet. You have nothing to say if I kill you, right?”

Athena held out her hand with a bright smile on her face, and a golden sword appeared there.

“….It won’t be easy.”

As Athena walked slowly towards him, holding her sword, Tyrus also took up his sword and took up his stance.

“I heard. They say he’s as strong as the Demon King?”

Athena kicked the ground once and appeared in front of Tyros in an instant.

“But that doesn’t mean you’re the Demon King?”

After a short speech, Athena’s sword approaches the knight’s neck as quickly as a flash.

Tyros, who had expected a surprise attack, was barely able to block it by quickly raising his sword.

bang-!

As the swords clashed, flames blazing like sunlight exploded around them, and Tyros’s stance collapsed with a huge crackling sound.

Athena’s magic flies straight ahead without giving you a moment to rest.

Three streams of flame rushed towards Tyros with such force that they left no trace behind.

Athena, who was expected to avoid it.

But the dark knight took a deep breath.

He took the flying flames directly on his body.

“Ugh!”

Tyros groaned faintly at the sensation of the hot heat burning his body, but quickly regained his posture and grabbed the sword with both hands.

While Athena’s eyes widened at the unexpected action, Tyros quickly swung his sword at her without missing the opportunity.

Tyrus succeeded in swinging his sword towards Athena’s neck.

But unfortunately, the result was only a small scratch.

Boom-!

Tyros is sent flying backwards with a huge impact felt on his body once again.

“….not bad.”

Athena wiped the blood flowing down her cheek and looked down at the knight.

“Don’t you plan on dying nicely? I can make it so you don’t feel any pain.”

“…still far away.”

A dark knight who lightly ignores Athena’s words and gathers energy.

An ominous black mana swirled around him, and huge wings that resembled a dragon rose from behind the knight’s back.

It was an intimidating sight, as if the Demon King had descended.

But even then, Athena just had a relaxed expression.

“Ardiet.”

At the end of the short words, pure white flames enveloped Athena, and her body was engulfed in fire, burning intensely.

A sight that looks like a single sun when viewed from a distance.

Unlike her body that was burning fiercely, Athena looked at Tyros with emotionless eyes and waved her hand once.

“I’ll give in to the first attack.”