Ch.110110. Elysium

Thump.

The heartbeat that had been pounding in my ears gradually subsided. In its place, a deafening drum sound, incomparably louder, shook the earth. Boom! Waaah! Followed by cheers. The dreamy sensation, as if I were in a dream, shattered instantly, and a rapidly changing world pierced my vision.

‘…What’s going on?’

Rex opened his eyes wide and parted his lips, but no voice came out. No, more than that. His physical body had disappeared. He could clearly feel himself moving, yet he couldn’t see himself. His thoughts froze at the sudden change. Had someone used a spatial displacement ability, or was this a hallucination? He hadn’t noticed any signs of a blessing.

‘No.’

It was neither.

Rex looked down at the ground with a stiff face. The sky was so high that the vast plains below looked as small as his palm. This was different from the mental world he had experienced during Boreas’s trial.

This was reality.

The moment he realized this, his field of vision slowly narrowed as he drew closer to the ground. Despite the strange phenomenon, his mind remained oddly calm. Thanks to that, he could understand what was happening on the ground.

‘War.’

Thousands, perhaps more—an incalculable number of diverse people—fought, entangled with one another. The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out, and screams from all directions covered that unpleasant noise. People fell to the ground, slashed by blades, as numerous as the blades themselves. New corpses piled on top of them. The stench of death stung his nostrils.

‘This is hell.’

He had experience killing not only monsters but people as well. The experience of watching someone die before his eyes was familiar.

That was a misconception. Rex barely swallowed the nausea rising within him. No human could possibly adapt to such a sight. Those around him couldn’t perceive his presence, and even the rain of arrows falling from the sky couldn’t harm him. Still, remaining here was a terrible feeling. He wanted to return to where he had been as quickly as possible.

Why am I suddenly…

As that question arose in his mind, his vision changed once more. At the center of the battlefield, where all manner of light and fire swirled and flashed. Even the slightest fragments of power that leaked out reduced nearby soldiers to piles of ash. Rex trembled as the overwhelming pressure brushed against his skin.

Apostles.

In this space, there were more than twenty gathered of those who were said to exist as only ten in the current era. As he had suspected, this wasn’t reality. The reason he noticed was because—

He saw a familiar face.

Gustav, the Apostle of Iron Spirit, a figure from the past designated by his wager with Caordix. Unlike when he had summoned him through the Heart Battle and lost his reason, now his emotions were vividly displayed on his face.

His complexion, marked by profound helplessness, was deathly pale, as if he might collapse at any moment. The others were not much different. Blood streamed from their bodies, and the weapons they held were cracked in places, on the verge of breaking. Apostles were said to be demigods who had transcended humanity—who on earth could have driven so many of them to such a state?

Rex shifted his gaze in astonishment and saw.

A single man.

The man wore pitch-black armor and gripped a massive greatsword with both hands. A floating spear whirled around, deflecting incoming attacks. The apostles, unable to penetrate the spear’s trajectory, hesitated as they maintained their distance.

His dull gray hair hung long. Even though Rex knew this was an illusion and instinctively felt that what was happening here had nothing to do with him, his breath was violently constricted the moment their eyes met. Eyes mixed with madness and arrogance. He had seen those sun-red eyes before.

‘Caordix.’

Rex gritted his teeth, gasping for breath. The spasms in his trembling arms wouldn’t stop. What was this? Until just moments ago, he had been with his companions in Elysium, heading to Charlotte’s residence…

He had seen a statue.

The man’s appearance matched the statue’s features perfectly.

‘No.’

The statue resembled the man. If so, what was the identity of that man? As his thoughts reached that point, his vision began to blur again. There was still more to discover. Just a little longer, he pleaded. But once again, it was impossible to resist the change.

Beyond his darkening vision, the man’s greatsword blazed fiercely. After his lips curled into a smirk, the flash of light that erupted split the other apostles in half at the waist. Followed by echoing maniacal laughter, his consciousness completely faded.

And then.

The world brightened.

‘Again.’

The same desolate land as before, but without any people or corpses visible. The thousands upon thousands of corpses had disappeared, and in their place, thousands upon thousands of swords were planted in the ground.

A man was walking across the land, free from the stench of blood and the ear-splitting sound of metal.

“What a pointless endeavor.”

A displeased voice was heard.

The man turned his head. Surely the people in this vision couldn’t see him, and yet the man was staring directly at Rex. Beneath the rugged cloak, brilliant golden hair and blue eyes gleamed. A face that looked eerily identical to his own. As Rex flinched with a startled expression, the man clicked his tongue and extended his hand.

“I did not grant permission.”

A sword shot forth.

Thwack!

***

“Huh!”

Feeling a sudden chill, Rex clutched at his chest. Am I… alive? His heart, which had been pierced by the sword, was intact without any wound. He hadn’t even thought to dodge. The blade that flew at him the moment the man raised his hand had plunged straight into his chest.

He had felt death, yet somehow he wasn’t dead.

“What’s with the sudden seizure?”

Charlotte, who had been walking ahead, turned around with a puzzled face. Elin and Chloe also tilted their heads in confusion, but Rex couldn’t answer. He had returned to reality. However, his pounding heart and confused mind didn’t immediately calm down.

‘Where am I…’

Elysium. He was on his way to Charlotte’s mansion, following her. He had suddenly noticed a statue, the pattern had fluctuated, and then the vision had suddenly overtaken his consciousness. Fortunately, the time spent in the vision had been extremely brief.

There was nothing wrong with his body, but the problem was that the vision had been so intense that his memories were confused. As he tried to organize his thoughts, the gazes directed at him gradually became strange.

Rex sighed and opened his mouth.

“It’s nothing.”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Your complexion is pale too. Are you feeling unwell?”

“No.”

“If you need to relieve yourself, just hold it a little longer. We’ll reach Eden Hart’s residence in about ten minutes.”

“…It’s not that. I’m fine.”

Rex replied with a grimace. Charlotte shrugged and asked:

“Then why did you suddenly scream and make a fuss if you’re fine? You startled me.”

“…What is that?”

With no proper answer to give, he changed the subject. Rex pointed at the statue, and Charlotte stroked her chin as she mused:

“Ah, that statue? Since this is your first time in Elysium, it must be unfamiliar to you. Even if it’s your first time seeing it with your own eyes, you all probably already know who it is.”

“We do?”

Chloe joined the conversation, blinking her eyes. Charlotte nodded and said:

“The first emperor. Kaiserion Leonhart, the Undefeated. He’s also the founder of the Order of the Sword.”

“Oh…”

Charlotte’s voice was full of pride and satisfaction. Chloe let out an exclamation as she examined the statue. Charlotte smiled, seemingly quite pleased with her reaction.

Rex couldn’t smile.

***

Although it wasn’t the main family residence, Eden Hart’s mansion was large and spacious. That was to be expected. In the Eden Hart marquisate, only a small number of blood relatives, including Charlotte, lived there. The rest all stayed in Elysium.

Their number alone exceeded several dozen, and when combined with the servants who assisted the family members, it surpassed several hundred. Eden Hart’s mansion in Elysium was practically a small domain.

“The princess’s coming-of-age ceremony is a month away, so you’ll stay here until then.”

The group’s room arrangement was similar to what they had received at the marquisate. Rex was in the middle, with Elin and Chloe assigned to his left and right. Though not as experienced as Allen, the head butler here was also a man of considerable experience. The difference from the marquisate was that there were other members of Eden Hart in Elysium.

They hadn’t encountered them yet.

“Now that you’re in Elysium, it wouldn’t be bad to do some sightseeing. Feel free to go out and enjoy yourselves whenever you want. I’ll provide you with plenty of spending money, so you won’t lack for anything.”

“Understood.”

“If you do go out, make sure to return before evening. Today we’ll all dine together to introduce you.”

Charlotte left the room.

Finally, some time alone. Rex sat on the bed with a tired face. He wanted to lie down and cool his throbbing head, but…

There was still something he needed to do.

‘Caordix.’

[I’m listening, my warrior.]

‘Did you see it?’

[…I know nothing of it.]

‘You’re lying.’

Rex bit his lip and added:

‘The statue. Kaiserion Leonhart.’

He didn’t know if Caordix had been with him when the vision overtook him. He didn’t know why such a vision had come to him specifically. But Rex’s question wasn’t about whether Caordix had “seen” it, but rather about the identity of the vision.

‘You know, don’t you?’

The two questions were as different as heaven and earth. And so was the answer. “I know nothing of it.” It was an answer that could only come from someone who knew the situation.

Caordix, belatedly realizing this, grumbled in an uncomfortable tone:

[…I’ve been caught. My mistake. If I had thought a little deeper, I could have avoided this.]

‘This isn’t the first time.’

Rex clenched his fist with a sunken expression.

‘Boreas. She called me Kaiserion.’

[As I said, you are not Kaiserion. Boreas was simply mistaken.]

‘Pandemius also took interest in me and sent Shaharon to kidnap me to the Order.’

[That’s… because Pandemius is a cursed bastard. He’s a pervert. He moves as he pleases if he thinks something will be interesting to him. It probably wasn’t a decision made because he saw Kaiserion in you.]

Rex silently bowed his head. After a long silence, Caordix groaned and spoke.

[…Perhaps this was a predetermined future from the moment we came to Elysium. No secret can be kept forever.]

As Rex raised his head with round eyes, Caordix began to speak in a hesitant tone:

[First, let me make this clear. You are, indeed, not Kaiserion.]

‘Then why—’

[Don’t be hasty. I’ll explain everything. Yes, you asked what relationship Kaiserion has with you. That question is fundamentally wrong. It’s not you who has a connection with Kaiserion. It’s me, Caordix.]

It felt like scattered fragments were being assembled.

The words Boreas had spoken:

‘I sense a familiar energy from you.’

A familiar… energy.

[Kaiserion Leonhart is my vassal.]

Caordix muttered in a somewhat sorrowful voice. The fact that the emperor who unified the continent hundreds of years ago and established the first unified empire was a vassal of the War God—was enough to fill Rex’s mind with shock.

But.

That alone wasn’t enough to understand. Boreas’s words weren’t just about that.

‘At first I thought it was Caordix’s, but the more I look, the more I think it isn’t. As if something is sleeping. Besides, you resemble Leonhart. Blonde hair and blue eyes, even your features.’

The appearance of blonde hair and blue eyes.

The Kaiserion he had seen in the vision had dull ash-gray hair and red eyes. According to that description, the man he had seen at the end… the one walking alone across the wasteland, was closer to Kaiserion.

Above all, what bothered him most was the Heart Battle.

The man who had appeared in the mental world even before he summoned visions through the Heart Battle. Caordix had called him a specter.

‘Who is that man?’

The specter’s appearance matched perfectly with Kaiserion’s appearance in the vision.