Ch.241Absolute Sovereign

‘THWACK’

“ARGH!”

“TOMMY!?”

“HAHAHA! Run! Flee! Cry and beg for your life!!”

Pandemonium.

The scene in the audience chamber where the Tyrant King had begun his rampage could be summed up in that one word.

The magical bullets and spells fired by the twenty-nine adventurers couldn’t stop the King’s charge, and the King was toying with us, repeatedly attacking just enough to avoid fatal wounds, as if playing a game.

Already about ten adventurers had been sent flying after being kicked by his elephant-like massive legs or slapped by his shield-sized palms.

Thanks to the healing magic of the mages, there hadn’t been any casualties yet, but there was no guarantee how long that would last.

“YAAAH!”

‘SWOOSH!’

“What a spirited wench. If you weren’t a thief’s underling, I might have considered keeping you as a plaything by my side.”

Seti’s powerfully thrust spear only managed to leave a shallow wound on the Tyrant King’s side, and even that wound healed completely before our eyes.

Not only do attacks barely work, but he regenerates instantly—it feels like we’re making meaningless attacks against an enemy with physical immunity.

‘BANG!’

Thinking it might work, I fired Wolfsbane, but the spreading magical bullet that had instantly killed a werewolf was no more effective against the Tyrant King than throwing pebbles.

“Piercing Incinerator!”

‘BANG!’

“UGH!?”

Phyllis’s Piercing Incinerator ignites to pierce the King’s iron-like body.

For the first time, the Tyrant King grimaces as the super-heated magical bullet burrows into the center of his chest.

But the bullet failed to completely incinerate the inside of the Tyrant King’s body.

“Hmm!”

‘SQUELCH!’

“What!?”

Without hesitation, the Tyrant King plunges his hand into where the Piercing Incinerator had penetrated and pulls out the blazing magical bullet.

Judging by the smoke rising from inside the gaping wound, it had some effect, but even that wound healed over in the time it took the Tyrant King to take a couple of breaths.

“This can’t be…!”

“Hehehe… That spell just now wasn’t bad. It seems you’re the most useful one among your lot.”

It was a moment when the usefulness of the Piercing Incinerator was acknowledged by the Tyrant King himself, but no one was happy about it.

If Phyllis’s magic, which possessed top-class power among the 29 people gathered here, could only inflict that much damage, it meant that attacks from everyone else were essentially meaningless.

“Damn… how are we supposed to defeat someone like this?”

“It seems certain that his healing power is related to the medal, but we can’t separate that medal from his body.”

“Medal…? Ah, you mean this.”

Hearing the conversation between me and Phyllis, the Tyrant King snorted and, stroking the medal hanging around his neck, boasted:

“You’re barking up the wrong tree, elf wench. This medal merely keeps my mind at peace; it does nothing to aid my physical immortality.”

“You’re saying that’s you maintaining a peaceful mind right now?”

“Indeed. If I were truly angry or burning with fighting spirit, your heads would have long been severed and displayed at the castle gates.”

His gesture pointing to the Usurper’s body sprawled beside the prince was utterly chilling.

That pitifully sprawled corpse was clear evidence that the Tyrant King’s words were no mere bluff.

“The strength you’ve witnessed from me so far has been merely the power residing in my physical body. Let me show you what happens when I exert power beyond that… You’ll understand with your entire being.”

‘RUMBLE…’

As soon as the Tyrant King spoke those words, the entire audience chamber began to shake as if an earthquake had occurred.

“The crown symbolizes the authority of an emperor who brings heaven and earth to their knees.”

When the blue jewel embedded in the center of the crown emitted light, an immense, formless pressure radiated from the Tyrant King.

“Ugh…!?”

“Th-this is…?”

Unable to withstand the pressure, several adventurers collapsed in place or fell to their knees.

About two-thirds of us, including our group, were somehow enduring, but in this state, we couldn’t even dodge the enemy’s attacks, let alone engage in proper combat.

“The medal symbolizes the emperor’s soul, greater and nobler than all else.”

This time, blue light leaked from the pattern engraved on the front of the golden medal, and the Tyrant King’s body was enveloped in dark red magical power that seemed to burn.

He appeared as a fire incarnate that no human could possibly oppose.

Even Royce Reich, who bore the title of Demon King, had never exuded such presence and pressure.

“The scepter symbolizes eternal legitimacy; no one is permitted to rebel against the rightful king.”

As the emperor spoke, the blue jewel decorating the end of the scepter began to shine, but this time, nothing particularly seemed to happen.

However, people skilled in magic, especially staff wizards, had a different reaction.

“The flow of magical power…”

“The Penbroil singularity is gone! What’s happening?”

Judging by the staff wizards’ reactions, that scepter seemed to prevent the use of magical power or spells.

Jessica, who belatedly grasped the situation, tried a simple incantation but shook her head with a frustrated expression.

“This is bad… I can’t manipulate magical power at all. The magical bullet engravings on guns won’t work either.”

“Yeah. I can’t imbue my weapon with magical power either.”

“This is a disaster… He’s binding our hands and feet to kill us slowly.”

If magical guns, spells, and even beast-folk battle techniques were sealed, there was no way left to damage a monster with physical immunity.

In this situation where all hope seemed lost, the surrounding adventurers began to panic one by one, but five of us, including myself, still maintained our composure.

‘It should be about time for some reaction…’

The blue jewels embedded in the crown and scepter.

Those jewels, originally blood-red, were now emitting light, which apparently meant that magical power was operating through them as a medium.

In other words, if Jessica and Mina’s analysis was correct and there was a weakening spell hidden there to bring down the Tyrant King, now—when they were activated and emitting brilliant magical light—was the moment for it to bare its teeth.

“Now, it’s time to end everything—hmm!?”

‘CLATTER!’

And that prediction hit the mark perfectly.

The moment the Tyrant King spread his arms wide and drew a massive magic circle in the air, blue glowing chains shot out from that magic circle and began to bind the King’s entire body.

“Wh-what!? What is this…”

“Nothing particularly impressive, Your Former Majesty.”

Squelch.

Along with someone’s voice, a blue glass spike pierces through the King’s chest.

Soon after, as blue spikes emerged from his nape, side, back, and armpits, the dark red magical power that had enveloped the King instantly vanished.

“As you said, it’s time to end everything. Including your life and glory.”

The owner of that voice was none other than the Cunning Usurper.

The Tyrant King hurriedly looked around trying to locate the Usurper, but the severed head and the body that had been sprawled beside the throne had somehow disappeared without a trace.

“How… how did you…”

“How, you ask… I should be the one asking. Perhaps Your Former Majesty was colorblind?”

“What do you…”

“I’m asking if you truly failed to notice that the crimson ‘Demon Blood’ crystals embedded in the crown and scepter had turned blue.”

“Hmm!?”

Only then did the Tyrant King look at the scepter that had been in his left hand all along.

And simultaneously, the light emanating from the crown, scepter, and medal intensified, and the Tyrant King’s head began to burn, engulfed in bright blue flames.

“AAAAARGH~~!!”

“Such dullness, to be so fixated on reclaiming the throne that you couldn’t even realize what was happening to you… The phrase ‘blinded by power’ suits you perfectly.”

“Y-you! How dare you… UWAAAAH~~~!!!!”

With that final death cry, the Tyrant King’s voice was heard no more.

The fierce blue flames had instantly reduced the King’s head to a black lump of charcoal.

What was revealed as the surface of that charcoal crumbled was the face of the Cunning Usurper, who should have been killed by the King.

“Hehehe… HAHAHAHAHA!!”

This time, it was the Cunning Usurper’s laughter that echoed through the audience chamber.

It was the moment when the true master of this castle, the position of king, changed hands.