Ch.276276. Convergence

“So, here’s the plan for now.”

“…”

“…”

Seeing me continue speaking nonchalantly while blood poured from my head, both Serath and Victoria’s expressions simultaneously turned dubious. But from my perspective, this level of injury is basically just a scratch at this point.

More importantly, I need to cleanly resolve what’s right in front of us.

“The others are probably nearby too… but they’re dealing with different matters. For now, we need to handle that guy ourselves.”

As Nicholas repeatedly mentioned, he’s essentially a mid-boss of sorts.

The real threat will emerge afterward.

Elnore, Elia, and the others are our countermeasure for that situation.

Of course, that’s a separate matter.

“…Handle that?”

As my wounds gradually began to heal, Serath massaged her body and asked with an incredulous expression.

At the edge of our vision was Count Nicholas rampaging inside the conference hall with a terrifying aura.

The Predator.

And the Emperor’s magical power was scattering in all directions as he confronted it.

“…Is it really okay to leave that alone?”

Victoria said with a slightly anxious voice.

I looked at her with slightly surprised eyes.

“…What?”

“Well, you hate the Empire, don’t you? I thought you wouldn’t care what happens to His Imperial Majesty?”

“…”

At my words, Victoria silently pursed her lips.

“…I know that not everyone in the Empire participated in the purge of non-humans. And…”

“And?”

“We’ve had some interactions, so…”

“What?”

“I’ve met him when visiting that person who’s supposedly your mother, and we’ve had opportunities to do things together a few times.”

“…”

“…What is it?”

“No, nothing.”

This one.

She’s more sentimental than she looks.

Thinking that, I smiled slightly as I looked at her.

-!

Even as blood was pouring from my head, my head was violently thrown backward as her fist smashed into my face.

“…”

Why?

Why is she suddenly doing this…?

“Don’t look at me with that disgusting expression.”

“…”

“I’m still not over it, you know?”

I quietly rubbed my face at Victoria’s menacing words.

Come on, is this level of face-smashing really appropriate for a normal person?

I was about to argue that point when I saw Victoria glaring at me and raising her fist again, so I quietly shut my mouth.

Well, anyway.

Regarding His Imperial Majesty.

“He won’t die.”

“…Pardon?”

“He can buy us a few minutes even against a monster like that, so we need to formulate a proper plan in the meantime.”

“…”

“…”

At my casual statement, Serath and Victoria simultaneously turned to look at me with dumbfounded expressions.

Their faces seemed to ask if it was okay to talk so dismissively about their country’s emperor.

“…Honestly, if his body weren’t so weak, we wouldn’t even need to worry at all.”

To be fair, when it comes to the abilities dragons can exercise apart from demons’ “authorities,” there isn’t much difference.

If His Imperial Majesty’s body weren’t that of an ordinary human unable to handle a dragon’s magical power, he could likely handle Nicholas one-on-one without any issues.

And, in fact.

To be precise.

This is a necessary process. Considering the events that will follow ‘after this.’

“Now then…”

I take a deep breath and rotate my arm.

I also crack my neck with loud pops.

If Serath and Victoria have reached a level where they can “resonate” with each other like this, it means they can fully utilize the power equivalent to two pieces of the demon.

That significantly expands my range of movement.

‘The immediate objective is…’

It would be possible to gather all the Demonic Vessels, but as I mentioned earlier, they’re prepared for what comes after this.

In other words, ‘subduing’ that monster isn’t my job.

That’s a task for the Sword Saint who’s currently tearing apart the fragmented bodies outside to get in here.

My job is to buy time.

And to achieve that, the method I’ll choose is…

“I’ll do what I do best.”

I wipe the corner of my mouth.

“Backstabbing.”

“…”

“…”

Faced with silence in response to my statement, I turn to the sisters with a blank expression.

“What?”

“…”

“What?”

“Well, it’s just…”

Serath scratched her head as she responded.

“Wouldn’t it be more fitting to say something cool at a moment like this, rather than something a trash person would say?”

“…”

Come on, why?

This could be cool in its own way, you know?

●

He was hungry.

The being once known as Nicholas when human, but now more commonly referred to as the Predator, had such a thought.

Before becoming like this, he too was an organism with various thoughts and desires, but now only the most basic urges remained.

Eat.

Eat everything until the hunger subsides.

In that sense.

The “food” right in front of him was giving him quite a challenge.

“You-“

Emperor Cecilia XI spewed out such words as if breathing fire while manipulating magical power.

“I never liked you from the beginning-!”

With those words, colored magical power scattered in all directions.

What it contained was pressure, dominance, the majesty of an absolute ruler that makes those before them bow.

“Always nitpicking about my attire more strictly than my personal maids, saying it should match imperial dignity-! Constantly finding fault with etiquette-! Speaking in the most irritating tone during court meetings-! You were the most infuriating one among the council of elders-!”

…While the content of the speech was extremely petty, the power of the magic was undeniably formidable.

It was condensed to the extreme with elements that would naturally make anyone with a desire for self-preservation instinctively back away.

However.

“-…”

What stood here was clearly.

A monstrosity that had forgotten even the most fundamental desires that constitute a living being.

“—!!!”

Flesh-like appendages emerged from all over its body, seemingly ignoring the law of conservation of mass

More terribly festered than before

Of course, upon contact with the dragon’s magic, they all shattered, burned, and were pulverized on the spot.

But even so.

“It’s… dividing!”

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

It was exactly the same as before when it was split in half by the Sword Saint’s strike but continued moving as separate entities.

Every crushed, destroyed, and scattered organic fragment moved with its own will.

The opponent’s movements became more complex.

Precisely, cooperatively, they moved together organically.

All the divided parts of the Predator intensified their attacks, growing in number without being neutralized.

“Kuk…!”

A groan like something being chewed and spat out escaped from the Emperor’s mouth.

He wasn’t particularly trained in combat techniques, nor was he a human who had honed his skills.

He was simply born with overwhelming magical power, sufficient when merely wielded.

He wouldn’t have prepared a Plan B or Plan C for when that power was blocked!

“Ugh, urgh…!”

He unleashed his magic, swinging it in all directions.

The black blood flowing through his body was now visibly flowing outside his blood vessels. To begin with, a human body is terribly fragile for freely wielding such magic.

But even if he sacrificed himself to use this power.

It’s a pattern that’s ridiculously simple, just as it has been until now. It’s an attack too easily countered by an opponent who is nearly immortal and even grows stronger each time it dies.

It didn’t take long for the Emperor to be pushed into a defensive position.

“Huff… huff…!”

The Predator, clearly dozens of times larger than before, was closing in on the Emperor who was breathing heavily.

If left alone, the Emperor would certainly be devoured. A truly desperate situation.

“…-“

The Predator sent a low growling sound echoing in all directions.

It was a voice full of anticipation before a meal.

And.

Through that.

“Looking good, Count Nicholas.”

Such a sentence cut in.

“Compared to before, you actually seem less twisted now.”

With those words.

Purple mist rose sharply from behind the Predator.

●

With a deep breath, Sullivan finally regained her senses.

Looking around, she saw the ruined imperial palace.

“Darwood…!”

And by natural deduction, it would be fair to say that man had thrown her outside.

Sullivan quickly got to her feet and surveyed her surroundings.

Everyone was screaming and fleeing. It was abundantly clear that something was happening inside the imperial palace.

And that something terrible was unfolding.

“Darwood, why…!”

The memory replayed.

In the collapsing palace, the image of a man with irreversible injuries begging her to kill him came to mind.

Sullivan gritted her teeth until they bled.

Again.

Was she destined to just watch that man die?

“You seem to be in a hurry, Madam Chancellor.”

Sullivan’s movement froze.

That’s because.

“Is there someone you need to find urgently?”

She was hearing a voice she never expected to hear in this place.

She glared at the human walking steadily toward her.

In the midst of the chaotic situation around them, his leisurely pace was jarringly out of place.

But.

That’s how this human’s very existence has always been. Disconnected from the world, as if floating above it all.

“How are you here…?”

She quietly uttered that name.

“…Luminary.”

“Well, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? I thought it was about time we might need to cooperate, so I came. I also have business with Darwood.”

Though she couldn’t confirm it because of the mask he wore.

“Rather urgent business.”

The other party was definitely smiling.