episode_0031

Red rain falls from the sky. The rain was thick, not thin, and it slowly soaked people. Those who were getting wet looked up at the sky. But their eyes soon lost their sight.

“Aaaah!”

A man’s scream is heard. Following that, as if triggering a chain reaction, people from the Kael’thas Empire start running away as if they were going crazy. However, this place was nothing less than an ant hell, with their forces tightly blocking every direction.

The sturdy forces quickly turned into useless obstacles.

Once again, rain falls from the sky. The knights of the Kael’thas Empire reach out to cover their faces and bodies, but it makes no difference.

Those with shields used them to cover themselves, but the shields quickly corroded away. The knights raised their swords to try to block even a little bit of rain, but it was futile. The mages deployed defensive spells, but as the rain touched them, it melted away.

Before long, tens of thousands of people on the battlefield began to kneel. They collapsed to the ground, unable to overcome the pain.

The red sphere hovering in the air absorbed their vitality. It sucked in their blood and swelled even more, exploding once again and raining down upon the sky. The cruel massacre repeated itself.

“Stop… please stop…”

Those desperately begging for even a little more life reached out towards the sky. Their appearance seemed to resemble worshiping a god.

The mass slaughter magic, Bloodshower, continued to pour from the sky for over an hour. Maedhros walked towards the battlefield where the rain fell.

The rain touched Maedhros’ body, but it caused him no harm. This was because Bloodshower had no effect on the caster.

A man lying on the battlefield, spitting out blood, screams.

“You will be recorded as the worst mass murderer in human history. You too, will one day feel helplessness like us and die.”

The dying cursed at Macderas. Some rushed at him, but their attacks were futile. Macderas swiftly slit their throats and walked on.

Rain fell from the sky once more.

With the sound of rain, screams echoed. Macderas stood in the center of the battlefield, feeling the rain.

Once, he loved the rain, but now it brought no joy. The souls of the dead haunted him.

He watched people in agony, capturing their screams, with no intention to evade responsibility.

Yes, I am a mass murderer.

Surely, in this novel, I will be recorded as the worst human and mass murderer in history.

After about thirty minutes, the screams ceased. There was no need for a bloodbath.

“Mom… the knights of the Kaorelden Empire… aren’t moving…”

From the refugee camp of the Pibron Empire, a boy shouted, “We’re alive! We won! We don’t have to die anymore!”

Those who had feared death moments ago now rejoiced, praising an unknown man’s greatness.

A juxtaposition of joy and sorrow. Despite the many corpses, those who nearly faced humiliation cheered without mourning.

It was alienating.

What might be recorded as despair for some would be remembered as hope for others throughout history.

Even on the battlefield, cheers echoed.

“Macderas! Macderas did it!”

The commander of the Platine Royal Knights shouted, and Princess Breini also exclaimed in joy.

“Thank goodness… truly, thank goodness…”

Amidst the enjoyment of the festival by everyone, Macdarras’ mind was uneasy as he looked at the corpses on the battlefield.

He recalls the words dying people spat out.

“Mass murderer… You will be remembered as the worst mass murderer in human history.”

He engraves the expressions of those writhing in agony. He holds the pain they endured in his heart. I am a monster. That’s why I killed so many people. But it minimized innocent sacrifices.

His head throbbed with pain. There were no enemy forces left on the battlefield. Despite the surrounding cheers, Macdarras’ ears were filled with the ringing and screams of people. It was meaningless to cover his ears. It wasn’t an external sound.

This is a mental problem. This is not a movie or novel but a distorted reality. No matter how strong-willed one may be, engaging in this level of slaughter and not going mad seemed strange.

Seeing countless lives perish, he wonders. Did I really do the right thing?

As he blankly gazes towards the direction of the capital of the Kareldian Empire, someone suddenly embraces him from behind.

“You were not wrong. Thanks to you, all the oppressed people will be saved.”

Whether the Plimia Saint knew the reason for Macdarras’ dazed state, she firmly grasped his waist and embraced him. Macdarras did not respond.

The Plimia Saint’s hand wraps even more tightly around Macdarras’ waist. Watching from the side, Choi Yebin muttered quietly.

“If Macdarras hadn’t killed them, it would have been the people behind who died. You know. Anyway, one of them had to die to end it.”

Only then did Macdarras turn around to look at the people. People covered in wounds, driven by the determination to protect their homeland from foreign invasion, knowingly facing an irrational battlefield and an uncertain death without fleeing.

They were cheering towards me. They were uttering words of gratitude or something similar.

The warmth felt in the body, the cheers of the people, and even the knights of the Phyrone Empire who died to protect their homeland seemed to be speaking.

You were not wrong.

“Yes. This was my best effort and salvation for those who almost lost their country.”

After a moment of silence, Macderrus shouted towards the Phyrone Empire forces behind him.

“Listen up, everyone. We have won on the Central Zone battlefield. As you can see, our losses are minimal compared to the enemy, and the remaining remnants are now overwhelmingly outnumbered by our forces.”

Then Macderrus shouted excessively.

“We have won. We have protected lives from the weak and the trash who use people as tools. But it’s not just you who are losing lives. The civilians and holy women of the Carelden Empire are suffering from the exploitation of the nation. My goal is not just victory on the battlefield but the liberation of the territories occupied by the Carelden Empire. In turn, I helped you to achieve true peace by occupying their empire.”

“I will now bring down the royal family of the Carelden Empire. I will cut the emperor’s throat and remove the foundation of the nation, and I will strive to alleviate the suffering of the people. So if anyone is willing to follow me, cooperate. Even if we invade the Carelden Empire, do not kill civilians and holy women. Show mercy as much as possible unless they are trained warriors. They are just as weak as you.”

Civilians are innocent. They have no swords to wield, shields to defend with, or magic to escape. The reason I intervened in the battlefield was simply to stop the meaningless slaughter carried out by the Carelden Empire’s emperor and to bring true freedom to those suffering from ruthless rulers like Flimia.

However, the worrying part was the people of the Phyrone Empire. No matter how much they may be civilians, from their perspective, the people of the Carelden Empire are all enemies. Show mercy to enemy civilians? Will there really be people who want to do that?

It was a meaningless worry. They had a righteous princess. What the princess said to the commander of the knights made the men nod and shout immediately.

“I command in the name of the Plataine Imperial Knights. We will occupy the Kael’thas Empire following Lord Macderas! And…”

The man cleared his throat and shouted again, as if emphasizing something.

“We will rescue the suffering people from the vile leadership. That is how we can repay the grace we received from Lord Macderas. Do not think about the reasons. We repay the grace. That’s all there is to it.”

Macderas’ help became their catalyst, creating the impossible. The sprout of hope began to show.

We cannot guarantee the outcome. But once started, we must see it through to the end.

Macderas shouted towards the rear.

“All forces, charge into the Kael’thas Empire. Our target is the imperial family. And all the knights who stand in our way.”

At the man’s words, tens of thousands of knights began to march forward.

Crossing the border, the formidable walls of the Kael’thas Empire collapsed in an instant.

For the weak who had been invaded helplessly, the conquest had begun.