episode_0108

The King of the Ghosts sighed and moved his firmly rooted feet to move to another place.

It was a lovely place, but at the same time it was also a place where all his hatred was buried.

Being able to shed the blood of the cursed imperial nobles was a pleasure bordering on the realm of pleasure.

It did not please me at all to have this lovely land soaked with the blood of pigs and such.

“…… How abominable.”

The King of the Phantoms was a being whose physical abilities surpassed those of heroes, even the Demon King and the Queen of Dragons.

With his unique monster-like physical abilities, he could see and hear everything that happened in the forest.

“Come on, be my shield and protect me, you bastards!!!”

There were even those who tried to use the powerless servants as meat shields by beating them with clubs.

“What are you doing! You beast that doesn’t know this shame!”

There was also a trashy nobleman named Yeong-sik who tried to threaten and harass women with weapons in the midst of the chaos.

“How dare you insult me…”

There was also a noble who took advantage of the confusion to shoot Lizel, who had rejected him in the past and brought shame on him.

“There is no change at all.”

The bow of the king of ghosts sounded like an oriental zither. Every time the string was pulled, a clear and elegant sound rang out, and every time it rang, the unvirtuous nobles lost their upper bodies.

“Take up your weapons. Reveal your ugly desires. Let them writhe like insects. So that I can shoot you to death.”

He was a ruthless monster, but at the same time he was a warrior who strictly followed the rules he set for himself.

He who laid down his weapon did not shoot.

The protected weaklings did not shoot until the warrior protecting them fell.

I didn’t do anything like a cowardly night raid.

I would never threaten or plot anything, even if it meant dying.

He was such a being. He was a king who held the law that was furthest from the destruction of the empire that he desired. And yet he was strong.

He had the power to shoot down the wall that protected the empire from destruction. Even if he did not destroy it, there were plenty of others who would take his place in that cowardly and dirty role.

“Let’s continue this merry hunting festival, my lovely scarecrows.”

A clear and refreshing sound rang out.

The arrow flew, tearing even the sound, and pierced the nobleman who was running away while cutting down those who blocked his way with their weapons.

“Get rotten. Get rotten. Get uglier. Add a new flavor to this hunt.”

Just as he was about to strike again, a spear of blue lightning grazed his shoulder.

“… I guess my hasty move did harm. I didn’t expect them to come after me after hearing that sound.”

It wasn’t a minor injury, but the wound ripened at the same time, so no blood flowed out.

“Are you here to protect the weak as a noble? Or are you here to wield your anger over the loss of the man you love? Is it protection from good? Or is it revenge from evil?”

Camilla answered, resolving to grab the spear that had returned to her hand.

“Good or evil, you think I came here to protect those piglets…? I’m the kind of person who doesn’t care if you kill those piglets… or all the humans of the empire.”

She was that kind of person. No, she became that kind of person.

There was once a sense of heroism in protecting the powerless. There was a time when protecting them gave me a sense of pride.

But not anymore.

I hated the empire that was playing along with the instigation of the damned Seonje and the Second Prince and insulting my friends and myself.

I couldn’t feel even a shred of value in those who fell for provocative words and belittled their friends.

Any pride or heroism that was still there in my heart has dried up.

There was only one reason for her to confront the King of Ghosts now. One primal and intense reason.

“Because you shot Raul. I need you to teach him what it means to lay a hand on him. You disgusting corpse.”

“Hoo. Then what are you going to do?”

The spear Camilla held began to glow more intensely.

“I’ll give you death.”

And at that moment, many branching lightning bolts struck the King of the Phantoms.

Each branch had enough power to burn and kill a single demon, and all of them, which had split into dozens, were flying towards one enemy.

“How threatening.”

“Shut up and go away.”

The King of the Ghosts was an enemy who rarely appeared on the battlefield. That meant he was vulnerable in close combat.

No matter how good your archery skills are, you’re still an archer. If you were to fight him directly, you wouldn’t be that scared.

“… That’s what everyone thought.”

At that moment, an arrow flew from behind Camilla and grazed her side.

If he hadn’t instinctively avoided it, his vital abdominal organs would have been pierced.

But no matter how hard I tried to dodge, his arrows were swift enough to kill even the sound. Blood gushed out like a fountain where the arrows had passed…

Camilla applied an electric current to the wound to stop the bleeding.

“You’re saying that you’re not the second in command of the Demon King’s Army?”

“You are not the first warrior to confront me and try to kill me.”

Camilla was wary of the bow held by the King of the Ghosts. For an archer, there would be a fatal gap where he would have to place an arrow on the bowstring. If he could avoid the arrow by looking at the direction of the bowstring, and then aim for the gap right after the arrow was shot, he could easily win.

“And it won’t be the last either.”

Being wary of the bow actually ended up being detrimental.

Instead of firing their bows, the wraiths charged forward and kicked Camilla, breaking through the wall of electricity surrounding her and striking her directly in the body.

“Ugh…!”

Camilla was unable to overcome the shock and a gap opened up, causing the wall of electricity to collapse. Her defensive posture collapsed and her limbs began to go numb as she tried to fend off the attack.

The King of the Ghosts was a warrior who strictly observed the precepts, but he was not a saint so merciful as to allow such a gap.

The spinning arrow tore through the air and pierced Camilla’s abdomen, causing her to vomit blood as well.

The moment he was hit by the attack, he cauterized the wound again to stop the bleeding, but… the damage must have been considerable, as he began to stagger.

“You fucking corpse…”

Camilla wiped the blood flowing from the corner of her mouth and had a gut feeling.

That monster is not only a monster with archery skills, but also a monster with physical abilities. From strength, speed, reflexes, and physical strength. It is a monster of all abilities that far surpasses him and even surpasses the Demon King.

“Oh warrior. Descendant of Argos. Your physical abilities are superior to those of the other side, who overwhelm you with their prowess in weapons. What do you plan to do?”

That was a plain fact, without any error.

In terms of physical ability, weapon handling skills, and combat ability and experience, the King of the Phantoms had the upper hand in all of them.

“It’s simple. I’ll just kill you. What’s the use of your skills and abilities if you die?”

“… How foolish. Not even thinking that you’ll die before that.”

“Dying!”

Camilla bit her lip and threw the spear.

“You can just do it later!”

The King of the Ghosts thought Camilla was foolish and twisted his body to avoid the spear.

However, the moment his body turned its orbit, the spear emitted a powerful lightning bolt, and the king of the ghosts was exposed to the lightning.

There was a horrible smell of burning flesh, but he did not die.

Rather, only a satisfied smile could be seen through the gap in the helmet. There was no sign of bewilderment or anger.

“Yes. That’s how revenge should be. Revenge is only worth it when it comes after suffering and pain.”

The remaining blue currents tormented his body, but he smiled and accepted the pain.

He decided to use it as a lesson to punish himself for being arrogant and looking down on his opponent as foolish.

“Shine even brighter. Struggle even harder. Struggle even harder. Add a stimulating flavor to this bland revenge. Become a crisis in this boring revenge drama. So that I can achieve perfect revenge.”

The King of the Ghosts, who opened his eyes for the first time and smiled in the excitement of battle, had a gut feeling.

He said that he was now getting closer and closer to a greater power, to the realm of the Demon King.

The wall blocking the realm of shedding all forms is cracking.

It seemed that if we fought just a little more, we would be able to completely reach that horizon.

I felt like I could achieve a more perfect revenge if I could do that, and I ended up being overcome with anticipation that went beyond pleasure.

“Empire! Kill me! Look at this incompetent and stupid king who has lost everything to you! This stupid king has come to kill you! Quickly take up your weapons and face the tyrant! Kill me! Otherwise, the arrows of this tyrant will take the breath out of you all!”

The roar of the King of Ghosts echoed across the forest and across the continent.

“Great King. Now, please sleep well.”

But the answer to that is very close at hand,

Came back with a sword fight.

“…!”

A pure white sword cut off his left arm.

Still, the King of Ghosts raised the corners of his mouth a little higher as if he found it amusing.

“Has one more person arrived? It feels a little lacking, but the struggle to overcome that lack is also entertainment. Even without the fireworks and the sound, the lightning and the foresight will be enough to scare you.”

The loss of an arm would be fatal to anyone, but for an archer it was a death sentence.

For them, having two full arms was essential to holding a bow and pulling the string. It was completely different from the sword or spear, which could still be used to fight to some extent even if one arm was lost.

Still the king laughed.

“But. Don’t you know that even a pig won’t die if you cut off one arm?”

A new arm sprouted grotesquely from the stump of the previous arm.

Then a pair of new arms grew from below his shoulders, giving him the appearance of a monster with four arms on one body.

Additionally, the sprouting arm was holding an ivory bow and arrow that appeared from nowhere.

“Come on. I will deal with this tyrant.”

“Penelope. Raoul…”

Camilla, seeing the Empress, tried to calmly convey his condition.

“I know.”

But the empress interrupted him first.

“But Raul won’t die. I can bet my life on that. At least he won’t die today.”

“But…”

“Trust me, Camilla. Raoul… my friend is not a man who would die so easily.”

After saying so, the Empress glared at the King of Ghosts and said:

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for coming to the festival I prepared.”

“… Since you dared to hold this unholy festival in this land, it is only natural that I should come. There is no need to say anything.”

“Yes. I will also go to hell for the sin of holding this festival. Sins cannot be covered up in the name of a cause.”

When Camilla looked as if she didn’t understand English, the Empress decided to kindly explain.

Even the King of Ghosts was not so cowardly as to wait for such a moment.

“Camilla. The history of the hunting festival is quite long. The country where this hunting festival was held also perished a long time ago.”

“Wait a minute, is that by any chance…”

“Yes. The answer is exactly what you think to yourself and think, ‘That can’t be true.’”

The Empress calmly recited the crimes committed by the empire.

“The origin of the hunting festival is… a festival that originated from the imperial soldiers hunting and slaughtering the people of this country like animals… Its roots are in the history of killing people regardless of age and sex and receiving rewards for the number of times they were killed. ”

The king of ghosts tightly shut his mouth, which had its tail raised.

“And the one who was the king of that country at that time…is the king of the ghosts right before your eyes.”

He was the king of ghosts.

It was a living witness to the heinous crimes committed by the empire, and the embodiment of all their resentment.

These were the words of the king of those who lost their lives at the cruel hands of the imperialists, and also of the foolish king who lost them all.

“Yeah.”

The King of the Ghosts calmed his trembling hands for the first time and then grabbed his bow.

“This country was burned to the ground by your empire. It was destroyed for unjustifiable reasons, by unjustifiable cowardly means, and in an unjustifiable cruel way. Now, there is no life left in this country, only death, sorrow, and resentment.”

Red blood began to drip from under the helmet.

“And the king is the state itself.”

A pair of ivory arrows slashed through the arms and cheeks of the Empress and Camilla. If they had not instinctively dodged, they would have died instantly.

“So I am death, sorrow, and resentment itself.”