The Emperor Has Returned - Chapter 59

Chapter 59 Voice(2)

Feeling a sense of danger, Camille drew her sword. From the far side of the ruins, the dust seem to be settling.
Then, she barely had time to lift her sword before an attack suddenly fell upon her.
The sound of swords clashing echoed.
Camille’s body reeled then slipped over. She clutched her shaking right hand and hurriedly looked up.
With a dagger in his hand, a boy had landed in front of her with a look of displeasure.
Sweat started to appear on Camille’s forehead upon realising that she hadn’t felt his presence nor his movement.
If it wasn’t for ‘grace’ and her prowess in quick draw, she wouldn’t of been able to stop his attack.
“As expected. I thought it wouldn’t be easy. They’ve assigned a decent guard to him……”
Juan grumbled in annoyance. Camille was now certain that he had come to assassinate Bishop Rieto.
She never expected a boy to have come, but she was now aware that he wasn’t an opponent that she should underestimate.
“Who are you? A Hugin knight?”
“Is that important?”
It wasn’t important. The important thing was that whoever showed their sword to a Paladin was immediately sentenced to execution.
On top of that, Bishop Rieto was behind Camille. Camille retook her stance.
Juan lowered himself and surveyed the surrounding. He saw an unexpected face. Sina Solbein. She was looking at Juan with a panicked face. But seeing as she was detained, it looked like she wouldn’t cause any harm or be of use to him.
‘Alive, as expected.’
Bishop Rieto was behind Camille. At the start, he had been glimpsing at Juan, but now his attention was focused elsewhere.
He was continuing to spit out prayers with his unpleasant voice. The Hugin knights would only stand a chance if Juan managed to shut him up.
‘Not an opponent that can be defeated swiftly…..’
Juan stared hard at Camille.
She wasn’t on Ethan’s level but she was considerably skilled. Her quickness with her sword was as fast or faster than Ethan.
Camille was also judging the situation the same as Juan. At first, she couldn’t believe the speed that Juan had shown on his attack.
Because of this, for a while the two were only mutually eyeing each other.
‘I won’t get many opportunities.’
Juan struck out first. He was toying with a stone on the ground with his foot before releasing himself at Camille by using blink.
Camille, who had been staring down at him, quickly swung her sword at Juan’s strike but suddenly she found specks of stone particles sprayed at her eyes.
The moment her eyes closed to avoid it, Juan found his opening. At her arm.
He didn’t miss the chance.
His sword cut into her shoulders and moved down her arm like a snake. Blood bursted out from Camille’s arm.
“Keeuk….!”
As he finished his cut, Juan fluidly made his move towards Rieto.
Then a sharp pain erupted from his calves. The world turned upside down as he fell down on his back.
Juan quickly attempted to cover his head with his arms, but his head was ringing.
He rolled his body and quickly got away from Camille’s range.
As if his head had been cut, blood was flowing down.
With a bleeding arm, Camille stood still ready to defend Rieto.
Her arm had already started to heal itself. Juan checked the stiletto rooted in his leg.
“Taking the opportunity to stab the stiletto into my leg when I’m moving slower during the cut….”
“I guessed that you’d be slower and I was right. Couldn’t miss the opportunity you see.”
She’d calculated this from the moment the bits of stone were thrown at her eyes. Her injuries would heal from Rieto, so she didn’t need to worry about that.
It was a different way of fighting compared to Ethan who fought back with authority and power.
Juan clicked his tongue. She had a good sense of judgment and awareness.
On the other hand, it would take some time for him to recover his strength.
Juan kicked the ground, waiting for his leg to heal back up. His physical body was due to heal as long as he had sufficient mana, but not at the same rate as Camille.
Juan thought Camille could go full on offensive seeing Juan still injured. However, Camille didn’t move an inch from Bishop Rieto’s side.
‘Knows her priorities, huh.’
Juan thought about attacking once more, but it looked difficult to take down Camille who was receiving the full benefits of Rieto’s blessing. With time, it may be possible but even now, the Hugin knights were dying one by one. Time wasn’t on his side.
*****
Then unexpectedly, Bishop Rieto’s prayers stopped. Rieto’s twinkling eyes looked hard towards the eastern sky.
“He’s coming.”
Camille and Juan’s gaze turned towards Rieto. It was the first words he’d spoken since he’d furiously started praying. Camille asked in a worried tone.
“Bishop Rieto nim?”
“The devil is coming! The one who rules over death!”
Unable to speak, Rieto turned his face left than right then began to mutter out constantly.
At a speed faster than before.
A ear ringing dialect. Camille felt only discomfort at hearing this, but for Juan he could understand what Rieto was spouting, and what ‘grace’ he was about to use.
“This piece of shit……”
Juan quickly rushed at Rieto but was stopped by Camille.
As her sword met his in defence, Juan tried to hop over her.
Camille panicked and grabbed him from getting away. Suddenly entangled, the two fell and rolled on the ground like a ball.
Juan totteringly moved away from Camille.
“Did you think you could get past me?”
“If we don’t shut that guy’s mouth now, everyone will die.”
Juan pointed at Bishop Rieto with a distorted face.
Camille flinched and then turned to look at Rieto. Since he’d started a new prayer, everything around him had changed.
A light wind was blowing while at the same time, cumulonimbus clouds that could even blot out the sun were forming. Even though Camille could feel something wrong, she didn’t back off.
“If you know what that crazy bastard is trying to summon, then I guarantee you that you’ll be the one slitting his throat right now….. Back off this instance!”
Even through Juan’s growling, Camille calmly held up her sword.
“Do you think I’d doubt a chief servant of the emperor over words of a heretic? Do not try to deceive me, you despicable fool.”
“The thing that this bastard is summoning is a monster called, Kelagrenon. Maybe you know it as Mananen Maclir’s personal dog. If summoned, it will absorb all the mana in the surrounding area. And if that happens, you and your Paladins would be the first to die.”
Camille’s eyes flickered in distrust.
“You mean the emperor’s beast? The one from the stories? Even if you’re right, why would an emperor’s beast have any reason to harm your kind?”
“Because, the emperor swallowed Mananen Maclir’s heart! So the Kelagrenon is dependent on the emperor’s mana! After that crazy bishop is killed, you’ll have an out of control Kelagrenon rampaging through Hiveden! All the more, while stuck inside the emperor’s foot!”
It was a monster that needed someone on the caliber of Mananen Maclir to have any chance against it.
When he was emperor, he’d only ever summoned it once as the side effects could be unexpected outside Juan’s area of authority. Summoning Kelagrenon meant that one was going to eradicate every living being in an area. Not a single seed of life nor insect remained in an area after a starving Kelagrenon had rampaged.
Hiveden would perish.
But Camille’s expression was still full of suspicion and it seemed like she didn’t seem to want to back off.
Juan was getting nervous. If Kelagrenon were to appear, it would be too late.
They could hold it off for a while, but many including Lars wouldn’t be able to escape death.
Juan, who had his body materialised through mana, was also in somewhat danger.
‘It’s a gamble, but…….’
There wasn’t much time.
Juan went straight at Camille. Moving in a skillful fashion, Camille blocked his attack. Juan stumbled back then ran at her once more.
Camille was wary of why he was throwing these obvious and simple attacks, but nonetheless she continued to trace Juan’s movement to counteract him.
But then, Juan jumped up high. He took a deep long breath. His chest inflated.
He didn’t know whether this would work.
But it had worked for Sina Solbein.
“I say this under my name, Juan Kalberk Kenosis!”
*****
A ground shivering voice was echoed throughout Hiveden area.
At the same time, Juan’s voice, his will, his power evaded the minds of every ear in the city.
Juan could feel an immense amount of pain as he connected himself to every mind in the city.
The dying men and scared children, the angry knights….. They were all inside Juan as Juan was inside all of them.
Including Bishop Rieto.
Juan concentrated as hard as he could on the mind of Bishop Rieto even as he felt a soul ripping pain enter his mind, while doing this.
Juan who’d invaded Bishop Rieto’s mind could not help but be dumbstruck at what he discovered.
The world in his mind was broken like a telescope. All things were fragmented and shriveled.
Everything was only viewable from one side, and there was no light nor shade. It would be hard to keep a sane mind for anyone that viewed the world in this light.
Juan saw the broken sky above. A large crack split the sky into two. From between the crack, black tar was dropping down.
The enormous crack that was ripping up the world in his mind was coming from the north.
A giant fissure.
Juan’s eyes flickered in flames upon seeing this fissure.
“Keeuk….!”
Juan felt a head shattering pain as he came back into his usual mind.
His body fell onto the ground. He had only but briefly entered Rieto’s mind.
But since then, a silence had descended upon Hiveden.
Juan spewed out blood onto the ground. He’d voiced out too loud when his weak body wasn’t able to take it. His organs had been injured.
He tried to muster up some strength into his legs but his legs didn’t listen.
Instead of attacking, Camille looked on with a face of disbelief.
“What, on earth…..”
‘Figures. Different from when I said it to only Sina alone.’
This amount of strength had been required to invade the mind of Bishop Rieto who was out of his mind.
Looking at Camille, it appeared to have worked to an extent. His voice had shocked everyone, especially Paladins and Priests.
Juan looked at Rieto. He was sitting down on his bottom, looking at Juan with an unconscious like expression.
His prayers had finished. His expression was content, as if he didn’t need to pray anymore.
Juan gathered himself before approaching Rieto.
“St, stop.”
Camille regathered herself and stopped Juan in his tracks.
But unlike previously, her sword was shaking. In that state, she would have a hard time even slicing a scarecrow, but the same applied for Juan’s condition.
Instead of pushing his body too far by drawing his sword, Juan decided to use a little more strength that remained.
“Knight. You are pointing your sword at the one who your soul belongs to.”
It was a feeble voice compared to before, but it was enough to sway Camille who was already disturbed from what happened just before.
Juan walked past Camille and approached Rieto. Camille, Rieto were both mindlessly looking at him. Juan stopped in front of Rieto.
He could see a rosary with his own symbol on his foot.
Juan threw down his dagger at it in one swift motion.
As the rosary shattered and the ‘emperor’s foot’ around the city vanished.
Along with the disappearing ‘emperors foot, Camille also felt the blessing that was protecting the White crow knights and herself disappear.
Although she’d realised she’d failed her mission, there was nothing she could do.
Nothing but only mindlessly stare into Juan’s backside.