Chapter 24: Reaching The Heart Of Beliath Empire

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Reaching The Heart Of Beliath Empire

?From the demon’s claws, five crimson annihilation beams erupted.

?BUZZZ!

?They headed straight toward the six-winged archangel.

?The archangel met the attack with its divine light spear.

?Hizzzzzzzzzz!

?The collision of the two opposing forces created so much heat that the surrounding water instantly vaporized, momentarily exposing a basin of damp, empty soil.

?The aquatic creatures were also annihilated; even their ashes disappeared.

?The Archangel materialized another light spear, and then...

?Whoosh!

?At the speed of light, it descended upon the six-eyed demon. Its lifeless golden eyes held no emotion, only endless determination to execute the task given to him.

?For the first time, all six of the demon’s eyes palpitated with fear.

?Slash!

?With a single swipe, the divine light spear pierced through its skull.

?"GRRRRRRRAH!"

?The demon let out a painful roar that echoed across the whole ocean. All nearby settlements heard its painful cries. Some rejoiced, while others felt deeply unsettled.

?After all, the Demon of the Black Sea had been there for centuries, but no one had ever managed to kill it.

High above the clouds, the six-winged Seraphim lowered its spear and dissolved into millions of warm, golden motes of light.

After that, like a gentle spring rain, the remnants of the divine spell drifted down over the Behemoth-class ship, calming the raging gales and parting the suffocating grey clouds to let the afternoon sun shine through once more.

?On the sprawling white deck, everyone was dead silent! But not for long.

"I-its Emperor Erlong Vohn! Am I seeing things right?"

"Of course you’re. His majesty is in person! He cares about his people so much!"

?"Long live His Majesty! Long live Emperor Erlong Vohn!"

?"He saved us! The God of the Empire has saved us!"

?Thousands of passengers, from haughty aristocrats to weathered sailors, dropped to their knees upon the damp wooden planks, weeping tears of pure relief.

Many pressed their foreheads directly against the floor in prostration toward the fading golden projection in the sky, worshiping the man as if he were a living deity.

?"Damm! That was just a single strike! He slew a calamity that has terrorized these waters for centuries with a single spell!" a wealthy merchant cried out in fanatical awe.

?"What else did you expect from the supreme ruler of the thirty-three kingdoms? Before the might of Emperor Erlong’s Divine Grimoire, even an ancient demon of the abyss is nothing more than a worm!" an older nobleman boasted, though his legs were still shaking so badly he couldn’t stand.

?Beside Aegon, his cousins were equally starstruck.

?Marcus slumped back against the railing, letting out a shaky, hysterical laugh as he wiped the tears and sweat from his face. Zane stared up at the heavens with wide, shining eyes, his earlier terror completely replaced by feverish admiration.

?"Did you see that? He didn’t even move a finger after summoning his Grimoire... If I pass the entrance exam at the Imperial Academy, will I really get to breath the same air as a god like him?"

?Clara slowly released her death grip on Aegon’s sleeve,

"So that is the true power of the Beliath Empire..."

?In front of them, Cardigan placed his right fist firmly over his heart, bowing his head in a formal salute toward the sky.

He began murmuring,

?"Even more terrifying than the rumors claim. That wasn’t even His Majesty’s true body. It was merely a long-distance astral projection cast from the Imperial Capital, yet it carried enough divine authority to obliterate a Calamity-class fiend in seconds. That is the pinnacle of sorcery in this world."

?While the entire ship drowned in deafening cheers and endless praises for Emperor Erlong, Aegon stood quietly by the railing, his expression unreadable.

?He looked up at the disappearing golden robes in the sky, then slowly lowered his gaze to the churning crimson waves below.

?We shall meet again when the seas turn red, Young Master.

?The old priest’s eerie prophecy echoed in his ears once more. The sea had indeed turned red, and the Emperor himself had intervened in an event that shouldn’t have happened for another three years.

Aegon clenched his fists inside his pockets. The world he thought he knew from his own writing was already beginning to stray from its trajectory.

?Could he survive among such anomalies?

?Could he build a safe haven for his loved ones before the calamity struck?

?His only hope was his Grimoire. He had to utilize it in the most useful way.

?Emperor Vohn’s spiritual manifestation was leaving, but suddenly, he paused.

?He turned around, his gaze landing upon Aegon’s small figure.

?There was surprise in his eyes for a brief moment, but it quickly disappeared, replaced by a calculating expression.

?Afterward, as the ancient demon’s corpse sank deep into the Black Sea, everything calmed down.

?The ship started sailing once more.

?And this time, it didn’t stop until they reached the shore.

When the Behemoth-class vessel finally anchored at the coastal port of the Beliath Empire, the lingering tension among the five thousand passengers gave way to a frantic rush to disembark. Having narrowly survived an encounter with a Calamity-class fiend, nobody wished to remain near the water a second longer than necessary.

?Cardigan also wasted no time. Flashing the silver-and-blue crest of House Noiré to bypass the long queues of shaken merchants and minor nobles, he quickly rented a spacious, high-grade mana carriage built for speed and comfort.

Within the hour, their luggage was loaded, and the heavy iron wheels were humming along the wide, rune-paved highway leading straight toward the Imperial Capital.

?Unlike the first leg of their journey, the atmosphere inside the new carriage was noticeably subdued. Neither Zane nor Marcus brought up playing cards. Both boys sat quietly by the window, their previous arrogance thoroughly washed away by the horrors of the Black Sea and the overwhelming display of Emperor Erlong Vohn’s divine authority.

Clara rested her chin in her palm, staring out at the frost-kissed plains with a thoughtful frown as the temperature steadily dropped.

?Across from them, Aegon leaned his head back against the cushioned seat, pulling the red scarf Lucia had knitted for him a little tighter around his neck. Outwardly, he appeared to be resting his eyes, yet his mind remained sharp and restless.

?He still couldn’t shake the memory of those final moments on the ship’s deck. Just before the Emperor’s golden projection had dissolved into thin air, those piercing, godlike eyes had locked directly onto him.

?"Did he sense ATUM?No, the Grimoire was completely sealed within my soul."

Hours slipped by as the afternoon sun began to dip toward the horizon. Suddenly, the carriage slowed down before a massive iron gate.

?"We’re here, kids! Welcome to the heart of the Beliath Empire." Cardigan announced.