Chapter 387: Extreme collision of 365!
The Dark Saint scripture of the Slaine Theocracy began to act, moving towards the [Eight Fingers] hideout.
However, at the same time, someone retreated from the [Eight Fingers] hideout, wishing to get as far away from there as possible.
"Boom——"
An explosive boom emanated from the building at a distance, causing the ground to tremble once again.
Gazing at the building as it gradually crumbled and disintegrated, the regrouped members of [Blue Rose] and Brian stood still, silent for a long time.
"We can’t stay here any longer."
Eventually, it was Lakyus who took a deep breath, the first to calm down from the situation before them, and spoke out to those present.
"The monster that secretly controlled the [Eight Fingers] is far stronger than we imagined. Staying here won’t help; we would only be a burden. Therefore, we must take different actions to keep the situation under control."
Lakyus’s words were met with unanimous agreement from the group.
"Indeed, staying here any longer is pointless."
"The gap is too wide. It’s not a battle we can interfere with. We couldn’t even support Mr. Brillhaut if we wanted to, right?"
"It’s hard to imagine that such monsters exist in this world. I’m beginning to understand you now, Anglos."
Tia and Tina agreed with Lakyus’s statement, and their words began to include respect for Reiger, while Gegran made a remark to Brian that was either teasing or self-deprecating, causing Brian, whose face had not yet regained its color, to give a wry smile.
"We can only say that it’s fortunate at least one of them inside is Lord Brillhaut, a member of our human race. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn’t be able to pull myself together no matter what."
This time, Brian’s words, which followed his usual style of bolstering others at the expense of himself, were no longer countered by the members of [Blue Rose].
The group simply watched as the building continued to collapse, their thoughts about the inconspicuous man particularly complex.
Iveyer even said coldly and bluntly,
"Those two are definitely of Dragon Emperor class, and not just any Dragon Emperors—they’re among the top tier, what’s known as the strongest level in the world. That level is indeed too far from us. It’s better not to compare ourselves with them anymore, or else you’ll surely start to doubt even why you should continue to exist in this world."
As she spoke, Iveyer turned to Lakyus.
"Lakyus, what actions should we take next to help Reiger Brillhaut stop that vampire?"
At her words, everyone’s gaze turned towards Lakyus.
And Lakyus seemed to have already decided.
"First of all, we need to pass the information on to the royal family, especially to Princess Lana, so they’re clearly aware of just how terrifying the monster that infiltrated the capital is."
"We also need to inform the adventurer guild. It’s no longer a time to worry about the rules. If we let that kind of monster rampage through the capital, Re·Yestijie will surely face destruction."
"We have to get the royal family, the nobility, and even the commoners to take this seriously, so we can mitigate the damage if necessary."
"In the worst-case scenario, we might have to persuade the residents of the capital to evacuate from the city if the situation turns dire."
No one was unaware of what that implied.
"...In the worst case, might we have to abandon the capital and withdraw from the nation’s heartland?"
"And persuade the residents of the capital too?"
"This... is too difficult."
Gegran, Tia, and Tina all looked unfavorably upon the task.
Iveyer felt the same.
"Convincing the princess might work, but I don’t think the royal family and the nobility will easily heed advice, especially those nobles."
Iveyer’s tone oozed annoyance, and the faces of the others looked somewhat troubled as well.
The Re·Yestijie Kingdom was located in the northwestern central-western part of the continent, surrounded by mountains on three sides and bordered by the sea on two, easily defensible and difficult to assault. It bordered the Bahar Empire to the east, the Slaine Theocracy to the south, and the Yaglande Council Country to the north, a geographical position sandwiched by three nations.
Natural geographical barriers shielded the kingdom from non-human attacks and military pressures from other nations. Moreover, as the nation’s lands were mostly fertile plains rich with resources, it provided humans with an exceptionally comfortable environment.
However, due to a long-standing stable environment with little external crises, the upper echelons of Re·Yestijie Kingdom had increasingly deteriorated and grown corrupt.
Here, the noble class was rampant and oppressive.
Here, criminal organizations spread and took root.
The commoners were looked down upon by the nobility, and yet only thirty percent of the kingdom’s territory was under the royal family, leaving the most powerful six noble families to split thirty percent of the land among themselves. The remaining forty percent was owned by other, smaller noble families, leading to a prolonged struggle between those supporting the king and the noble faction, making life miserable for the people.
In other words, Re·Yestijie Kingdom was a nation with an outdated and thoroughly corrupt system, more fixated on infighting than on resisting external enemies.
Even in a war with the neighboring empire, the nation employed a conscription system, forcefully recruiting male civilians as militiamen to form an army and confront the empire’s forces.
It can be said that, aside from the private troops of a few royals and nobles, the nation’s soldiers were mostly poorly trained and low in morale ordinary civilians with rudimentary equipment. The kingdom lacked any significant military advantage, other than the sheer number of soldiers it could muster. The kingdom also harbored a deep-rooted admiration for brave Cavalry, and as such, magic knowledge wasn’t even included in the standard education, leading to a general lack of understanding about magic among most of the royalty and nobility. As a result, the nation had no magical combat forces aligned with the state.
In such a nation, it was clear how many vulgar and decadent people existed within.
In this kingdom where nobles owned seventy percent of the country’s land, most of the nobility were corrupt and incompetent. They’ve spent years oppressing the common people, allowing crime to run rampant, and have been internally feuding with the faction supporting the king’s policies to maintain their own interests, resulting in countless obstacles and a great deal of national power wasted.
It was precisely for this reason that Gejiev was endlessly troubled by the kingdom’s staggering decline and deeply worried about the King’s stance. Even when he learned that nobles were meddling in the events of Kain Village, attempting to eliminate him and weaken the royalist faction, he couldn’t seek justice from the influential nobles, and it was utterly frustrating.
Now, a terrifying monster had appeared within the capital, its power enough to destroy the entire city; therefore, Lakyus and the others concluded that if the monster wasn’t dealt with, the capital would undoubtedly fall. They could only try to persuade the royal family and nobles to cooperate, to sway the commoners, to quickly prepare for the worst-case scenario while someone was still holding the creature at bay, and, if necessary, to forsake the city and evacuate everyone.
However, such persuasion, no matter how one thought about it, would be surely hindered by those profit-driven nobles.
"Those brainless fools will definitely think we are exaggerating a fear, that it’s just a mere monster, and that we would have to abandon a city that holds so many of their assets and industries. They will absolutely never agree to such a thing."
Iveyer said coldly.
"If we pass this information to them, the most likely action they will take is to coerce us, the common folk, and even the King, forcing us to form a suicide squad to fight to the death against the monster to protect their wealth and personal safety."
It was an all too plausible scenario.
To the nobles, the lives of the commoners and the adventurers were cheap, and they would do everything in their power to ensure their interests were preserved, even if it meant sacrifice.
Moreover, they might even calculate that since the capital is the royal territory and the nation’s capital, they could use it as a pretext to have the royalist faction send troops to fight against Shalltear.
In this way, whether successful or not, they stood to profit.
If successful, their interests were protected.
If it failed, the opposing royalist faction’s power would be greatly diminished.
It was a double-edged sword.
Of course, that was not the worst of it.
"What I fear the most is, those idiots, upon learning that Reiger Brillhaut can deal with that vampire, will resort to shady means and force Reiger Brillhaut to help them eliminate the threat."
Iveyer looked at Lakyus and said, word for word.
"Needless to say, you must also understand how serious the consequences would be if those fools angered a powerhouse of Reiger Brillhaut’s caliber?"
Brian then reacted.
"Anyway, if it were me, with that kind of power, I’d definitely storm the royal palace and chop off the heads of those foolish nobles."
Brian said with a sneer.
"And then, the country is finished. With all the nobles who managed the territories gone, the King would certainly have to abdicate under the burden of responsibility, the royal offspring would start fighting for power and wealth, the common people would neglect the land due to their lords’ deaths, unable to sustain their livelihoods, and in the end, the country would either be annihilated by neighboring enemy nations or be destroyed by its own hand—there is no third possibility."
Iveyer’s words nearly suffocated Lakyus to the point that she could barely breathe.
Seeing this, Iveyer seemed to soften and sighed.
"For now, let’s go and consult with Princess Lana, and try to think of a solution with the wisdom of ’Gold.’"
Iveyer suggested a plan that was hardly a plan.
"Alright," Lakyus, with no other options, nodded in agreement. "Let’s do that."
With that, they began to evacuate the area, racing toward the capital as quickly as possible.
What Lakyus and the others did not know at that time was that they had made the most erroneous decision.
......
At the same time, the members of the Black Scripture had finally arrived at the base of "Eight Fingers," breaking into the battlefield of Reiger and Shalltear.
However, the battle unfolding before their eyes stiffened their bodies and chilled their hearts.
"How could this be..."
The young man wielding the worn long spear seemed to find it hard to believe what he was seeing, exclaiming in disbelief.
"..."
Absolute Death himself was gazing intently at the battle before him, feeling its might, watching Shalltear’s fierce combat, his hand growing tight around the handle of his scythe.
On closer inspection, a drop of sweat could be seen trickling down Absolute Death’s forehead.
"Clang—!"
In front of these human elites, high above the rubble of the collapsed ruins, Reiger and Shalltear met like meteors, colliding heavily with each other, causing their longsword and spear to crash together with the thunderous sound of clashing metals, unleashing a terrifying shockwave that shook the very air.
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"...
Each clash between the longsword and spear stirred up a hurricane-like impact, keeping the sounds of metal and roars ceaseless.
Reiger and Shalltear engaged in a spectacularly fierce battle, like two streaks of light chasing and colliding in the sky.
The scene, the magnitude, was like that of deities in battle.