Chapter 51: Her Revenge – 2

“What… What did you say?”

A clear voice echoed in his ears.

And.

A familiar face appeared vividly in his eyes.

Even though he was seeing it with his own eyes and hearing it with his own ears, he desperately wanted to deny it, yet there was no way he could deny the undeniable presence.

Mari.

The very woman who had been purged long ago stood before him, and the Emperor was engulfed in deep confusion.

‘W-what… What in the world is happening? That woman… I’m sure she was killed by General Iskal…’

If he could, he would have interrogated Iskal immediately.

However, the problem was that Iskal’s fate was unclear after their defeat in battle.

More importantly, this wasn’t the time to investigate such matters in detail.

“That… That face, isn’t it the witch Mari? I thought she was dead…”

“And she’s your sister, Your Majesty… What exactly is going on here?”

Mari, with eyes wide open and fully alive, not only appeared but immediately unleashed a bomb, making the situation even more critical.

The Emperor, fearing that a past secret might be exposed, quickly shouted in a panicked voice.

“Quiet! Everything is a demon’s scheme! They are trying to confuse us with tricks! Look at her! Her face may resemble hers, but no one can deny that she’s clearly a demon!”

“Hmm…”

“Yes… that is true, but…”

The ministers muttered hesitantly.

Seizing the momentum, the Emperor raised his voice even higher.

“Everyone, pull yourselves together and prepare for battle! We have two days until the reinforcements arrive. We must hold on during that time!”

With those words, the Emperor drew the sword at his waist.

Although his direct combat abilities were minimal, the symbolic meaning of the ruler of the Empire drawing his sword was more than enough.

“Take up your weapons! I, your Emperor, will fight alongside you! For the Empire! For humanity!”

“Wooooaaaah!!!”

“Let’s fight! Let’s sweep away those filthy demons!”

In the heated atmosphere, the ministers and soldiers cheered in excitement.

And with that, they narrowly escaped a potentially dangerous crisis.

The Emperor spoke in a serious tone to the elderly man in ceremonial robes standing just behind him.

“Prime Minister Tanjo, lead the clergy and focus all efforts on stopping the demon forces.”

At the Emperor’s command, Prime Minister Tanjo silently nodded and immediately left the room with his subordinate clergy.

The Emperor then turned to the generals lined up to his left and right and spoke.

“You must also prepare for battle quickly. No matter the cost, we must defend the Imperial Palace.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“We will obey your command.”

The generals bowed and quickly moved out.

However, there was a deep sense of unease on the Emperor’s face as he watched them.

The total forces gathered inside the capital were 15,000.

On the other hand, the demon forces outside the walls numbered around 30,000.

Considering the advantages of the defense, the disparity in numbers wasn’t overly concerning, but the issue lay in the difference in skill.

The Empire’s elite forces had been practically wiped out in previous battles.

While the Emperor’s personal guard, around 100 soldiers, remained, the rest were hastily gathered militia.

Although they had been trained in a rush, the Emperor couldn’t expect much from them.

‘Meanwhile, the demons outside are all elite forces… The only comfort is the solid defense of the capital’s walls, but the situation is still critical.’

Ultimately, their strength alone couldn’t stop the demons.

The key was whether they could hold the line for the next two days.

Suppressing the desire to flee, the Emperor watched the approaching demon forces, accompanied by the sound of drums from all directions.

Especially at that moment, there was one person, with a cold expression, staring in their direction.

Mari.

The Emperor, his eyes locked on her, couldn’t shake the sense of impending doom.

The demons gathered in a dark mass, marching toward the city walls.

Seeing this, the Empire’s soldiers were gripped by intense anxiety.

It was clear at a glance that these demons were far superior in strength compared to their own soldiers, who had barely learned how to wield spears.

Though they were protected by the strong walls, many of them wondered if they could really stand against such powerful and vicious demons, especially since they had only recently been wielding farming tools.

“Don’t be afraid, everyone! Just hold on for two more days, and the reinforcements from the Free Races will arrive!”

“Be brave! The gods will be with us!”

The voices of the generals and clergy encouraging the soldiers.

Honestly, in the current situation, it wasn’t much help, but still, the soldiers, whose spirits seemed ready to collapse at any moment, had no choice but to rely on even these pitiful words of encouragement.

Shakily, they gathered their courage, managing to steady their legs as they watched the approaching enemies.

At that moment, the demon forces, which had been advancing toward the city walls, suddenly stopped at the gesture of the demon at the front…

The demon woman who had claimed to be the Emperor’s “sister” earlier.

“W-what’s going on?”

“Why have they suddenly stopped?”

The enemy, who had seemed ready to charge at any moment, came to a halt, causing doubt and, in turn, deeper fear to spread in the soldiers’ hearts.

It was then that they heard the declaration.

“I speak to the Imperial Army. If you surrender willingly, there will be no bloodshed. From this moment on, those who drop their weapons will be spared, so do not throw away your lives. Surrender now.”

“S-surrender… and we’ll be spared?”

“Is… is that true?”

Amidst the fear of death, this declaration acted like a lifeline.

A deep murmur quickly spread among the soldiers.

“It’s a lie! Don’t listen to them! Don’t listen to the demons’ whispers!”

“It’s just a trick! Anyone who surrenders will die! Anyone foolish enough to hope will die by my hand first!”

The generals and clergy struggled to calm the restless soldiers.

Honestly, more than the glory of the Empire, for many of the soldiers, preserving their own lives was the top priority, and thus, quite a few of them were swayed by the offer.

In truth, even if they hadn’t spoken it outright, they had heard rumors about places occupied by the demons—those areas seemed strangely peaceful…

Or rather, the taxes that had once strangled them were now gone, and life had become a bit easier.

However, they were still on the city walls, far from the demons, and with their generals and clergy holding swords and maces right next to them, no one dared to openly throw down their weapons.

At that moment, when a subtle sense of foreboding began to spread…

“Is there no one willing to surrender? How unfortunate. Even so, we are merciful. Those who surrender later will have their lives and property guaranteed. However, for those who continue to resist until the end…”

With those words, the demon raised the staff in their hand.

At that signal, massive boxes, clearly filled with something, began to emerge from the ranks of the demons.

And inside those boxes were…

“Ugh!”

“T-those are…”

The unbearable stench reached even the city walls.

At that moment, everyone present realized what the demons had brought with them.

“Those are… corpses… the corpses of the Imperial Army.”

“D-did so many die…?”

The boxes were filled with decaying, rotting bodies.

The soldiers’ faces turned pale as they watched the horrific fate of those who had once been their comrades and neighbors.

Meanwhile, as the fear spread throughout the capital, the one who had been urging surrender to them, Demon Lord Mari, spoke in a quiet voice.

“Now, Teriya. Please.”

“Heh heh… As you wish.”

With a look of great delight on her face, the witch Teriya swung the staff she was holding.

Immediately, a vivid purple mana erupted from her body and enveloped the many boxes containing the corpses.

And then…

Clink! Clink!

“Grrr…”

“Krrr…”

Twisted, pained cries echoed as countless corpses began to crawl out of the boxes.

Living corpses.

Beings with false life, unable to die.

Undead.

One of the worst taboos based on black magic, strictly forbidden in the Empire.

The number of undead created was a staggering 10,000.

The moment the Empire’s soldiers saw this, the fear in their faces, which had already been frozen, became even more vivid.

“How… how could this be…?”

The undead army had filled one side of the battlefield.

The Emperor’s face turned pale as he saw this.

At that moment…

“Your Majesty.”

A voice suddenly called out to him.

The Emperor, trying to mask his growing unease, turned toward the envoys standing behind him and spoke, forcing a calm demeanor.

“My apologies. The enemy has suddenly surged forward, so for now, please retreat to a safe place.”

At this critical moment when the Empire was faltering, it was essential to protect the envoys from foreign nations.

If they were to fall, it would cause a great deal of trouble.

In the worst-case scenario, there was even the risk that the reinforcements on their way would turn into enemies.

Thus, they needed to be protected at all costs.

“Are you sure? It seems that the demon forces… the undead are not ordinary. Do you really think the soldiers here can hold them off?”

“Do not worry. I will hold them off, no matter what. Though we may be in a tough situation now, the Leaf Empire has endured for hundreds of years. It will not fall here. We will hold this ground until the reinforcements arrive.”

The Emperor boldly declared, hiding the anxiety in his heart.

Knowing he needed to reassure the envoys, he restrained his trembling hands and spoke.

However…

“Reinforcements, you say… Do you really think that will work in this situation?”

“…What… What do you mean?”

The Elf envoy spoke in a chilling tone.

With a completely different atmosphere from before, he now fixed the Emperor with a cold stare.