Became the Emperor of the Demon Realm Empire Chapter 15

Became the Emperor of the Demon Realm Empire

Chapter 15: For His Majesty the Emperor

Despite the stormy weather accompanied by wind, rain, and thunder, a group of drakes stubbornly continued their flight.  

Had they encountered turbulence? The drakes’ flight looked precarious even at a glance. 

Their wingbeats were far from smooth, making them seem less like creatures soaring through the sky and more like kites with severed strings, tossed about helplessly.  

“Yonseok! Can’t you fly straight?!” The drakes, who had each been smacked on the head at least once, resented the bald minotaurs’ violent behavior.  

There were only ten drakes, but the number of passengers they had to carry was thirty times that. 

With thirty people clinging to each drake for extended flights, it was inevitable they would reach their physical limits.  

“Captain! We’re approaching Rebellion soon!”  

“Finally, we’ll be free of this damn nausea! All troops, arm yourselves!”  

Knights clad in golden helmets and armor burst into raucous laughter. 

A rare and honorable battle was imminent. 

They were so excited they looked ready to leap from the sky at any moment.  

“But Captain… Are we even supposed to be here?”  

“Don’t worry! Lady Cecilia already approved this. How could I stay away when His Majesty the Emperor is present?”  

Soon, one of the knights pointed at the distant ground below.  

“Captain! Look at that horde of black orcs! There must be at least thirty thousand!”  

“Hmm, really? Then we just need to kill a hundred each!”  

“That’s a ridiculously stupid idea!”  

“Thanks for the compliment. Now then—”  

The captain of the royal guard stood up and briefed his knights.  

“Attention, all forces. Our knight order will break through the orc army on the plains and enter Rebellion. Engaging with humans is strictly prohibited. Even if they attack, we take the hits and move on. Understood?”  

No one questioned his strategy.  

The captain, brimming with confidence, raised his voice.  

“All troops, prepare to descend!”  

“Prepare to descend!”  

“The landing zone is right in the middle of the orc army!”  

“See you on the ground.”  

“For His Majesty the Emperor!”  

……Altitude: 1 km  

The 300-strong Imperial Knight Order hurled themselves into the vast sky.  

……1.0 km  

……0.9 km  

……0.8 km  

[Lv.150 Purple Baldy big-Head]  

……0.6 km  

……0.3 km  

……0.1 km  

“…What’s that? Something’s glittering in the sky.”  

Amid the thunderous rain, Lorian shielded his eyes and looked up.  

“Lorian! Hurry!” Leticia shouted.  

“Ah, yes!”  

—  

What kind of race are orcs?  

They are bald warriors who value tribal honor and the glory of battle above life itself.  

Even while calling an idea ’fucking stupid,’ they’re the kind of romantics who’d yell, ‘Let’s do it right now!’  

Sometimes, they’ll bet on whose tusks are bigger and more handsome, and if they think they might lose, they’re ready to yank out their opponent’s molars. Truly, a race obsessed with fighting.  

That’s why I granted them autonomy as a privilege and entrusted them with guarding the borders.  

I framed their usual activities as if they were following the Demon Emperor’s orders, making it seem like a favor, ‘We’ve done this much for you, so behave.’

Whether they rebelled or not, the orcs would effectively be carrying out my commands just by staying put. 

On the surface, they’d appear as a vassal state obedient to the Emperor.  

…Or so I thought.  

“The orcs’ momentum has weakened!”  

“Who is that man? He’s stronger than the lord!”  

Every time I swung my greatsword, dozens of orcs fell. 

Uncharacteristically, they hesitated and started thinking.  

‘Scared?’  

But this provocation didn’t trigger their berserk instincts.  

Even before I arrived, the orcs had already seemed afraid of something. 

Their thunderous roars weren’t cries of excitement but desperate shrieks of terror.  

‘Is that the problem?’  

I glanced at the titans smashing the city walls. 

Why had the Demon Realm’s forces broken free of control to aid the orcs?  

Despite their low intelligence, titans possess innate high-level mental domination abilities, even over demons.  

A rare few can control other monsters. 

At that level, even a duke-class demon couldn’t command a titan without direct contact.  

‘Someone’s controlling the titans from behind.’  

To dominate five high-level psychic entities would require an unimaginably powerful will.  

I slightly amplified my innate abilities to identify the catalyst of this control.  

Soon, the souls of all things in my vision blurred into view.  

I narrowed my eyes.  

[Cecilia.]  

[You called, Your Majesty.]  

I opened my mind and summoned her.  

The parasitic brand clinging to the titans’ souls—the intricate spell structure corroding their minds—was unmistakably Cecilia’s work.  

[Did you do this?]  

I cut straight to the point. 

She would’ve already known everything happening in Rebellion.  

[…No. But the force suppressing the Behemoth Titans’ minds is half of the Progenitor’s Authority. Perhaps even more.]  

[Who’s behind it?]  

[I’m searching now.]  

I severed the connection and studied the orcs before me.  

Amon’s sudden resurrection.  

The orcs’ sudden invasion.  

The sudden appearance of Behemoth Titans.  

When too many coincidences pile up, it’s time to suspect a conspiracy. 

Above all, a fragment of Cecilia’s Progenitor Authority was being misused by someone.  

Ironically, I knew exactly which despicable group was capable of this.  

“I’m sorry. I’m late.”  

A ponytailed woman in gleaming armor soon stood beside me.  

Leticia, now fully armed after preparing at the temple, was steeling herself, never imagining this place might become her grave.  

“Grrrrrr…”  

The orcs hesitated at the hero’s appearance, but the real enemy hadn’t even shown themselves yet.  

Somewhere, a foe far beyond Leticia’s current strength was watching us.  

“Haha, it’s time for heroes to shine! Well, orcs? What can you do now?”  

Meanwhile, Lorian, Leticia’s self-proclaimed disciple stepped forward with a massive shield and dagger.  

Noticing my gaze, Lorian hastily explained.  

“I-I’ll be the cheerleader to boost morale from the back! Once you clear the way, I’ll handle the cleanup…”  

In short, he’d take the last hits.  

Should I leave the nearly dead ones for him out of pity?  

But why am I his ‘big bro’?  

“Leticia. Didn’t I tell you to leave Rebellion?”  

“…I am the hero, tasked by the gods to protect humanity. Asking me to flee with the enemy before me is an insult.”  

“Is that so?”  

“I’ll fight with you. Two is better than one, right?”  

“Hmm. I think you’ll just get in the way.”  

“That’s too harsh! What if you—!”  

Before Leticia could finish, a spear shot out from the darkness.  

“——!”  

With no time to react, the blade traced a silver arc as it hurtled toward her.  

I stretched out my arm and caught the spear shaft. 

A gust of wind brushed against Leticia’s stunned face.  

“You almost died just now.”  

The razor-sharp spearhead, gripped in my hand, hovered a hair’s breadth from Leticia’s eye.  

The soldiers watched, holding their breath.  

“I’ve heard rumors that the gods granted you immortality.”  

“…”  

“But don’t take life lightly. If you do, your mind won’t last long.”  

“I’ve never taken it lightly. That was just a mistake—”  

“Fulfilling your duty is admirable, but first, learn to value yourself. How can you protect others if you can’t protect yourself?”  

“Ah… Um…?”  

“Don’t try to carry everything alone. With your gentle face and mesmerizing eyes, allies will surely come to fight beside you.”  

“…”  

“Leave this place to me.”  

“Okay… Thank you…?”  

“…?”  

Leticia, missing a few screws, still responded vaguely.  

If she couldn’t grasp simple words, no wonder she kept nearly dying.  

“Was I unclear?”  

“No, I understood everything.”  

Leticia’s face turned red as she nervously twisted her hair. 

Beside her, Lorian watched with three wrinkles creasing his forehead.  

I scanned the surroundings.  

“…?”  

A strange tension weighed heavily on the air.  

The orcs, still in a standoff, held their breath as the soldiers stared at me with pursed lips.  

And then—  

“Grrrrraaaaah——!!”  

A figure several times larger than an orc leaped down from the wall with a roar.  

THUD—!  

The demon, charging forward with bloodshot eyes, glared at us as if cursing our existence.  

[Lv.95 Orc Warchief Kalzit (Berserk)]  

‘…He showed up faster than I expected.’  

At a glance, he was clearly not in his right mind.