Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 715: The Emperor is dead [2]

"The Emperor is dead! I repeat! The Emperor is dead!"

The voice tore through the hall like a broken alarm, startling everyone present. The noise surrounding the hall faded completely in that moment as all eyes stared at the disheveled figure that had suddenly made its way into the hall.

"....He’s dead! He’s dead."

The silence persisted.

All eyes remained fixed on him.

And then—

Boom!

The entire place erupted in chaos.

"The Emperor is dead? What sort of nonsense is this?"

"Is this some sort of joke? The Emperor is extremely powerful! How could he die like this?"

"...This makes absolutely no sense at all."

"Is this a joke? It’s a terrible one if it is."

"This calls for treason!"

There were many that had already left the venue, but there were just as many that had remained. The noise that came as a result of the sudden news was ground-shaking as everyone’s faces paled.

Some couldn’t believe what had happened, while others were angry.

But then...

"It’s true! I’ve just received confirmation from the Megrail family! The Emperor is dead, and so is the first prince!"

"What—!!"

"How could this be!?"

I wasn’t really surprised by the first piece of news. I had long seen this situation coming. It looked like Noel had succeeded with his plans. But at the same time, I didn’t expect the second piece of news.

The Prince is dead?

’Isn’t that Aoife’s brother? How is this possible?’

"This..."

Kiera’s and Evelyn’s faces both turned serious as they looked at each other. The usual casual mood of theirs was completely gone, and in its place, I could see worry in their eyes.

I knew instantly why.

Aoife...

Thinking about how she was currently feeling, my heart sank.

This wasn’t part of the plan...

Why did her brother die as well?

I could somehow explain the situation with her father, considering how he wasn’t exactly who he said he was. But her brother...?

Everyone knew just how much she looked up to him.

If she were to find out that the one who had potentially killed him was my own brother...

’Oh god.’

I could practically feel a massive headache starting to form.

’I’ll need to think about how to handle the situation if she ever finds out.’

Would I need to tell her the truth...? Or would I need to make up some sort of excuse? I wasn’t really sure, but it didn’t matter for now.

I never planned on having her learn about my involvement.

This was just the worst-case scenario.

"What now?"

"What’s going to happen now that the Emperor is dead?"

After the chaos, a brief silence settled over the room. The Emperor was dead, and uncertainty rippled through the crowd as people began to question what would come next. But within that stillness, I sensed a quiet shift.

Something in the air had changed.

It was small, but it was noticeable.

...And it felt extremely sinister.

That’s when I remembered the look on their faces... and realized exactly what the strange feeling that hung in the air was.

’Greed.’

An endless amount of greed.

"If you would excuse me. I will have to leave for my Household. Now that the Emperor has passed away, I will need to find something to pay my respects with."

"Me too."

"....I will also be leaving."

A heavy feeling settled in my chest as I stared at everyone who was leaving.

In that moment, it didn’t take a genius to understand what was going on.

Now that the Emperor was dead, and the first in line to the throne was also dead, the seat for the throne was empty.

There were still several candidates poised to rise to power, and with many noble houses aligning themselves with them, I could already sense the scent of gunpowder in the air.

This situation.

Everything...

Everything was unfolding exactly as Noel had envisioned.

And at the same time—

The Nurs Ancifa Empire,

An empire that had long prided itself on its unity and absence of internal conflict,

Was now experiencing its first true internal strife.

***

’...I-I should’ve never have listened to myself.’

Aoife stood stiffly, staring at the corpses in front of her.

She just stood there in silence.

She wanted to make a sound, but nothing came out of her mouth.

The world around her seemed to have slowed down completely. People moved alongside her, rushing towards the corpses and trying their best to do something, but Aoife knew.

She knew that there was no saving them.

"....."

Staring at her father’s head, and then her brother’s punctured body, she remained frozen on the spot.

’I should’ve listened to myself. I should’ve been a busybody. I should’ve gone with them. I-I should’ve...’

Her thoughts stopped.

Aoife realized all too well that even if she had gone, nothing would’ve changed.

In fact, she would’ve most likely have died with her dad and her brother. The two people that she cared about the most in her life.

The two people that didn’t judge her like everyone else.

...The two who had been there through her hardest time. The two that she could call family.

"H-ha."

It was this realization that made everything sink in as the world seemed to suddenly resume.

"Quickly! Get the medics here!"

"...Get working quickly!"

Aoife slowly brought her hand to her chest.

And for the first time, she felt it.

The pain that came from the realization.

"H-ha."

She didn’t cry.

She couldn’t cry.

The pain was simply too much for her to bear.

It left her breathless.

It sucked the energy that she had.

"H-ha."

Feeling the pain growing even more pronounced, Aoife’s entire body trembled as she closed her eyes, allowing for the darkness to take over her mind

’If this is a nightmare... P-lease make this stop.’

This...

That...

"Hak."

A sob finally escaped her lips, and as it came out, Aoife stumbled back, finding the anguish and pain tear through the walls of her chest.

It was also then that it came out.

Her heartwrenching scream.

"Haaaa—!"

S-someone...

Stop this.

***

Despite the turmoil raging in the outside world, within the confines of a certain cathedral, everything remained utterly silent.

It was as if the noise of the outside world had been completely sealed away.

Within that heavy silence, a subtle yet distinct sound broke through—

Twitch!

A lone figure sat upon the polished marble floor, his gaze unnervingly calm as his body twitched at irregular intervals. Blue veins snaked across his skin, which began to melt and shift, peeling away only to slowly re-form.

Twitch! Twitch!

His body continued to twitch, melting rapidly on multiple occasions.

But even then, the figure remained still.

He embraced the silence.

Ignored the pain.

He...

"....."

Slowly opening his eyes, Toren’s gaze fell on the figure that stood not far from him. Watching him.

Observing him.

".....You’re still here, Emmet?"

"Just in thought."

Emmet replied, his gaze falling towards Toren.

He looked at him with pity.

"You will fail."

"...I know."

"Give up."

"I won’t."

"Still stubborn."

"...It is not me that is stubborn." Toren smiled, his body twitching once more as steam began to rise from his skin. "If stubbornness is the measure, then you are the most relentless of all. After everything I’ve done, you still persist. Why can’t you simply die?"

"Because I have things to do."

"So do I."

Toren replied, his eyes losing the light in them.

"You’re selfish."

"Am I?"

"You’re fighting for your brother while I’m fighting for the freedom of the world. Do you not understand how vital what I’m doing is for this world? For the people who have survived up until this point?"

Toren’s voice turned slightly hoarse as he spoke.

It also grew louder with each word that came out of his mouth.

Twitch— Twitch!

He clenched his teeth.

"...Your brother is immortal!"

His voice rose.

"He will never die! Why are you so hung up on what happens to him? I’m doing all of this for the sake of humanity! Your brother should be honored to serve me. To serve humanity!"

Bang!

Toren smashed his fist against the marble floor, cracks spiderwebbing in all directions.

"Why can’t you understand this? I thought you, of all people, would understand the bigger picture. You—"

"...You still don’t get it, do you?"

Emmet’s cold voice cut through Toren’s words.

He stood tall, his black hair framing a face that wasn’t strikingly handsome, but certainly pleasing. What set him apart was his gaze. Light green eyes so profound and intense, they seemed to peer straight through everything, as if seeing far beyond the surface.

"Your desperation has led you to turn your back on everything that made you human. On everything that—"

"So what?"

Toren cut Emmet’s voice as he slowly stood up from his spot, his entire body twitching as the dark veins around his body pulsed with even more intensity.

"If I have to give up on my humanity, let it be given up in pursuit of power."

Steam rose out from his body.

"The weak obey rules. The strong reshape reality."

He slowly brought his hands towards his face as he stared at them with his bloodshot eyes.

His shoulders hunched subtly.

"I reduced the Mirror Dimension to fragments with nothing but my hands. Shouldering the burden of the world as it begged for change. They called it treason. I called it destiny."

Slowly clenching his hands into fists, he directed his attention towards Emmet.

"Was I meant to kneel? To follow your madness? You feared my ambition, my power. But it was that very ambition that offered the world its first glimpse of freedom! I... am the one who shattered the prison that kept us sealed. I... am the one destined to save us all!"

He pressed his finger against his temple.

"My mind."

He pointed at his eyes.

"My vision."

He brought his hand before him before clenching it.

"My hand."

The surroundings fell silent.

"This world is void without them. I... have grown strong enough to stand against ’them’. To save this world and grant us freedom. But even so, power breeds fear."

Toren slowly calmed down, his chest starting to relax, and his gaze turning cold.

"I can feel the fear. Not just in the people, but even in the other gods. They call me a tyrant in secret. They talk about my madness, but what they truly fear isn’t my ambition... What they fear is my audacity to wield it."

Toren paused, his skin slowly melting.

"My name will outlast thrones. My shadow will shape emperors."

"Spill my blood if you must—"

"But you cannot kill what has already seeped into the deepest pits of everyone’s mind."

He once again pressed his finger against his temple.

"I’m no longer a god."

"...I am an idea."

"Gods can be killed, but an idea will last for so long as one wields it."

"I am immortal."