NOVEL NEXT Chapter 202
Chapter 202 – Revolt (2)
‘I knew this would go well.’
Worrying too much isn’t helpful at all.
Watching the warriors effortlessly scale the hastily made stairs and push back the flustered defenders, while opening the castle gates, he let out a sigh of relief.
As expected, the Empire’s knights and mages were no match for the Arin Tribe warriors. If there was a significant difference in power, it might have been different, but warriors with distinct experiences and skills overwhelmed the knights at a similar level.
“Ugh…”
“Where did that monster of a woman come from…”
There wasn’t even a strong opponent here to turn the tide of experience. The Imperial troops had to protect the castle gates, yet hundreds of soldiers, many knights, and mages found themselves stalled by the frail female warrior, Riena, standing before them.
“Open the gates now!”
A few brave knights rushed in, but the outcome was the same.
No matter who charged at her, Riena, wielding her sword with divine energy, struck down anyone who dared approach in one swift blow, leaving arrows and magic powerless against her.
Even cannonballs met the same fate. The Imperial soldiers were horrified to see her parry the cannonball with a sword brimming with mana.
A one-woman army changing the tide of battle; it was a level of mastery that anyone training in mana would dream of having, and she had been merely a warrior of an insignificant grassland tribe.
“The gates are open! Charge!”
“Move in sequence as planned!”
Meanwhile, the other warriors opened the castle gates. The moment the gates swung open, the tall and imposing walls that had protected the Imperial forces for ages became utterly useless.
As they charged in, the main force of the Arin Tribe flooded inside, breaking the last resistance.
With surrendering and fleeing soldiers intertwined, the scene turned into sheer chaos.
“It’s a great victory! I expected it, but to see it happen is overwhelming.”
“I’m sure word has already spread.”
“Yes. Now that the sword is drawn, we cannot slow down.”
Balun also entered through the opened walls with the main force. However, even at this moment, Riena couldn’t smile with ease. They had achieved an overwhelming victory by catching the enemy off guard, but this was just the beginning.
The opponent they faced was a powerful nation that had ruled over the continent. Balun agreed with that sentiment.
“We need to clean this place up as quickly as possible and rush towards our next target. There are defensive fortresses along the way that are important to protect, but we won’t have time to deal with all of them. So we’ll simply ignore them and head directly for the Imperial capital where the palace is.”
The plan was already set. Their goal was not to occupy the Empire, but to correct the wrong choices made by the Emperor.
Thus, swift and decisive action was of utmost importance. It was a daring decision to risk the danger in their rear.
The Empire had well-paved roads, and the mobility of their cavalry would be unimaginable in such areas, allowing them to end this war in just a few days.
“Your Majesty! An incident has occurred at the Eastern Wall!”
And naturally, this news reached Emperor Rihir’s ears swiftly through communication magic.
“I told you so. Those scoundrels are insidious and treacherous. It’s fortunate I sent out notifications to the surrounding powers in advance.”
“You… you’ve been watching this closely?”
Chancellor Stars, who rushed to report, swallowed hard at Rihir’s words. Indeed, as soon as Rihir mentioned conquering the grasslands while attacking the elves, the Arin Tribe had moved first.
The doubters of Rihir’s decisions gasped upon hearing the news.
However, the truth was a misjudgment. Rihir was in a mind control state believing that they needed to eliminate the Arin Tribe as an enemy, but he didn’t know they would act immediately.
“The evil god they believe in continues to exert influence, and according to reports from the battlefield, there seems to be a chosen saintess, or rather, a witch directly selected by that evil god. It’s said that her strength is so tremendous she can take on an entire knight squad by herself.”
“It’s troublesome to deal with the evil god’s blessing. Those who don’t know will be shocked and shaken.”
As Stars continued to discuss Riena, Rihir’s expression took on a peculiar smile.
“Then, how about this? If we could receive a blessing similar to theirs…”
“W-what do you mean by that…”
“We need to find a way to resist the wicked enemies.”
The atmosphere shifted slightly. Startled, Stars unconsciously glanced around, but he was alone in the presence of the Emperor.
“Of course, there will be differences. They have steadily built their power while we are starting from scratch now. However, we have this vast land, our people, and our wealth.”
Rihir began to walk slowly towards Stars. Feeling an instinctual sense of foreboding, Stars tried to step back subtly, but he bumped into something hard behind him.
“Ah.”
Terrified, Stars couldn’t bring himself to turn around to see what was behind him. Observing him, Rihir’s eyes glinted with dark energy.
“Only a few, like the Chancellor of the Empire, can receive a true blessing that can move this land. If that happens, we will be able to pour all the national strength of this land into defeating that wicked evil god’s forces.”
“Your Majesty! I… Aah!”
Stars had no chance to plead his case.
The assassin that had revealed itself pierced his back in an instant, and feeling a cold energy embedding into his body, Stars rolled his eyes back in terror.
United with the parasite bug that was already embedded, Rihir merely smiled in satisfaction at the sight.
‘With the usual methods, we may not be able to defeat those using vile sorcery. But now it’s different. If we unify this vast Empire and exert all our might, we can defeat even those barbarian tribes blessed by the evil god.’
This was a new strategy chosen by the bugs, who would stop at nothing to survive and achieve their goals.
*
“Ugh…”
As far as I knew, that wall had never fallen since its completion; but that was only because it had never faced us.
A smooth victory as planned. Feeling my heart lighten a bit, I stretched my arms and twisted my body. Of course, it was by no means a light war when considering those who had perished.
‘If we finish this war like this, will it truly all be over?’
The bugs that had their base wiped out had already vanished, and the current fighting was merely part of the cleanup.
If we could set up a system to keep the bugs in check as intended and achieve everything, that would be the result we all desired.
-Are you busy right now?
“Huh?”
That was when Lee So-Yeon got in touch with me first. When she asked if I was busy, I had no thoughts at all.
-I heard a piece of news recently that I think I should tell you.
“What news?”
-It’s been predicted that the bugs that have developed into a colony and are raising a large-scale legion may have advanced a step further.
But that news wasn’t something to be taken lightly. It was potentially fatal and precarious enough to collapse all the plans we had set.
-It’s already common knowledge that parasite bugs exist.
“Are there parasite bugs emerging on Earth as well?”
-There’s no clear evidence yet, but some are confident.
The bugs grow stronger when you give them room. And the stronger the opponent, the greater their growth becomes. They were inherently such creatures.
The emergence of parasite bugs that latch onto other life forms is a story that has taken hold as a rule among users.
The methods to combat them have been developed and shared as well. They had finally shown up on Earth.
Earth was much larger, with more people, and they were fighting more fiercely, so it was no surprise that the bugs would grow at an alarming rate.
-The person who provided me with the information said that the bugs may have implanted parasites into some powerful individuals.
“But wouldn’t that be immediately obvious? The parasite bugs we know control their hosts, but it becomes impossible to conceal.”
I scratched my head, recalling the parasites I had seen: the squirming, grotesque tendrils ready to burst forth, the parasite mass protruding through flesh, and hosts losing their sanity and rampaging, etc.
Even if the bugs planted parasites into the powerful of Earth, I wondered how the others would react. While dictators weren’t non-existent, it wasn’t as if any king was revered in an absolute monarchy guided by divine right.
-If parasites have also evolved, it’s not impossible. There could be parasites that could quietly infiltrate the host’s body and control them while carefully instructing them to act in ways that seem natural… Such things do exist in nature.
However, Lee So-Yeon’s statement lifted the possibility immediately. After all, they were creatures that could change in ways we could not predict.
“Is there any way to confirm this? What does your informant say?”
-To be honest, I don’t want to say. That person looks like they’re trying to use me to manipulate you. They’ve even asked me to cover for Representative Yujin in exchange for getting you connected.
Lee So-Yeon was convinced that her informant from the National Intelligence Service had deliberately revealed this fact to her.
They were suspicious of her relationship with me and were trying to maneuver me through her to clarify their doubts.
But she trusted me and openly shared all their intentions.
“No, they must already be suspicious anyway. I don’t mind. What’s more important is checking the details directly.”
It bothered me, but it really didn’t matter. I couldn’t afford to miss something important over trivial power games. After all, I was the one with the choice and the upper hand.
-It could be too dangerous. Those they have their eyes on aren’t just ordinary people, but heads of factions or nations.
“While that’s not incorrect… there are times when we must take risks.”
This was one of the most significant changes in my mindset. Sometimes, decisive choices that accept risks are necessary.
It isn’t wrong to always act safely, calmly, and rationally, but I learned both directly and indirectly that in order to achieve something, bold decisions must be made.