Chapter 103: The King Encroached

“Y-Your Majesty!”

Duke Rohim Reveshu, unable to bear it any longer, tried to intervene.

But the king only maintained his indifferent gaze.

“Count Rozi has only just become the family head. He must be troubled, and he…”

Rohim trailed off mid-sentence.

Because, facing the man before him, it felt as if he were talking to a wall.

And, somehow, he was overwhelmed by that oppressive aura.

“Duke Rohim, is that all you have to say?”

“….Y-Your Majesty?”

Rohim’s bewilderment was plain.

Somehow, he felt that any further words would put his life in danger.

Was it instinct that made him sense the crisis?

That cold, indifferent gaze—looking at people as if they were mere flies.

“Duke Rohim, since when have you been permitted to meddle in my affairs?”

“You have quite the stiff neck. Kneel.”

Again, his voice rang out, cold and emotionless.

In that moment.

Rohim felt a massive force squeeze his entire body—a chilling sensation.

And almost at the same time—

Thud!

Like Rozi before him, he slammed his head to the floor.

“Keuh!”

Forced into a bow, unable to move his body at all.

A power so unnatural it compelled him to submit.

Rohim simply couldn’t understand what kind of power Alpherion was using.

Since when had he possessed such strength?

This wasn’t something that could be overlooked.

His was not a body that could become stronger through training.

No matter how much one honed themselves, there was a limit—a mercenary’s level at best.

Besides, he’d heard the king had fallen ill and had been frail just half a year ago.

Comparing now to then, the difference was staggering.

‘I vaguely heard he’d commissioned all sorts of experiments at the Mage Tower, but just what is Alpherion up to?’

Even as blood trickled from his forehead, Rohim only ground his teeth.

“Now, then. Is there anyone else who has something to say to me?”

At Alpherion’s words, no one dared to speak.

In the tense atmosphere, everyone only observed, gauging the mood.

“Then I shall tell you the reason I have summoned you all here.”

No sooner had Alpherion finished speaking than the Chief Magistrate, standing in the corner, approached the king with an official document.

“By His Majesty’s decree. As of this moment, I declare this to the Four Founding Houses who lead the kingdom. To deal with the traitors, the Royal Palace proclaims a state of mobilization. All Lamakria People within the kingdom are to be regarded as traitors. Each lord is ordered to dispatch half their regular troops to the kingdom’s army for the time being.”

It was a military mobilization order for an emergency.

At this, the faces of Clyd and the other three heads of house contorted in shock.

“Your Majesty!”

Even the individualistic Andor Adman couldn’t stay silent this time.

This was crossing the line.

“This is absurd! Innocent blood will be spilled. To order the lords to dispatch their troops—this is a clear violation of balance!”

He spoke, almost spitting out the words in anger.

But Alpherion’s reply was simple.

“Marquis Endor. Do you object?”

“W-What…?”

Caught off guard by the blunt words, Endor faltered again.

Put like that, Endor simply couldn’t answer.

Alpherion’s gaze now shifted from Endor to Clyd.

“Count Clyd. What say you?”

At the question, Clyd hesitated.

It wasn’t a question that could be answered lightly.

To mobilize half the military forces—it wasn’t simply a matter of logistics, but a political statement as well.

This could not be taken lightly.

Countless lives were at stake, and this would become an occasion to demonstrate the overwhelming power of the king.

The nobles would become even more subservient, and the king might commit all manner of tyranny.

It was a crucial turning point, a disruption of the balance of power.

Yet, Clyd could not resist the king.

He had already received intelligence on the king through Rolten’s report.

‘Something is off. He’s obtained a transcendent power. Do not fight him under any circumstances.’

Clyd had been secretly monitoring the king’s movements all along.

Depending on how he moved, a swift response would be required.

But the king kept exceeding expectations.

Even now, he couldn’t discern the king’s intentions or what trump card he might hold.

All he could sense, from Rolten’s data and pure instinct, was that it was dangerous.

Regardless, the king’s sudden actions meant one thing for sure.

‘He’s obtained the trump card he needs to seize power.’

With this thought, Clyd finally forced himself to speak.

“I will obey Your Majesty’s will.”

Everyone stared at Clyd in shock.

“C-Count?”

“No way… do you realize what you’re saying?”

Murmurs arose from all sides.

The previously indifferent Alpherion now wore an expression of interest.

“So you will comply with my orders without resistance?”

“Yes.”

“And your reason?”

In response to Alpherion’s question, Clyd answered without hesitation.

“To survive.”

For a moment, the restless atmosphere was instantly stilled.

A cold smile spread across Alpherion’s lips.

“Haha, an answer to my liking. How did you know?”

“When Your Majesty issues such an order, I believed you must already be prepared. We have no choice but to follow.”

“Just as they say, you are wise.”

Alpherion’s gaze now shifted to Adman again.

“Consider yourself lucky.”

Adman could not say a word.

Hearing Clyd’s reply, all he could do was sweat coldly.

“And now, Rohim, Rozi—raise your heads.”

At his command, Rohim and Rozi, who had been prostrated, shot upright.

It felt as if they were puppets on strings.

An indescribable force squeezed their bodies.

“Originally, I intended to dispose of you today, depending on your answers. However, seeing Count Clyd, I shall grant special mercy. Chief Magistrate.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Today, you shall serve as the example.”

“……Pardon? What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

The magistrate’s eyes grew wide.

The atmosphere suddenly chilled, and his whole body trembled.

“I remember the sin of your insolence towards me.”

“Y-Your Majesty! I have never—!”

“Chief Magistrate, atone for your crime with your life.”

The moment Alpherion’s command fell, the magistrate began strangling himself.

“Ggghhkk!”

Everyone was again shocked by the bizarre sight.

To think a royal order could not be resisted.

But only Evan saw the truth.

‘That bastard…’

Invisible to the naked eye, but plain to the Eye of the Spirit—he saw it all.

Each time Alpherion gave a command, hundreds of souls clustered around his body, forming a gigantic arm.

With that massive hand, he could crush or control his victims at will.

The first time Evan checked his status window, he had been shocked in many ways.

‘The name is completely different.’

Alpherion’s status window.

-Tendency: Evil
-Race: Human (Transmigrator)
-Gender: Male
-Affinity: 0%
-Chaos Value: 7,359
-Soul Power: 580
-Number of Transmigrations: 100
-Potential Abilities: Reincarnation, Soul Absorption, Encroachment
-Skills: Encroachment Lv. Master
*The body has been completely encroached.
*Due to the Chaos Value, soul memory viewing is impossible.

Even his name was different.

There was no sign of the Ruphes Alpherion known as king—just some bizarre name.

‘Elresel?’

Was he even of the Lupes Royal Family?

‘And why is the Chaos Value so high? Is this even possible? Even the Demon Tribe didn’t have numbers this high.’

The value exceeded 7,000—a crazed number.

A Chaos Value over 7,000 wasn’t something that could be reached by normal means.

It meant he could become a catastrophe that could destroy the world at any time.

‘No doubt, this goes far beyond human limits.’

Evan assumed from the start that he was no ordinary human.

Digging deeper into the status window, he could confirm two things:

That he was a Transmigrator, and that he was in a state of Encroachment.

‘Did the king have his body stolen by this Elresel?’

That was the only logical conclusion for now.

As Evan pondered for a while—

“I remember your insolence towards me.”

Alpherion—or rather, Elresel—issued a command, and Evan was able to observe the power he wielded.

Inside his body, dozens—no, hundreds—of souls were entangled.

Like writhing snakes, they darted in all directions.

And those spirits merged into one to create gigantic arms.

Arms sprouted from his back, reaching out to crush or control those he called by name.

Then, truly—

‘How is this possible?’

The hand pressed down wherever it willed.

The biggest question was how a soul could exert physical force.

A soul was a formless concept. Physical interference was thought impossible.

But that man ignored such laws, using the power of souls.

Now, Evan understood why Clyd had spoken the way he did.

‘Did he sense, by instinct, the danger the king posed?’

And Clyd had answered appropriately even regarding Elresel.

If anyone rebelled, everyone here might die.

Of course, Evan had already been preparing his Mythic Power to face this foe.

But,

-Current level is too low.
-Excessive use of Conqueror’s Scorn may result in physical collapse. (24:00:00)

He tried to use that power, but apparently there were limits.

‘Does the amount I can use scale with my level?’

It seemed the authorization to use the power only covered what his body could handle.

‘I’ve used it twice so far.’

Even if he could use it, this wasn’t the time or place.

It was a trump card for the worst possible scenario.

To reveal one’s cards prematurely was foolish. That should only be done when the opponent reveals their final hand.

With a Chaos Value of 7,000, he couldn’t recklessly attack.

He’d have to figure out exactly what abilities and secret trump cards the enemy had.

If he exposed all his power now, he might be countered instead.

‘Regrettable, but it’s too soon.’

Soon, the strength of the Four Founding Houses would unite to resist.

He needed to focus on other powers besides the king for now.

What most preoccupied Evan at the moment was the king’s sudden actions.

‘No matter how powerful he is, to declare all Lamakria People as traitors and order their execution isn’t simple. There are too many eyes watching from outside.’

Moreover, refugees were still flooding into the kingdom.

To kill them all would be nothing less than a massacre.

Even if the kingdom tried, outside powers would surely interfere.

But, as if to mock these concerns, an incident suddenly erupted.

Clang!

The doors to the Audience Chamber flew wide open.

Someone had hurriedly thrown them open, loud enough for all to hear.

Looking back, Evan saw a man—apparently a knight—rush into the Audience Chamber.

He shouted in a loud voice,

“Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! There are reports that a large group of rebels is gathering in the Royal Capital!”

Evan’s expression twisted.