Evan suddenly remembered a fact he had forgotten all this time.
‘The all-out assault of the Dark Knights that Vengor mentioned.’
Word had come that all the Dark Knights were ordered to attack the Royal Capital.
‘So even Estia’s lot were all in on it, in the end.’
Now that he knew the king’s true nature, everything started to make sense.
‘This all-out attack gives the kingdom the perfect justification.’
They could brand the Lamakria People as traitors and execute them all.
‘No matter how you look at it, the only one benefiting from this war is that guy.’
The clash between the Dark Knights and the forces defending the capital would result in heavy casualties.
Whichever side won, if war broke out, everything would go just as the king desired.
And it wouldn’t end there. If a massive purge of the Lamakria People followed, the kingdom would become a true sea of blood.
‘A living hell would unfold.’
And the king, who orchestrated everything, would grow stronger by collecting souls.
‘He probably doesn’t care whether the kingdom survives or not. He’ll use everyone as fuel for his own growth, and when there’s nothing left to take, he’ll just move elsewhere. By then, there won’t be anyone left who can stop him.’
Evan could more or less see through Elresel’s schemes.
When he checked Elresel’s status window, he could confirm that the man had Soul Power.
From this, he could deduce that Elresel possessed a special ability.
‘Is Soul Power the force he used earlier?’
If Soul Power was the fundamental source of Elresel’s strength, then Evan could somewhat grasp his movements.
It seemed Elresel was executing a plan to use every human in this kingdom as his own nourishment.
And everything was already playing out according to his script.
‘The kingdom’s destruction is inevitable.’
Sure enough, as if waiting for this moment, Elresel opened his mouth.
“Eliminate all traitors heading to the capital, and round up every Lamakria Person within the kingdom. All will be punished for treason.”
Then, Elresel gave orders to the four heads of families.
“You will dispatch your regular armies at once to work with the royal army and stop the rebels. For the sake of peace, annihilate them all.”
All these absurd situations only seemed to work in Elresel’s favor, and it was maddening.
The Endor Marquis simply watched the situation, trying to read the room.
Duke Rohim Reveshu and Rozi glared at the king, grinding their teeth.
But the crisis was urgent, so they had no choice but to obey.
They had to defend the kingdom from the rebels.
In this meticulously prepared situation, there was no room for choice.
If they’d known in advance, they might have been able to prepare, but it was too late.
At that moment—
“Your Majesty!”
High-ranking Paladins hurried into the audience chamber.
“Aren’t you members of the Order? What brings you here?”
“Your Majesty, while investigating this place, we witnessed a group of wicked heretics advancing toward here. We have already sent urgent word to Bellium. With your permission, the Holy Union of Bellium wishes to provide major support.”
Elresel replied with a sly smile.
“That’s very welcome news. Our Ruphes Kingdom will remember the Order’s support. We’ll consider more active exchanges in the future.”
The scale of things began to grow larger.
Even the Order’s involvement was now promised.
Evan began to organize this tangled situation in his mind.
‘So far, I’ve identified three main factions. All of them will clash in the capital. In that case…!’
If this went on, the entire kingdom would be awash in blood.
And with the resulting sacrifices, who could guess how much power Elresel would gain?
For Evan, there was only one choice.
‘There’s no helping it. I’ll have to focus on defending the capital, for now.’
Blocking Estia’s side was the best option he had at the moment.
Currently, the Royal Capital of the Ruphes Kingdom was in utter chaos.
Explosions sounded everywhere.
The stench of blood stung the nose, and beyond the walls, a massive battle was raging.
The royal army, the Order, and regular troops sent as support from the Lands were fiercely fighting against the Dark Knights.
Meanwhile, a large crowd had gathered at the castle gate.
“Why are you stopping us? Move aside!”
“You cannot pass. The lockdown has been ordered. You can only leave once the situation is stabilized.”
“You lunatics.”
“If we don’t get out now, we’ll all die!”
Everyone was desperate to escape.
Of all times, this happened to be the kingdom’s open week.
During this period, tolls, usage fees, and all other taxes were waived.
Because of this tax-free period, goods could be bought cheaply, so crowds flocked to the capital.
Not just people from the Lands, but merchants and travelers from other kingdoms as well—easily double or triple the usual number.
And yet, of all times, war broke out during this period.
The entire kingdom, no, the whole continent would soon know of this disaster.
“By the king’s command, you are forbidden from leaving for your own safety. Our allied forces will take care of the Lamakria People. Please, remain calm.”
“Damn it! Are you trying to get us all killed?”
“Just let us go!”
Fear seized their hearts, and they struggled desperately to survive.
The pressure of not knowing when they might die weighed heavily.
It would be branded deep into their minds.
Elresel watched all this from a high vantage point on the castle.
‘Not long now.’
A smile slowly crept across his usually expressionless face.
Looking down on these primitive humans was one of his few pleasures.
Even though he himself was human, he couldn’t fathom why there were so many fools.
Once this plan succeeded, he would stage the final act and abandon this place.
The kingdom, now sucked dry, was of no further use.
“How is it, king? I gave you new life and power. Aren’t you satisfied?”
He seemed to be muttering to himself.
But he was not alone.
Deep within him, Alpherion seethed with anger.
‘You despicable wretch. I asked you to cure my illness, not to slaughter everyone. Stop this, now!’
“You primitive fool. Have you forgotten that you’re only alive because of me? Soon, I’ll show your kingdom something marvelous. Look forward to it.”
He grinned wickedly.
The reason he gathered such a crowd—
On a large scale, it was groundwork for creating new workshops.
From Elresel’s perspective, even if these people died, it was a gain; if not, and the survivors spread word of what happened, the seeds of tension and fear would be sown across the continent.
“Do you know, king, what humans remember most easily?”
‘Spare me your nonsense! You foul creature, return my body at once!’
Elresel scoffed and continued.
“Humans remember fear most easily. And seeing these puppets dancing to fear always makes me laugh.”
‘Wh-what do you mean? What are you planning?!’
“King, because you are my benefactor, I’ll tell you. It’s simple: I’m just stoking human fear. Once given a little push, the flames will spread on their own. I can’t wait to see it.”
‘You… you can’t mean—!’
“Don’t think it’ll end with this kingdom. Just as I used this place as a workshop, other kingdoms will disappear one by one across the continent. And you’ll witness it all with me. Be grateful.”
Alpherion was too furious to speak.
Elresel, finding his reaction amusing, leisurely took in the scenery.
Countless humans were dying.
How delightful to collect their succulent souls!
While Elresel was savoring his pleasure—
KWA-A-AANG!
A dazzling light erupted in the sky.
“Urgh!”
Elresel squinted, shielding his eyes.
Just looking at the light was enough to put him in a foul mood.
Moments later—
PHIIIII!
A giant bird of fire soared above the castle walls.
Elresel could not conceal his shock.
“How can an ancient Divine Beast be here?!”
Only moments ago, he’d been relaxed; now, his face twisted in rage. He hadn’t planned for this at all.
It was a variable he hated most.
One powerful enough to overturn the game.
He knew all too well about Divine Beasts.
Those damned things always showed up at the most critical moments to ruin his plans.
Elresel hurriedly moved.
Evan stood atop the castle wall, surveying the area.
‘This flow should be manageable. If I just block this gate, it’ll hold.’
Here, Evan had planted the Flame Sword in the ground and summoned the Phoenix.
Within a 10-meter radius, the Phoenix was attacking every Dark Knight in sight.
FWOOOOOSH!
The Phoenix, wreathed in fire, blasted flames toward the ground.
A pillar of fire streaked straight downward, scorching the earth.
Dark Knights caught in the inferno melted along with their armor, writhing in agony.
‘They survive even that?’
Unless he finished a Dark Knight with a single blow, their armor would regenerate.
And their wielders also seemed to share the armor’s regeneration ability, recovering completely.
‘It’s because Ascalon’s level is still low. That weakens the Flame Sword’s power, and the Phoenix is affected too.’
Ascalon’s level didn’t just dispel curses.
It also increased the power of its Blooming mode.
If he wanted to strengthen the Phoenix, he’d have to raise Ascalon’s level.
As Evan watched the Phoenix, he began to move.
The Phoenix was a being that attacked by consuming its own life force.
At its current level, its number of attacks was limited.
Once it used up all its life force, it would revert to an egg and take time to hatch again.
‘I wanted to save it as much as possible, but this is an emergency.’
Evan decided to use the contribution points and accumulated Quest completions he’d saved up.
In the shop, high-tier items required a certain number of Quest completions to buy.
Purchasing them was tricky, so he had to be careful with his timing.
But this time, he had no choice but to use items to stop them.
Just as Evan was about to open the shop window, a sudden impact sounded from the sky.
THUD!
The Phoenix, which had been flying well, began to fall into the castle.
PHIIIIII!
It looked like it had taken a heavy hit.
KWAANG!
When the Phoenix crashed, the buildings in the area collapsed.
-The Phoenix’s life force has run out.
-The Phoenix is beginning its resurrection. (03:00:00)
The Phoenix had turned into an egg.
‘It went down in a single blow. Who was it?’
Evan began searching his surroundings.
This part of the outer wall was nearly deserted, so it was easy to spot anyone unusual.
He saw a suspicious figure in a robe racing toward the Phoenix with unnatural speed.
“That guy?”
Evan immediately started to move.