Chapter 164: The Emperor’s Puppet

Hmm!

Gaon looked at the corpses of the Sky Knights Order and inwardly let out a groan.

Originally, Gaon hadn’t planned to kill them all like this.

If there were no restrictions and no demonic energy, his standard was to just subdue them.

The reason he deviated from the standard and killed them all was because of the knights’ pupils.

More precisely, because of the peculiar energy in their pupils.

It was the same energy as the peculiar one he saw in Hargeos. In other words, the knights of the Sky Knights Order were all brainwashed as well.

Swish.

Gaon turned his head to look in the direction of Larun’s residence.

What kind of guy is he…….

Gardion Tower’s intelligence network was among the best on the continent. Even with such strong intelligence, they hadn’t grasped this side of Larun.

That’s why he wanted to meet him as soon as possible.

He wanted to confirm with his own eyes what kind of being Larun was.

Gaon ended his thoughts and started moving again.

And afterward, Gaon encountered several emperor’s faction forces.

Those he encountered afterward didn’t show the peculiar energy that the Sky Knights Order had.

At least that’s fortunate.

If all had been brainwashed?

Handling the aftermath would have been quite a headache.

And soon, Gaon was able to arrive at what could be called the final destination, Larun’s residence.

In front of the residence was a woman with a massive build.

The woman’s face was full of various scars.

And she carried a greatsword as massive as her build on her back.

Through this woman’s appearance, Gaon could tell her identity.

Perzad.

The woman’s name was Perzad.

The emperor’s shield and, like the previously killed Hargeos, a being belonging to the empire’s Ten Swords.

Perzad had no restrictions and no demonic energy.

Rather, holy power was faintly visible.

That’s why Gaon asked outright.

“Colluded with the demon world?”

“What kind of nonsense is that? Can’t you see my holy power?”

Perzad let out a voice mixed with irritation.

“Then why are you doing this? You must know the whole situation?”

” “

At Gaon’s words, Perzad said nothing.

From the reaction, Gaon could tell that Perzad knew everything.

However, unlike Hargeos, no peculiar energy was visible.

In other words, not brainwashed.

Meaning she was following Larun with a sound mind.

“Ridiculous.”

Even if not directly connected, it was no different from colluding.

Gaon found Perzad ridiculous and disgusting.

Right then.

Perzad drew her greatsword.

And Gaon created a Pacheonki sword and aimed it at Perzad.

Then, Perzad said in a slightly irritated voice.

“What are you doing? You think you can beat me with a sword…….”

Before Perzad could finish speaking, the Pacheonki sword vibrated.

And Perzad had no choice but to fall silent.

Swish.

With her mouth shut, she lowered her head to look at her chest.

There was a hole in her chest.

And one of an irrecoverable size.

What is this…….

Perzad panicked.

The moment she was hit, she could tell.

It was definitely swordsmanship.

Gaon was a mage.

Yet, how did he have such swordsmanship, such sword intent?

Her vision blurred.

Death was approaching quickly.

Perzad raised her head to look at Gaon.

“Your Majesty…….”

And she quietly called Larun as she collapsed.

Gaon looked at Perzad’s corpse and then waved his hand.

Hwaruruk!

Then, Perzad’s corpse burned fiercely.

And Gaon passed Perzad’s corpse and approached the residence.

Larun’s residence was surrounded by a golden curtain.

A curtain full of holy power.

If those who don’t know the full story saw this…….

Gaon thought while looking at the curtain.

They would have been completely deceived.

If Gaon hadn’t come directly and only heard rumors from afar?

He would never have grasped the full story.

Swish.

Gaon placed his hand on the curtain.

Crackle!

Then, the holy power sparked and tried to push his hand away.

Naturally, Gaon’s hand wasn’t pushed back.

Gaon ignored the holy power and checked the curtain’s structure.

Better to just break it.

The curtain’s structure was very simple.

And because it was simple, there were no weaknesses.

It was better to just pierce it with force than dismantle it.

Gaon removed his hand.

And he stepped back a bit and cast magic.

Boom!

The first magic exploded, and a crack appeared in the curtain.

Boom!

Following that, the second magic exploded, and the cracked part collapsed, creating a hole.

As if it had self-repair ability, the hole began to shrink gradually.

Gaon entered inside before the hole closed.

Step!

Upon entering, Gaon stopped his steps.

And his eyes flashed.

……What’s this now?

An enormous energy that he couldn’t feel at all from outside was felt.

It wasn’t lacking at all compared to the dragons he met not long ago.

And one more thing.

It was very ominous.

He was hiding such power…….

The owner of the ominous energy was presumed to be Larun.

I can consider that the guys here all know.

Larun’s residence wasn’t just Larun alone.

Many people were together.

Gaon started walking again.

Now it was time to face Larun directly.

Like that, Gaon walked and entered the residence, soon arriving at the place where everyone was gathered.

“Your Majesty, you must punish those who plotted the rebellion soon.”

“I’ll take the lead!”

“This is a chance to revoke the authority given to the Schutaren Dukedom!”

“That’s right. We must prevent such incidents from happening again in the future.”

Those present ceaselessly poured out words.

“Your Majesty, you must punish those who plotted the rebellion soon.”

“I’ll take the lead!”

“This is a chance to revoke the authority given to the Schutaren Dukedom!”

“That’s right. We must prevent such incidents from happening again in the future.”

The problem was that they were repeating the same words.

And without missing a single syllable, exactly the same.

Naturally, the ministers’ eyes were not normal.

They were full of the peculiar energy he saw in Hargeos and the knights of the Sky Knights Order.

And there was something he hadn’t seen in Hargeos or the Sky Knights Order.

Purple threads.

Purple threads were stuck in everyone’s crown.

And the purple threads were directed to one person.

Swish.

Gaon turned his head to look at Larun, sitting at the head seat, holding all the purple threads.

Larun was sitting at the head seat with a very expressionless face.

And right then.

Swish.

Larun turned his head to look at Gaon.

At the same time, the ministers who were repeating the same words shut their mouths and, as if agreed upon, turned their heads to look at Gaon simultaneously without a second’s difference.

Gaon paid no attention to the ministers’ gazes.

And he asked Larun.

“Is puppetry fun?”

” “

Larun only made a flustered face and didn’t answer the question.

And Gaon asked further with an interested face.

“Who did you receive that power from?”

The owner of the very powerful, ominous energy that Gaon felt was Larun.

However, it wasn’t Larun’s.

It was just inside Larun’s body.

Honestly, Larun’s level was pathetic.

To the point he couldn’t even recognize Gaon’s perfection.

That’s why he was curious.

From whom exactly he received the power.

How he was using the power with such a level of consciousness, mental state.

Again, Larun didn’t answer.

He just made an irritated face.

Of course, Gaon didn’t ask expecting an immediate answer.

He could hear the answer to the question after cleaning up the situation and through interrogation.

Gaon turned his head again to look at the ministers.

Already done for.

The ministers’ minds were completely destroyed.

Even if he cut the threads, they wouldn’t return.

Recovery was impossible.

Gaon waved his hand.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The purple threads all snapped at once.

“Urk!”

And Larun, who was holding the threads, let out a short scream.

“H-How……!”

Following that, Larun stammered.

For some reason, his voice was mixed with not only panic but also fear.

“Do you know what you’ve done!”

Larun shouted at Gaon.

This time, full of anger.

At Larun’s reaction, Gaon looked at the ministers.

Why did Larun show fear?

Right then.

The ministers’ eyes were dyed in various colors.

Green, red, yellow—very diverse.

Not just that.

Their skin also changed according to the eye color.

Those with green eyes to green skin.

Those with red eyes to red skin.

Like that, after the skin was completely dyed, the bodies began to transform.

Arms thickening, or heads enlarging, or hair turning into blades.

Each underwent different transformations.

Of course, not all maintained human form.

Some turned into forms exactly like wolves, and some like slimes.

It wasn’t just the appearance that changed.

The ministers’ energies had become incomparably stronger than before.

So that’s why!

Gaon could understand why Larun was fearful and angry.

Of course, it was an emotion completely unrelated to Gaon.

“Ice Field.”

Crackle!

Gaon cast magic, and the floor froze.

And naturally, most of the ministers turned monsters who had their feet on it froze as well.

The ones who didn’t freeze were Larun, and those with white and blue skin.

Ho?

Gaon was slightly surprised.

Understandably, he had expected Larun not to freeze.

Even if not his own, it was true he possessed immense power.

However, he thought all the transformed ministers turned monsters would freeze.

No matter how stronger they became, they weren’t threatening to Gaon.

Resistance strengthened as well?

As the bodies transformed, he did feel powers of specific attributes.

Red for fire, blue for water, white for ice, etc.

Apparently, through the transformation, they not only gained the power of that attribute but also had resistance extremely strengthened.

Of course, even so, it wasn’t a big problem.

Because he couldn’t only use ice attribute magic.

Hwaruruk!

Gaon cast the second magic, and except for Larun, the white and blue ministers who survived the Ice Field burned up as is.

-Kiiiik!

-Kueeeek!

Letting out screams, the ministers met death.

And Gaon looked at Larun who was left alone.

Larun had a face full of disbelief.

As if he couldn’t believe the current situation.

And Gaon focused on the ominous energy sleeping in Larun’s body.

What is it.

It was definitely a nature he was seeing for the first time.

Yet, it wasn’t unfamiliar.

Seeing for the first time but not unfamiliar meant two things.

First, a case where he already knows but isn’t recognizing.

Second, a case where he knows something similar.

It’s not that he already knows.

He wouldn’t not know such a nature.

In other words, because he knows something similar.

Subdue first.

Gaon ended his thoughts and sent blades of wind toward Larun.

Now he planned to subdue Larun and check directly.

At that moment.

Swaaak!

The ominous energy burst out from Larun’s body and created a curtain.

Grgrgrgrgrgruk!

And on top of it, the blades of wind exploded, starting a power struggle.

Clang!

Soon, after the short power struggle, the curtain was destroyed.

And Gaon panicked.

Because the blades of wind also perished along with the curtain.

It wasn’t ordinary blades of wind.

Blades of wind containing perfection.

And unlike the two magics used just before, containing a considerable level of perfection.

Yet, mutual destruction?

What this meant was one thing.

That perfection existed in the curtain as well.

Right then.

“Urk!”

Larun let out a short scream.

And Larun’s two eyes turned black.

At that moment, Gaon could tell.

That the true owner of the ominous energy had appeared.