Chapter 19: The Empire’s Return
In the heart of the human empire, amidst the clash of revolution and emperor, an ancient empire from history finally revealed its true form.
Unwavering, acknowledging their existence without denial, they emerged with calm resolve.
The Black Gold Sovereign declared the empire’s name and began to advance.
Led by Marquis Maximil, the northern lords’ cavalry was swiftly defeated, and their lands were seized with remarkable speed.
The Saxon family’s famed Night Raven knights and dark sorcerers bowed their heads as Dale led them forward.
Yet, for Dale, there was no noble cause or grand mission for the world. It was simply for himself and his own.
Thus, when the “Old Empire” moved into the northern territories of the Ninth Empire, gaining their allegiance was not a difficult task.
Revolution, emperor, and the old empire.
In a continent divided among these three powers, people were once again forced to make a choice.
The legendary “Great Magic Empire” finally broke its silence and began its march southward.
In a noble’s territory, considered the “north” by the standards of the Fourth Empire and the Ninth Empire’s revolutionaries, the Night Raven knights and dark sorcerers made their base.
Their numbers barely reached a few hundred, laughably small to be called an empire.
This was the beginning of a tragedy.
“Only a few hundred?!”
“Yes, even combined, the knights and sorcerers number just a few hundred…”
“But didn’t they say Marquis Maximil and the northern cavalry were completely annihilated?”
“That is true as well!”
“How is that possible? To wipe out the renowned Marquis Maximil and the northern cavalry with just a few hundred soldiers!”
With the massacre of Marquis Maximil’s domain and the northern nobles of the Ninth Empire, the Great Magic Empire was claiming their lands. Yet, upon hearing their numbers, Count Balian, who was tasked with stopping them from the central region, found his mind in turmoil.
A few hundred, just a few hundred.
Even the revolutionary army boasts elite units numbering in the thousands. Yet, these few hundred dare to call themselves the “Great Magic Empire” and intend to subdue the Ninth Empire?
If there had been an overwhelming numerical advantage, surrendering might not have been a bad option. But in this world, choosing the wrong side could lead to execution, a fate not foreign even to the nobility in these times.
He knew the Ninth Empire was rotting from within and that a decision had to be made amidst the emperor and revolution.
And now, another emperor appeared, forcing a new decision upon him.
It was around this time that a secret envoy from the revolutionary army discreetly approached Count Balian.
“We’ve revised the land registry of the northern territories and begun training new soldiers to prepare for invasions from the Ninth Empire and the revolutionaries.”
After hearing the report from a Night Raven knight, Dale nodded calmly.
The former Maximil territory, now a border fortress and forward base for the Fourth Empire’s forces.
“We’ll halt our advance here and begin negotiations with the neighboring powers. In the meantime, ensure the people of these lands are united and protected. Our numbers are indeed small.”
“We will follow your orders, Your Majesty!”
The emperor of the Fourth Empire was not one to sit idly on his throne. Even when he ventured into enemy territory, he did not bring knights or sorcerers for protection.
For this emperor, Dale, was not someone who needed protection. He was the very embodiment of the empire once known as the Great Magic Empire, the Black Gold Sovereign himself.
Thus, entrusting the tasks of this land to others, Dale rose alone.
Beyond the south, towards the chaos where emperor and revolution clashed in the continent’s center.
It wasn’t even an advance. It was merely a man on horseback, setting out on a journey.
Yet, to the Night Raven knights and dark sorcerers watching him, it felt as if the empire itself was alive and moving.
Even the armies of death filling the horizon could not touch this man. For he was the one who could summon such forces.
Upon hearing that the Fourth Empire’s forces numbered only a few hundred, there was despair.
And when the “Fourth Empire” revealed itself, it wasn’t even a few hundred.
There was just one man.
When a man appeared, claiming to be the emperor of the empire, Count Balian wondered if this man had lost his mind.
He appeared alone at the count’s domain, speaking to the guards at the entrance.
“The emperor of the Fourth Empire, the Black Gold Sovereign, has come to see your lord.”
The man wore a robe marked with the Night Raven’s insignia. The shadow beneath the robe was ominously dark.
Perhaps everyone who heard him thought it was the rambling of a madman.
“The count doesn’t have time for a madman’s nonsense!”
“Get lost!”
The guards mocked the man, who remained silent.
“Do I need to show proof for you to believe?”
After a moment of silence, the man asked.
And then he snapped his fingers.
In an instant, the light of the sky vanished. The midday sun, which should have been shining down, was covered by a shroud of darkness.
“Bring the count to me.”
The man spoke from within the darkness, commanding with an authority that extinguished the world’s light.
The guards swallowed hard, hastily turning to report to the count, finally realizing a man had appeared at the entrance.
Just one, only one!
Once again, faced with that number, reason began to falter and wander.
As a count of the empire, he had numerous knights and rare sorcerers at his disposal. Could this be a fight worth attempting? Perhaps the fame of defeating the Fourth Empire’s emperor could become a stepping stone for new ambitions between the emperor and revolution.
“What do you think, Lord Azar?”
The emperor of the Great Magic Empire, after all, was a sorcerer. Thus, the only one he could ask was his direct sorcerer. The count called upon his sorcerer, who in turn asked back.
”…What is that?”
“What do you mean?”
“That man… the power emanating from him… magic? Is that really magic? No, no…”
But the sorcerer continued to speak, as if his understanding was crumbling before something incomprehensible.
“Lord Azar, answer me!”
“Ma, Magic Emperor? What kind of power is that man wielding…? Magic? Darkness? The power from the circle? No, no, none of those… then what is it…?”
There was a madman babbling incoherently.
“Lord Azar, stop your nonsense and get a hold of yourself!”
Just then, the man at the entrance lifted his head. The shadow beneath his robe fixed its gaze on the sorcerer Azar.
An unfathomable darkness writhed beneath the hood like a living creature.
“Ah, ah…”
Azar finally murmured with an expression of understanding.
“Yes, yes, I understand now, Your Majesty!”
“Your, Your Majesty?”
“No, no, that’s not even an emperor! An emperor is human! But that, that being… how dare a mere human describe such an existence! Ah, yes, it’s a demon god!”
With those words, Azar suddenly prostrated himself on the marble floor.
“O Demon God! O Demon God! Forgive me, forgive me!”
Bang! Bang! He began to smash his head against the floor with such force that his skull cracked and shattered.
“What, what is this…!”
Count Balian gasped at the bizarre scene. Yet, he couldn’t make a decision based on the sudden madness of one sorcerer. His mind grew even more tangled.
But more than that, an unknown fear gripped his heart.
There was a powerful, incomprehensible being beyond the world’s understanding, and that being wanted something from him.
Thus, the count, as if drawn by an unseen force, began to walk.
Towards the demon god waiting for him.
“I’ve been expecting you.”
The man spoke, shrouded in darkness, having extinguished the world’s light.
Count Balian and his knights appeared before him, and the count hesitantly spoke.
“Reveal your identity.”
“I’ve already told you.”
The man replied.
“I have many names, and I have given you one of them.”
“The Magic Emperor…”
In an age where magic was dying, the greatest sorcerer stood before them. But was it truly the truth?
Once again, it was about numbers. One, just one. In this era, a single strong individual could never overwhelm a thousand.
But if his words were true, this being was an ancient monster beyond the reach of contemporary understanding.
A single warrior capable of overwhelming a hundred, and a monster who could subdue even those warriors alone.
This was the power of the Black Gold Sovereign, the Mage Emperor, a name whispered in awe and legend. And the man before them claimed that very title.
“What do you want from us?” the count asked, his voice trembling.
The man knelt, an unexpected gesture that startled the count, though it was far from a sign of submission.
He scooped up a handful of earth from the ground and rose to his feet.
“A bit of soil.”
”……!”
“And your knee.”
The meaning behind the man’s words was clear.
In a world where even the mightiest nobles could find themselves at the executioner’s block for choosing the wrong side, Count Balian thought desperately. He thought and thought again.
Silence fell over them.
“Have you made your decision?”
The man broke the silence with his question.
Reason screamed within the count. As a noble, he had knights at his command, and by all logic and the standards of the time, there was no reason to kneel before a man who stood alone without an army.
Yet an inexplicable fear, beyond his understanding, moved his knees.
“I—I offer the soil of this land and my knee… before Your Majesty.”