Chapter 258

An explosion so massive it could be mistaken for a high-level magic spell from the Crimson Mage Tower.

A mushroom cloud blanketed the night sky, and a veritable storm of annihilation swept through.

Its absurdly destructive power rivaled that of a tactical nuclear weapon. Within the explosion, Dale swiftly raised his Shield of Darkness.

An overwhelming blast that shook even the Shadow Lord’s shield. Those without the strength to raise a shield needn’t be mentioned.

When the heat finally subsided and he looked around, he found himself in the hollow of a vast, empty crater.

Dale, Rize, and Sepia, left behind there, remained silent as if they couldn’t believe it.

“What the hell is this…”

Not only the kidnappers and their hideout, but the entire city district had literally been erased from the map.

There weren’t even recognizable ruins or people moaning in pain. Because literally, there was nothing left there.

“Just to silence them…?”

Dale muttered flatly, as if he couldn’t believe it.

Outsiders, the outsiders. These events unfolded the moment their very existence was spoken.

“Come on, Bernie?”

Unable to comprehend what had happened in the explosion, Riza tilted her head in confusion.

“What the hell is this…”

“Don’t worry, Rize.”

Before Rize could say anything else, Dale quietly embraced her and whispered. Sepia, who had similarly raised a shield of cold air, continued.

“It’s utterly impossible.”

Hearing her words, Dale nodded stoically.

“They’re the kind of people who would do something like this just for mentioning their names. They’re definitely not ordinary opponents.”

“……I thought the war was over.”

Sepia muttered bitterly. The end of the universe, winter itself retreating, the golden empire crumbling. He thought there was no such thing as war. He was wrong.

“We must pursue them.”

“But the link who knew their whereabouts is gone. What are we to do?”

“Those here are merely pawns. Those capable of orchestrating an operation of this scale must surely be connected to others of even greater stature.”

Saying this, Dale turned his head.

The one who claimed to be the ruler of this land, Balain, the White Kingdom. The duty Dale was originally meant to fulfill as the Watcher of Kings.

At first, I planned to gather evidence step by step from the bottom up, but the situation changed.

“Where did everyone in this city go?”

Just then, Riza whispered from Dale’s embrace. Even after witnessing what unfolded right before her eyes, she couldn’t accept what had happened, tilting her head as if unable to comprehend it.

“……”

Dale didn’t answer immediately. He paused, considering what to say to Rize, who was still just a child, then shook his head.

“There was an explosion.”

Dale said after the silence.

“It was a massive explosion that engulfed the entire city. No one else survived here except us.”

“Everyone’s dead?”

“Yes.”

“Why…”

Riza murmured, her voice breaking.

“Why would they commit such a cruel act?”

“Because they have the power to.”

Dale answered. His voice was cold, devoid of even a trace of emotion.

“That’s all.”

Some time later.

Dale was walking toward the Count’s Castle, located right there in the capital of the Balainia Kingdom.

“Who goes there!”

The knights guarding the castle gripped their swords tighter and asked his name. Dale removed his cloak and answered calmly.

“I’ve come to see the Count.”

“What…?”

“As the leader of the Grand Duchy of Saxony, to hold your sovereign accountable.”

Dale declared. At that name, the knights momentarily held their breath, only to respond with expressions of utter disbelief.

“The Grand Duke of Saxony, ruler of the realm, has come to the White Kingdom in the dead of night without any formalities?”

“Yes.”

No matter how much he claims to represent the nation, he is ultimately just a count of a moderately powerful county and nothing more than its local lord. And the knights guarding that place would hardly remember the face of the leader of the Northern Saxon Grand Duchy, the Count of Jet Black.

“Don’t believe me?”

Dale tilted his head and stretched out his arm. The seven circles and the shadow circle within his heart accelerated, and the darkness that the continent’s foremost dark mage boasted of swirled up from beneath his feet.

“I’ll ask again. Is it truly so suspicious that the Grand Duke of Saxony, ruler of the world, would come to see the monarch of the White Kingdom without even formal protocol?”

The darkness danced as if ready to swallow the soldiers whole, turning the knights’ faces deathly pale.

“No! We, we were just…”

“I have no intention of speaking at length. Tell Dale of Saxony, the Lord of Jet, that he has come to see your sovereign.”

“Understood!”

Dale spoke, and the knights hurriedly turned their backs and retreated.

“Brother…”

Watching Dale continue coldly, Rize quietly called his name. Her expression was as if she were seeing not the brother she had known until now, but a completely unfamiliar being.

“Are you afraid of me, Rize?”

“N-no, I’m not.”

Riza shook her head urgently.

“It’s just that it’s so different from how you act in front of me, so I was a little surprised.”

“You must have been quite startled.”

“……”

“That’s why I wanted Riza to join us on this journey.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to show her a side of me she didn’t know.”

Dale said.

“Both I and my father are powerful figures as heads of the Saxon ducal house, and I wanted to show her how our Saxon house wields that power.”

“Power…”

“And the power I possess is also yours.”

Dale said.

“I hope that when you become a person of power in the future, you will think about how to use that power.”

“…….”

Riza remained silent, and Dale proceeded toward the grand hall of the count’s castle. Soon, Count Valaina, ruler of the White Kingdom yet still bearing the title of count, appeared there.

In the Imperial Parliament, that man had long remembered the face of the Count of Jet Black.

And he knew full well that even if that figure stood alone, without a single guard, even if this was his kingdom, there was nothing he could do about it.

Even if he were to muster all his knights, mages, and able-bodied men who can wield weapons, they would not be a match for him.

A single gesture from that monster would sweep them all away.

“Now then, Your Highness, the Grand Duke of Saxony…!”

Therefore, there was only one course of action left for him.

“Wh-why did you come to this humble place without warning?!”

Count Valaina knelt.

“Do you remember the explosion that occurred in your domain?”

“Y-Yes! I am still trying to grasp what happened…”

“Do you know anything about the Outsider?”

Dale asked back. The count’s expression turned icy. Yet the moment Dale spoke, the entire world flipped upside down.

Still, the white and dark winter night remained there.

“I’ll ask again. Do you know anything about the Outsider?”

“I, I don’t understand what you’re saying…”

Before he could finish, darkness swirled up from beneath Dale’s feet. It paid no heed to the presence of Lize and Sepia, who still watched him.

The usual, utterly cruel pitch-black void was there.

The swirling darkness bound his limbs like tentacles, and Dale walked on impassively.

“An entire city vanished from the map, and every soul within it was reduced to ashes. Do I still look like I have the time to indulge your nonsense?”

Dale continued.

“Close your eyes, Rize.”

Sefia, grasping the meaning instantly, swiftly covered Rize’s eyes.

Splash!

A scream echoed. From the shadows, a spike shot up and plunged straight into the count’s body, blood spattering.

“I’ve heard they’re interested in the beings of this continent—especially the elves—and treat them as ‘merchandise.’ Right here, right now, reveal everything you know about the outsiders.”

“They… they will reveal themselves directly…”

“They’ll reveal themselves?”

“Because the Outsiders have been here from the very beginning!”

Count Balina shouted in agony. And no sooner had the words left his mouth than the world of thought Dale was unfolding began to warp.

Within the world of thought unfolded by the High Mage, the intruders were finally revealing themselves.

“……!”

And seeing the appearance of those outsiders, Dale too gasped.

The beings there were not human. They weren’t even alive. They were simply entities composed entirely of a smooth, metallic texture.

Bipedal automatons, Automata, stood there.

“Outsiders…?”

“■■■■─.”

The Outsider opened its mouth in an incomprehensible voice, and simultaneously, hot gas erupted from its body. It was steam.

─ Ugh, how boring!

Just then, Shub appeared beside Dale.

─ They’re not human! Utterly boring creatures.

“……Count, how did you converse with those beings?”

“Understanding your inefficient and utterly primitive words is no trouble for us.”

At the same time, one of the outsiders answered. Hearing that, Dale burst out laughing.

“Are you truly those who came from the eastern continent?”

“Belle Epoque. So that’s what you call our land.”

The outsider answered. Each time his voice echoed, steam spewed forth from his body once more.

“What are you scheming for as you seize the beings of this continent?”

“Do not misunderstand, you utterly imperfect mortal.”

Mortals. At that word, Dale gave another bitter smile.

“We have come solely to reform you.”

“Reform?”

“We have come to willingly bestow upon you the baptism of ascension, you who rely on an utterly imperfect organic structure.”

“……”

“And the baptism of ascension will begin with the elves, the species possessing high synchronization rates with the nanomachines in the atmosphere.”

The Outsider spoke without a shred of doubt or hesitation. Hearing those words, not even a laugh escaped him.

“Do not resist. Accept it. This is for the good of us all.”

“That’s impossible.”

“We cannot respect all those uncivilized people who abandon the baptism of ascension and reject enlightenment.”

“Then what do you intend to do?”

Dale retorted, and simultaneously, the Outsider extended his arm.

The nanomachines that had once covered the old Earth, the mana scattered by the goddess Sistina, began to fuse with their bodies.

This was not the magician’s method of using a circle to absorb and process mana into the body. Eliminating all cumbersome processes, the mana in the atmosphere fused directly with their flesh.

“Annihilate.”

The swirling mana coated their metallic bodies, finally beginning to form the shape of weapons.

It wasn’t the cold weapons like swords or spears that were so commonplace in this world.

Hot Weapons… Countless muzzles were aimed at Dale and his companions.

The triggers were pulled simultaneously.