What on earth is going on here?

Johann couldn’t grasp the chaotic scene unfolding before him. It was beyond mere betrayal—it was in a realm that defied explanation.

Those guys are Imperial troops.

Whether they were genuinely loyal to the Empire or even willing to sacrifice themselves for it was secondary; as members of the Empire, they were marked.

The self-destruct engraving, in other words, a collar that prevents beasts from acting against their master.

If the royal family commanded it, they could transform into a puddle of blood on a whim. The simple truth is, they couldn’t even dream of rebellion.

No average fool couldn’t possibly not know that. Or at least, that’s what he thought… until he heard the sound of footsteps.

Hundreds, thousands, of footsteps approaching.

But what his eyes registered wasn’t the army of Black Fangs shrouded in black hoods. No, it was the Imperial insignia—those faces that were all too familiar.

The troops sent out five minutes ago were suddenly returning like a boomerang.

‘…Are they running away?’

Johann desperately wracked his brain, eventually settling on that conclusion. The enemy was none other than the Black Fangs, after all.

Attacking their minds. Using illusions. They might have thrown those fools into a panic.

With that thought, everything clicked into place.

It was just as Johann approached the first soldier who came running, hoping to purify his mind with divine power, that it happened.

“Y-you shall die!”

The soldier swung his sword at him.

Of course, Johann deftly caught the blade before it could touch his neck. But his expression only deepened in confusion.

‘It’s not working…?’

He had cleansed the guy’s mind with divine power, but the knight was still charging at him, eyes wild.

“Commander Heinrich! Are you okay?!”

Amidst his disorientation came the urgent voice of his lieutenant. The commander hurried towards him as if he were the only one maintaining his sanity amidst the chaos.

“Report immediately. What the hell is happening?”

“Report? What do you mean?! Can’t you see that winged horse over there?!”

Winged horse?

Johann couldn’t hide his confusion as he looked where the lieutenant was pointing. And… nothing was happening.

The only thing he felt was a bizarre sensation around his neck.

To figure out what this feeling was, Johann instinctively looked at his neck. There were no wounds, but…

It wasn’t there.

The necklace.

An object infused with the power of his friend.

And concurrently, a communication device to connect with him.

What had happened was painfully obvious.

“You bastard…”

The lieutenant.

Among those who could have received the Emperor’s power designated for swordmasters, there was only one possible individual in that moment.

The lieutenant had long since switched sides.

“Are you itching to die? Have you already forgotten about the engraving on your neck?”

Johann gritted his teeth and shouted.

But the response he got was utterly bizarre.

“I know about that. But I can’t help it!”

The man swung his sword with a tearful face.

Once a promising candidate for swordmaster in his youth, he now unleashed a blow that squeezed every bit of mana he had left.

Even if he was a swordmaster, getting hit by that would cause serious damage. So he had to block it…

“Damn it, could you just die already?!”

“You’re the one who needs to die for us to survive!”

The soldiers screamed, unleashing swords everywhere. Some were channeling not only their mana but even their life force into their strikes.

The gap in skill was clear, but even so, there were too many of them. He swung his sword with all his might, trying to blow away the incoming strikes with sheer wind pressure.

‘…Crap.’

It never ends.

No matter how many he blocked, more kept coming.

There was no chance to pick off the stragglers; the lieutenant was locking onto him like a heat-seeking missile, making sure he couldn’t reach anyone else.

The fierce combat continued.

Of course, as they were drawing on their life forces, the longer the fight dragged on, the more advantageous it would become for Johann’s side.

Yet from afar, he felt a bizarre energy.

Divine power.

The energy of the World Tree.

Mana, along with a grotesque curse.

It seemed someone was intensifying an immense amount of that power into a single point. It was painfully clear they were preparing for a final strike.

If time was wasted here, he would face that strike directly and fall.

He needed to urgently eliminate these guys and escape their range.

‘But how?’

He felt like killing them all.

Even force-triggering the self-destruct engravings on their necks.

But that was impossible. Not a single member of the Imperial royal family remained here to activate the self-destruct engravings.

The first prince was missing. The second prince was probably off playing detective somewhere in the Great Forest.

The first and second princesses?

The saint of justice and the saint of war had already been absorbed by his friend. The only one left was the third princess, whose whereabouts were also a mystery.

The last report had said she disappeared with that kid named Zion, but were they off enjoying a secret rendezvous?

If those two figured out what was happening in the palace and returned to save the Empire, things would surely turn around in an instant.

But there was not a hint of that happening.

The path ahead seemed hopelessly bleak.

As he grimaced and clenched his teeth, footsteps echoed nearby. Someone was urgently approaching from afar, and it was all too clear who it would be.

“Commander Heinrich? What on earth…?”

The 45th and 48th Divisions.

And even the Magical Engineering Weapons Research Department.

Finally, reinforcements had arrived just in time. This was enough. They could surely turn the tide now. A smile involuntarily crept onto his face, but…

‘No room for complacency here.’

As if on cue, a man wielding a brilliantly shimmering sword approached from a distance. He was clearly attempting to brainwash these soldiers, just like before, making them his pawns.

If that happened, their already slim chances would plummet even further. This was the moment for a decisive action.

‘No time left to hold back.’

A powerful brainwash capable of bypassing even his divine power. But despite that, he had enough means to counteract it.

An emergency item he had prepared.

An immense divine power capable of leveling a whole kingdom. This power was contained in a small artifact he had gathered over ten years.

Originally, the plan was to use it as leverage to hold the entire capital hostage. But plans had changed. The power was to be used here and now.

“…O Light who blankets us all equally.”

Repulsive. To utter praise for that damned goddess felt like it would make him gag at any moment. But there was no choice if he sought to execute his plan.

“May you protect us from all wickedness and malice.”

At that moment, a barrier unfurled.

An overwhelming divine power. Even if the Lord of Great Demons appeared, casting brainwash curses here would be nearly impossible.

Yet, bizarrely enough, the enemy hadn’t shown a flicker of surprise at the barrier’s emergence.

He wore an unnaturally calm smile and shouted, “If that fake Heinrich is still alive in an hour, you all should commit suicide.”

Those words were void of any magic.

The ritual hadn’t even been established, so there was neither curse nor magic being cast. His statement should have been completely devoid of meaning.

Or at least that’s what he believed.

But the faces of those surrounding him turned pale.

Like someone facing real death, they began to sweat anxiously. It was all too clear what was unfolding before them.

‘Did it work?’

Even the ancient god dragons couldn’t wield such a powerful command. How in the world could the leader of the Black Fangs manage this?

Johann’s face morphed into a question mark.

He couldn’t catch a grasp of the identity of the man before him. But what was more crucial was…

‘It’s dangerous.’

There were no means left to escape.

What had already been a dire situation had now become far worse with reinforcements potentially brainwashed. If that boy unleashed a fully-charged strike, there’d be no counter to it.

But… he couldn’t give up here.

He hadn’t achieved his goals yet. He hadn’t even obtained his revenge. Falling here was not an option.

He needed to survive.

By any means necessary.

He frantically scanned for an opportunity, his mind racing, and in his line of sight appeared… perfectly ripe bait.

*

It was a situation that had been unraveling smoothly.

With every ounce of power gathered, he was ready to swing his sword when suddenly, an unexpected twist occurred.

“Feel free to attack.”

A voice echoed from a distance. My gaze instinctively shifted toward the source.

“As long as that child is of no concern to you.”

It was Heinrich who was holding captive a girl with platinum hair. A familiar face he had encountered several times before. In short… an elf.

My companion had been taken hostage.

“If you command your forces to retreat and let us leave, I swear on my mana that this child will be returned unharmed.”

Normally, such a proposal would never hold water.

Yet the expression on that fake Heinrich’s face was far too confident. He must have had an inkling.

Based on the events from that previous relief center incident in the slum, he likely figured out that I wasn’t cold-blooded enough to easily cut ties with my companions.

In this situation.

I had only one thing to consider.

No matter how important it was to capture Heinrich, nothing was more precious than a human life. Thus, taking a step back here was… obviously out of the question.

I tightened my stance.

Ready to swing the Holy Sword to unleash all my power. Naturally, Heinrich’s face turned to despair.

“W-wait! Do you mean that child’s life doesn’t matter to you?! If any attack happens, I may not survive, but she won’t last!”

He looked panicked.

Desperately yelling to me, “You know, that’s risky, right?!”

“I’m aware. So what of it?”

I responded firmly.

If you’re going to take a hostage, you should have gone for Lien instead.

I don’t particularly like elves, and they’re more like slaves to me than companions.

Of course, I have a principle that if there’s someone I can save, I’ll save them…

“Either way, I can just bring them back.”

It’s not a big deal if they die; I can just use a Dragon Ball to resurrect them, right? Why all the fuss about death? I grinned wickedly at the pale-faced Heinrich.

『Holy Sword…

“W-wait! Just hold on a minute!”

As if realizing his situation.

The fake Heinrich shouted hastily.

Conditions being established. 』

Unfortunately, by now, I had no patience to wait.