Chapter 320.1. Emperor And Duke

-Emperor’s POV-
Kanna Dukedom’s hotel was renowned for its top-notch interior and furnishings, a place people aspired to stay at least once. However, the once magnificent hotel was now in complete disarray.
The average salaryman’s yearly earnings would probably shatter the vases, and the , worth an amount that could buy a house on their own, were reduced to ashes. The beautiful wooden doors that graced the floor were nowhere to be found, the floors were riddled with cracks, and the walls were pockmarked.
The hotel had now reached the brink of ruin, with explosions echoing, flames and lightning soaring, and bullets raining down.
Currently, a fierce battle between the group led by Emperor and the private soldiers of Duke Kanna was taking place on the middle floors of the hotel.
Many soldiers lay fallen on the floor, and yet, without concern for the fallen soldiers, new soldiers stood their ground, pushing the Emperor back.
“Isn’t it just awful to see so many who take lives so lightly?”
The Emperor, Touya, sighed as he pointed his sword towards the enemy soldiers standing before him.
“Don’t you think the same way?”
“You, the Emperor who cares not for the people, shall meet your end here!”
Without listening to what the others had to say, the soldiers attacked. First, they used feints and compact movements, presenting their swords.
This strategy prioritized speed over power, ensuring they could respond immediately even if their attack got blocked. Moreover, several other soldiers were around, making it easier to support each other in battle.
For highly trained military soldiers, ordinary soldiers would likely be suppressed and killed like chess pieces.
“I wonder if this old man remembers anyone?”
However, Touya was no ordinary warrior.
[Radiant Ring Sword]
With a faint sound, like the ringing of a small bell, Touya’s arm disappeared before he swung his sword.
The soldier’s body was cut in two by the Radiant Ring. As the dismembered remains of the soldier fell to the ground, the Radiant Ring passed through the bodies of other soldiers, turning them into flesh fragments.
It was an incredibly powerful strike that easily shattered the magic barrier.
“Since you seem to have forgotten my power, I’ll remind you. You can’t dodge the Speed of Light Sword. Did you understand that?”
With a bloodless sword in hand, he murmured matter-of-factly.
“But, things might get a little troublesome.”
Seeing new soldiers rushing in as reinforcements from the stairs, he sighed.
“How many of these do I have to defeat?”
“Your Majesty, please step aside for now!”
[Darkness Sword 1st Style, Giant Skeleton Swords]
As Touya passed, Ouga assumed a stance and sent mana into his sword. The sword was covered by a giant bone, growing as tall as the ceiling.
“Hmph!”
“Guha!”
With a cry of tearing cloth, Ouga swung the giant bone sword horizontally, smashing the new reinforcements with its colossal mass. The soldiers were crushed by the bones and let out death throes.
“Ouga-kun, thank you~”
“No, it seems we have a long way to go before breaking through. Let’s keep moving while taking some rest whenever possible.”
Touya, who smiled and expressed his gratitude, received a serious response from Ouga. 
Touya couldn’t help but think that Ouga was a stern person, no matter the circumstances.
“Well, but these high-rise hotels are quite troublesome, aren’t they? How many more floors do we have to descend before we can get outside? I’m getting fed up with this, old man.”
“Father, there are quite a number of enemy forces. It seems like there are people who are clearly not military personnel mixed in, and no matter how many we defeat, there’s no end in sight.”
Nobunaga, his son, wiped his forehead and furrowed his brow as he looked toward the exit. Indeed, all the enemy soldiers seemed to have decent skills. 
In other words, they were opponents whose skill was on the edge of needing to expend mana in battle to defeat, and as a result, they were gradually getting worn down.
“We’ve only cleared about half… This is tough. Is everyone’s mana okay?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. We can still fight.”
Ouga’s daughter, Yamiyo, replied with resilience without showing signs of fatigue. Other subordinates agreed as well, but signs of exhaustion were starting to appear here and there. At this rate, everyone might run out of mana before reaching the exit.
However, there was no breakthrough strategy. They could only clear one floor at a time. It was like a dungeon where they couldn’t rest.
“There they are! Attack!”
The sound of new soldiers rushing up the stairs echoed. Touya felt exasperated by the thought of how many there were.
“Just cut and thrust through, huh? It might be tough for an old man like me!”
With a sharp gaze, Tōya quickly closed the distance with the soldiers.
[Light Sword Dance]
Touya’s body blurred, and streaks of light danced as he pierced through the enemy soldiers. The enemy soldiers couldn’t even launch an attack and fell to the ground, spewing fresh blood.
While it seemed like an easy victory, Touya’s expression wasn’t good. He looked at his sword, puzzled.
“The resistance has been strange since earlier… I don’t know where it’s coming from, but I feel something’s off.”
“Your Majesty, I’ve felt the same since earlier. The resistance feels a bit strange.”
“I don’t think it’s illusions, monsters, or curses… Something’s off. Everyone, be cautious.”
An unpleasant premonition crossed their minds, but they could do nothing. The unnatural number of enemy soldiers and this sensation suggested that Duke Kanna was up to something.
“Your Majesty, I’ll head down to the lower floors.”
A subordinate guard assigned as a scout carefully descended the stairs.
Touya tried to take a moment to rest while waiting for his subordinate to return, but…
“You! Gah!”
The scream of the guard descending the lower floors reached them, and they quickly tensed up and rushed down the stairs as if they were falling.