“...Perfect timing, Seventh Lord.”
The Black Sea Empress lifted herself lazily from her cocoon.
In her enchantingly shining eyes, she caught sight of the Seventh Lord who had arrived on the battlefield.
***
I glanced down at the demolished fortress with a cold gaze.
I had wondered, and it turned out my speculation was correct.
The King of Earth Hill had chosen to fight rather than surrender?
To my knowledge, he wasn’t the type of person to make such foolish decisions.
No matter what, it was incomprehensible that he would continue the war against the forces of the Black Sea Empress.
There was only one possibility remaining: he surrendered, yet the other side did not accept it.
The reason I came straight from the capital to this place was because I anticipated such a development.
...But in the end, I was too late.
The war had already begun before my arrival, and many people had already died.
Earth Hill seemed to fight desperately, but they couldn’t withstand the power of the Black Sea Empress.
Still, I should be thankful that I had arrived before the fortress was completely destroyed.
“Asher.”
“Yes.”
Asher, who had drawn her sword and waited for the next command, immediately responded.
Half of the insects that were approaching the fortress were already dead from the blow Asher had just struck.
She was ready to rush down and sweep away the remaining insects at a moment’s notice.
For her, such a massacre was unacceptable.
“Go and protect the fortress.”
Nodding, Asher leapt from Ti-Yong’s back toward the fortress, swinging her sword.
A huge storm of sword energy once again swept across the fortress’s outskirts, annihilating the insects.
As I watched that scene, I shifted my gaze.
Towards the military force of the Black Sea Empress, visible in the distance.
Apparently, she had mobilized only a fraction of her forces to attack the fortress.
There were massive insects that could have brought down the walls of the fortress if they wanted to, but they didn’t move a muscle.
“...”
As I examined her military force, I soon realized.
Massive towers filled with enormous insects stood throughout the army.
These towering structures were known as “Mother Towers.”
They represented the central power of the formidable military force commanded by the Black Sea Empress.
Deep within the roots of the Mother Towers, reproductive nuclei merged with the queen body. Through the magical energy supplied by these nuclei, the queen could continuously breed the insects without limit. This was the concept designed within the game.
'There’s 31 of them.'
The current number of visible Mother Tower was 31.
Considering that she wouldn’t have more than 40 queen bodies, it was safe to say she had almost fully mobilized her power. Naturally, she would also be present in this place right now.
I understood its implication.
She brought such a large number of queen bodies to attack just one Earth Hill fortress?
It was beyond display, an action that defied common sense. There was no reason to bring the queen bodies here in the first place.
'She was prepared for my arrival.'
She was assuming I would arrive here on time.
If I hadn’t come or if I had been late, Earth Hill would have been completely destroyed.
I was confused about the intention of the Black Sea Empress.
Did she intend to attack the fort until I arrived? Or was her goal to draw me in from the start?
If it was the former, I didn’t understand why she would risk a conflict with me to take Earth Hill.
What exactly did she hope to gain by going to such lengths in this war?
In the case of the latter, I also couldn’t comprehend the reason behind it.
If she was going to drag me into this, what was the point?
I knew that she harbored negative emotions towards me since the last emergency meeting.
However, if that was the reason she mobilized such forces to engage in a fight...
In any case, she could not kill me. Likewise, I could not kill her.
In the first place, engaging in battle without the permission of the Overlord was prohibited. Even if it came to combat, if she had the intention to kill me, she won’t be able to handle the consequences.
'What are you thinking?'
That’s when it happened.
I could feel immense magical power flowing from the towers of the Black Sea Empress.
Woooom...
I watched with an impassive expression as a massive entity began pouring out from all the towers.
They were swarms of insects.
An enormous horde of insects attacking the fortress, numbering hundreds of times the visible overwhelming amount.
An endless stream of them, clustered together and soon darkened the sky. It was like the word ‘scourge’ had taken on a tangible form.
As the massive insect legion gradually approached this way, the voice of the Black Sea Empress resounded on the battlefield.
“If you can stop it, then try to stop it, Seventh Lord. You have to protect the people in the fortress, right?”
Her voice carried a mix of amusement and mockery.
...Finally, I could grasp the intention of the Eighth Lord.
It seemed like this crazy woman really did all this to provoke me.
“Ha.”
I let out a hollow laugh as I gazed at the towering waves crashing down from the sky.
If I didn’t stop it, the fortress would be swept away in the blink of an eye.
I didn’t want to collide with the Black Sea Empress if possible.
Until I came here, my intention was to avoid collisions as much as possible.
After all, I’d already killed the Sixth Lord, and if I continued to clash with others, the Overlord would definitely take action.
However, if the b*tch came at me like this, I had no choice.
No, it wasn’t that I had no choice, but rather that she really touched my nerves.
“Let’s give it a try.”
Descending a little lower, I immediately activated my [Blood Art].
The legion of the Black Sea Empress charging from the front was truly overwhelming.
It was completely different from the horde of monsters I faced previously in Hallumenta. It wasn’t a scale that could be overwhelmed by just scattering droplets of blood like back then.
Dealing with them in that manner wouldn’t even kill one-tenth of them, and they would reach the fortress before I could attack again.
However, I had an idea.
I had constantly contemplated and researched how to efficiently utilize the abilities I have acquired and adapt them to different situations.
Among them, the synergy between [Instant Kill] and [Blood Art] was the most important aspect I focused on, of course.
I hadn’t had the opportunity to utilize it in actual combat yet, but I had prepared methods to confront enemies of this scale and magnitude.
A method to strike a much wider range with much less blood, compared to scattering droplets of blood.
The blood emitted from my body swirled like mist.
A transformation in nature from a liquid state to a state no different from gas.
In order to make this possible, I tirelessly trained in the art of blood manipulation, enhancing my ability to control blood.
The unleashed [Blood Art] quickly spread in all directions, centered around me.
However, this level of skill was still insufficient to confront such a formidable force.
I focused my [Super Regeneration] ability solely on the regeneration of my blood to continue spreading it.
This was one of the achievements I obtained through research and training. I could also concentrate my regenerative ability on specific parts of my body.
Ahhh!
In no time, a massive blood mist formed, extending hundreds of meters in radius.
I gazed indifferently at the horde of insects swarming towards me, flying into hell.
***
“This is...”
Commander Masto was at a loss for words.
The woman was moving like a beam of light across the battlefield, single-handedly slaying the insects.
With each swing of her sword, hundreds of insects were swept away, instantly reversing the dire situation of the fortress on the verge of collapse.
Longford also gasped for breath as he stared blankly at the Wyvern floating in the sky.
“...It’s the Seventh Lord of Calderic. The Seventh Lord has come to aid us.”
He felt an indescribable mix of emotions, then belatedly regained his composure.
When the opportunity arose, they had to quickly overwhelm the enemy and exterminate them. Of course, the majority of the enemy forces had already been decimated by the powers of the Seventh Lord.
“Your, Your Majesty! Over there...!”
At that moment, a change occurred in the force of the Black Sea Empress far in the distance.
A terrifying number of flying insect monsters began to pour out of the insect towers.
In an instant, they covered the entire sky, gradually closing in on the fortress.
An overwhelming force, as if the previous attack was only a joke.
The soldiers, who had briefly been filled with hope, once again found themselves overwhelmed by despair as they gazed upon the scene.
Asher also paused the battle momentarily and looked up at the sky with a stern face.
A moment later, a thick cloud of blood rose from the Seventh Lord atop the wyvern.
It quickly grew to a size comparable to the approaching forces of the Black Sea Empress, covering the surroundings of the fortress.
“...What is he trying to do?”
The Black Sea Empress, who had been calmly observing the situation through the eyes of her insects, narrowed her eyes. Blood mist?
She had guessed that the Seventh Lord could manipulate blood, but she didn’t know the extent of his abilities.
On the other hand, it appeared to resemble the ability of the Sixth Lord he had killed.
Perhaps poison or mind control? She naturally assumed so.
“If it’s just that, I’m disappointed.”
The insects under the control of the Black Sea Empress were inherently poisonous.
Born of her magic, poison didn’t work on them.
The same applied to mental domination. The insects were no different from a part of her; they were completely bound to her control from birth.
Even if the Seventh Lord employed some trickery, it would be impossible to take away her dominion over them.
“Now, come at me. No matter what you do, my children will destroy this fortress much faster.”
The Black Sea Empress sneered and observed the situation.
And at that moment, the insect legion completely entered the Seventh Lord’s Blood Mist territory.
“...!”
The Black Sea Empress stood up in astonishment.
In an instant, all life signals of the bugs were severed.
The bugs within the Blood Mist descended rapidly towards the ground.
***
I raised my eyebrows as I watched the beetles falling to the ground like scattered ashes.
'That’s that, I guess.'
Instant Kill was an ability whose trigger condition was met just by somehow touching the opponent.
It didn’t matter if it’s a drop of blood or a thousandth of a drop, it just needed to make contact somehow.
That’s why even this was possible.
The moment I let the bugs into the blood mist, my victory was sealed.
“Let’s descend, Ti-Yong.”
I assessed the situation in the fortress and descended to the ground.
I had defended against the attack, but I had no intention of ending it here.
The Black Sea Empress had crossed the line.
She must face the consequences.
“Sir Ron.”
Asher, who had suddenly approached, quickly scanned my body. She had a worried expression.
Considering how it must have appeared as if I had collided head-on with the horde of beetles, it was understandable for her to be concerned.
“I’m fine.”
I had lost quite a bit of blood, but thanks to [Super Regeneration], I was okay. I still had some energy left.
I turned to Asher and gave her an order while surveying the fortress.
“You keep guarding the fortress.”
“What about you, Sir Ron...?”
“It’s not over yet.”
Leaving Asher and Ti-Yong behind, I approached the formidable force of the Black Sea Empress visible beyond the horizon.
By repeatedly using [Space Leap]s, I quickly closed the distance.
Where could the Black Sea Empress be? Well, she’s probably inside the largest tower, I suppose.
As I focused my senses on that place with my [Super Sensory], I could clearly sense a massive presence.
I had no intention of dealing with her.
I slowly activated my [Blood Art] as I approached her presence.
Ssshhh.
The blood mist that started emanating from my body once again slowly engulfed the insects.
Even the small creatures the size of humans and the giant insects as big as castles died instantly upon contact with the blood.
They were not my targets.
Continuing to disperse the blood mist, I moved closer to the nearest tower. The surrounding insects couldn’t approach and continued to perish.
“...Stop!”
Once again, the voice of the Black Sea Empress resounded.
Unlike before, when it sounded cheerful, it was now a voice filled with confusion.
For the Black Sea Empress, the queen body was the core that maintained her immense forces.
But why did she have only a few of them? The reason was, of course, simple.
It was hard to make.
That’s why I had the intention to kill all the queen bodies here.
Shudder.
As the blood mist spread densely throughout the tower, the immense magical reaction vanished, withering away like rotten timber.
After dealing with one, I immediately changed direction towards the next target.
The surrounding insects swarmed more intensely than before.
Some of them shot spider-like webs or magical blasts from a distance, but all their efforts were in vain.
Those who came closer died in the blood mist, and long-range attacks had no effect on me.
I continued to evade and avoid attacks using [Space Leap]s and [Floating Veil].
It was when I was traversing the camp of the Black Sea Empress, killing the sixth queen body...
“Seventh Lord!”
The Black Sea Empress flew into the air from a towering structure in the distance, exuding a vibrant aura of vitality.
I unfolded the [Floating Veil] to block her attacks and then leaped away into the distance.
Although she immediately pursued me, I ignored her and continued with my tasks.
I managed to block and evade her attacks while systematically killing each of her queen bodies.
She didn’t realize it, but of all the Lords, the Black Sea Empress had the worst matchup with me.
Her boasted overwhelming force was ineffective against my [Instant Kill].
It wasn’t even possible for her to maintain a simple protective shield. She was not a mage like the King of the Dead.
The insects that grew stronger by absorbing her magical power might have had high durability against most attacks, but my ability to instantly kill rendered that defense meaningless unless she prevented contact altogether.
Moreover, excluding her military strength, the Black Sea Empress had the lowest personal ability among the Lords.
Her reason for being a Lord was solely due to her control over this massive force of insects.
When considering personal abilities alone, she possessed lower physical abilities than the Tyrant, who was known to have the lowest level among the Lords.
Furthermore, she hadn’t even learned how to handle her body like the Tyrant did.
Despite her persistent pursuit, it was not particularly difficult for me to fend her off.
“Stop, Seventh Lord! Stop! Halt!”
One day, by mere chance, she became a monster with intellect and overflowing power.
That’s the essence of the Black Sea Empress.
The abilities she boasted meant nothing to me.
The Black Sea Empress, fuelled by anger, shouted for me to stop. But more than half of her queen bodies had already perished.
She suddenly changed direction as if she thought it wouldn’t work like this, and charged towards the fortress.
“If you don’t stop, I’ll slaughter the humans in the fortress, you damned human!”
As I tried to shift my focus since it was unavoidable, someone stopped her from rushing towards the fortress.
'Asher.'
It was Asher who stopped the Black Sea Empress.
With her unique abilities, she faced off against the Black Sea Empress, covering her entire body in a pale white color.
“You arrogant woman, how dare you!”
Amidst dozens of exchanges of blows, Asher blocked the Black Sea Empress’s fist with a sword and was knocked away.
Even though the physical abilities of the Black Sea Empress were weak, Asher at level 90 was still no match for her.
“......”
However, Asher quickly got up and blocked the path of the Black Sea Empress once again.
Though it may not be enough to defeat her, it seemed possible to delay her for a while.
With a mocking tone, I spoke to the Black Sea Empress.
“Just wait for a moment. I’ll quickly deal with the rest and come to you.”
As I said that and teleported, the Black Sea Empress had no choice but to hurriedly chase after me.
Of course, nothing changed.
I soon killed all the remaining queen bodies while she watched.
“Ah, ahh...!”
Amidst the piled-up corpses of insects, the Black Sea Empress sat on the ground, partially losing her mind.
I stood in front of her, looking down at her.
She glared at me with a face mixed with despair and anger, as if she couldn’t wait to kill me.
“It... It wasn’t necessary to go this far. Just because of those insignificant humans... You, you...”
“Eighth Lord.”
I whispered to her, getting close to her face.
“Do not dare to oppose me.”
“...”
“If you ever pull such a stunt again, it won’t matter if you’re a Lord or whatever. I will just send yourself straight to the side of the Tyrant.”
The Black Sea Empress trembled slightly but didn’t respond.
She must have clearly understood the difference in power now.
I left her behind and headed towards the fortress.
Asher approached me and bowed her head.
“Thank you for your hard work, Sir Ron.”
I nodded my head.
“You too. Thank you for your hard work.”
On the way to the fortress, I noticed a group of panzers gathered on one side. It was the Kajor Army.
As I purposely approached them, they reluctantly made way with pale and weary faces.
In the midst of them, I saw the King of Kajor.
When I stopped in front of him, he knelt down slowly with an expression mixed with helplessness and despair.
“Please... spare me, Seventh Lord.”
Ignoring him, I continued walking the path I was on.
I intended to leave the decision on how to deal with Kajor to Earth Hill.
Finally, when we arrived at the front of the fortress, people crowded in front of the broken gates.
Earth Hill’s soldiers were in a pitiful state, some even on the verge of death.
There were familiar faces among them. The King of Earth Hill and Teir.
Without anyone speaking, they all stared at me with vacant expressions.
As I surveyed them, I opened my mouth and made a declaration.
“The war is over.”
...Waaaaaah!
There was silence, then a tearing roar erupted from them.
