Chapter 123
Roy:”This war with the demons, how much longer is it going to last?”
Eliza:”Not much longer Roy. We’ve already wiped out more than a third of them.”
Roy:”How many is that?”
Eliza:”About a hundred billion.”
Roy:”A hundred billion! What?”
That number completely shocked me. The demon world was being wiped out? This quickly?
Eliza:”Didn’t you see that attack just now by Erisu? We can also do similar large scale attacks using other elements such as Earth to bury them or fire. Sometimes thunder. The soldiers grow much stronger with every large scale attack and the demons can’t replace their numbers quickly.”
Roy:”They can’t? But aren’t they known for swarming?’
Eliza:”The so called demon lord is really just a demon general, he is about as strong as Erisu is on average. The only reason the demons are such a nuisance is because of their numbers and now that we can contain them, killing them is easy. The more we kill the more powerful the soldiers get. We don’t lose many soldiers in battle anymore.”
Roy:”I’m not sure I understand.”
Eliza smiled then began her explanation.
She began to talk about the demons and what they discovered while they were here. Demons in general can only grow in this world and not in other worlds. Without this world there can be no new demons.
Demons are neither male nor female. They spread their seeds on the soil in this world and young demons grow until maturity. Some will become powerful and strong and some will remain weak. The demons might have intelligence, but they are singular minded in wanting to attack and conquer.
It was as though the demons only purpose of existence was to invade and make a plot problem.
Eliza:”We are not the only continent and world that they invade regularly. There are millions of portals in this world we’ve discovered that go to other worlds that they invade trying to get a foothold and trying to attack.”
Roy:”Why do they attack then?”
Eliza:”It’s rooted in their blood, and I’ve sent some soldiers into some of these open portals and they have their own holy warriors that fight. They don’t have a heroine like ours some of them. Most of them are content simply to seal the demon gate because the demons pour out when its open.”
Roy:”If the demons can spread so quickly then how are you able to wipe them out?”
Eliza put her avatar around mine.
Eliza:”Son, it’s because the rate at which we kill demons and the thoroughness of us destroying their fields is much higher than demons can be planted and grown to maturity. We’ll be done with all of it within a month, the strongest demons are already no match for us in this form.”
The power ups were coming and so it’ll mean the final battle with Anon wouldn’t be as difficult as I thought, hopefully. I can only hope.
Eliza:”Roy, go and finish your business then come back and help us eliminate all the demons. The Alliance won’t make big moves since their leadership is gone, during that time Alondra should be able to take care of the border easily.”
Roy:”Alright mom, I got it.”
I got ready to return to the capital. I suppose I should just put an end to all of it instead of delaying then focus on demon slaying. After that I’ll join Troy 3.0 and Dong Chen to deal with Anon then everything should be easy from that point on.
I just wanted to spend my days leisurely eating and banging, nothing else. Maybe have some kids… I’ll just have the servants raise the kids maybe… no I have to be a good father.
I switched to the Omni-mage and teleported to the capital once more and switched back to the sword and shield. I walked through the gates where there were some guards. The guards stared at me but none of them said or did anything as I walked through.
It had only been a week and they were already giving up and letting me pass. The extreme amount of death that happened was the likely cause as I moved forward. It was still mid afternoon, the men in black were still roaming the streets.
I saw one and walked up to him.
Roy:”Are you going to stop me from seeing the King?”
Man in Black:”No, Sir Roy.”
That was strange. It was like everything happened overnight and it was a huge change. I walked onward to the palace and many people in the streets stared at me as I walked on. Many of them were not actually afraid of me despite the amount of blood I shed.
I saw a small boy off the side of the road waving to me.
Roy:”You’re not afraid of me?”
Boy:”No because you killed the soldiers who killed my brother. Kill all of them!”
A woman quickly grabbed the small boy.
Woman:”Hush, don’t say those things out loud!”
The boy was brought into the small home on the corner of the street as other onlookers said nothing else but stared. You could tell they all wanted me to kill the King but none of them were individually willing to stand up against him themselves.
I really want nothing to do with these people and in the future, but if they attack I won’t have any issue killing their attackers. The Rose Empire wasn’t a place I knew well but Eliza was the Empress and had absolute power. I’m certain that those who live there wish she could be gone just like they wish King Bide would be.
Eventually I reached the castle and the guards there all got out of my way. King Bide was on the map and in the throne room so I walked myself up there to find him sitting on his throne with a few other soldiers around.
There was a glint and a glare from him as he stared at me.
King Bide:”The death of my children wasn’t enough for you?”
Roy:”No, no it wasn’t. It wasn’t just your children who killed my best friend either. You ordered.”
King Bide:”Even if I did, I was merely doing what any King would do in securing the safety of his Kingdom. The people however betrayed me.”
Roy:”You betrayed them.”
King Bide:”I did not betray anyone. I am King. It is only they who can betray me.”
Roy:”What’s the reason the people follow a ruler? Have you ever thought about that question? What’s the reason you would rule? Even a monarch is supposed to have power but for what reason?”
King Bide:”Bloodline and royalty. We gain the greatness of rulership, the greatness of being a King.”
Roy:”Greatness.”
I could only sigh. I don’t want to argue with him anymore. I started taking steps towards him. King Bide was simply a man who believed that everything belonged to him simply for being King. There was nothing else to his mentality and nothing could make him reason. What would be the purpose of giving him reason when he was going to die? Most people die out of stubbornness, and there was no point in learning if one was going to stop existing.
King Bide:”If a King isn’t meant to rule then what is his purpose? Answer me before you kill me.”
Roy:”To serve the people. A King has no power if those under him do not follow. If you rule by fear, then someone they fear more will stop you from ruling. If you rule by generosity then the people will be bought.”
King Bide:”Then how was I supposed to rule?”
Roy:”I don’t know, I don’t want to be a ruler.”
I cut off his head. It was anti-climactic. This world is messed up and the soldiers who were standing around looked to each other then they bowed towards me.
Roy:”Stop! Don’t bow to me, I don’t want to be the ruler. Find someone else. Have your Queen rule, I don’t care.”
Soldier:”Sir Roy, the monarchs of every one in the alliance is dead. There is no one to rule and there is no one who can lead the army.”
I guess there were probably going to be plenty of factions now. Once they realize there is a power vacuum then they’ll try to seize power from each other. All in the middle of a failed demon invasion.
Roy:”You all figure it out. I’m done with my business here.”
I left. I didn’t care. They can figure it out themselves. King Bide was dead and so were the two who killed my best friend. That was all I cared about. I didn’t care for anything else because I had something else to do. Once all the demons were dead they wouldn’t be able to threaten the Empire and I could just live the rest of my life in peace.
I suppose Eliza will probably go on a conquest for the rest of the continent since she has control over the soldiers now. I’ll leave it up to them later.
Night time came and everyone returned to the keep. Erisu and Eliza were eating while the other six were at the table. They were talking about how the people at the border of the Alliance seem to have different orders and began to withdraw away.
Started talking to them about the days events.
Roy:”The monarchs are all dead. Every one of them that was part of the council are gone now.”
They were all a bit surprised.
Eliza:”Dead? All of them?”
Roy:”The soldiers after I killed King Bide told me they were all murdered by him in secret. The goal was to prevent them from spreading out and to maintain the power of the council, but none of it made sense since he gave up his children, killed everyone then ended up giving up when I went to kill him.”
Eliza:”Roy, tell me how you feel now that it’s over. Before we talk about anything else.”
Roy:”I don’t know how to feel. I got my revenge but there is no happiness from it.”
Part of it was how anticlimactic it all was. I could have killed them all but I started out killing his soldiers because I thought it might have more impact. It didn’t. Revenge in stories always felt much deeper with more meaning but in reality it was a silly and even stupid thing.
It made me wonder if writers embellish the desire for revenge and push a happy ending afterward just to push a nice story.
Eliza:”King Bide’s actions would not make sense but you have to understand he was also making decisions under extreme duress.”
Roy:”Extreme duress?”
Alondra:”As a ruler when you have power your world is stabilized by the idea that you will always have power. When something comes and gradually undermines everything you’re able to do and starts exposing people to the farce of the power these rulers hold then the loss of that stability causes strange and often stupid decisions.”
Dhalia:”There can only be one leader, otherwise there is division. Killing the other monarchs meant that the Alliance would be his alone and I’m sure he tried to make you the scapegoat but most would see past that.”
Roy:”People would really fall for that?”
Eliza:”When rulers lie, there are always enough stupid in society to believe them and they try to force that lie onto others. King Bide is dead, it’s over. Let’s clear the demons up for good and then start having children. We’ll return to the Rose Empire after we’re done here.”
I was looking at Eliza smiling at me. Erisu was smiling as well. All of them were smiling and there was a glint in their eyes.
Roy:”I won’t get any rest tonight will I?”
Sperra:”None at all.”
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