Chapter 276 145. In the Name of the Holy King -1 (Part Two)
Chapter 276: 145. In the Name of the Holy King -1 (Part Two)
Translated by A Passing Wanderer
Edited by RED
**
The night came and went.
The bright sun rose to announce the arrival of the new morning to Laurensis, the imperial capital of the Theocratic Empire.
The ocean of people was so vast that it was impossible to count them all. It filled up the various wide roads of the city.
Travellers and nobles coming from all corners of the continent arrived today to witness the coronation of the noble Holy King.
At the same time, in an abandoned house somewhere in Laurensis…
The Progenitors, who had taken up residence here, were putting on a facade of regular humans.
Infiltrating the imperial capital was incredibly tough. Perhaps due to the coronation of the Holy King, the entry inspection proved to be very strict.
Priests had set up camps in front of the outer gates, and proceeded to do something utterly insane to every person wanting to enter: injecting divinity into their heads!
A blood-creation would’ve screamed from the sheer torment, which would’ve led to them being beheaded right there and then.
The Progenitors barely managed to infiltrate nonetheless by sucking up the intense pain. But now, they were planning to do something even more reckless.
“…You want to attack the Holy King?”
The pasty complexions of the Progenitors paled even further.
The Count-class and higher vampires had already fled from the capital a while ago. The remaining eight Progenitors were merely Barons, Viscounts, and Marquis Kirum. That was it. One of them was even gradually wasting away now.
The Progenitors turned their heads and stared at the creature in question, the one still holding that distinctive crimson jewel.
“…Are you really Count Timong?”
His flesh had melted down. Vampires boasted an exceptional regenerative ability, yet his hand, his feet, and even the rest of his body were basically bones.
Right now he resembled an aged zombie that had lost most of its old appearance.
Despite boasting the noble peerage of Count, he couldn’t even do anything about his current hideous appearance, and had to suffer the indignity of stuffing himself inside a jar loaded onto a wagon so that he could slip into the city.
Bandages were tightly wrapped around almost his entire body, allowing him to barely maintain his still-melting body.
The sound of a portion of his spine, still bent like a hunchback, collapsing and breaking apart could be heard.
This creature, he… was slowly dying.
“Who do I look like, then?” Count Timong retorted while scanning the gathered vampire nobles.
His eyes were stained raw with madness, but somehow he had still managed to hold onto his rationality. He was trying quite hard to rein in his emotions so that he’d get the chance to vent his rage and hatred.
He continued on, “And besides, we are not attacking the Holy King, but the one who’s about to become it.”
While saying that, Count Timong staggered weakly, and had to sit down on the spot. He panted laboriously and vomited out a mouthful of blood.
The blood contained demonic energy, and instantly caught fire as soon as it was exposed to the air, evaporating. The Progenitors watching this scene paled even further.
“You wish to seal the Holy King?! Do you think such a plan is even logical?!”
“Leave me out of this plan of yours!”
The plan being put forward here was to Seal away the candidate to the position of the Holy King, Seventh Imperial Prince Allen Olfolse.
{Rather than thinking of living like some rats in a hole, show the world the pride of Vampires by sacrificing our lives. Be a hero, and seal the Holy King away! When you do, His Majesty the Vampire King shall remember you all!}
The Progenitors had been entranced by Count Timong’s powerful declaration and had come here. But after thinking about it some more, it became clear to them that this whole thing was an act of pure madness.
Not only were they stuck in the middle of the enemy territory, they were now being told to seal the figurative leader of the human monsters, the Holy King!
Was such a thing even possible in the first place?
Marquis Kirum, sitting on a worn-down chair with his fingers interlocked, continued to stare at Count Timong. “This sealing of the Holy King. Is it really possible?”
“Yes, it is possible. It is! Demonic energy might be leaking out of this thing, but the gateway to Purgatory can still be opened. And with my alchemical skill, I can still send at least one person to that side, in this case the Holy King!”
Marquis Kirum narrowed his eyes. “Aren’t you being too blinded by your desire for revenge?”
“That’s right. I won’t deny your accusation. But Marquis, hear me well. I’m an Alchemist. I act based not on my emotions, but my rationality.” Count Timong shot a pointed glare in Marquis Kirum’s direction. “The sealing of the Holy King, it’s not an impossible task. Not at all.”
“…”
“You must’ve seen it, too. The power of the Holy King… That horrifying power; that vicious, merciless personality!”
Marquis Kirum didn’t deny that. The Seventh Imperial Prince was indeed powerful and vicious, after all.
“Now tell me, can we afford to leave such a human unchecked? I’m asking you all this favour. Lend me your strength. I won’t live for long. I will soon break down to ashes and die. But before that happens, give me a chance to exact my revenge on the bastard that has spat on my beliefs and on my life that has lasted one and a half millennia!”
Count Timong went down on his knees. He even planted his head on the floor.
As tears of blood trickled down from his eyes, Timong even began pleading as well. “I beg of you, please help me, Your Excellency, Marquis Kirum!”
Other than the Vampire King, Count Timong had never used the honorifics of other vampires. Such a man was discarding his lofty pride to earnestly beg them right now.
Marquis Kirum watching this scene shed even more cold sweat than before. He now had to make a decision.
Whether to wait for the next hundred fifty years while suffering intense oppression, or seal that damn Holy King away and become heroes that welcomed the advent of a new world for the vampires.
“…Marquis, sir. It’s already time.”
“Their pilgrimage will soon begin.”
Their only opportunity was during the pilgrimage itself. The Imperial Family members should be blinded by their arrogance, born out of the heavy security and their own absurd level of strength.
As such, they would no doubt show many openings and let down their guard. That opening was the only chance the vampires would ever get to seal the Holy King away.
Marquis Kirum sucked in a deep breath. He had finally come to a decision.
“…We’ll do it.”
The Progenitors froze up. Their bodies began trembling from fear.
Marquis Kirum glared at them. “Didn’t we all say we’d do it, already?”
His Spirit Speech forced the bodies of the other Progenitors to move against their will.
“Hold on, Marquis Kirum.”
Before Kirum could leave the dilapidated house, he turned around to look at Timong.
“You shouldn’t step forward during this operation. However…”
Kirum stared at Count Timong in slight puzzlement.
“I have another favour to ask of you.”
**
Vampires melted into the huge sea of humans on the streets. They were now biding their time.
Their plan was to attract attention, and the moment the Seventh Imperial Prince got too complacent, Count Timong would use Mist Calf’s heart to seal that boy away.
‘And they are indeed being careless right now.’
Behold the state of the streets right now! There were only the bare-minimum necessary Paladins manning their posts.
The Seventh Imperial Prince had taken the lives of so many Progenitors before now. He had become far too confident of his own combat prowess, which had resulted in him climbing up to the role of Holy King.
‘We shall strike him when he’s the most defenceless.’
‘According to the reports, he’s merely a strong human if he doesn’t use his relics.’
The vampires were getting tense. Despite trembling in fear, they still pushed the crowd of people aside and continued to advance.
The road leading up to Goddess Gaia’s massive statue in the main plaza was restricted by the Paladins. The sea of onlookers still rushed in from the left and right side of the road, however.
Bells started ringing next, and the people carrying flower baskets began scattering flower petals everywhere.
Marquis Kirum, still in his court jester get-up, and Count Timong, under a thick robe, also dug into the large crowd of onlookers.
There were plenty of opportunities. The cheering of the crowd would grow more raucous when the Seventh Imperial Prince made his entrance, which in turn would bury most other noises, making it easier for the vampires to act.
The breathing of the vampires grew heavier and faster. They focused their thoughts, preparing themselves so that they could rouse their demonic energy at a moment’s notice.
‘He only has to come near us.’
‘Just one chance. One opening, that’s all!’
‘Our role is to simply distract him. Everything will be solved when we…’
Suddenly, all cheering abruptly came to a halt.
The vampires flinched and clamped their mouths shut.
The eerie silence suddenly descended everywhere after every single person present stopped making any sound.
‘What’s this? What happened?’
The flower petals falling from the heavens vanished, only to be replaced by ‘snow’. At the same time, faint sounds could be heard coming from afar.
That sound was actually a sacred hymn being sung.
The subjects of the empire standing before the entrance to the Imperial Palace slowly raised their heads.
Boom… Boom… Boom-!
Marquis Kirum was utterly stupefied by what he saw next. He had also raised his head up to see, just like the humans around him.
The eyes of a young child among the crowd went round in surprise as he shouted something out loudly, “Mommy, it’s a dragon!”
Almost at the same time, Marquis Kirum gasped out as well, “Oh, my dear lord Vampire King!”
BOOM-!
The well-polished road’s surface began breaking apart. Thick, large claws dug in and shattered the ground as the creature marched on.
Its large heart was pounding away loudly. Every single beat of the heart sent out waves of divinity into its surroundings.
This legendary creature that boasted the lengthy spine and an equally-long tail connected at the end, the horn and sharp fangs oozing with majestic dignity, and the wings made out of bone…
…It was the Bone Dragon!
This legendary creature was taking the lead in the pilgrimage.
A throne was placed on top of this creature, and a person was seated upon it.
Behind the Bone Dragon were rows of undead marching forward in a well-drilled manner. Flags attached to the ends of the spear shafts they held up danced in the winds. The eyes of the musket-wielding undead were glowing sharply, even under the sunlight.
Undead were also carrying a sedan chair, and Alice, riding on top of it, was singing a sacred hymn for all to hear.
A Bone Wyvern was flying in the air, and swooped low towards the ground. The empire’s subjects, rendered speechless before now, all erupted in loud cheers.
They extended their hands towards the Seventh Imperial Prince. Their loud calls and clamouring in turn deafened the vampires hidden among them.
Marquis Kirum and Count Timong felt their consciousness grow fainter from this spectacle.
Hans, walking among the marching undead, used a magic tool and broadcast his voice for all to hear.
“Now behold. Take a look, you abominable vampires!”
These humans already knew it.
“This is our noble and grand power!”
They knew that vampires were planning to sneak attack them.
“Engrave this scene to your memory and be fearful. Hide away, and shiver in your terror!”
Marquis Kirum clenched his teeth. They had failed. They needed to flee from here right now.
Letting down their guard? Sealing the Holy King away? No, that bastard had not let his guard down at all.
Sealing him would be an impossibility now.
But that was no longer surprising, because he was…
“He is the emissary of the goddess who will pass judgement on the false lives! He is the true…”
The Seventh Imperial Prince sitting on the throne, Allen Olfolse, slowly raised his head.
“…Holy King!”
Marquis Kirum took in the boy prince’s figure and shuddered in fright. “Allen Olfolse…”
The one about to ascend to the Holy King’s throne had revealed his full majestic grandeur in front of the vampires.
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