The Main Heroines are Trying to Kill Me
Chapter 321: The Emperor… Spoke Back?

- Toot! Tooot...!

"We’re under attack!! All troops to your positions!"

The imperial palace soldiers, upon spotting the rapidly advancing princess's army, started yelling at the top of their lungs and moving about busily.

"Close the gate!!"

The Imperial Knight Commander raised his sword high, and prompted the slow closing of the palace gates.

- Woong... Woong...

Simultaneously, countless magical circles began to emerge on the door.

The ancient magics that had made the imperial palace an impregnable fortress for a thousand years began to exert its power.

- Crackle, Crackle...

The quintuple-layered magic, known to have been wielded only by the Ice Witch, an Archmage from a thousand years ago, embroidered the sky above the palace, creating a majestic scene.

Just as the soldiers from Clana’s army were captivated by its beautiful yet overwhelming appearance, the entire palace grounds shook as if hit by an earthquake, revealing ancient characters on the slowly closing gates.

- Shaaaaaa...!

Soon after, a stream of cold air rising from the depths of the earth took the form of a dragon, and began to breathe its icy breath onto Clana's forces.

"Tch."

Irina, who had been riding her horse beside Clana, frowned at this scene and jumped down to the ground. Then, facing the ice dragon, she began to draw a magical circle.

"Dragon Flame."

She chanted with her eyes glowing bright red.

- Grrrrrr...!

Flames burst forth from her, taking the shape of a red dragon and darting forward.

- Clash, Clash...!

Soon, the two dragons clashed, biting and fighting each other.

The scene was so realistic and ferocious, it was as if they were watching a battle between real dragons.

"This is strange. It's too similar to my signature magic."

Irina quietly observed the ice dragon. She tilted her head and muttered.

"Only the element is different, otherwise it's completely identical."

As she mumbled, Irina began to quietly draw another magic circle with her other hand.

- Crackle...

The mythical quintuple-layered magic was reproduced so easily in Irina's hand.

"Now, let's infuse it with mana."

Not long after, having swiftly completed the reproduction of the magic circle, Irina looked alternately at Clana, Serena, and Frey.

"Is this… how it's done?"

"..."

"You didn't expect to be able to directly break through the ancient magic, right?"

Once activated, this ultimate ancient magic cannot be canceled by anyone except the person who activated it.

However, there was, in fact, a way to forcibly terminate the ancient magic.

To prevent those trapped inside from being trapped forever should the person who activated the spell die, the three individuals who had cast this magic on the imperial palace in ancient times had set a special rule.

The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars.

The three lights that symbolize the empire, the three most sacred families under the sky.

If three individuals possessing the complete mana of these families decided and enforced their will on the magic circle, most of the ancient magics could be stopped.

The owner of the empire, the Sunrise Imperial Family.

The Starlight Ducal Family, with power no less than the imperial family.

And the Moonlight Ducal Family, who had always advocated neutrality.

It was nearly impossible to carry out such an action, as it required a unanimous decision from these three families, in the complex political landscape of a civil war.

- Kugugugugu...

"Alright, the deactivation has begun."

However, the seemingly impossible was happening right at this moment.

This was the reason why the Sunrise Imperial Family could never ignore the two ducal families. They possessed absolute and legal royal prerogative, acknowledged by the First Empress.

It was a terrifying moment in history, as the theory that if the two families were to change their minds, they could overthrow the current emperor by appointing someone with royal blood, became a reality for the first time in a thousand years.

"It feels different this time."

Serena, observing the scene, murmured with a somehow nostalgic expression.

"In the past, it was us who activated it, but now, we're in a position to deactivate it."

As she spoke, she waved her fan, causing her lunar mana to spread rapidly.

- Crackle...

Then, her mana clashed with the lunar mana of the Lord of the Moonlight family from a thousand years ago, spreading out from beneath the palace gates and beginning to annihilate it.

Having activated the ancient magic once before to protect the palace, they were well aware of how to counter it in reverse.

"Next is the divine power of the First Saintess, perhaps?"

"No, it could be the super ray of the First Empress or the light magic of the White Mage."

"I will handle the light magic. Young Master, you should conserve your strength."

Thus, the heroines began dismantling the ancient magic slowly while conversing calmly.

"What in the world..."

The Knight Commander, watching them from afar, muttered in disbelief with a dazed expression.

"Were ancient magics something that could be so easily dispelled?"

The magic protecting the palace was cast by the Hero Party who had defeated the First Demon King.

Although its original power has diminished over time, its strength was still overwhelming enough to face most armies.

Yet, such ancient magic was being dispelled by the Princess army of barely over two hundred.

No, most of them didn’t even do anything yet, only some that he presumed to be the Princess’s executives made a move against the ancient magic.

"...Is the reinforcement still far?"

"We... haven't received any communication yet."

"What?"

The Knight Commander turned to his Advisor with widened eyes.

"No communication? They have a duty to protect the palace. Not answering at a time like this is nothing short of treason!"

"There may... be a reason for that."

"What?"

The Knight Commander's eyes widened as he saw what the Advisor retrieved from his pocket.

Would the world know that your parents were actually traitors to the empire?

"Did you not receive such a letter?"

For some reason, the letter emitted a subtle, eerie aura.

"But, just because of such a letter...?"

"They are individuals who value their honor and dignity over their lives. Rather than helping in a civil war that would bring no benefit, they have chosen silence."

"Pathetic fools..."

"Of course, there are those who did not give in to the threat and responded, but even if they were to arrive now, with the current combat power..."

"...Tsk."

As the Advisor finished speaking, the Knight Commander, with an irritated expression, began to put on his armor.

Those fools only know how to talk.

In this era of peace, those fools who only ever studied war through documents and literature often boasted as if they were seasoned strategists.

In a rebellion and civil war, swiftly suppressing those who dared to oppose the ruling body was vital.

The Emperor decided to ignore his advice to advance to the Academy. Instead, he chose to be on the defensive. This decision was simply incomprehensible to him.

"...Escort His Majesty to safety."

However, even as he had such thoughts, the Knight Commander ordered the evacuation of the Emperor.

Of course, it wasn't out of loyalty.

Should the emperor be captured, it would mean victory for the Princess. It was purely a strategic judgment.

"He seems indifferent."

"Indifferent?"

However, the Advisor responded to the Knight Commander's troubled expression with a troubled expression of his own.

"He hasn't moved from the throne. Since a while ago, he has been laughing like a man who has lost his mind."

"That bas... Ahem."

The Knight Commander almost spat out a curse, but then his face flushed with embarrassment, and he started to descend the stairs.

He couldn't fathom what the emperor was thinking. No matter how apathetic or lazy he was, his own life was at risk. Why was he not making any preparations?

"I will deal with them myself. Evacuate the people quietly."

"It's impossible."

"...?"

The Knight Commander tilted his head in confusion at the Advisor, who is now completely demoralized.

"Ancient magic is indeed a formidable magic for decisive battles, but it also has its weaknesses. Obviously, such information was not mentioned in the documents..."

"What is it?"

"We're trapped inside too."

Upon hearing those words, the Knight Commander, who had been descending the stairs, stopped in his tracks.

"All escape routes, secret passages, teleportation magic, everything is blocked."

"..."

"P-Please, save us, Knight Commander. You're strong, aren't you?"

"...Fuck. Seriously, this damn country."

Despite the sky being bathed in dazzling light from the magic circle, the Knight Commander's face began to turn yellowish, mirroring the sky’s changing color.

.

.

.

.

.

"If we continue like this, we should be able to deactivate the magic before it's entering the final stage."

"Is that so? Well, that's a relief."

After concentrating and analyzing the battle for a while, Irina reported her deduction. Hearing her analysis, Clana, who was at the forefront of the ranks, swallowed nervously before replying.

- Woonggg…!

"The pattern isn't even halfway done yet. So, if we hold out a little longer, we can enter the palace."

Then, she extended her hand and dispersed the First Empress’s sun rays.

Seeing her defiant act, the Princess army began to regain their composure, shedding the initial tension and fear.

- Crackle…

But, as starlight gathered around the palace gate, the relaxed expressions of the heroines suddenly darkened.

"Is that already coming out?"

“Uhm…”

"There should be dozens more patterns..."

Originally, numerous ancient magics, such as the ancient golems and knights, bombardment from the sky, and the puzzle devised by the head of the Moonlight clan a thousand years ago, were waiting for them.

- Crackle...

But what was unfolding before Clana's army now was none other than the ultimate strike of the First Hero, Han-Byeol's.

In the previous cycle, the Demon King effortlessly shattered all the ancient magics protecting the palace with just a flick of her finger, achieving a bloodless victory. However, the last defense from the First Hero managed to make the Demon King break into a cold sweat.

"The fact that I'm tampering with ancient magic itself seems to have been noticed."

While the soldiers began to chatter with fearful expressions, Irina, who had been hovering the modified magic circle in the sky along with a slightly altered version of the quintuple-layer magic, frowned and murmured.

"It went straight to the final stage."

As soon as those words were spoken, the earth and sky began to tremble.

- Rumble...! Rumble...!

Just by existing, its enormous energy spread everywhere, shaking the earth and sky.

Those energies solely contained within one person's sword strike. And this was after a thousand years of erosion and depletion, this strike was a far cry from its original strength.

- Crackle, crackle...

Even then, the colossal sword strike that unfolded before them created a mythical spectacle that could have completely plummeted the morale of the Princess's army altogether.

"Once we deal with that, you..."

Clana, who was watching anxiously, was about to say more when Frey interrupted.

"You guys go through the secret passage to the throne room first."

"F-Frey?"

Frey, who had been quietly conserving his power until then, grabbed her shoulder and began to walk forward.

"Frey!"

"Young Master..."

"It's an order. You guys lead the troops and head to the throne room first. I'll catch up soon."

Serena and Kania slowly lowered their hands when Frey spoke with a cold expression.

"But, the magic circle is still..."

"There's a small opening! We can enter one by one now!!"

"I'll stay back and clean up the trash."

With that said, while assessing their expressions, Frey suddenly relaxed and smiled, then he rushed forward.

- Crackle...!

At that moment, the sword strike of the First Hero roared forward with a terrifying sound.

- Crack...crack…

Amidst the deafening noise, the heroines, who had kept their eyes closed, slowly opened them at the sound coming from in front of them.

"Hurry... I said go!"

With his eyes turned silver, Frey, blocking the sword strike with his own sword, urged them on.

"...Let's go."

Clana hesitated for a moment before finally turning her head with clenched teeth.

“"..."”

“If you guys don’t go quickly, I will lower this sword?”

Despite the hesitation of the other heroines and soldiers, they eventually followed Frey's urging and began to move forward.

After some time had passed, Frey, who had been left alone, began to struggle against his Ancestors' final blow.

- Crackle, crackle...

"Hmm."

This was the first time Frey had ever been pushed back due to a lack of strength. All his previous struggles stemmed from insufficient life force and stamina. Now, he began to sweat and groan for the first time.

- Crackle, crackle…

“AAAAAARGH!”

But eventually, Frey let out a fierce roar and raised his sword.

-Booom…!

Then, the sword aura of the First Hero, Han-Byeol, which had been trying to overwhelm him, spun around in the sky before exploding with a thunderous sound.

-Thud

"Haa, haa..."

Frey gazed quietly at the overwhelming strike that he managed to deflect, a strike that even managed to crack the quintuple-layered magic circle in the sky. After a while, he finally sank to his knees, breathing heavily.

"The Ancestor... he was truly, unbelievably strong."

The person he had seen in his dream a year ago, the one who split the sky and the sun in half, was undoubtedly the First Hero, Kim Han-Byeol.

Even though he managed to block that strike with his sword, its power had weakened over time, yet he still had to use everything he had just to deflect it.

"...But, I've found a clue."

Despite being exhausted, Frey, struggling to stand up, had a glint in his eyes.

"The ancestor, he unified sword aura and magic into one."

Just before he deflected the strike of the First Hero, Frey managed to glimpse the realm that his ancestor achieved.

And that single moment was a huge step forward for him.

"...There's nothing I can't do."

Another unexpected lesson from his ancestor, who had given him the clue to split the sun, made Frey, who had reached the peak of his power, realize the direction he should pursue.

"Hail to the ancestor."

Frey, who had been slightly irritated by his ancestors due to a recent shoddy prophecy, muttered quietly, let go of his anger, and took a step forward.

- Gulp, gulp...

As he did, he took out a vial from his pocket and drank from it.

"Pu-ha."

Then, Frey's tired face began to come back to life.

"Miho, she’s useful as expected."

After capturing all of Killian’s attendants yesterday and ordering their imprisonment in the Academy basement, he instructed Miho to drain all of their energy before he came to the palace.

"Should I ask her to periodically supply life force in the future?"

Hunting villains with the life force extracted from other villains, and then replenishing his life force from those villains and hunting other villains.

Wasn't this the true virtuous cycle of life?

At least, that's what Frey thought at the moment.

"...What are you, scum?"

"Knight Commander. Aren't you afraid of your wife?"

Having regained his strength, Frey looked at the Knight Commander and his troops, who appeared through the crack in the magic circle.

"Why are you alone?!"

"This bastard has an affair with his own Vice-Commander, everyone!! Moreover, he locked a slave who was about his daughter’s age in his basement...”

"S-Shut up!! You demon!!"

The Knight Commander, genuinely confused when he saw Frey was alone, drew his sword and started to approach him.

"This scum is my opponent. So, all of you go and investigate the whereabouts of the Princess..."

And then, just as he began to shout at the imperial knights behind him.

"Frey, I'll take care of this place."

"What? You haven't gone yet? Sister?"

"You go help Clana."

Isolet, who had been quietly staying behind without following Clana, grabbed Frey's shoulder who looked at her coldly.

"Sister, I told you to go first."

"..."

"No matter how strong Sister is, you can't face this army alone..."

Soon, Frey's expression softened as he began to persuade her with a worried look.

- Rumble...!

"Ah."

As she started emitting her own sword aura, Frey stopped speaking.

"If they want to face me now, they’ll need to bring back the Sword Saint from a thousand years ago, Frey."

[Affection System - Rated 19+ Version]

[Isolet Arham Bywalker: Awakening Completed]

Last night, she had completely completed her awakening as a Sword Saint.

The noble sword aura handed down through generations in the Bywalker lineage was transforming into her unique and pure sword aura.

"What are you doing here, Isolet? Why is a slut like you here..."

"I can win against the likes of them with my eyes blindfolded."

Frey nodded quietly at her words.

.

.

.

.

.

-Rumble... Rumble...!

The throne room was located on the top floor of the Imperial Palace.

"..."

Legend has it that even from the throne, one could overlook the entire empire, such was the majestic nature of the space.

"Haa, haa..."

The Princess’s army, who had entered the throne room, were catching their breath.

"Hmm."

In contrast, the Emperor is looking down with his chin resting on his face with a very bored expression.

"Have you come, my daughter?"

He spoke in an apathetic voice.

"W-Who’s... Your daughter."

Clana was emitting her 'Aura of Domination' with all her might to avoid being overwhelmed by the Emperor, but before she knew it, her legs were shaking.

"To have such an attitude in front of the Emperor. Audacious."

"U-ugh...?"

"Hmm..."

As the Emperor gazed at her with glowing eyes and emitted golden mana, the army behind Clana began to kneel all at once.

"Ikkk..."

"Oho."

But even as Clana started to break in a cold sweat, she didn’t kneel. Looking at her, the Emperor smiled slightly and whispered.

"Now it's getting a bit interesting, my daughter."

"S-Shut up!"

Enraged, Clana summoned a golden lance from thin air and threw it, but the Emperor simply waved his hand, causing it to dissipate.

"My daughter."

As he looked at her with lifeless eyes, the Emperor spoke.

"Even if you take just three steps forward, I'll abdicate the throne to you."

"S-Shut up..."

"Is that too difficult for you? Then at least try to graze my clothes. If you succeed in hitting me with your magic or sword aura, then I will crown you as the new Empress..."

As the Emperor spoke, a sly smile spread across his lips.

- Crash!!

"...?"

The sound that had echoed in this place a few hours ago reverberated once again as someone burst in.

"Father-in-Law! I've come to pay my respects!!!"

- Crackle!!

As the Emperor turned his gaze sideways at the sound, Frey, who had destroyed the palace walls and leaped inside, had already thrown a sidekick at the throne with his body weight and stellar mana.

- Rumble!!!

“Did you receive your son-in-law’s gift well!? Stir-fried pork is a commoner dish, so I don’t know if you liked it!!”

As Frey shouted, the Emperor, still seated on the throne, flew to the opposite wall and was crushed by the fragments of the collapsed wall

"..."

For a few seconds afterward, suffocating silence engulfed the throne room.

"You're audacious, aren't you?"

"What audacious? Bullshit!"

As the Emperor quietly rose from the debris and brushed off his clothes while muttering, Frey, glowing with excitement, replied as he took a step forward.

"Even the Sun God kneels before me, yet you said I’m... audacious?"

"...You’re amusing."

"Clana!! It seems my father-in-law has dementia, so I'll give him physical therapy!!"

The terrifying aura emitted by the two men filled the palace.

***

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