Episode 160: Revengers

　The moon floated in the sky, casting a faint light over the royal capital of Kirchherion.

　In the vast garden spreading out before the front of Kirchhen-Almas Castle, the royal palace, a silver-haired young man walked alone, his footsteps silent. No one stood in his way.

　Before long, the young man reached the majestic doors that served as the palace’s entrance. And he quietly pushed them open.

　Beyond the dimly lit interior lay a luxurious grand hall. Further inside, a massive staircase towered as if reaching toward the heavens.

“—So you’ve made it this far. Then that means you’ve even defeated the head court magician, the Grand Caster… Truly, what a detestable man.”

　The voice echoed low through the grand hall. But it occasionally missed its intonation strangely, hinting at an unstable mind.

“But—your journey ends here.”

　In that instant, the chandelier crafted from magic ore began to shine, illuminating the entire hall.

　What emerged were the figures of men standing in orderly rows on the staircase—.

　Siegfried had known of their presence even before the light came on. But—as if to say it was all ‘staging’ and a ‘courtesy’ to the villains—he let out an exaggerated sigh and narrowed his eyes.

“Oh…?”

　Standing at the very top of the staircase was the owner of the voice from earlier—the duke from one of the five great noble families and the principal of the officers’ academy, Ludendorf von Rekrem-Steyart.

　Just below him was his son, Randolph. Further, there were the faces he had once confronted at the officers’ academy—Ruberus, Prosper, Moses, Hugo.

　Yompaldo from Karadis Dorm. Milgeng, his opponent from the swordsmanship tournament. And knights under Ludendorf’s command lined up as well.

“Hi ha ha…”

“Ku ha ha…!”

　Mocking smiles curved on their lips.

“It’s been a while… Siegfried.”

“What a fool, storming the palace all by yourself.”

　More voices followed.

“Your life ends here.”

“I won’t let you say you’ve forgotten the humiliation you made me taste…”

　The owner of that voice was—the senior knight Narcian.

　And the man who had been beaten down by Siegfried after acting tyrannically at the maid cafe… former Baron Hetayn Hakusela.

　Narcian should have been imprisoned, and Hetayn, stripped of his barony, should have been wandering the streets.

“He he… You look surprised to see us here… Count Kreving.”

“Ku ku…”

　Yet more new voices echoed through the hall. They were knights and soldiers from the eastern forces who had been under Gregor’s command, conducting conscriptions.

　They should have been awaiting execution after Siegfried had struck them with magic penetration strikes.

　But—here they stood in this place. The reason for that was—.

“—All of it is by His Majesty the King’s will.”

　Ludendorf’s voice was elegant… and yet, it faintly revealed the colors of a mind on the verge of breaking.

“We… have had our lives greatly derailed by you. However, to us—His Majesty King Luverios has granted the opportunity for revenge…!”

　In preparation for the decisive battle, Luverios had summoned to the capital those who held grudges against Siegfried.

　The purpose was to gather information from them, who had experience confronting Siegfried. And—to use them as pieces to take down Siegfried.

“Don’t think we’re the same as before—Siegfried.”

　Randolph glared sharply at Siegfried. His eyes harbored a black, eerie light. That was none other than proof of having been granted Lugdura’s power.

　Luverios and Joachim were cautious about distributing Lugdura’s power to others. There were two reasons for that.

　One—Lugdura’s power placed a heavy burden on the soul, even more than vampirization. There was a risk that the recipient might not withstand the load and lose their life.

　Two—If the power was distributed to many, information could leak, creating the danger of turning the ‘Holy Church’ into an enemy.

　For that reason, Luverios had limited those he granted Lugdura’s power to a very select few close aides.

　But now, he had broken that restriction. To defeat Siegfried—he had bestowed the forbidden power upon the avengers.

　Driven by anger and obsession, they would direct that power toward Siegfried. Even if they couldn’t withstand the burden on their souls and ended up losing their lives—.

“You’re strong, no doubt. But—do you really think you can win against all of us, who have taken in the power of the ‘Seven Great Calamities’?”

　As if responding to Randolph’s words, figures began to emerge one after another from the depths of the first-floor hall.

　Students from Grantzile Dorm, knights under Ludendorf’s command, former soldiers under Gregor’s command—their numbers easily exceeded three hundred.

“Come on, show it to us… that face filled with despair, Siegfried!”

　The men’s gazes all focused on Siegfried at once.

　What they craved was the moment when the strong one twisted his face in shock and fear.

　However, the silver-haired young man’s eyes only grew brighter.

　That light was like that of an innocent child given a toy—or perhaps that of a cruel and cold-hearted king of evil.

“Ku… Ku ku ku.”

　Unable to hold it back, laughter spilled out.

“Ku ku ku… Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Magnificent!”

　Siegfried’s sneer shook the air, and a tremendous pressure choked the breath of those standing before him.

“Defeated villains returning with newfound power—that too is the aesthetic of evil! Fu fu… Ha ha ha ha ha! Magnificent! I offer you my heartfelt praise!”

　It roared through the hall like the bellow of a demon king. And without a shred of hesitation, Siegfried took a step forward.

“U… U, uu—Die!”

　As if driven by fear, a former soldier under Gregor’s command drew his sword and lunged at Siegfried.

“—First, one.”

　With Siegfried’s murmur, a scythe formed of blood appeared in the void, cleanly reaping the soldier’s neck.

“…Everyone, attack!”

　Ludendorf’s command echoed. At the same time, the men all rushed toward Siegfried in unison.

　With Lugdura’s power dwelling within them, their combat strength was no longer comparable to ordinary soldiers. But… even facing them, Siegfried didn’t let his smile falter.

“Very well, to reward your villainous obsession… for each one, I’ll deliver a single strike.”

　The hand chop released from Siegfried flashed sharply, clad in magical light. A former soldier under Gregor’s command had his body slashed apart—and died.

　The kick that followed smashed into the next enemy with destructive force like a cannonball. A knight under Ludendorf’s command had his torso pulverized—and died.

“D… Die!”

“Uoraa!”

“Take this!”

“Pebbles, fly and pierce the target—‘Pebble Bullet Telsdart’!”

　Ruberus, Prosper, Moses, and Hugo all assaulted Siegfried at once.

　Siegfried met them with shining eyes.

“A simultaneous attack from the Four Heavenly Kings—excellent!”

　With a piercing hand that crackled with magic, his neck was impaled—and Ruberus died.

　Having Siegfried’s magic penetration strike slammed into his abdomen, destroyed from the inside out—and Prosper died.

　Next, a blow unleashed from zero distance… with a magic short-range strike, his heart was destroyed—and Moses died.

　Furthermore, a spear of blood created from Siegfried’s palm shattered the magic Hugo had cast, then pierced straight through his body—and Hugo died.

　Dead.

　Dead.

　Dead.

　Dead.

　Dead.

　Dead.

　Dead—…

“Ku ha ha ha! Excellent! Right now, you all—are shining as villains!”

　The storm of death swept through the grand hall… up the grand staircase. Even the enhanced muscle and magic from receiving Lugdura’s power were like scraps of paper before Siegfried.

　Attacks that shattered even immortality, one strike one kill, reaped their lives one after another.

　The villains—in their final moments before death, released a beautiful yet fleeting glow, and scattered one by one.

“Impossible…!”

　Randolph let out a cry of shock and confusion.

“In terms of having obtained the power of the ‘Seven Great Calamities,’ Siegfried should be the same as us…! So… why is there such—an overwhelming difference…!”

　When he learned that Siegfried had obtained the power of the ‘Seven Great Calamities’ Celestina, Randolph had thought, ah, that makes sense.

　That’s why he had such overwhelming power. His arrogant behavior at the officers’ academy was only natural—.

　But that understanding was fundamentally wrong.

(Th-that’s not it… Between us and Siegfried… our dimensions were… different from the start…!)

　But by the time he realized that truth, it was already too late.

　The storm of death was already closing in right before his eyes.

“U… Uaaaaaah!”

　With a scream, Randolph swung his sword to intercept Siegfried.

“Farewell—student representative.”

　The jet-black sword wielded by Siegfried cleaved through the intercepting sword and the body alike. —Randolph, dead.

“A… A, ah…”

　Ludendorf, the last one remaining, looked down upon the hellish scene.

　Through it all, the perpetrator of the slaughter—the silver-haired young man—advanced his steps quietly, surely.

“You’ve worked hard, Ludendorf.”

　Siegfried smiled gently at him.

“I have no intention of forgiving the sin of insulting my subordinate—Leon. But even after I broke your mind, the reckless vengeful spirit that challenged me once more is worthy of praise. …Well, it didn’t work on me at all. But including that… you all did well.”

　Siegfried placed a hand on Ludendorf’s shoulder with a pat.

　“A defeated villain standing in the way again, only to be easily swept aside—that too is a form of evil’s stylistic beauty. Boss rush, revived monsters… such beings fulfill their roles precisely by scattering brilliantly in death. The transmission of evil death flowers—death brings bloom.”

　Siegfried slowly withdrew his hand from Ludendorf’s shoulder. On his fingertips dwelled a fiercely bursting flash of magic.

“Hi… Hiii…”

“Up to now, I’ve been taking you down one line per person—but for you, I’ll take a bit more time.”

“Stop…!”

　Siegfried’s hand chop tore into Ludendorf’s body, sending blood splattering. —But Siegfried’s blood immediately regenerated the flesh.

　Next, his fist gouged out Ludendorf’s heart. But even that was regenerated in an instant.

“Aga…”

　Piercing hand, elbow strike, front kick, roundhouse kick, back kick—countless destructions and regenerations assaulted Ludendorf without mercy.

　It was like a gruesome yet graceful dance weaving death and life alternately.

“Sto… Stop… Ogo…”

“Following the main performance at the dorm battle, then the encore… this would be like a revival rerun.”

“Ga ga ga ga… Gi… Gaaaaaah!”

“But this is the true curtain call. The final stage granted to you as a villain. —Bring down the curtain on your life, Ludendorf.”

“Agi… No… I… I…”

　Tears of agony spilled from Ludendorf’s eyes.

　And the moment the final strike pierced his heart—his body, soul worn to nothing, turned to dust and vanished.

“A… Aah…”

　The death rattle echoed vainly through the grand hall… and then melted into the silence.

　Siegfried glanced over the stage of slaughter and smiled with satisfaction.

“—As villains to fight before the big boss, you made for quite a flavorful opening act.”