Emperor Has Returned

Chapter 25 Spot where fog has lifted(2)

Translator: BaeBae Editor: BaeBae

Juan’s head was burning.

Hatred towards someone he’d not even met, resentment towards something he hadn’t done.

All the hatred and resentment in the world was fuming inside him. The thirst for blood encroached his body.

While a normal person would’ve gone mad, Juan didn’t.

Rather, he enjoyed the madness.

Time to hunt, Taltere.

Like an owner instructing his hunting dog, Juan let madness sweep over him. Taltere’s blood flowed over Juan’s entire body, blazing in heat.

Juan slammed his foot on the Golem’s head who’d tried stepping on him. Stone fragments flew wide as a crack started to appear on the Golem’s head.

Suddenly realising Juan was the it’s biggest threat, the Golem shook its body vigorously.

Turning its body 360 degrees, it managed to fling Juan off its body. After finding himself hurled into open air, Juan gathered himself and sped his way back towards the Golem.

Juan rooted Taltere’s dagger deeply into Golem’s head made of solid stone. Slow to retaliate, Juan used this time to stab the Golem in quick succession. With each stab, pieces of stone broke from its head.

A splintered stone cut Juan in the cheek as it flew away. The blood from the cut went up in flames and disappeared as smoke.

Again, the Golem attacked. The charge misses Juan and it runs past him.

Even when the Golem grabbed Juan and threw him into a wall, Juan persisted and simply bounced back ready to fight once more. Juan continuously charged again and again. The Golem felt as if it was fighting an undying, unrelenting wasp. It looked for a moment, the Golem’s limbs floundered in fear.

When swatted away, Juan simply charged back and caused damage. Then he was struck back. The cycle repeated in a constant pattern.

In a last desperate attempt, the Golem tried converging the Gray tower to limit the space Juan had to work with but in doing so, it’s own space was reduced as well.

Then later on, it devoted its energy in trying to crush Juan against the wall, but had no luck.

It was to the point where Huksel, who was looking on from the side, almost had sympathy for the Golem.

“Good god, what is that….”

“……..Is that a human, boss?”

Huksel didn’t know what to reply. Neither god nor human. If he had to say, a demon.

He then suddenly recalled, Juan was named as the demon of Tantil. Now, he was sure Juan was indeed the person behind the rumour.

“What is that child trying to do?”

Anya murmured from aside. Hearing her words, Huksel realised Juan wasn’t simply attacking the Golem randomly. Fooled from the extravagant movements, Huksel only now understood that Juan’s attacks were concentrated on the Golem’s head.

As if it was all part of the greater plan, the movements focused on breaking deeper into the Golem’s body. The Golem knew this, but couldn’t stop it from happening.

“Maybe…..a surgical operation?”

Magicians were known to often do this. As the church pressed strict limitations on the use of magic, they had to find alternative ways to study magic. But of course, it wasn’t the most optimal way to study.

Juan was doing an operation on the Golem.

He was making an incision at the tip of its head.

Suddenly, Juan’s eyes turned bright red. He had consumed the second lot of Taltere’s blood.

Juan turned Taltere’s mana into blood and had separated into ten lots. He had never consumed it willingly before, so he was surprised when a surge of power beyond his expectation flowed into his body.

His physical attributes improved double the amount when he’d improved using his own mana.

‘One use lasts about three minutes huh…’

This level of enhancement would be useful in dire situations.

Juan once again concentrated his attack on the Golem’s head. Dodging a pair of hands that tried swatting him away, he’d moved past the gaps, between the fingers and stabbed the dagger deep into his head.

As it’s head continued to break, beyond the bits of fragmented rocks, he could slowly see what he’d been looking for.

A rune burning in blue.

As soon as he saw the rune, instinctively he wanted to make a grab for it.

But right at that moment, the Golem’s hand appeared over Juan. Having difficulty catching him, the Golem had made a third arm.

Amongst the sound of rocks clashing, Juan disappeared into the cloud of dust.

Huksel and his crew let out a gasp. But before they could even finish their gasp, they saw bits of rock crumbling down from the dust. It was the fragments of the Golem’s hand.

Inside the cloud of dust, Juan was pushing himself up. He looked down with an annoyed pair of eyes.

‘I was too emotional.’

His head had gotten heated the moment he’d located his objective. While Taltere’s blood stimulated his instinct to hunt, it also numbed his sense of logic.

But, by consuming Taltere’s blood for the second time, he was able to break Golem’s hand. He’d gotten one problem out of the way.

‘Well at least I got what I wanted.’

Having its attack stifled, the Golem made another attempt at Juan. Both his arms rushed towards him from the sides.

Digging his way past the broken rocks, Juan placed his hand over the blue rune and poured his mana into it.

“Halt.”

Uh du dukk. Sound of two rocks scraping to a stop echoed. When the Golem halted, an eerie silence filled the tower. After being so raucous, the sudden silence was a little disturbing.

Juan again whispered.

“Stand.”

With a ponderous sound, the Golem followed his command. The tower that once looked as if it would collapse at any moment, also stopped moving.

Because the Golem wasn’t recognising his mana, Juan needed to make contact with its nucleus.

Now that authority was established, there was no chance of it attacking him again.

The Golem functioned using the mana that flowed out from Grunvalde’s relic.

Contaminated by Grunvalde’s mana for so long, Juan had been concerned that Golem wouldn’t recognise his mana.

But it immediately acknowledged that Juan was the emperor.

It appeared to be working fine, following his orders to a tee.

Just like in the past.

Juan was a little apologetic about making a large dent on the faithful Golem’s head.

“O….Oi! You alright?”

Huksel’s voice came from below. Juan grinned at hearing the voice.

“Sweep out the intruders.”

The Golem lifted its two arms and slammed it down on the surface.

He could see Huksel and his crew scream out as they were hurled up into the air.

Then the Golem moved its arms sweeping aside anything it found.

The floor was a mess but was instantly cleaned up, as everything on the floor was swept aside.

The only bit of space untouched was where Huksel and his crew were standing.

Huksel’s crew didn’t breathe as they mindlessly stared at the Golem clean up the floor.

As it swung its arms around, gray blood was splattered and sprayed over the ground. Dead or alive, the fog monsters were being cleaned up.

“I only need Golem to guard the tower. Don’t need any help from insects.”

Juan felt refreshed after seeing the fog creatures being swiftly slaughtered.

Most intruders were killed from the fog creatures upon entering, but those who immediately ran away got to keep their lives intact.

Huksel’s crew were the only group to be alive after encountering the Golem.

At this moment, they came about a realisation. It appeared Juan was controlling the Golem.

“What on earth…..”

No one could have expected this. And yet, one person, Anya was staring at Juan with bright gleaming eyes.

*****

After sweeping the fog creatures aside, Juan used the Golem to make his way to the top floor.

Unlike the floors below, it was a room thickened in fog. Between the gaps on the walls and windows, fog was flowing out of the room.

In truth, this murky room was the source of the tower’s fog and also contained the Golem’s heart.

And in it’s center, laid the reason behind why the tower was covered in fog.

The fog enveloped his body, as Juan made his way through. His sight was blinded.

A wet moisture smell entered his nose.

Juan closed his eyes. His mind recalled the city that was once entirely covered in fog.

The enveloped city. Vines and moss had filled the city, contaminating it.

Assimilating with the fog, the humans found within were wandering like shadows and appeared ghost-like.

Gaunt looking legs, were dragging along a pair of shoes on the ground from a lack of strength. A sound of weak footsteps stumbled into his ears.

Across the plaza, an old man sat on a bench.

‘No strength to run away anymore.’

‘………..’

‘Maybe I should have just fought back instead. I was planning to devour you when you’d finally tire…… Rather it seems, I was trying to devour the sun.’

‘………..’

‘You’re a silent one, yet powerful….. There’s not many young folks like you left. I’m liking you even more. But all this doesn’t matter to you, right?’

‘…………’

‘Handshakes don’t exist so you can crush the other person’s hand….. Young man, you’re lucky my body doesn’t have an entity. No one taught you any manners huh. But then again, arrogance is a charismatic part of being young.’

‘………….’

‘I’ve heard about you. Apparently you’re a god devourer. Who would have thought someone like that would be born as a human. If you’d come around a bit earlier…….never mind. I know I can’t escape death. But I want to offer you a proposition.’

‘…………’

‘I already lost our little hide and seek so I offer this. Do you think you have what it takes to be a noble great king?’

‘…………’

‘I’d been a foolish king. With this power, I thought I could become someone who would be able to protect more of my people if I sold every bit of wealth I’d accumulated. But in the end, I was only left with this ruin….. You think it will be any different for you?’

‘…………’

‘It seems like you believe everything you do and leave behind will be grand, perfect, forever. Why don’t we make a bet about this? The loser will become the winner’s slave.’

Juan didn’t have a need for an elderly slave.

The old man giggled even as he was dragged away. Until he’d been cremated to dust.

His laugh filled and echoed throughout the city. Once the fog lifted, the barren city was engulfed in flames like a dry log.

And the city that had been a demon’s playground for so long, the city that had taken in a idiot king, perished without a trace.

In an attempt to crush the ashes of his remains, Juan grabbed a handful of the dust.

Then, something softly wrapped around his hand.

Juan opened his eyes. The thick fog that filled his surroundings was slowly fading.

Left in his hand, was not ash he’d grabbed, but instead a dark gray cloak.

He could feel the vast power inside the cloak just by clutching it. And also the evil that was inside it.

Juan for a moment hesitated. Did he have the right to use the cloak for himself?

Didn’t he lose the bet with the old man?

His hesitation didn’t last long.

‘He’s just a dead old man. I never accepted the bet in the first place. The one who lives on gets to decide who’s the winner and loser of the bet.’

How could he accept a bet with an idiot that had sold out his people to a demon….

And anyways, Juan still had chances to redeem himself.

“I didn’t lose. Grunvalde. My territory, myself…..still lives on.”

Juan murmured as he draped the cloak over his shoulders. The surrounding fog all rushed centrally towards Juan and swirled around him like a vortex.

“I think it’s time the loser starts to serve like a slave.”