Chapter 260: Hide-and-Seek (2)

The Reverse Heaven's Covenant.

Their ill-fated encounter began on Hans's first day in Auterica.

The very first village Hans visited after arriving in this other world happened to be their secret base.

And it was at the height of their work to mature the "fragments of the Immortal King."

'Of course, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me.'

Even after their first encounter, Hans continued to clash with those Reverse Heaven's Covenant fellows over various incidents.

From rescuing the elf, Cecily, in the Northern Mountains to the recent Obaifo Clan incident in the Republic.

'I dealt with most of them… but they're a thorough, decentralized network, so eradicating all their affiliates wasn't easy.'

Hans stroked his chin thoughtfully, gazing at a small piece of metal that appeared before his eyes.

This was a small clue found at the scene where they opened the Abyssal Gate, their most significant act.

It's presumed to be a part of a thin chain used as a necklace cord.

[Kukuk— Yes, I believe his name was Thermall Gardias.]

The one who offered everything he had to open the Abyss and become the Host of Madness.

Naturally, the investigation into him was completed long ago.

After obtaining information through the tribal chief, Valtheon, the perpetrator in the South, he immediately mobilized all his intelligence networks.

'His story is quite tragic…'

Through this, he could roughly guess why he opened the Abyssal Gate and plotted the continent's destruction.

Aren't there countless people who lose something precious and resent the world?

It's just that he happened to possess the power to truly threaten the world and actually carried it out.

'A victim who became the perpetrator. Now that I think about it, wasn't the tragedy he suffered also a scheme of the Reverse Heaven's Covenant?'

Driving a capable person into despair and then approaching them to corrupt them is a trademark of evil forces, isn't it?

Of course, it's just a pointless speculation now that it's all over.

'Anyway, what's important now—'

The fact was, he had become the Host of Madness, the Revolutionary took the Host, and Hans could find the Host's location through an intermediary.

He had been tracking them for a considerable amount of time, but ultimately he couldn't even find their whereabouts.

Woooong—

Hans, looking at the subtly vibrating metal piece, put it away and left the laboratory.

All the preparations were complete, so he intended to begin the ritual to track down the culprit as quickly as possible, but thoroughly prepare and hunt him down without making a mistake due to haste.

You never know what kind of tricks that troublesome guy might have pulled.

[Have you emerged… my King…? I, Olivia, the Banshee Queen, pay my respects to the great Immortal King…]

As he stepped outside, Olivia, the Banshee Queen, appeared suddenly and prostrated herself.

He hadn't called her, but it seemed she had dropped everything and rushed over as soon as she sensed the Immortal King's aura.

Truly the kind of decisive action worthy of his right-hand woman.

[Yes. You came at just the right time, Olivia.]

[Command me anything… I will carry out the King's orders with my life…]

Thinking about it, it had been a surprisingly long time.

After acquiring numerous intelligence organizations and gaining the ability to oversee the world's information at a glance, he hadn't expected finding him to take so long.

'I have to admit it. That guy is truly something else.'

But there's no game that lasts forever.

He was just starting to get bored, so it was time to put an end to it.

[Gather all the executives.]

Of course, giving up wasn't in his dictionary.

This wasn't hide-and-seek; it was a game of tag where one side had to die to end it.

Hans, who arbitrarily turned a children's game into a death match.

A formal announcement was finally made from the Azerion Imperial Palace.

The news everyone had been anticipating.

The announcement that Riley, not Simon, would be crowned the Crown Princess.

"Hmm… well, it's about time the Imperial family made a decision. With the situation overturned like this, they couldn't keep waiting for Prince Simon."

"Hahaha! Long live Her Highness Princess Riley Carte Azerion!"

"In effect, the succession struggle is over. It's unexpected, or maybe it's just as expected."

The opposition wasn't significant since the tide had turned a long time ago. Above all, the Duke Hermanhart family, Simon's strongest ally and the mastermind behind the attack on Riley, was too preoccupied with countering her counterattack.

In reality, even though full-scale war hadn't broken out, there were constant power struggles, so they were busy focusing on preserving their family.

"I want to give a gift to Isea Pristine, the Baron… no, the Count. But how should I do it? She's currently active in a secret society… Should I just send it to her mansion in the capital?"

"Still, I think contacting her through Count Pristine is the best course of action. …Hmm? Wait, perhaps approaching the lover the Crown Princess brought to the palace is…"

Isea also received a promotion from Baron to Count, but other nobles weren't surprised.

She had remained a baron due to a lack of merit in Riley's powerless days, but everyone knew she wouldn't stay in that position for long.

And she probably won't stop at Count.

If she survives the final battle with the Immortal King, her status will surpass even the Marquess title, and after Crown Princess Riley inherits the throne, she'll easily become a Duchess.

It was natural for the nobles to try to curry favor with her.

Of course, that would only happen if she didn't return to Earth.

And.

As the Empire's political situation fluctuated amid the chaos, the Ju-shin Church, another large group, faced even more drastic changes.

"…Priestess Liesta, are you alright?"

"Ah… um… yes."

Heinrich, his face worried, cautiously called Priestess Liesta, but she seemed distracted, giving an unclear response.

Her usually lively face was pale, and the corners of her mouth and eyes were trembling.

"We'll arrive at the temple soon. I've requested the gate be prepared, so we can move immediately."

"…But are you sure it's alright? Even if we leave like this…"

"The remaining areas are manageable without us. It's been a while since a giant appeared. If it shows up, we can depart immediately, right?"

"Th… that's right… Yes…"

An absent-minded answer, unlike her usual decisive self.

Heinrich, leading his party silently through the city, glanced at her.

Honestly, it was the first time he'd seen her so flustered, and he felt a little strange.

She hadn't reacted like this even when involved with the Immortal King…

'I guess it makes sense.'

He nodded, recalling the message from the church that had been delivered to those away on external assignments.

Considering the impact it contained, her reaction was entirely natural.

The message was an urgent report that the current Pope, Hatian II, was nearing his death.

'There have been several signs… He probably told them not to tell anyone.'

Out of concern for causing unnecessary worry to those outside.

It must have been the Pope's close aides who contacted them only at the very, very last moment.

"We've been waiting. This way, please."

"We'll activate the gate immediately."

Everyone in the Great Temple of Roselia was like family to Liesta, but since she had been adopted by the current Pope at a young age and joined the church, he held a particularly special meaning for her.

He was her true family in the truest sense of the word, after she grew up in the orphanage.

"Welcome. Priestess, Saint. His Holiness is waiting."

"Please follow me, everyone. I'll lead you to a place to rest."

Heinrich knew that even during her busy schedule in the Great Temple of Roselia, Liesta visited the Pope every day.

She wouldn't even go to her favorite garden, but she never skipped even one day of those visits.

'Unlike me, who just occasionally asks how he is. Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've seen him. Was the last time I saw him at the regular meeting?'

Of course, he had the excuse of being busy traveling with the hero party, but he still felt a pang of guilt.

"Grandpa!"

"Heh heh heh, what's so important that you're rushing in like this? I thought you were about to get married, but you're still a child."

"Grandpa…"

Liesta rushed over to the Pope, who had raised himself from the bed, and embraced him tightly.

Heinrich, after greeting him, stood quietly behind them, waiting.

He wanted to give them space to catch up, but the Pope himself had asked him to wait for a while.

The real conversation began only after Liesta calmed down.

"Ahem, I apologize for the disrespect shown to the Saint."

"It's alright. It's an honor for me to witness the bond between the two of you."

"Heh heh heh, thank you for saying that."

He looked healthy enough that one would question whether his time was truly short, but Heinrich could feel it.

He felt the last vestiges of life burning brightly within him.

Liesta also seemed to realize this, as her hand, gripping the Pope's tightly, trembled slightly.

"I called the Saint here because there is something I must convey before I die."

"A message…?"

Heinrich's expression turned serious at his words.

He didn't need to ask who the message was for.

The Pope nodded gravely and slowly opened his mouth.

Thump— thump—

A rough heartbeat echoed through the boundary region of the abyss, a mixture of chaos and emptiness.

Of course, the sound quickly dissipated into the distortion of space, but its presence remained, slowly engulfing its surroundings.

"Ah— Lord Ju."

A voice barely audible, seeming to emanate from its center.

Its distortion made it questionable whether it was truly a human voice, but the madness and fanaticism it contained were enough to drive the listener mad, it was profoundly profound.

'My death is approaching.'

The being pricked up its ears, eavesdropping on the sounds of the world, and sighed faintly.

It didn't have much time left.

The cause of his impending death, which had forced him to make such an extreme choice, had finally taken full shape and was strangling him.

'But I can't end it here.'

Even if he perished here… he had a duty to sow seeds for the "me" of the next generation.

Just as he had been able to proceed smoothly thanks to his position as that person's apostle and inheriting the will of his predecessor.

'It's a pity that I couldn't achieve it, but it can't be helped. I shall gladly become fertilizer for the next generation to flourish properly.'

Wriggle— wriggle—

His body, one with the seeds of madness, twitched repeatedly.

A phenomenon caused by the instability of his new body.

Even though he had hurried as much as he could after sensing death, he was still like this.

'Faster. Better. More decisively.'

As he was plagued by this obsession, he struggled to control his body.

Splash—

Something rising from the bottom of the abyss struck his body.

[———!]

When he slowly turned his head, what entered his gaze was…

A humanoid figure with a snow-white body, about chest height, a being he had encountered many times before.

"Ah, you're a little late this time. I've been waiting."

His face brightened, and he reached out to grab its shoulders.

And—.

"Now, under His Grace… you shall become one with me."

Crack— Crunch!

He opened his mouth, which had suddenly become enormous, and swallowed its head whole.

A tragedy that unfolded in the blink of an eye.

But he diligently worked to devour even the remaining fragments, and…

When it was all over, he was a finger joint taller, and his unstable body was much closer to perfection.

Thump— thump—

And a rough heartbeat began to echo again in all directions.

"…It's a shame. If I was going to do this, I should've started earlier, without the time constraint. If my plans had gone as planned…"

He sighed lightly and looked down at his writhing body.

A beautiful, clean, smooth, snow-white body, unlike the impure beings on the surface.

No matter how he looked at it, this was the ultimate human, a new human race.

'It's done…'

Thus, the founder of the Reverse Heaven's Covenant, the former Revolutionary,

The current 'King of Madness,' was in the final stages of his birth into the world.