The Martial Artist who swung the sword was truly in shock.

Let’s say, for argument’s sake, he managed to grab the sword, which was imbued with Sword Aura, with his bare hand.

No, there’s no way he could have conceded that point.

How could a Sorcerer grab the sword of a master of Sword Aura Castle?

Even if he knew it was a Sorcerer and focused on speed without using much Internal Energy, this was still unbelievable.

Nevertheless, there was something even more astonishing.

The Sword Aura had disappeared.

The very Sword Aura, the primary goal of all Martial Artists, which, if achieved, could cut through anything, had vanished in his hand.

This was unprecedented, something he had never seen or heard of before.

‘Ugh…’

Meanwhile, Kim Songcheol regretted grabbing the sword with his hand.

It was more like the sword got caught between his fingers than him actually grabbing it, but regardless.

He activated every single function of his Prosthetic Arm. He maximized its output and turned on all shock absorption features.

Despite that, the impact was no joke.

If his body hadn’t been reinforced, his shoulder dislocating would have been the least of his worries.

‘Next time, I should just deflect it…’

Perhaps his mistake was being too rushed and not deciding how to extend his right hand.

Since he had never fought with his body, a minor problem arose.

The Martial Artist’s wildly shaking eyes fixated on Kim Songcheol.

“…You fiend!”

Sword Aura surged again. At the same time, the briefly halted battle began.

“I am not the Emperor.”

With Kim Songcheol’s calm excuse, four surrounding Martial Artists charged forward.

His voice must have been too low, as they didn’t seem to hear it at all.

“What are you doing!?”

As the Martial Artists lunged, Setsu created a translucent Green Sphere, blocking their path.

The charging Martial Artists stopped in mid-air the moment they entered the sphere.

The Martial Artist who had been swinging his sword at Kim Songcheol was also caught and lifted into the air.

However, they seemed to have known the countermeasure beforehand, as they deployed a Protective Force Field, broke free from Setsu’s Supernatural Ability, and descended to the ground.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden instantly vanished from her spot, reappearing beside the distant Mages.

This group included the Mage who had pointed at Kim Songcheol and shouted “Emperor.”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden’s actions were swift and precise.

Crash!

As her fist shot out, there was a sound like lightning striking, and black fist energy was fired forward.

The flesh of the three mages scattered in all directions, to an extent that made one wonder if such a display was truly necessary.

Overwhelmed by her power, the other mages froze, unable to even flee.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden spun her foot, exploding one mage’s head, then struck out twice with her fists, pulverizing two more mages into hundreds of pieces.

She then pressed the pressure point of the mage who had targeted Kim Songcheol, immobilizing him, and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

Meanwhile, the martial artists were struggling against the colossal wall that was Setsu.

Two of them had already had their protective force fields pierced and their necks broken, a surprising feat. The remaining three were barely holding on, but it was only a matter of time.

They couldn’t close the distance due to the overwhelming power, and they couldn’t even escape.

All they could do was tremble and struggle within their protective force fields.

Kim Songcheol quietly watched from behind, thinking.

‘They’re weak…?’

Their overall level seemed a bit low for A-rank.

The martial artists were weaker than Maeng-gal, and the mages were even worse.

While Setsu and the Celestial Spirit Maiden were strong, it was true that, objectively speaking, the others were weak.

Meanwhile, the Celestial Spirit Maiden brought the mage over and threw him down in front of Kim Songcheol.

Because his body was rigid, it didn’t look like he fell awkwardly; rather, it looked like a mannequin had been thrown to the floor.

Just then, the protective force fields of the martial artists Setsu was fighting were also breached, and they met their demise.

They would all become points and live forever as part of Setsu’s safe zone.

Kim Songcheol approached the mage, who was sprawled on the floor with one shoe off, looking a little less dignified.

“What exactly is going on?”

“Y-y-your Majesty the Emperor! I-I-I didn’t mean to! I was forced by the rebels’ threats…!”

“I told you, I’m not the Emperor.”

“S-sorry! I have committed a sin worthy of death!”

The mage, still rigid, shed tears and confessed his sins.

He didn’t seem to believe at all that Kim Songcheol wasn’t the Emperor.

It couldn’t be helped.

Someone with such divine energy couldn’t be anyone but the Emperor.

“So… the rebels are looking for the Emperor to kill him?”

“N-no, it’s more like… a-a-a sacrilegious matter that my lowly mouth dare not utter…”

The mage desperately avoided Kim Songcheol’s gaze, who was looking down at him.

With his life hanging by a thread and such immense divine energy bearing down on him, his mind was on the verge of breaking.

That was when it happened.

Rupturebababab!

Teleportation magic formations appeared in various spots across the field, and with a brilliant light, mages and martial artists materialized.

The newly appeared group was mostly composed of mages, with martial artists interspersed among them.

Their numbers reached almost 100.

The moment Kim Songcheol took his eyes off the mage and looked up at the field.

“Th-th-that’s the Emperor!!”

A few Mages at the very front raised their fingers and pointed directly at Kim Songcheol.

“Tsk.”

Kim Songcheol belatedly turned to Setsu and said,

“Do you have sunglasses, by any chance?”

“Uh… no. I don’t.”

“Sorcerer, it’s already too late.”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden drew up her Internal Energy and spat out a single word. At the same time, the head of a Mage lying on the ground exploded.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden had trampled it.

“Even if it’s nothingness, right?”

It was then that Kim Songcheol was gathering his Magic Power.

Amidst the physically disabled Illusionists who had retreated due to the sudden chaos, five people flew into the sky.

From the body of the one who stood at the very front, an illusory light burst forth, scattering their tattered clothes and revealing a blood-stained golden robe.

Their face also completely changed. They were not a decrepit old man, but a middle-aged person in their 40s.

Their long blonde hair was disheveled, but their gaze alone was sharp enough to indicate a noble status.

“Who do you mistake me for!? I am the Emperor of Bormil!!”

A proud declaration.

That majestic voice covered the field.

A brief silence fell.

The newly appeared 100 Mages kept looking back and forth between the Emperor of Bormil floating in the sky and Kim Songcheol.

Then, a Mage shouted,

“It seems they are in a hurry! Hiding the real one in disguise and presenting a fake! My eyes are not knot-holes!”

He pointed at Kim Songcheol when he said ‘real,’ and at the Emperor when he said ‘fake.’

“I am the Emperor of Bormil! To see you seize an innocent person…”

The Emperor shouted again, but…

“Haha, don’t make me laugh!”

Only laughter returned.

It was when the Emperor, speechless, was opening and closing his mouth.

An old Mage walked out from behind.

As he appeared, the Emperor seemed greatly shocked and clutched his forehead.

“No, Marquis Sehaja! Why are you standing there!?”

The Emperor shouted at the unexpected participant in the rebellion, but…

Marquis Sehaja completely ignored his words and opened his mouth towards Kim Songcheol.

“Your Majesty, the Emperor. It’s already over. Since the wheels have begun to turn, please give up now. I will do my best to ensure you can spend the rest of your life comfortably.”

The rebellion of the Bormil Empire began on the frontier.

Recently, with the collapse of the Visejinio Kingdom, which bordered Bormil, the Bormil Empire gained access to the sea, and at the same time, no enemy nations remained on the left side of the continent.

As a result, the soldiers guarding the border became idle, and that idle force instead extended towards the Capital City.

Therefore, most of the rebel forces had never seen the Emperor.

Marquis Sehaja had also only last seen the Emperor ten years ago.

The Bormil Empire was so vast that its provinces were mostly self-governing, and the border regions were busy dealing with enemy nations.

It was a situation where meeting the Emperor was rare.

As a result, they had no choice but to make judgments based on their usual fixed notion.

Namely, ‘If one’s Sanggis is strong, their status is high’.

Just by looking, Kim Songcheol’s Sanggis was much stronger than the person claiming to be the Emperor.

By the formula of ‘immense Sanggis equals Emperor’, Kim Songcheol was branded as the Emperor.

It was only natural that explaining it with words would not work.

Someone who had served the Emperor closely for years and was accustomed to the Emperor’s Sanggis would surely be able to tell the difference.

But most of those people were currently fighting rebel forces in the Bormil Empire.

‘What in the world is going on…?’

Kim Songcheol turned his head to look at the sky behind him.

The Emperor also looked down at Kim Songcheol.

Both of their complicated emotions were clearly visible in their eyes.

At this moment, they were the ones who best understood each other’s situations.

Kim Songcheol knew he was the Emperor, and the Emperor knew Kim Songcheol was just a passing Mage.

“…”

Instead of saying anything, the Emperor raised his head towards the Mages in front.

That was when it happened.

“Kill the Emperor!”

“Attack!”

The rebels moved first. As expected, their target was Kim Songcheol.

Magic formations appeared, and various offensive spells targeted him.

‘Ah… this is a bit much.’

It was as Kim Songcheol was choosing a way to respond.

A brilliantly shining 9th Circle defensive spell, Absolute Shield, appeared before him.

Along with it, the Emperor’s wrathful voice thundered across the open field.

“Foolish Mages of Bormil! I wished to be your lamp, yet why do you seek to extinguish it? Do you not know that a lamp, when spread, can become a terrifying fire?!”

As the Emperor flung the sleeve of his golden robe, a truly enormous magic circle appeared beneath his feet.

The magic circle instantly drew geometric patterns, covering a radius of 30 meters.

And at the same time.

Rumble, rumble, rumble…!

Suddenly, a strange noise began to be heard from somewhere.

But that was only for a moment.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the clouds in the sky parted, revealing a gigantic rock.

Oh.

Kim Songcheol’s eyes gleamed.

To witness that in a world where second-tier and first-tier magic run rampant.

Cast defensive magic!

The mages shouted urgently.

Ninth Circle’s highest-grade offensive magic.

Meteor Strike.

The Meteor Strike, which had only existed in Kim Songcheol’s imagination, was not as slow as he thought.

From its activation to its flight speed.

It was rather fast.

As soon as the clouds cleared, the massive castle that appeared reached the mages’ heads in an instant.

Boom!

The castle mercilessly fell upon the mages’ heads.

The defensive magic cast by a hundred people simultaneously was shattered. However, it was not completely broken through.

Only a dozen mages fainted, unable to withstand the shock.

However, Meteor Strike was effective in another way.

The rebels looked at Kim Songcheol and the Emperor alternately, their expressions confused.

That Ninth Circle magic clearly came from the Emperor, not Kim Songcheol.

But Kim Songcheol’s Sanggis is much stronger.

Then who exactly is the Emperor?

I don’t think this is the time for me to stand by.

Kim Songcheol cast Thunder Control, taking advantage of the confusion.

If he joined the battle now, it would be possible to drive them away.

A large red electric shock discharged from Kim Songcheol’s entire body.

And for a moment, those electric shocks seemed to gather at one point, then became a huge lightwave that shot towards the mages.

Crackle!

Of course, it didn’t end with just one. Six streams swept through the mages almost simultaneously.

The Emperor also showed his power by dropping another Meteor Strike.

If it had only been the Emperor, they might have endured the Meteor Strike and overwhelmed him with numbers, but with Kim Songcheol joining in, there was no way.

The mages retreated sharply, then disappeared somewhere through mass teleportation.

Only then did the Emperor descend towards Kim Songcheol.

I apologize for the trouble caused by my own shortcomings.

He held Kim Songcheol in high regard. This was due to Kim Songcheol’s Sanggis.

Kim Songcheol bowed slightly according to Bormil Empire’s etiquette, then opened his mouth.

Not at all. Well… there’s a capital city for that.

You know Bormil’s etiquette?

I have a connection with someone named Count Magenta. I don’t know if it’s true, though.

Count Magenta.

As expected, he was the Base’s Administrator, connected through Bluebell.

“Ah, Count Magenta. Of course, I know him. He’s a remarkable individual.”

I’m not sure if the Emperor truly remembered a mere Count, but the Emperor’s conduct was, as always, grand.

The Emperor looked at Kim Songcheol for a moment, then spoke.

“If you’re not busy, may I hire you? Your powerful spirit energy will surely sow confusion among the rebels, which would be a great advantage. Come with me to ‘Arcadia.’ According to the Dungeon’s rules, I can offer up to 25 million per day…”

“Of course. I should go. I have a strong connection to Arcadia, haha.”

Kim Songcheol accepted with a breath of nothingness. He hadn’t been able to collect any points due to his injuries anyway. This was the perfect opportunity.