Chapter 135

Basically,

monsters were beings from another world. In Ardenia, there were non-human creatures like orcs and goblins with green skin, giants such as ogres, Cyclopses, and giants, along with elementals like ice elementals and fire elementals. The concept of Revenge was that these invaders from another world attacked peaceful Ardenia.

Of course, not all monsters originated from another world.

‘The Bright rebels led by Hero-level figures also expanded their territory.’

In the backstory of Revenge, all forces hostile to players were considered monsters. There were survivor groups turned bandits, nobles who gained power by aligning themselves with otherworldly monsters, vampires infected with vampirism seeking out humans, and above all else, one particular figure stood out.

Edward, the Fanatic.

‘I thought he might appear in Ardenia, but I never expected to meet him like this.’

Edward was the only human among the special bosses. Although the Ice Queen had originally been human, she ceased being one by the time she arrived in Ardenia, making her a unique case. In other words, from another perspective, Edward…

…is destined for Myth status.

Of course, there was no guarantee that he would become a Transcendent. His transformation could be due to the influence of an Outer Deity, which earned him the title “Fanatic,” or it could result from his long-standing fanaticism affecting his mind over the years.

Nevertheless…it was evident that Edward possessed extraordinary talent.

“What? Who do you think I am?” Edward frowned. It was absurd to see such a reaction from Ed, who had been crying at the sight of his sister.

“Show some manners, Edward. Is this how I taught you?”

“Huh! No, I…” Edward stuttered as if he had much to say but bowed when seeing Harmony’s stern gaze. “I-I’m sorry.”

‘He is an interesting guy.’

In many ways, he was unique. In the Land of Midgard where children were considered ‘less human’, here was someone with the appearance of a middle school student guarding and wielding a sword. Moreover, despite having a fiery temperament akin to a thunderbolt, he couldn’t stand up against his older sister, making him even more peculiar.

“We—the great Holy Empire—must survive! We must overcome this crisis! We must protect and nurture the legacy left to us by the self-sacrificing diva Harmony!” The middle-aged man standing on the podium yelled at the top of his lungs. Some kind of magical device seemed to amplify his voice across the area.

“Oh right, Sis. Why did you volunteer without telling me first?”

“I didn’t.”

“…What?” Edward’s face fell at her unexpected response.

Harmony spoke coldly. “He simply offered me as a sacrifice.”

“…!” Edward paled.

She stared straight at her brother as she continued.

“The cardinal has no intention of opposing the Flame Monarch. The Saint and Holy Maiden were attacked due to his betrayal.”

“…N-no. That can’t be true. You know? Cardinal Al is like our parent…”

“Edward.” Harmony looked sad, her large eyes expressing her emotions clearly. “Do you not believe me?”

“…” Edward stood there for some time without answering, his expression changing rapidly during those brief moments. Finally…

“…No. I trust you, sis.”

“Thank you, Edward. As always, you’re the only one who understands me.” She hugged him warmly before turning back to face me after releasing him.

“Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Emperor?!”

Edward was surprised but Harmony ignored him and said, “Edward isn’t very smart. Even if he reads books all night, he forgets everything by the next day.”

“S-Sister! What are you saying?!”

“Furthermore, he is stubborn. Once he learns something difficult, he thinks he knows it all. With his bad temper, stubbornness, and explosive nature, he will cause great harm to the world and be criticized by everyone.”

“Oh, come on. Sister…” Edward grabbed Harmony’s arm, struggling against her words. However, she didn’t even turn her head, looking calmly at me with a composed expression.

“But,” she said, “his innate qualities are heavenly bestowed. If Your Majesty has one million men under your command, this guy would be at the forefront. Even if there were ten million, he would still be in front. Although he is fiercely stubborn and foolish, once he swears loyalty, he will never think otherwise.”

After saying this, Harmony knelt before me. Edward was startled at her actions.

“Sister…?!”

“Please accept him.”

The cardinal on the podium continued to speak, while people enthusiastically responded to his words. Thus, no one heard our conversation but the sight of someone kneeling drew attention from various places. I didn’t know what to do with the kneeling Harmony when I saw Edward also kneel beside her without any hesitation or embarrassment.

‘Kisby.’

It was like a pumpkin rolling down its vine.

“You can’t be the strongest because I am here.” I reached out and helped Harmony stand up. “However, depending on your efforts, you might just reach right below that position.”

“Thank you!” Harmony smiled brightly and brushed off the dirt on her clothes. Edward still seemed confused.

“No, noona. Explain it to me. What is this emperor stuff?”

“Listen to me. Have I ever led you astray before?”

“T-That’s true but…” Harmony’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“But what?”

“Oh, nothing.”

With one syllable, Harmony silenced Edward before covering her face with the cloth again. She then spotted the cardinal descending from the podium.

“Well, as previously mentioned, I will make my move now. Since Your Majesty is watching, I’ll give it my best shot.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” At my words, Harmony headed towards the podium. The entertainers who had just ascended were startled by her voice and graciously yielded their place.

‘How amazing. She seems to have considerable prestige.’

She might not be just a simple actor but possibly of noble birth. Her tone and actions showed surprising grace and political insight.

‘I also need to proceed according to plan.’

Instead of launching a surprise attack on the mages, I entered amidst these people partly to gauge the mood of the refugees, as well as because I had heard rumors of a group opposing the Flame Monarch among them.

[A group created by the Holy Maiden. Its name is Revenge.]

“Hah. Didn’t expect to hear about ‘Revenge’ here.”

The priestess was likely the one who used her self-sacrificing spell to send humanity to their last refuge—the entity featured in the introduction video when Revenge was first activated.

‘I don’t know her face because I skipped it… but there might be cases like Edward so I should watch all the videos.’

As I was thinking this…

[Don’t wait for me to die.

Isn’t it too early to prepare my celebration?]

“Huh?”

I paused. With just a few words, the complicated plans in my head became quiet.

[Don’t think of using me as firewood.

Don’t light the fire above me,

To burn with your greed.]

Thousands, no tens of thousands—no, maybe even more people were focused on her. Surprisingly, her voice spread beyond the area covered by the magic installed on the podium.

[I am trying hard to live,

So that I won’t die.]

“Hrmm.”

I put the teleportation incantation scroll back into my inventory and quietly stood listening to the song.

It was a shabby stage. There was no MR or lighting, nor any devices to enhance her dance on the podium.

[I am alive, not dead like this,

Living firmly.]

Despite this, there was appeal in her voice.

“She has what is commonly called an aura… Is she at the level of a top singer? I don’t know since I lack inspiration.” However, even without inspiration, it was possible to appreciate the song. The evidence was that among the numerous people gathered here, almost none were superhumans yet everyone was mesmerized by the podium.

However, there was someone who didn’t like the stage.

“That’s enough! Stop it right now! What are you doing?! Why such a sad song on this important day?” A man leaped onto the podium and yelled at Harmony. Upon closer inspection, he was the burly holy warrior who had been assisting the cardinal earlier.

The crowd parted to reveal the cardinal surrounded by his entourage, clearly displeased with what just transpired.

“Who do you think you are?! You weren’t even scheduled to perform today! How dare you ruin this crucial moment with your nonsense about kindling and ambition!” The enraged man approached Harmony, fuming.

“What’s wrong with your face—” He pulled back her hood, revealing Harmony’s features. His anger instantly dissipated as he froze in shock.

“No… You’re not…”

“It’s Harmony! It’s really her!”

“She’s alive!”

“But Cardinal… Are you saying he lied?”

The crowd erupted into chaos. The flustered cardinal shouted at his subordinates.

“Abdul! What are you waiting for?!”

“Oh, yes, sir!”

A burly man rushed onto the stage and grabbed Harmony by the arm.

“Come here!”

“Ack!”

While she possessed psychic powers related to singing, Harmony had no other abilities, so she stumbled as she was dragged away.

“What is this bastard doing?!”

Wham!

With a heavy thud, the man collapsed after Edward suddenly appeared on the podium and kicked him down.

He already awakened his aura.

It was strange to see someone who looked like a mere middle schooler overpower such a sturdy man physically. However, the man seemed already aware of Edward’s reputation and retreated, realizing he couldn’t match up against him. At this sight, the cardinal cried out:

“Edward!”

“What are you shouting for?! You! You sacrificed our sister!” Edward yelled back.

‘Just 10 minutes ago, they were referring to him as if he was their parent.’

Regardless of my thoughts on the matter, Edward’s outburst brought shame to the cardinal’s face. He opened his mouth briefly, seemingly searching for excuses but…

“You offered Harmony-san as a sacrifice?”

“And then had the nerve to give that speech?”

As chaos grew around him, the cardinal closed his mouth. Sensing the urgency of the situation, his expression turned sinister. He hesitated briefly before speaking respectfully to the man beside him.

“Birgna-ssi.”

“Heh heh! How disappointing, Cardinal. You made such a fuss yet failed to control your sacrifices properly.” The seated man rose slowly. Initially appearing ordinary, as he stood, he transformed into a demonic figure nearly three meters tall with bright red skin.

“Everyone—be quiet!”

His booming roar instantly silenced the noisy plain.

“Oh, fuck…”

Knowing who this creature was, Edward’s voice filled with despair. Understandably so.

A Hero-class Flame Djinn: Birgna

Birgna appeared before them.

A Hero-rank monster.

Originally, within the Fire Mage’s Labyrinth (Advanced-Hero), only the Flame Monarch should have been ranked as a Hero. Although the eight flower shops surrounding the central Heavenly Origin were undoubtedly crucial locations, they were still designated as beginner to intermediate-level zones.

This must be the power of sacrifice—it elevates the monster’s rank.

With unlimited sacrifices, it would theoretically allow the Flame Monarch’s rank to increase endlessly. Perhaps this is how the Myth-ranked Ash Ruler, the Flame Monarch, came into existence.

“Hey.”

“Heh-heh-heh! These sacrificial fools… And you are?”

The newcomer strode towards Birgna, who snorted and extended his hand.

Bam!

As soon as our hands met, his lethargic expression abruptly changed. As I mentioned earlier, those who exert great strength can sense it from just a handshake.

“A-ah… Ugh…?”

Despite Birgna’s skin turning dark red from straining, he couldn’t budge me at all. The difference between our sizes looked like that of an adult and child, but the gap in strength was reversed.

‘No, it isn’t just reversed.’

The strength disparity wasn’t merely akin to comparing an adult to a child; it was more like contrasting a human with a mouse. Birgna tried to change direction and lift me, but Land Breaker’s power kept my feet firmly rooted to the ground.

Crack!

“Argh?!”

Birgna’s hand twisted unnaturally. He screamed and attempted to pull away, but it was futile.

“You, insect-like! Human…”

Flames burst from its body.

“Kyack?!”

“Ahhh! Retreat!”

Chaos erupted all around us, but it didn’t matter to me.

“H-How…?” Birgna groaned, realizing that not a single hair on my head was singed by the intense heat.

I explained, “Although I deleted legendary accessories due to their high cost, rare ones still remain.”

I showed him the Ring of Flame Protection (Rare) +9, but naturally, he couldn’t comprehend its significance.

“What is tha—”

Before it could finish speaking, I forcefully dragged it towards me. Its massive body was compelled to kneel as it was pulled right in front of me.

Finally, I reached out to him at eye level.

Crack!

I broke his neck immediately.

“Ah…”

“This can’t be…”

The people were shocked.

‘Good. Now let’s deliver some weighty lines…’

As I was thinking this…

[A Han Jae-yeon has acquired Flame Cannon (Hero) in the barren desert area!]

At the unexpected world message, I didn’t continue my act and opened my inventory instead.

“No way, is it a Hero skill book here?!”

”…”

”…”

”…”

Many people watched with blank expressions as I rejoiced.