༺ The King Of Griffin ༻
“Grrraaaaaah!”
[I will kill you! I will kill you!]
[Why won’t you let us go!]
[I said I want to stop! I just want to close my eyes nowwww!]
Those souls finally broke free.
After gaining self-consciousness, they showed anger and the desire to unleash their grudges.
The souls that were pouring out from the Evil Ghost had turned into projectiles, one after another.
Since the Evil Ghost had turned the mana contained in the souls and used them as magic, the souls spewed out like a whirlwind, unable to endure their anger and started striking everywhere.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It had become an uncontrollable force.
Not only did they attack the Evil Ghost, but they also collided with pillars, ceilings, walls, and lights all over the audience chamber, as if they were trying to harm themselves.
My protective magic couldn’t completely block these many spirits’ rampage.
Additionally, stopping Lemegeton, which was activating and amplifying them, was not an option. I was almost certain that the Evil Ghost would once again devour the souls if I stopped it.
I lowered my body.
Even though I would inevitably suffer damage as well, it was something I must endure since the Evil Ghost was taking the brunt of the souls’ wrath; the damage was more severe for him.
Glancing behind, Deia and Darius were also caught in the rampage of souls, forced into a defensive state. It wouldn’t be unexpected for them to be overwhelmed in no time.
Although the Dark Spiritualist was protecting them, however, being a ghost, there were limitations on what she could do.
The servants who rushed towards us were all lying unconscious on the floor, and some were being swept away by the rampage of the souls.
Since I couldn’t save everyone, I retreated for a moment, joining the two while keeping a distance from the Evil Ghost.
“I-is it over?”
Deia was the one who asked first. I shook my head and placed both of them within the protective range of my magic.
“It’s not over yet. I just released the souls concentrated inside him, I have not completely annihilated him.”
Annihilating the Evil Ghost wouldn’t occur with such ease, and just because the souls escaped didn’t mean he would suddenly become an ordinary ghost.
While his original power remained intact, it meant that I had eliminated his cheat-like power, making dealing with him several times easier.
“Seriously, when will this end?”
I had no answer to Darius’ question. The amount of souls consumed by the Evil Ghost for hundreds of years was far beyond imagination.
This meant that their grudges were deeply rooted.
“Is there nothing you can do about it?”
The souls were strengthened by Lemegeton, which was emitting a faint light.
However, it seemed like I somehow needed to stop the rampage immediately. The momentum was such that it could potentially destroy the Royal Palace if not handled carefully.
[What will you do?]
At the Dark Spiritualist’s question, I turned my gaze back to the Evil Ghost and replied.
“We don’t have time to wait. This place will be ruined before we can do anything about it.”
If this place were just an empty field or a desolate plain, I would have waited.
In fact, waiting alone could already lead to the Evil Ghost’s power eventually dissipating completely, and the current situation would turn somewhat manageable.
However, because the rampage of the souls happening right now was too intense, there was a high likelihood of casualties among the servants; the Royal Palace was also in a mess.
Fortunately, the Evil Ghost had become much weaker than before and was currently distracted by the souls escaping.
“Dark Spiritualist, you should stay here and guard Deia. Darius is coming with me.”
“I-I am going too!”
Deia replied stubbornly, but I shook my head and discouraged her to follow.
“Guard that box well and use it when I give you the signal.”
Deia seemed to want to ask what was in the box she was carrying, but she didn’t insist.
She only tightly gripped her gun, and though she wasn’t entirely convinced yet, she chose to follow my words as they were.
“Stand behind me.”
Darius and I lowered our body and moved forward together. I considered casting a spell to protect us, but Darius unexpectedly took the lead instead.
“No. You stay behind me.”
“….”
“Currently, you’re the only one who can defeat the Evil Ghost that has taken possession of His Majesty’s body, Deus. So, conserve your power.”
It was indeed a valid opinion.
I never expected Darius to step forward and offer himself as a shield.
“Deus.”
While cautiously moving forward like this, Darius suddenly spoke.
Even though I didn’t bother to reply, he continued speaking.
“I never imagined a future like this would happen to us.”
“….”
“I only aimed to follow our Father’s footsteps and keep the family safe. But, I actually didn’t fully grasp what this family truly was.”
I slightly turned my head and met Darius’ eyes.
This was the first time—the first time I considered him reliable.
“I don’t know what Father thought of you, but to me, you are part of the Verdi Household, and you are my family. So if I die here…”
[Give me that stoneeeee!]
Kuuung!
Realizing that we were approaching him, the Evil Ghost started to launch a counter-attack.
Instead of trying to stop the souls who were escaping like water flowing from a leaky jar, his strategy was to eliminate me and seize Lemegeton.
Black hands emerged from the ground and attacked us from every direction.
Darius drew his sword and skillfully cut through them, then he continued speaking.
“You should be the next Head of the Verdi Household.”
Thunk!
He was a remarkably skilled martial artist. He only looked inferior because the opponents he faced were unbelievably powerful.
Unfortunately, this time was no exception. In a battle with a necromancer who had lived for at least centuries, he couldn’t swing his sword more than a few times before dropping to one knee.
“Stay still and wait here.”
I pressed his shoulder firmly before stepping forward.
“Don’t leave such useless last words. Are you planning to close your eyes after being satisfied with just escaping Father’s shadow?”
“….”
I used my magic to protect Darius. After getting a bit of relief from the situation, he glanced at me and then stood up with a spirited smile.
“That’s right, you’re too skinny to protect the Northern Barrier!”
He tightly gripped his sword again.
He stepped in front of me, saying it again.
“I will protect you no matter what it takes. Forget everything else. Just concentrate on dealing with that unholy creature!”
“Alright.”
I took out Lemegeton once again.
I couldn’t win by using magic. After all, that body belonged to King Orpheus, and I couldn’t harm it recklessly.
Now, what I needed to do was, ironically, awaken the souls even more intensely.
Because the most important person was still asleep inside.
In the game, there were only two possible outcomes after King Orpheus discovered the truth: either become completely broken or finally manage to overcome it.
But now, I understood.
It wasn’t that King Orpheus managed to overcome the truth.
‘Instead, the Evil Ghost took over his body.’
That was why he could easily overlook this matter.
On the contrary, what was broken was Orpheus’s conviction.
It was shattered because it was too rigid and upright.
I wouldn’t let such an ending happen this time.
No, I would make sure it would never happen.
With Lemegeton, which was emitting even brighter light, I spoke.
“Your Majesty, can you hear me?”
* * *
It felt like being in a mud pit. On top of that, there was a sensation that a bunch of germs and insects were crawling all over his body.
It was uncomfortable and disgusting. However, there was no way to escape.
He couldn’t open his eyes, nor could he smell anything. He couldn’t even widen his mouth.
He once heard that people would experience a rest similar to sleep after death.
Could this be what they call eternal rest?
While experiencing a sensation akin to torture, King Orpheus sensed a faint voice tickling his ears.
It was a calm but firm voice with self-assurance.
However, even though he heard the voice, no thoughts reached him. It was a familiar tone, yet he couldn’t recall who it was.
In a situation akin to the moments before a slumber, Orpheus slowly tried to relax his eyes.
Tuk.
He felt someone grabbing his shoulder.
On top of that, it wasn’t just one.
In an instant, hands clinging all over his body urgently yet gently woke him up.
‘Huh?’
He slowly opened his eyes.
Unable to move his body enough to look around, he didn’t know who was holding him, but the voice became clearer.
–Your Majesty, it is almost time already.
“De, Deus?”
It was undoubtedly Deus Verdi’s voice. Yet, he couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but strength gradually returned to his body as Deus’s voice echoed.
–Now, we only need you to gather your determination and wake up, Your Majesty. Then, you can eradicate this great evil that has entrenched the Griffin Dynasty for centuries.
“Me…?”
Gather my determination?
What kind of determination was he talking about?
–Your Majesty must have witnessed countless atrocities committed by the Griffin Dynasty.
“Ah….”
Right.
From the records kept in the basement, he had witnessed all the atrocious deeds the Griffin Dynasty committed, to the point of abomination.
Even though those deeds were carried out by someone who was possessed by the Evil Ghost, in the end, that very Evil Ghost was also one of Griffin’s ancestors.
–You must have thought you did not have such qualifications to do so, and you suffered from thinking you were not the one meant to sit on the throne.
“….”
That was right.
He could only restrain the urge to seize the crown, throw it away, and escape to a distant land.
-But, Your Majesty, being unqualified and having no responsibilities are different.
“……”
–To simply say that you are also a victim, the burden you bear is too big. A king should lead and take responsibility instead of making excuses and running away.
“Ah.”
–Yet, you are not wrong either. The Griffin Dynasty indeed has already lost its qualification to stand as the sun of this kingdom. Incompetence is a sin for those in the king’s position.
He understood the meaning of those sharp words, and Orpheus thought he might be shedding tears.
–However, Your Majesty, should you not take responsibility? Should you not restore this kingdom, which has become a deformed constitution, to its original state?
“That is… right.”
–You have made mistakes, so you want to step down from the throne? Does that not make you someone who is no different from someone merely indulging in their own desires? Someone who merely flees when things become challenging?
Perhaps by now, Deus, too, was wearing a mocking smile.
Because, in the end, he had one thing to say.
-Hence, please embrace all the responsibility and return to your throne.
“……”
-It is time to rise, Your Majesty.
His thoughts raced back. It felt as if someone were pulling him up from beneath the water.
In a consciousness that seemed to twist his hips and drag him down, he turned his head towards the ones who had hauled him above, higher and higher. The owners of the hands that shook him, thus waking him up.
Some faces were familiar, and some were not.
It seemed like he knew who they were.
“Father, Mother.”
The late King Ophert Luden Griffin, who had been devoured by the Evil Ghost a long time ago.
And his mother, Hylan Luden Griffin.
Not only them, but also the numerous owners of the Griffin Dynasty who had been devoured by the Evil Ghost and had their bodies taken away.
“Ah, so is this why you wished for me to stay foolish?”
Now, King Orpheus realized the true meaning of his father’s last words.
Remain foolish.
“Did you wish that I would not find out the truth?”
Squeeze.
Power emerged in his clenched fist as the burning desire in his chest spread throughout his body.
“Did you wish for me not to know about Griffin’s miserable state?”
He felt a palm full of wrinkles on his back.
Realizing it was his father’s, Orpheus shed hot tears.
“I thought you had gone far away. You were a father I had always respected.”
Thud.
“Now, Father, I can see your back, which always felt so distant.”
He could feel a gentle push on his back.
Now.
Right now.
He would break free from the Evil Ghost’s clutches that had been oppressing the Royal Family—the long and enduring chains from which no one from the Griffin Dynasty had managed to escape.
“I shall surpass you.”
Soon.
The partially ruined audience chamber appeared in front of him, and Deus Verdi smiled with a look of unwavering faith.
* * *
“Gasp! Gasp!”
With a rough breath, King Orpheus, while clutching his chest, descended from the throne, fell on his knees, and writhed in agony.
I immediately retracted Lemegeton’s light and the ghosts who seemed to be partying wildly gradually quieted down.
“I-is it working?”
Darius, barely holding on amidst the Evil Ghost’s attack, was already covered in wounds, with blood pooling beneath his feet.
Although he needed treatment, the battle was not over yet.
[Grrraaaaah!]
Separated from King Orpheus, the Evil Ghost writhed and his remaining mana started to disperse.
Now, the Evil Ghost was just thrashing instinctively.
Amidst a sensation as if thorns were flying towards me, I reached out my hand.
Through mana, the embodiment of the souls from the surroundings appeared.
It was a magic I used to subdue the evil spirits in the Verdi mansion.
Necromancers used this method to completely subjugate evil spirits as their own, surrounding their souls with spirits from their surroundings.
[It turns out you’re insane!]
Thinking that I intended to subjugate him, the Evil Ghost rushed forward with his mouth wide open.
Just like that, the grim-looking head swallowed me whole, and soon, control of my body began to shift.
“Keuergh!”
[In the end, you are just like any other necromancer! How dare you try to make me yours? You’re insane! How dare you think you can…!]
It was just like when the original Deus possessed me. The Evil Ghost also started to take over my body.
Staggering, I fell on one knee, but simultaneously, I looked at a woman in the distance.
My quick-witted younger sister immediately opened the box on her back.
“Huh?”
Following Deia’s exclamation of disbelief, light radiated throughout the dark audience chamber.
Just by its presence, the evil spirits would flee, and ghosts would close their eyes.
Lemegeton was a cheat-like item for necromancy.
However, the game didn’t simply grant an overwhelmingly powerful weapon unilaterally.
Meanwhile, that thing was not merely the antithesis of the Lemegeton, but a gift from God that purified all wicked things.
It was the most perfect object among all others on the continent.
A silver chalice that could contain everything in the world.
Deia was surprised when she pulled the Holy Grail from the box, but I shouted while struggling for control against the Evil Ghost.
“Now is the time.”
[You’re insaneeeee!]
Now, the situation had reversed.
In contrast to before, I seized the Evil Ghost attempting to escape from my body.
Knowing that he would try to escape the moment he saw the Holy Grail, I needed a form of restraint to secure him. I had now assigned myself to that role.
Holding the Holy Grail in one hand and a magic gun in the other, Deia aimed at me without hesitation.
In those eyes, it wasn’t resentment that was directed at me, her second older brother; instead, it held trust.
The holy power emanating from the Holy Grail blended with Deia’s mana and traveled through her hand, and onto the gun’s muzzle.
[Are you borrowing the power of God?!! Are you not ashameeeeeeed?!! As a Necromanceeeeer!]
I snickered at his absurd last-ditch effort.
“I am different from you, one who became an evil ghost and unable to receive God’s blessings.
Taang!
The muzzle spewed flames, and a bullet filled with holy power flew straight towards me.
“The dead should remain dead.”
Pwoosh!
The bullet precisely struck my left shoulder. I immediately dropped Lemegeton due to the Holy Power coursing my whole body.
[Grrrrraaaaaaaaahhhhhh!]
Touched by Holy Power, the Evil Ghost let out a scream and began to succumb to God’s judgment.
The smile on my lips did not fade, even when I felt the intense pain in my shoulder.
“It was a mistake to think I would let you possess me.”
Even after my clear explanation, he remained the kind of student unaffected by an important lesson.
“What I have prepared for you was only annihilation.”
I looked up at the sky, clutching my throbbing shoulder.
Sunlight streamed in through the holes in the audience chamber, riddled throughout.
As the late dawn departed…
And the sunlight gently descended…
The Phantom of Griffin had achieved a total, a complete, a perfect annihilation.
