Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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Chapter 359: To the Empire (3)

"It’s certain for now."

Something twisted had emerged.

And it devoured the empire’s capital.

The outcome was clear, but the process remained incomprehensible.

"When did it manage to consume this much?"

Even though the strongest force on earth, the empire, had been under the control of the old man, none of them had known.

More importantly, the old man wasn’t detected in any location outside the empire.

Perhaps he hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet, but considering the events during Magnarein, it seemed the old man was only just beginning to expand his domain.

Given his power, it was unnervingly slow.

Even with just a week, he could consume more than half of the world at his leisure.

That was a conservative estimate.

"The Tower Master headed to the empire two weeks ago, didn’t he?"

There had been no contact since then.

Given the Tower Master's abilities, it had to be assumed he’d been consumed at least two weeks ago.

Ketal stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"...Is there some kind of restriction in play?"

He needed information—how the enemy had arrived here and what it aimed for.

Fighting without understanding was a risk he couldn’t afford.

But acting rashly wasn’t an option either.

If a bug crawling on one’s skin started moving, it would inevitably be noticed.

Ketal organized his thoughts neatly.

"First, it will be after I meet the emperor. Will I even be able to meet him?"

"Ah, yes,"

Helia stammered, nodding quickly.

"I’ll meet His Majesty the Emperor and inform him about you. He’ll likely be very interested."

"That’s all I need. Then I leave it to you."

Ketal smiled faintly.

A few hours later, the emperor summoned Helia.

Following the command, she made her way to the emperor’s throne room.

The emperor sat grandly upon his throne, gazing down at her.

Helia gave a slight bow.

"It’s been a while. I’m pleased to meet you, mighty Emperor of the Great Empire."

When she raised her head to look at him, she let out a soft gasp.

"...You haven’t changed at all."

The emperor’s appearance had remained exactly the same for decades—unchanged in the slightest.

She hadn’t thought much of it before, but if Ketal was right, it might be due to the presence of Forbidden Lands.

After all, the one who had devoured the empire wouldn’t have left the emperor untouched.

‘...I don’t see any immediate issues, though.’

She quietly manifested her holy power to scrutinize the emperor, but nothing seemed amiss.

Not only with him but throughout the imperial city as well, there were no visible problems.

Had Ketal not spoken, she might have assumed everything was perfectly ordinary.

"So, what brings you here, Saintess of the Sun God, Helia?"

The emperor’s voice brought her back to her senses.

She furrowed her brow at his words.

"What brings me here...? Evil has invaded the world. It nearly burned and collapsed. Even the mighty gods poured their strength into protecting the land. Why has the empire not acted in response?"

Even without Ketal, she would have come to the empire to ask this very question, much as the Tower Master had before her.

The emperor leaned his chin on the armrest of his throne, looking annoyed.

"So, you’re here to ask the same question."

It was the same question the Tower Master had asked him before.

And his answer hadn’t changed.

"Because there was no need to act. The empire doesn’t care who wins."

"...What?"

"Enough. I’m tired of this. Is that all you wanted to say?"

The emperor’s gaze darkened.

Helia failed to notice it, but the imperial city itself began to writhe subtly.

If she stayed still, she would end up consumed by the city itself, just as the Tower Master had been.

But before that could happen, she spoke again.

"No. I have another matter. There’s someone I’d like to introduce to you."

The imperial city paused, the emperor’s face etched with curiosity.

"Introduce someone? To me? Who?"

"Someone who I believe will pique your interest. He’s the one who protected this land."

"...The one who fought the Demon King, huh? I’ve heard the rumors."

The emperor’s face lit up with intrigue.

The Demon King.

A formidable being.

Even compared to the entity the emperor served, the Demon King’s power was no small matter.

Of course, that was in the past.

The entity he served had grown much stronger since then and could easily defeat the Demon King now.

Still, for someone from this world to accomplish what even his master had struggled with?

It was only natural for the emperor to be interested.

‘...If I subdue him and offer him to my master…’

The master would undoubtedly be pleased.

The emperor smiled and nodded.

"Very well. Bring him here."

"Understood."

Helia clapped her hands lightly, sending a signal imbued with divine power to Ketal’s location.

"I’ve summoned him. He’ll arrive shortly."

"I’ll wait."

The situation of an outsider meeting the emperor was unprecedented, but there were no verification procedures.

That was expected.

The empire belonged to the emperor; his word was law.

If he deemed it unnecessary, no procedures were required.

Shortly after, footsteps echoed through the silence.

A knock followed.

The emperor spoke.

"Enter."

Creak.

The door opened.

The emperor immediately moved to seize the intruder with the power of the imperial city.

Since this was someone who had fought the Demon King, they would undoubtedly be strong.

The emperor intended to launch a preemptive strike before the intruder could act.

But when he saw the face of the one entering, the emperor froze.

It was a barbarian.

A massive, ash-gray barbarian.

And there was something strange about him.

The emperor and Ketal locked eyes.

Ketal smiled faintly.

"Oh, as I thought. You’re a host. It was worth the wait."

"You...!"

The emperor’s words were cut short.

Ketal lunged forward, the air shattering from the speed of his movement.

He seized the emperor’s head and snapped it.

* * *

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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"Aaah!"

Helia screamed like a child for the first time in years.

It was an instinctive reaction.

How could she not?

Ketal, upon seeing the emperor, had suddenly dashed forward and broken his neck.

"K-Ketal! What are you doing?!"

Ketal showed through action instead of words.

He snapped the twisted neck and crushed it completely.

Any normal living being should have died instantly from such a sight.

But the Emperor did not die.

He swung his hand violently, trying to push Ketal away.

Ketal casually crushed the hand with his elbow.

“You… you bastard!”

At the same time, the Emperor’s body began to ripple.

He began to distort and tear the world apart.

Even Helia, who had been trying to stop him, froze at the bizarre sight.

“W-what is this…?”

Crunch.

Ketal did not let the Emperor fully unleash his power.

He pinned him down and reached for his waist.

Grabbing his axe, he summoned his aura.

Crack.

The Emperor’s body was cleanly split in two.

The fallen Emperor could not move again.

The ruler of a nation and master of the strongest group on earth met his end just like that.

Ketal wore a refreshing smile.

“Killing an Emperor, huh? I’ve always wanted to try that at least once!”

“K-Ketal, what in the world is this…?”

“Hmm? Didn’t you notice? This bastard wasn’t human. He’s long since become something else, wearing the Emperor’s guise.”

“No, I could see that with my own eyes, but…”

The strange energy emanating from the Emperor—it was undoubtedly not of this world.

Having witnessed it, Helia could not deny the truth.

But her shock stemmed from something else.

“W-wasn’t your goal to find a way to cure him when you sought to meet the Emperor…?”

“No. I wanted to confirm if he was a host.”

The Twisted One.

It could corrupt and turn all things into its minions.

Many of the barbarians in the white snowfields had fallen under its thrall before.

Among them were hosts, who served as conduits to exponentially increase the number of minions, akin to an infection.

The Twisted One rarely produced multiple hosts, perhaps due to the difficulty of creating them.

Ketal had determined that the Emperor was likely a host.

Before the Twisted One could intervene to protect him, Ketal intended to kill the Emperor—not because he had a cure, but to stop the infection.

“Killing the Twisted One might undo the corruption, but leaving the host unchecked is even worse.”

“O-oh…”

Helia struggled to fully comprehend Ketal’s words.

But regardless of her confusion, the situation began to escalate rapidly.

“At least we’ve dealt with the host.”

Ketal lifted his head.

The insects crawling over his body moved frantically, biting into his flesh.

At this point, it was impossible not to notice.

“They’ll come. Soon.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the imperial palace began to collapse.

Rumble.

It emerged from its hiding place, shattering space as it appeared.

The world warped and began to transform.

Finally, its form came into view.

It looked like a sea urchin.

Countless twisted, crooked spines gathered together, forming a single entity.

Merely existing there, it caused the world to break apart.

“…Ah.”

Helia’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

Her spirit felt like it was forcibly leaving her body.

Ketal stepped in front of her, raising his aura to protect her.

“It’s been a while, Twisted One. I’m sick of seeing your grotesque face again.”

[…From somewhere else, you’ve come.]

Its voice alone distorted and twisted the world’s very concepts.

[So you disappeared for a time… As I thought, you were outside. This time, we’ll end this long battle once and for all.]

At the same moment, its power enveloped Ketal.

Sensing the prelude, he quickly swung his axe.

Aura clashed with an unseen force.

BOOOOOOM!

The shockwave spread.

Reality twisted and broke.

The aftermath shook the world.

“Ughhh!”

Right beside him, Helia bore the brunt of the shockwave.

Despite Ketal’s protection and her own efforts to shield herself, it was not enough.

“Cough! Cough!”

Her innards twisted.

The tips of her limbs bent unnaturally.

Panicking, she looked at her arm, where the skin spiraled as if caught in a vortex.

Holy power failed to heal it.

“This is… insane!”

Ketal had described the enemy as a monster on par with the Demon King.

Helia hadn’t fully believed him.

Demon King was a creatures so powerful that even gods struggled to contend with them.

That such beings existed in numbers was hard for a mortal like her to fathom.

But she was wrong.

Ketal always spoke the truth.

The Twisted One spoke softly.

[I owe you my gratitude. Without you, I would have waited a long, long time in there. But thanks to you, the seal is broken. I can now act freely in this world.]

RUMBLE!

Power surged.

The world began to tear apart.

The being that had been sealed away with divine and demonic forces broke free, releasing its ecstatic energy.

[This is only the beginning. I will make all things mine. I will restore the universe to its rightful form.]

“Yeah, right.”

Ketal sneered.

His expression was unlike his usual self—distorted and strange, almost akin to the Twisted One.

And that was no surprise.

The man standing here was not merely Ketal, a member of the fantasy realm.

He was Ketal, the chieftain of the ashen barbarians living in the white snowfields.

With force, Ketal swung his axe down.

The Twisted One unleashed its authority.

Their powers collided, sending shockwaves that shook everything around them.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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