Chapter 1 : C1 part14
Different World Nation Alchimyra -The Weakest King and the Unrivaled Army
Chapter 1 part 14: “Death”
After leaving the throne room, Helian proceeds to pass through the castle gate and venture outside the city.
Accompanied by the salutes of the castle guards, Helian observes the state of the town.
As expected, there is hardly any pedestrian traffic. Due to the recent rebellion, the residents have retreated indoors.
The sight of an empty marketplace, usually bustling with people, was both intriguing and eerily unsettling. It evoked a sense of melancholy in Helian’s heart.
Helian recalls that the scene should be around this area and makes his estimation.
Upon viewing the <Map>, he notices a concentration of green light dots representing friendly forces just beyond the corner. By aligning the cursor with a particularly large green light dot, he confirms the presence of the Fifth Legion Commander. It seems there is no doubt about the direction ahead.
Turning the corner, Helian and his companions step onto the main boulevard. It boasts a width spacious enough for at least twenty people to walk side by side, and it stretches out before them, filling their field of view.
“There, it overflowed with red.”
The bustling main boulevard, usually filled with shoppers, was devoid of any ordinary citizens. Instead, there were scattered, oversized humanoid figures with protruding limbs strewn about, resembling disconnected parts.
In their surroundings, it appeared as if red liquid had been splattered as if by a reckless painter.
The sheer lack of organic presence made it initially difficult to comprehend what exactly it was. Coming closer, within reach, Helian finally grasped the understanding of what it was.
“What… is this?”
It was an ogre.
The corpse of an ogre.
Its right hand had been violently torn off from the base, and its legs were twisted in unnatural directions. This was not a mere doll, but the lifeless body of an ogre.
As Helian lifted their gaze and surveyed the main boulevard, they realized that it was not just one or two, but a staggering number of ogre corpses scattered around.
In the bustling South Boulevard, known for its wide variety of local specialties, there was hardly a trace of its usual atmosphere.
Bloody weapons, seemingly used for suppression, were carelessly scattered on the shelves of the apothecary. Instead of the usual fresh produce, the storefront of a grocery store displayed grotesque masses of ogre flesh that begged the question of whether they were avant-garde art. It was evident that these creatures had been struck with tremendous force, as their distorted abdomens revealed protruding white bones.
Charred corpses and decapitated bodies were just the tip of the iceberg; the ones still recognizable as ogres were actually in the minority. There were scattered chunks of flesh that had exploded apart, and several ogres had been mangled together into a grotesque mound resembling hamburger meat.
These sights stimulated Helian’s senses with an overwhelming sense of realism. The blood-scented breeze brushed against their skin, while the pungent odor of rusted iron permeated their nostrils.
“…”
Helian mustered the strength to swallow the bile that threatened to rise in his throat. The acidic sensation lingered on his tongue, but he couldn’t allow himself to exhibit the repulsive act of vomiting in front of Leve and Elthina. Fueled by sheer determination, Helian fought off the waves of nausea and admonished his legs, which were on the verge of buckling under him.
… I underestimated it.
“It’s the only way to put it.
I’ve come to understand, to a frustrating extent, just how much the expression regulations imposed by those criticized as being unsophisticated and restrictive in their ethics have actually protected the players’ minds.
If Japanese gamers were to experience something like this on a daily basis, it’s no doubt they would quickly develop abnormal mental states.
When gamers lose sight of the boundary between reality and fiction, and news emerges of someone wielding a blade on some street, we would easily find ourselves saying, ‘Of course. It’s not surprising at all,’ and accepting it without hesitation.”
The scene before him was truly shocking, especially for Helian – Misaki Tsukasa, an ordinary Japanese person.
“So, this is the famous main street…”
Normally, South Main Street was filled with foreign customers, but now it was scattered with the remnants of Ogre corpses.
Why?
Because Helian desired it.
It was none other than King Helian himself who wished for law and order – for the rebellion to be suppressed.
That’s why the punitive force led by the commander of the Fifth Army acted accordingly.
They fulfilled their roles as ordered, ensuring law and order.
And this is the result.
“…Is that the commander of the Fifth Army over there?”
As if escaping from something, Helian walked further into the depths of the main street.
Standing before the corpse of an Ogre with an exceptionally large physique was a man with flashy shoulder armor and disheveled dark brown hair. It was Galdi, the leader of the Fifth Army, composed mainly of Demonkin and Giants.
“Oh, Supreme Commander. As you can see, the suppression is complete,” Galdi said, sporting a smile that was surprisingly likable despite his villainous appearance, reminiscent of a mafia boss. He turned towards Helian.
Clad in a jacket armor made of demonic beast materials and wearing a fur-trimmed cloak that covered his neck, his appearance would make you question which savage tribe he belonged to. However, he was undoubtedly one of the commanders of the army.
Unlike Leve, he specialized in close combat as a frontline character with a different approach. Currently standing at over two meters tall, he maintained a humanoid form, but his true identity was that of an Aulgermil, in other words, a giant.
Despite his rough and sometimes flawed abilities and personality, Galdi possessed an imposing presence and a unique charisma emanating from his physique. While he didn’t quite match Balan, he excelled in maintaining law and order as well as suppression capabilities.
And the result of his exceptional suppression abilities is evident before your eyes.
Under the command of King Helian, Galdi fulfilled his mission, and thus the suppression was successfully accomplished.
“…Well done, Commander Galdi of the Fifth Legion.”
“Nah, not really, General. First of all, we couldn’t prevent the rebellion from happening in the first place. This is a failure on my part and Balran’s. I’m prepared to face some consequences.”
“No, the conditions and groundwork for the rebellion were already too well established among the Ogre faction. This outcome was inevitable. I cannot blame you all.”
Helian waved his hand in a relaxed manner.
Not only was he showcasing his leniency towards his subordinates’ mistakes, but in reality, this rebellion was bound to happen. After all, the circumstances were far from favorable.
“If only we could have held the founding celebration, there would have been a higher chance of preventing the rebellion. But who could have predicted such a ridiculous event where the entire city would be teleported?”
“Where is the leader of the rebellion?”
“Oh, it’s over there, lying in front of the weapons shop.”
Galdi pointed to an Ogre with red skin.
It was a mutated Ogre.
Though it still retained its basic form, it now lay as a lifeless lump of flesh.
“I… I’d rather not witness this.
But somehow, it aligns with my desired outcome.
If that’s the case, then I have a responsibility to witness its final moments.”
Bracing himself, Helian approached the motionless body of the Red Ogre. A fist-sized hole marred its abdomen. He lifted his gaze to its face, revealing eyes clouded and milky, reminiscent of a fish stranded on the shore. Suppressing the creeping nausea, he etched its image into his memory.
“Hey, Galdi. You’ve been silent this whole time, and your choice of words towards Helian-sama is unacceptable.”
“Oh, there you go again, Leve. You and Balean never seem to get tired of it. Besides, it’s not like our esteemed leader cares about my choice of words anymore, you know? It’s a bit late for that.”
“There are limits, especially in front of soldiers. Show some minimal decorum.”
“Heh, heh. Oh, Helian-sama. I still have to take care of the corpse and clean up, so I’ll take my leave for now.”
“Hold on, Galdi. The conversation isn’t over yet!”
“Oh dear, you two shouldn’t fight.”
Galdi, trying to evade the trouble, attempted to hurry away from the scene.
Leve, unwilling to let him go, reached out for his shoulder.
Elthina watched their interactions, contemplating when to intervene.
And thus, no one made it in time.
“Gaaaaaaaah!!”
A roar.
The corpse of the Red Ogre with its red skin abruptly sprung to life, as if mocking them all.
“What…?”
Galdi had turned his back, intending to leave the scene.
Leve was in a position to reach out to his back.
Elthina had turned towards the two of them.
And Helian stood right beside the Red Ogre.
Hence, the corpse of the Red Ogre still clutched its own mace.
Without any consideration, it swung the mace towards Helian, who was the closest.
+ + + + +
“Oh… so this is it, I’m going to die.”
Confronted with the crude bludgeon looming before him, Helian acknowledged the fact as if it were someone else’s affair.
In reality, the mace that should be swinging at an astonishing speed appeared to be moving in slow motion. This must be what they say about everything appearing in slow motion in the face of imminent death. It’s a principle where the instinct for self-preservation somehow compresses the perceived speed of the body in an attempt to evade death, or something along those lines.
However, it was futile. I didn’t possess any remarkable physical abilities to begin with. No matter how much it appeared to be in slow motion, my body remained immobile, devoid of any means to resist the imminent death before me.
Suddenly, a multitude of images flashed through my mind.
Recollections of the numerous events that had taken place throughout the day came flooding back.
They were absurd beyond belief, yet their reality was overwhelmingly intense.
This was what they called a “life flashing before your eyes,” I suppose. Amidst the looming shadow of the mace approaching in slow motion, a torrent of images rushed by with tremendous force.
Unfortunately, among those images, there were no memories of my cherished moments with my loving parents during childhood, nor the few memories of playing with dear friends.
There is a sense of regret in longing for those memories. Even the wish to die enveloped in beautiful memories, at least for the final moments, seems like a luxury, doesn’t it?
Lost in pointless thoughts, the mace still hadn’t arrived.
I am still teetering on the brink of death.
What kind of torture is this?
Honestly, it’s terrifying beyond measure.
If only my body could move, I would undoubtedly be crying out in pitiful desperation.
If begging for my life would grant me salvation, I would cast aside all pride and crawl on the ground, pleading for mercy.
I refuse.
I don’t want to die.
If I must die, I want to die at home, at the very least.
I don’t want to die in a world like this.
My mind rejects death.
But reality mercilessly brings death closer.
There are now mere seconds, if even that, in terms of perception.
The mace is literally just inches away from my eyes and nose.
First, a gust of wind brushes against my face.
Then, the mace grazes my bangs.
I can see the reddish-black rust on the surface of the deadly mace.
Is it dried blood? It must be from previous unfortunate victims.
How many people have become rust on this mace before me?
Ah, it’s no use. I’m going to die, I’m going to die right away, I don’t want to die, someone help—
“――――”
A jarring, dissonant sound resonated.
In that moment, even my thoughts came to an abrupt end.
His head, just that of a mere human, burst apart like a watermelon, and the pulverized contents of his skull splattered across the ground, mixed with a gruesome semblance of ketchup.
“――And thus, Helian, the weakest of kings, met his fate.
Betrayed by the very people he governed, he perished.”