Dictator From Outer Space

Most of the memories of the Great War had faded or been forgotten, but there were a few legends that had been passed down orally to this day.

They were about the Ether Blades, the weapons wielded by the champions who served as the proxies of the gods and dragons.

One of them was known as the Golden Sword or the Pillar of Light. 

It was said that it could cut through anything.

It could slice through steel like cheese, and even adamantium was no match for it. 

It could even cut through dimensions.

The people of later generations did not take these stories seriously and regarded them as mere legends.

By the year 1037 of the Continental Era, even the most skilled knights could not shape Ether into any form. 

They could only enhance their weapons with Ether to increase their destructive power, and that was enough for them.

But here.

An Ether Blade appeared on the plain in front of Lantis Castle.

The knights instinctively realized what it was when they saw the huge golden greatsword.

It was an Ether Blade.

The power that could cut through everything, that only existed during the Great War.

Lantis stammered.

“H-how did you get such a power…?”

“Didn’t you hear me say it many times? Or are you too slow to catch on? I heard you were often called dull.”

“Vandus, you bastard!”

“I’m tired of hearing that. I’ll just kill you now.”

Leobold swung his pure Ether sword at Lantis.

It was just a movement of a golden sword, but its aftermath was immense.

The surrounding Ether reacted violently and caused a huge explosion.

Boom!

The Goliath that Lantis was riding was torn apart and flew away.

It had multiple magic circles engraved on it, but they were useless against the explosion of Ether.

When a Goliath-class mech was blown away like that, the remaining knights rushed in without thinking.

“Lord!”

“Save the Count!”

More than twenty Goliaths surrounded Leobold.

Some tried to keep him at bay with spears, while others engaged him in close combat with swords.

But they were nothing but tin cans to Leobold, who had undergone the Ether Heart procedure.

He had so much Ether that he not only made a greatsword, but also infused it into his Goliath’s body.

‘This is… an amazing power.’

Could he have such power just by changing his engine?

It was as if he had gone back to the time when he fought against Plague Queen, who appeared as a main character in Planet King.

Leobold felt that he and his Goliath were completely fused.

He was the Goliath, and the Goliath’s movements were his movements.

There was a slight delay, but it was not a big problem for him, who had been adjusting his delay by 0.005 seconds.

“Yah!”

“Die!”

The movements of the knights who attacked him with obvious shouts seemed too slow to him.

A message from Arma appeared in his sight.

「You can use Overdrive. It is a skill that temporarily increases the Ether Heart’s capacity. It is used by knights.」

It must have been a modified version of Granden’s skill.

Leobold aimed his greatsword at several Goliaths who were charging at him.

‘Let’s try it on them.’

「Entering Overdrive mode. Ether Heart maximum output.」

A dazzling light burst out from the golden greatsword in an instant.

Leobold swung it like an ion cannon toward the front.

A massive explosion of Ether occurred and several Goliaths evaporated without a trace.

And its aftermath reached the walls behind them and completely destroyed them.

Rumble―

As the walls collapsed, the remaining knights looked back and froze.

“Gods…”

“Th-the walls are broken…”

They all lost their minds at its power when Lantis crawled out of the wrecked Goliath-class mech.

His whole body was stained with blood.

“That’s quite an amazing power, isn’t it? Don’t you think? It’s not from this world.”

“It’s a pity. If you had shown me sooner, I could have made you surrender.”

“Haha, hahaha…”

Lantis laughed hysterically on the field as if he had gone mad.

“You said you were a hero from another world? I don’t know where you came from, but one thing is certain. It’s that you will plunge all of Astera into chaos…”

He seemed to want to rant more, but Leobold had no intention of listening to him.

The Ether Blade swallowed him and his Goliath-class mech at once.

An explosion occurred on the ground and the Goliath rolled around in pieces.

Now all that was left were a few knights and magicians riding horned birds.

As they saw the greatsword pointing at them, they all raised their hands in a flash.

“Surrender! We surrender!”

“We swear loyalty! Please spare us!”

Leobold tilted his head.

“You should have done that when I gave you a chance. It’s too late now.”

The golden greatsword moved again.

***

When Frederick Lantis and his knights were all killed, the castle fell into Leobold’s hands without any resistance.

Most of the remaining people were hired mercenaries who had no intention of fighting to the end.

Some of the nobles and officials resisted, but they were quickly killed by the soldiers who came down from the airship.

Leobold headed to Lantis’s office and ordered.

“Offer them surrender only once. Kill anyone who refuses.”

Among the people in the castle, there were even officials of the late Count Ohamel, who had entrusted his troops to Lantis after losing his lord.

They all wore fancy clothes and had plump cheeks. 

They must have been living well.

“Devil! You are a devil!”

“How many more do you have to kill to be satisfied?”

“As many as I need.”

“What?”

Leobold passed by them and ordered his soldiers.

“Kill them all. They are not worth living.”

Blood flowed on the white corridor and Leobold entered Lantis’s office.

Soon after, Granden and his soldiers came in with about twenty people.

They were all bureaucrats, such as assistants and administrators, who had survived the massacre of the nobles and officials.

They knelt down as soon as they saw Leobold.

“Only 25 people?”

“Yes.”

As Granden answered, Leobold told them to raise their heads.

“Lantis is dead and justice has been served in Bagran. You should be sent to the royal court for trial according to the protocol, but I will give you a chance.”

They all swallowed dryly as he declared.

“Serve me. Then I will spare your lives. If anyone objects, stand up now.”

Of course, no one stood up.

They all bowed their heads and Leobold nodded at Granden.

“Take them away. They will be noisy for a while, so give them some vacation and let them rest.”

“I will follow your orders.”

“And what about the Rohan faction?”

“They are currently organizing a special force to track them down. They are expected to be caught soon.”

“Keep up the good work.”

A few moments later, the soldiers built a temporary dock near the castle and six airships landed.

Despite the melee combat, the hulls were surprisingly clean. 

According to Catina, they surrendered easily because they had no combatants.

Zion shrugged his shoulders and boasted.

“It was easy because of me. My mega lightning scattered the enemy fleet.”

“Good job. But who called me a madman?”

“Wh-who said that? Who called the lord a madman?”

Zion glared at the innocent sailors as Arma’s report came in.

「The rumor hasn’t spread yet, but judging by the tendencies of the surrounding lords, they seem to surrender. What should we do?」

“Tell them to spare their lives. But they have to return their titles.”

No noble would accept that condition, but it was better than death.

Now Leobold was the ruler of the east and no one could defy him.

“It’s a waste to have such a small land ruled by many people.”

The area of Lantis County and Gasin’s territory was about 20,000 km² and the population was about 300,000, so it was more efficient to integrate them into one.

「Then shall we call this place Lantis City?」

“I guess so.”

Leobold looked at the vast plain and planned his future.

According to the roadmap that Arma had made, he would start a full-scale conquest project when he swallowed up the Bagran Kingdom.

To do that, he had to build up his basic strength, and securing this Lantis City was a priority.

Nothing was more important than food.

Most of Lantis County’s area was a wide plain and it had abundant water resources thanks to the Ob River.

‘It’s perfect for growing food and starting a cotton industry.’

Especially cotton was a crop that required a lot of water, so it was impossible to grow it in large quantities unless it was a territory with a river.

There were plenty of good iron ore and coal near Ohmel City, so he could say that he had the basic resources.

Now he had to combine these resources and Settler’s technology to achieve rapid development.

‘But the population is too low.’

The total population of Bagran was 3 million at most if he gathered all the souls. It was far too short for Leobold’s standards.

Gram Kingdom was also small with a population of about 1 million. 

Only if he combined the northern Galisto and the southern Istar Kingdoms, it would be about 15 million.

‘That would barely make a decent country.’

By then, he would be able to compete with Zaium Empire.

***

The news that Leobold killed Lantis and took over his territory spread throughout Bagran.

Prince Ruad clenched his fist and his followers murmured.

He knew he was strong, but he didn’t imagine he would be this strong.

—Didn’t he have the count’s army and Galisto’s fleet? How did he deal with them?

—According to the rumors, he boarded an airship and fought dozens of Goliaths alone with a sword made of ether.

—Are you serious?

—The only sure thing is that Viscount Vandus didn’t suffer much damage. Count Lantis’s army was all killed.

—Damn, I wish I could see him fight.

—They say he cut them all with ether swords.

—I can’t believe that.

—Is this how it ends? Viscount Vandus becomes an Count and swallows up all his territory?

—There was nothing else in the east except Count Lantis. It’s like he cleared all the obstacles at once.

—Except for Galisto, they say. They’re going to make a fuss about returning their ships.

—How can they ask for their ships back after being humiliated by a mere count?

—But they won’t give up easily on that Vestaros. It cost more than 20,000 golds to build it.

—What can they do if they don’t give up? The only way to get it back is war, but Zaium won’t allow it.

—Well, Count Croitz threatened to kill them all if they interfered any more.

—It’s best to back off quietly even if it’s dirty when the White Witch shows up.

—By the way, he became an Count in less than a year… His ambition doesn’t seem to end here.

The voices of concern grew louder, but they didn’t surface for now.

It was time to congratulate him for receiving the title of Count from the king.

The title ceremony was held in the main hall of the palace and Leobold received a sword from Bagran III.

“Use that sword to defeat Bagran’s enemies and bring peace. Leobold Vandus, Count of Lantis.”

“I swear eternal loyalty to Bagran.”

Then Bagran III started coughing severely and Prince Ruad stepped forward.

“What are you doing? Take His Majesty away.”

The original plan was to have a grand celebration party with a reception, but it was canceled due to the worsening of Bagran III’s illness.

Prince Ruad expressed his regret, but it was a good thing for Leobold.

He would have been stressed out if he had to attend a boring event and smile at the soulless nobles and young ladies.

He returned to his territory immediately and gave orders tirelessly.

“All production activities will continue as before. The taxes will be lowered to 60% and the salaries of the bureaucrats will be doubled.”

He had so much money that even Carson, the administrator, couldn’t object.

In fact, the reason why Leobold raised the salaries of the bureaucrats was to prevent them from exploiting the farmers.

Lantis squeezed the salaries of the bureaucrats, which resulted in a vicious cycle of squeezing the farmers.

It was better to pay them a decent salary and punish them harshly.

The surrounding lords were furious at the order to return their titles, but they couldn’t resist.

Count Vandus was the ruler of the entire east with the royal family behind him.

They couldn’t rebel against him, who had defeated even Galisto’s fleet.

They only promised to preserve their property and honor, and they returned their titles one by one, starting with Baron Findor.

Now they were not nobles, but influential people.

They would never lack money for their lives, but they couldn’t interfere with the administration of their territories either.

With this, Leobold succeeded in absorbing all of Lantis County.

He didn’t have administrative power over all the lands, but it didn’t matter much.

It was then that Arma reported something important.

“The Shadow Elf pirate we released has contacted Tirendel.”

“Delphina, was it? She got in touch with an unexpected big shot.”

Leobold looked at Tirendel through Delphina’s eyes.

***

The Shadow Elf pirate Delphina escaped from Leobold’s grasp and arrived at the borderland of the central continent after many twists and turns.

This place was full of scars from countless wars and was not under anyone’s rule.

Delphina met Tirendel in a collapsing hut in a mountain range.

He had finished his mission as a judge and was on his way back to his homeland.

“So your mission as a judge was a disguise, huh? You’re going back so soon.”

“I’ve done everything I had to do. And the council called you because of that.”

“The dragon bone, right? I heard the rumor is spreading.”

Delphina smoked a cigarette and asked, and Tirendel frowned.

“They need your ability to absorb his soul.”

Her ability was to handle monsters and animals, but it was closer to controlling souls in detail.

It was hard to control a huge soul like a dragon, but it was possible because they weakened it with black magic.

“I don’t know who owns the bone that needs my ability.”

“Black Dragon Grakies. The mad dragon that killed tens of thousands of our ancestors.”

“Wow… You’re going to wake up that guy? Is the council crazy?”

“You’re the crazy one, Delphina. How did you lose your pirate fleet and become a fugitive?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“What if I want to hear it?”

When Tirendel threatened her, Delphina grumbled and told him what had happened.

“Damn, that guy Leobold is totally insane. His power is not of this world.”

“He seemed normal when I saw him before. Strange.”

“I don’t know. He was riding a Goliath when I saw him. Anyway, he brought some weird metal thing and shot thorns. It was really horrible. I don’t want to see him again.”

“Is that similar to the Sword Dancer’s ability?”

“It’s different. Even a Sword Dancer can’t shoot hundreds of thorns, right? He pulled out the thorns and shot them again. He’s not human.”

“You don’t know, but he conquered Lantis County as well. He fought against more than 30 knights alone.”

“See? I wasn’t weak, right? He’s crazy.”

“He was a hero from another world, as the rumor said… Maybe I should have killed him then?”

Delphina’s face hardened for a moment when he sighed.

“Really? You’re going to release that mad elf?”

“He’s perfect for using as an assassin and throwing away. Because he’s crazy.”

Kairos was an elf obsessed with killing who had lost his parents and relatives to humans when he was young.

His specialty was to go to the battlefield and kill humans, and his hobby was to sneak into the Human race autonomous region and kill humans.

A few years ago, he slaughtered hundreds of people in one night, which made the council unable to tolerate him and put him in prison.

No matter how much the elves hated humans, killing them in the autonomous region was crossing the line.

He wasn’t punished for that, and he was released before his sentence was over.

His skill as a knight was not far behind Tirendel, but he was so cruel and uncooperative that he remained as an ordinary Elven Knight.

Delphina smoked nervously and then chuckled.

“It’ll be chaos if he gets the power of a dragon.”

“The continent will fall into a whirlpool of confusion again.”

“Are you happy? The unification of the continent is not far away.”

“…”

Tirendel closed his eyes without saying anything.

His goal was the unification of the continent by the elves.

There was no force that could stop Elvrande anyway, so he argued that they should unify as soon as possible and end the war.

He was one of the few elves who fought hard for that purpose.

Sending Kairos out was not against his direction in terms of weakening the human kingdoms.

But releasing such a killer would distort something more fundamental.

Revenge breeds hatred, and hatred breeds revenge.

He thought of the human kingdoms that fell into chaos due to the assassination of their leaders.

They wouldn’t back down quietly.

“What about Viscount Vandus or whatever his name is now? He’s on your list too, right? Too bad. I wanted to kill him myself.”

Tirendel shuddered at her voice and shook his head.

“That’s enough talk. Get out.”

“You’re suddenly cold. Did you make some kind of promise with him? Pretending to be a judge?”

Their conversation ended here.

Arma found out information about the elf named Kairos.

“He’s an elf who slaughtered thousands of people. As you heard, he was so cruel that even the Elvrande Council was reluctant to send him to the battlefield. He’s a killing machine.”

“So they’re going to blow the power of a black dragon into him and make him go on a killing spree.”

“We don’t know how much power he’ll exert, but it should be enough to plunge the human kingdoms into chaos.”

“They dug up the dragon bone and used black magic and Shadow Elves for that.”

It was not hard to stop him, but Leobold felt the need to use him.

He needed some chaos to unify the various kingdoms around Bagran.

“Confirm his location and track him. Let’s leave him alone for now.”

“Yes, I understand.”