Emperor of Steel

Once the activation of the Aether was over, all the magic circles engraved on the time travel device began to shine, a fist-sized point appeared right in the center of the round ring.

The size gradually grew, and a person could fit in it.

Through the gap, something of a dark black mist was coming out, the wizards who saw it began to exclaim.

“Oh, oh! This is!”

“Isn’t that the dark matter that exists only in the dimensional gap?!”

In the beginning, the universe was made into different dimensions.

The dimensions weren’t interlocked and had numerous gaps between one another.

And the magic that used such a gap was the subspace magic.

The gaps in the dimension were filled in with dark matter, and the appearance of the dark matter meant that the time travel device was working properly.

As the theories left behind by the ancient wizards unfolded into reality right in front of their eyes, Marquis Kepler, who was worried sick, sighed and smiled.

He approached Rudolf and said.

“Your Majesty! The ruins are working.”

“Really? I can time travel now?”

“Yes, the coordinates have been set correctly, so soon, the dark matter will get cleared and the passage would open.”

“Is that so? So it means that there isn’t much time left, right?”

Rudolf looked at Marquis Kepler with a dull face and suddenly raised his hand.

At that moment, a short scream erupted from the place where the Elder Knights seemed to gather.

“Kuak!”

“Kuk!”

Startled, Kepler looked back and saw the SS Knights, who were the escorts of the emperor, were attacking the Elder Knights.

Even if the Elder’s were wizards of 7th to 8th magic circles, it was impossible to avoid a surprise attack from the SS Knights who reached Sword Master.

In an instant, more than 30 elders were slaughtered.

“Your, Your Majesty! What the hell is being done here?!”

Kepler’s eyes were red as he shouted at Rudolf.

However, unfazed, Rudolf shrugged and replied, “I just erased the elements who would interfere in my actions.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Kepler never even thought about it, but Rudolf seemed to be concerned about them and him jumping into the time travel device.

Once the time travel device was declared to perform normally, it was possible that someone else would use it.

‘Even if I go back to the past, it will take some time to eliminate the enemy. In such a situation, history might change if another person from the future would change the time by using the device. No, it might turn out even horrible for me…’

Thinking that way, Rudolf had issued orders to the SS knights when the Aether was being activated in the ruins.

It was to kill the wizards the moment he raised his hand and to destroy the ruins after Rudolf used it.

“Don’t worry about wealth and fame. Today’s merit, I will make sure to give it to you in the past that I’m going to.”

Rudolf pulled out his sword with the speed of lightning.

Slash!

The movement was so fast that Marquis Kepler wasn’t even able to unfold defense magic and ended up getting hit.

Watching the scene unfold, Count Rolex fled.

“Ugh! S-save me…!”

Slash!

The moment a golden light flashed, Rolex’s body got slashed in half.

It was a vain death of an archmage who once represented the Baroque Empire.

“Hiik!”

Count Voltas, the only one that survived, except for the SS Knights, screamed in terror.

As Rudolf’s gaze turned on him, with a pale face, he asked.

“… I will be killed too?”

“You are no wizard, so there is no reason to kill you.”

Speaking coldly, Rudolf turned.

Voltas went down on his knee and begged.

“Your Majesty, please take me with you!”

“Take you? To the past?”

“Wouldn’t you want someone to help you out? There could be me from the past, but he won’t be as knowledgeable as the me in the present!”

“Hm… That is true.”

Going to the past alone and getting rid of all his enemies would be difficult.

If he tried to kill Luke and the lords of the nobles and remove Arsene or the Veritas Magic Tower, there would be too much backlash about Rudolf hurting innocent men, and things might not turn so great?

He would need men who understand him, and those who would follow his decision without question.

“I will allow you to accompany me.”

“I will work for you, Your Majesty.”

Voltas lowered his head.

Rudolf smiled thinly at the sight and turned to the time travel device.

Just as Kepler had said, the dark matter had gradually lifted and the passage appeared.

‘Now, all the variables can be removed. As long as the path is known, and I can go back to the past…!’

The moment when hope was rising in Rudolf’s heart as he moved closer to the time travel device, a huge noise came over from outside.

Well, it wasn’t just noise.

He heard noises, screams of people, and the machine sounds of Gigants.

“What is going on? Find out what is happening.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The captain of the Knights of Guard, Count Ruff, went outside.

And he returned right away to report.

“Your Majesty, it was said that there is an intruder in the Imperial Palace and battles are happening.”

“What? An intruder in the Imperial Palace?”

“Yes, and in fact, an hour ago, there was an explosion that made the capital a mess, and in that time, a group of people dressed in Imperial military outfit entered the Imperial Palace.”

At Count Ruff’s report, Rudolf yelled, “All these things happened, and you’re just telling this to me now?”

“Your Majesty, you told us not to let anyone enter the ruins, so even the messenger of the Knights of Guard didn’t seem to have the permission to enter the ruins dome.”

“Kuek!”

It seemed like the order that was given to ensure the security of the ruins caused a mess.

‘Is there any reason for the rebellion in the capital? Or did any special force from the enemy sneak in?’

With a frown on his face, Rudolf was deep in thought.

‘Well, the mess will go down. The central, northern, and eastern forces are all gathered in the capital, and the Gigants held by the Knights of Guards are more than 700. The amount of power our kingdom has is extreme.’

Not to mention the Imperial defense.

Even if they didn’t know who the intruders were, they were going to be killed soon.

“Take care of it quickly. I can’t leave this place, so the commander of the Gold Guard…”

It was when Rudolf was about to give instructions to Count Ruff, suddenly, the tent was slashed and a strange Gigant pushed in.

“Who are you?!”

At Rudolf’s yell, the Gigant’s hatch opened and a man dressed in an Imperial uniform came out.

Rudolf’s eyes went wide after seeing the man.

Wavy platinum hair, blue eyes, dark eyebrows, and a straight nose.

Although he looked older than the last time he saw him, it was the unforgettable face of his enemy.

“Luke de Rakannnn!”

Rudolf screamed like a dragon.

When his name got called, Luke smiled.

“It has been a while, Emperor Rudolf. But I am very glad to see you. You greet me with such strong…”

“I will tear you up and kill you!”

The two enemies who brought the fall of the Baroque Empire, Arsene, and Luke de Rakan.

If Arsene was the one who brought the tragedy over his family, then Luke was the main reason for the fall of the Baroque Empire, which got torn into three parts.

Srrrrng!

Rudolf pulled out his sword and was ready to rush to Luke when Count Ruff spoke, “Your Majesty, calm down! Your Majesty, it isn’t important to punish that traitor right now!”

“What?”

Rudolf looked at him with red eyes.

If it was some other knight, Rudolf would have slashed their throat.

However, Count Ruff was the most talented and loyal among the members of the Knights of Guard, and Rudolf had taught him.

So he couldn’t just kill him. It was a waste of resources. And he was responsible for destroying the time travel device after Rudolf passed.

“If Your Majesty goes to the past, there is Luke. Your path is almost open, so rather than dealing with him, get on the time travel device already!”

“Right. I have something to do now.”

Rudolf calmed his mind and shouted at Luke, “Look, look, Luke. I will use this device to get back into time. The people of Rakan estate will be thrown as food for the beasts regardless of age and sex. They will be killed and the estates will be erased!”

“Huh! It would be faster to lose my blood than to go back to the past!”

Luke laughed at Rudolf, who spoke horrible words and rushed with his Avenger.

But as he was about to walk, the Avenger stopped.

“This… the mana to stop the Gigant?”

Luke groaned, sensing an unusual wave of mana.

“Kuek! Did you think that I would go here without any preparation?”

Rudolf smiled.

As soon as he asked the ruins to be operated, he prepared various defenses.

The entire army was gathered in the capital. The ruins of time were surrounded by the Gold Guards knights. Even then, Rudolf asked for magic circles to be laid around the ruins.

In addition to the mana forcefield to stop a Gigant, the shield magic was installed to prevent the shelling, and alarms were placed to detect intruders.

They weren’t just collecting the magic stones for Aether.

“Can’t use Gigants?”

“The Puppet too!”

Gregory’s Veda, which entered after Luke, as well as Hwang Bo-sung’s Puppet, stopped moving.

In the case of a Puppet, it was a zen weapon, and the influence of magic could be ignored.

However, the process of being upgraded recently, it stopped like any Gigant as it had been installed with magic circles.

“How about you relax with my SS Knights. Meanwhile, I will go to the past and make things right!”

As Rudolf turned back toward the time travel device, Luke turned impatient and yelled at the party that was entering.

“Stop Rudolf! We can’t let him enter the dimension!”

“Stop the traitors!”

When Luke and his party rushed, the SS Knights intercepted them.

“Get out, you crazy emperor’s dogs!”

“My fists will not forgive those who block my way!”

Following Luke, Arch Duke Gregory, Hwang Bo-sung, and other members such as Karen and Erwin joined in for the battle against the SS Knights.

Kwang! Kwang! Kkkk!

Luke and his men launched fierce attacks.

But, they weren’t able to destroy the enemies at once.

It was because they had already fought outside and this was their second wave of attack.

They were in a state of a rush to overpower the Gold Guards, who were guarding outside the dome, and then they were to battle inside too. They were completely drained.

In addition, the escorts of Rudolf inside the dome were far superior to those outside.

They were all Sword Masters, and at least one would have been an Expert.

In addition, they were loyal to Rudolf. They would never leave their post.

Even if their limbs were cut off, they wouldn’t stop swinging their swords for Rudolf.