Fleeting
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ADLT 536.5
🕑 Added 2024-04-16 20:18:17 +0000 UTCAt that moment, Alveiro, who was receiving all the pressure Yuki was putting on him, dropped to his knees on all fours, dripping with cold sweat.
--Oh, no.
At that point, Yuki thought he was going to pass out, but....
◇◇◇
"This level...! Compared to my determination...!!!"
Alveiro's strength drained from his knees and he dropped to the floor on all fours. Alveiro didn't think it was a good image for him to collapse fully from the start.
He curled his hands into fists as if grasping the dirt of the ground, and while his body shuddered, he put all his strength into his legs.
Once again, he stood up.
Since a while ago, Alveiro had almost lost consciousness many times.
The voices of the audience, which were cheering so loudly, were not entering Alveiro's ears at all.
Currently, if Alveiro were to let his mind wander even for a moment, he would instantly lose all sense of what was going on and fall to the ground.
And yet, he was told that it was okay.
No matter how many times he fainted, as long as he could show that he could get back up, it was fine.
Honestly, even if they were elite soldiers, almost none of them could withstand Yuki's intimidation, and even if they were not human but monsters, they would run away immediately.
Alveiro had military experience and participated in the Great Battle of the Corpse Dragon… but not as a soldier, but as a commander.
So, it was reckless of him to try to endure Yuki's intimidation.
But…
This was only an image of a pseudo-death.
It was far from the real thing, and he was not even on the battlefield.
Yuki, the Demon Emperor, would never aim for his life.
What kind of emperor would he be if he could not even endure this level?
How in the world would he lead this country?
If he fainted at this time and had water poured on him to wake him up, what kind of miserable image would he have as an emperor?
The only thing holding Alveiro up now was his willpower as a man.
He stood there with only his willpower, determined not to show this audience how pathetic he was.
He mobilized all of his willpower, which was shattered and about to go away, and exerted it on his body, which was not moving well, and walked forward step by step.
"I have decided to live...for this country...! This much...!"
The pressure increased as he got closer.
There was no longer any physical sensation.
Relying only on the heat that welled up in his chest, Alveiro moved forward.
Forward.
Further forward.
--Before he knew it, there was a young man with black hair in front of him.
He was the king of demons, smiling happily and joyously.
Alveiro forced his arm, which barely listened to what he wanted to do, to move, and while trembling, placed it on Demon Emperor Yuki's shoulder with a pop.
"I, win."
"...Ah. I lost."
At that moment, all the pressure that had been radiating from Yuki vanished.
At the same time, Alveiro's strength drained from his body, and he almost collapsed to his knees, but Yuki grabbed him by the shoulders and supported him before he could fall to his knees.
"You did well. You're almost there. Keep your strength up." (Yuki)
"...Ah."
Alveiro could only respond barely, and only managed to stand up with Yuki supporting him half the time.
Then, Yuki made some kind of tear in the space and took out a book.
It was a thick book with an old-fashioned binding, but beautifully decorated.
People from other countries may not understand it...but the people of this country, the people of the Rogard Empire, could understand the meaning of that book.
Even without knowing that this country was built on a [Dungeon], that book had always been handed down from generation to generation at the time of the succession to the throne.
Alveiro took the book handed to him by Yuki with both hands.
"Well, then, Alveiro, make a declaration."
Alveiro nodded his head, and with the strength he had left, he raised his voice.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Today, I hereby proclaim... that I, Alveiro Verbaan, has become the twenty-fourth Emperor! I am also declaring the start of this Magic Festival!"
Understanding its meaning, understanding the consequences of what had just happened.
The area shook. Cheers and applause echoed through the air, so much so that one would have thought there was an explosion.
