Do Your Own Revolution

#106

‘How frustrating.’

Claude and Eugene faced each other with weapons drawn against Randall.

Looking at the two of them, Randall clicked his tongue inwardly.

The plan that had been proceeding without any hitches was now sinking into a swamp of uncertainty that even he couldn’t predict.

No, it’s not uncertain.

He could predict what results their actions would bring.

It’s just that those predictions were pessimistic to the point of being extremely disadvantageous to him.

– Randall! What are you doing with the Revolutionary Army!?

The magic nobles who had participated in this operation were sending direct communications to him, ignoring the reporting system.

Simultaneous civilian uprisings.

They now thought this situation was Randall’s intention.

– We must send back the knights immediately! The forces in the territories cannot stop those mobs!

When one noble shouted that, voices of agreement flowed from various parts of the communication network.

Send back the knights? What nonsense.

In this situation where the entire empire was in turmoil, did they think such a thing was possible?

The Knight Order’s greatest weakness was their extremely small numbers.

While the Special Magical Power Unit grew to thousands of members in just two years, the Knight Order could only commission about three hundred new knights throughout the entire empire.

Unlike the Special Magic Unit, which implanted factory-made magic imprints and supplemented magical power with magic bullets, the Knight Order never abandoned their method of slowly nurturing noble children educated from childhood.

‘In normal times, it might have been possible to overwhelm the Special Magic Unit with the individual capabilities of Knight Order members. But now is different.’

While the empire continued its war with the republic, the Revolutionary Army steadily attacked magic nobles and reduced the number of knights.

To make matters worse, there was the Elcidore incident two years ago.

The situation worsened when the heirs of Buckenheim and Nachtval, along with about two hundred Knight Order members following them, disappeared entirely. Ｒ𝐀𝐍оꞖË𝘚

‘Though we somehow preserved the five stroke and higher commander-level knights who could be called the central military force of the families, we couldn’t prevent the loss of three stroke and four stroke knights below them.’

The mid-ranking knights who formed the backbone of the Knight Order continued to be depleted, and replacements weren’t made in time for two years.

The damage that had steadily accumulated during that time finally caught up with them.

‘Even among the Revolutionary Army engaging in delaying tactics against the Special Magic Unit in the imperial capital’s direct territory, the Knight Order’s strength has been committed.’

At this timing, if rebellions broke out in the territories, there were no forces available to suppress the citizens.

Mobilize private soldiers?

Even among the private soldiers, there were those participating in the civilian uprising.

Deploy commander-level knights for suppression operations?

Even the most prominent families had no more than 20 knights with five stroke imprints.

Even if they deployed them, suppression of the uprising would only be possible in some areas under their direct control.

They physically lacked the manpower to control all the vast territories and business establishments held by magic nobles.

– They’re just non-ability users anyway! If we just dispatch the remaining knights, no matter how many territory residents there are…!

– What do you expect us to do after that!?

Moreover, if it was just a rebellion in one settlement, they could just kill everyone, but to bloodily suppress territory residents who had risen up across entire territories?

It would be possible if commander-level knights stepped in to suppress them.

They wouldn’t even need to dispatch knights – if the heads of each family just stepped up, they could subdue everything.

But what then?

– What’s rising up now isn’t the Revolutionary Army invading from outside. These are the components working in the territory’s farms, factories, mines, and fish farms!

These weren’t simply mobs but labor forces operating the territory’s business establishments, each one an important component.

If they killed all of them, how many years would it take until that workforce recovered?

They couldn’t even redirect the children and women they had already put into the factories!

– A delicate point has been struck.

At that voice cutting into the chaotic magical power communication network, Randall’s eyes narrowed.

– At this point when the Knight Order has been mobilized to bind the feet of the Special Magical Power Unit.

– ……

– Right at this timing when the planned delay tactics have begun and you’ve infiltrated the imperial palace… To think you had prepared such an insolent move.

Crunch.

The sound of grinding teeth could be heard through the communication.

The emperor assassination plan devised by the Round Table and Randall.

The operation they had prepared for two years had been completely stolen.

– Randall.

“The plan itself is proceeding smoothly, Your Grace. Once we take the emperor’s head, everything will…”

– Your usefulness ends here.

“…!”

Those words came from Duke Buckenheim, who had been receiving operation updates.

Hearing those words, Randall felt his insides twisting.

– Each family’s Knight Order is to swiftly withdraw from combat zones. Make suppressing the uprisings in each region the top priority.

– I will order the knights.

– We shouldn’t have trusted the republic’s plans in the first place, Your Grace!

– Such useless ones……

They’re going to pull out at this timing?

In this situation where they had isolated the Revolutionary Army?

Randall tried to send another communication with bulging eyes, but there was no more contact from Duke Buckenheim.

– Well, we’ve at least managed to make the rebel leadership and emperor share the same fate, so I suppose we got results worth our investment.

With those final words, the magical power communication network connected to Randall disappeared completely.

Their brief cooperation with the Knight Order had come to such an empty end.

‘No, not yet.’

Randall, his fists trembling, turned to look ahead.

Claude pointing his sword at him.

And Eugene behind him, having generated a magic circle.

The Revolutionary Army’s imprint and Maximilien’s imprint were blocking his path.

“Just you wait, Duke Buckenheim.”

If he could kill these two and kill the emperor.

If he could just do that, everything would return to square one.

The variables and uncertainties would disappear, leaving only his plan.

If that happened…

“I’ll be the one victorious in the end.”

***

Clang–!

In the space dyed pitch black all around, red magical power light sporadically shot up.

“Randall-!”

Claude was in a situation of relentlessly driving back Randall, rushing in to avenge Vark.

And I was supporting Claude while trying to suppress his movements.

Clang-! Clang clang–!

Claude engaged in close combat, centered on Red Wings’ physical ability enhancement and magical power barrier.

And my activated [Eye of Horus] was detecting the blind spots that Claude couldn’t confirm behind such movements.

Swoosh-!

“Oh.”

The moment magical power chains wrapped around Randall’s body, Claude’s sun sword blazed toward that spot.

Boom–!

Flames spread in all directions.

However, Randall easily cut through those flames and tried to drive Claude back in return.

“That won’t do.”

The moment an attack was directed at Claude.

I didn’t miss that opening and unleashed high-powered formulas toward Randall’s blind spot.

[Spear of Mithra] and [Focused Heat Shell]

When the techniques that had hunted the republic’s red bear successively struck him, Randall finally had no choice but to give up distance.

Crash-!

The wall burst out with a thunderous roar.

After one exchange led to a lull, Claude’s spread Red Wings recovered some of the consumed magical power.

It was the optimal linking formula for supporting my imprint with its high magical power consumption.

“Hah.”

As if something occurred to him seeing that sight, Randall sighed briefly and said:

“I understand now why the two I sent ahead were defeated so quickly. Like it was fitted together from the start, such precise and clean coordination.”

“……”

“Maximilien’s imprint, Wings of Crimson. And Claude’s imprint, Red Wings, created based on it… This scene unfolding before my eyes must be the completed form of the Revolutionary Army that Maximilien had envisioned.”

What irony that it was only completed after cooperating with imperial forces.

Chuckling while saying that, Randall continued.

“But I already told you. You cannot defeat me.”

Boom-!

With those final words, magical power incomparable to before pressed down on everyone present.

“You’ll soon find out why.”

“Ugh…!”

“Even that Knight Order commander sitting there half-dead was just as arrogant as you at first.”

The imprint carved on Randall’s right arm, [Watcher of the Abyss], spewed black smoke.

Shadows that instantly covered the entire space.

Seeing that, I gritted my teeth and fired a magic bullet.

‘Here it comes.’

This scene unfolding right now was precisely what differentiated seven stroke magic imprints from other imprints.

The seventh stroke signifying an imprint’s completion.

Unlike other imprints where different formulas are carved, the formula inscribed in seven strokes is the same for all imprints.

[Domain]

It was a formula that consumed magical power to transform the surrounding environment itself to suit oneself.

‘Randall’s [Watcher of the Abyss] is a domain with shadow attributes. Once activated, he becomes the undisputed ruler of this space.’

The moment a domain is activated, that area’s space becomes covered in the caster’s magical power.

Formulas activated within the domain no longer need to consume magical power, and all magic circuit spewing from the magic circuit is used only to maintain it.

Clang clang–!

“Ugh?!”

Randall, hiding between shadows, created multiple copies of himself to overwhelm Claude with combined attacks while simultaneously creating dozens of shadow spears to pressure me.

A situation where he overwhelmed Claude and me in both quality and quantity.

While I gathered magical power through gritted teeth, Claude, recognizing this, charged toward the main body beyond the duplicates.

“No matter what, your magical power can’t be infinite…!”

“How foolish.”

Clang-!

Claude’s sword strike was instantly blocked.

Randall smiled slightly and, abandoning the power struggle, grabbed Claude’s neck.

“From the start, you were just a tool in this revolutionary pretend play.”

Though he swung his sword to cut his body, Randall, unified with the shadows, merely let all the strikes pass through.

“You might have been happier knowing nothing. If you had just believed my words and followed my directions for the revolution, you’d be a hero by now.”

“Kuh… Khugh…!”

“But look now. Because of what you’ve done, all plans…”

“The only plans that were disrupted were yours, not the Revolutionary Army’s.”

Cutting off Randall’s words, I drew his attention.

“You’ve lost the medal the republic was going to give you, right?”

“……”

Randall ground his teeth at my provocative words.

“Seeing how the plan has turned into such a mess, I wonder what your secretary general will say?”@@novelbin@@

“…You. Eugene, was it?”

Boom–!

“Meeting you for the first time, you’re more ill-mannered than I expected.”

“Right. Come to think of it, you… never really liked me from the start.”

“What?”

Though bewildered by my tone suggesting I knew him, it didn’t matter.

During that time, Claude had burned away all of Randall’s duplicates and was charging toward the main body.

“How foolish!”

Shadow blades created on the spot blocked his sword.

The flame sword being gradually eroded.

Seeing Claude at a loss, Randall, having deflected Eugene’s fire support, kicked Claude in the abdomen.

“Kuh…!”

“You’re not even at full strength. You think you can defeat me after exhausting yourself fighting an equal opponent? Nonsense.”

Boom–!

Randall instantly pushed Claude into the wall.

Claude lost consciousness and his head drooped.

One down.

Randall now began charging toward me.

“Kuh!”

I fired the pre-completed highest-grade penetration formula, [Solar Ray].

But that was only momentary.

The light beam I had worked to create was devoured by shadows seeping in from the domain and easily scattered.

“So seven stroke really is unbeatable?”

Like Elcryer’s imprint that ravages human minds.

And like this Randall who covers the entire space in shadows.

While thinking that, Randall, having nullified all my magic, approached.

And what followed was merciless beating.

Bang-! Crash-! Bang-!

If I raised my gun he unleashed even greater magic, and when I tried to charge in he pressured me with the same close combat.

The republic agent with decades of experience overwhelmed me even in close combat without magical power.

This domain was already his territory.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the shadows covering this space were Randall’s body itself.

Being nullified like that, and hit.

Trying to counter but getting caught, then hit.

In the middle of dozens of spears mercilessly striking my defenseless body as I tried to call for support.

“Randall Dean Clark-!”

Claude, having regained consciousness, charged at Randall’s back and.

Slash-!

Randall immediately turned around and created shadow blades to deeply cut Claude’s chest.

“Kuhak…!”

“I told you. You cannot defeat me.”

Saying that, Randall bound Claude and approached me.

“Claude has things to do as a symbol of the Revolutionary Army. Once I scramble his mind with drugs, he’ll become an obedient doll. His qualities are decent too, so I could prepare a suitable breeder and send him as a gift to the republic.”

“……”

“But Eugene. This is the end for you.”

Saying that, Randall picked up the Heresy I had dropped.

“Killing someone with Maximilien’s imprint using Maximilien’s weapon… What a strange sight.”

The moment he pulled the trigger thinking that.

Clang–!

A barrier field spread and deflected the bullet flying toward my head.

“…What?”

I slowly stood up.

As if sensing the gradually rising temperature around, Randall’s eyes grew wider.

“First. Activate all six strokes and squeeze out magical power to the limit.”

“What?”

Randall’s expression turned strange at my sudden words.

“Second. A close comrade suffers severe injury, and you yourself sustain comparable wounds.”

“Third. The will to defeat the opponent must surpass fear of the target.”

I muttered while staggering to my feet.

A desperate situation.

The injury of my comrade Claude.

The crisis of death.

And the will to not give up even in that hopeless situation.

“Through the battle just now, all conditions have been met.”

The qualities as a hero that drew out Claude’s awakening.

All the conditions for activating the [Indomitable] trait had been fulfilled.

Whoosh-!

Fire spreading from the edges, gradually blazing centered on Eugene.

Matching that sight, the black shadows that had been eroding him began to burn.

‘A normal formula affecting the domain? No, this is…’

Randall, startled like that, looked at me and.

“Could it be?”

Hoo.

Breathe in, breathe out.

White smoke billowed out as I exhaled the heat filling my body.

Two eyes shining brilliantly golden, not the usual murky color.

Red magical power light shining brightly after clearing away all shadows.

“It’s complete.”

Wings of Crimson.

Its seventh stroke had been completed.

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