2189 - The Situation
Silence...
With profound stillness and quiet, Caesar followed the scene that resembled an animated painting.
The gentle gust of air that rose and struck the Marshal of the Ground Forces, the generals, and the officers in that spot extinguished the flame in their chests, caused the lamp to fade, and then their faces merged with the cloud.
Blackened, terrified faces, wanting to break through the cloud and escape, but to no avail.
*Hiss*
Then heavy shackles with sword-like protrusions appeared, wrapping around their necks and foreheads, intensifying their screams. It was negative karma—their sins, their misdeeds.
That cloud did not take their faces drawn with white threads to join the mist that covered the battlefield, along with the rest of the fallen soldiers.
Instead, it pulled them back underground, on their way once more toward Caesar's leg.
The sight of those screaming, agonized faces trying to flee from the black cloud could have caused terror and psychological trauma to any seasoned soldier who saw it, but it seemed pleasant and comforting to Caesar—like a girl receiving a bouquet of roses, like a father watching his children play joyfully...
From beginning to end, Caesar acted at ease, his eyes closed. No one noticed that he was experimenting with something.
Or so he thought.
"Marshal!!"
Raiden cried out in fear as he looked toward the command platform.
An extremely dark, ominous aura was raging around Caesar. Everyone nearby fled quickly as it began to expand, and those who didn't escape met their end instantly.
Caesar's eyes were wide open, completely white, as if radiating their own light, while faint black mist seeped from his nose and mouth. His skin was split by dark black veins that pulsed violently, as if on the verge of bursting.
That aura... was not that of someone within the range of a Martial Emperor!
The World Calamities and Nexus States above noticed what was happening and launched attacks at him to send him into the planet's core, but the forces of the Double Hundred Cradle Empire stopped them.
"Marshaaal!!" Raiden quickly approached until he reached the edge of the black mist surrounding Caesar. "Marshal, can you hear me? Marshal!!"
But Caesar didn't hear a word. His entire focus was on the cloud approaching him, on the mist that only he could see, and on the success of his new experiment, oblivious to everything else.
"General, the circle is expanding!!" One of the surviving officers called out to Raiden as he quickly retreated.
If the circle continued to expand further, it would destroy the army's formation and dismantle the battlefield itself!
"Damn it..." Raiden's eyes began to emit a spark of electricity, then he muttered, "I apologize, then."
*Crackle*
A final attack slipped free and descended toward Caesar, launched by none other than Raiden!
*BOOM*
The lightning bolt didn't strike Caesar directly; instead, it curved toward the platform and destroyed it.
...
"..Umm," Caesar's eyelid twitched, then he slowly opened his eyes, "..?"
He was staring at a ceiling covered in epic animated murals—a ceiling he knew well.
He propped himself up on his arms and pushed his body upright, looking around in confusion... Indeed, he was in his personal room on Planet Uraginus, the capital of the Cradle Empire.
"Good morning, Marshal." The only girl in the room spoke with a serious smile, "I'm glad to see you well, sir."
She was a golden-haired girl wearing lipstick, dressed in tight clothing and shiny glasses. She was Caesar's assistant, responsible for the office and managing visitors, one of the members of the Burton Family.
"How long have I been here?" Caesar straightened his posture and rested his head on his hand, "The last thing I remember was..."
Caesar's eyes narrowed slightly.
The last thing he remembered was watching the cloud of tormented faces draw closer to him until it entered the sole of his foot, then his attempt to test its sensation and the subsequent return of the cloud to him, and so on.
The next moment, he opened his eyes here.
"General Raiden brought you here yesterday with a number of escorts," the assistant spoke. "The General said you suffered an indirect electric shock and a few bruises because you weren't raising any defense, then he left again for the field."
"Electric shock?" Caesar raised an eyebrow, then showed an angry smile. "Where is that little wretch?"
"What I'm about to say now isn't a defense of General Raiden," the assistant spoke seriously, "but everyone who was in the battle that I asked, including the Shadow Swords responsible for monitoring and calculating points, said you entered a strange state and began attacking a number of your aides unintentionally, some of whom were even martyred."
Then she took out a small light disc from her ring and handed it to him.
"..?" Caesar hesitated for a moment, then took the disc and began flipping through it, seeing the terrifying scene that everyone had witnessed.
His appearance…
Caesar recalled the form of the Undead Generals from the books he had been reading over the past years.
Instantly, his heart pounded hard, and he set the disc aside, resting his head on his hands once more.
The cloud was not directed at them, and he did not see anything strange happening around him the entire time, even up to the moment he lost consciousness… No wonder his followers attacked him to stop him!
Then, after a few seconds, he finally spoke in a heavy voice, "…They were good men," and then continued with difficulty, "Whatever compensation is paid to the families of the martyrs, increase it tenfold for everyone who died in this incident."
"Understood." The assistant nodded, "We have fabricated a heroic story to tell the families about the deaths of their loved ones, and we have ensured that everyone who witnessed what happened has been silenced. General Raiden, General Martin, and the Shadow Swords have taken care of that."
"…" Although it seemed like deception, Caesar did not order her to do otherwise.
If it were revealed that he killed his own comrades, no one would trust him, and those present on the battlefield might never give him their trust and stand by his side again.
Caesar rubbed his face a few times with both hands, "Leave me to myself for a while."
"Understood." The girl stood up and began walking toward the door, then paused for a moment when she pulled it open and looked back, "By the way, the Shadow Swords brought a strange coffin a little while ago and asked to store it in a secure vault, but I told them to wait until you wake up, Marshal, and decide for yourself."
“...?” Caesar furrowed his brows, then after a few seconds of silence, he threw the cover aside and began putting on his usual clothes. “Take me to them.”
Jumping straight into work was better than going back and thinking about his comrades who had died by his hand.
2189 - The Situation
Silence…
With extreme silence and stillness, Caesar continued watching the scene that looked like an animated drawing.
The gentle gust of air that rose and struck the Marshal of the Ground Forces, the generals, and the officers in that spot extinguished the flame in their chests, made the lamp fade away, and then their faces merged with the cloud.
Blackened, terrified faces, wanting to break through the cloud and escape, but to no avail.
*Hiss*
Then heavy shackles with sword-like protrusions appeared, wrapping around their necks and foreheads, intensifying their screams—it was negative karma, their sins, their misdeeds.
That cloud did not take their faces drawn with white threads to join the mist that covered the battlefield, for the rest of the fallen soldiers.
Instead, it pulled them back underground, on their way once more toward Caesar's leg.
The sight of those screaming, agonized faces trying to flee from the black cloud could have caused terror and psychological trauma to any seasoned soldier who saw it, but it seemed pleasant and comforting to Caesar—like a girl receiving a bouquet of roses, like a father watching his children playing joyfully…
From beginning to end, Caesar acted at ease, with his eyes closed; no one noticed that he was experimenting with something.
Or so he thought.
"Marshal!!"
Raiden screamed in terror as he looked toward the command platform.
An intensely dark, ominous aura was raging around Caesar. Everyone nearby fled quickly as it began to expand, and those who didn't escape were killed instantly.
Caesar's eyes were wide open, completely white, as if radiating their own light, while a faint black mist seeped from his nose and mouth. His skin was split by deep black veins that pulsed violently, as if on the verge of bursting.
That aura... was not that of someone within the range of a Martial Emperor!
The World Calamities and Nexus States above noticed what was happening and launched attacks to send him into the planet's core, but the forces of the Double Hundred Cradle Empire stopped them.
"Marshal!!" Raiden quickly approached until he reached the edge of the black mist surrounding Caesar. "Marshal, can you hear me? Marshal!!"
But Caesar didn't hear a word. His entire focus was on the cloud approaching him, on the mist that only he could see, and on the success of his new experiment—unaware of anything else.
"General, the circle is expanding!!" one of the surviving officers called out to Raiden as he quickly retreated.
If the circle continued to expand further, it would destroy the army's formation and dismantle the battlefield itself!
"Damn it..." Raiden's eyes began to emit an electric glint, then he muttered, "I'll ask for your forgiveness, then."
Krakoom
A final lightning bolt slipped free and descended toward Caesar, launched by none other than Raiden!
Booooom
The thunderbolt didn't strike Caesar directly; instead, it curved toward the platform and obliterated it.
...
"...Umm," Caesar's eyelid twitched, then he slowly opened his eyes, "...?"
He was staring at a ceiling covered in epic animated murals—a ceiling he knew all too well.
He propped himself up on his arms and pushed his body upright, looking around in confusion... Indeed, he was in his personal room on Planet Uraginus, the capital of the Cradle Empire.
"Good morning, Marshal." The only girl in the room spoke with a serious smile, "I'm glad to see you well, sir."
She was a golden-haired girl wearing lipstick, dressed in tight-fitting clothes and shiny glasses. She was Caesar's assistant, responsible for the office and visitor scheduling, and a member of the Burton family.
"How long have I been here?" Caesar straightened his posture and rested his head on his hand, "The last thing I remember was..."
Caesar's eyes narrowed slightly.
The last thing he remembered was watching the cloud of tormented faces approach him until it entered the sole of his foot, then his attempt to test its sensation and the subsequent return of the cloud to him, and so on~
The next moment, he opened his eyes here.
"General Raiden brought you here yesterday with a number of escorts," the assistant spoke. "The General said you suffered an indirect shock and a few bruises because you weren't raising any defense, then he left again for the field."
"Shock?" Caesar raised an eyebrow, then showed an angry smile. "Where is that little wretch?"
"What I'm about to say now isn't a defense of General Raiden," the assistant spoke seriously, "but everyone who was in the battle that I asked, including the Shadow Swords responsible for monitoring and calculating points, said you entered a strange state and began attacking a number of your aides unintentionally, some of whom were even martyred."
Then she took out a small light disc from her ring and handed it to him.
"..?" Caesar hesitated for a moment, then took the disc and began flipping through it, seeing the terrifying scene everyone had witnessed.
His appearance…
Caesar recalled the form of the Undead Generals from the books he had been reading over the past years.
Instantly, his heart pounded hard, and he set the disc aside, resting his head on his hands once more.
The cloud was not directed toward them, and he did not see anything strange happening around him the entire time, even up to the moment he lost consciousness... No wonder his followers attacked him to stop him!
Then, after a few seconds, he finally spoke in a heavy voice, "...They were good men," and then continued with difficulty, "Whatever compensation is given to the family of a martyr, increase it tenfold for everyone who died in this incident."
"Yes, sir." The assistant nodded, "We have fabricated a heroic story to tell the families about the deaths of their loved ones, and we have ensured that everyone who witnessed what happened has been silenced. General Raiden, General Martin, and the Shadow Swords made sure of that."
"......" Although it seemed like deception, Caesar did not order her to do otherwise.
If it were revealed that he killed his own comrades, no one would trust him, and those on the battlefield might never feel safe standing by his side again.
Caesar rubbed his face a few times with both hands, "Leave me to myself for a while."
"Yes, sir." The girl stood up and began walking toward the door, then paused for a moment when she pulled it open and looked back, "By the way, the Shadow Swords brought a strange coffin a little while ago and asked to store it in a secure vault, but I told them to wait until you wake up, Marshal, and decide for yourself."
“...?” Caesar furrowed his brows, then after a few seconds of silence, he threw the cover aside and began putting on his usual clothes. “Take me to them.”
Getting straight to work was better than going back and thinking about his comrades who had died by his hand.