Battle for the Imperial Capital (1)
“We finally made it… but aren’t the Imperial roads terrible?”
I let out a sigh as I looked toward the capital. Ever since we started moving, we kept getting lost—it was exhausting. Honestly, I think they should put more effort into maintaining their roads.
“Well… perhaps the problem lies with Your Highness choosing different roads even though the signs were perfectly clear…”
Alicia answered with a slightly tired look on her face. Glancing around, I saw everyone else wearing wry smiles. I don’t get it.
“My instincts told me the capital was in the other direction. In other words, it’s the Empire’s fault for building their capital somewhere different from where my instincts pointed. They’ll be punished for it.”
To put up confusing signposts just to make me lose my way… what an arrogant country. I’ll definitely make the Emperor grovel on the ground. Absolutely unforgivable. At that moment, the Empire’s list of crimes gained another charge.
And there, before us, stood the continent’s greatest city—the Imperial Capital.
It didn’t look like a military stronghold at all. True, it was a city surrounded by walls—standard in this world where monsters were a constant threat. But these walls were covered in intricate carvings.
Still, since they were built from stone with resistance to magic, I wasn’t letting my guard down.
At its core, though, the capital wasn’t a fortress. Since the Empire’s founding, not once had the capital been attacked. Because of that, there were few large-scale ballistae or similar weapons mounted on the walls. Most likely, the ones there now were hastily set up after they realized I was marching against them.
It was obvious the Empire had never considered the possibility of the capital being attacked. Then again, given the Empire’s vast territory, there were numerous defensive positions on the way to the capital. For a normal army, it would be almost impossible to reach the city. Of course, when you can summon and deploy massive forces at will like me, those narrow paths and chokepoints don’t matter.
I had also arranged for nearby defensive outposts to be bombed so they couldn’t send reinforcements today. On top of that, I had the Wanko Corps stationed to detect and intercept reinforcements the moment they tried.
The Imperial army was now drawn up in formation with the capital at their backs.
“Thinking logically, wouldn’t it be safer for them to abandon the capital?”
“They couldn’t bring themselves to, I imagine. This is the Empire’s heart and its symbol. None of them could bear the disgrace of seeing the capital fall.”
Well, the Empire does have sky-high pride. To them, Arland are ‘barbarians.’ If they let barbarians capture their capital, it would be too humiliating. Me, I still feel ashamed that the Empire ever stepped foot in Arland’s lands. I regret not crushing them before the war even started. Still, the Empire does have a ‘next role’ to play, so for now I’ll just let them writhe in confusion.
Just as I was about to give a cool and stylish order to begin the attack, a messenger came out from the Empire’s side to negotiate peace.
“… What are their terms?”
“War reparations equal to one percent of their tax revenue. A treaty of alliance. Cession of some territory.”
“Even now they dare to mock me?”
They hadn’t even met my minimum conditions. In other words, there was no room for negotiation.
“Tell them: ‘Fools!’”
“Ha! I’ll deliver that word-for-word.”
After that, the messenger started shouting angrily, so he became a corpse. Those who had accompanied him were told in no uncertain terms that peace was only possible through unconditional surrender, then driven back to their camp. With no military officials among them, they had no choice but to leave in frustration.
“Then begin the sweep. Full assault.”
I teleported back to the command tent and directed the battle from there. Golems didn’t have morale, so there was no need for the supreme commander to be at the front lines. My aides had firmly convinced me of that.
Of course, my clones riding Helios were filming the battlefield from the sky and relaying the footage into the tent.
The Imperial army was composed mostly of infantry, with a decent number of archers. But their cavalry and mage corps were extremely few. No doubt they had been devastated during the Arland campaign. Their Magic Corps had been roasted by Helios, and their cavalry had been annihilated.
My forces, on the other hand, were mainly soldier-golems organized in line infantry formations. The heavy-assault golems were kept in reserve; I’d need them for storming the capital.
“This projection device… it’s impressive. Seeing the battlefield from the air makes directing the army so much easier. Even ambushes are far clearer.”
One knight was clearly impressed by the images. Commanding an army was normally two-dimensional—you always had to fear surprise attacks. Especially in melee chaos, when lines of command could be disrupted, ambushes often came from unexpected directions.
And the most suited for that were cavalry. With their high mobility, they could move outside your line of sight and strike from behind. In a two-dimensional battlefield, they were the most terrifying force. On the other hand, they also suffered high casualty rates. In the past, surviving to thirty years old was enough to be called a veteran.
I hate cavalry. High losses mean a drain on national strength. Trained warhorses and riders are precious resources. I hate knowingly grinding them down. Sure, cavalry charges are powerful, but with rifles, tanks, cannons, and aerial surveillance, their threat isn’t what it used to be.
As I thought through this, the bombardment began. Our target: the Imperial infantry charging forward. In moments, their advance stalled, and they milled around in confusion. My line infantry, led by my clones as regimental commanders, opened fire mercilessly into the disorganized ranks. Coordination was maintained even though individuals were moving freely.
“Cavalry are circling around, aiming for our headquarters.”
“Redirect the bombardment that way.”
I relayed instructions to my clones via telepathy. Soon, artillery rained down along the cavalry’s path. In no time, they broke apart and began retreating—only to be mercilessly shelled as they withdrew.
“Isn’t cavalry kind of weak?”
“Their maneuvers are poor.” Alicia agreed with a nod.
The Imperial army’s morale was high—they had no other choice. They had to fight with all they had. That was how much they despised Arland. Even though their infantry were in chaos, they kept pressing forward like madmen. You could sense their determination to win. But resolve alone doesn’t win battles.
Still, their numbers were overwhelming. It looked like many of the capital’s citizens had joined the fighting. Of course they had—when a city is invaded, nobody knows what will happen. Civilians who know nothing fight desperately to protect their property. This was a common occurrence when attacking cities. Let’s call them militia.
“I see small horses among them. It looks like a patchwork force.”
A knight gave his assessment.
So, it seemed the regular cavalry were almost entirely gone. They were using old horses that should have been retired, and young ones still in training. But even regular warhorses couldn’t withstand exploding shells. Even without being hit directly, the flash and roar of modern fragmentation rounds would be too much for animals as naturally timid as horses.
Well then, time to execute the next plan.
“Can I leave it to you guys?”
――Sure thing~ ――
I had summoned the earth spirits. At my request, they had gathered to dig tunnels
“Alright, Mr. Coote, dig the tunnel.”
“Woof!”
Wagging his tail happily, Mr. Coote began digging at such speed that his forelegs blurred. The earth spirits reinforced the underground passage to prevent cave-ins and suppress vibrations.
At this incredible pace, it looked like he’d carve out a wide tunnel. With Mr. Coote’s strength, in just a few hours he’d probably reach inside the Imperial Capital. Mr. Coote himself seemed satisfied to dig freely. Meanwhile, my clones produced earth golems within the tunnel to widen it. I was going to send in tanks, so we needed a passage wide enough for an M5 light tank.
Our target was the Imperial Palace. Sorry, but the Imperial army was never my concern. Get trampled, crushed, and ground into the dirt. That’ll be the price for the countless kingdom soldiers you’ve already slaughtered.
The Imperial army numbered close to four hundred thousand, half of them militia. Inside the capital, more than a hundred thousand defenders still remained. It was a piecemeal commitment of forces. Or perhaps, more truthfully, they were afraid—if the forces outside the capital were annihilated, they’d still need troops to defend the city. That’s why they couldn’t commit their entire army.
My forces numbered only about sixty thousand. We were slowly being encircled.
The Imperials were desperate. They tried frantically to use their numerical advantage to surround us. They wanted to flee, but couldn’t—and their pride wouldn’t allow them to turn their backs on “barbarians.”
“A group has appeared that bullets don’t work on.”
“Isn’t that bad?”
“It’s within expectations. That’s why we didn’t commit the whole army.”
In this world, guns were powerful weapons. But they weren’t absolute. There existed people strong enough to deflect bullets. Even I could repel the rounds from my pseudo-AK with magic. My father, just by flicking a finger clad in fighting spirit, could knock them aside.
In other words, against the truly strong, guns had little effect. Most likely, the enemy had used their militia and regular soldiers as shields to close the distance, minimizing losses, then hurled their elites at my line infantry.
“Oh, they’re getting trampled nicely.”
“This isn’t funny!”
It is funny. Because from the start, the goal was to wipe out the elites. They seemed to think I was in the Imperial headquarters. Well, I had met their envoy there, after all.
But in reality, we were sitting quietly in a nearby forest.
“Just as planned—the elites took the bait. They’re the biggest threat, since they’re the ones with a chance of killing me.”
No matter how much I’d powered up, no matter if I’d supposedly surpassed Madame in combat ability (unconfirmed), I still had one flaw—lack of experience.
For someone like me, seasoned veterans were natural enemies. I didn’t think I’d lose, but unless I crushed them with overwhelming force, other nations might exploit the opening after the war. I had to win so decisively there would be no weakness left to see.
Those elites charged straight toward what they thought was my headquarters. The line infantry, feigning pressure, fell back toward it—exactly as they expected.
‘Activate tactical magic.’
I commanded the clone posing as the “real me” through telepathy.
‘Okay!’
The entire command tent fell silent, breath caught in their throats. From the headquarters, magical lines shot out into the surrounding golem legions. A massive magic circle spread across the battlefield, covering it entirely.
At once, every human inside the circle began writhing and screaming in agony.
“This… what…?”
Takuto, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. Everyone else was just as stunned.
“This will kill all the troublesome elites. They can’t defend against it.”
“What’s happening inside that circle, Alice?”
As Takuto asked, I watched the Imperial soldiers die like insects and answered.
“Inside that circle? It’s the same as a microwave oven.”
Magically generated microwaves were being fired from all directions, agitating the water inside their bodies and producing deadly heat. Exactly like a microwave.
And there was no way to block it. The reason was simple: existing defensive magic had never been designed to protect against electromagnetic waves. They didn’t even understand the concept, so they had no means of countering it.
Perhaps magical armor could resist it. But since that placed a huge strain on the armor itself, it wasn’t practical. Magical armor was like temporary doping—a trump card, not something that could be kept up for long.
This was a self-destruct spell, fueled by the magic crystals embedded in the surrounding golem soldiers. Overloaded, the golems all broke down. And when they collapsed, their own self-destruct enchantments triggered, each explosion chaining into the next until a massive inferno erupted—engulfing even Imperial troops outside the circle.
That day, of the 400,000 troops the Empire had sent to intercept us, nearly 200,000 perished.
“… This isn’t war.”
The youngest knight whispered.
“That’s right. It’s the price for making me angry. And believe it or not, I’m holding back. If I wanted to, I could wipe out every single person in the capital.”
Yes, I was being merciful. I had given them the option of surrender. I had even chosen the method of killing. If I truly discarded all restraint, I could kill more efficiently. They had brought this upon themselves.
This time, I would never forgive them. I would educate them so thoroughly that they’d never again dare invade Arland.
Expressionless, I stood. It was time. From afar, another army was marching toward us. Reinforcements.
“Alright then, let’s send in the Second Army. Sweep them out.”
Forty thousand remaining golems emerged from the vault.
“That flag…!”
“It can’t be… they’re flying the banners of nations already destroyed!”
The reinforcements numbered around three hundred thousand. Every single unit bore the flags of nations and city-states the Empire had annihilated. Many carried arms and armor clearly out of date.
“Well now… it looks like they’ve been given their chance for revenge. Time for the Empire to pay its debts.”
I stood before the reinforcements. Their soldiers’ skin was pale and bluish, their faces expressionless—but their eyes burned with fierce will as they stared back at me. Before long, multiple commanders stepped forward. Of course—different armies, different leaders.
“Thank you for your cooperation. Together, let’s show the Empire just how many people they’ve trampled and tormented until now.”
I spoke as gently as I could, extending a hand. After a pause, they accepted the handshake. And so, with the formation of our allied army, we began our advance on the Imperial Capital once more.
ENTER
ENTER
ENTER
The clones who had guided the reinforcements here wiped nonexistent sweat from their brows with their sleeves.
“Man, convincing them was tough.”
“If it had been the real body, she’d have been possessed. Half-turned into a vengeful spirit already.”
“For now, they agreed to settle for forcing the Empire’s surrender.”
“Well, it’s not like revenge would bring their countries back anyway. But the moment we mentioned making the Emperor grovel, they jumped on board.”
“Anyone would. When something you and your comrades built with your own hands gets stolen by force, of course you hate them. Even if it’s just a city-state. The Empire abandoned the ones who fought with their lives. If they’d just made sure to cleanse properly, it never would’ve come to this.”
The clones wore wicked smiles.
What do you think about this chapter?
