WIEDERGEBURT Act V: Chapter 42

There were a lot of problems with trying to find someone in the Demon Beast Mountain Range when you didn’t even know where to begin searching. The Demon Beast Mountain Range was vast, spanning who knew how many hundreds of kilometers. While the Northern Plains was the largest populated region on this continent, it still paled in comparison to the vastness of this area.

That was the reason no one knew how deep it was.

Well, that and the number of dangerous Demon Beasts living even deeper within this mountain range.

While Kari, Fay, Lin, Siv, and I had explored the Demon Beast Mountain Range many times, there were places even we had yet to explore, depths we had yet to see. I was not afraid that we lacked the strength. Rather, this place was just so big that exploring it within ten, twenty, or even fifty years was probably impossible.

At present, I was not far into the Demon Beast Mountain Range. After ascending over the mountains that surrounded Nevaria, I traveled down until I was just above the trees, crossed the ravine that further separated Nevaria from this place, and then set down.

I didn’t begin moving right away. That would be stupid. Without even thinking about where Empress Hilda and the others could be, there was no way I would find them. I would first need to consider what places they could hide and begin by checking those places one by one.

This would have been so much easier if I’d interrogated one of those Drage Family Spiritualists. However, it didn’t seem like they knew where Empress Hilda was either. If they did, they would not have been searching for her.

Sitting on the floor with my legs crossed, I put myself in my mother-in-law’s shoes. If I was the empress of a city state, and I had just been deposed, where would I go?

Thanks to the Nevarian Braves, much of the surrounding area had been thoroughly explored. We had made numerous inroads in mapping out the areas closest to Nevaria. If I were Empress Hilda, I would remain within this mapped out area, which extended about one hundred kilometers in all directions. Even if the Drage Family possessed the same maps she did, it would still be impossible to find someone unless you knew exactly where to look.

If it were me, I would want to travel somewhere I could hide, but also somewhere that was easily defensible. A place with narrow spaces where a group like the Drage Family couldn’t bring numbers to bear. There were a few places I could think of. All of them were ruins.

The first were the ruins my wives and I had traveled to with Catalyna during our second excursion into the Demon Beast Mountain Range.

The second was the forgotten city on the other side of the Demon Beast Mountain Range. It was a fully intact city, completely preserved and containing thousands of twisting passages surrounded by tall buildings.

The third was Bucharest. That was the city where Geirolf, Earland, and Mykkel had been ambushed by a Sekbeist who could control Demon Beasts. It was not only a massive city filled with hallowed buildings and great chokepoints, but the underground network beneath the city was a maze only a few people would be able to navigate.

I decided to travel to Bucharest since it was the closest place to my current location. If they weren’t there, I would move onto the next area.

Plan in place, I quickly headed out.

***

Ever since ousting Empress Hilda, the Drage Family had moved into the Imperial Royal Palace. The vast halls, many rooms, and sheer majesty suited them far more than it did Empress Hilda—at least, it did according to her father and the elders.

Sigrid did not much care for the ostentatiousness of the palace, the space, or anything else. As a woman who was always seeking self-improvement and gaining more strength, there were only a few things she enjoyed outside of training. One of them was learning new things, another was fighting strong opponents, and the last was taken from her when Eryk left Nevaria.

At that moment, Sigrid was standing in the room that Eryk had been living in when he moved into the Imperial Royal Palace. That butler of Hilda’s had directed her to this place when they first moved in. Every day, Sigrid would come to this place and think about him.

At present, Sigrid was lying on the bed and fingering herself.

She was not wearing any clothes, having long since discarded them. Furiously rubbing her clit with her index and middle fingers, Sigrid placed her feet flat on the bed, lifted her hips up, and arched her back. The intense sensations welling up within her were overpowering. Her clit was throbbing. There was an intense pressure welling up inside of her lower stomach, causing her thighs and buttcheeks to clench.

“Haaa…. Ahn… ah… ha… ha… ahn!”

Ever since meeting Eryk, ever since seeing his power, Sigrid had not been able to get over the intense feelings he invoked within her. She had secretly started masturbating that day when she saw him square off against that powerful enemy who threatened Nevaria, the one leading those creatures called Sekbeist. Watching him unleash his power had made her so hot and bothered it was a wonder her panties hadn’t gotten drenched.

Sigrid had always liked strong men.

“Hnnn! Ah! Ah! Ahn!!”

When she was little, she used to think her father and elder brother were strong. She learned otherwise after meeting the elders. Her father and brother were, indeed, strong, but they were not the pinnacle of strength. After meeting the elders, she used to think they were the strongest, and that was why she listened to them.

Then Eryk came along.

She had been enthralled from the moment she saw that power.

Such power!

“Haaa… ahnnn… hrrrn…!”

Sigrid gritted her teeth as an incredible, indescribable pleasure rampaged through her body. This intense feeling caused her entire body to quiver. With her back arched, her legs and butt shook as juices squirted from her vagina, ran down her legs, and stained the bed. Several seconds later, Sigrid slumped against the bed, breathing heavily.

“Ha… ha… ha…”

It took her a little while to recover, but when she did, Sigrid stood up, wiped herself off, and made her way over to the window. She placed her hands on the windowsill and leaned forward. Nevaria lay spread out beneath her, but she didn’t even notice as she looked far into the distance.

“Eryk Veiger, I wonder where you are right now…”

Sigrid felt a great moment of conflict stir within her. She could never deny her infatuation with that man. He ignited a flame inside her that she hadn’t known existed, but that did not mean she was disloyal to her family. She might respect his strength and cherish his existence, but she had lived with and been coddled by her family for many years. That was part of the reason she had never attempted to push her way into a relationship with him.

Well, that and Kari had stopped her each time.

There was also the fact that Eryk himself was suspicious of her.

She sighed as she pressed her head against the glass and closed her eyes, thinking that maybe it was better for Eryk to be gone. So long as he did not return, she would not have to confront him. She would not have to let him know what her family had done to his two wives’ families. Sigrid held no illusions. If he found out what happened to Empress Hilda and the Valstine Family, her entire family would suffer his rage.

She wondered: If such a situation did happen, who would win? Her Drage Family or Eryk Veiger?

A knock suddenly sounded at her door.

“Princess Sigrid,” an old voice called. “His Majesty Gudbrand and the elders are waiting for you.”

“Tell them I will be right there,” Sigrid said.

Sigrid listened to the departing footsteps, waited until they had disappeared, and then left the room. Before meeting with her father and the elders, she needed to take a bath. She traveled down to a large bathing room, stripped off her clothes, and washed off the sweat and smell of her own sexual secretions. It was not a long bath. She was finished, dressed, and standing before her father and the elders in less than ten minutes.

Her father and the elders were all located within the entrance hall. This place had once been where Empress Hilda met with various officials, listened to complaints and requests, and gave commands, but now it had become their family’s meeting hall. She remembered how excited everyone had been. Personally, Sigrid thought this place was a bit too gaudy.

“Lord Father. Esteemed elders. I have come as requested.”

As was good and proper, Sigrid knelt before the king and the elders, lowering her head and not looking up at them. It was still a rule among her family that none could look upon the elders faces. Since they no longer had the covers to protect them, the elders wore veils to cover their faces. Only their eyes could be seen.

“Raise your head and look upon me.” Sigrid raised her head and looked only at her father and his smiling face. “We are glad you have come. A situation has arisen that I would like you to look into.”

“What is situation, Lord Father?”

“A fight broke out in Nevaria not long ago,” her father explained. “We do not know what happened, but it took place near the ruins of the Nevarian Braves headquarters. The Drage Family members who were guarding that place have disappeared. We already have people searching the area, but they have had no luck in finding out missing members or discovering what happened. I would like you to go there and see if you can discover anything.”

Sigrid was only just able to keep the frown off her face. “Lord Father, will you permit me to ask a question?”

“Go ahead.” Her father gestured for her.

“Why am I being asked to investigate? Wouldn’t Gudmund be better?”

“Impudent,” one of the elders snarled. “You dare talk back to your king?!”

“I would never dare,” Sigrid said calmly, not looking at the man spitting acid from behind his veil. “I merely believe Gudmund is better suited to this task. I am not very good at investigations. My only real talent is combat.”

“Yes, normally, Gudmund would be the one I’d task something like this to, but he is currently unable to help,” her father said. He wore a doting smile as he explained his reasons. “He’s recently picked up a lead on the potential whereabouts of Empress Hilda and her followers. He took a battalion and left for the Demon Beast Mountain Range yesterday.”

“So I see.” Sigrid bowed her head again. “If that is the case, then I will do my utmost not to fail you, Lord Father.”

“Good. Good. I hope to see great results from your investigation.”

Since it looked like she had a task ahead of her, Sigrid did not stay long. After giving her father and the elders a respectful bow, she left the reception hall and walked toward the Imperial Royal Palace’s main entrance. She absently wondered who would be foolish enough to attack her Drage Family when they had already taken over Nevaria.

***

Gudmund wore a slight smile as he gazed at the ruined remains of the ancient city called Bucharest. He was not inside the city itself, but at a camp that his battalion had created while they searched for Empress Hilda and her group. All around them were various Drage family members at work. He was the only one not getting the camp prepared, but that was because his job was the most important of all.

Walking into the large hut that was his sleeping quarters and office, Gudmund wandered over to the table in the center of the room and looked down at the map. It was a new map. The ink was thick and clean, displaying the mapmaker’s impressive skills. This map was of Bucharest. Not only did it show the city itself, but it also showed the underground network, though it was incomplete.

“If I was Hilda… I would definitely hide myself away in this network,” he muttered to himself. “The question is where…”

More than half an hour passed before one of his family members came in. The blond man in armor saluted him.

“Sir, I’ve just returned and have information that you might find useful.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

Gudmund glanced at the man, who nodded once.

“We have discovered several human tracks inside of the underground network. We believe they are from Empress Hilda and her companions.”

“EmpressHilda?” Gudmund emphasised the word “empress” and raised an eyebrow.

“Erm… I mean, the traitor, Hilda,” the man said, gaze awkward.

“That is better.” Gudmund sniffed as he nodded. “Remember this, Hilda is no longer the empress. My father has ascended to the throne and become emperor. That woman is nothing more than a displaced has been, and very soon, she won’t even be that much.”

The man didn’t do anything more than nod.

Gudmund made a quick decision. It was still light out, so there was time to conduct a preliminary search. He took twelve squadrons of six men along with him and journeyed into Bucharest’s underground network. Seventy-two men might seem like overkill since their opponents were so few, but he knew better than to underestimate Hilda and her family. She and her husbands were all at the Third State of Spiritualism.

Unlike the sewers of Nevaria, which were still used and well-maintained, this underground network was old, cracked, and weathered. There were a lot of loose stones, and the water was filled with algae. Moss covered many of the stones as well. This meant Gudmund and his men had to be extra careful to avoid slipping and embarrassing themselves.

“I see something up ahead!” someone shouted suddenly.

Gudmund looked up and found a flickering light up ahead. He recognized the light from a monster core. It bobbed up and down as it moved further away, and if he squinted hard, he thought he could just barely make out the outline of a figure within that dim light.

“Follow that person,” he ordered. “Maybe they will lead us to Hilda and her ilk.”

***

Empress Hilda stood within a wide chamber lit by monster core lamps. Surrounding her were her three husbands, three eldest eldest children, Stelys Valstine, Feinrea Kunis, several dwoergs, and the few dozen people who had come with her when she was forced to flee Nevaria.

Gone was the elegant and refined clothing she normally wore; at this moment, her outfit consisted of simple leather pants, a white shirt with long-sleeves, and a gleaming chestplate with runes etched into the surface of the plate. Her boots scuffed the surface of the floor as she looked at the people around her.

“Gudmund and his group have taken the bait,” she announced. “I am currently leading him to the ambush point.”

“Shall I take a squadron and engage him?” asked Reiner, her second husband and the man who created all of their strategies alongside his son.

“No need.” Empress Hilda shook her head. Her golden hair did not sway, held up as it was in a tight bun near the back. She did not want it getting in the way. “I plan to lead the ambush myself. Dante, I would like you and Stelys to lead the noncombatants away. We will be abandoning Bucharest for now. Earland and Mykkel, you two will go with them and provide protection. Reiner, Valence, Catherina, Geirolf, and Catalyna, you five will come with me to ambush our enemies.”

Her group had altogether fifty people, but most of them were noncombatants. There were the dweorg craftsmen who had escaped the destruction of the Nevarian Braves’ headquarters when Sigrid attacked, the servants and maids of the Valstine Family, and several alchemists who were being led by Feinrea Kunis. Of those with her, only about one dozen people could fight.

“Yes, Empress Hilda!”

As everyone acknowledged her orders, Empress Hilda gave her surrounding subordinates a grim smile.

“The Drage Family believes that ousting me is a simple matter, but we will show them that trying to depose a ruler is not so easy.”

***

I didn’t travel through the sky, but I still made good time. Within less than two hours, I had already reached Bucharest. The city came into view as I exited the sea of trees.

Bucharest was a large city. If I had to judge its size based on visual appearances alone, I would say it was around the same size as Nevaria, making it large enough to hold several million people. Of course, all the buildings in Bucharest were in various states of ruins, vines covered all the surfaces, and Demon Beasts roamed the city. I remember Empress Hilda once tried to reclaim it, but every time we killed the Demon Beasts inside, more came to replace them. She eventually gave up.

Aside from the city, something else also came into view when I emerged from the trees—a campsite. A few dozen large tents had been set up, fires were lighting up the grounds, and around perhaps two or three-hundred people were gathered. Each person was wearing the armor I recognized as belonging to the Drage Family. That meant these people had probably also concluded that my mother-in-law was located somewhere in this city and were searching for her.

I briefly considered what to do and then decided to just eliminate them.

Without hesitating, I used the Flash Step to travel into the middle of their camp, appearing before them all like a ghost. No one noticed me at first. No one even reacted to my presence.

The first people to die were a group who was standing at a campfire several meters to my left. I raised my hand, channeled the lightning element through my arm, and fired several bolts of lightning that struck each Spiritualist on the chest. The runes on their armor flared to light, but it was brief. Runes like this could only offer so much protection, and I quickly overloaded them with Spiritual Power. Those Spiritualists released intense cries of agony as my lightning fried their insides.

Smoke emitted from the corpses of those people. The intense scent of cooked meat filled the air. All of the Spiritualists who had not noticed my sudden appearance now stared at me with shock, their eyes wide, mouths hanging open. Finally, one of them pointed at me, his face paling.

“You… you’re Eryk Veiger!” he screamed.

“That’s right.” I gave that man a grim smile. “And you are dead.”

Once more, I did not hesitate to attack this man. I did not fire lightning this time, but shot a crescent shaped blade of water by slicing my hand through the air. It slammed into the shields created by the runes, but then cut through the shield and sliced into the man’s neck. As his head separated from his neck, his body tumbled to the ground.

I had to give the Spiritualists here credit; they recovered far more swiftly than I thought they would. Several dozen people surrounded me and began stomping on the ground. The rhythmic stomping caused the earth to rise around my feet, trapping me. At the same time, several other Spiritualists smacked their elbows in a fierce rhythm, then beat their chests, before bringing their fists inward and thrusting them out as though to punch me. They were several meters away, so I knew that was not their intent.

Twelve large beams of orange fire burst from their fists and flew at me. A wave of intense heat distorted the area around me, but I had already covered my body with a thin but heavily condensed layer of water. I did not move as the flames struck me, erupting with a detonation so loud it would have blown out my eardrums if I didn’t have the sense to plug them up.

“Ha! Looks like Eryk Veiger isn’t as strong as the rumors say!” one of the men said.

“That was pretty pathetic! We killed him easily,” another said.

“Guess those rumors were exaggerated.” One more snorted with an arrogant curl to his lips.

“Oh?” I muttered. “I wouldn’t say that.”

With a burst of Spiritual Power exploding from my body, I swept away the fire that had engulfed me, revealing that I was not injured. Even my clothes were pristine. The men all gawked at me, the blood draining from their faces as the confidence left them. This was something I was familiar with. This fear. Back during my previous life, when Kari died, I had relished in the fear I could invoke in some people.

Now I felt nothing. I just wanted to ensure my family was safe.

“Sorry,” I apologized. “But I don’t have time to deal with you.”

Because it took way too much time and power to create a storm, I did not do that. Instead I entered the Third State of Spiritualism. Spiritual Power erupted from my body, then was sucked back inside, and then transformed me into a being of pure lightning. Since lightning was far more destructive than water, this was often my go-to form when using the Third State of Spiritualism.

The ground ruptured beneath me as I pushed off it and turned into a streak of light. None of the Spiritualists present could react in time to save themselves. Those Spiritualists who had surrounded me were the first to fall. I created a ruler made out of lightning and attacked like a wildman. Each swing cleaved apart someone. Their runes meant nothing in the face of my overwhelming might. Cutting through their armor and bodies was like cutting through wet paper.

Several minutes after my slaughter began, the Spiritualists who had been trying to contend with me realized it was hopeless and began to run. They fled into the city instead of trying to reach the forest about two kilometers away. It was a smart move, but I was annoyed because it meant more work for me. These people were dangerous. They were a threat to my family, so I could not allow a single one to live.

I chased after them, flying through the air like a streak of lightning and tracking them with Spiritual Perception.

Not all of these people were from the Drage Family, I realized. I had noticed it when the Spiritualists first attacked. Several of them had used the earth element, but every member of the Drage Family were fire Spiritualists. I wasn’t sure how that worked. I could only assume their blood had a very strong affinity for fire, and they probably practiced inbreeding to keep their affinity strong.

Tracking a group of four with Spiritual Perception, I descended to the ground like a flash and attacked without mercy. Two of the people present were killed when I removed their heads from their shoulders with a swift swipe of my hand. One of the two remaining tried to fight, but I killed her with a simple punch to the chest. Since my body was composed of lightning, my punch went straight through her chestplate, chest, and emerged from her back. She died on my arm. The last expression on her face was one of surprise and fear.

The last member of their group did not even have the courage to face me. He turned the other way and tried to run, but I swung my arm, creating a brilliant streak of lightning that transformed into a serpent in midair. The lightning serpent slammed into the man without relent. The runes on his armor flared briefly before they were overwhelmed, and then his body was shocked by several hundred thousand volts of pure lightning elemental energy.

I closed my eyes as the scent of blood, cooked meat, and death filled the air. Killing brought me no joy, but I did not shirk from it when the situation called for it. If these people wanted to go after my friends and family, they would have to pay for it with their lives.

Shooting off into the air, I began searching for the remaining members of the Drage Family battalion.