I Reincarnated into a Game Filled with Mods – Chapter 33

Chapter 33

In this brief encounter, which felt like a mere fleeting moment, the player was able to get a glimpse of the Emperor’s personality.

They learned that the Emperor deeply dislikes bothersome tasks, harbors an extreme aversion to monsters and demons that threaten humanity, and possesses the Empire’s most formidable power.

And one last thing.

“I was truly impressed by your actions just now. I shall personally commend you.”

The Emperor is someone capable of committing any cruel act without batting an eye to satisfy their curiosity and validate their thoughts.

That was the Emperor of the Empire.

‘That was close.’

I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants. My hands were still trembling slightly. Looking at the deep gash on the scabbard, I realized that I had almost died just now.

Honestly, the other half of me still felt dazed, as if I couldn’t fully grasp what had happened.

Beyond the black uniform, I could see Aurora frozen like a statue, her mouth agape in a shocked expression. The flustered look she had while Kykilia was questioning me was nowhere to be seen.

Unlike Aurora, who had turned to stone, or me, whose knees had buckled, Kykilia, the one who had caused all this, seemed completely unfazed.

In fact, she almost looked pleased.

“That was an attack that even the knights of the Imperial Palace would have needed to be fully prepared to react to, yet you managed to block it without any preparation. I have never seen anyone like you before.”

The Emperor, having returned the holy sword made of light back into light, stared at me with her characteristic sharp and chilling smile.

Blocked it without any preparation, she says.

That’s not true, as I hadn’t let my guard down from the moment I arrived and she started talking to me. Knowing what she was about to do, I couldn’t afford to be unprepared for even a second.

The reason why the Emperor is considered one of the most difficult bosses in Brightest Darkness 4 is because of her attacks, which are so fast that they have practically no windup or cooldown.

Among players, it’s often called the ‘pattern that tests the limits of human reaction speed.’

There’s no windup or cooldown, the motion is incredibly small, and there’s almost no preparatory movement. And that kind of attack is randomly mixed into her patterns.

What happens if you can’t block it? You get hit and die from the follow-up attacks. Can’t deflect it? Your battle fatigue explodes, and you die. Stay far away? The Emperor’s unique healing field turns the boss fight into a protracted war of attrition.

The easiest way to deal with her is to equip a large or greatshield, enchant it, and raise your guard whenever you sense something coming. That says it all.

‘If I had to fight her as a boss here… S*it, it’s horrifying just to imagine.’

The reason why the Emperor suddenly did this to me was also absurd.

A knight appeared who single-handedly defeated a monster strong enough to drop a demon-related item, so she wanted to see for herself how skilled he was?

‘Besides, I would have died if I didn’t block it.’

In the vanilla game, even if you fail to react and get hit by that attack, your HP drops to 1 and you survive. According to the lore, it’s because the Emperor meticulously controls the depth of the blade to avoid killing the protagonist.

But in Darkest Light mode, you just die. It was either grit your teeth and react or die and end the event.

“Aunt, what was that about just now…”

Aurora’s voice trembled slightly.

“I tested his skills since he reportedly defeated a monster that vomited a book possessed by a demon all by himself. If he hadn’t blocked it, my suspicions would have deepened, but it seems his true abilities are genuine, so I’ll let it slide. What are you doing? Go and help him up.”

Kykilia gestured to Aurora. Aurora hurriedly approached me.

“Hey, are you okay? Are you hurt or cut anywhere?”

“…No. My arms and legs are still shaking a bit, though. And if I had been hit by that, I wouldn’t have been hurt or cut, I would have died.”

“How did you block it? I just saw a flash, and then Aunt was holding a sword, and you were flung back here.”

“I don’t know either, so don’t ask.”

I gestured to Aurora, who was trying to support me by putting her arm around my waist, and stood up on my own. The hand gripping my arm tightened.

As we returned to our places, Kykilia gazed at me with a very faint smile playing on her lips.

“You have talent. If you hone that talent, you will become a truly excellent knight. I look forward to your growth.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

At first glance, it was a lighthearted remark, but the underlying meaning was far from light. Judging by the way Aurora, who was supporting me, flinched, I could tell.

It was a compliment about talent and anticipation for growth coming from the very being who stands at the pinnacle of the Empire’s military might. It was not something to be taken lightly.

Considering the player’s future actions, it was also a very accurate assessment.

“Aurora.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“That’s enough. Lead the way.”

“Understood.”

It was an abrupt order, but it was obvious where she was supposed to lead us. Aurora bowed her head and released my hand.

“You follow as well.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Kykilia said so without even looking back at me.

There was no room for refusal.

“I’m sure your pent-up frustration must be overflowing. I can fully understand that.”

“No, I, that is…”

Iris stammered, her face flushed with embarrassment as she profusely sweated. Behind her stood Rize, Erika, and Claudia, all frozen in place.

All four of them had expressions of extreme bewilderment, a rare sight indeed. It was understandable, considering they had been caught by the Emperor while using the lord as a punching bag.

The Knight Commanders had been relentlessly beating the lord until right before the Emperor arrived in the basement. The fact that the basement hadn’t collapsed and remained intact meant they had at least retained enough reason to control their strength.

The problem was that the Emperor had witnessed the lord being beaten in every possible way.

‘Knowing the Emperor’s personality, the phrase ‘I can fully understand that’ is probably not sarcasm but genuine understanding.’

Iris, Rize, Erika, and Claudia didn’t seem to interpret it that way.

Actually, it was only natural. Those were the words of Her Majesty the Emperor. How many people could take them at face value? Naturally, they would assume there was some hidden meaning.

“…”

Despite being beaten for hours by four skilled Knight Commanders, the lord, feebly writhing on the floor, looked no different than when I had stabbed him with the Blessed Dagger and left him there.

He was instinctively trying to move away from Kykilia, as if sensing the divine power emanating from the holy sword.

“So, that is the demon that was once my brother?”

“Yes! That is correct! Your Majesty!”

Iris replied in a crisp voice, standing at attention. Kykilia passed by the motionless knights on either side and slowly approached the demon.

‘Hmm, her expression and the atmosphere don’t match at all.’

Judging by her expression alone, the atmosphere should have been menacing and cold, but her attire made it impossible to feel that way. First of all, the knights standing motionless beside her were wearing white tank tops and dolphin shorts.

Moreover, the Emperor’s uniform revealed her cleavage and lingerie, the skirt was so short that it barely covered her buttocks, and she even had garter belts on her thighs.

If an ordinary person saw her, they would believe she was a cosplayer dressed as the Emperor rather than the actual Emperor of the Empire.

Above all, like other female NPCs, her buttocks, encased in the tight-fitting uniform skirt, swayed lewdly with every step she took, as if deliberately drawing attention to them.

Can’t they do something about those damn motions?

“…”

Regardless of my thoughts, Kykilia, having reached the lord, stood silently, her face expressionless as she stared at him.

Soon after, a very faint murmur could be heard.

“So it has come to this.”

‘…What is that?’

It was a side of her I had never seen in the game, so even I couldn’t understand the true meaning of her words.

At this point, it was pointless to compare this event to the game, as the process had deviated too much. The only thing I could do was assume that the outcome would be the same since the overall flow still matched.

The Emperor’s personality itself was also vastly different from the original NPC, just like the four Knight Commanders.

“It’s time to end this. You insignificant creature.”

A halo of light gathered in Kykilia’s right hand, soon taking the form of a holy sword. As the divine power, comparable to the sun itself, appeared right beside him, the demon desperately struggled and tried to retreat.

Of course, it was futile. The holy sword easily pierced the lord’s body, and the demon let out a fading scream, “Keeeeeek…,” before ceasing all movement.

It was a rather anticlimactic end, considering the atrocities he had committed.

Kykilia, leaving the holy sword embedded in the body, took out a blue bottle from her waist and poured it over the corpse. The spilled blue liquid gathered on its own, forming a magic circle.

The completed magic circle shot a small pillar of light towards the ceiling, and the lord’s body began to teleport somewhere. The spot where the pillar of light had faded was now empty.

Kykilia, who had been calmly watching the scene, opened her mouth.

“Where is the book that it used?”

“It’s being kept under strict guard in a makeshift warehouse.”

“Prepare it for retrieval.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Aurora bowed her head slightly and ascended the stairs first.

“And, there’s something to do before we leave. Knight Commander Iris.”

“Yes! Your Majesty!”

“You stay here, the rest of you are dismissed.”

Iris flinched at those words.

The others looked puzzled. However, they couldn’t disobey the Emperor’s orders. We left Iris and Kykilia in the basement and climbed the stairs.

This, too, was a development I had never seen in the game.

In the basement, where only the two of them remained, the Emperor’s characteristic emotionless and cold golden eyes gazed at Iris. Iris remained motionless.

Her expression was stiff.

A heavy silence filled the air, as if the very air itself had gained weight. Iris forced her shoulders back, which kept trying to slump.

“I will give you an order.”

“I will obey any command!”

Kykilia, who had been tapping her finger on her arm, paused for a moment and then spoke, her golden pupils gleaming.

“Tell me everything you know about that new knight.”