The Final Boss Has Returned 135

Chapter 135

Steel Palace.

Unlike the exterior of Voltaha Castle, which was overrun by monsters, the interior of the Steel Palace was surprisingly clean, though it showed signs of age.

This was because the specters of the Revolutionary Army had erected a holy barrier to prevent monsters from entering.

The deepest part of the Steel Palace.

The Hall of Iron Blood.

At the highest point of the place where the Steel Monarch used to manage the affairs of the entire world, there was a heavy chair made of iron, red with rust.

It was the Steel Throne, which symbolized the authority of the Steel Monarch Drakan in the old days.

And on that Steel Throne, a pure white specter in splendid armor was sitting now.

The former First Knight Commander of the Revolutionary Army and the NPC who fanatically served Eugene!

It was Lewis.

[The Steel Monarch has returned?]

[That is correct, Commander-nim.]

One of the specters prostrated before Lewis, who was sitting on the Steel Throne, bowed his head.

Steel Monarch Drakan!

At the news of his return, the holy power surrounding Lewis’s body flickered.

[That bastard has returned here!]

Although it was a thousand years ago, the memory was still vivid in Lewis’s mind.

The time when the Steel Monarch Drakan, that bastard, destroyed his kingdom!

Because of that, he joined the Revolutionary Army to defeat him, and the memory of dying in the final battle was still vivid in Lewis’s mind.

But to think that bastard has returned!

[He is an Outsider, so it wouldn’t be strange for him to return.]

Lewis gripped the armrest of the Steel Throne.

Outsider.

Visitors from another world who came to Ard World.

Recalling the fact that Outsiders possess mysterious powers and that there was a possibility that the Steel Monarch had returned, Lewis calmed his mind.

The holy power surrounding him shone once again.

[I cannot yield this Steel Palace to him.]

The Steel Palace and the Steel Throne were not just symbols.

A thousand years ago, the Steel Throne was the key object that could control the impregnable Voltaha Castle and the Steel Palace.

Of course, due to the passage of time and the cataclysmic event known as the Great Cataclysm, not many of the operating devices were functional, but the problem was that the Steel Throne was an object exclusive to Drakan.

Drakan.

If he returns and claims the Steel Throne, the vast land of Floating Castle Voltaha will fall back into his grasp.

And that was something Lewis could never tolerate.

Steel Monarch Drakan. The tyrant of tyrants who ruled Ard World with fear.

Lewis could never allow such a person to regain his power.

[Where is he now?]

[According to the scout’s report, he went to the Wolf’s Den.]

A Revolutionary Army specter answered Lewis’s question.

Lewis smiled as he heard those words.

Wolf’s Den.

Lewis couldn’t understand why he went there.

It was only natural since the existence of the secret passage was a top-secret facility that only a handful of high-ranking officials, including Drakan, knew about within the Iron Blood Alliance.

In such a situation, the important thing for Lewis was the fact that the returned Drakan had headed to the Wolf’s Den.

[Dispatch the Knights and assassinate him.]

The specter bowed his head at Lewis’s command.

A match that was not properly finished a thousand years ago.

Thinking that he would settle the score now, Lewis grabbed the rusty armrest of the Steel Throne.

▄ ▄ ▄

[You have discovered the Steel Palace.]

[First Discovery Bonus!]

[All stats have increased by 45.]

[Steel Palace]

The Steel Palace is a massive palace built by the Steel Monarch Drakan a thousand years ago. It was a place where all sorts of treasures from the continent flocked and a symbol of the violence and fear that Drakan possessed.

Drakan ruled the entire world while sitting on the Steel Throne at the center of the Steel Palace, and the tyranny that began in the Steel Palace only ended with the success of the World Revolution led by Hero Eugene.

After the World Revolution, the Steel Palace was used as a place for the lords of Voltaha Castle to reside and conduct administrative work. However, various devices installed by the Steel Monarch Drakan still remain in the Steel Palace, awaiting his return.

Drakan cleared the First Discovery notification window that appeared before his eyes, which had become a common sight by now.

The secret passage leading to the Steel Palace was connected to the Hall of Iron Blood.

This was because it was the deepest part of the Steel Palace, the location of the Steel Throne, and also the place where Lewis was currently located.

[Drakan!]

Lewis, who was sitting on the Steel Throne, was horrified as he saw Drakan walking up from the suddenly opened floor.

Drakan.

His appearance hadn’t changed much from a thousand years ago.

With a sharp impression like a single blade, black armor, and a dark red sword, he looked at him with a smirk on his lips.

[How did you get here!]

Lewis was horrified.

Drakan.

He never dreamed that he would enter the Hall of Iron Blood directly.

He had heard that he had arrived at the Wolf’s Den, and he had even sent his Knights.

However, he did not expect him to barge in so quickly in this manner.

The exterior of the Steel Palace, Voltaha Castle, had long since become the domain of monsters, and no matter how powerful Drakan was, it was obvious that it would take a long time for him to break through the Knights’ attacks and the monster-infested areas to get here.

[So the legend of the secret passage was true?]

Lewis shouted while glaring at Drakan.

Secret passage.

There were rampant rumors about its existence.

There is a secret passage exclusive to Drakan in the Steel Palace!

Rumors like that.

And indeed, there were still unopened warehouse doors and various devices in perfect condition in the Steel Palace, so it was plausible that a secret passage existed, but for a thousand years, no one had discovered its existence.

However, today, Drakan had used the secret passage to come this far.

Looking at him, Drakan raised the Iron Blood Executor.

“You talk too much for a damn resurrected specter.”

Behind Drakan, a multitude of users were standing.

It was the expedition that followed Drakan.

Holding the Iron Blood Executor, Drakan kicked off the ground and jumped up.

“That seat is mine.”

Following Drakan, the users cheered and followed.

The Steel Throne.

The battle to determine its true owner had finally begun.

▄ ▄ ▄

[You have defeated Lewis.]

“Whew.”

I took a deep breath.

A notification window announcing Lewis’s death appeared before my eyes.

Even without it, seeing Lewis transform into light and disappear was enough to know that he was dead.

Lewis.

Former First Knight Commander of the Revolutionary Army.

He was a rather tricky boss monster to deal with, but I had a large expedition force with me.

As the saying goes, no matter how strong a boss monster is, there’s no match for overwhelming numbers.

Of course, if he was truly powerful, he could have rendered numbers meaningless, but unfortunately, his opponent was me.

Thanks to that, the boss fight ended rather anticlimactically.

[You have leveled up.]

A level-up notification that I haven’t seen in a while.

They say it’s hard to level up after reaching the maximum level, and it seems to be true.

Considering I’ve cleared several Legendary grade quests and only now leveled up.

I looked around the Hall of Iron Blood, filled with expedition members.

I could see Shin Ha-yeon looking up at me from the closest spot.

Because we had launched a surprise attack through the secret passage and ended the battle in an instant, the specters of the Revolutionary Army had not yet reached the Hall of Iron Blood.

And in the meantime, I had to sit on the Steel Throne.

Receiving Shin Ha-yeon’s smile, I went up to it.

The moment I sat on the rusty chair, unlike the clean Steel Throne from six years ago.

[The Steel Throne reacts to the user ‘Drakan’.]

[All authority of the Steel Palace is transferred to the user ‘Drakan’.]

[All authority of Voltaha Castle is transferred to the user ‘Drakan’.]

A welcome notification window popped up before my eyes.

The Steel Throne!

The master key that could control the entire Steel Palace, and furthermore, Voltaha Castle, had finally returned to my hands.

The feeling of sitting on the Steel Throne after a long time was welcoming.

Looking down at the Hall of Iron Blood, I smiled.

Just like six years ago, the eyes of countless people were on me.

Whether then or now, people looked at me with expectant gazes, but the difference was whether they were guild members or my fandom.

Just then.

[Do you wish to declare a Dark Sanctuary in Floating Castle Voltaha?]

A notification window appeared before my eyes, and I immediately nodded.

“I declare it.”

[Dark Sanctuary is declared in Floating Castle Voltaha.]

Kwa-gwang!

A loud roar resonated along with it.

Dark Sanctuary.

I could feel the power of darkness enveloping the entire Floating Castle Voltaha.

[The Dark God smiles with satisfaction.]

Looking at the message from the Dark God that popped up afterward, I rested my elbow on the armrest and thought.

Even though the declaration of the Dark Sanctuary was complete, the ‘Reconquest’ quest was still not finished.

I opened the quest window again.

Expel Lewis from the Steel Throne, Restore the Steel Palace.

Here, expelling Lewis had already been achieved.

Since I had gained full authority of the Steel Palace, restoration could also be considered achieved.

Then why hasn’t the quest been cleared yet?

‘It seems there’s another objective.’

I speculated on the hidden objective within the quest.

Specters of the Revolutionary Army.

Eliminating all of their remnants, or perhaps even eliminating all the monsters inside Voltaha Castle!

Or, it could be that the ultimate goal was to completely reclaim Voltaha Castle.

I stood up from my seat.

Whatever it may be.

Now that Voltaha Castle was back in my hands, it was only natural to wipe out all the monsters inside the castle.

The same goes for the specters of the Revolutionary Army.

With that thought in mind, I rose from my seat.

It was time to finish the rest of the quest.

▄ ▄ ▄

Drakan!

It didn’t take long for the Floating Castle Voltaha expedition led by him to eliminate all the specters of the Revolutionary Army and completely take control of the Steel Palace.

Having lost their leader, Lewis, the specters of the Revolutionary Army were defeated individually and the Steel Palace easily fell back into Drakan’s grasp.

And Drakan, riding on the momentum, began to clear out the monsters inside Voltaha Castle.

There were many monsters living inside Voltaha Castle, but as Drakan, who held full authority over Voltaha Castle, activated various magical traps and proceeded with the subjugation, the monsters could not withstand it.

And finally, Drakan was able to reclaim the entire Voltaha Castle, including the Steel Palace.

[The quest ‘Reconquest’ has been completed.]

Drakan smiled as he saw the quest completion message.

As he expected, he had to reclaim the entire Voltaha Castle to complete the quest.

[A quest has occurred.]

And Drakan already knew that this quest wouldn’t be the end of the Legacy Quest.

Floating Castle Voltaha.

In that place, now completely under his control, with the high sky as a backdrop, Drakan began to read the translucent quest window that appeared before his eyes.