act18d0

This is a warning as well as an order.

Be safe.

To the north of Sami and Ursus and to the south of Sargon... Those lands yet untrodden by man...

Whether the demons and monsters that dwell there are normal creatures is yet unknown, but they are far older than any country we know.

Humans have fought them for a long time. Indeed, this is a proposition worthy of further notice.

Until now...

Humans can now be the masters of their own countries.

The ancient Sargon king and the powerful Kheshigs hit it off right away, and the Nightzmora's Khagan strove to conquer all lands unexplored by civilization.

The results were impressive. No non-human threat ever set foot in Sargon territory again.

Sami has used countless witchcrafts and sacrifices to create their Snowpriests, and, one generation after another, the sorceresses lost themselves as they battled the enemies from beyond their borders.

And Ursus—You deployed the strongest elites to simply tear them to shreds. Wendigos in heavy armor or veteran war Casters.

And the Empire's ambitions are without limit. Your kind did not merely tear them to shreds.

You used the shreds of power left behind by those non-humans.

Show yourself.

The will of Ursus drove you here.

You are far underestimating Victoria's might. The aura of demons lingers in your footsteps. Have you ever given any thought to where your responsibility lies?

Your mind can't already be taken by the demons, Royal Guard.

As the figure steps out into the light, the unilluminated darkness surrounding it begins to quiver.

I can smell the fear in you, traitor.

It took you a while to find me.

If it wasn't for the uprising and its aftermath, I would've come to lay down your punishment long ago.

The imbeciles allowed you to escape. This has been an embarrassment, and they have already been executed for their incompetence.

Perhaps I should remind you again. The snowstorm here can bury entire cities, but they cannot erase the footsteps of a Royal Guard.

You are in Victoria, and there stands the manor of a Victorian count not a hundred meters behind me.

Do you understand the consequences of your actions—

—Consequences?

Your threat is weak and empty. Wherever I stand, the earth beneath me belongs to the Empire of Ursus.

You never had the right to address me, traitor, not before the word 'demon' left your lips. Soon, I will beat out of you how you came to know this secret...

Your understanding of the 'demons' does not grant you a dialogue. You murdered an Ursus Grand Duke, and you know of our darkest secrets.

Your countless crimes... are worthy of a thousand deaths.

It seems we won't be convincing each other for the moment.

Though that applies only to... your evaluation of the situation on hand.

Beast, bare your fangs!

You can't fool me!

Mon3tr...

(Impatient braying)

Mon3tr, do not underestimate him.

He's no normal human.

You hid a device here in the garden... No... a creature...? *Hiss*...

You know of the 'demons,' and you have a monster serving you. One that Ursus's vast knowledge is yet unaware of.

Perhaps your crimes have far exceeded my expectations.

Or perhaps I managed to make an impression on a Royal Guard.

*Hiss*...!

I won't deny it, traitor.

But you have my curiosity. What drove you to betray our homeland...? No, no... Perhaps... my investigations did not fully uncover your entire past.

And it looks like that is indeed the case. Unlike the criminals who escaped to Sami, it appears you still have a trick up your sleeve.

Do not get the wrong idea... It is hardly a difficult matter... to kill you.

I suppose it's why you are staining this area around us?

You needn't concern yourself. I know what I am doing.

—Mon3tr!

(Wailing)—

*Hiss*... I did not expect it to be this hard.

If your own flesh and blood is also as hardened, then, indeed, it makes you a formidable foe.

Mon3tr, come back. Don't chase after him.

Avoid the black mist. That's not mist at all.

This is far beyond the normal realm of Originium Arts... It looks like it has really been too long since I last dealt with the Emperor's Blade. You and your men have made remarkable progress.

You know this much about our secrets...?!

Even the most senior Ursus scientist would never be allowed to meddle in the Royal Guards' ancient ritual...

Ancient rituals. Yes, only the ceremonies of your crazed, self-proclaimed spiritual leaders could adorn your kinds with your demons.

You're a survivor of the Valley of the Setting Sun.

*Hiss*...!

The Empire's will is always focused and unswerving, yet your goal seems to stray from your motherland's. At the very least, you are not that young.

You should not be fighting me, Royal Guard. Both you and I know that the job I finished was one that you and your men should've done yourselves, but never did.

Don't be mistaken about where that right lies, traitor. You do not represent Deity Grypherburg's laws and prestige.

If you truly witnessed the whole uprising, Royal Guard, then you should understand this more so than anyone. The Empire's rise and fall has never truly been affected by dignity and honor.

Let me ask you this, then. Did the last emperor ever truly look down on Victoria from the bottom of his heart?

Perhaps I do not give you enough credit, traitor.

I will give you one last chance. Reveal your secrets, and I will grant you a dignified death.

Alas, given this death would have nothing to do with my own conviction, dignity was never on the table.

Mon3tr.

(Elated braying)

*Hiss*... *Huff*...

As the fear in the air heightens, the Royal Guard draws his blade. He is about to execute Ursus's will.