The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 376

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 376. Collapse (2)
The room fell into a silence as if time itself had frozen.
With consciousness accelerated, everything flowed in slow motion.
In my racing mind, just moments before—
Marzen’s shocking words continued to echo relentlessly.
That Invictus had been assassinated…?
My thoughts crystallized into stone.
My reasoning halted.
As if my rationality had been paralyzed, I couldn’t keep pace with reality.
I turned on my heel.
I strode toward Marzen and demanded answers.
“Invictus was assassinated…?! What… what do you mean by that?”
“S-sir, I mean exactly what I said.”
Marzen faltered, caught off guard.
Yet he quickly composed himself and continued.
“Invictus was assassinated by the Information Bureau.”
“The Information Bureau…?”
“Yes, sir. Tracking Invictus was originally under the purview of the Special Operations Bureau, but as you know, Adrian—”
Marzen paused to steady his breath before continuing.
“All agents of the Special Operations Bureau were deployed to Battenberg Kingdom, so the pursuit of Invictus was transferred to the Information Bureau.”
Up to this point, I could follow.
It made sense.
The Special Operations Bureau had mobilized all its resources to establish Blake as king.
Therefore, Invictus—
that is, Ian—couldn’t be pursued.
Which made this all the more unbelievable.
‘Ian was killed by the Information Bureau?’
It didn’t add up.
The Information Bureau was an intelligence organization, not a military one.
They absolutely lacked the military might to subdue or assassinate Ian.
‘This is false information.’
I could see through it immediately.
The Information Bureau was trying to sow confusion—
Sow confusion…
‘But what confusion would that cause?’
The Empire’s Information Bureau didn’t know that I was connected to Invictus.
That is, they didn’t know that false information about Ian would deal me a psychological blow.
Then it wasn’t aimed at me.
So it was aimed at someone else?
At whom?
Or perhaps random chaos?
‘There’s no reason for that.’
The Information Bureau doesn’t engage in meaningless obfuscation.
Even a single false report is always released with a clear intent behind it.
But there’s no intent here.
Which means the information wasn’t fabricated.
‘Ian was actually assassinated?’
…This doesn’t make sense.
What kind of being is Ian that the Information Bureau could assassinate him?
For this to be true, there was only one possibility.
“Did The Emperor make a move?”
The Information Bureau tracked Ian.
Once Ian’s location was confirmed, The Emperor personally eliminated him.
This was the only possible scenario, but.
“That’s unlikely.”
Marzen shook his head firmly.
“Currently… No, the probability of The Emperor moving directly is almost nonexistent.”
“Why is that?”
“The Distribution Bureau of The Empire manages even the supplies entering the Imperial Palace.”
The Distribution Bureau was responsible for circulating resources within The Empire and exporting them abroad.
It supplied military provisions.
Redistributed civilian goods.
A command center that coordinated the flow of The Empire’s entire distribution network.
Until recently, Marzen had served as the Director of the Distribution Bureau, coordinating the distribution flow of the entire Empire.
“Although we don’t directly transport supplies into the Imperial Palace itself.”
Only the materials within the Imperial Palace had to undergo strict verification and authorization procedures.
Therefore, the Imperial Palace’s supplies were technically the domain of the Imperial Direct Administration Bureau, but.
“We can roughly ascertain what supplies enter the Imperial Palace.”
The Information Bureau conceals the truth.
The Distribution Bureau reveals it.
Even if manipulated and distorted, distribution ultimately circulates and flows outward.
That’s why Marzen said he could tell by observing that flow.
Who conceals what.
What remains silent about.
And what is deliberately publicized.
“The Emperor appears to be in a state where he cannot leave the Imperial Palace currently.”
“…What did you say?”
This was information I was hearing for the first time.
Marzen continued immediately.
“Among the supplies brought into the Imperial Palace, special materials such as phase-breaking devices and resonance stones for breaking are periodically delivered.”
“What… is that?”
“Materials used in the formation of inverse positional alignment. To put it simply….”
Marzen paused to collect his thoughts before continuing.
“They are magical materials used to destroy or neutralize seals.”
“Seals…?”
“Based on my conjecture, The Emperor is trapped within the Imperial Palace.”
My eyes snapped open in an instant.
And for good reason—synthesizing Marzen’s words as he spoke.
The Emperor hadn’t confined himself to the Imperial Palace of his own volition.
Rather, someone had imprisoned The Emperor within the Imperial Palace.
In that moment, a thought flashed through my mind.
“Wait, then the reason Rune Steel was needed was perhaps…?”
Rune Steel, which neutralizes mana.
The reason The Emperor’s fury erupted when Barelto lost the Rune Steel.
The reason The Emperor personally spearheaded the Rune Steel contract.
And moreover, the reason he had sought to secure additional quantities even by depleting the imperial treasury.
“Yes. I believe it was necessary to dismantle the seals within the Imperial Palace.”
It was for escaping the Imperial Palace.
In other words.
The Emperor wasn’t confined by choice—he was imprisoned.
…I had harbored doubts about this, truth be told.
The Emperor of The Empire.
There were three ways to refer to The Emperor.
Among them, the expression that captured The Emperor most precisely was this.
The Overlord Beyond All.
(The Overlord Beyond All).
Had The Emperor merely reigned over the territories and people of The Continent, we would have called him nothing more than ‘the hegemon of The Continent.’
But The Emperor transcended that boundary by an immeasurable distance.
The laws of the world crumbled as if bowing before The Emperor.
The constellations of the heavens became entangled.
The boundaries of the seas vanished.
Absurdities that seemed fit only for legends or myths erupted in succession from The Emperor’s grasp.
Truly, he was ‘The Overlord Beyond All.’
Of course, having returned to the past, The Emperor’s strength would not match his former glory.
If he possessed the power of his previous life?
There would be no reason for him to cower like this.
He could ignite a war that would shake The Continent itself.
Therefore, I had reasoned that The Emperor was not yet worthy of the title ‘Overlord Beyond All,’ and was instead confined to the Imperial Palace, gathering strength.
‘But that wasn’t the case…?’
It was the opposite.
It wasn’t that The Emperor had been cowering within the Imperial Palace.
He had been sealed within it.
Ten years.
That time was not for The Emperor to cultivate the power to devour The Continent.
The true meaning was.
Time spent unable to escape from the sealed Imperial Palace.
The Emperor’s power had already been perfected; someone had simply suppressed its manifestation.
And only one person could do that.
‘…Ian.’
The true reason Ian had to remain in The Empire.
It was for this very reason.
Not The Emperor’s aggression, but a seal.
Ian had been preventing The Emperor from leaving the Imperial Palace.
When my thoughts reached this point.
I could face a certain truth.
The Emperor sealed within the Imperial Palace.
Ian had been blocking The Emperor from leaving the Imperial Palace.
The Emperor desired to escape the Imperial Palace.
Therefore.
The Emperor pushed forward with a Runesteel contract with me.
He poured most of The Empire’s budget into it.
He even granted unreasonable demands, seeking to secure 150,000 tons of Runesteel.
And.
In the end, he overturned that contract.
After having paid contract fees reaching trillions.
He tried to kill me.
As if no additional Runesteel or further dealings were necessary.
The scattered pieces interlocked.
The information fit together like a puzzle.
Why had The Emperor suddenly overturned the contract?
Because he didn’t want to pay the final installment?
That was possible.
Eleven trillion—an astronomical sum—was no light expense even for The Empire.
But then.
Wouldn’t it have been simpler to kill me after I brought the Runesteel into the Imperial Palace?
What The Emperor truly desired was the breaking of the seal.
In other words, his escape from the Imperial Palace.
Then wouldn’t it have been cleaner to let me come all the way to the Imperial Palace and kill me there directly?
The contract terms were that I would transport the Runesteel directly to the Imperial Palace.
There was no need to change things so inconveniently.
But The Emperor did not do so.
He deliberately attacked me in the Borderlands.
…As if I was no longer necessary.
The Emperor himself did not step forward.
He still cannot leave the Imperial Palace.
Therefore, the one who attacked me in the Borderlands was The Darkness Lord.
Overwhelmingly powerful.
An otherworldly being that transcended even The Frost Lord.
The mightiest Lord, surpassing the rank of all others.
Even I, a perfect being [UL], could only flee and barely survive.
…What about Ian?
Could he have defeated The Darkness Lord?
He surely would have won.
The Darkness Lord existed in my previous life as well.
It was simply forgotten.
Ian would have achieved victory against The Darkness Lord.
That’s why the Allied Forces could have fought their final battle with The Emperor.
In other words, Ian surpassed The Darkness Lord.
But.
Is that still true now?
The reason being—Ian’s core ability resides within me.
Solo Leveling [EX].
Successor’s Will [EX].
Without Solo Leveling [EX], he cannot increase his physical stats.
He may not even be able to maintain them.
The possibility that Ian’s physical stats, which he had raised all this time, are gradually collapsing.
Especially, the absence of Successor’s Will [EX] is extremely fatal.
That means.
He cannot resist the power of oblivion.
Even I, who possess Successor’s Will [EX], felt my mind being torn apart when I first faced The Darkness Lord.
Ian is no exception.
At least, not without Player’s Will [EX].
Ian cannot exert his true power against The Darkness Lord.
The strength that held back The Emperor for ten years in my previous life.
Can barely endure for five years in this life….
My body froze solid.
…As if something immense was pressing down upon my chest.
Fragmented pieces in my mind began to take shape.
Severed threads of logic intertwined.
Scattered information locked together without gaps.
All of it converges into a single conclusion, a single sentence.
…Ian is dead.
* * *
The Holy See at sunset.
Seraphia leaned quietly against the railing, savoring the view for a moment.
The rooftops bathed in golden light.
The sky slowly drew a crimson curtain across itself.
The tolling of bells echoing from afar.
Mingled with it came the murmur of the Town Square.
Priests preparing for tomorrow’s canonization ceremony.
The hurried footsteps of holy knights.
Nuns carrying various items.
And the prayers and blessings of the faithful seeping through filled the entire sacred ground.
“…It’s quite holy, isn’t it.”
The atmosphere differed from the Whitewolf Territory.
Peaceful yet reverent.
Warm yet weighty.
Seraphia slowly lifted her gaze to the sky.
“What does it feel like to become The Saint…”
The last rays of sunlight passed between the clouds.
Brilliant radiance.
Here, they might call it divine revelation.
But Seraphia merely tilted her head in confusion.
“It must be good, right? Everyone’s congratulating her.”
Honestly, I’m not entirely sure.
Just as great power brings great responsibility.
She had to bear something proportional to how much people revered her.
Seraphia herself only realized this after becoming a countess.
The position people praise.
Behind the cheers and applause, there’s always a heavy burden that follows.
Seraphia exhaled lightly.
“I hope tomorrow goes beautifully.”
A slightly cold breeze.
Seraphia pulled her collar closer.
“But why hasn’t my brother arrived yet.”
He should be coming around now.
The canonization ceremony is tomorrow morning.
He should have arrived by now to attend on time.
“Surely he didn’t get lost on the way… of course not.”
Seraphia glanced around with a hint of worry.
But as expected.
Adrian was nowhere to be seen.
“Could something urgent have happened…?”
Her face drained of color in an instant.
But soon after.
She shook her head rapidly.
“No, that can’t be. Surely nothing like that would occur.”
Adrian was incredibly strong.
Incomparably more so than before.
Now he had grown so formidable that even Dragons were no match for him.
There was no one in this world who could place Adrian in danger.
“And yet….”
In that moment.
The sound of bells echoing once more from afar.
The spire of the Holy See glowed crimson against the setting sun.
Seraphia clasped her hands together in prayer.
“God, please let my brother return safely.”
Seraphia closed her eyes and prayed thus for a long while.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————