Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint
Chapter 353: The King Who Kills Others, The God Who Kills Himself (9)

The homunculi controlled by Tyr could not use the Primarchs’ Unique Magic.

Instead, a crimson-black aura ominously swirled around their bodies.

Enhanced by Tyr’s darkness and Bloodcraft, they relied solely on physical strength to overwhelm the homunculi controlled by the Golden Lord.

The homunculi under the Golden Lord’s control were caught off guard.

Despite having an overwhelming numerical advantage, they failed to respond in time and allowed the enemy to get too close.

Crimson-black fists flew at their faces like a hailstorm.

Blood splattered and shards of steel scattered.

The homunculi, whose heads were violently twisted, looked as though they had been instantly killed.

But then, the crimson-black aura seeped into their bodies.

The homunculi, whose necks had been turned at unnatural angles, suddenly opened their eyes.

They glowed glowing blood-red and stood back up.

They had returned from death and following the Tyr’s will, they joined her forces in the assault against the Golden Lord’s homunculi.

The battlefield began to change.

The spreading crimson-black fog marked the growing influence of Tyr’s control.

Watching the homunculi clash, Tyr observed calmly and commented.

“How curious. Despite having blood inside them, they register to my senses as if their blood were flowing outside their bodies. Even though they have no visible wounds, they feel like exposed blood. My power may have weakened significantly, but this much is still within my grasp.”

Blood? Control?

Can vampires control the blood of homunculi too?

No, I need to think about it differently.

A vampire’s power over blood is absolute when it comes to human blood.

In other words, the blood of homunculi is no different from human blood.

If the blood within them were vastly different, Tyr wouldn’t be able to control them.

I realized the truth as I listened to Tyr’s words.

“They’re caught in the Dilemma!”

“The Dilemma? Do you mean the Homunculi’s Dilemma?”

“Exactly! If they’re homunculi controlled by the Golden Lord, then Tyr can control them too! Their composition is the same as a human’s. Their bodies are just like human bodies, but since homunculi have no instincts for self-preservation, they can’t resist Tyr’s control!”

Homunculi have no will of their own.

Even if they act as if they think and move on their own, their bodies are entirely manufactured by the Golden Lord.

In short, these homunculi are tools.

They can be controlled by either the Golden Lord or Tyr, depending on who’s using them.

…Setting aside how disturbingly easy it is to manufacture a human body, I have to say…

It’s been a while since I’ve figured something out without reading anyone’s mind.

I guess my brain still works after all.

“Alright! Let’s escape while we can!”

“Escape?”

“Yes! With Tyr’s power, we can create a stalemate, but it’s pointless to engage in a war of attrition with the Golden Lord!”

The battle unfolding before us was a spectacle like no other.

The homunculi under the Golden Lord’s control fought with weapons, steel, and alchemy.

The homunculi under Tyr’s control used only their bodies, taking hits head-on and responding with wild flurries of kicks and punches.

If we include the abilities of the Primarchs, then the Golden Lord’s side clearly has the upper hand.

But when it comes to pure physical prowess, Tyr’s homunculi are far superior.

The homunculi, crafted from materials far beyond ordinary golems, grabbed whatever objects they could find, turning them into weapons as they wreaked havoc.

This sudden betrayal and ensuing brawl caught even the Golden Lord off guard.

Of all the people present, Hector, having heard of Tyr from Peru, was the first to grasp the situation.

｢Control through blood… That’s the Progenitor’s ability! To think she could control homunculi too. I should have been more cautious from the start. It’s too late now, though!｣

The Golden Lord, however, was visibly confused.

Even as his homunculi fought each other, he struggled to make sense of the situation.

With even a basic understanding of Tyr’s abilities, he should have realized that Tyr was a vampire and that she was controlling the homunculi through Bloodcraft.

But the current Golden Lord seemed incapable of such reasoning.

“…My… My Golden Empire… Why… why is it so… strange…?”

Is it because the Golden Lord is stupid?

No, that’s not it.

He’s a Divine. He’s not stupid.

It’s just that his ability to adapt to unexpected situations is severely diminished.

His ability to perceive danger and react accordingly has been lost.

“Golden Lord! She’s a vampire! The vampire is controlling them!”

Hector’s words were clear and direct.

Finally, after hearing his report, the Golden Lord seemed to understand.

His voice was slow and mechanical as he spoke.

“A… vampire? This has never happened before.”

“It’s happening now! They’re controlling them through their blood! We need countermeasures!”

“Countermeasures. Thinking.”

After a brief pause, the Golden Lord muttered a name.

“Wirearch.”

The battle changed instantly.

Up to that point, the homunculi under his control had been operating as simple foot soldiers.

But with the Wirearch’s abilities, they suddenly switched tactics.

They used alchemy to create thin steel wires that wrapped tightly around the limbs of Tyr’s homunculi.

Even if Tyr’s homunculi had superior physical abilities, they couldn’t tear apart the overwhelming rain of metal wire without tools.

The homunculi under Tyr’s command flailed like trapped animals, struggling but unable to break free.

With this, the Golden Lord had created a temporary stalemate.

He then placed his hand on a nearby farmer and uttered another name.

“Mirrorarch.”

A flash of transmutation light enveloped the farmer.

The plain-looking homunculus was transformed into a Mirrorarch, wearing flowing clothes that blended into the environment.

With dozens of lenses and magnifying glasses hanging from his body, the Mirrorarch soared into the sky.

Many say the Celestial Order considers sunlight to be a symbol of righteousness.

But as with most religions, the process is complicated.

Dozens of lenses refracted sunlight to a single point, condensing it until it became a blazing spear of light.

The Mirrorarch aimed this spear of light at the crimson-black homunculi and unleashed it with a sweeping motion.

- Whoosh—!

Flames ignited on the homunculi’s bodies.

Since Tyr’s power relies on blood and darkness, the condensed light and fire stripped them of her control.

If they had been living vampires, they might have withstood it.

But since the homunculi weren’t truly alive, they couldn’t twist their bodies or hide.

They simply burned to death in silence.

With that, every single one of Tyr’s homunculi had fallen to the flames.

The Golden Lord looked at the charred bodies and murmured.

“I will not… let my empire… be defiled.”

But it didn’t matter.

The homunculi had already fulfilled their role.

While they were busy fighting, we had reached the boundary of the Golden Palace.

We had slipped through their encirclement twice, and unless they had laid an ambush ahead, they wouldn’t be able to catch us now.

“It’s too late now! See ya, idiots!”

With a triumphant smirk, I crossed the boundary of the Golden Palace.

For a moment, the world seemed to twist.

The open battlefield filled with homunculi disappeared, replaced with nothing but endless fields of corn.

I sighed in relief.

But then, through the corn, a figure emerged.

A woman in overalls, with a gray ponytail tinged with rust-red hues, stood in our path.

It was none other than…

Peru.

The Witherarch of the Fallen Dominion.

She watched us with wide, unblinking eyes.

｢…How did you… get here? ｣

Peru had come with Hector, but for some reason, Peru had been waiting outside the Golden Palace and she had come across us at an unexpected moment.

This is unfortunate.

Behind me, the Regressor and Tyr emerged from the distortion.

Through the breach, we saw Hector, the Golden Lord, and Elric still watching us.

At that moment Hector screamed at Peru.

“Wither! Stop them!”

It’s not hard to guess what happened.

Hector’s urgent expression.

The rampaging homunculi, covered in blood.

And the towering figures of the Golden Lord and Elric.

Peru could easily piece together the outcome.

｢…Looks like the ceasefire negotiations failed.｣

Was it because of her Unique Magic?

Peru seemed to instinctively sense the impending collapse and bit her lip hard.

｢…This always happens with the things I do. This time too. ｣

Her efforts had gone to waste.

No, not just a waste—

She had brought tremendous danger to both us and the Fallen Dominion.

And now, even to herself.

“Use your power, no matter what it takes!”

Even though Peru likely had no means to stop us, she still clung to her sense of duty.

As a Primarch of the Fallen Dominion, she was granted a Juggernaut and was sworn to obey the Golden Lord.

Their power, wealth, prestige, and legacy—all of it came from the Golden Lord.

But…

“No! Stop!”

The panicked shout from Hector was followed by an even more horrifying scream from Elric.

But the scream wasn’t directed at me.

It wasn’t aimed at the Regressor, nor at Tyr either.

It was directed at Peru.

Elric, who had so far maintained her dignity as a king, threw aside her pride and shouted in desperation.

As if overcome with a deep fear.

“You… You must never use your power—!!”

｢…As I thought.｣

Even though she had neither the means nor the will to resist, even her duty was now being denied.

Peru stopped herself from using her Unique Magic.

Instead, she spread her arms wide, as if to block our path with her body alone.

Like someone trying to block a waterfall with the palm of their hand.

But without her Unique Magic, Peru was powerless.

Even I could handle her without a problem.

But the Regressor didn’t know that.

She couldn’t read Peru’s mind.

And in her eyes, Peru’s posture was that of an enemy.

Even if she showed no killing intent, her posture had the slightest hint of a desire to block us.

That alone was enough for the Regressor to label her as a threat.

｢Even if she’s been friendly, an enemy is still an enemy…! I have to kill her!｣

Cold and rational as ever.

The Regressor cast aside all personal feelings as quickly as one might remove dust from their coat.

Her mind calculated everything instantly.

｢If we get surrounded in the enemy’s territory, it’s over. Even more so since my allies are with me right now! I can’t leave even a small risk behind!｣

Once the Regressor made a decision, there was no hesitation.

She sharpened her resolve into a blade and cut away any sentiment.

With that, Chun-aeng left her sheath.

This is bad.

It’s one thing to kill enemies, but this one is a complicated card.

We can’t afford to lose her right now.

“Mr. Shei! In front of you!”

I rushed forward to intervene.

The Regressor, focused on striking down Peru, was startled to see me appear in her path.

- Thud!

Her reaction was so delayed that she couldn’t stop in time.

Her forehead rammed into my back like a thrown rock.

“Gah! What are you doing!?”

“No, you! What are YOU doing!? That was dangerous!”

She was right.

My back felt like it had been hit by a wrecking ball.

The Regressor’s steel-hard forehead collided with my back, leaving me aching all over.

But… It worked.

Peru was spared.

Was it worth it?

…I’m honestly not sure.

“Ugh… Whatever. I’ll handle it!”

Ignoring my complaints, I took a step forward toward Peru.

She was still spreading her arms wide as if to block our way with her body.

Her stance was too wide and unguarded—leaving her wide open.

Her exposed abdomen drew my attention.

With her posture so blatantly vulnerable, there was no way I could hold back.

With a quick movement, I launched a full-force punch straight into her exposed stomach.

- Thunk!

My fist sank deep into her abdomen.

No hesitation. No second-guessing.

“…!”

Unlike other Primarchs, Peru had no means of self-protection.

Even if she tried to create something for defense, it would quickly wither away.

My one-hit strike was more than enough.

Her balance collapsed and Peru fell forward onto me.

I hoisted her onto my shoulder.

The entire exchange, from encounter to victory, took less than a second.

A flawless victory.

Heh. Look at me. I look pretty strong now, don’t I?

If I look like this against someone weak, I really feel like I’m strong.

Power is relative, after all.

If the opponent is weak, even someone as “normal” as me can go on a rampage.

I wonder… How cool did I look?

“…Hitting a defenseless woman so harshly… Hu…”

Ah.

Looks like my image just got worse.

It couldn’t be helped, okay?

I saved her. If anything, I did her a favor!

We had just made enemies of the Golden Lord, so by knocking Peru unconscious, she wouldn’t have to face retribution later.

If she remained on her feet, she’d be forced to oppose us.

This was a mercy.

The Regressor seemed to understand this.

Once she saw that Peru was incapacitated, she returned Chun-aeng to its sheath.

She was only trying to kill her to remove any threats, after all.

Now that she was down, she didn’t see any reason to go any further.

“Still, I doubt the Witherarch will help us.”

“Then we’ll just threaten her, simple as that.”

“…I guess. If it works, it works.”

The Regressor muttered to herself.

｢If she doesn’t resist, there’s no reason to kill her. If not for that idiot, I might have spilled unnecessary blood, but I guess it turned out okay.｣

At least the Regressor recognized my intent.

That’s right.

Even if no one else acknowledges me, I expect you to recognize me, Regressor.

Although…

Carrying a person while running is seriously tiring.

“Mr. Shei. Peru’s heavier than she looks. Would you mind carrying her instead?”

“…Hand her over.”

｢Seriously, not even a hint of pride, huh? ｣

Ah…

My image is getting even worse.

When I passed Peru to her, she kicked me in the shin on the way.

It was definitely on purpose.

With the Regressor carrying Peru, we gained more speed.

Finally, we escaped the Golden Palace, making our way through the endless cornfields.