Above Your Head

Kraaaghhhh. The background changed in an instant. It was an unpleasant sensation that felt like I woke up in a heartbeat upon having a vivid dream. When I woke up in such a manner, I realized that I was sitting on the throne while looking down at thousands of people. 'Oh my God. This bastard.' Then, I frowned as I embraced the surging memories. 'Isn't his drive too great?' It was the coronation ceremony.

"This... Oh my God," I muttered, noticing that countless nobles were gathered to celebrate the enthronement of the new Emperor. The nobles did not just gather in moderation; literally all the Empire's nobles were occupying the seats without a single one missing.

That was not all. On one side of the seats were dozens of handsome men and beautiful women, all of whom were looking at the throne with stiff faces. They were members of the Imperial Family of the Leonhardt Empire. Among them were even elders who had attained the realm of transcendence, and did not usually appear in any official events.

This was literally the highest attendance rate since the founding of the Empire, but... Nevertheless, the coronation ceremony boasted a heavy atmosphere. This was because everyone's expressions were hardened by fear and terror.

'This is a given since I wiped out Howard's Duchy, which was one of Leonhardt's largest forces. I even blew up all the warships that they had out there...'

It was natural that there were those who resisted, but no one could possibly stop Ares from wearing the Crown of the Sun. I even clearly limited my enemies and revealed the necessary justifications. I didn't show any concrete proof, but justification was the most important under such circumstances.

When I married the Imperial Princess, Celestia, and wore the Crown of the Sun, I even displayed my political acumens. Hence, it had all reached an impossibility even if the entire forces of the Leonhardt Empire were focused on me. As a result... I perfectly succeeded in the Blood Purge[1]. The existence of Howard's Duchy, which tried to hurt me, was erased from the face of the Empire. It was impossible to escape my sight as I had the power of All-knowing, so no revenge could be planned as no one survived.

'Damn it...' I was depressed. Even if it was an occurrence due to me being devoured by the Divine Spirit, I had still done it all with my own two hands. 'I committed murder upon waking up from a state of drunkedness.' It wasn't a small matter, for I had gotten up from my slumber and became an even more atrocious existence than Hitler. If I had been an ordinary person, it would be absolutely no surprise for my mind to break from the overwhelming sense of guilt. However, I was even more irritated by the perpetual questioning of 'Why do I regret a matter as trivial as this?' within my mind.

'It's contaminating me...' I groaned inwardly. The Divine Spirit itself did not have an ego. In other words, it was not a separate personality from who I was while in the opened door state. Instead, I was in a corrupted state induced by the Divine Spirit. It might be a better idea for me to sink into the inner world, protecting myself just like Adam had done. However, if I repeated the act of opening and closing the door like I was doing right now, there was a risk that my personality would change. No, perhaps I already…

Walk forward, through a thorny path

Sing, at the end of despair

In an instant, the voice that I heard enveloped my whole body. I came to my senses at the strong enchanting voice, which overwhelmed me enough to give rise to goosebumps. This was definitely not an ordinary song.

That's a surprising ability.

'Adam.' I turned and Adam appeared within the corner of my eye. He most probably recognized this place through my soul, accessing the Akashic Record.

The ability itself is not an exceedingly rare type, but...the soul and spirit that wields it are extraordinary. To be able to produce this kind of power by simply manifesting her soul… 

'This kind of power?'

It forced you to wake up, right?

'That's... I see.' I started at Celestia, who was singing, in a new light. Even those who were terrified by the tyrannical temperament of the new Emperor were looking at her in awe. That was how great of a power that her song displayed. 'She said her popularity was because of her looks...' I forced a laugh at her blatant lie and closed my eyes. I felt like my perpetual sensation of sinking was getting better, little by little. However, I did not have much time to appreciate her song any further…

It's time. Come back.

'Did you ask me to come back?'

That's right. Her song may have been able to enchant you for a while...but it's only for a moment.

Just like what Adam had said, I could feel the Divine Spirit, which had been momentarily still, trying to wake up again. It was actually a fact that I should not have been capable of sensing this erosion on my own, but I had repeatedly completed the image of opening the door. Rattle, rattle rattle! The door kept shaking. My mind was currently stable, so it was not pierced through at once. However, I knew that it was ultimately a matter of time. I could not successfully prevent the erosion from devouring me, bit by bit.

"Even so, I need to drag it out for some more time." I imagined the image of a huge chain and a sturdy lock. Since the door was also not a real object, I could lock it with the imagined image of a lock and chain. Clank! I wrapped the door with the chain before locking it with the sturdy lock in my mind. Of course, the power of the great Divine Spirit was not sealable with just a brief image. It would break the image down and come out anytime.

Bang! Clank! Clank! The door that initially slammed open was blocked by the chain, emitting a lot of noise. The Divine Spirit began leaking out of the open door like steam, encroaching on me. However, I could endure this much, since my soul had broadened upon accessing the Sky Library and Akashic Record. 'But it was only for a short while.'

As the Divine Spirit poured out slowly, my body was gradually imbued with power. The pressure appeared to pierce through the sky for those watching below, disappearing and reappearing in sporadic moments. However, the situation was slightly different, especially since I was taking charge of my own body.

"Alright then." I let out a light sigh. I concentrated my mind and released all my Aura. I pulled out the power from the depths of my soul, releasing it outside the door. It was an incredible amount of power that was hard to handle, even in an opened door state.

Krooooom-------! An enormous wave spread in all directions. The overwhelming Aura caused all the nobles and royals to get up from their seats with very stiff expressions.

"Haah, huff... Isn't this power greater than the First Emperor?"

"It's not just that level! Oh my God! Th-This isn't a power that an Emperor-class can exhibit!"

"A-An Untouchable...! He's not an Emperor-class, he's an Untouchable!"

"I thought he wouldn't have the power of All-knowing, but he really did."

Screams rang out from everywhere, but I disregarded them and desperately focused my mind. The magnitude of the power that poured out of the door was now great enough to possibly sweep me away. However, I endured it. I endured and pulled everything out.

-I am the Emperor of the Empire from today forth!

It was not a shout, but a roar that spread throughout the entire universe. Earth-13, which was closest to the Imperial Capital, was practically exposed to the voice. Hence, whether it was through voice or video, everyone who watched me was not free from the effects of it. The pressure was so great that the weaker ones listened to the radio broadcast and fell back down onto their seats

-Is anyone against my ascension to the throne?

The howl that followed caused even the transcendents who had a strong mental power to stagger.

"Thi-This is unbelievable. The Imperial Throne is... To wilfully ascend to the Imperial Throne like this..." Evan Leonhardt sighed. He was the Leader of the Seven Great Generals, as well as the Cheonhwa Great General. Similar to being some sort of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he was strong enough to match up with the Dukes. However, all he did was stand up with his beautifully-cared-for white beard slightly shaking and raised no objections.

While he was a transcendent that possessed independent prominence and strength, he also had all the military authority right at his fingertips. If even he had such a reaction, who would still dare to oppose such a situation?

But then again, the mood of the coronation ceremony was heavy. It was the emergence of an omnipotent tyrant. The nobles and royals here were naturally affected, but even those who watched me through various media would be affected in similar ways. I slaughtered tens of millions of people, getting rid of the Crown Prince and the transcendents on his side. I annihilated an entire force. What would happen to the Empire if I sat on the throne? Despite their awareness of the possible consequences, they had no other choice but to watch it all happen. They were being driven into insanity by their helplessness and insight.

'Originally, they wouldn't have allowed me to do as I pleased.'

To be honest, many of the royals and nobles in front of me had planned to seize an opportunity to launch an all-out attack to get rid of me. The surroundings were concentrated with the total forces of the Leonhardt Empire. Meanwhile, the Cheonhwa Great General who had the power to move them, Evan, was right here. However… the overwhelming pressure I was releasing had crushed their plan into oblivion.

Clack, clack. After the roar, I got up from the throne and walked down the stairs. Thousands of eyes were gathered on me. My face burned from the intense attention, but I approached Celestia, who stood below, with an unchanging expression.

"You... You've come to your senses, right?"

"Oohhh?" I looked at Celestia in surprise. Of course, the current me was different from the one who was devoured by the Divine Spirit. However, I never expected her to be capable of observing those differences from the outside. Then I thought, 'Now that I think about it, even Rosta, the transcendent, recognized me as just an ordinary human being. However, even while I was back on Earth, Celestia could sense something from me.'

There were only three people who felt something as soon as they saw me. The first was Celestia, the second was the Former Emperor, and...the Noblesse, Dark Sunny the Shadow Dragon, was the final one.

Aside from Dark Sunny and the Former Emperor, it was pretty astonishing that Celestia could observe the change in me. She was a non-transcendent, after all. It was all the more surprising when I considered the fact that the other transcendents could not properly recognize me if I had not opened the door.

"This might be too late a question to ask, since things have come this far, but...what do you plan to do?" Celestia looked at me with a defiant gaze. The fact that she could face and talk to me in such a manner, despite being affected by the pressure I was exuding, was proof of how strong her mentality was.

"It's been hard on you."

"..." Celestia's expression shook for an instant before turning strange. She neither smiled nor sobbed, perhaps aware that I was not just referring to this one moment. However, she soon regained her composure and grumbled, "What are you saying?"

I laughed at her sulky voice. Then, I addressed the people, "I'm not just saying this because she's my wife, but she's really beautiful… Don't you think so?" My sudden remark earned the dumbfounded expressions on everyone's faces, since nobody could guess what my exact thoughts were.

However, Adam was the only one who realized what I was going to do. He frowned grimly. You, you crazy bastard. No way, right?

Nevertheless, I ignored Adam and took off the crown that I was wearing. "To commemorate my inauguration as the Emperor… I want to give my beautiful bride a present."

"You, what are you spouting right now?" Celestia looked at me with an incredulous look, as if she could not understand what was going on. Right at that moment… Flash! A dazzling light radiated out from the Crown of the Sun.

1. The elimination en masse by massacre or execution of people.