Siegfried and his allies were practically invincible while inside the thick radioactive green fog.

The Marchioni Empire’s troops and mages unleashed a barrage of long-range attacks at him, but no matter how many spells and attacks they cast, none of them managed to hit him.

They poured out attack after attack, but it was all futile.

Green Hell Magno was capable of nullifying all long-range attacks, and it was absurdly broken. This broken skill protected both Siegfried and his allies, rendering them immune to all long-range attacks as long as they were within the radioactive green fog.

Most magic spells were long-range attacks, so Green Hell Magno was the perfect counter for them. Thus, the tens of thousands of mages were turned into nothing more than extras, as none of their spells could land due to Green Hell Magno.

Now that their spells were completely nullified, their only option was to wield their wands or staves like clubs and charge directly into the radioactive green fog, but it was highly unlikely that they would make any difference in melee combat.

Of course, they would be irradiated to death before they could even swing their weapons once.

“Siegfried von Proa! You filthy scum!”

“You despicable traitor!”

“How could you betray His Imperial Majesty after everything he has done for you?!”

“Kill that enemy of the empire!”

The knights of the Marchioni Empire bravely charged into the radioactive green fog and rushed at Siegfried.

With the mages realizing that they were powerless against the radioactive green fog, they shifted their roles and began casting buffs such as poison resistance or detoxification on the knights.

With the support of the mages, the imperial knights were confident they could take Siegfried on.

“Sigh...” Siegfried let out a sigh as he looked at them.

Then, he turned and said, “Take the mages and get them out of here.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

At the command, Nibraksas led the demons and escorted the freed mages away.

“Time to die, dogs of Stuttgart,” Siegfried muttered. Then, he flashed a cold smile and unleashed Infernal Hellscape and Frozen Hell simultaneously, transforming the battlefield into a hellscape where molten lava and freezing cold coexisted.

“Uwaaaagh!”

“Grrhk!”

“Arghhhh!”

The Marchioni Empire’s soldiers and knights greatly enjoyed the combo of Infernal Hellscape and Frozen Hell.

“Whew! They’re really loving it!”

Siegfried couldn’t help but be happy after seeing his guests extremely satisfied with his service. He wiped a nonexistent tear from the corner of his eye and pretended to cry tears of joy.

Then, he flashed a devilish grin that would make anyone think that he was the devil himself.

Shwiiiik!

After turning the battlefield into a hellscape, he charged forward and unleashed Invincible Spear Art.

“Ackkk!”

“Uwaaagh!”

“Grkkk!”

The knights of the Marchioni Empire were slaughtered one-sidedly, unable to put up any resistance against Siegfried.

These knights were far from weak. Every single one of them was highly trained and far superior compared to knights of other nations.

However, Siegfried was simply a monster among monsters that he was not someone these knights could dream of taking on.

At his current level, it would take at least three Masters just to barely hold him back, and at least five if they wanted to have any chance of bringing him down.

In fact, even the Five Star Heavens of the past would struggle to subdue him.

Against someone at Siegfried's level, sheer numbers were meaningless. A large group of enemies was only bothersome to him, rather than a threat.

Sure, they could wear him down a bit, but inflicting any significant damage on him was just impossible.

Using his overwhelming might, Siegfried wreaked havoc on the battlefield. He could have easily fled, but he decided against it.

Why?

It was all because he needed to buy time until the demons and the freed mages met up with the Proatine Force and safely escaped through the warp gate.

After a while...

“M-Monster... He’s a monster...!”

“We can’t win against that devil... Nothing can stop him...”

The soldiers of the Marchioni Empire retreated step by step, completely overcome by fear. They had realized that they could never defeat Siegfried no matter their numbers.

It was then.

Shwiiiing... Poof!

A red flare flew straight into the sky in the distance, exploding and illuminating the heavens.

‘That’s the signal.’

Seeing the signal flare, Siegfried took out the Rod of God from his inventory.

Gripping the Rod of God tightly in his right hand, he hurled it high into the sky with all of his strength. Then, he turned toward the direction of the warp gate and ran for his life.

***

“...”

“...”

“...”

None of the Marchioni Empire’s troops dared to chase after Siegfried.

The Marchioni Imperial Army was famed for being the most powerful military force in the world. Their troops had unwavering military discipline drilled into them, and they would not hesitate to follow any commands, even at the cost of their life.

This time, however, the Marchioni Imperial Army wavered.

They were outmatched so badly that Siegfried alone slew more than ten thousand troops in just an hour. The area around the Magic Tower was littered with the bodies of those who were both brave and foolish enough to stand in Siegfried’s way.

Having witnessed this nightmare with their own eyes, even the Marchioni Imperial troops couldn’t bring themselves to chase after Siegfried.

Long after Siegfried had fled, the commander of the Marchioni Empire’s forces gave the order to clean up the battlefield.

“Attend to the wounded and recover those who fell in battle... We will give them a proper burial...”

The commander knew full well that he and his men would be held accountable for this humiliating defeat and would likely be executed. Still, he wanted to give those who fell in this one-sided battle a proper burial.

While the imperial troops were busy recovering their wounded or fallen comrades, the mages entered the Magic Tower to search for any enemies or traps left behind.

“Search the interior.”

“Make sure to search every nook and cranny.”

With that, the battle had come to an end.

“Phew...”

Meanwhile, Siegfried stood atop the warp gate about sixty kilometers away from the Magic Tower. It had been some time since he threw the Rod of God and fled, so the next phase ought to start at any moment now.

About five seconds later...

Shwoooooong...!

Siegfried saw a beam of light descend from the sky, followed by a sharp whistling sound.

KABOOOOOM!

A blinding light flashed, followed by the thunderous roar of a literally cataclysmic explosion. Then, a giant mushroom cloud blossomed where the Magic Tower once stood proudly.

Fwooooosh!

The aftershock from Scourge of God was so powerful that it instantly swept across where Siegfried stood. Scourge of God was so powerful that it devastated everything in a fifty-kilometer radius around its target, making it more powerful than a nuclear bomb.

“A-Aah...” Laimian gasped in horror as she watched the tower collapse. A complex mix of emotions welled up inside of her as she looked at the mushroom cloud in the distance.

Although they had saved all the magical books and treasures from the Magic Tower, watching a piece of the continent’s history collapse just like that felt wrong to her.

Plus, the fact that she was the former master of the Magic Tower only made her feel even worse.

“We can just rebuild it,” Siegfried said nonchalantly.

“Huh...? Rebuilt it? Do you mean the Magic Tower?” Laimian muttered, her eyes widened.

“Yes. I’ll build you a new one.”

“...”

“So long as the magical knowledge remains, we can always rebuild the tower.”

“That’s... true.”

“That settles it, then. Let us forget about that tower and get out of here.”

“Okay.”

With that, Siegfried took Laimian and returned to the Proatine Empire.

“Oh crap!”

Right before stepping into the warp gate, he turned around and extended his right hand forward.

Swoosh!

At the last, he remembered to retrieve the Rod of God before heading back to the Proatine Empire.

***

News of Siegfried invading the Magic Tower spread throughout the continent like wildfire.

The story itself was so hard for anyone to believe that most were skeptical the first time they heard it.

The fact that he stormed into the Magic Tower alone, rescued the hostages, stole all of the magical books and treasures, massacred tens of thousands of Marchioni Imperial troops, and got out of it alive made no sense at all.

On top of that, the part where he had allegedly triggered a cataclysmic explosion that not only brought down the Magic Tower but also wiped out all of the mages and the Marchioni Imperial Army was even more shocking.

However, nobody was more shocked by the news than Emperor Stuttgart, who was the very first to hear the news. Upon reading the report, he sat in silence and did not utter a single word for a long while.

His silence lasted for a full hour, and the ministers and officials were left frozen in place with cold sweat trickling down their backs.

“...”

“...”

“...”

The emperor’s suffocating hour of silence felt like an eternity for the ministers and officials.

Not a single one dared to even let out the sound of their breath, and those who needed to use the restroom held it in. They knew that if they so much as made a faint noise, they would certainly bear the full brunt of Emperor Stuttgart’s wrath.

What if someone dared to cough in that silence?

At the emperor’s command, a knight would bash their skull in with a mace on the spot.

The situation was that grave.

While the fall of the Magic Tower was already a huge blow to the Marchioni Empire’s prestige, the loss of the mages was an even bigger blow.

No fewer than twenty-five thousand mages had rushed to the Magic Tower after hearing of the attack, and every single one of them had perished in the explosion.

One of the very pillars supporting the Marchioni Empire had been cut down by half—no, by almost eighty percent in a single blow. Thus, it was no exaggeration to say that the losses were beyond devastating.

After one whole hour, Emperor Stuttgart finally broke the silence.

“Siegfried von Proa... Connect me to him.”

“...!”

The ministers and officials were so shocked by the emperor’s decision that their hearts nearly stopped.

Never had they imagined, even in their wildest dreams, that Emperor Stuttgart would personally reach out to speak with the enemy, Siegfried von Proa.

‘W-What is His Imperial Majesty’s plan?’

‘I really can’t tell what’s on his mind...’

‘Is he perhaps... planning a truce with Siegfried von Proa?’

‘No, a truce would be detrimental to our empire’s prestige.’

None of the officials could understand the emperor’s intentions, yet they still kept their silence.

Then, the chamberlain stepped forward and said, “Your Imperial Majesty’s personal communication chamber is being prepared, my lord.”

“I will go now.”

“I shall escort you, my lord.”

Without any delay, Emperor Stuttgart made his way toward the communication chamber.

Thud!

One of the officials collapsed and lay sprawled on the floor of the audience chamber, as he had been far too tense for the past hour that he fainted as soon as the emperor left.

“Phew...!”

“Huff... Huff...”

The remaining ministers and officials all let out a sigh of relief, all of them trying to steady their nerves.

Meanwhile, Emperor Stuttgart arrived at his personal communication chamber and was looking at the face of not Siegfried, but rather, Michele.

— Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty, Emperor Stuttgart von Posteriore.

Michele bowed and greeted him with utmost courtesy.

“Where is Siegfried von Proa?” Emperor Stuttgart asked.

— His Imperial Majesty is not present at this moment. Inevitably, I answered the call in his stead.

“Call him. Tell him I demand he answer the call.”

— ...

Michele fell silent, as he knew what the emperor meant. Emperor Stuttgart was not one to wait, and the concept of scheduling a call for another time did not exist for him.

No matter when, no matter where, and no matter who it might be. If the emperor of the world’s most powerful nation in the world wanted to speak to someone, then he would get to speak with that person.

This was the power and might of the one who had been ruling the entire world for over two decades.

— I am afraid to inform Your Imperial Majesty that at the moment...

— Hey, I’m here now. Move aside.

A hand pushed Michele away, and Siegfried appeared on the call.

He had just returned to the Proatine Imperial Palace after destroying the Magic Tower and heard that Michele was on a call with Emperor Stuttgart. Siegfried stood in front of the communication orb and looked straight at Emperor Stuttgart.

Then, he smirked and asked.

— I heard you were looking for me. What do you want?