Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

Chapter 1180: The Might of the Overlord (ii)

Suddenly, the Alucard Coalition commanders blew a retreat horn to signal a shift in tactics. The ground ruptured violently as three towering Siege Wyrms burrowed out of the rocky terrain.

The beasts featured dark metallic scales and breathed streams of corrosive acid. They towered over the trenches and cast long shadows across the frightened OrionHeart infantry.

Jane decapitated a fleeing enemy mage and looked up at the beasts. Her grip tightened on her sword hilt until her knuckles turned stark white.

Without Virgil and Jane in the battlefield, OrionHeart had struggled for months to kill just one of those creatures. She pumped her wings to gain altitude and prepared to intercept the closest Wyrm before it could breach the defensive line.

Rudy kept his hands comfortably in his pockets. A barrage of corrosive acid rained down upon his position. He raised a hand and applied his Cryokinesis to flash-freeze the liquid into floating crystals mid-flight.

He used his Aerokinesis to propel the frozen shards back at the beast. The projectiles pierced the Wyrm’s metallic scales. The monster shrieked in pain and thrashed its spiked tail against the dirt.

The second Siege Wyrm lunged forward to snap its giant jaws around Rudy. Rudy engaged his Spatio-Temporal magic to pause time around the creature. The beast froze mid-flight with its jaws hanging open just inches from his face.

Rudy walked up to its snout and tapped the scales with his index finger. He accessed his Time-Forwarding ability and accelerated the monster’s localized timeline by ten thousand years. Time resumed. The Wyrm decayed into a pile of pale bones and gray dust.

The remains collapsed onto the dirt.

Jane hovered above the battlefield. Her jaw dropped open. She watched a creature of nightmares crumble into nothingness with a single touch. Her fangs retracted as she stared at the pile of dust. She looked at her own sword and lowered her arms.

A flush crept up her neck as she realized the sheer magnitude of the power gap.

OrionHeart soldiers cheered from the trenches. They banged their weapons against their shields and pointed at the sky. The frontline generals wiped sweat from their brows and watched Rudy singlehandedly turn the tide of a losing war. The trembling soldiers stood tall.

The final Siege Wyrm thrashed its tail and charged toward the OrionHeart defensive line. Rudy sighed and activated his Clipboard Conjuring. He targeted the Wyrm’s physical data and selected the delete function.

A glowing blue box outlined the creature. The beast vanished from reality. It left behind an empty crater and a cloud of confused dust.

Suddenly, the Alucard commanders screamed orders to retreat. The remaining coalition soldiers dropped their weapons and fled toward the distant hills.

Rudy decided to finish the wager right then and there. He raised his hands toward the clouds and summoned a localized meteor shower using his Telekinesis. He pulled space debris directly into the atmosphere.

Flaming rocks plummeted from the sky and crashed into the retreating Alucard forces. The impacts incinerated battalions in a matter of seconds. The rocky valley turned into a sea of fire. The destruction left the western border devoid of enemy troops. The war ended as quickly as it had begun.

Rudy floated up to Jane’s altitude. He crossed his arms and offered a smug smile. Jane avoided his gaze and sheathed her sword with a trembling hand. She bit her lip and stared at the scorched earth below.

She realized the impending consequences of their wager.

“I believe that counts as a win,” Rudy stated. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Unless you managed to hide a few thousand kills in your pockets.”

Jane glared at the smoldering craters. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. She opened her mouth to argue, but the words died in her throat. She had slain perhaps fifty soldiers. He had wiped out a coalition army and three siege monsters without breaking a sweat.

“You cheated,” Jane muttered. A deep red flush crept up her neck.

“I utilized my skills efficiently,” Rudy corrected her. “A bet is a bet, Princess. I look forward to collecting my prize.”

Down in the trenches, General Ash scrambled over a pile of debris. His armor was covered in soot and mud. He waved his arms frantically toward the sky.

Rudy descended gracefully and touched his boots to the dirt. Jane followed close behind and folded her black bat wings.

“My Lord,” General Ash stammered. He dropped to one knee and bowed his head. The hostility from the war council room was gone. “The Alucard vanguard is eradicated. The remaining stragglers have crossed back into their territory. We have secured the western border.”

“Good,” Rudy replied. He picked a piece of lint off his suit jacket. “Tell your scouts to stay alert. The war is effectively over. Send a messenger to King Virgil. Let him know I kept my promise.”

General Ash nodded eagerly. He barked orders to his lieutenants to secure the perimeter and organize the wounded.

Rudy turned to Jane. “Let us head back. I am starving, and I still have a date with a breakfast buffet.”

Jane did not say a word. She launched herself into the sky and flew toward the palace. Rudy floated right beside her.

‘How can a human wield such power,’ Jane wondered as she pumped her wings. ‘He erased a Siege Wyrm with a touch. He summoned meteors from the sky. He treats the fabric of reality like a toy. And now I owe him a favor. He emphasized the word ‘anything’. What will he ask of me?’

She glanced sideways at him. His profile was relaxed. He looked like a man returning from a morning stroll rather than a god of destruction.

A strange heat pooled in her stomach. She hated him for humiliating her, yet a primal part of her vampire instincts respected the undeniable dominance he displayed. She pushed the thought away and focused on the palace spires looming ahead.

They landed in the main courtyard of the OrionHeart Palace. King Virgil stood near the grand entrance with Rias and a dozen royal elders.

Rias still wore the velvet curtain wrapped securely around her body. The SSS-rank Trial Chimera sat politely beside her and thumped its serpent tail against the cobblestones.

Virgil stepped forward. His crimson eyes scanned the horizon, finding no trace of the enemy forces.

“The scouts just reported in,” Virgil said. His voice carried a mix of awe and disbelief. “They claim the Alucard Coalition is gone. The entire western front is reduced to glass and ash.”

“I told you I would handle it,” Rudy smiled. He walked up the steps and patted Puffles on the head. The beast let out a happy purr. “Your borders are secure. The Alucard King will likely send a surrender treaty by tomorrow morning once he realizes he no longer has an army.”

Rias threw her arms around Rudy’s neck. “You really are amazing, Rudy! I knew you could do it!”

“It was just a minor pest problem,” Rudy said as he kissed her forehead.

Jane landed on the steps and folded her wings. She kept her eyes glued to the floorboards. Rias looked at her twin sister and noticed the defeated posture.

“Did you help him, Jane?” Rias asked with a teasing grin.

Jane gritted her teeth. “I participated.”

Rudy chuckled. “She participated in a wager. And she lost. Spectacularly.”

Virgil cleared his throat. The ancient king looked at the human who had just saved his kingdom from annihilation.

“OrionHeart owes you an unpayable debt,” Virgil formally announced. “We will host a grand festival in your honor. Name your reward.”

“I already told you,” Rudy replied. He grabbed Rias by the waist and guided her toward the banquet hall doors. “I just want breakfast. Bring out the Blood Moon fruits.”