The Overlord of Blood and Iron

Chapter 196

Chapter 196: A great shift in power (pt. 1)

"Apparently, Rothschild went inside Aleister's territory."

"...!"

"And not alone either. He went with his whole territory. What was it called again… Keanu Reeves [1] or something…"

"...You mean Cyamodus."

Kang Chul-in corrected Kwak-Jung's words.

"Right."

"Yeah, there's no way that Rothschild would be having a war along with Keanu Reeves."

"S-Sorry…"

Mistaking the Cyamodus territory as the amazing actor Keanu Reeves, Kwak-Jung started to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Anyway, it seems like that damned Rothschild managed to secure an alliance after going inside that skull-dude's territory."

"How?"

"It seems like Rothschild made a deal."

"A deal?"

"Yes."

Kwak-Jung nodded.

"Apparently…"

Kwak-Jung started to explain the situation.

--------

Brr…!

A giant turtle with a fortress on its back, Cyamodus, started to charge up red energy in its mouth.

Huaaa!

Flames started to rise,

Kuaaaa-!

And one of Cyamodus's special moves, magma breath, hit the undead army head-on.

The effect was rather spectacular.

Flames covered the monsters, and the undead monsters that got hit were turned into ash.

Undead monsters were weak to the light and fire element from the very beginning when they were created, so they stood no chance.

"N-no!!"

Aleister, who was looking on from his emerald castle, screamed at this sight.

"M-My beautiful army…"

Hadn't he already lost his status as an Overlord due to a fire-based attack in Fox Valley?

This time around, a giant turtle started to breathe flames, killing all of his precious undead monsters. He felt like he was going to go crazy.

"If I lose this, then…"

It was obvious what would happen if Aleister lost this battle.

Even though a Lord was nothing without his territory, it was even worse for Aleister.

He was stuck in a situation where he couldn't even go back to Earth.

What could a lich, who had given up being a human, do if it went back to Earth? There was no place for him left on Earth.

Suk.

At that moment, Aleister took out a black flute from inside his robe.

This item was an epic item called the 'Death Calling', and was his final card that was extremely effective against a single target, like that giant turtle.

Even though it was a single-use item, it was possible to hunt even a dragon if he used it.

"Get ready… damned Rothschild bastard…"

Gritting his teeth, Aleister put his dried-up lips towards the Death Calling.

-Overlord Aleister!

At that moment.

-How about we talk for a second?

Alex Rothschild's voice could be heard from far away since he used a magical tool to amplify his voice.

"T-Talk?"

Right as he was about to use the Death Calling, Aleister stopped, astonished by Rothschild's words.

He had just invaded his territory randomly, and he was asking for a conversation?

It wasn't like they were playing or anything, so this infuriated Aleister.

"Bring the amplifier!"

Aleister shouted.

"Here, milord."

"Thanks."

Kim Sung-hee, who had secretly come into the Deathwin territory under Kang Chul-In's orders, said.

-"Talk"?

Aleister responded.

-What do you mean, "talk"?! Why should I talk to someone who came here without any sort of notice and attacked my territory?

Aleister shouted, his voice steely.

-Sorry about that, Overlord Aleister!

Rothschild suddenly apologized.

-"S-Sorry"?

-I'm sorry that I attacked your territory without saying anything beforehand.

"...What is he saying right now?"

Aleister was confused at what Rothschild was saying.

-What do you mean by that, Rothschild!?

-Well, it's exactly like what I said, Overlord Aleister!

-...?

-This is a war that I can't do anything about.

-What? You can't do anything about it? Do you honestly expect me to believe…

Even though Aleister was shouting, Rothschild interrupted him.

-Think of who's in the west of the Deathwin territory.

-Well…

-Overlord Kang Chul-In, the strongest man in Pangaea right now.

-...!

-You remember what happened to Overlord Baruk Al-Yusuf, right? Why did that terrifying Anatolia territory fall? You remember who that Overlord who was ranked 2nd died to, right?

-Hmm…

The news that Baruk Al-Yusuf had died to Kang Chul-In had long since spread through the Illusion Network.

-And… I need a wall. A tactical fortress--- someone to block Overlord Kang Chul-In while I gain strength.

-...!

Finally, Aleister realized Rothschild's intention.

-You do know that the territory you control is in the best position as defense against Kang Chul-In, right?

-Y-Yeah, I'm aware.

-Sorry for this, Overlord Aleister. I didn't have any bad or malicious intent against you. And anyway, this might be better for you.

-In what way?

-Do you really think that Kang Chul-In, that tyrant, would let you go easily? Even though I don't know why, your army looks very weak right now. I doubt he would let you go, especially when you're guaranteed to fall from the rank of Overlord.

-...!

At that moment, Aleister's face stiffened.

Just like what Rothschild had said, it seemed like there was no way that Kang Chul-In would really just let him go.

It wouldn't be strange even if Kang Chul-In decided to invade the Deathwin territory right now, considering its strategic value.

-What do you think would happen if you decide to ally with Kang Chul-In?

-W-Well…

-If Kang Chul-In's army is inside your territory… I guarantee that your territory wouldn't really be under your control anymore.

-So, what do you want me to do then!? You want me to understand that you're invading since you're scared of Kang Chul-In?

-No.

-Then what, you want me to surrend…

-That's not it.

-...?

Aleister was truly beginning to feel confused.

-Ally with me.

Finally, Rothschild spoke.

-W-What?! Do you think I don't know that you're just going to station your army here and become the true controller of this territory? Shut up!

-That's not true.

-W-What?

-I'm different from Kang Chul-In.

-...?

-I won't put my army in your territory. After all, it's difficult for me to keep Esmerelda away from Albrecht Vilhelm without it.

-Then? What do you want…

-I will give you 250,000 gold.

-2… 250,000!?

-That's right. Won't you be able to rebuild your army, then?

-...!

Aleister was shocked.

250,000 gold… It was impossible for him not to be shocked by that huge sum of money.

-If you ally with me, I will lend you 1,000 of Lord Ludwig Hainel's Machine troops, along with 20,000 dead bodies given to me by Overlord Ao Xin. Oh, and Lord Atal Ramnuzan will also give 10,000 troops.

But the temptation didn't stop there; rather, it grew even stronger.

-And… I will also give you 4 banshees that are level 70, which I found in an ancient dungeon.

-B… Banshees?!

That was the final nail in the coffin.

As a man with necrophilia, the meaning that a level 70 banshee had was completely different after all.

[1] He's talking about this handsome angel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keanu_Reeves