Last Ruler Of The Empty Throne-Chapter 147: Beginning

Laura’s triumph ignited a spark that surged through the hearts of the surviving evolvers like wildfire. Her breathtaking display of power—defeating a monstrous sea serpent and evolving right before their eyes—shattered their despair and reignited their will to fight.

"ALL THAT’S LEFT ARE SMALL FRIES. MOVE!" roared the blood-drenched Mayor, lifting his dented axe high. His voice boomed with renewed vigor, reverberating across the battlefield. Without hesitation, he charged into the chaotic fray of sea creatures, his armor glinting under the afternoon sun, stained with gore. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

WAAAAAAAAAAA!

A triumphant war cry rose behind him as thousands of soldiers followed, emboldened by his leadership and Laura’s victory. Steel clashed against scale and claw. The scent of salt, blood, and something far fouler choked the air.

And then, everything changed.

Like a string snapped from a puppeteer’s hand, the sea creatures suddenly broke formation.

They scattered.

Their coordinated, rhythmic movements collapsed into a frenzy of panic and rage. Dozens of them thrashed violently, colliding with one another, turning on allies, and charging unpredictably in all directions.

"What the hell...?"

"Why are they attacking each other?!"

"Did we... did we break them?"

A moment of confusion swept the battlefield. For an instant, it looked like an advantage. Disorganized enemies meant easy prey, right?

Wrong.

What came next was worse than any tactic or formation they had faced. The sea creatures—freed from some unknown controlling force—were now pure instinct and fury. No longer bound by strategy, they became rabid, wild beasts, unpredictable and uncontrollable.

"AAAAHHHH!"

A scream ripped across the battlefield, chilling even the veterans. All eyes turned, and horror struck them dumb.

The Mayor, who had charged ahead, was down.

A dozen beasts swarmed him, tearing through his armor with jagged claws and bone-like fangs. His axe had fallen from his hands, now buried in the blood-soaked sand beside him. His cry of agony pierced through the battle’s din.

"AHHHH—HELP ME!"

Blood sprayed as chunks of flesh were ripped from his shoulder and thigh. His power—once awe-inspiring—now seemed meaningless against the chaotic fury of the creatures.

"HE’S—THE MAYOR—!"

"SOMEONE GET HIM OUT OF THERE!"

Victor, not far from the scene, roared, "HELP THE MAYOR!" His Titan’s Roar amplified his voice, echoing like thunder.

But the battlefield was too vast, too dangerous.

Many evolvers were locked in their own fights. Others hesitated, paralyzed by fear.

A breeze swept past Victor. Cold and fast.

A whisper accompanied it. "I’m on it."

Before he could even respond, the blur was gone.

Thud... Thud... Thud...

Bodies dropped. Heads rolled. Limbs were severed.

One by one, the creatures attacking the Mayor were cut down with surgical precision. In less than ten seconds, a figure emerged from the blood-mist, standing tall over the battered Mayor.

Slim. Hooded. Cloaked in shadow.

"I’m R," she said evenly. Her voice was calm, detached, but strangely reassuring. "And, you’re not allowed to die yet."

Robin.

She never revealed her full name. The moniker "R" was all anyone ever got. It stemmed from her last mission. After executing the last Second Realm sea creatures, one of the last enemies screamed a name before dying, a name she had never heard in full. Only the letter "R" stuck. She adopted it and carried it like a title.

The Mayor, barely conscious, blinked up at her in shock. "W-Who...?"

Robin quickly applied basic first aid and hoisted him onto her shoulder as though he weighed nothing. With fluid steps, she began moving him to the rear medical tents, cutting down any creature foolish enough to cross her path.

Meanwhile, the rest of the field began shifting again.

Ptui... Ptui... Ptui...

Artillery resumed firing. Heavy weapons thundered across the terrain. Kent, General of the Fortress Guard, had rallied the military and brought back heavy support. Gunners laid down suppressive fire while reinforcements flanked the disoriented sea creatures.

Laura joined Robin at the front once the Mayor was secure. Without words, the two worked as a synchronized machine of destruction. Their movements seemed almost poetic amidst the chaos.

Within ten minutes, the tide turned.

The number of sea creatures dropped drastically. Some fled. Others were annihilated. The tide that once threatened to drown the Fortress was reduced to a few struggling remnants. Soon, only the corpses remained, scattered across the blood-soaked earth.

The leaders—those still breathing—retreated to the central tent. It was time to regroup.

...

Inside the command tent, silence reigned.

The air was thick with tension, disbelief, and something close to reverence. All eyes turned to the three seated at the center, quietly sipping tea like none of this concerned them.

Laura. Robin. Victor.

Their levels had been publicly listed as 12. But no one in the tent believed that now.

Victor had some fresh bandages wrapped around his ribs, arms, and neck, but otherwise looked ready for another fight. Laura and Robin, incredibly, were spotless, not a speck of wound clung to them.

The Mayor, patched up but still recovering, finally broke the silence.

"...Who are you people?"

Laura looked up from her cup and met his eyes. "I have already told you. We’re survivors. You sent a broadcast and we responded, remember!"

"Right... the broadcast..." he muttered, rubbing his temples. He had sent it out to attract new population numbers as every increase had potential, new titles, new rewards.

He hadn’t expected monsters in human form.

Unable to muster a proper reply, he leaned back, exhaling heavily.

Victor stared at the table, deep in thought. Despite the awe and respect directed at them, he couldn’t accept the reverence.

’If they’re calling us gods now... what’ll they say when they meet him?’

"Many of the sea creatures were under some form of control," Laura began. "Not all, but a good number. When their command link severed, they went mad. Whoever—or whatever—was controlling them... it’s watching."

The Mayor nodded. "It’s good we evacuated the civilians when we did. Nearly a quarter of the fortress was flattened... thanks to someone’s idea."

His tone turned acidic as he glared across the table at General Jul.

Jul, pale and trembling, couldn’t meet his eyes. His men glared at him too—betrayal etched on their faces. "I-I didn’t know," Jul whispered.

"You didn’t think," the Mayor snapped. "You opened the gates. You almost got everyone killed."

Before tensions could flare further, Laura stood. Her voice silenced the room.

"Enough. How’s the damage"

A soldier approached, eyes downcast. "W-We lost 4,765 soldiers... over 3,000 evolvers... our heavy and light weapons are down by seventy-five percent. We’re still counting the dead."

Jul swayed where he stood.

The tent was suffocatingly quiet.

The Mayor looked like the weight of the world had settled on his shoulders.

But Laura’s expression didn’t change.

She had seen worse. As someone who was among a secret agency before the fall, she must’ve seen worse, right?

"Don’t bring the civilians back yet," she ordered. "Set up a perimeter around so we can know before anyone else attacks. We should be able to hold out before they come."

Victor and Robin stood beside her. The trio began to leave.

"Wait!" the Mayor called out. "What do you mean? Who’s coming?"

Laura paused at the exit.

She didn’t look back.

"The migration team," she said.