Chapter 359: A New Era Begins: End of Arc Six- The Shadow over the Commonwealth

Snowid bitterly chuckled, seeing Alfred walk in. He was on the verge of death and a sif being mocked by the universe, he was the last person he had to see. "King Snowid," Alfred said softly, sitting on the steps beside him. "I won."

The smugness in Alfred’s voice made the overwhelming tiredness Snowid felt vanish slightly, replaced by a deep rage. "Fu..ck y..ou." Alfred chuckled, hearing his words. Looking at the man, he smiled and cut off a piece of his shirt, wiping the blood pouring from Snowid’s mouth. Snowid tried to lift his hand and smack Alfred away, but couldn’t.

"It was inevitable you would lose, however." Alfred looked ahead; he had ordered to be left alone when he went in. It would be a few minutes before anyone came. Looking into Snowid’s eye, he smiled, "After all, I’m not from this world."

Snowid froze at those words. He knew he had just heard something he should never have known, one of the world’s greatest secrets. He wanted to say it was impossible, but it only took a second of thought to know it wasn’t. For one, Alfred had no reason to lie. If he were to mock him, there were better things to say. Secondly, Alfred himself has always been weird. The reforms he made, the inventions. Finally, Alfred’s eyes showed nothing but the pure truth.

"Ano...th...er...wo...rld?" Snowid chuckled at the absurdity of it all. Watching him, Alfred laughed aswell, a weight being freed from his shoulders. Isra had been the only one to know the truth about him. He had no one else to tell, and even though Snowid was both his enemy and dying, it was a relief to tell him. "King?"

Despite the hate he felt, Snowid was interested in what Alfred said. Rarely did someone have the chance to know something reserved for the Gods. Alfred shook his head and sighed, "Teacher."

Snowid laughed again before coughing heavily, wincing from the pain. His laughs were full of mockery. A mockery towards Alfred and himself. He could guess what type of man Alfred was as a teacher and what he had become now. It made him laugh at how he transformed.

But he had to laugh at himself aswell. The boy he thought was the devil on earth. The boy who had humiliated him. The boy who defeated him was a teacher. A teacher beat him. Peeking up at Alfred, he chuckled again, coughing more blood. Saying a teacher defeated him was wrong. Looking at Alfred now, anything that resembled the man he used to be was gone, replaced by the Emperor of the Ammary Empire. He lost to an Emperor.

"Don’t worry," Alfred patted Snowid’s shoulder and stood up. "I died once before, Sol, in his heavenly kingdom for the good. Eternal damnation in the darkness for sinners. None of it’s real. It’s a good thing. You would be joining every sinner up there." Alfred climbed the steps and sat on the throne, letting his sword lean against him. Picking up Snowid’s crown, he held it up to his face.

"So flimsy." Dropping it, the crown rolled next to Snowid’s hand. The king’s finger twitched slightly, reaching out to touch it. Gliding his finger over a red gem, he coughed weakly.

"Yo...u.....are...pat...het...ic." Speaking through weak breath, he heard a small snort from Alfred.

"And yet you lost. This isn’t over, however." Alfred didn’t spare a glance at Snowid, looking ahead at the double door. He seemed to see past them, staring at something in the far distance. "When I have made myself untouchable on the continent, I will then make myself untouchable on the sea. The flag of the Empire will fly over every corner of this world, and throughout history, everyone will remember me as the greatest conqueror in existence. I will change the course of history, and you will be a footnote in my long list of accomplishments."

Snowid opened his mouth and tried to talk, but couldn’t. He knew it would be any second now that he would fall asleep and never wake. He wanted to live, to fight, to rule. But it was over. The grim reality was something he had to accept. Alfred listened carefully, and once a minute, the Snowid’s weak breathing stopped.

The throne room was empty, and Alfred leaned back, closing his eyes. The sunlight bathed him in a gentle warmth, and he couldn’t help but smile softly, knowing he won. It felt good.

The doors to the throne room opened again, and multiple people walked in. Alfred opened his eyes, the sun hitting his blue iris, making them glow brighter. Marcus was the first to see him and took his helmet off. After walking forward, he fell to one knee. It felt wrong to stand in front of Alfred as he sat.

Peeking up, the image he saw was burned into his mind. His golden hair and blue eyes made him feel holy. Yet the pitch black armour he wore and the bloodied sword he let lean on him felt evil. It was a sight that made men fall in respect, and Marcus could only think of one word to describe Alfred.’Divine Conqueror.’The holy mixed with the unholy.

"Your Majesty," Marucs spoke. "We must send word back to the Empire of your victory."

Alfred looked down at Marcus and smiled. He knew exactly what he wanted to write back. At his core, he was still the history nerd from Earth. If others saw or heard what he would send back, he knew they would feel second-hand embarrassment, but he couldn’t help himself.

"Veni, vidi, vici." His deep voice was proud, saying Cesar’s famous line. Alfred knew how it would sound to anyone from his old world, but nothing was more fitting. It was his first enemy in this world. It was his first target of revenge. After defeating Snowid in the Aargon forest, the Commonwealth had been the land he wanted to place under him more than anything.

Marcus knew it was what Alfred wanted sent back to tell of his victory. Although he had no clue what the words meant, his immense pride in them was enough to tell him that they were fitting.

William walked in and saw his men kneeling before Alfred. Seeing the young Emperor watching with prideful eyes, he smiled and stepped forward. Unlike the others who felt the urge to fall to their knees, he didn’t and climbed the steps. Looking down at the crown next to Snowid’s corpse, he smirked.

"Shall we return home, Your Majesty?" Alfred looked up at William and smiled. Leaning back into the throne, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Soon. I’m tired." Alfred finally let his body relax, releasing the exhaustion he had been suppressing.

"Of course." William looked down at Marcus and the other soldiers, still kneeling. "The world is going to change."

"Good." Alfred’s smile grew, "Let’s ensure we are leading it." William nodded and stood with a peaceful look on his face.

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August looked at Michael with a smug gaze. "You lost."

Michael shook his head and stared into the distance, "He has been allowed to live a little longer, that is all. I will deliver Sol’s punishment on him at some point." Pulling his sword, Michael stared at August. "But why are you so willing to die?"

"To protect my son. My family." August fell to his knees and lowered his head, "Shut up and get it over with." Michael coldly nodded. He had only agreed to take August life after he promised him and his men safe passage out of the Commonwealth.

Michael knew that he had failed his mission, and Alfred had won, but he didn’t mind. The Church would always be around. If they failed this time, they would try again and again until Alfred was finally gone.

Clenching his hand around his sword, Michael swung hard and fast. August’s head flew through the air as his body fell like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Looking at the old Duke’s body, Michael flicked his blade and sheathed it.

"LET’S GO!" Michael turned and yelled at his men. Saddling his horse, he led the march, leaving August’s body to be eaten by wild animals.