I Killed the Hero and Took His Achievements-Chapter 18: The Emperor’s New Hobbies

[Location: The Imperial Palace - Master Bedroom]

[Time: 3:00 AM]

I laid in the massive bed while staring at the ceiling fresco (which used to depict Freya killing demons, but I had repainted to depict me sitting on a throne of the world).

Sylvia laid charmingly beside me after an intense battle. She was sleeping beauty. Her silver hair was wafted out across the golden silk pillows. She looked peaceful for the first time in her life.

[Target: Sylvia Frost]

[Status: Satisfied, exhausted and loyal.]

[Mana Capacity: Stabilizing at Level 30.]

I looked at my own stats.

[Name: Cain Cross]

[Level: 28]

[Titles: Guild Master, Professor, Emperor of the North, The Usurper.]

[Net Worth: GDP of a small continent.]

I should be happy. I sat up hurriedly. I walked to the balcony. The cold wind hit my bare chest.

Below, the capital of Winterhold was quiet. My Shadow Snipers patrolled the defense walls. Glacies was sleeping on the roof of the Cathedral, snoring loudly enough to shake the snow off the trees.

"System," I muttered. "Show me the Global Map." A holographic globe appeared.

North: My Territory (Blue).

West: The Kingdom of Oaklan (My Puppet State - Green).

East: Zimara (Neutral/Trading Partner - Yellow).

South: The Theocracy of Lumina (Hostile - Red).

The South was glowing angry red.

[Intelligence Report]

[Faction: The Church of Light.]

[Action: Mobilizing.]

[Pope Benedict IX has declared a ’Holy Crusade’ against the ’Northern Demon’.]

"Crusade," I chuckled. "That’s cute." I sipped a glass of wine that I stole from Freya’s private stashes.

The Church was fatal. Not because of their army (Paladins are just Knights with holy lights), but because of their immense Influence. They controlled the narrative. If they painted me as the Devil, everyone would buy it. I needed a Public Relations campaign. Or... perhaps a scandal.

"Boss?" A soft voice came from the doorway.

It was Seraphina. She was wearing a white silk nightgown.

She conjured a light magic that could light up the area.

"I couldn’t sleep," she said while looking at the floor.

"The Pope is yelling at clouds," I said. "Go back to bed."

She walked onto the balcony. She stood next to me, shivering slightly. "They declared you a Heretic, didn’t they?"

"Yes."

"That means... I’m a Heretic too because I’m following you."

"Technically, you’re an Apostate," I corrected her. "Heretics believe the wrong thing. Apostates stop believing the religion entirely." She looked at the moon. She then turned to look at me. "Are we going to kill the Pope?"

"Eventually. But first, we need to discredit him."

I looked at Seraphina. "You are the Saintess. The face of the religion. If you denounce him... half the believers will follow you."

"They won’t," she shook her head vigorously. "They think I’m dead. Or kidnapped/brainwashed by you."

"Then we need to prove that you’re still alive."

I grinned maliciously. "We’re going livestream."

————————————————————

[The Next Morning - The War Room]

"Livestream?" Ahri asked while playing with a dagger. "What is that? Is it a kind of torture?"

We were gathered around the strategy table. "It means broadcasting to the masses," I replied. I placed a crystal ball on the table.

[Item: Scrying Orb of the All-Seer.]

[Function: Projects images to every crystal ball in the network.]

"The Church uses these for their Sunday Sermons."

I pointed at Seraphina. "Tonight, at prime time, we hijack the feed. You are going to tell the world the Truth."

"The truth about what exactly?" Seraphina inquired.

"About the Pope’s secret slush fund."

"I... I don’t know about his slush fund," she admitted.

"I do," I said, tossing a stack of documents on the table. "He spent 10,000 Gold on ’Holy Water’. But here’s the thing, it turned out to be premium elven wine."

"Scandalous," Sylvia noted. She was impressed.

"But that’s not enough at all," I said. "People expect corruption. We need a theological explosive." I looked at the Heart of the Ancient Dragon sitting in the corner. "We’re going to announce a New God."

"Who?" Ahri asked.

"Me."

Silence. "You’re kidding," Sylvia deadpanned.

"Fifty-fifty. I’m going to declare myself the God of Avarice. A deity who actually pays you for your prayers. Think about it. The Church asks for tax. I give them benefits."

"People are greedy in nature," Ahri nodded profusely. "It might work."

"It will work. But we need a show of violence."

I pointed to the map. The Holy City of Sanctum. "While Seraphina is talking in a livestream, I’m going to drop something on their capital."

"An explosive?" Seraphina gasped.

"No," I said.

"A Gift."

I smiled. "I’m going to drop the Great Ice Wall."

[Operation: Frozen Assets]

[Time: 8:00 PM (Prime Time)]

In taverns, guild halls, homes and everywhere across the continent, people gathered around their Scrying Orbs to watch the Pope’s routine nightly address. Instead of the Pope’s wrinkly face, the image flickered. Static. Then... Seraphina. She looked radiant. Wearing dark robes (my idea), holding the Soul-Eater’s Fang (also my idea). She looked like a Fallen Angel.

"Citizens of the World," Seraphina began, her voice nervous slightly before finding energy. "I am Saintess Seraphina. I am alive and hale."

Gasps echoed across the world. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"The Church lied to you. They said I was a martyr. The System is an foreign technology that instill upon you when you are receiving classes at eighteen years old. The Levels are a farm and you are the cattle for the Interstellar Species waiting to harvest."

The image cut to me. I sat on the Imperial Ice Throne. Glacies curled around the ground. "Greetings," I said, swirling a glass of red wine. I am Emperor Cain. The Pope demands your gold. I demand your ambition. Join the Guild of Avarice. We have benefits. To prove that I’m serious..." I snapped my fingers.

[Cut to: The Sky above Sanctum.]

My Airship, the Profit Margin, hovered over the Holy City. The bay doors were opened wide. Massive chunks of True Ice were harvested from the dismantled Northern Wall fell from the sky. They didn’t hit the houses. They hit the Heat. The desert around Sanctum was notoriously hot. The ice blocks melted before impact, turning into a massive, refreshing rainfall.

For the first time in 100 years, it rained in the Holy Desert. Flowers bloomed. The temperature dropped to a pleasant 25 degrees. "I control the weather," I narrated. "I control the economy. The Church prays for rain. I deliver it instantly. Make your choice now."

[Signal Cut.]

————————————————————

[The Aftermath]

The world went frantic. The Church’s credibility shattered entirely. People were running into the streets of Sanctum, dancing in the rain, singing and praise my name.

"It worked pretty well," Sylvia said while watching the feedback reports. "Approval ratings are up 400%. The Pope? He just had a heart attack. He’s in critical condition."

"Good."

I stood up. "Prepare the Teleport Gate. We’re going to the Dungeon of Agony.

"The Dungeon of Agony is an S-Rank Zone," Ahri warned. "Even you might die."

I drew my dagger. "I won’t die."