The protagonist does not appear, so it is in third-person perspective.
"Your Majesty! Flee!"
"I will not run. Prepare the defenses."
Upon receiving the report of the approaching tsunami, Emperor Johannes chose to remain on the spot.
Of course, it was not out of concern for his people. Such personal emotions had been sealed away when he became emperor. He judged that if he fled, riots or rebellions would break out in the eastern part of the empire.
Therefore, Johannes positioned the few remaining royal knights on the walls of Kiel and appointed them as commanders of the defense force. Then, he donned his armor, took up his sword, and went to the front lines.
"Everyone! We must not let the people of the east suffer any further! We will defend this place with our lives!"
The morale of the defense force soared with the emperor's presence.
However, it was not enough to face the continuous onslaught of monsters.
The monsters came relentlessly from the east of Kiel, and the area outside the walls quickly became filled with them. The frenzied, irrational monsters charged into the city, and the defense force met them head-on.
Johannes himself cut down several monsters with his sword, but the numbers were overwhelming.
The defense force numbered three thousand, but the monsters were nearly three times as many.
Seeing the soldiers fall despite their efforts, Johannes gritted his teeth. It was clearly a losing battle. He should have fled, but if he did, the enemy would not be just the monsters.
While Johannes was pondering what to do, a laugh echoed from the sky.
"Hahaha! Look, look! Big brother! The emperor looks so serious!"
"Yeah, little brother. It's hilarious."
Johannes glared at the sky, where two men stood.
One was a silver-haired boy, short in stature, and laughing innocently like a child.
The other was a tall man with long golden hair. The well-formed man smiled thinly as he looked down at the emperor.
What they had in common was their pale, almost sickly white skin and their beauty.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Sam."
"I'm Dean."
The emperor recognized the names.
Seeing the distinctive canine teeth in their mouths, he sneered. They resembled the characteristics of one of the sub-human races, the vampires.
Vampires, known for their longevity and immense power, openly ruled parts of the continent and formed a country with their small clan.
Once classified as monsters and engaged in wars with humans, they now maintained a policy of non-interference and rarely showed themselves.
Among them, a pair of vampires had become widely known among humans.
"Back in the days of the previous emperor... There was a pair of vampires who committed unspeakable atrocities, were expelled from their clan, and were put on the bounty list by the Adventurer's Guild. Their names were Sam and Dean, the same as yours. Are you them?"
"Yes, that's us!"
"The Adventurer's Guild treated us as lowly monsters. It was an unforgivable insult. We have not forgotten this insult, nor the grudge against those who encouraged it."
"Hmm? A rather long-term revenge. The previous emperor is no longer in this world. Do you intend to take revenge on me instead?"
"Of course! Humans are so fragile and easy to kill!"
"I have given up on personal revenge. Our times of living are different. Therefore, I will take revenge on your descendants and their possessions."
Johannes sneered at the idea of making the entire empire the target of their revenge. Normally, he would have retorted, but given the situation, it was almost certain that the two were responsible for the tsunami.
Dealing with the tsunami alone was already a challenge, and the appearance of two vampires, deemed equivalent to S-class monsters, left even Johannes at a loss.
If only his elite royal knights were here.
Johannes thought this, but he had already sent them to protect the children. They were far from Kiel, and even if they responded immediately, only a few would make it back.
"Well, you can only act so high and mighty as the emperor for now. After I drain your blood and turn you into a mummy, I'll throw you into the capital!"
"Hmph! Do your worst! Even if you kill me, the empire will not die! My elite forces will surely kill you! If you're not afraid of that, come at me!"
"I'll acknowledge your spirit, but it won't change the fact that you're at a disadvantage."
With that, Dean raised his right hand.
Magic power gathered in his hand, forming a black sphere. It was not the kind of magic humans used, but a pure magic attack possible only for vampires with vast magical power.
"Regret making us your enemies as you die!!"
The sphere of magic was hurled at Johannes.
Dean, confident in his victory, sneered, but his smile quickly turned cold.
The sphere of magic he threw was cut in half before it reached Johannes.
"---Are you unharmed, Your Majesty?"
"Ah... Elna, you came just in time. Is it okay to leave Arnold?"
"...Please forgive me. I failed to follow the order to stay with him..."
Seeing Elna's downcast expression, Johannes understood the situation.
There was no way Elna could have made it in time if she had stayed with Arnold.
However, Johannes smiled at her.
"It feels good to see my son grow. Thank you, Elna."
"Your Majesty... I..."
"Arnold sent you. You responded to his feelings and made it in time. I am pleased. While I'm at it, can you show me your growth as well?"
Elna nodded vigorously.
She then fixed her gaze on the two and readied her sword.
"As you command, Your Majesty. I will show you the sword of Amsberg!"
"Hmph! Just one person! I know you! You were the knight who followed the incompetent prince, right? You only stayed because the prince was incompetent. Oh, how annoying. Don't ruin my brother's plans with your incompetence!"
"Don't underestimate her, Sam. The Amsberg family is a lineage of heroes, exceptional among humans. Don't think of her as just a human."
Despite Dean's warning, Sam showed no signs of caution.
However, the moment he met Elna's eyes, Sam immediately prepared for battle.
"!!??"
Cold sweat poured from Sam's body as he felt a killing intent he had never experienced before.
Sam, holding a scythe created by magic, took a step back from Elna. It was a full retreat, though Sam didn't realize it.
On the other hand, Elna, who had emitted a powerful killing intent, slowly ascended into the sky.
For an excellent mage, flying was not difficult. However, few could fight freely in the air. Elna, though not a mage, had reached that level.
The prodigy of the Amsberg family lacked no skills necessary for combat.
And Sam had stepped on the landmine of the Amsberg family's prodigy.
"You said the word I hate the most... How dare you say it in front of me! You deserve to die a thousand deaths. Prepare yourself!"
"! Don't underestimate humans!!"
A moment later, Sam attacked Elna with his scythe.
However, Elna easily dodged Sam's scythe and struck him.
Sam managed to block the attack with his scythe, but he looked shaken by the unexpected force and glanced at his brother.
"Indeed, the prodigy of the Amsberg family. You deserve the title of the current hero. But I will make you regret opposing us vampires!"
With that, Dean joined the fight against Elna.
The three clashed intensely in the sky above Kiel.
Below, the emperor raised his voice, rallying the defense force. The addition of the third knight squadron, led by Elna, pushed back the monsters slightly, but their numbers showed no sign of decreasing.
In the midst of waiting for further reinforcements, a prince appeared.
"Father! Prince Carlos has arrived! Prince Carlos has arrived!"
Prince Carlos, the fifth prince, was twenty-three years old.
He was a gentle and calm prince with brown hair, known for his dreamy nature and his desire to shine heroically on the battlefield like the legendary heroes.
For Carlos, rushing to the emperor and the people's aid with the knights was the ideal scenario.
He felt joy as many people focused on him as a reinforcement and cheered.
His words were a result of his immersion in the situation, but they were also grounded in reality.
Not long ago, Carlos had met with Sam and Dean through an intermediary. He had arranged for Sam and Dean to cause trouble and for Carlos to resolve it. In return, Carlos would petition to remove Sam and Dean's bounty from the Adventurer's Guild once he became emperor.
Carlos believed that Sam and Dean had a good reason to cooperate with him. It was rare for the Adventurer's Guild to remove a bounty, but an imperial emperor could make it happen. The Adventurer's Guild could not ignore the will of the imperial emperor.
Therefore, Carlos believed that Sam and Dean would retreat as soon as he appeared.
He had envisioned sweeping away the remaining monsters and being hailed as a hero by all the citizens as the crown prince.
However, Carlos was blown away by a magic projectile from Sam.
"Really coming here is so foolish. That prince too."
"Don't bother with small fry. Focus on what's in front of you! Here they come!"
The two ignored Carlos.
They never saw him as an equal partner.
They had merely used Carlos, and if he had been more cautious, he would not have rushed in so easily. But Carlos, due to his naive and inexperienced nature, had trusted them.
Before he could regret his decision, Carlos was struck hard and lost consciousness.
One of the knights managed to catch the blown-away Carlos, but his injuries were life-threatening.
However, the knights who came with Carlos were inspired by his plight and charged at the monsters with renewed vigor.
Though it was a clumsy effort, being the first to fall could be considered Carlos's contribution.
The time bought by Carlos's knights gradually changed the tide of the battle.