I Killed the Hero and Took His Achievements-Chapter 27: Audit From Heaven

[Location: High Atmosphere - Above the Kingdom of Oaklan]

Most monarchs announce their return with trumpets. But I announced mine with Arrogance.

The HMS Profit Margin (Mk. II) burned through the cloud layer. The heat shielding was made of Void Scales harvested from the Leviathan which glowed an ominous purple. From the ground, it didn’t look like a ship. It looked like a gigantic piece of the end of the world. A massive, bone-clad dagger piercing the sky, trailed by engines that sounded like screaming souls.

"Sparky," I said from the Captain’s Throne. "Status."

"Cooling systems green! The Leviathan Soul in the reactor is... complaining, but stable!" Sparky yelled, frantically adjusting dials with his robotic claw.

"I WILL EAT YOUR DREAMS AND ALL!" the ship’s intercom blasted with The Leviathan’s voice.

"Mute the ship permanently," I ordered.

"Muting."

I looked at the Global Surveillance Map projected on the bridge window.

[Target: Oaklan Capital.]

[Event Detected: Royal Banquet.]

[Subject: ’The Liberation Celebration’.]

I zoomed in.

King Varic was sitting at a long table in the castle courtyard. He was drinking wine. He was laughing maniacally. Beside him sat Lord Azure (who I bankrupted) and Iron-Jaw (who I humiliated). They were toasting. "To the disappearance of the Tyrant Cain!" King Varic shouted. "May he rot in the Hell!"

I smiled. "They think I’m dead."

"Sylvia," I called out.

The Ice Princess stepped forward. She was glowing with S-Rank mana. "Yes, Master?"

"Target the courtyard."

"Are we bombing them?"

"No obviously. That would destroy the loot."

I stood up menacingly. "We are serving an Eviction Notice." "Drop the ship’s anchor."

"Which one?"

"The heavy one."

————————————————————

[Location: Storm-Wall Castle - The Royal Banquet]

King Varic wiped grease from his face. "It has been a month," Varic told Lord Azure. "No sign of him. He must have died in the Wastelands. The contract is void."

"Agreed," Azure sneered. "A commoner owning 80% of the Kingdom? Ridiculous. I have already reclaimed my guild funds."

"And the statue he destroyed?" Iron-Jaw laughed maniacally. "We rebuilt it bigger with my face on it."

The nobles laughed. The bards played a victory music. Then, the wine in their glasses started to ripple abnormally.

Thump. Thump. A shadow covered the sun. The music stopped. The birds stopped singing.

"Is it a rainstorm?" Varic looked up. His face went pale. His crown slipped.

Falling from the sky, wreathed in fire, was a massive black chain. Attached to it was an anchor the size of a townhouse. It wasn’t falling randomly. It was aimed at the New Statue.

"MOVE!" Azure screamed.

CRASH.

The anchor slammed into the courtyard. The shockwave blew heavily the banquet table over. Wine and roast chicken were scattered everywhere. The statue of Iron-Jaw was pulverized instantly. Dust filled the air.

Silence.

Then, a mechanical whirring sound. The bay doors of the massive ship hovering above suddenly opened. A platform descended. On it stood four figures.

1. A man in a black coat.

2. A woman with nine tails.

3. A Saintess with dead eyes.

4. And a Princess glowing with ice.

I stepped off the platform onto the crushed remains of the pulverized statue. I walked through the dust. I stopped in front of the cowering King Varic. I pulled a piece of paper from my inventory. "You’re partying," I noted dryly. I looked at the spilled food. "And you didn’t save me a plate."

"C-Cain?" Varic stuttered. "You... you’re still alive?"

"I’m not just alive, Varic." I pointed a thumb at the flying battleship that was blocking out the sun. I then grabbed a chair (one of the few that wasn’t broken). I sat down. "Sit," I ordered the King.

He sat on the ground like a beggar.

"Now," I tapped the paper. "According to my Eyes of God, you just signed a Royal Decree revocation of my ownership right to the Treasury."

"I... I..." Varic stuttered.

"Don’t lie. I have eyes. I saw you sign it at 10:45 AM." I leaned forward. "That’s forged, Varic. According to my Guild’s rule, forgery is punishable by Liquidate." I raised my hand. [Skill: Liquidate.] I pointed at the King’s Crown.

FLASH.

The gold crown dissolved into raw coins. They rained down on Varic’s head.

"My Crown!" he screeched.

"My coins," I corrected him.

I stood up and addressed the terrified nobles. "The 80% deal is off."

Lord Azure looked gleefully hopeful. "It is?"

"Yes."

My eyes glowed devilish red. "Now it’s 100%. From this moment, Oaklan is a subsidiary of Avarice Inc. The Royal Army is completely disbanded. My Shadow Snipers will take over defense. The Guilds are completely dissolved. All assets are frozen. And the King?" I looked at Varic.

"You are a Manager."

"Manager?" Varic blinked.

"Yes. You manage the paperwork. If the profits drop, I fire you."

"And by fire..."

Ahri ignited a powerful ball of fox-flame in her hand.

"I mean quite literally I’d say."

[System Notification]

[Territory Acquired: Kingdom of Oaklan.]

[Reputation: Tyrant.]

[Passive Income: +100,000 Gold/Day.]

I turned to Seraphina. "Go to the Church District. You seize the Cathedral, then paint it black."

"Yes, Boss."

"Sylvia. Go to the Mage Tower. You confiscate all research on ’Dimensional Gates’."

"On it."

"Ahri. Guard the food. I’m famished."

"On it!".

I looked at the sky. The Third Wave was impeding. Now, I had a base of operations. But first...

[Hidden Quest Update: The Hero Party.]

My HUD flashed a notification.

[Target: Kenji (New Hero).]

[Status: Escaped Dungeon.]

[Location: Approaching Oaklan.]

Kenji had survived the Dungeom. (Barely). And he was coming here to "Save the Princess" (Sylvia) from the "Wicked Emperor" (Me).

"Perfect timing," I grinned vilely. I tapped my earpiece. "Sparky."

"Yeah Boss?"

"Prepare the Welcome Committee."

"You want the railguns?"

"No. That’d be too quick. I want the Live Broadcast Drones. If the Hero wants to fight me..." I sat back on my throne, surrounded by terrified nobles. "We’re going to make it a Pay-Per-View Special Event."

————————————————————

[Location: The City Gates]

Kenji stood panting terribly. His armor was dented horribly. He smelled like stinking sewer water.

Behind him, Alice (Paladin) and Elara (Archer) looked equally heavily traumatized.

"We made it," Kenji puffed. "Storm-Wall. That Quest Giver..." Kenji clenched his fists. "He lied! There was no sword! Just mimic chests!"

"We leveled up though," Alice noted weakly. "I’m Level 15 now."

"We need to find the King," Kenji said while adjusting his katana. "We need to warn him about the nasty Demon Lord."

They walked into the city. But there were no guards in sight. Instead, Shadow Liches stood on the walls, holding sniper rifles.

"Undead?" Kenji gasped. "The city has fallen!"

A massive hologram suddenly appeared in the sky. It was my face. High definition and 4K resolution.

"WELCOME, HEROES." My voice reverberated through the streets.

Kenji looked up. "Who is that?"

"I AM CAIN CROSS. THE EMPEROR OF THIS CONTINENT. I SEE YOU HAVE INDEED SURVIVED THE CALAMITY I’VE GIVEN YOU. CONGRATULATIONS TO LOTS OF YOU."

A loot box fell from the sky, landing in front of Kenji.

THUD.

"Is this... a reward?" Kenji stepped forward gleefully.

He opened the box. It suddenly blasted. POOF. Confetti. And a single piece of paper. Kenji picked it up in curiosity.

[Invoice]

[Service: Tutorial Quest.]

[Fee: 50,000 Gold.]

[Status: Overdue.]

"WHAT?!" Kenji wailed. "You charge for quests?!"

"NOTHING IS FREE EVERYWHERE, HERO. IF YOU WANT TO SAVE THE WORLD..."

The hologram shifted to a different place. It showed the Castle Courtyard where Sylvia (his ’crush’) was sitting at my feet, feeding me bunch of grapes.

Kenji’s eyes bulged like a madman. "Princess Sylvia! He... he enslaved her!"

"COME AND PAY YOUR DEBT. I’LL BE WAITING IN THE ROYAL PALACE."

The hologram faded.

Kenji drew his sword. His "Protagonist Rage" aura flared. "I’m going to kill him," Kenji growled heavily. "I’m going to kill him and free the girls! System! Quest Tracker!"

[Quest Updated: Defeat the Capitalist Overlord.]

[Difficulty: Nightmarish Hell.]

I watched from the balcony while eating the grapes that Sylvia actually was feeding me gracefully.

"He’s coming here," I said.

"Is this wise?" Seraphina asked. "He has Infinite Growth. If he fights you, he might evolve infinitely."

"That’s the plan I procured," I said maliciously.

I looked at my Class Skill Tree.

[Skill: Market Crash.]

(De-buffs enemy based on Wealth Gap).

[Skill: Hostile Takeover.]

(Steals an enemy’s ’Asset’ if they are in debt).

"I don’t want to kill him, Seraphina."

I smiled wickedly. "I want to steal his Cheat Skill. Infinite Growth... imagine that on Me."

I stood up. "Let him come. Let him level up." I said viciously. "I’m just letting the investment mature before I cash out."