150 years since the founding of the Dragonia Empire. The Empire has a long-standing problem.
It is the question of the succession to the Imperial Emperor, Karina Dragonia.
She has reigned as the absolute power and transcendent of the Empire for many years, and while she hasn't aged a day in the 180 years since her arrival on this world, the question of succession has always been an issue.
Although she has been rejecting her subjects' requests to succeed her with absolute power, now she's suddenly recruiting suitors.
The nobles, who had been bowing down to her, the absolute ruler, were delighted and wanted to put forward their sons and grandsons as candidates for sire.
"The seed to be sown to this king must not be ordinary."
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, what a wretched—!"
"Our noble blood is the noblest of all, the blood of the gods──"
"There is no difference between you and a serf pretending to be a nobleman. You are not worthy of respect."
In the face of outrageous verbal abuse and tyrannical authority, the nobles could only bow down.
All the power and wealth in the world was no match for the unchanging power of absolute force.
"So, Your Majesty—how do you intend to elect a father?"
The old man assumed a posture of submission to the living embodiment, who had lived more than twice as long as he had, and would do as he was told.
"The sire shall be chosen by duel. The strongest man in the world, except for this king, shall be this king sire."
Thus began the courtship duel to choose the successor father.
Brave warriors from all over the world competed in this courtship duel, but none could fulfill Karina conditions.
Three years passed.
* * * * *
[Quest: State Marriage]
Requirements: Successfully marry the Empress of the Dragonia Empire, Karina Dragonia.
The dragon's interference caused the gate to crack, sending Hunters falling everywhere, but their privileged system window doesn't care about distance.
In other words, the quest was visible to all Hunters.
"I've never seen a gate like this before."
Sir Graham, an S-class hunter in the British Gentlemen's League, bought food at a fruit stand with a gentlemanly air. His dandy smile made the shopkeeper blush.
"Most of all, it's so peaceful. I've been in and out of the gates for thirty years, and I've never been inside a gate so secure."
"You mean the Duke of Cornwall, too? Ah, try some of this apple-like fruit, I'm sure I could get a pretty good price for importing it."
This is a type of gate that even Cornwall Ong, England's greatest archmage, has never seen before—though if it had been seen before, it would have made global news.
"Usually the worlds beyond the gate are recreations of past battles or historical events, so gates with 'survivors' are easy to recognize."
"A world that is in the present, even if it has already been destroyed."
Beyond the gate, there were countless worlds.
Medieval fantasy worlds, martial arts worlds, punk futuristic worlds, or worlds completely beyond conventional wisdom.
There were otherworldlers, there were orcs, there were midgets, and there were species that weren't human at all, like the gnomes.
Basically, each with its own history, they all had one thing in common.
"Annihilation. It was always a given."
That's why Earth's scholars assumed that the world beyond the Gate was a world destroyed by demons, and that the records of that world, named the Akashic Records, were manifested in the phenomenon known as the Gate.
"The same was true of the world of the survivors, where the latest hot survivors were Lord Spinner or the Lionheart King—or the orcs."
"Well, at least there were survivors, but a lot of the world was devastated. Orcs–they'll survive anywhere, if you let them."
So the world had never been so whole. No, not just intact, but——.
"This is just another world."
A peaceful otherworld, where even the war with the demons was over. How is that possible?
"Could it be the power of Karina Dragonia?"
"Highly likely. You saw that dragon in the subspace. If he's so powerful that he can intervene in the gates and the space between them, it's no wonder even the demons were defeated."
How could there be such power, so much power, in a single individual?
Just a year ago, they would have said it was nonsense. But——
"The Lionheart King. Leon Dragonia Lionheart. The superhumans of their world are pure monsters."
"Anyone who saw the fight with the Wandering Demon Sword would think so."
The clash of swords splits the sea, and the aftermath of the battle creates a tsunami.
Even in Korea, Infinite Swordsman Kang Jin-sung and Berserker Chun Jin-soo are two of the world's top ranked swordsmen but even they were powerless against the Demon Archduke Akasha.
"Even a top-ranked S-class Hunter would have a hard time dealing with the terrible debuffs of a Demon Archduke."
"Yes, even an S-class Commander can't keep up with the amount of debuffs, just like the dragon debuffs we encountered in subspace."
It was those murderous debuffs that left the Hunters helpless in face of their enemies.
The pressure of transcendent beings whose mere presence diminishes them beyond the limits of their creatures.
Even Rakshar, the Demon Archduke of Chaos, overpowered America's top S-class Hunters, Allen Taylor and Minuteman. But──
"Do you remember them, the ones who didn't care about the Dragon Fear?"
"You mean the knights?"
"Yeah, and there's another one."
"——ah!"
Aside from the Lionheart King and the Knights of the Ten Thousand Gods, there were others who had resisted the Dragon Fear.
"Allen Taylor and the Minutemen, they must be the Maverick Guild's TTG Temple devotees."
"Isn't it amazing, how the mere service of a god can give one the strength to stand up to beings so feared."
"I'm surprised, Cornish Ong."
"Because I am a wizard? No, rather because I am. I have the evidence in front of me, so why reject it?"
Wizards are supposed to be reasonable. Since the beginning of the history of world magic, Cornwall Ong had always analyzed things and accepted them as they were.
"That's why this quest is an opportunity."
"An opportunity–what do you mean?"
"Getting Karina Dragonia hand in marriage. I'm sure you've guessed but she must be his daughter or related to Leon 'Dragonia' Lionheart, because the dragon knows him."
But why is that a chance? Cornwall Ong impatiently explained to Sir Graham, who asked for more details.
"In the future, the world will revolve around the TTG Temple, even after the Gate is over."
"Will it be as much as—? I don't think the United States or any of the other powers will be able to——."
"The TTG Temple takes the form of a religion, not a nation. We already have over 300,000 followers here in England. Do you understand? A superpower without borders is just around the corner."
So who is the most powerful man in the world centered around the TTG Temple?
The patriarch, the Lionheart King, of course, but Cornwall Ong went on to say.
"Someone who is a blood relative of the Lionheart King, that is, someone who is his son-in-law."
"Wow."
If Karina Dragonia is the daughter of Leon Dragonia Lionheart, as Cornwall Ong had speculated, then that alone would mean that she had a father who was the pope of a religious world that would rule the world in the future.
"This quest—it could determine the fate of England."
"Since Princess Diane failed, you should aim for the sire's seat."
And at this moment, Cornwall Ong and Sir Graham were not alone in their thoughts.
-I, an S-class hunter, became the son-in-law of the Lionheart King?
-If I can get his daughter to be my bride, since I've failed in my bid to woo the Temple of Ten Thousand Gods to France——.
""This is a great deal.""
All people's thoughts were alike.
* * * *
While TTG Temple participation in the Washington Gate attack may have overshadowed his own, they were not the only Korean hunter who has come to the aid of the United States.
While TTG Temple is Korean, its guild leader is not purely Korean in many ways.
It would be disgraceful for the country to send a foreign guild to support its longtime allies.
"Hah~ I was expecting a fierce battle."
"Well, it looks like it'll be a peaceful raid, so it's okay, right?"
One of the 10 largest Korean guilds, Firebird Guild Leader Lee Yong-wan and his Vice Guild Leader Ha Yuri looked down on the dueling grounds from the grandstand, which was like a giant coliseum.
It was a structure reminiscent of the Roman era, but with magical contrasts everywhere. Even the terrain was exaggeratedly reminiscent of a near-future fantasy.
"Took you long enough. It's been over ten days since we got here."
"I don't see any signs of a dungeon break, so I guess we're good——."
"Have you found the entrance to the gate, or even the Magician Queen if you're looking for her——"
Ha Yuri shook her head at Yongwan's question. The place they'd fallen to was far from the center of the empire.
He'd read the quest and joined a group of like-minded guild members as they traveled to the Imperial Capital to fulfill it.
When they finally made it to the capital, the first Hunters were already engaged in a courtship duel.
"That's great, by the way, this is some big event business, and at the king's insistence, the officials are using their brains to keep the budget in check."
The courtship of Carina Dragonia was an empire-wide, national event.
The imperial family sold tickets to citizens, hosted restaurants, and ran otherworldly tournaments to keep the budget for this ongoing big event afloat.
"What were the rules?"
"Challengers from tournaments around the country must challenge the 'champion' and win."
"You mean the leading suitor. And if you beat the champion?"
"Then you become the champion, and the champion must-"
A hundred defenses.
For three years, there were countless challengers, champions, but the reason they failed was this.
They failed after a hundred defenses, and the longest-lasting champion had forty-four successful defenses.
"No, doesn't that mean we can't even challenge? I think we should go around the provincial cities first."
"Technically, winning the provincial tournament comes first, but there is an exception. Apparently, if you destroy a special golem, you can challenge the Champion."
"I see, so those who are confident in their skills can go straight to the main event."
In that case, there would be no need to waste time traveling to local and national tournaments.
"Well, it seems that there are some sincere people who don't know that and come from the provinces."
At that moment, a magically amplified voice echoed through the courtship arena.
[Dear citizens of the Empire, the long-awaited battle for the crowning of a champion begins now!]
"It's finally starting."
"We might have to challenge the current champion, so let's watch carefully."
This was the reason they had come here.
Just like the example of the eponymous dragon they had witnessed in the subspace, there would be a powerhouse here.
How strong they were would determine the success of the Hunters' quest.
"I guess they didn't realize that destroying a golem earns them a challenge."
"It's ten days, so there will be all sorts of cases, but if it's England–is that them?"
One by one, the challengers are introduced by the emcee. At the forefront is a knight in shining silver armor.
[Undefeated in the Naritan Tournament, the number one ranked player in the Naritan Tournament with an overwhelming undefeated record, the undefeated silver knight, Graham!]
Sir Graham is an S-class Hunter from the Gentlemen's League, one of the largest guilds in England.
This genius swordsman, who was awarded a knighthood by Queen Victoria at a young age, is considered to be the next generation of Britain.
And walking beside him is a giant of a man.
[Next up is Naritan, ranked No. 2! His record is truly overwhelming! If he hadn't lost a time-over decision to Sir Graham the Silver Knight, he would have been ranked No. 1! Invincible and unstoppable! A man of living, breathing steel! Günther Noordt!!!]
Günther Noordt is considered the best tanker in Germany and possibly the best tanker in Europe. Even the number one ranked, Sir Graham, could not penetrate this man's defense and had to settle for a judgment.
[Both suitors are undoubtedly skilled, but this man may be the one to fear!]
An elderly gentleman in a suit adjusted his thick silk hat at the moderator's introduction.
[Despite being a mage, he has overwhelmed countless warriors to reach the semifinals! However, when the third place in the rankings was confirmed, the mysterious Archmage Cornwall, who had lost a series of disqualifications, oooooooooh!!!]
"Hall, hall, hall— there's no need to waste your strength."
The old archmage was actually the undisputed leader of this place.
The pride of the British magical world, the first Archmage and receiver of a Dukedom or Master of the Epic Item Twelve Circles.
There are many words to describe him, but they all point to the same thing but the word legend sums it up.
[Now, then, the current champion who will accept the suitors' challenge, the strongest champion of all time who has crushed all challengers so far—-Wait, what are you doing!]
"Huh?"
"Uh, that guy——."
It was a huge red armor that suddenly stormed in, snatching the moderator's magic tool for announcements.
An influencer that Earthlings have become all too familiar with recently. Holy Knight Vulcanus.
"Vulcanus! Vulcanus!"
"Vulcanus! Vulcanus!"
And the knights who support him.
Vulcanus, far too confident for a trespasser, began to take over as moderator.
[Today! We shall witness! Master of myths! Knight of legends!]
[The one beloved of brilliance!]
[One who embraces the flames of battle!]
[He who divides the seas and stirs up the waves!]
[Who he is! Who he is!]
The knights in the crowd respond.
[[Living demigod!]]
[[First Knight of the Goddess!]]
[[Representative of the Ten Thousand Gods!]]
[[Yes, yes, yes!!!]
[[All-powerful! All-powerful!!!]]
[[Heavens and Earth! Heavens and Earth!!!]]
[The Greatest Orc Slayer!]
[Terror of the Evil Species!!!]
[Demon Lord Slayer!!!]
[The Greatest Demon Slayer!!!]
[Ranged Abomination!]
[The Greatest Charger in the World!!!]
[[Undefeated Grail Guardian of the Great Lionheart!!!]
[[Leon! Dragonia! Lionheart~~~~~!!!!]]
The Golden Lionheart King appears while Yong-wan and Ha Yuri are speechless and frozen in place.
The same was true for the Hunters who were courting Emperor Karina to fulfill the quest.
"——What is this?"
Or that they had to pass their father-in-law's test before they could marry.
"You will never pass this."
The hardest father-in-law test in the world began.