Read Soul of Searing Steel - Chapter 33 online free - Light Novel Full
Chapter 33: Oh My, There Is Even a Banquet?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After stating his current status, Joshua continued to speak despite the crowd's sudden uproar.
"I'm sure that someone within the crowd already knows my identity. However, today's topic is not about me. You may not have noticed but my father, the previous count has passed away due to an accident. As such, my uncle seized the opportunity to take over this land by force. He even expelled my knights and planned to steal my ownership of this land."
"All of you may remember the group of patrollers under my uncle's control swaggering on our streets, but fear not as they no longer exist within this city now and would never come back again." Joshua paused for a bit, waiting for the crowd to digest the information given. When the time came, he said, "That was because I had already slain them all."
When Joshua spoke, everyone went silent. What follows next was a sudden, unexpected cheer from the crowd. All the civilians that had gathered were once bullied and threatened by the new patrol. Even though it was winter, it should not be the main cause for civilians to keep off the streets. People of the north were considered honest and simple. Under normal circumstances, they would not do anything that would harm the interest of the city. However, if the days where they would have to live in fear continued, even if they were the people of the north, they would consider taking some underhanded actions against the arrogant patrol. However, since the current lord of the land had already taken care pests, it had turned into a very favorable event for the people to celebrate.
For the current lord to declare his actions of murder directly to the people, it had proven that Joshua was a strong person. Only the strong could lead the knights and soldiers to go against the Dark Tide. Only the strong could protect their own territory. Since the new count had already shown his strength and courage, the people happily acknowledged him as their lord and cheered for him.
Amidst the roars, Joshua stated, "My people, today you may all live the way you have like the past. You are free to travel within the land. All of those who had suffered mistreatment in the past, you will be compensated by coming to the St. Laurent to receive your compensation. However, do not try to make up lies during the process as the priest under the God of Justice would be watching. Finally, families with newborns this year will be able to enjoy one year of tax exemption. That's all."
Joshua waved his hand at the crowd and left the stage. With all these announcements being made, the crowd had gone into a state of excitement and cheered happily.
"Ying, let's go. The following work will be managed by Artanis."
"Yes, Master."
On the 15th of November, also known as the month of Frost and Snow. Six days after the declaration.
The cold season spread throughout the land, freezing up all the things you could see out in the open. Farms and barns were all covered in white snow. The farmers had already harvested the last batch of plants which were more resistant towards the cold. Even all the cattle had been stationed in their respective huts. All the civilians were prepared to embrace this cold period.
The Mycroft Continent of Continental War was positioned from the furthest north of the Lost Sea all the way to the south sea of Cliff's End. Every acre of land in between was unbelievably fertile. The growth of plants was also affected by magic, causing rapid growth and propagation. Both of the factors combined had caused quite a problem for humans to deal with. These factors were the source of disasters which had eventually created the Dark Forest.
Other than the humans' seat of power, all the fortresses dotting the borders of human civilization were being threatened by the existence of the Dark Forest. The never-ending proliferation of the Dark Forest invaded human territories like a plague, birthing numerous daemons. It did not take long for them to amass and assault humanity, forming the Dark Tide which spread terror and destruction to countless settlements. All the blood and corpses from the war further cultivated the Dark Forest as fertilizer, nourishing it with energy. The plants and trees within the forest seemed to be cursed. It would only take them three years to grow more than ten meters tall. Within this forest which was covered up by all these tall trees, different types of plants grew within the forest, creating a scenery resembling an alternate world.
The fortress near the border which was located near the Dark Forest was surrounded by a large forest with numerous daemons invading from time to time. Behind this fortress, there was only a single road filled with bones and blood, acting as the only passageway to human civilization.
Due to the extreme weather in the north, it was still considered stable for the time being. Due to the extreme cold, the plants grew slowly, on contrast with the rate of deforestation.Thus the threat of the Dark Forest to Moldavia was far less compared to the pressure that was faced by the Empire in the south.
However, every occurrence had their pros and cons. Due to the characteristic of the plants and land, the quality of life of the civilians was not as harsh as it seemed to be. At the very least, the civilians in this world were much blessed as compared to the lives of people in Joshua's other world. Due to the current nature of the environment, the people who lived in this world did not suffer from famine. The food supplied in this world was comparable to weeds in Joshua's previous world. An acre of land could easily produce three seasons worth of wheat as compared to the previous world within one year. Despite having such extreme weather in the north, it was still capable to produce at least two seasons worth of wheat easily. There were also incidences where mutation occured on the wheat, causing mages and druids to come over and control their growth rate.
Tending livestock such as goats and cows could also be a challenge as they could be affected by the magic energy and return to their wild nature. Despite having this challenge, cows and goats had very rapid growth rates as compared to those of the other world. With sufficient amount of food, they could easily transition from the status of a newborn within a period of two weeks. After approximately nine months, this livestock would be mature enough and be ready to be processed for consumption. This growth rate could be considered to be unbelievably fast. Given the fact that this was the world of magic, all the strange occurrences were considered normal, compared to the other world.
In a certain mansion located west of the city, Joshua was sitting inside a room, reading pages and pages of letters while furrowing his brows.
After becoming the new lord of Moldavia, his life could not be classified as 'extremely busy' as the order of the city and other chores were maintained by his subordinates. Knights were also stationed to monitor all the executives which were responsible for their respective task.
The real headache for Joshua would be the letters received.
Being the new successor and lord of Moldavia, Joshua received abundant letters from different nobles of the empire. Not only that, the letters of devotion from the knights of Moldavia was also another great task for Joshua to handle. Each and every one of those letters must be replied carefully based on the history of relationship and ranks. In addition to that, Joshua had to reply in different ways so that duplication would not occur. This act would be considered as the minimum requirement for etiquette among the nobles.
Joshua had never done these sort of tasks in his other life. It was continuous torture for him to actually reply all those letters. There were times where Joshua nearly smashed his table into pieces and called it a day. Only by utilizing all of his patience and determination was he able to endure the horrendous responsibility.
"Darn it, the mansion had already been wrecked and all the previous employees were chased away by my stupid uncle. They are most probably resting in their homes so I guess I won't be able to summon them within such a short period."
With great difficulty, Joshua was able to reply a letter from a random marquis elegantly. After that, he could finally put down his pen and take a sip of tea, relaxing his mind.
All the servants of the previous count had scattered thanks to Danlya. Most of them have already returned to their own villages. Joshua was left with no choice but to do all these tasks by himself. Joshua would probably have to continue this pace of living until spring. Looking on the bright side, Joshua only needed to reply each letter once.
"Master, here is another batch of letters for you."
Ying's energic voice could be heard all the way from the main hall. Currently, she had no other task to do other than sending Joshua more letters and occasional food.
"My god, another letter…"
Joshua could no longer endure this lifestyle. After stumbling for a few seconds, he thought of some brilliant ideas and shouted towards the direction of the main hall, "Ying, if you receive any letters next time, open it up and see it for yourself. If they are not important, you could just reply them as you see fit."
"Am I really allowed to read these letters? They look very expensive to me."
Ying held onto a fancy envelope, with edges coated with gold, straight towards Joshua's study room. By looking into Joshua with her green eyes firmly, she said, "I doubt I'm suitable to read and reply this letter, I guess?"
"… Well, give me that one. You can take care of the others."
Joshua stood up and received the fancy envelope.
"I believe that your writing skill might even be better than mine."
Joshua spoke the truth. Despite Ying's youthful appearance, her database was slightly outdated, which included the language of the Empire. Having complete knowledge of the Empire's language would definitely be much beneficial as compared to Joshua who had a brain built with only muscles. Ying could definitely reply the letters in different ways without any difficulty.
Joshua opened the fancy envelope in his hand and withdrew a platinum invitation card.
"A banquet?"
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Chapter 34: A Familiar Person?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Several days later, within the northern part of the city.
Joshua wore formal attire while riding his warhorse. He was later assisted by a group of servants after dismounting from his horse who greeted him respectfully. Later on, he entered through the main entrance of the lively mansion.
"It eats meat and drinks liquor. Don't feed it grass or beans."
When the stableman led the warhorse away, the young warrior advised, "If it still doesn't enjoy the food provided, add two eggs. Be really careful not to get kicked, its temper is pretty bad."
"Yes, my liege."
After replying respectfully, the stableman comforted the horse which appeared rather annoyed when Joshua left. The stableman then carefully led the warhorse to the stable located right behind them as the black warhorse was still throwing a tantrum.
The horse was special to Joshua as it was the same warhorse that accompanied Joshua during his journey from the northwestern plains all the way to the north. They travelled together for seventeen days and were thus considered close companions.
When Joshua planned to enter the city back then, he tried to release the warhorse back to the wilderness to survive on its own. Joshua's initial plan was to release the beast and not look for it. Who would have thought that this warhorse which inherited the bloodline of a drake could identify his scent and forcefully enter the city looking for him.
With such loyalty shown by the warhorse, there was no reason for Joshua to insist on releasing it to the wilderness. As it was not slow as well, Joshua could actually use it as his dedicated warhorse.
"The banquet has already begun. All the guests await your presence, my liege."
While leading Joshua towards their destination, the butler felt very nervous. He had seen numerous major characters and nobles during his lifetime, but he never felt such tension while facing Joshua. Nervously, he said to Joshua, "Today, you are the main attraction of this banquet."
"Is that so…"
Joshua did not think that the banquet was of any importance. He noticed that the butler beside him was flustered. Ignoring the butler's demeanor Joshua said, "You don't really have to be so nervous. Tell me about the guests of this banquet."
Truth be told, the butler did a good job for being able to speak. With Joshua's current personal image having both [Merciless Killer] and [Destructor, there would not be a lot of people who were able to face Joshua calmly, much less maintaining their composure.
[Personal Image – Merciless Killer : Charm -2, Intimidation 3, Affinity with Nature -2, Intimidation towards Nature 2, Cold Attitude of a Savior]
[Both of your hands are soaked with blood, countless of lives were lost because of you. People will feel terrified and automatically stay away from you. Even if a hungry beast was to meet with you, it will definitely choose to avoid confronting you directly.]
[Personal Image- Destructor: Charm -1, Intimidation 2 Affinity with Nature -1, Intimidation towards Nature 1, Cold Attitude of a Creator]
[The path you've passed, would only leave behind ruins, death, and bones as a sign of your presence.]
A person's first impression, that is, charm and affinity were deduced by the looks of a person. For example, if the person was an elf with a maximum value in terms of looks, her natural charm would be a maximum of 20, affinity with nature would also be 20. With this level of charm, even the hungriest wolf on earth would not take this person as a target, it might even start praying for food from this person meekly. As for a dwarf with maximum value on their looks, they could easily tame a metal mole by saying "come here" or "follow me". It would have a similar effect for those of other races as well.
Joshua was actually not that hideous. With the value 20 being the maximum for looks or appearance, Joshua could score around 14 to 15. He could be regarded as a handsome and confident man. His initial value for charm was also 14, which was not a low number. However, due to him constant living the life of a military personnel, his whole image was later shaped into being more 'majestic' rather than 'sociable'. His charm value dropped drastically while his intimidation increases as time progressed.
Joshua only possessed a pitiful amount of '4' charm until today. With the additional buffs from two different personalities (Creator and Savior) recently, his intimidation sky-rocketed to 18. Ordinary people with weak wills could only shiver in fright once they stared into his eyes. In simpler words, it was as if Joshua has an aura of intimidation.
"There are not many guests at this banquet. Most of the guests here are influential members of the merchant's guild, such as the leader of Gray Drakes, the vice-leader of Limestone, and lastly the leader of the Winter Wolves. They are all here to meet my master."
After a short while, the butler finally managed to regain his composure a bit while facing Joshua all thanks to his vast experience. He led Joshua to the reception area while explaining, "My master is also the leader of the Northern Frost merchant group. He was very eager to meet you, my liege. Your presence at this banquet has given quite an amount of support to my master."
"This was convenient for me as well. Rather than having each and every one of you visiting me randomly, I would prefer to meet up with all of you and have fun at a banquet," replied Joshua while nodding.
Just thinking about all the letters he had already received made him feel nauseated.
"Judging from your behavior, breathing and blood circulation, is there anything else you have not informed me? There's no need for you to be hesitant. You can just tell me the truth, there's no need to feel restrained here. This is the north, not the Empire. Etiquette and protocols are unnecessary."
"Very well, then I shall heed your advice, my liege."
The butler paused for a moment and surveyed his surroundings, then quietly said, "I hope that my liege could meet up with my master alone before the banquet starts, if possible."
"Oh?"
Joshua then looked at this nervous butler, with his dark red eyes he gazed directly at the butler. After some consideration, Joshua replied with interest, "Interesting… Very well. Lead the way."
After receiving Joshua's answer, the butler sighed in relief. Immediately, he led Joshua to a different direction and brought Joshua to a well-decorated guest room. After Joshua had been seated, the butler stood in front of the entrance and bowed.
"Please wait for a moment, my liege. I will inform my master in a short while."
"You may proceed."
Joshua shook his hands, indicating that it was okay for the butler to proceed. Since the person in charge of the banquet was not in a hurry to present himself, Joshua did not feel the need to be bothered by it. After all, it was not a big problem for him to sit and wait for this person to come.
About two to three minutes later, very fast paced footsteps could be heard from the entrance. After a moment, it stopped at the entrance and the door opened.
The person that came in was dressed in formal attire. The special trait of this man was there was a blade mark on his throat. When he entered the room, he immediately bowed towards Joshua. His mannerism was spot on. After that, this middle-aged man raised his head. Joshua noticed the look of the man.
"Oh, it is you?"
Joshua was surprised when he saw the face of the man despite having thoughts of multiple scenarios. The man flinched involuntarily and said, "Being able to meet you is such an honor, Count Joshua."
Judging from his age and the mark on his throat, this was the leader of the Northern Frost merchant group. Joshua had an encounter with him during the time he rushed back to Moldavia. During that event, Joshua was advised by this middle-aged man of the merchant group to be careful. Nobody would have thought that the guy who looked frail during their encounter was actually one of the leaders of the most prominent merchant groups in Moldavia.
Despite Joshua belonging to the upper class of society, his act of advising a total stranger within the freezing fields had touched the heart of this merchant group leader.
Joshua stood up and did not say much in reply. Since both of them knew each other, there was no need for unnecessary greetings.
"See? I told you that you would see great changes within a few days. That you might even obtain unexpected benefits out of it."
"Count Joshua, your capabilities have far exceeded my expectations. Being able to know you beforehand was definitely a blessing for me," replied the middle-aged man respectfully and calmly. My name is Alphonso Carlos. As you may see, I am the leader of the Northern Frost merchant group. The reason I invited you today is for a personal request."
"Speak your mind."
Joshua liked straightforward conversations. He did not mind people requesting help. He knew that with great power, came the great responsibility of being dependable.
"Moldavia is my territory. If it is not anything out of the ordinary, I may be able to help you with it."
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Chapter 35: Are They Promoting Their Daughters?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Joshua finally understood the motive behind his invitation after listening to Alphonso's explanation.
Being an issue regarding finance, it was actually nothing major. A merchant's troubles would always have money involved.
According to Alphonso, all the merchants in the north have been plagued by the same issue for the last five days. The problem was that the Imperial City had been cordoned off, hence causing all the merchants of this land to be stranded.
Impeded, they were unable to continue their trade.
Their path being sealed also signified that their trade had to be stopped. This issue was no joke for any of the merchants in Moldavia. If they can't leave the land and proceed with their next business deal, they might lose a huge sum of money breaching the trading contract. To make matters worse, their relationships built upon trust would suffer a heavy blow, causing a chain reaction towards the credibility of northern merchants.
"According to my sources, there have been abnormal sightings within the Dark Forest. To avoid any accidents from occurring, the military has decided to seal off the path. We still do not have any solutions to this."
With a fatigued look, Alphonso had explained the current situation of the northern lands and the Empire based on the map he had. "Other than the path by Fort Ural, we could only pass through the dense forest. I'm not crazy enough to risk the lives of my members to the beasts out there. Although there is a long river which we could use as the primary means of transportation in Moldavia, the number of ships we have which could traverse that river is insufficient. With a scarcity of ships within the entire merchant guild, I don't think I can even obtain the chance to use it for myself."
"Why was I not aware of this issue?" Joshua frowned. After he thought for a moment, he replied, "This blockade is completely due to the abnormal occurrences within the Dark Forest. Even the Empire is having a hard time solving it. Since the situation is grave, I doubt I possess the power to tackle such a problem."
"You may not know about this but currently, the path is tightly guarded. Civilians and adventurers may still pass through the blockade. However, for merchant groups as large as the Gray Drakes, too many people get involved in each trip. They are afraid that the sheer number of humans may alert the daemons, thus forbidding us traders from proceeding along the path."
Alphonso felt extremely helpless based on the current situation. He had no other way to deal with this sudden change in event and communication was difficult between them and the guards. "However my liege, even if the others may be restricted, that rule does not apply to you. You have the right to walk past the blockade."
When Alphonso spoke about Joshua's privilege, his tone changed into one of complete confidence in Joshua's capability.
Joshua rarely met with people who placed such confidence in him. He touched his chin and replied, "Interesting. Now, I really want to know on what basis would you feel so confident about my capability."
"Dwarves."
Without hesitation, the middle-aged merchant spoke the magic word. He then repeated his point, "The underground path of the dwarves!"
Alphonso retrieved a map and pointed at the lava lake near the Mount Great Ajax within the vicinity of Moldavia. "Most people have heard that the count's family had a very good relationship with the dwarves. You should also know that the dwarves had an underground path that links it to every part of the Empire. By using the underground path, we could easily bypass the blockade. My request is actually very simple. I would like to get a chance to meet with the upper echelon of the dwarves!"
When Alphonso spoke of his reasons and request, his face was extremely serious. Politely, he asked Joshua, "My liege does not have to stand up for us. All we need is a chance to meet with the leaders of the dwarves. I have full confidence in persuading them to give us the rights to utilize the tunnel! If we were to be granted permission to use the passage, we could pass through the snow-filled plains and reach the Empire and the south even faster."
"Your thoughts might be on the right track, however the dwarves…"
At first, Joshua frowned for a while. Thinking for a while, he then nodded his head and replied, "I just remembered that the dwarves just sent me a letter 3 days ago. It was a letter from Ironborn Moreila. He was an elder from my great-grandfather's era. I had to go through 3 book racks to find a template that I could use to send him a reply… Alphonso!"
Joshua pointed to the lava lake area of the map while replying in a serious and loud tone. "We are not strangers, so I'm not going to go through all the formalities. Although I am sort of acquainted with the dwarfs, they might be my citizens under my governance, and my family had a good relationship with them, I am only a newly appointed count for this land. The most I could do for you is to provide you with a letter of recommendation so that you wouldn't be chased out of the lava lake area. Anything that happens beyond that point will be all up to you."
"That will be more than enough, Count Joshua!"
With such promise given by Joshua, Alphonso had his worries lifted. His facial expression improved following that as he felt revitalized. "This favor granted today shall not be forgotten by this humble one. I shall repay my liege whenever possible."
"That is not necessary."
Shaking his head, Joshua gazed into the eyes of the middle-aged man and replied, "What I need is not money."
Joshua thought for a moment as he was trying to recall some of the events that happened within the Empire during this time frame. After a moment of pause, Joshua replied with a smile in his face. "Well then, if you are able to pass through the dwarves' underground tunnel all the way to the northern part of the Empire, there is one thing that I would need your help with. After all, I'm the newly appointed Count of Moldavia and I can't really leave this place during this time."
"If it is within my capabilities, I will fulfill your task," Alphonso replied without hesitation. "On Carlos' name, I, Alphonso, vow to complete the task given by my liege."
"You do not have to be so impatient. We will discuss it further after the banquet."
Joshua shook his hands and made his way towards the entrance. Without any delay, Alphonso quickly rushed towards the door and opened it for Joshua. The butler stationed outside was planning to continue leading Joshua into the hall. However, he was later stopped by his master. Alphonso said, "I will be leading the way for the liege. This would be the direction towards the main hall."
Three of them walked towards the main hall. After a while, they arrived at their destination. The middle-aged man opened the main door for Joshua and said, "Honorable Count, please enter."
A soothing music from the violin and piano was heard across the hall. Accompanying it were the voices of guests chattering and chuckles from the ladies. Joshua could also smell the fragrance of incense within the hall. Alphonso had truly invested a lot in this banquet. After all, even the incense used on that day was of premium grade.
As Joshua approached the hall, the sound of music gradually grew more and more distinct. However, just as he stepped inside, he suddenly raised his guard as a sweet scent permeated his surroundings.
This was not the same scent as the premium-grade incense. It was not from the food served within the banquet. To be precise, this scent was a floral fragrance interlaced with a hint of female hormones.
Joshua was not able to digest this information fast enough. As soon as Joshua entered the hall, the crowd abruptly hushed. With such an appearance, even the performers couldn't help but be dazed for a moment, disrupting each others' tempo and making mistakes during their performance. Fortunately for the performers, no one actually paid much attention to their performance at that very moment.
Complete silence filled the environment.
Intimidation 18 was definitely too much for ordinary people to handle.
Joshua sighed for a moment. His charm was unbelievably low in the first place, although his looks were still passable. He could still accept the fact that his affinity was low. However, possessing a very high intimidation value exerted quite a lot of pressure to his surroundings. With such a level, he could easily silence a crowd wherever he went. It would really kill the mood for any sort of occasion.
Scanning the hall, Joshua was baffled.
"Wait, all of them are women?!"
There were not many guests in the hall. Other than the performers and waiters, there were a total of more than thirty guests. Among those people, more than half of them were actually ladies in dresses and gowns!
"What the heck is going on here?!"
Luckily he could still spot a few middle-aged men with their wives sitting together. As for the young ladies who did not seem to dare approach Joshua, there were about ten of them.
After contemplating, Joshua figured that since there were about four to five people in charge of different merchant groups, those ladies there were probably their close relatives. Each family probably brought about two to three young ladies for the banquet tonight.
By looking at Alphonso who was approaching Joshua, this young count finally realized what was going on.
He was still twenty three this year, a young count with a great future ahead. Someone that was seemingly the perfect husband for any lady. One could never underestimate the mind of a merchant. As merchants, they were known to possess all sorts of tricks and cunning to obtain benefits. If Joshua did not accede to Alphonso's request, he would probably be bombarded with recommendations to marry any one of the beautiful ladies that were present at the banquet this very same day.
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Chapter 36: Charm Doesn't Appear to Do Any Good at All
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Unfortunately, even when the banquet was about to end, a few of those girls could not even utter a complete sentence when Joshua was looking at them. While trying to get in a word with Joshua, most of them would even stutter when they were saying their own names. After a hasty salute, the girls would run aside quickly. They would only stop shaking after their girlfriends calmed them down a little bit.
There was one who finally managed to introduce herself using complete sentences. The warrior nodded to express his admiration. Right when he was getting ready to respond to the girl, Joshua witnessed the girl take three steps back and she almost fell…
Seriously? Was that necessary?!
To be frank, these girls did not look fragile or weak from their appearances. They even looked sort of heroic. After all, they were people of the north. The environment of the land was not as tame as the land in the south. So there was no way that any of them would be raised to be ladylike.
However, Joshua's aura was really something not to be reckoned with. He did not have to say a word. With just a regular grunt, he could have scared all wolf packs away. He could also unconsciously scare away all beasts with his presence. With a little more effort in it, he could become as intimidating as the demons from the abyss. As if his mini intimidation aura had just been upgraded tremendously.
Even though Joshua had tried his best to keep his intimidating side to himself, it was still a bit too much for the girls who had not seen bloodshed before.
Overall, despite some hiccups that happened during the event, the banquet was still considered a success. Joshua and the fellow merchant leaders across Moldavia got to know each other well enough to even set an appointment to their next meeting.; unlike the girl in his care. These leaders were much more knowledgeable after all. They had traveled across many places. Some of them even traded with the White Dragons and other famous groups. Even though the warrior was intimidating, he was not as intimidating as a dragon.
Although these businessmen were not of noble status, they were actually far more important than some of those lesser noblemen across the land. They were the sort of existence not to be ignored in a territory. Just as Chris who ran all the way back to the south of the Empire's mentioned, the land in the north was now freezing cold. Meanwhile, the daemons were beginning to gather around. The region was basically very isolated in the first place. While the wizards of the Empire were reducing the running cost of the elemental engine called [Vortex] before making the airships available in a more advanced form, these merchants played a vital role in the communication between the territories and the outside world.
Time passed as they were exchanging toasts. When almost all guests had left the hall, Joshua put down the glass in his hand and smiled at Alphonso who seemed to be a little drunk.
"What, are you drunk already?"
The wine was much stronger in colder places. Moldavia was not an exception as well. The wine that was produced by the local winery and the dwarves could be used as additives for combustion after adding several other ingredients to it. Even though Alphonso was a Steel-tier merchant from the north, he could only remain sober with a few cups wine before becoming drunk.
"I'm just a little bit drunk, but that won't matter."
Although his face was a little red at the moment, the middle-aged merchant's eyes seemed clear and sober. Joshua did not even have to ask as the merchant knew Joshua's exact intention.
"My liege, do you need something done then? Please bear with me for the moment, I'll look for a quiet spot first."
"Yes. Thank you."
Upon seeing the merchant replying him immediately without the need to ask, Joshua nodded with satisfaction and said, "Then lead the way."
The moment when Joshua and Alphonso were walking towards a study room, Ying was standing on a tall chair right at the porch of the house by the west side of the city. She was staring at the frozen pond as she let her mind wander.
The sky was turning dark, it was almost dusk. The golden sunset shone on the city covered in snow with a cold breeze blowing through. There were no signs of any leaves on the dried branches. As the branches shook a little, the snow on the branches fell to the ground.
Ying was not bothered by the cold weather at all. After she stared for a brief moment without any thought in her mind, she squatted and reached out her fair hand. She touched the frozen pond with her finger and sighed.
"So hard, so cold… Is this ice? It feels like glass."
Although she was forged in the north, she had been sealed away beneath the church all this while. She only came out of the sealed room recently. So it was certain that the silver-haired Divine Armament never had the chance to touch ice. She immediately stood up on her feet and walked to the side of the tree, stretching her hands out in an attempt to break off one of the icicles hanging by the branches. However, she was not tall enough, so she failed to even touch it. Because of that, she felt extremely embarrassed.
Even though Ying seemed tiny in her human form, her basic power level was still Silver. With a light leap, the angered and embarrassed little girl managed to pull off the entire branch of the tree.
Putting the icicle on her palm, the silver-haired Divine Armament looked at the transparent ice piece patiently, feeling the coldness that was spreading across her palm. After that, the warmth of her body slowly melted the ice and turned the icicle into a puddle of water.
"It's just like the record in the memory core. Water can really solidify due to the lower temperature."
Ying seemed very excited after she confirmed that another data in her consciousness was correct. After that, she took out a small notebook and a pen out of nowhere and started writing things down. "This world is full of wonders."
Joshua left during the afternoon to attend the banquet. Meanwhile, the young Divine Armament began to roam around the house to on her small adventure. Starting from the warrior's study room where he always hung around, Ying went through the entire house. While her curiosity blazed on, she examined everything that was in sight. Ying even asked for help from the other female servants around the place to make a dish based on the memory implanted in her consciousness.
According to these maids who have been recruited for cleaning and cooking in recent days, Ying's cooking was not bad. The dish she made tasted good. However, her skills were a little off as she was not familiar with cooking just yet. So all she needed to do was to keep practicing.
The sun was gradually setting, the surroundings turning dark.
Suddenly, Ying who was smiling and playing with the snow suddenly stood up. The smile that showed that she was naïve had vanished from her face. Her face looked vigilant and serious all of a sudden. She narrowed her gaze and looked at the corner right on the porch. Under the dim light of the surroundings, two greenish eyes that looked like two fireflies appeared from the shadows.
"This is the house of the Radcliffes. Whoever you are, please reveal yourself."
The clear and pure voice of the little girl echoed through the air. The silver-haired Divine Armament frowned and stared at one corner of the street.
"Stop hiding, I can see you."
After she spoke, a man appeared. He was wearing a black coat with red corners that was slightly larger than his own physique.
"Don't be nervous, young lady. I do not intend to stay here actually."
The man before her was middle-aged; his calm expression spoke of experience, as if he was not shocked at all at being discovered. He shrugged and said, "I'm just waiting for your master to return. Do you know when that would be?"
"Who are you?"
The silver-haired Divine Armament did not care to listen to his explanation or answer his question. She only frowned and asked with a serious face, "If it's you're not hostile, just tell me your name and where you come from. That's the basis of courtesy."
"… You're so young and yet you're already at Silver. Not bad indeed… Joshua has a really good follower." The middle-aged man said in a low voice. He shook his head and smiled.
"Alright, I'm Mengsk Wolf. I am an acquaintance of Joshua's, back when he was still in the Black Raven Army."
"…"
Without replying at all, Ying was looking at the middle-aged man right in front of her warily. She was attempting to differentiate whether the man was telling the truth or not by looking closely at the man's facial expression. However, she was not as experienced as Joshua after all. So the best she could do was to determine that the man was a powerful Silver. The man appeared as straight as an arrow.
"My master will be back very soon," said Ying coldly.
She continued remaining cautious. "Since you've waited for such a long time, you definitely won't mind waiting for a while more, right?"
"Of course, my adorable lady."
Facing a girl that looked like she was only fourteen or fifteen years old, the man could not help to feel that she was like his own daughter. Even though she had a cool attitude all the time, a middle-aged man with quite a bad temper would find it hard to get angry at the girl. So he shrugged and said, "I've been expecting to do so from the beginning."
Upon finishing his sentence, he turned around and went over to the corner of the street where he initially stood.
Meanwhile, right on his chest, there was a golden badge of a balancing scale shining brightly under the residual sunlight.
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Chapter 37: Since I've Transmigrated, I'd Better Do Some Good Deed Without Leaving a Name. Damn! That's Cool!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Starfall Year 832, the light reflection of April. Fort Ares located southeast of the northern Empire had fallen after being invaded by unknown creatures. 58,000 civilians, 3,200 regular army members, 140 Silver-tier knights in the garrison, and two Gold-tier powerful beings who had [Glorious Strength] had all disappeared. They were all presumed dead.
In Continental War, there were many civilians with at least the power level of Steel. Nearly 3,500 regular soldiers would be enough to sweep out the daemons across the radius of dozens of miles. Furthermore, there were also two Gold tiers. Unless the ancient dragons attacked, Fort Ares which had forty-meter-tall walls around it should have been fortified into an unbreakable fortress. Even if the ancient dragons struck, the people in the fortress should still be able to send out distress calls for help.
However, even though that was the case, when the Empire noticed that they had lost contact with the fortress and sent their men to scout the fortress, they found it in ruins. The high walls had crumbled to the ground. Only a few broken columns stood among the wreckage. The entire fortress looked like it was run over by something destructive.
Meanwhile, the investigators had found a number of large dark holes in the surroundings of the wreckage, with each one being a diameter of tens of meters. There were some mucus and body parts that remained hanging on the edges of the stone walls. The place was filled with the unbearable stench of blood. The stench could really be discomforting to anyone who inhaled. Not long after that, these holes suddenly collapsed, destroying all evidence along with it.
That was [The Fall of Ares] that once shook the world. When the officials of the Empire found out about it, they were furious. The Empire's five armies had gone through the border of the south over eight times. They had swept through every corner across thousands of square kilometers of the Dark Forest. No matter how they outraged they were about the incident, no one managed to find out the truth.
In the game, [The Fall of Ares] was only narrated as the background of a story. However, the area where the players were active did not include the border of the fortress at that time. So everyone only knew very little about the incident.
However, by the end of the third expansion of the game, the seal of the abyss was uncovered. Right in the middle of the sulphuric smoke which was abundant enough to shield the sky and the mountains, there was an immeasurable gigantic Terraria Dhole Worm that was hundreds of meters long. The dhole worm was accompanied by a blazing meteor shower and countless demons which broke out from the ground to reveal themselves to everyone. The worm was capable of spitting venom. The moment it revealed itself, it could cause a violent earthquake that would affect several cities. It could destroy the city walls to bits without much effort. Sticky liquid with a strong stench would be splattered into the surroundings, emitting out waves of chaos energy to cause interference to means of communication.
After seeing the monster, everyone understood. It was obvious that this was the thing that destroyed Fort Ares 20 years ago.
However, no matter what, a dhole worm was one of the ancient creatures in the abyss. When the entrance was sealed, the only ones that could summon them would be…
Present, Starfall Year 831. The main city of Moldavia. Study room of the Northern Frost leader.
"Alphonso, I've given you the recommendation letter addressed to the dwarves. Now, I need you to do one thing for me."
Sitting in a chair comfortably, Joshua looked at Alphonso with a serious face. The middle-aged merchant held a paper and a pen before he spoke, "You'll walk through the capital of the Empire and make some trades along your way back, am I right?"
"Yes, I'll probably stay in the Empire for about half a month. I'll complete some trading first before I head even further south."
Alphonso nodded his head, looking slightly puzzled. "My liege, do you need us to bring some special local products with our return? There's no need for you to treat this as a mission. As long as you wish for it, I would be happy to bring a large amount back."
"Yes… and no."
Joshua frowned as he shook his head. He then he signaled Alphonso to pass the pen and paper to him. After the warrior received the pen and paper from the middle-aged merchant, he began to write on the paper. Then he spoke at the same time, "I really need you to help me bring some things back. However, it's not any of the local products… Alphonso, you do know that the Empire will hold an auction in spring, when the grass is still green every single year? They'd do that every time to celebrate the end of winter."
"Of course, my liege. However, that auction is always purely for festive reasons. No one would really put any precious thing in that auction. Only the rich would auction their books and some antiques for the sake of entertainment…" said Alphonso before coming to a realization. "My liege, do you require me to purchase something that you need? But…"
"I don't need that actually," Muttering to himself softly, Joshua sighed and showed the middle-aged man what he wrote and drew on the paper.
"Well, probably just one of these three. I'm not sure if you'd come across these things as well. However, if you do, just buy them and bring them back to me. You'll be well rewarded."
"How can I accept your great reward?"
Alphonso did not seem to be bothered by it at all. He looked at the things on the paper and replied with confidence, "These things are not expensive in the first place, in any of the previous auctions. If you insist on getting them, we can just skip talking about the prices… A key, a multi-sided object, and a book? The Book of Eibon? Your drawing skills are surprisingly impressive, my liege."
"I've learned the art of drawing for quite some time back then. As for the names, they're just estimations. I just heard about them from someplace else." Joshua gave the pictures to Alphonso as a reference. After that, he stood up and walked to the side of the window, "One silver key, and one multi-sided object with twenty-four sides that glows. As for the book, there's nothing special about it. I've given you its name. So it shouldn't be a problem for you."
"Rest assured that I'll get it done, my liege," promised Alphonso confidently. "As long as these items are available in the auction, I'll definitely get them and bring them back to you."
"I do hope so."
After waving his hand, Joshua's focus was not fixed on the merchant before him. He was drifting off to a deep part of his memories.
According to the mindset of the players in his other life, the destruction of Fort Ares was nobody's fault but their own. It was actually mentioned before, when the royal records were decrypted. Among the discoveries, there were descriptions stating that 'they had attempted to summon demons and even the evil gods' and 'the magic of chaos flows like water, distorting the natural surroundings'. Judging from those descriptions, someone one must have done some sort of ritual or experiment which led to the destruction of Fort Ares.
The person responsible probably did not intend to get himself killed. That person was most likely did all that due to curiosity. Another possibility was the person cursed by existing Evil Gods that led him to lose his sanity. Whatever it was, the death of over 60,000 people and the destruction of one fortress was an unbearable lost to the southern Kingdom. If the Empire's five armies did not sweep through the area, the Dark Forest might have spread across the entire southern region over thousands of kilometers. The Dark Tide might have tainted countless parts of the land and consumed countless homes and farms.
In Joshua's raid party, his right-hand man was a professional beta tester. Joshua had been listening to the man share all about it while they were clearing dungeons. So he could remember quite a number of things about it. As for now, Joshua could remember that a person would require some special instruments to summon demons and other monsters from the depth of the abyss. Among the instruments required were a silver key, shiny multi-sided object, and many other strange objects. Many types of magic books were required as well. At that time, the warrior was not interested in such things, so he could only recall three of them now. As such, he did not order Alphonso to search for them on purpose.
According to the records, when the archmage of Fort Ares arrived at the Empire for his duty, he only went out alone once to participate in the spring auction. Not long after he returned to the fortress, the calamity that leveled the fortress happened. The logic was so simple that people did not have to think to understand it. That archmage must have acquired some dangerous items and his experiment went wrong.
Standing by the window, Joshua began to have his own thoughts. He seemed to be relaxed though. Now that I've arrived in this world, I think I need to make some changes. Setting the north aside for now, I think it's time to change some things that I know would happen. 60,000 lives are at stake now. I think it's worth a shot. I have to try regardless if it will work or not.
Joshua looked out of the window. The sun had completely set, signaling the arrival of night. Other than the howling of the northern wind, there were not many sounds left in the city. There were only a few glimpses of light along the dark streets.
"This world is really interesting."
The warrior suddenly sighed. He turned around and smiled at the middle-aged merchant who seemed to know nothing about his thoughts.
"Alphonso, you and I are trying to change the destiny that has been fixed by the gods."
"Uhhh… What?"
Looking at the puzzled face of the merchant, Joshua shook his head and smiled. "It's alright that you don't understand. It's late now, I'm going to head back soon."
The words were unclear in the beginning. However, this sentence was simple and clear. Alphonso immediately stood up on his feet.
"Allow me to escort you out of the room."
"You don't have to be so courteous. Just let your butler do it. You've been snatching his work from him all day long. I feel uncomfortable looking at what you're doing to him."
Upon waving his hand around, Joshua gave another order, "Whether you can find what I want you to find, send a magic message to St. Laurent Cathedral immediately after the auction has ended. I'll give you the next instructions after that."
"Yes, my liege."
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Chapter 38: The Empire Has Decided, You're Going to Fight the Dark Tide
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After two major ripples, Moldavia returned to its original state. The main city finally obtained a peaceful and quiet night.
The lights across the business district were gleaming as usual. Even though it was already late at night, the district was still as populous as ever. Businesses such as the smithy, the grocers, the pharmacies as well as other material shops were prospering. Meanwhile, the adventurers, regardless of whether they were mercenaries or just travelers, were having a great time at the bar with beer in hand. They were singing and drinking joyfully. Some of them even started arm wrestling to prove their might amongst each other.
Riding on his battle horse, Joshua was observing his territory from a dark corner while he headed towards his mansion.
The population in Moldavia currently numbered several million. The population across the entire northern region was nearly five million. That was about 5% of the entire population of the Empire. Truthfully speaking, this figure was minute.
The northern territories had occupied 25% of the entire world map. However, the population in all four northern territories combined was still less than the population of the main cities in the southern region. It seemed like all worlds were similar. There would always be less people in places that are too cold.
Of course, Joshua knew about it as well that the few millions of people in his territory were actually not that concentrated after all.
On a vast land such as this, there were only 420,000 people under Joshua's jurisdiction. Meanwhile, the combined number of dwarves, the midgets, and the goblins was only about 400,000. The remaining 70,000 to 80,000 people were composed of the Halfling Blacksmiths, the Adventurers that wandered and traveled around, the mercenaries and other minority races. Including the small number of elves and savages, the total population of the region had indeed numbered nearly a million. However, most of them were paying taxes to him only on paper. Some of them decided to live underground as well, and thus, there was not much sign of there being people on the surface at all.
Among the ninety-seven knights that the Empire bestowed upon Moldavia, there were less than twenty who were capable of possessing their own manors. Meanwhile, most of the others were military officers. They were currently scattered, living in the fortress and towns. They were hoping that they could render great merits in battle and be conferred a title as well as handsome rewards for their deeds.
Big problems could potentially arise when many races were coexisting on a piece of land. However, it would not pose a problem to Moldavia.
Unlike the people of the east who loved the idea of 'pure bloodlines', the northern Empire and the Far South Alliance could not be bothered about the many races cohabiting. In the far north, humans marrying elves was actually a common occurrence. The number of half-blood human-elves consisted of up to 20% of the entire population in that region. In the capital of the Empire, humans and dwarves lived together in harmony and without discrimination. They had been coexisting for hundreds of years and it had developed into a societal norm. There were no racists that would discriminate their dwarven or elven neighbor. The most they did was to get into fights with the goblin merchants in their shops.
Naturally, there existed a reason for why every race of Continental War was able to coexist in harmony. That reason was the Dark Forest.
[The Dark Tide]
The mountains would tremble while the beasts in the forest would run amok. This unnatural disaster looked like a raging tide of black waves gushing across the land.
Those who had not seen the Black Tide before would feel unbearable despair. Without the existence of such a horrific calamity, how would the races live together willingly despite their differences then? The resources and rich magic across the land permitted all the races living together to be free of the worry about food and supplies. The only thing they had was how to battle so that they may prolong their fate. Wars occurring over the millennia left countless corpses in its wake. Thus, the land was named 'Continental War'.
Joshua was riding into the city from the west. He narrowed his eyes and spotted the mansion he lived in.
"Silver-tier, high level, a man, he's not young…"
Joshua was muttering to himself as he rode past every obstacle, making his way to his mansion. There was a Silver-tier warrior standing near his residence in plain sight. His body was radiating a golden hue. There was another person beside the warrior, and that person was Joshua's own Divine Armament.
"This is someone I'm familiar with. I must have known him from before."
Hustling his horse, Joshua no longer observed his own territory. Well, the city was his to begin with. He could look and observe around for as long as he wanted to.
After a brief moment, he closed up on the warrior.
"Mengsk?"
Upon seeing the familiar black coat with red sides and a golden badge in the shape of a scale, Joshua knew that this must be the examiner sent by the Empire. He probably felt familiar because he had examined Joshua before.
"It's been quite a while, young liege."
This middle-aged examiner by the name Mengsk bowed lightly and said, "I've been waiting here since before the sun set."
"I had no idea you would be here. Nobody informed me of your arrival."
Hopping off the back of his horse, Joshua gently touched the neck of the horse and looked at the face of the examiner seemed calm. He could not help but feel uneasy. "Could it be that you're here with more bad news for me?"
"Unfortunately, yes. However, this is not a good place to speak."
Mengsk turned his head to the side and looked towards the mansion. Meanwhile, the silver-haired girl was running towards the two men. Mengsk shook his head and said, "By the way, your little follower is very loyal. She didn't even allow me to approach the porch of your mansion."
"Master!"
Running up to Joshua, Ying seemed a little puzzled as she stared at the two of them. "Do you know him?"
"Oh, I do know him. He's an acquaintance from before."
Patting the head of the little girl, Joshua smiled and praised her. "You did great. You deserve to be praised and rewarded. So how's today?"
"Very good, I assume. I've understood most of the things in the house. I've learned how to make a dish as well."
"Oh? That's not bad at all. You're a fast learner."
Mengsk could not help but to make his presence known to the two of them that he was still standing there while they became increasingly absorbed in their conversation. "Ahem… are you guys going to stand out here and chat?"
"Oh, right."
Joshua looked around and nodded. Then he gave a gentle pat on Ying's shoulder and said, "Ying, take Black to the stable. I'll escort our guest in for an important conversation."
"Black grew up to be so strong. It would have been much better to name it the Black King. So why did you name it Black…"
"If it's a dragon, I won't just name it Black King. I might name it Neltharion. But it's just a horse anyway. Alright, enough talk. Let's get going now."
Ying led Black to the stable while Joshua escorted Mengsk through the front door.
"She called you Master?"
"That's right. Ying is my main female attendant."
The royal examiner who had no expression on his face shook his head. "Child labor is illegal… I can't believe you actually have such a hobby."
Joshua pushed the main door open and frowned. "She's as old as I am. How can she be a child that I condemn to labor as you have just mentioned?"
Ying's core was made out of the wrist bone of Joshua when Joshua was born. Technically, the two of them could really be considered as the same age.
"I can't believe it at all."
Mengsk seemed to be deep in thought. "Could she be a hybrid of an elf and a human? A Halfling? Could that be the reason why she developed slower than others? Or could it be because of her elven heritage?"
The two of them conversed while they walked, and shortly after, they arrived at the guest room of the mansion.
"Alright, please have a seat."
Gesturing at the chair politely, Joshua then proceeded to sit down as well. He had a serious look on his face. "I would very much like to learn about the news that you wish to convey. You've actually waited outside the mansion for half a day just to deliver this news to me. It must be important and urgent as well."
"Although it's important, it isn't really urgent…"
Mengsk scanned the red-eyed warrior and said, "Although I've heard rumors and I've had the same feeling while I was traveling out there, I've never thought it possible that you've achieved Gold-tier. One month. You've managed to grow so much from being just a Silver-tier… It's really unbelievable."
It is merely three levels. Should anyone be so surprised?
"It was actually an accidental experience though. I've only traveled around for seventeen days without realizing that I've gotten stronger. There can be no other reason but that."
Brushing the examiner off casually with words, Joshua looked at the examiner in his eyes. He could tell that the examiner wanted something. "Please don't tell me that you've traveled far across the northwestern flatlands of the orcs just to admire me for breaking through to Gold tier."
"Of course not."
Upon shaking his head, Mengsk stopped talking again. He seemed as if he did not know where to begin. After a brief moment, he decided to change the topic. "My liege, did you know that the number of people passing into Fort Ural had been limited to only a maximum of ten at a time?"
"The merchants only recently informed me about this."
"Then you should also know about the 'disturbance' that happened in the capital of the Empire then."
The examiner continued probing.
"Alas, it must be true then." Joshua was tapping his fingers on the handle of the chair as he frowned. Then he spoke, "You don't have to beat around the bush, Mengsk. Just say what you came here to say. We're both soldiers. You don't need to be so careful with your words."
After staying silent for a brief moment, the royal examiner who was representing the will of the Emperor sighed. His face turned serious. "The corrupting wind blew from the South. An unknown plague has begun to spread slowly across the lands of the Dark Forest… The plague has spread across the mountains of Ural. It has finally arrived in the North now. That being said, the Dark Tide should come much earlier than we anticipated. It's going to come much earlier than before, and it's going to be much harder to deal with. It's unstoppable."
"The Empire has decided. The catastrophe of the upcoming Dark Tide will be deemed as Level 3. There might even be a large number of Gold-tier daemons."
Mengsk's face had never looked so grim. He reached his hands into his pockets and retrieved a box. "My liege, you're really quite the unfortunate one. You had to experience such a catastrophe even though you have just inherited your title. Although you've crossed into the realm of the Gold-tier, you still have quite a long way before you can become as powerful as your father… That and the fact that the court is under the care of the Empire."
Mengsk's last sentence had a tone of admiration. Judging by the look on his face, the examiner seemed to be puzzled as to why the Empire would give the man before him such special treatment. However, he did not hesitate at all. "Take it then. It's a gift from the Emperor himself."
As he finished uttering his last sentence, he placed a red box which had countless runes inscribed all over it in Joshua's palm.
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Chapter 39: Ying, Your Status Seems a Little Off!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
So what was it that made this experienced examiner value it to such an extent then?
Could it be one of the Emperor's gift? No, it wouldn't be just that…
Upon taking the red box full of rune symbols all over it, Joshua did not open it immediately. He kept the box that seemed extraordinarily precious in his coat nonchalantly.
"Examiner Mengsk, I hope you can explain to me more in-depth about the cause and effect of the events. Your explanation was a little too general. Other than the unknown plague that's currently spreading in the Dark Forest, I've got no other information about whatever that is going on."
The black-haired warrior with red eyes glared at the middle-aged examiner. In a cold and intimidating tone, "Furthermore, the Empire could have just sent me a package or some sort of letter. They would not need to send someone I know… They would not have a Silver-tier warrior standing in the middle of a snowy land waiting for my return. I'm not that important."
"On that matter, I'm uncertain of the reason behind it as well. So I don't know where I should begin."
After getting questioned by Joshua, Mengsk understood why Joshua would feel confused. He frowned a little before swiftly replying, "The documents to assume the liege's title have been approved. They would arrive in a few days. They would not have me running back and forth again even if they have anything left to pass them to you. Those will be sent to you together with the documents… As for the things that are happening, I'm not really sure about it. However, that plague that we talked about is indeed very special."
"How special?" The warrior continued to ask.
"It seems to have a source. Meanwhile, the source seems to be moving around constantly. And it's definitely moving fast."
The examiner seemed to be prepared for that. He took out a map and drew a curve with a black pen. He then began to explain, "The plague first appeared on the mountains of the west near the sea. Then it also appeared at the Dark Forest in the north. Afterward, it spread rapidly northeast, and now I'm certain it has arrived in the north."
Mengsk had a hint of doubt in his expression. "The daemons and humans do not exhibit differences during normal times. However, the moment they engage in battle, they would get fatigued and pass out more easily. Those that have weaker bodies would experience cramps and chronic sickness. Meanwhile, those who have stronger bodies would experience some bizarre changes…"
He suddenly clamped his mouth shut.
Joshua looked at the middle-aged examiner with a solemn expression. He noticed the reason why the examiner stopped talking all of a sudden— The door was open, followed by a series of light and rhythmic footsteps approaching the guest room.
The silver-hair Divine Armament girl was carrying two cups of hot tea into the room. Then she put the cups right before them.
"Don't worry, just carry on. You can trust Ying."
Ying put on a puzzled expression. Joshua picked up the cup and took a sip of the hot tea. He did not seem to be bothered at all.
"I trust her, there's no need to be wary of her."
"Even so…" Mengsk gave Ying a sideways glance. In any case, he did trust her as he witnessed first-hand her loyalty towards her master.
"Then I shall carry on. Physiologically strong beings would undergo some sort of mutation, where their bodies would turn dark purple, their eyes would become blood red, and black vapor would emerge from their noses and mouths. Their strengths would multiply and they would lose their sanity in the bloodlust. Facing any existence that might threaten them, they would fight to the death, regardless of the outcome."
"According to your description, this sounds very much like the orcs"berserk'."
After hearing all that, Joshua felt a slight throbbing in his head. He looked at the map and spoke gravely, "That's a plague? It seems more like a forced 'berserk' on all of the creatures with strong physiques."
"The Royal Catastrological Laboratory (1) has confirmed it. The bloodlust of a living being seems to be triggered by some sort of object or creature that's wandering around dispersing some unknown matter in the air. It appears that the symptoms can be passed on to others through direct skin contact as well. Since it is highly contagious, it is called a plague."
Mengsk took a sip of his own cup of tea as well. He then expressed his thanks to Ying for getting him the tea. He reached his hand out onto the map and placed his finger on Fort Ural, while shaking his head.
"The mercenaries of the royal families and the official army across all lands that are plagued are trying their best to annihilate the Berserk Daemons that are trying to trigger the Dark Tide. As things are escalating at an unpredictable pace, all people across the lands are suffering great losses. Fortunately, they noticed the incidents much earlier before it was too late. So the fortress still remains intact at the moment."
After explaining the situation to Joshua, the middle-aged examiner tried to steady his voice. "It was probably because of that, that the Empire sent me here to inform you about the upcoming Dark Tide and to pass you the Emperor's gift… Speaking of which, do you know what else I brought along for you, deputy commander of the Black Raven Army?"
After his question, the middle-aged examiner revealed a hint of a smile.
"This is something your commander and your comrades got for you."
"Could it be?"
After hearing that, the black-haired warrior seemed to know what Mengsk was talking about. He immediately sprang to feet with an excited expression on his face. "Well, that'll be a gift far beyond my expectations if you've brought it along today!"
Mengsk did not waste any time, standing up immediately as well. He then took out two items that and placed them on the table.
They looked like miniature equipment; one was a finger-sized sword and the other was a palm-sized armor set. Although tiny, it was apparent that these items were of remarkable workmanship. Even the smallest details were carved to perfection.
"Your previous armor set was heavily damaged at the great battle at Thomas Grand Canyon. Furthermore, there have been some changes in the family territories. Because of that, they couldn't afford to wait until your armor is reforged. So I have to bring them here for you this time."
Mengsk continued to explain to Joshua who was also smiling at him, "Now, I've brought them all here… This remodeled enchanted plate piece might not be as good as the rune armor forged by the dwarves, there is no doubt that this is one of the most extraordinary equipment in the world."
Crude, Normal, Excellent, Extraordinary, Legendary, special items and also set equipment were the basic grading on the equipment in Continental War. There might be more specific grades but none of that really mattered.
Joshua picked up the two statuettes from the table. It was a familiar feeling when he came in contact with them. The faint scent of blood was released, giving off a nostalgic vibe. The black-haired warrior could not help but recall on the time when he first joined the Black Raven Army. He had spent thousands of nights, from deadly battles to finally battling against the orcs. These two pieces of equipment had been with him ever since. They had gone through so much together, being one hell of a journey.
Holding these two small statuettes in his hands, he gently read out the secret words he had set upon the equipment when he first acquired them.
"Cold winds shall gradually activate this."
By saying that short sentence, countless runes emerged from the surfaces of the two models. Subsequently, a light began to ripple across space and time, before a huge blade and black armor set appeared right in the hands of Joshua.
The greatsword was slightly smaller than Ying, in her Divine Armament form. Both, however, were of the same length. On the other hand, the black armor looked plain, yet durable. There was even a small and barely visible circling sundial raven seen carved on the right shoulder of the armor.
"Huh?"
Joshua heard a small gasp behind him. However, he did not pay attention to it. He swung the weapon right in his hand around. Instantly, the magic runes on the body of the sword began to radiate. A gust suddenly filled the entire room. The lampstand made of stone was shaking violently while the open door was creaking.
"So how's it? This weapon is beyond the weapons that you had back then. It has been enhanced with magic as well. Same goes for the armor set. Perhaps the enhancement on the armor set is even better than the enhancement made on the greatsword."
Mengsk dusted his clothes that were blown by the gust a
moment back there. He took out a silver timepiece from his breast pocket. After looking at the time, he nodded at Joshua and said, "Your strength should be increased to another level with a full set of equipment. Although I really have no idea what the Emperor gave you, it seemed like that item is going to help you take care of the Dark Tide. My mission is complete here. I must take leave as soon as I am able to."
Joshua would have to take care of his own business with the family territories of course.
"Thank you, so do you need to resupply?"
Joshua was not used to having guests around. Since he noticed that Mengsk had some other matters to attend to, he just expressed his gratitude without asking the man to stay over for dinner.
Three minutes later, Joshua sent Mengsk off at the door, looking at his back which slowly vanished into the dark winter.
From the beginning of their conversation up until they parted ways, the two simple men got the issue handled within ten minutes.
"Hmm, next weapo…"
However, just when Joshua was ready to look at what was inside the red rune box, he could hear someone complaining about something behind him.
Editor Note:
1) Made-up word (Catastrological Lab) – A place where the study of catastrophes (catastrology) is conducted.
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Chapter 40: Why Are You Jealous of a Weapon?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Joshua turned around and noticed that the young Divine Armament was pouting at the side. Noticing him, she glanced away and remained silent.
Why are you jealous of a weapon?
Although he wondered about her silliness, he could actually partially empathize even though his warrior's soul knew little to naught about emotions.
As Ying had mentioned, 'A weapon can only find its true purpose when held in one's hand'. Initially, she had not been wielded frequently because Joshua boundless strength did not require it. She had only participated in battle that spanned slightly over two minutes before Joshua found himself another replacement, a greatsword of Supreme tier. Furthermore, Joshua asked Ying before about whether or not he would be able to form a second Pact with a second Divine Armament. Thus, the silver-haired girl began to fret all by herself.
If her master had no use for her, what meaning is there in her existence?
"Don't jump to conclusions on your own."
Joshua helplessly turned to face Ying and patted her several times on her back. The petite little girl could not help but step forward from the sudden pressure. After that, Joshua turned his head around and smiled at Ying who was staring back with her begrudging emerald eyes.
"Ying, you're a Divine Armament. You're much stronger than the army's greatsword and thus, I would have no reason to use it in place of you. However, since the pact between us is not high enough, if our enemies are not annihilated after the [Divine Armament Transformation] of yours ends, I would need another spare weapon to defend myself, am I right?"
"Hmm… You're right…"
Although she secretly felt a little indignant , the silver-haired Divine Armament also acknowledged the simple fact quite swiftly.
As Joshua's Divine Armament, Ying's attitude was naturally quite similar to Joshua's attitude. They were straightforward in handling personal matters. Upon ensuring her 'enemy' no longer posed any threat, she immediately cheered up. She smiled and raised her head. "Then what do you intend to have for dinner, Master?"
Joshua replied, "There's no need to rush. We've just returned from the banquet. Ying, go ahead and sort out the mail that came in today. I'll have a look at them later on."
"Yes, Master!"
Standing right in the middle of the entrance, the warrior looked at the little girl who was walking to the study gracefully. Then he looked at his own palms and muttered to himself in a very soft voice. "I can't believe that the relationship between the Master and his weapon can develop in such a manner… Interesting."
That emotion stayed with him for quite some time. Joshua then cast his thoughts aside, turned around and walked into the house heading for the living room. There, he retrieved an item from his coat..
It was the red runic box that Mengsk had handed to him when he arrived. According to Mengsk, that was a runic box bestowed by the Emperor himself.
"A gift from the Emperor."
Joshua held the box in his palm. After moving his palm to guess its weight, he said, "It's not that heavy at all. That's strange. So what actually is this item that could lead the Emperor to believe that I would be able to resolve the Dark Tide problem once I receive it? The enemies are the legion of daemons. So what is this little box capable of?"
Since it was really a strange idea, it would be better to open up the box.
Joshua knew that this mysterious box was engraved with runes that could propel any form of Prophecy spells. Thus, brute force would do nothing to the box. The box had a powerful magic barrier shielding across its entire surface. It could be said that this little wooden box was comparable to the strongest metal there was. Using brute force to pry it open would cause it to explode. The theory behind this was similar to the idea of blowing up the magic door and getting through the combination for accessing his old butler's secret letters. Only one special trick or one special message was required to unlock it.
As if he had done this before, Joshua reached out with his finger and his red Combat Aura was ignited. He then emitted the one and only signal wave that he possessed. The next moment, the runes all over that red wooden box began to move slowly. After a brief moment, all of the runes on the box froze.
In the meantime, the lock on the box began to unseal and the box slowly revealed its secret.
Phew-
At the very instant the box was opened, everyone within range of the box felt their hearts beat unexplainably irregularly. Meanwhile, the squirrels that were hibernating and the other animals were instantly roused from their slumber as well. A wave of fear surged through their bodies, leaving them frozen and trembling in their positions, unable to escape even if they wanted to.
Just like the scent of blood permeating throughout the battlefield, the scent that came out of the box was obscure and ancient. The entire living room was filled with the smell of dry blood and rust mixed together. Meanwhile, all sorts of bizarre thoughts passed through their minds in a chaotic manner; flashes of slaughtering, sealing, purifications, and extinction. As dreadful and horrific waves undulated outwards, everything began to fused with a strange power to form a tremendously heavy pressure as deep as the sea, lonely and cold.
"This is Dragon's Might… Wait a minute, this must be the curse and Presence that was sealed up after a dragon was killed."
Joshua was not affected by this power. However, he tried moving the box a little further away and began to frown. He then started looking into the box with a serious face reaching out with his right hand to retrieve the object in the box for an inspection under the light.
It was a common-looking piece of rectangular stone. After he diabolically glared at the stone repeatedly, Joshua noticed that the stone was not entirely black. It appeared that the stone had been soaked in the blood of a powerful creature over many years, resulting in its current appearance.
"Dragon-repelling Stone? No, this is far beyond that. Could this be a Dragon-slaying Stone?!"
Upon evaluating the item on his hand, Joshua was awed. "Judging from the looks of it, they must have killed hundreds of dragons in order to form a stone with such a tint as well as to have its surface completely saturated with dragon's blood!"
As its name suggests, the Dragon-repelling Stone was one of the materials used to restrain the bloodline of the dragons. It did not exist in nature. The stone itself was the highest attainment in the art of alchemy. It was just like a magic grindstone or whetstone. All you had to do in order for a myriad of alchemy to work their charms was to rub the stone against your weapon once. By doing so, your weapon would be able to weaken the power, soul, and attribute-resistances of the dragons. The most powerful ones could even make dragon scales that were as tough as steel shred as easily as paper would.
Meanwhile, the Dragon-slaying Stone could do much more than that. The Dragon-slaying Stones were basically the pinnacle of alchemy, crafted by fusing all the functions of the Dragon-repelling Stones. The effect was devastatingly powerful. Therefore, the price for acquiring one was unbelievably high for a stone that was only as large as the palm of Joshua's.
The value was inconceivable as well. This stone, no bigger than Joshua's palm, would cost gold and gems a hundred times its own size!
Due to its outrageous value, there was no clear market for it. There was no definite way on where or how to acquire them either. Only the four powerful and influential forces known as the Imperial Royal Alchemist Guild, Star Ring of the South Central Alchemist Workshop , the Eastern Mages' Headquarters also known as Skypiercing White Tower, and the Church of the Seven God's Sacred Mountain of the Distant Sea were capable of manufacturing them.
Meanwhile, that little piece of Dragon-slaying Stone had obviously been used more than just a couple of times. Judging from the looks of it, the stone should have originally been a much larger piece, shrinking after repeated usage. Joshua could tell how precious that piece was before that.
"Well, this is a precious item, but how is it related to the Dark Tide and the dragons then?"
Joshua was a little puzzled at the moment and thus, he quickly shoved the stone back into the box and shut the lid. The runes that had already halted began reshuffling around the box once more. Under the glow of the magic runes, the dreadful aura in the surroundings were isolated and contained in the box. Meanwhile, the aura of the dead dragons that terrified every living creature in the surroundings began to dissipate after its source was severed. The animals that were paralyzed due to the dreadful horror that the stone unleashed on them regain control of their bodies and immediately scattered. Meanwhile, the people within the area could feel that the strange and bizarre sense of fear had all but vanished.
"If all of the daemons in the Dark Tide had the blood of the dragons, I'll have the confidence to fend them off with this Dragon-slaying Stone… Huh?"
The warrior turned his head and looked towards the entrance of the living room. He could hear footsteps approaching in a hurry. The door was opened swiftly. Joshua saw Ying holding two letters in her hands. She was standing by the door; her countenance, grim. The silver-haired girl then looked around with caution. After noticing that there was no threat in the surroundings, she nodded at Joshua to express her apology for barging in. Then, she asked Joshua with a sense of apprehension.
"I'm sorry, Master. I could feel a strong Presence coming from this very room just now… What happened?"
"It's nothing. That thing that the examiner brought here is really something not to be ignored."
Joshua stored the box in his pocket after that. Then he picked up the cup of tea that was cold and took a sip. After that, he spoke in a soft and slow manner.
"It seems that he did not even know what he was carrying. Well, that makes sense. If that White Dragon group accidentally found out that the examiner was carrying a Dragon-slaying Stone on him, they would have… Ying, what's with the two letters in your hands?"
Upon noticing the two letters that were firmly in the grasp of Ying's hands, the warrior felt curious. Thus he asked, "Are those letters important?"
"Ah, the names for these two letters seem to be special. So I was preparing to inform you later, Master. I did not expect the letters to unleash such a dreadful aura. I first thought that our enemies had invaded our territory."
Sweeping her silver hair that was hanging down by her cheek to the back of her ear, Ying decided to pass the two letters over to Joshua. Her movement was elegant. Her slim and fair hands removed the teacups from the table. "The tea is cold. Let me replace it with a hot one for you."
"Alright, thank you."
After smiling and nodding at Ying, Joshua turned his attention towards the two letters in his hands.
And then he froze.
"Diamond? That's the surname of the emperor?"
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Chapter 41: The Ancient Dragons
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The letters that Ying passed over seemed ordinary. However, there was a name that anyone from the Empire would be shocked to see.
Israel Diamond.
That was the name of the current emperor of the northern Empire.
People could tell by looking at the surname of the emperor that the emperor and his royal family were not natives of the north. His roots should be from the mountains in the west. Regardless, the forty-five-year-old leader devoted his entire life to expanding the territory of the Empire was an ambitious conqueror. Above all, as the emperor with the most powerful personal power in the history of the Empire, he was capable enough to support his ambition and get all people to swear their allegiance to him.
He was a fine and extraordinary leader. It was as if the gods had chosen him to do their bidding, worthy of being in the tier of Legendary.
During the time before the Dark Tide, Gold-tier warriors were still one of the best. A Legendary should be enough to support such a big empire.
Upon opening up the envelope of the letter, Joshua removed the enchanted paper and took a closer look at the contents.
[Bestow this letter to the faithful liege, Radcliffe]
The handwriting on the first and second part of the letter was not the same. This was a practice of the royal family, where other than the signature and the first sentence, the rest of the content would be written by another, based on what the emperor said.
Joshua continued to read on.
[The source of the plague is suspected to be a powerful dragon clan of an unknown origin. It should be the one spreading the plague, a plague that causes the bloodlust in the daemons to overwhelm them. It is believed that the purpose of spreading the plague is to prepare for the Dark Tide that has yet to come.
The Dark Tide this time appears to be malignant. However, the number of the daemons are greatly reduced compared to the previous ones. In addition, the fortresses have been well-fortified, which provides more defense for the humans. However, in order to prevent any influence from the 'Territory Sealing' incident, it is necessary to take precaution in any case. I've sent Wolf to pass a piece of Dragon-slaying Stone over to you as a means of contingency.
If it does not attack, then armed forces would be dispatched soon. However, if that dragon comes to invade, I believe that with the power of Radcliffe and his 'weapon', it is entirely possible to slay it, stopping the plague from spreading.]
[God bless the Empire, Starfall 813, Year of the Emperor 25, Bestow this letter upon the examiner Mengsk Wolf of Morlaix Palace]
Appendix: The Royal Catastrological Laboratory will obtain information about the dragon as stated below:
After the simple content, there was also a piece of white appendix sheet. There was a dragon with a strange appearance drawn on the sheet. Right on the back of the white sheet, there were also numerous data analysis and some presumed attack patterns.
Half of the dragon's body in the drawing was as shiny as platinum while the other half seemed to resemble the darkness of night. The pattern could be seen throughout its body. Its right horn, the golden side of it, was standing straight up, pointing towards the sky. The other horn, the black side of it, was bent downwards to its neck. Oddly enough, the golden side of the dragon had a closed eye, the dark side had none. This oddity of a dragon had a pair of large wings which was the only thing normal about it. Its limbs, despite having four of them, were clearly divided. Two were golden and the remaining were black. Likewise, the two golden limbs were armed with powerful claws that rippled with strength.
It was an obvious contrast that the golden side of the dragon was much stronger and tougher than the black side of the dragon. The two sides were two completely different kinds of creatures.
Joshua was looking at the drawing with a serious face that no one had ever seen before. He examined the details of the drawings over and over again. After that, Joshua took a deep breath and read out the words one after another, loud and clear, "Chaotic Gore Magala!"
Upon saying those words out loud, he quickly put the drawing aside, looking solemn. Then he recalled back on his memories, "That's right, I should have thought about it earlier. The dark-purplish powder, the berserk daemons, the unbalanced ecosystem! What else could it be if it's not the Chaotic Gore Magala?"
As a former legendary warrior, Joshua had slaughtered all sorts of daemons across Continental War. Meanwhile, the dragon species were the more important ones among the important ones. Although he had slain a lesser number of Chaotic Gore Magala back then, he could still recall a small fraction of his memories about them.
The Chaotic Gore Magala were special species of gigantic dragons without the ability to see nor to hear. They purely relied on their wings to spread their scale dust containing viruses into the surroundings. Meanwhile, weaker living beings that were stained with those scale dust would be weakened even more so that the Chaotic Gore Magala could prey on them. Meanwhile, stronger living beings would become creatures that lust for blood. They would seek for opponents for a death battle all over the place. Those symptoms completely fit the description of the plague.
"A Gore Magala. It should only be discovered as a new dragon species after a part of the [Central Dark Forest] in the middle of the big land had been explored. So why is it appearing now… Furthermore, this is a Chaotic Gore Magala." Mumbling to himself, Joshua had vague memories of the past. He closed his eyes, trying hard to recall.
"I was advancing towards the distant lands of the south and did not visit the north much. So I only know that one of the Dark Tides back in one of those years was extremely harsh… Never mind, it'll be pointless to think too much."
Giving up on recalling his past memories which seemed to be pointless, the warrior walked slowly across the living room. He conveniently turned the greatsword and the armor set back to their miniature size before putting them by his waist, "That's one of the ancient dragon species in the original world…"
The Metal Dragon and the Pentashade Dragon were labeled as [Astral Dragon] which were deemed to be one of the species from another world. They were known to be an existence of high intelligence and civilization all over multiple worlds and even had their own gods. Meanwhile, the dragon species similar to the Ancient Dragons and the Alatreon would be known as the [Old World Dragon, the native species of Continental War. Even though some of them had the wisdom of the humans, most of them also had the mighty power of beasts.
Although that was the case, there were also dreadful existences among the species of the Old World Dragons. The [Ancient Dragons] had long lives. The moment they reveal themselves, these representations of dragons would bring forth devastating catastrophes. For instance, there was the Arashi Dragon which was the size of a few mountains, known as the [God of Calamity] that could cause hurricane storms. Also, there was also the Teostra Dragon, known as the [Moving Mountain] which could destroy cities by just moving its legs around. Not to mention that there was also Alatreon, known as the [Calamity] that causes the Great Ajax to erupt as well. All these dragons were the ancient dragons.
Meanwhile, Shagaru Magala which was known to be the [Source of the Plague] was an ancient dragon species that represented the Imbalance of the ecosystem. They were known as the awakened form of the Gore Magala.
Right in the Central Dark Forest, a real Shagaru Magala must have revealed itself. Its power must have dominated the others of its species while it was undergoing its final molting process for its awakening. Therefore, it transformed into a Chaotic Gore Magala as it only managed to molt halfway. It was moving swiftly around the entire Empire because it was searching for a suitable spot to complete the final sequence of its molting.
"The weakest power level of an Ancient Dragon should be similar power level of a Supreme or a Legendary. However, the case would be different with the Gore Magala. Before it awakens, it could only be as powerful as an Intermediate Gold. I'll still be capable of handling it."
Sitting back on the chair right in front of the table, Joshua recalled his memories on the power level of the Gore Magalas that he slew before. Then he reached his hands into his pocket and took out the red box. He thought deeply, "Even if the Chaotic Gore Magala is much stronger than anticipated, I can still rely on my Divine Armament and this piece of Dragon-slaying Stone. I'll still have a chance to slay the dragon…"
"Master, here's your tea."
A clear voice of a girl interrupted Joshua's thoughts. Joshua turned to the side and saw that the silver-haired girl walking gracefully to the living room holding a cup of hot tea.
"Thank you. But why is there only one cup of tea here?"
After taking the cup, Joshua raised his head and looked at his own Divine Armament with a disapproving look on his face. "Why didn't you prepare yourself a cup of tea?"
"Um… Because I don't need tea." Keeping both hands on her lap, she replied Joshua with a puzzled tone. Ying almost did not respond to Joshua's question. She tilted her head and said," As a Divine Armament, I don't need nourishment from food."
"There are two of us here, but there's only one of us having a tea. It's a very awkward situation, don't you think?"
Springing to his feet, Joshua reached out his hand and ruffled the silver-haired girl's hair. He then sighed and passed the cup of tea in his hand over to Ying's hands. "Also, it doesn't mean you shouldn't try something just because you don't need it. You need to learn how to enjoy life. Here, this tea is for you. Take it."
"Uh… this… Thank you…" Mumbling softly, Ying looked a little fazed as she took the teacup from Joshua. Her cheeks red, she looked at the tea that was still hot without knowing what to say next. So she changed the topic and said, "Then, Master, should we get ready to make dinner?"
"It's still early. I think we can pass on that one first. You should have a seat first. Make a copy of the white sheet with information about the giant dragon for me, will you?"
Upon sitting on the chair, Joshua lowered his head to look at the other letter. He casually said, "Thank you for doing this with me today, Ying."
"Yea…"
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Chapter 42: This is the Hua Shan… No, Steel Armor Kokyu-ho
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
North, Moldavia.
The cold wind from the northern sea blew, carrying snow along with it. With the sun hidden away by gray clouds, day seemed like night. The howling wind echoed in the air, like the sound of a horn being blown.
It was already December, where snow was falling. In the final month of the year, blizzards and strong winds would sweep across the entire empire. That would include the distant south where the weather was deemed to be the hottest among all other regions. Even this region would be deeply affected by the cold that was coming. Because the temperature in the surroundings would drop tremendously, everyone would shut their doors and stay indoors. They would be surviving the cold with everything they stockpiled beforehand. So they just let the snow to pile up over the windows of their house, which blocked the entrances to their houses.
Because of the special condition of the natural environment, the buildings in the north were different from others. Their doors were designed to open inward, to prevent the doors from getting stuck even though the snow gets piled up high on their doorsteps. It was an awkward situation because even when it stopped snowing, people would still need to take their shovels and dig their way out of their houses.
When it snowed, coupled with extreme wind that could sweep the streets with snow, the cold air was enough to freeze the water in an instant had caused much inconvenience to the people. Even the Dragon Caravan had to stop their trading activities because of the weather. No matter how mad a person turned out to be, no one would be mad enough to go out at a moment like that.
However, there would still be some exceptions.
In the main city of Moldavia, right by the top of the city wall, there stood a black-haired man with red eyes who only wore a single-layered shirt right on the edge of the city wall.
Facing towards the opposite direction of the howling wind, he closed his eyes and stood still as if he was a statue. If his skin did not have the glow of health and his chest did not move vaguely, he would look like a dead man.
In actual fact, Joshua was 'breathing'.
Along with a strange rhythm, the warrior was regulating his breathing. His entire body trembled slightly. Channeling his focus towards his body, his muscles, organs, and different parts, even the smallest ones, his blood flow began to change in speed. His blood was coursing through his entire body that was trained to the limit. All to build up strength and energy.
Combat Aura is the extension of life, a part of fusion between the 'self' and 'body'. It exists deep in the body because of the tough physique and strong will, slowly accumulating there. Theoretically speaking, unless it was a matter of life and death, it would not be unleashed.
However, the humans across Continental War came up with a system to manipulate this power by experimenting for hundreds or thousands of years.
The process was called ' Kokyu-ho 1 '.
"Fuuu…."
Joshua let out a breath. Nice and slow. His steamy breath formed a long white vapor that traveled along the icy cold air.
Upon exhaling all of the air in his lungs, he began to control the movement of his blood flow to slow the rate of his heartbeat. At the same time, his heart beat stronger as well. The function of his internal organs began to slow down as well. After that, he took in another breath by following his breathing pace, giving slight movement to his body that seemed to stay still. The power stored deep in him was unleashed. His body began to be strengthened by the second.
Training his mind in the middle of a snowstorm could let his mind calm down in a better way. At the same moment where the warmth in his body was taken away, it got tougher for him to breathe. He breathed heavier and heavier as it went on. Upon reaching the tenth minute and countless loop of respiration, a strange blackish red light began to gleam at the spot where the warrior's heart was resting. After that, the rate of his blood flow began to increase, coursing through every part of his body. He could vaguely hear metal crashing against each other.
"I've done it."
Upon opening his eyes, Joshua had a faint smile on his face that became a little stiff due to the cold. He reached out his right hand and he looked right at the blackish-red radiance that was fading on his hand. Then he nodded in satisfaction. "After days of hard training, I've finally mastered [Steel Armor Kokyu-ho]."
Joshua took up the small knife by his waist and stabbed his hand without hesitation. The speed and strength of that stab were so swift and powerful that a strong current of wind was formed from the movement of that stabbing. However, an ear-piercing sound of a scratch was heard. The sharp tip of the knife was completely flattened as if it was violently pressed against the surface of a tough metallic armor. The body of the knife also got twisted badly.With all that, there was not even a single scratch on the warrior's hand, only a dark red glow on the spot where the knife was focused on.
"Not bad at all. Only at Level 1 yet it has such a good effect."
Joshua then threw the bent knife aside. The blazing Combat Aura of his had ignited around his entire body. The stiffness that the cold brought upon his body had been swept away. After that, he turned around and walked back indoors, "Although that's a little rushed, the 'Kokyu-ho' of this sort could be turned into a power for battle. Looks like it's worth it to let such a skill to occupy one slot of my Permanent Gained Status."
Permanent Gained Status was the term that most players knew as [Passive Skill]. A Steel tier only has one [Passive Skill] slot. A Silver tier has two and a Gold tier has three.
Unlike normal skills, passive skills would require a long time of training before one could obtain them. For instance, even though Joshua already had a lot of experience, he still took approximately five days to master the basics of the [Steel Armor Kokyu-ho]. Additionally, he used the cold weather and his experience to his advantage in mastering that skill.
As a former legendary warrior, Joshua knew about quite a number of practical and powerful passive skills. He also knew the methods of mastering them. However, the reason he put in all his effort in obtaining this skill which would occupy one precious slot for his Passive Skill was the letter he received a few days back.
After the banquet and a brief meeting with Mengsk that night, Joshua had did not rest after reading the short letter that the emperor addressed to him. He continued on to read the letter. Meanwhile, that second letter was a brief message from Fort Dark Forest.
[To the Count of Moldavia, Joshua van Radcliffe,
A thick fog has begun to emerge all around the Dark Forest. Meanwhile, the daemons have started gathering and their roars getting louder by the moment. The detection spell can even confirm that there are Gold-tier daemons among the daemon horde. According to the past experiences, this Dark Tide should begin by the end of this month or the beginning of upcoming January. The fortress is now on high alert. My lord, please be advised to make your preparation as soon as possible.]
[Yours faithfully, Zorgen.]
Dark Tide and Gold-tier daemons.
Joshua thought about that, with a grim expression on his face.
If an Upper Silver-tier warrior was like a cannon with highly powerful unlimited ammunition which also could move around rapidly, then an extraordinary Gold-tier warrior could deal damage like a supersonic bomber that can cruise at the speed several times faster than the speed of sound which has an unlimited number of Fuel Air Explosive reserved.
That description was only limited to humans. Comparing a human and a daemon on the same tier, the daemon would triumph over the human in term of pure strength. After getting hit by such a brute strength, it would not matter if the person's Combat Aura was powerful or the person was skilled. The person would suffer internal injuries upon taking the damage from such brute force because human bodies still had limitations.
Even though Joshua's skills and control had made him so powerful that his enemies on the same tier as him did not pose a threat, the Dark Tide would be a totally different thing compared to the one-on-one battles he had in the past. Things would not be as simple as the incident where he single-handedly took out nineteen Silver-tier mercenaries. If anyone ever strayed from the main party, that person would have to battle against hundreds or even thousands of daemons at the same time. That person would have been dead for a couple of times before he could even react to or dodge the monsters.
That was war. Every Dark Tide was like a real war. Dealing with war, there was no such thing as being cautious. Furthermore, as liege of the place, Joshua's main mission was to charge straight into the daemon horde and kill any daemons that were powerful enough to pose a threat to the wall of the fortress regardless of whether the daemons were Silver Tier or Gold Tier. Furthermore, under the influence of the berserk virus caused by the Gore Magala, the Dark Tide this round would become much more intense than the previous ones. No matter how powerful the warrior had become, he would still need to make preparations and contingency plans for the upcoming battles.
The challenges would always remain huge and the number of problems that needed solving would also be high.Facing all of the above, Joshua had chosen to master [Steel Armor Kokyu-ho]
Most of the heavy armor especially the Heavy Enchanted Armor, had immunity to Stun and also the ability to reduce Physical Damage received. When a warrior wears a heavy armor set, he would not be distracted by small attacks and could unleash his potential at least three times higher than the time where he did not wear the heavy armor. Joshua also possessed [MAX Mastery, so he would not have any problems in coming up with means of attacks. However, his body was still the basic Transcendental Build of a Gold tier. He would need to enhance his defense in order to face countless daemons that went berserk.
[Steel Armor Kokyu-ho] was a skill that originated from a human warrior that became so powerful that he no longer seemed to be human. He called himself 'Fang Lord' and was currently wandering across all the lands of the continent. Whoever managed to defeat him would be granted with a few special skills of that warrior. Undoubtedly, the [Steel Armor Kokyu-ho] was one of those skills.
It could enhance the basic defense of the player and also reduce part of the Physical Damage received. Then it could also be immune to all Stun Damage and effects when the skill was about to end. Furthermore, the skill also had quite high defense against Penetration Damage. Other than that, it could also enhance the toughness of one's physique and increase one's HP recovery. By the end of it, the person who activated the skill would be as if he was wearing an advanced Enchanted Heavy Armor. There would be no vulnerable spots on the wearer at all during that period of time. It could also comprehensively increase the physique of the warrior from all aspects, allowing the warrior to adapt to a variety of conditions and locations.
However, the skill was not that popular in the game among the majority of the players; it was merely an additional layer of protection. Skills and weapons that could penetrate armor could still wound the users. If that was the case, why would anyone give up one skill slot for a Passive Skill such as this? Furthermore, most of the players were not afraid of death. They preferred to attack instead of defending because they could be revived. Other than Joshua who seemed to love doing different style than the others, only a few players would learn such a skill.
However, the situation was very different now as this other world was real. Joshua only had one life here. Even though he craved for battle and found joy in slaughter, that did not mean that he was not afraid to die. With the real set of heavy armor and this 'Kokyu-ho' skill, Joshua now had two layers of defense. That should make him even stronger and harder to kill than before now.
Boom!
All of a sudden, a tremor came from the direction of the gate by the south of the city. Joshua's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden tremor.
"What's going on?"
Joshua turned his head over to notice that a puff of smoke was rising slowly into the sky by the entrance of the city. After that, the smoke was blown away by a strong current of wind. He could not help but have a strange feeling.
"What could cause such a commotion, I wonder?"
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The heavy snowfall was obscuring the view.
On the top of the granite wall, was a flag painted with two hands bearing swords fluttering along the direction of the wind.
Meanwhile, a young guard was standing on the towering central tower where he looked out into the white plains and the mountains around. His had his thoughts removed from his mind for the moment, not thinking about anything at all.
The vapor condensed into white mist as the man exhaled. This young guard was called Anruya. He was breathing in the freezing air all around him. He felt as if the cold air had passed through the thick layer of cotton he was wearing, reaching deep into his body. Because of that, he felt an intense chill throughout his body and sneezed, which made him recollect himself.
"I'm really crazy to stand guard in this post in the middle of a snowstorm!"
Standing up high in the middle of the snowstorm yelling aloud with a trembling tone, Anruya felt as if he was already frozen solid while he was holding his shield and his weapon. He felt unbearably cold at the moment. Both of his legs and feet were numb to the point that he could barely feel them anymore. Swiping off the frost forming on his eyebrows, he clenched his teeth and muttered to himself, "Anruya, just hang in there. Just hang in there for ten more minutes. It's almost time to switch shift. Just a little longer."
While comforting himself, the young guard began to move his body around under the countless snowflakes. He wanted to move his stiff muscles so that they could move more smoothly. However, the attempt was futile, as the frosty breeze kept coming at him blowing the little body warmth inside of him away. Anruya could not help but feel that he was about to be frozen into a block of ice. "Why must they put the control panel of the city gates at a high place like this…"
Right underneath the middle tower was the south gate of Moldavia. The gate was a gigantic mechanism made by the northern rune dwarves. The mechanism was using gears to lift the gate up and down. It was ten-meters wide, five-meters thick and ten-meters tall, made of 4,200-ton solid steel. The main idea of constructing the gate as such was as long as the gate is closed, it would become impossible to open the gate even if it collapsed. Therefore, it would be better to think about how to break the black granite wall which was twenty-five-meter thick than thinking about blowing the reinforced steel gate open.
Truth to be told, only the dwarves living in the magma of molten iron had the ability to forge materials. If that amount of metal could be forged into weapons, no one could tell how many soldiers could be armed.
Of course, regardless of any hearsay, this was merely a gate. It was just slightly thicker and heavier. Meanwhile, the control panel responsible for the opening and closing of the gates was right beneath the tower where Anruya was standing on. That was also the reason why there would still be someone standing guard on top of the tower in the middle of the snowstorm.
"It would have been so much better if they could just shield the tower with a layer of glass. It wouldn't affect anyone from observing the surroundings as well. So tell me, people on the top, why didn't you…"
"Anruya!"
While he was complaining, the young guard suddenly heard someone shouting his name by the bottom of the wall. The voice sounded anxious.
He could not help to have a feeling that something was off. It was still a little while away before his shift ended. Could it be that someone felt pity towards him and came earlier to take his shift? It would be much better if that was true.
"Speak louder!" In a trembling voice, Anruya attempted to reply with his hoarse voice due to the cold. "Anything?"
"Mon…ster… invading… Close the gates!"
The voice coming from the bottom of the wall became louder. However, the sudden howling of the wind had covered the muffled the voice. The young guard could only hear the faint command 'Close the gates' which was strange.
"Wait, what? Close the gate? But why? I can't hear you clearly!"
Taking a step forward, he went up to the control panel covered by runes. Anruya then grabbed onto the handle of the panel. Although he trusted his comrade very much and was ready to close the gates, he still hesitated, with a perplexed look on his face.
"When the gates closes, it can only be be reopened after two hours. We would need to wait for the runes to be fully charged!"
"Enemy attack! Close the f*king gates, now! Use the fastest way to close it, now!"
This time, the voice that was embedded with Combat Aura had finally broken through the snowstorm and completely boomed into the ears of the young guard. Meanwhile, Elson could tell that the voice belonged to his commander. The extremely anxious voice berated, "Anruya you stupid boy! I'm going to die if you don't close the gate now!"
"Where the f*ck did the enemy come from?!"
After being rushed, Anruya felt a little nervous. He looked down at the bottom of the wall. However, he did not see any sign of enemies down there. At that moment, his heart was filled with big questions. However, as a soldier, the guard obeyed the direct order of his commander. So he pulled the panel with all his strength.
Rumble
Following the rumbling sound, the huge steel gate instantly smashed down to the ground violently. After all, the gate was approximately 4,000 tons. The impact from the fall of the horrific weight shook the snow and the land, sweeping up the dust from the ground, which was blown away by the strong winds. The fierce and deep crushing sound had even reached the other side of the city. The residents who were staying in their own houses were shocked to hear it.
Withstanding the familiar tremors, Anruya grabbed onto his long spear. Then he quickly headed down towards the entrance of the passage. Although he had not seen any sign of any enemy around, he still believed that his commander would not have been anxious about something not real… Could it be that there were really invisible enemies around hiding in plain sight? Could those enemies had invaded the city without anyone's knowledge?
Running at high pace down the stairs, the young guard had arrived at the bottom of the wall outside the city.
Meanwhile, the ground that lay before him had long become a battlefield.
Woosh—
The moment when Anruya stepped out of the passage by the wall, a current of wind along with a strong scent of blood immediately blew past his face. A violent sense of danger was stimulated throughout every single nerve in his body. At the same time, the body of this young city guard responded faster than his mind. His instinct got him ready to throw the spear forward. He instantly raised his shield with both hands firmly and positioned the shield across his chest.
Then, on the next moment, Anruya felt a violent force suddenly collide into him. Both of his hands that were numb because of the cold weather, but due to the instant force, he could had sworn that he had lost both of his hands at that moment; he could not feel anything then. Meanwhile, his entire body was falling back one step after another.
"What the hell is this?!"
After taking five to six steps backward, he managed to shake off the force that was pushing him. Before he could even calm himself or even feel any pain, Anruya cursed and started to observe his surroundings.
He instantly froze.
Standing in front of him was a white, tall, giant wolf. It was about half the height of a full grown man. It had a burly body where its muscles were covered underneath the thick layer of fur. Its four limbs looked smooth and strong. However, the wolf's right limb on the front was curled in a strange shape. Well, that might be the reason why the giant wolf did not attack Anruya while he was backing himself up just now.
"What a huge winter wolf! Look at its snowy white fur! No wonder I couldn't see it just now! But I have a steel shield made by the dwarves in my hand. It would not be possible to clash with me, even if it was a daemon!"
Anruya took the opportunity to move his hands and wrists around. By doing so, he managed to recover his stiff hands to the point that he could grab firmly onto the steel shield. He looked at the surroundings and noticed that by the entrance of the closed city gate, there were traces of battle everywhere. The spot where the other city guards would stand guard at was a mess. Upon hearing the sound of battle coming from the corner not far from him, Anruya could recognize the familiar voice of his commander. His commander was cursing loudly while in the middle of a battle.
It was really a fortunate thing that not all of them died. Anruya felt grateful for that. Although he lost his weapon due to the surprise attack from the giant wolf, as long as he could survive until his comrades were done with their enemies, they would be able to come and assist Anruya. Upon joining forces together, they could easily eliminate the winter wolf that was standing right before him.
However, the young city guard did not notice that enemy right before him was not the wild winter wolf he once hunted down with his comrades. The two should no longer be considered as the same type of creature anymore.
"Woo-"
Initially, the eyes of the wolf were red. Now, they turned green. Along the breathing, there was dark purple mist escaping from between the teeth and the nose of the wolf. It was pretty obvious that the wolf had sustained some injuries. Driven by anger and madness, that giant winter wolf instantly howled facing the sky. The muscles and bones all over its body began to crack and reform. Instantly, the entire body of the wolf increased in size. The white snowy fur instantly stood up on end like needles. Meanwhile, visible blue-purple vascular tendons were exposed on the surface of the wolf's skin. An unexplained power was coursing through those veins of the wolf.
"Berserk?! A f*king wolf?!"
Upon witnessing the strange phenomenon, Anruya's heart sank into the bottom of a valley. This winter wolf seemed to be a lot larger than its own kind. Its strength and speed were far more superior than he could anticipate. Under the circumstance of having no weapon in his hand, he found it extremely difficult to deal with this world. And now, this freaking wolf actually went 'berserk'!
There was no way that he could endure all that. The young guard stopped breathing for the moment. That was the only thought that he had in his mind right now. After that, he reached his hand to his waist and pulled out a small knife. The knife seemed finely sharpened.
"Monsters." He looked upon the giant wolf that was surrounded by a dark purple aura. Then he spoke softly, "I shall take a piece of your meat even if I die."
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Chapter 44: By the End of It, You Still Need Me to Do It with My Own Hands, You Bunch of Pathetic Fools
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The ferocious wolf that went berserk had already lost all of its sanity. However, the skills of battle were retained in the wolf. After a long howl, it lowered its body slightly. The muscles on the three remaining legs seemed to tense up. It was charging its strength. Instantly, a powerful force dispersed the dark purplish air around. A white shadow that flew out like a cannonball was charging towards the young guard at the speed of a thunderbolt.
The wolf and the young guard were standing about ten meters apart from each other. Under that kind of charge, that distance could almost be completely ignored. Raising his shield because of his instincts, Anruya withstood the impact of the strike head on; however, the strength of that wolf was no longer the same as before. He instantly felt like he was being hit by a caravan coming in at high speed. Both of his feet left the ground and his entire body flew into the air. The steel shield in his hand had a deep dent in it. Then, cracks began to spread across the shield.
Landing his back heavily on the solid and cold surface of the ground, the strong recoil impact had made Anruya felt as if his heart was about to come out of his chest. However, before he could even let out a cry due to the pain he had to endure, a raging roar echoed through the entire area of the city gate's surroundings.
"Rawgh!!!"
The white giant wolf shook its head around and took a few steps backward. Its eyes were as red as blood. Dark purple lines began to form across the body of the wolf starting from the head. The wolf had also sustained quite a number of injuries upon charging into the young guard. However, a cleaver that was plunged right into its neck and a deep wound were the real reasons why the wolf let out its raging roar.
It was a sharp meat cleaver which was unimpressive as it was about the size of a palm. Judging from its size, it would not even be enough to battle against another man. It was just too small and inconvenient to be used in a battle. So it would be too absurd to use to against a giant white wolf.
However, that was what happened. During the impact of the strike, Anruya did not just stand there to withstand the wolf's attack. Right at the moment when the wolf charged at him, the young guard succeeded in plunging the only weapon he had in his hand deep into his enemy. When the wolf was charging at lightning speed at him, all he did was to raise his weapon and let the wolf charge at him to wound the wolf.
A large amount of purplish blood began to flow right out from the wolf's wound. Because of its berserk status, it made the blood from the wolf's body flow even faster and stronger which made the wolf sustain even more damage than anticipated.
"Cough… If I didn't stop there when this animal was charging at me, I probably couldn't even touch its fur. It's just too fast…"
The young guard's body was twitching due to the pain he was suffering. His helmet slipped off his head, revealing the white hair on Anruya's head. Anruya spat a mouthful of blood out. He could feel that all his internal organs were twitching intensely. Even though that was the case, he still lifted his body with all his willpower. After getting up, he picked up the dented shield. While the enemy was stalled due to its injuries, Anruya quickly moved over to the corridor of the central tower.
The space of that place was small. So Anruya could use that to his advantage. He could still buy himself some time by going over there.
However, his enemy did not give him that chance.
The muscles of the wolf squeezed the small cleaver out of the wound. The metal cleaver fell to the ground with a clear buzzing sound of a blade. The powerful body of the daemon temporarily closed the ruptured veins. Because the wolf had suffered a tremendous amount of blood loss it was forced to deactivate its berserk mode. However, the power level of that wolf was still far beyond the power level of the internally wounded guard.
Yes, the human before its eyes was the human that caused an excruciating pain on it!
The rage began to burn away the wolf's remaining sanity. The white wolf did not do any fancy roar, nor did it try to test its prey. It opened up its huge mouth, revealing its wretched fangs. After that, it lunged its entire body tens of meters forward and stuck itself in between Anruya and the entrance to the corridor.
The two of them looked at each other. The blue eyes of the human and the dreadful red eyes of the daemon were staring into each other. The young guard could clearly smell the thick scent of blood coming from the wolf. He could also hear the raging growls of the wolf. Saliva of the wolf was dripping out from the space between its teeth. At that moment, Anruya gave up on any thought he had before. Instead, he clenched his teeth and gripped the broken shield tightly. The man knew; the instant they stop staring into each others' eyes meant his death.
Boom!
A loud explosion was heard, shaking the surroundings.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Right after the first explosion, consecutive ones followed. The explosion sounds were coming from the southern gates of the city. More importantly, it sounded like the explosions were approaching nearer and nearer to the spot where Anruya and the wolf were standing.
The wolf shook its body with uncertainty and let out a low pitched howl. It was as if the wolf had sensed something rather dreadful was coming towards it. However, its simple mind could not register two things at a time. So the monsters ignored the sudden explosions. Instead, it was glaring at the human with its savage eyes and charged towards the human. Now, the only idea in its head was to tear the throat of its enemy to shreds!
On the other side, Anruya did not pay much attention to the explosions that were approaching his location. Predicting how the wolf would attack, he immediately crouched down to the ground and moved his shield to his right arm, shielding his vital spot and the rest of his body. He was ready to withstand the impact of the incoming strike.
No matter if he sustained even more internal injuries or even died on the spot, it would be much better than having his neck bitten off immediately.
Holding his breath and focusing on the strength remaining in his body, Anruya knew that it was the moment of life and death now. He could even feel that deep down inside of him, in the deepest part of him, in the root of his will, there was an unknown source of power lurking about. The young guard had a hunch that if he could survive this strike, he would definitely get raised to another whole new level; of course, the biggest possibility now would be him ending up dead.
However, the attack that he anticipated to receive from the wolf did not happen.
Boom!
An immense explosion shook his the eardrums. Anruya was hit by the sound so hard that he immediately recovered from his thoughts.
At the same time, a man's voice was heard in front of the young guard.
"This animal is not the same as the others. It seems that it has more strength in it… Still alive?"
Without any hint of what was going on at the moment, Anruya looked towards the direction of the man's voice with his puzzled blue eyes. The scene blew his mind for a minute there to the point where Anruya had to keep his sanity intact. Anruya could only drop his jaw and stare. He could not say a word at all.
Right before him was a black-haired man with red eyes in plain clothes. One of his legs was on the head of the giant winter wolf, pressing half of the wolf's head into the solid ground; it seemed that this was the source of the explosions that he kept hearing. Meanwhile, the giant daemon did not give up on struggling. It continued to reach its claws trying to scratch the man above him. However, its attempt did not do any good at all. Even though its claws were so sharp that it could claw through any clothing items, the wolf had no way at all to hurt the man pressing it down from above. The claws could only create dark red gleams, creating sounds of steel rubbing against each other.
"What is going on here?"
That warrior did not bother about Anruya's mental state at that moment. He asked Anruya in a calm tone, "Five Silver-tier winter wolves managed to invade the main city just like that. If I didn't rush over in time, even if only one of them had gotten loose into the city, it could have caused uncountable losses… I need an explanation."
"My liege, it's all my fault! I've neglected my duty!"
After getting his senses back, Anruya definitely recognized that the man standing before him was the new liege that he had sworn to serve. He immediately endured the pain of his wounds and told Joshua everything from the beginning to the end.
"… Because of that, the commander gave the order to close the gate. We managed to prevent more of these monsters from entering the city… The winter wolves could camouflage well in the snow because of their white fur. Furthermore, they seemed to have a strange ability to enhance their power. Their power seem to have increased much more now. So the city guards couldn't stop them. I've been badly injured because I miscalculated."
After reporting to Joshua, Anruya instantly felt an intense pain in his lungs. He coughed twice in a low voice. Meanwhile, Joshua was thinking deeply about something.
"The daemons in the southern region of the north have actually become so ferocious… It seems that the Fort Ural has failed to stop the monsters in the mountains."
With each spoken word, Joshua increased the strength in his leg, pressing the winter wolf harder and harder with his foot. The winter wolf could only let out endless miserable cries. Meanwhile, Joshua did not intend to stop there. He turned his head towards the northwest direction with a worried expression on his face.
"Fort Dark Forest has not reported for three days. First I thought there was nothing to worry about. It seems that the situation is worse than I imagined it to be."
Kachak!
When the strength put into the leg reached a certain limit, along with a miserable cry, the skull of the giant wolf could no longer sustain the pressure. It was crushed completely and got shattered into pieces. A mix of grayish brain matter and purple blood splattered around the surroundings.
Joshua turned around and walked towards Anruya. He observed the young city guard for a while then he shook his head. "Three broken ribs and some serious injuries to your internal organs. You actually attempted to use your mortal body to withstand the attack of a daemon that went berserk… I don't know whether I should praise you for being brave or for being reckless."
Sighing, the black-haired warrior lifted Anruya up by grabbing on his collar with a single hand, lifting him with ease. After that, the two of them began to head towards the church in the middle of the city.
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Chapter 45: The End of the Burning Era
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Center of the city, Cathedral of St. Laurent
The sacred symbol of the church, a black halo, hung atop the highest point of the building. It did not waver even by a bit even though the wind was blowing strongly in the snowstorm. It was as firm as a solid rock.
Joshua was carrying Anruya along with him, walking at a steady and yet fast pace. Anruya's condition was different compared to his commander and his comrades, as his internal organs were heavily damaged. However, he barely had any wounds on his body. Without an immediate treatment to stabilize his injuries, Anruya would probably die. At the best case scenario, he would still have organ failures.
In the meantime, Joshua had some unattended business at the church. So he decided to bring Anruya along with him.
Upon passing by the stairs, Joshua walked up to the wooden door. He noticed that the white radiance that was covering the door was no longer there. The divine magic circle to reinforce and seal the door was no longer there as well. So Joshua pushed the door opened with his hand.
Creak—
The sound of frost rubbing against the wooden door was heard. Upon opening the door, the warrior did not hesitate at all. He quickly walked right into the living hall. Meanwhile, two knights fully equipped with heavy armor could sense a presence that was unpredictably powerful had opened the church's door. So they quickly hustled over to the living hall from the resting room. However, when the two of them saw that it was Joshua who opened the door, they came to a halt and saluted Joshua.
"My Lord, might we know what brings you here?" One of the knights walked up and asked Joshua with a puzzled look. He thought Joshua's visit was strange as the weather was so cold now. Regular folk would not even think of walking out of their homes. So they would not even have the will to pray in the church, not to mention a respected liege. Why would he have any reason to come to the church then?
"To seek medical attention for this man. I'll leave this man to you. He's too badly wounded. He needs immediate treatment."
Joshua put the young guard down and let the two knights handle him with care. Meanwhile, Artanis's two apprentices could also feel that a Gold-tier warrior had just arrived. The two of them quickly rushed to the living hall as well. The two Silver-tier priests were still the apprentices of Artanis and would still follow the church's traditions. It would take some time until they realize the faith in their heart, swear an oath, and obtain the true power of the Holy Light to begin running a church of their own.
However, at a time like this, they could only follow their teacher and heal the sick and injured.
"Thank you for your hard work. He needs some medical attention to his internal organs. And also, where's Priest Artanis? I have something urgent that I need to see him about."
Joshua took off his shirt that was ruined by the claws of the monsters. After that, he straight away headed towards the back of the church's living hall. As he was walking, he asked, "Is he in his room or the library?"
"Library, my Lord."
The young one was Vick. He was attending to Anruya's injuries. He was using Holy Light to detect any damages within Anruya's body. At the same time, he was free to talk, "Lately, Teacher has been looking for books and scrolls about the Ancient Stars falling into the sea. He has been there for days."
"Very well, thank you."
Upon knowing where the priest was, Joshua made haste to find him. He walked down the aisle and went straight to the very end of the church.
The library.
Artanis was standing right before a tall bookshelf. He was reading through many ancient books in silence. Behind his pair of glasses, he looked solemn. Meanwhile, right beside the white-haired priest were more than ten books stacked on each other. The books were stacked so high that they almost blocked the priest.
While he was absorbed reading the book in his hands and making notes, he heard heavy footsteps coming from the outside of the library.
At that moment, the footsteps stopped right outside the door of the library, followed by a creaking sound of the door. The door of the library was pushed open. Artanis then bookmarked the page he was on, closed the book and put it aside. The white-haired priest gave the warrior a perplexed look. "Oh, our new count, why are you here, my liege? You don't even have your shirt on. Is something wrong?"
"That's right. I came because it's really urgent."
Joshua went straight to the point and said, "I need to use the church's Magic Communication Circle immediately."
Artanis frowned. He had been the priest for many years. From the emperor to the people of the empire, everyone had seen him at least once. Looking at the serious face of the warrior, he knew that something big had happened. Furthermore, it was very urgent as well. So the priest did not say anything unnecessary. He immediately led Joshua, "Come with me. The Magic Communication Circle is on the second floor."
The two of them walked past the corridor and stairs in a spiral pattern before arriving on the second floor. Artanis walked towards an ordinary looking room, while Joshua followed closely behind.
Upon walking up to the door, the white-haired priest reached out his palm. A white stream of holy light began to emerge across his body from the bottom to the top. Countless light dots began to appear all around the surroundings of the priest. After that, the light dots began to gather onto the palm of the priest. In the meantime, a silver magic circle that kept rotating emerged right in the middle of the door with no handle nor any keyholes on it. It was as if the door had felt the resonating power that was gathering onto the palm of the priest. The complex patterns of the runes were spinning faster and faster by the second. They were so packed together that it made people dizzy for looking too long at them.
Pressing the lights gathered on his hand onto the magic circle, Artanis spoke in a very low voice, "Cathedral of St. Laurent, God's Sanctioner Artanis requesting for permission to access the Twilight Superior Communication Circle."
Upon receiving the holy light that was compatible with the requirement of the door and confirming the identity of the person in front of the door, the silver magic circle instantly stopped spinning.The door then began to open slowly.
"Please, get in. The Superior Communication Circle that connects the entire empire is just in the room. You should know how to use it."
Keeping his hand back to himself, the white-haired priest took a step back and gave way to Joshua. Then he narrowed his eyes and said, "It sounded really urgent, can you fill me in a little about what was going on?"
"I suspect that the Dark Forest's communication circle has been sabotaged. It's been scrambled. The place might have been surrounded by the Dark Tide."
His words were straightforward and his meaning was clear. After Joshua explained it, he walked right into the room.
The room was dome-shaped with many translucent runic crystals all over the walls and the ceiling of the room. They formed into smooth lines. Each of the lines was streaming with silver-blue and golden lights. Meanwhile, right at the spot where all lines intersected was a virtual sun shimmering with soft white light.
A three-dimensional magic circle hung right in the middle of the room.
In this virtual sun, there were countless runes and energies forming a systematic shape. They were combined and scattered consecutively and repeatedly under the white radiance. Their patterns would change from time to time. Normal people would just feel exhausted if they were to look at them for some time.
Meanwhile, Joshua did not feel any discomfort by looking at the patterns at all. Although he was a warrior, his will and spirit were as tough as his body. Truthfully speaking, a man would not be able to become a truly powerful warrior without having an iron will and the ability to analyze serious situations. Meanwhile, just like what Artanis said, Joshua had used the communication circle many times. So he should be very familiar with it.
The black-haired warrior walked up to the three-dimensional magic circle right in the middle of the room. He put his attention towards the radiance and closed his eyes. He concentrated his thoughts to align with the machine and quickly began to adjust the parameters of the communication.
After a brief moment, Joshua felt that countless data and coordinates were appearing in his head.
"Contact, North, Moldavia, Fort Dark Forest."
A few keywords appeared right in his head. Joshua's mental state was clear and strong. "Begin connection."
Under his request, countless data and coordinates flowed like a fast-moving stream of water. After a while later, everything stopped moving. The coordination was then fixed on a huge fortress that was surrounded by a thick forest.
Buzz… buzz…
There was no echo. Joshua was not discouraged. He continued to repeat what he did, "Contact, North, Moldavia, Fort Dark Forest. Begin connection. Increase the frequency wave of the communication. Source of request- Count of Empire's North, Joshua van Radcliffe."
"Source of authority identified… Increasing the frequency wave of the communication… buzz… boom! Buzz… buzz…"
This time, a strange noise was heard. It sounded like a faint sound of a goblin's cannon firing a shot or the explosion of a fireball. There seemed to be other voices like horns and battle roars as well.
"As expected."
Upon hearing those sounds, Joshua unlinked his mind from the magic communication circle. He opened his eyes and sighed. Then he spoke to himself in a very low voice, "I'm sure that there was an accident. However, I can't know for sure how long the battle has been going on. I have no idea if the fortress has lost its defences."
Upon sensing the wave of the holy radiance expanding further, Priest Artanis walked into the room slowly. Although his face did not show anything, Joshua could still feel the solemnity in the depths of the white-haired man's heart.
"Joshua, what happened? I know that normal communication would not involve your royal authority in enhancing the communication wave. You'll only need that when you're contacting other domains."
"… The fortress has not been sending any messages for three days. I thought everything was peaceful and calm. Well, who would have thought that the Dark Tide had begun so much earlier than I anticipated. Fellow warriors have been battling for their lives while I knew nothing about it."
Joshua stayed silent for a moment before putting on a grim smile. He turned around and walk towards the door. "Haha… That's ironically funny."
"What? But there was no alarm or warning at all. Could it be that the daemons have the ability to disable our communication system now?"
Hearing that sort of news, the white-haired priest's was face filled with bewilderment. He immediately frowned right after that. Then he looked at the warrior who was about to leave the room and retorted, "How can you still laugh? The fortress is now in a very bad situation, right? We have no idea how many people are in deep sh*t! Joshua, those are your people!"
"No… How would I laugh for real at that sort of things?"
Upon leaving the communication room, Joshua walked slowly to the balcony on the second floor of the church. Then he shook his head and sighed. "Just now, I was laughing at myself ironically for being pathetically useless… I should have noticed the signs much earlier. Haha. The peaceful days were a little longer and I actually lowered down my guard because of that…"
"How hilarious is that?"
Pushing the windows open slowly, a strong cold breeze blew right towards his face. Facing the cold breeze of the northern wind, the black-haired warrior was willing to admit his mistakes. He looked into the sky, his eyes seemingly looking past the thick mist, far beyond the horizon. His red pupils were blazing like flames.
"It's about time. It's beginning"
The Dark Tide would be the first of many things that yet to come.
This event would serve as the beginning of endless disputes over the mainland of the Mycroft Continent. It would also be the real starting point of Joshua's 'new life'.
"Artanis… do you know that the peace we're looking at is merely an illusion? The flames of war will be reignited once again. Meanwhile, the blood of many races will be spilled across the land. Dead bodies would fill the land; this war cannot be avoided by anyone. Justice will do no good to the good while evil will do no good to the evil."
Right outside the window, the dark clouds were shrouding the sky. The snow, the cold, and the frost mixed with a little dust were swept across the sky and the ground. The weather was obviously very cold, however, Artanis could feel that there was something ablaze right before him.
"The weak shall find no place to hide. Only the brave can survive this."
Turning his head back, the black-haired warrior with red eyes, Joshua van Radcliffe told the white-haired priest who did not say a word, "My friend, the era that is ignited with the flames of war and battle has finally come."
-First Arc: Squall of the North. End-
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Chapter 46: Besieging the Fortress
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Great Ajax Mountains, the northernmost side of the world.
The sky was painted deep-blue as the sun was about to set. There were some layers of clouds whirling slowly in the sky like a vortex. Under the faint twilight, the remaining light from the sun shone across the clouds, covering the clouds with a layer of golden-red radiance.
Right beneath the sky, there was an endless stretch of vast mountains across the land. Among the mountains, there was a grayish-white fortress standing firm in the middle of an endless stream of white snow and the forest. The front was the Dark Forest while the back of the fortress was the snowy land. The fortress was nestled in between the gaps of the mountains, blocking the path that connected the Dark Forest to the outside world. The tall mountains looked so magnificent. Not only did they seem unbelievably tall, they also seemed to be so sturdy as if they could not be destroyed at all.
It was a land of miserable coldness. There were just snowy mountains that had no signs of any humans and the frozen Dark Forest. In the wilderness where no one would travel across, the pure and clean air was not mixed with anything else. One could feel the freshness of the air just by taking a breath.
That was all in the past, however.
The Dark Tide had besieged the city. On the fifth day.
Slowly walked to the highest point of the fortress, the golden-haired warrior who had blood all over his shining armor put up his shield standing by his side. He stood on the edge of the city wall and faced towards the Dark Forest that was not far from the city walls.
Dark purple dust with the breath of chaos was shrouding the entire place like a layer of mist. The dust even rose to the sky. The light from the sunset was shining across those dust-like mists, reflecting some strange and cloudy color across the surroundings.
Normal people would not be able to breathe under the circumstance where the environment was completely shrouded by the dark purplish mist. The endless horde of savage daemons was surging towards the direction of the fortress.
Therefore, the tide of daemons was already overwhelming every single corner of the space within everyone's view.
This wasn't the first time the blond knight had stood by the frontline against the Dark Tide. Truth to be told, ever since he became a Silver-tier knight when he was twenty-five-years-old, he had never set foot out of this gray-silver fortress. This was his home, a place he spent all of his life and effort on. He had never imagined that the fortress would be overrun one day.
However, that thought had taken root in the knight's heart, growing deeper and deeper.
"Fifty thousand…"
Muttering to himself, he caught an intense scent of blood from his surroundings. Upon smiling bitterly, the Silver-tier knight spat out some blood from his mouth and said, "Fifty thousand Berserk Daemons… I've never thought that I'd encounter so many at a time."
Forts and other defenses outside the fortress had been overrun. The knight had actually retreated from one of the forts. Although the number of casualties was minimized due to the firm decision of making the soldiers retreat, they had lost quite a large quantity of supplies and facilities because of their decisions.
Truth to be told, the blond knight had not felt so humiliated in his entire life. He had faced hundreds of thousands of Normal-tier daemons before. He had also slain quite a few Gold-tier daemons alongside the previous liege of the fortress. However, 50,000 Berserk Daemons were very different from regular daemons. That number of Berserk Daemons was too much for two thousand soldiers and approximately 30,000 residents of the fortress to handle. Only a fortress with at least 50,000 people could handle that number of Berserk Daemons. Encountering these monsters that knew no pain and knew nothing about retreating, if these monsters did not kill themselves once in a while, the forts and the defenses outside the fortress would not have lasted for over five days.
However, now that the soldiers were at their limit of holding against the monsters, the five satellite forts had completely fallen. In the meantime, they had also lost one-third of the total supplies of the entire fortress and quite a number of large-scale war machines.
Currently, they only had the fortress itself as their main base to fend off the monsters that were coming at them.
Thud thud thud.
Footsteps were heard coming from behind the knight. A brief moment later, two persons appeared at the stairs of the tower. One of them was mage wearing a white robe while the other was a masked warrior. The mage in the white robe was covered in dust. On the other hand, the warrior had small wounds all over his body. The two of them walked straight to the edge of the tower. They were looking at the golden-haired knight while the knight stared back at them.
"We should reduce our forces, Zorgen. Out losses are not great now. We can abandon the defenses facing west. Then we can gather the elites in the middle to hold against the forces of the Berserk Daemons charging at the fortress.
After keeping silent for a moment, the wizard told his comrade that. Even though he seemed unwilling to accept what he just proposed, his voice was firm, "Now, there are only Steel and Silver daemons that are lower in their grades. They have pushed us so far just by using their 'Berserk' power. If this goes on, when the higher tier daemons such as the Gold-tier daemons begin to appear, we will have absolutely no chance at all in defending ourselves against them."
"But how about the rear?"
The masked warrior was a little frustrated. He did not try to refute at all. He was just asking a simple question he had on his mind, "If we don't fend off the daemons that manage to come around the mountains to the side, what will happen to the manors and little towns over that area? They do not even have their own walls to protect them. Their fences are only made of wood. Are you suggesting that we let them fend for themselves against the Berserk Daemons with merely wooden fences?"
"That'll be a pure slaughter! Our existence is to fend off any threats from reaching them. We must prevent any monsters from getting around the mountain to slaughter. We must protect the safety of the residents."
The masked warrior spoke with an angry tone, "Only cowards would give up!"
"It's not the matter of cowardice or not." Facing the suggestion and the anger of his two comrades, the golden-haired knight immediately replied. He then shook his head and said, "These daemons are obviously different from the daemons we've encountered in the past. They can go berserk upon exposing themselves to the dark mist. They will not leave as long as they cannot take out their targets in front of them. I've observed them for quite a while now. The daemons that went around the fortress are daemons that did not go berserk. In other words, they're much weaker than the ones we're dealing with. We cannot afford to send our elites to handle them while we need as much force as we can to deal with the daemons in front of us. Not to mention that we have Silver-tier knights stationed all over the manors and towns. They can definitely handle those daemons without many problems."
He stopped there and turned his head towards the masked warrior. Then he put on a grim expression. "Our duty is to stop most of the Dark Tide. As long as the fortress does not fall, we'll be deemed to have succeeded in our mission. If we spread out our forces just to take care of a few daemons and lose the battle on the frontlines, we'll suffer a loss that we could have prevented. We'll suffer a loss that we can't afford to even think about it."
"Well, we need to at least inform the people at the rear!"
The masked warrior also knew about the how and why. However, he was a little unwilling to accept it.
"Well, we need to be able to contact them first…"
Upon taking in a deep breath, the leader of the garrison forces Zorgen could not help but clench his fists. "If the strange mist did not scramble our communication signals, I could have contacted the main city and requested backup from the Liege! He's a powerful Gold-tier warrior. With him around us, the fortress would have been as firm as an unmovable rock as long as there's no appearance of any Gold-tier daemon of the same level."
Speaking of which, the golden-haired knight could not help to feel overwhelmed by anger. "Feng, you told me that your mages could penetrate the barrier of the black mist if they were given a little time. But what's the situation now? It's been five days! Other than the third day where we heard some signals coming in, we only heard the buzzing, nothing else!"
"It just won't work! We're not going to solve anything even if you're angry at me! Other than that, my mages have been casting their spells at the front all the while. So how can they still have time to figure out how to get the magic communication circle to work then?!"
The senior mage of the fortress, the silver-haired Feng turned his head around and looked at the wave of daemons that were slowing down their assault. The daemons seemed to be retreating back into the Dark Forest. Feng tightened his teeth with hate and he said, "Judging from the situation, the Gold-tier daemons are going to reveal themselves in a couple of days. Their attacks are getting more ferocious every day. Without my mages supporting the warriors, the fortress would have been run over before the backups can make it here."
"It's pretty obvious, don't you think? There must be an extremely powerful 'Count' coming along. This Dark Tide is its army. Its aim is to get rid of us so that it can expand its own territory." The warrior with the mask cut in and said. Upon finishing his previous sentence, he spoke again in a perplexed tone, "That's strange as well. We've not seen the beasts and daemons for over 70 years. It has been longer than since someone saw a 'Count'. They've been so quiet for so many years. So why are they appearing all of a sudden now?"
The Gold-tier knight did not answer that question. He just turned his head towards the direction where the Dark Forest was. The dark purplish mist and all of the daemons had retreated back to the Dark Forest. The warriors at the fortress had finally earned a moment to rest their fatigued bodies.
However, that would not make much of a difference to them. It was merely a tiny gap for them to catch their breaths before real despair was brought upon them.
Without any words in their thoughts, the three of them remained silent. Facing a war between nature and humanity, a war between daemons and the fortress, a war between the savages and the civilized, they had no words to describe it at all.
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Noon. Dark Forest Fortress. Sunny sky with no clouds.
Although the streets were still filled with a cold breeze, the snowstorm had stopped. Everyone was no longer hindered by the snowstorm now.
The soldiers guarding on the wall were packing the supplies up while the residents were cleaning the streets because the sky was clear. A few mages wearing long robes and a few alchemists were riding on their horses running across the streets. They were observing the situation of the streets to see if there were any damages they did not know of. Then they recorded all of the losses and damages on the streets one after another. After all that, they started using their spells to repair as many things as they could.
Across the city, everyone who was still alive had their own role to play. Looking calm, they were not worried about their current condition. After all, these people had experienced countless large-scale battles. They were indirectly trained to get used to the current situation countless times.
It was now the sixth day of the Dark Tide surrounding the city.
Right outside the city, the dark purplish mist was expanding across the forest. None of the spells were able to reveal the situation in the forest. Other than some random howling of the beasts and monsters, no one knew what was really happening in the forest. A few Silver-tier warriors had formed a small party with the purpose to recover as many resources as they could. They were currently heading towards the forts that had fallen in order to do so.
Meanwhile, inside the city, right in the middle of the Dark Forest Fortress, there was a gothic clock tower with a pointy tip that looked very ancient. Dried leaves were scattered all over the place. The windows were not covered by the leaves because someone had been cleaning the windows rather frequently.
Theoretically speaking, there would only be people getting in and out of the clock tower such as this one when giving the correct time. On regular days, no one was stationed there. However, there were a few mages wearing long robes getting in and out of the tower. They were frowning while they were walking about. Their faces were filled with guilt and worry while they were leaving the tower.
In the second floor of the tower, a Silver-tier warrior who had an injury on his right arm was standing in front of a room. He was looking at the grayish-white wall with a solemn expression without saying a word the entire time.
Creak.
The door of the room opened. Another mage walked out of the room with a frown on his face. He raised his head and saw the knight that was guarding the door. After that, he could not help but smile bitterly. "Sorry for all the trouble… Elson."
The surprised gray-haired middle-aged knight turned his head towards the mage and asked, "What happened? Did it fail again?"
"Unfortunately, the chaotic magic has already shielded the entire mountainside. The moment when the communication waves were sent out, they would be instantly corrupted. The efficiency of the magic circle here is too low. There's no way we can find any breakthrough beyond what we could achieve."
After explaining the situation, he shook his head and left the clock tower, frustrated over his incompetence. He left the knight behind all alone, standing still.
The sun was moving slowly across the sky. Sunlight which did not seem to have heat was entering the tower through the windows on the side, shining upon the knight's body. That was most probably because the weather was too cold. The knight could feel a chill up his chest instead of heat.
The windows on the tower were initially designed for the archers to fire arrows out. As Dark Forest Fortress had not been breached yet, the tower was not utilized at the moment. However, judging from the current situation, it might be possible that these windows on the tower that were designed and built over two hundred years ago would be used for the first time.
"Sigh…"
The gray-hair knight took a quick glance across the surroundings of the inner tower that no longer looked dim due to the sunlight that came in through the windows. Elson held onto his broken right arm and put on a grim smile. "Even if I'm going to die, I want to die on the frontline… Guarding the magic communication circle… Haha!"
Even though he was unwilling, he knew better than anyone that right in the room behind him, there was a magic communication circle that could connect the northern lands. Although it could not be compared to the one in the Catheral of St. Laurent which could connect the entire Empire, or even the large-scale magic circle in the outer regions, it would still be important for the knight to guard it.
However, because of the appearance of the unexplained dark purple mist, the chaotic magic had enveloped Mount Great Ajax entirely. Hence, the magic communication circle could not work at its full capacity, causing it not being able to send out messages.
The mages that came and went were there trying to solve the problem. Unfortunately, none of them had any solution that could work. It seemed that such a matter could not be solved with only skills.
The gray-haired knight was ambushed by a Silver-tier daemon which could fly a few days back while he was fending off the Dark Tide from the city. Even though he managed to kill the daemon swiftly with the aids provided by his comrades, his right arm was fatally wounded.
Under the circumstance that there were not enough priests in the fortress, the knight was significantly weakened after his arm was fatally wounded. In other words, his power level had dropped tremendously. Or else, a Silver-tier knight would not be stationed to guard a communication magic circle that was deemed to be useless at the moment. He would have been stationed at the frontline of the battlefield beyond the walls and be tasked to be very cautious about the next Dark Tide that could happen anytime. That would be his real duty.
"It's fortunate that there are no birds here. Six days… Even though the flying daemons were abundant, I believe they should all be dead by now."
Adding to his own thoughts, Elson muttered to himself, "Right, today is the sixth day. Even if the main city is slow, they should have detected something odd about this. However, the snow has piled up high. The reinforcement would need more than just a few days to arrive. By then, I'm afraid that the fortress would have been breached… However, if the Count could just rush here all by himself, things will become very different."
Gold-tier beings could fly freely in the sky regardless of whether they were mages, warriors, alchemists, or priests. This was a known fact, that they would be able to acquire the blessings of the earth and the air because of the energy that allowed them to resonate.
If the person was willing to fly straight to the main city, it would not take long before that person could arrive at the intended destination. However, that person would require a few days to recover his stamina and strength. That being said, it would become pointless even if that Gold-tier person could arrive very quickly.
"What's the point of thinking so much about it?" Noticing his thoughts were straying further and further, the gray-hair knight could not help but laugh at himself. He shook his head and looked at his right arm. Even though there were not many priests in the fortress, their ability to heal was decent. With the aid provided by the apothecaries and a few physicians, the knight could have regained his full strength in a few days with the recovering ability of a Silver-tier warrior.
"In the worst case scenario, I'd only be dead…" Trailing off, Elson felt a lump in his throat. He turned around and looked through the window. The houses built with stones and rocks had filled the center of the fortress which was the size of a small city. Countless towers and buildings were standing tall at the top of the walls. Mages, archers and other types of heavy weapons such as the goblin's cannon were placed there to provide the best support in term of firepower.
After all, this place was the Dark Forest Fortress, a gray-white city, a city that was furthest away from civilization. Countless people who embraced great ideologies and beliefs arrived at this cold land, living among beasts and snow to guard the human world's borders.
This place was also where the knight had lived for over nineteen years. His wife, his children, and his home were all there in that place.
The two people whom he loved the most had given up the peaceful life they could get by staying in the main city. They had chosen to stay with him, a warrior, in the frontline of the fortress which was the most dangerous place. Despite getting so much love from his family, the knight knew better than anyone that he could not ensure their safety.
That was really…
Buzz… buzz buzz…
Suddenly, some noises interrupted Elson while he was sighing.
He turned his head towards the room behind him. He could not help but be stunned for a moment. After that, he frowned, looking puzzled.
" Buzz… buzz buzz… Connected…"
"Are you serious… Could it be?!" Upon hearing the faint sound of people in the room, Elson did not say a word. He immediately opened the door and walked into the room.
It was a room not big nor small. There was a round table made of stone right in the middle of the room. Right on top of the stone table, there were silver-blue and golden runes all over it that seemed to be made of crystals. The crystal surfaces glinted from time to time.
Meanwhile, right in the center of the runes, was a surface that looked like a piece of mirror. It was formed from runes and looked like ripples of water spreading.
At the same time, the magic communication circle that kept silent for a long time began to glow. The flat surface began to vibrate as countless runes began to spin around. After that, a sound was heard from the magic communication circle.
"… I am… buzz… Count of Moldavia, Joshua… buzz … iffe."
Suddenly, the noises were instantly erased. An intimidating voice of a man was heard coming through the mirror. "Attempt twenty-seven to connect. Target, Dark Forest Fortress. Can you hear my voice?"
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Chapter 48: I'll Be There Soon
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Elson felt a powerful surge of relief, appreciation, and joy when he heard the voice. However, he knew better than anyone that it was not the time to be happy.
Knowing that the connection would break at any moment since the situation at the fortress was unstable, the gray-haired knight clutched his pounding chest and walked towards the stone table. He closed his eyes and focused his thoughts on the communication circle.
"My liege, this is the Dark Forest Fortress. Silver Knight Elson speaking."
"It connected? Good. As expected of Artanis's mini-communication circle. It's not that bad."
Elson heard the reply and noticed the voice over the communication circle bore a similar surprised tone. "Pity that the signal strength is far too weak. I'd need to ride for two days in the snow to get a signal. Elson, how is the fortress?"
Elson ignored the fact that he had no idea what a mini-communication circle was and realized that his liege was almost close to the fortress.
Knowing that the situation was dire on the other side, Elson summarized his message, "The fortress has lost all its satellite forts. Incoming reinforcements was less than one-third of what we had at best. There are over 50,000 Berserk Daemons roaming in the Dark Forest. There's a thick layer of purplish-black mist around the area, even spreading across the mountains. The misty clouds are capable of disrupting magic in the air and even communication signals. That is the main reason why we could not warn the city."
"Casualties?"
Elson froze when the voice suddenly turned solemn.
"Is the situation beyond saving?"
"No. The death toll is not too high. Fifty-three warriors had perished when the fortress was attacked. 167 men had to withdraw from the battle due to severe, non-fatal injuries. Last night, the Berserk Daemons withdrew after attacking. As for the main fort itself, there was close to no damage to its structure. After all, it is a forty-meters-tall stone wall. It is not something that any monster could easily break. As of now, the Berserk Daemons could attack at any moment. All surviving members are on alert for any attacks."
"I understand. I get the rough picture of it. The damage is still acceptable. Elson, is there any—"
Hummm…
A low humming noise echoed throughout the airspace and disrupted the communication. Elson widened his eyes with rage and observed the surroundings. The entire clock tower was shaking slightly. The wobbling white mirror on the stone altar had made him extremely wary of the situation.
"What is happening?"
The gray-haired knight got out of the room as quickly as he could and dashed towards the nearest window. Snow had started to fall off the roof. Old, bare trees started to shake, dropping their old brittle branches to the ground. Everyone on the streets stopped pacing and started to look around, wondering what was causing the minor quake.
It was obviously a quake but no one had suspected it was an earthquake. They were in the area of the Empire's northern territory, the mountains of Great Ajax that had an active volcano. Being in the center, if there were an earthquake, the volcano will be the first to show early signs. Yet, the place was as quiet as a graveyard.
"Chi chi chi…"
Mice and squirrels were running in a frenzy out of the cracks of houses, tree trunks, and underground tunnels. Even during their hibernation, these critters had the best alertness towards disaster. As the intensity of the quakes got stronger, the clay tiles of the houses started to dislodge from the roofs.
The only source of that unprecedented quake was none other than the Dark Forest.
As the quake continued on, shaking the land around, the purplish-black mist rolled in from the forest and spread out wider and further. The corruptive, chaotic cloud blanket the entire forest, making it visible from the city. The city guards that could observe the phenomenon started to call out their warnings to each other and all fall into their defensive formation.
"Fuuaahhhhhhhh!"
A loud cry of a beast could be heard growling from the forest, followed by a large silhouette emerging out of the thick mist. It was as tall as thirty meters and had the massive body that could be said to be a small moving fort. The massive beast burst out of the mist and revealed itself to the world. It had long fur like a mammoth, two long tusks and a long trunk in between them. Covering its head like a helmet was a huge skeletal skull.
The quiet snow turned threatening when the beast showed itself. Ice fragments that dropped from the sky circulated around the beast and form a solid ice armor on the beast's body. Every time the beast drew in a breath, the black purple mist would rise around him like black smoke, circulating around the beast like a visible aura.
Boom!
The colossal beast charged towards the abandoned fort and crash into the walls, destroying it easily as if it was made of paper. Its massively long tusks destroyed solid bricks and sent them flying everywhere like leaves. When the dust settled and the snow piled down on the earth, the beast stopped moving as to restore its strength.
"Alert! Send out the emergency high alert!"
"Incoming attack from a Gold-tier beast!!!"
The sound of sirens echoed through the entire city. At the same time, the soldiers who stood frozen at their positions were finally woken up by the blaring alarm. Each of them quickly resumed their post and got ready to attack the gigantic beast.
"Ready the cannons!"
"Mages! Where are the mages?!"
"The ice armor on him is at least half a meter thick! Non-siege back attacks would not do any damage to it! We need heavy physical attacks!"
Chatter and shouts filled the walls and the towers that connected them. It was both chaotic yet organized in the same manners. Soldiers that was on the alert for beast were startled by the sudden attack yet they did not falter for more than a second.
After a few seconds, the windows in the walls were flung open and the goblin cannon was pushed out further and took aim towards the beast. A total of 155 black cannons were aimed at the recently stationary beast and had magic gunpowder pushed into the muzzles of the cannons. The seals glowed and there were sparks. The first wave of counterattack was finally fired.
Shuuuuu!
The speed of which the fired metal ball was so fast that not even the sound could keep up with the object. The metal ball tore through the air and blasted the monster's left shoulder, shattering its icy armor and sending the magic explosive to explode. The great explosion sent out a powerful shockwave and heat that it ruptured the armor and also the shoulder, causing its flesh and blood to splatter all over the snowy ground.
"It's a hit! It's a HIT!"
Morale was raised when the visible damage could be seen by all the soldiers mounting the cannons from inside the castle wall. Dark purple blood was splattering from the open wound, contaminating the pure white snow.
"As expected of a 3,000 gold coins shot! Such a powerful attack!"
"Don't stop the attack! The beast would not stop until its last breath! Destroy the beast before it destroys the wall!"
Some of them had keen eyes. They knew that even though the shot was extremely potent, the beast was still a thirty-meter-tall, fifty-meter-long, and twenty-meter-wide beast. Such a wound would only be equivalent to a man having lost two of its ten fingers. It may hurt but it would not affect its battle prowess too much.
As feared, the man had jinxed it.
"GRUAAHHH!"
With a loud growl, the snow on the ground was sent flying in all directions with the beast in the center of it all. The thunderous cry was so strong that its sound waves were visible to the naked eye as it traveled through the air. Such monster, that was even several times bigger than a regular mammoth gave out a loud growl, as it was trying to overcome its own pain and limitations. The sky grew dark and the snow blew harder. The dark purplish mist gathered around the beast violently as the beast stood on its hind legs and stomped the ground hard with its front legs. Such sheer force had sent the ice that was formed from a thousand years ago splattering like soft mud. A wave formed from the ice of the ground and rushed towards the wall like ocean waves to a harbor.
At the same time, the soldiers from inside the wall had started launching their second wave of attacks. Be it spells, heavy bows, cannons or rocks, all that could be used to attack the beast, were thrown at the beast. Even though most of the attacks missed their supposed target, a small number of them were able to land on the monster, only to be blocked by the thick icy armor and reduce the damage dealt to the beast.
When the wave came to the wall, it slammed against the castle wall hard and sent the wall shaking violently for a brief second. The wall was blessed by the elves, and even had a living tree growing on the inside of the fortress. Such an attack would not weaken the wall. However, even though the inanimate wall could not falter, the soldiers who were inside the walls could not endure such a powerful shock. The chain attack was suddenly interrupted.
"FUUU!"
The beast cried loudly for the second time. It withdrew several steps then. There were more than enough large wounds on its body that should have killed it. However, from nowhere, the beast opened its mouth. With a powerful force, it sucked in everything around it. The snow, the dark purplish mist, and the air were all sucked into it as it wanted to suck everything.
Krak… Krak…
Crackling sounds could be heard from the monster's body as its already massive body grew larger. The wounds that were bleeding badly had been stopped by the growing muscles. The overwhelming power of the monster continued to grow until one point…where it had exceed its own limit…
"GUAAHHH!"
The mountains around started to trembled from the sheer volume of its cries. Snow that had been piled up from a thousand years ago started to fall, causing a huge avalanche that came down towards the forest. Countless of Berserk Daemons rushed out of the Dark Forest that was now blanketed with the dark purple mist. Along with the huge, colossal beast, the Berserk Daemons growled.
Clock tower, second floor. Communication restored.
Before the blaring sirens could even be heard, Joshua, who was speaking through the communication circle exclaimed, "What is going on over there?"
The gray-haired knight did not respond to his liege. He was merely standing at the window and stared beyond. A strong powerful aura could be felt from the direction of the Dark Forest, beyond the castle walls. There was something coming. Something big.
Amidst the blaring sirens, the Silver-tier knight Elson saw through all materials. He saw a large burning flame of life that was coming towards the direction of the fortress. Such a powerful flame was all too similar to a huge mountain. A presence that could strike fear in all. The beast was burning its life force, to exceed its own limit, and lit a bright light. The light… the golden light was Glorious Strength.
"Gold-tier colossal beast…"
The man muttered to himself. The thirty-nine-year-old knight was shaking. His eyes were unfocused. "A Gold-tier colossal beast gone berserk… The fortress is done for…"
The gray-haired knight turned back to the room and restored the communication circle.
"My liege." the Silver-tier knight got down on one knee and closed his eyes. He whispered each word towards the communication circle, "A Gold-tier colossal beast is coming to attack. The fortress wall will be destroyed. Dark Forest Fortress will be overwhelmed."
Who could stop a knight's need to protect? Nothing. When a knight draws his sword, it would be to protect something. To live or to die, such a decision was merely an illusion.
"It is regrettable that I am unable to serve my liege. For I must now rush to the frontline. I must protect this land…" He trailed off. The gray-haired knight smirked all of a sudden. His expression was calm. In his thoughts, he recalled the times when he first saw the city gates, the first time he saw Joshua.
"To protect this land till my dying breath is my responsibility as a knight."
"No. Elson. I order you to stop."
After a short silence, a voice blared out of the communication circle. It was a voice that was filled with utter confidence and authority. The man known as Joshua, the Count of Moldavia ordered his knight firmly, "No one will die. You will not be offering your life today."
"I'll be there soon."
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Chapter 49: A Stale War
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"I'll be there soon."
Joshua placed his palm onto the small crystal globe, that was the mini-communication circle. He lifted his head and took in a deep breath. His stoic facial expression revealed no sort of emotion.
He turned around and gazed upon the blankets of snow that covers all that was around him. There were still some of the huge rocks that had not been fully buried at the slopes of the mountains. He then turned to his back and place his hands on the silver-haired young girl. "Ying. I have a favor to ask of you."
"Yes, Master."
Without a linger of doubt, she nodded but no sooner, the little girl cocked her head and stared at her master with her green eyes. "But, what is the favor?"
"You should know the way from here."
Joshua pulled the reins of the horse and got his legs buried in the snow beneath him. The cold north winter's wind blew past his ears and rushed through his bones. Despite that, a bright red glow burnt around him, dispelling the coldness around him. "Take Black and ride with the fastest speed to Dark Forest Fortress. It's not too far now. You'll reach within an hour."
"That… What about you, Master?"
The silver-haired girl took the reins of the black warhorse without showing any signs of understanding what her master was doing.
"What are you doing?"
"Me?" Joshua answered as if he was confused about her answer. It was not the right question.
Joshua took out the statuettes of a sword and an armor and muttered an incantation. A bright light then surged out of the black-haired, crimson-eyed warrior which then grew brighter with magic. The blinding light struck Joshua and formed a layer of armor around his body. The large sword was embedded in the snow right beside the man. He lifted his right hand, flexed his hands, moving the fingers which made a metallic clanging sound as he did.
A black cloth adorned the Maximilian armor which only added a sense of grandeur and dignity to the warrior over the plain metal armor. Hidden lines overlapped the metal plate on his shoulder armor was shaped like wings that were spread out from the embossment of a crow. His helmet had deep V-shaped gaps. A pair of glowing red eyes could see from the gap.
Even though the helmet muffled the sounds, Joshua's voice could still be heard by the silver-haired, green eyes, Divine Armament girl.
"What else is there to do? I'm going to take out the trash."
Boom!
The red crimson Combat Aura burst out of his body and blasted the snow around him away. What that was left around him were solid dirt and bulky rocks. Gravity had controlled him for only a second when the black-haired, crimson eyes, wearing a black Maximilian armor shot to the sky. The warrior that was radiating blood-red aura around him looked down towards the Dark Forest Fortress and smirked.
Gold-tier colossal beast? Berserk Daemon's Rising? All of them were mere trash to him. A single stroke of his sword would be enough to kill those beasts.
Dark Forest Fortress
When the masked warrior, Chiri Uranus opened his eyes after being unconscious for a short time, the very first thing he saw was the scene of Dark Forest Fortress covered in black smoke. All that he felt was frigid temperature and biting cold when he touched his weapon.
The chaotic magic causes the unnatural blow of the wind. The grayish clouds in the sky rolled on and on endlessly. Snowflakes the size of a human palm fell rampant on the battlefield. Winds that blew around the battlefield howled so deafeningly that the man was awoken from his state of unconsciousness.
"… I am… still alive…"
His cough was accompanied by a weak smile as he realized his current predicament. He struggled to get up to his feet. The man gathered his strength and used the iron spear as a stick to support himself. Carrying his battered body, the man limped as he realized that snow that already piled up a thick layer on top of the castle wall where he stood weakly.
What just happened? The man asked himself as he tried to recalled how he became unconscious.
"… Hmph. I'm lucky enough to be alive even though a charging beast sent me flying."
He clenched his teeth hard when he felt a throbbing pain from his insides. The gray-eyed warrior turned his heart to try to understand what had just happened to the fortress. The war was still going on as the dark purple mist blanketed the entire field like morning mist. Sounds of cannons firing filled the air. The crackling of magic power could be seen at every moment as the earth trembled. However, the one sound that stood up among the rest was the sound of swords clanging.
"Attention!"
A loud commanding voice blasted from nowhere, surpassing all the noise that was in the battlefield.
"Arcane archers! Mages! Ballista squadron! Cannon squadron! Ready yourself! Take aim!"
"Fire at will!"
"Yes, Sir!"
Although the replies were not in unison, the soldiers that heard the command obeyed. In a matter of seconds, the sky was darkened with arrows, whistling as they tore through the airspace. Spells of all sorts flew across the battlefield and blasted their enemies. Those spells were in many forms, of fire, ice, and sharp rocks. All of the projectiles, magic or not, were shot towards the monsters that were swarming below the castle wall, dealing enough damage to inflict fatal wounds.
The scene was not for the weak-hearted. As the arcane archers and mages alike had blasted their attacks, the chaotic swarming on the daemons down on the ground had many empty voids where the attack had landed. Powerful loud blast, paired with the rising heat of the attack had melted all the snow that was supposed to cover the entire land of the north. The steam rose up, mixed along with the purple mist, causing the entire fortress seems to be puffing purple steam like a boiling kettle.
Although overwhelmed, the monsters had not shown any intention to withdraw. With the mind of a beast, they did not care for their fallen comrade. The daemons continued to bare their fangs and claws. With a putrid odor lingering all over their bodies, as splatters of their fallen comrades stuck to their bodies, they continued to attack the castle wall, breaking the stone wall with their long steel-like claws. One by one, they lunged themselves to the wall and clawed their way up. When the front had crawled up the wall, the ones behind moved forward, rampaging as they moved.
A few of the daemons possessed the Spitting Attack ability that had no blind spot. They remained on the ground and gathered magic power to spew out pillars of assorted colors. The attack blasted the fortress walls and caused heavy damage. Each time the attack landed, the walls would shake violently. Smoke would rise and fragments of bricks would fall.
"Ouuuu…"
A blue light that resembled lightning was blasted out of a daemon's mouth and towards the masked knight. Chiri tried to dodge as fast as he could but due to the severe injuries he bore, his movement speed was reduced drastically. The high-powered beam attack grazed past his head and even melted the steel spear of which he was holding.
The black steel-made spear immediately turned searing red. Unable to withstand the intense heat, Chiri had to let go of the spear in his hand. Enraged, Chiri moved towards the edge of the wall to search for the daemon that had attacked him. At that moment, he felt an unusual coldness around his head. It was only then he had realized that his helmet was blown off.
"What a drag…"
Long dark green strands of hair fluttered against the wind. The ears that twitched was longer and sharper than of usual humans. Chiri tied his long hair and made a simple ponytail. The half-elf warrior's face had tattoos that were drawn using the blood of daemons as the dye. There was still sparks of electricity crackling from his tattoos. He frowned.
"Hmph! It dares to use electrical attacks on me?!"
It was not the time for him to deal with such a monster that was at most a Silver tier, that of which could not even break his magic tattoo defenses. He had other more important matters to tend to.
Chiri picked up a random sword that was on the floor and observed the entire battlefield once more. After one clean scan, he had found his target.
On the far end of the fortress was another battlefield. There, a blond-haired warrior and a white-haired magician were co-operating to provide support against the ranged attacks and a frenzied colossal beast. A beast that had lost all traces of intelligence and the ability to judge. Even though it had a strong constitution of a Gold tier, it was firmly held back by two veteran Silver-tier fighters, rending it unable to proceed to attack the castle wall.
Even so, holding back the massive beast was hard for the knight and the magician. Both greathammer and magic staff were swinging around. All sorts of Combat Aura martial arts and magic spells were flung and blasted, yet they failed to break and penetrate the icy armor in order to deal substantial damage. All they could do then was to stop the enemy from moving forward, forcing the beast to circle around.
The human body had limits, limits that the colossal beast did not possess. Once the humans had grown weary, it was then that defeat would be certain.
Chiri pressed his chest as he could feel the throbbing pain piercing him from the inside. The damage dealt to him when he was sent flying by the colossal beast was too much for even a being with elven blood and the constitution of a Silver-tier warrior to heal. It was impossible for him to be fully restored in that short amount of time.
"However, it's about right."
The half-elven warrior to the other end of the fortress to rejoin the battle.
Just when he had taken the first few steps to gain his speed, he felt something in the air that was assaulting him. His body involuntarily jerked to the sudden presence.
At the same time, the two Silver-tier fighters, the warrior, and the mage felt the same presence. It was something frightening, something that made them extremely wary. In the same time, both the Silver-tier warrior and mage blasted their ultimate move to force the colossal beast to withdraw a few steps back. They then raised their heads to look into the distance.
There was something flying in the sky. A bright light that glowed blood red dyed the sky dark crimson red like late dusk that was soon to arrive.
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Chapter 50: Sky Splitter
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When the sky was dark and void of light, a bright red star-like object burst off the ground and soared to the sky. Like a faintly glowing red sun, the flying projectile shone its light throughout the sky.
Once the light was visible, the entire battlefield seemed to stop its ferocious battle. Be it the soldiers in the fortress, or the rampaging Berserk Daemons, all beings that were present then raised their head to observed the soaring light.
Not long after, the thick dark clouds were split apart by dark crimson light. Like lightning cracking passed the clouds during a thunderstorm, a bright light pierced through the clouds as if it was a spear that was thrown down by the gods who'd controlled the thunder and storm. The light illuminated the land and the crack in the clouds continued to spread wider until the light was moving towards the fortress.
"What is that?"
The white-haired mage was gathering magic powers with his hands. The ripples of power were strong so strong that it could be seen by the naked eye. The man named Feng, who was the leader of the mage squad of the fortress turned to the sky. As much as he was shocked to see something of that magnitude, his focus was never away from unleashing controlling spells to push back the never-ending daemons.
As a powerful elementalist that could control all elements, Feng switched from using the main four natural elements to something else when he noticed elemental powers were not efficient on the daemons. Instead, he used magnetic and electric powers which was much more potent than fire, earth, wind, and water against the layers of thick ice.
Facing off spells that were conjured using electric and magnetic powers as their base, the colossal beast was unable to do much but to take them all with its colossal body and strength. Growling in pain and anger, the beast's brown fur had crackling static. Its movement speed had been obviously slowed down.
The blond-haired knight, Zorgen did not bother to answer such a question when he himself had no idea what was the red comet in the sky. His hands were gripping hard on the Cross Hammer as he unleashed a red-hot golden colored Combat Aura to counter the extreme temperatures of the winter. It was slow but his hammer would constantly smash enemies around him to attract as much attention to himself instead of allowing the monsters to charge towards the castle wall.
Even though the mountain-sized beast was slowed down, its destructive force had not diminished even a little. Its massive long trunk was swinging around, crashing about into the ground and unleashing a powerful blast. The knight was forced to move away from the attack.
With the will of the beast, the surrounding temperature had dropped below subzero degrees. Such a temperature was cold enough to drain the vitality of even a higher Silver-Tier knight.
Feng was a ranged attacker; hence, he was not greatly affected by the cold temperature. However, being a melee fighter, Zorgen had to endure the fight with the colossal beast with all his might. He could not afford to lose focus or a simplest mistake will turn his body into a pile of mush that will be frozen in less than a second. He had neither the time nor the attention to grace Feng's question with an answer.
If the battle continued to go on without significant progress; not being able to deal any true damage to the beast itself, then the knight had no choice but to surrender in a matter of minutes.
Luckily, along with a blast of blue electric, another figure had shown up next to him.
"FENG!"
He screamed out without the helmet covering and muffling his voice till it felt extremely refreshing. A long sword that had electric current running through it was drawn out along with the scream. The supersonic sword drawing technique pierced through the icy armor and landed on the colossal beast's body with a powerful blast. There was not a single trace of doubt when the white-haired mage heard his name being called. With haste, he gathered green-blue electrical power in his hands and unleashed a spell that was made with powerful electric and magnetism with his fastest speed.
[Seizing Static Storm]
The arcane magic in the air materialize into violently crackling sparks that condensed further to form a long chain. The electric chain zoomed towards the rampaging beast around Zorgen and pinning it downwards. With the long sword that had pierced past the icy armor in the center, a violent electrical storm ranged on and seeps into the body of the beast via the sword, numbing its muscles and nerves. Along with a deafening roar, the beast may have the constitution of a Gold Tier, but having its muscle and nervous system numbed, the beast dropped to all fours and gradually stopped moving.
Zorgen did not felt the need to appreciate the fact that Chiri was alive despite having sustain a full-blown attack from the colossal beast, however, he did feel grateful for the attack that was extremely rare and precious. Without delay, he gathered his focus onto the blistering power in his hand and materialized his will in the form of a radiant light glowing behind him. The knight then took a leap of faith and dashed towards the beast, kicking off a large pile of snow as he did.
With the powerful Combat Aura burning around him, his muscle and body had gained a destructive power at the cost of possible bedridden for a month. The man's golden aura glowed and was focused on to the Cross Hammer in his hands. Gripping the hammer's handle with all the strength in him that all the veins around his hand popped out, the Knight smashed the colossal beast with everything he had. The resulting smash was so powerful and fast that it created a sonic boom before landing on the beast's belly.
"GRAHH!"
A powerful blast erupted in between the man and the beast. A 10 meters circular explosion exploded along with the ground beneath them. Countless of snow was blasted up into the air like a large smoke pillar. Nearly all the surrounding Berserk Daemons were immediately blasted away from the resulting impact and was burnt away. Even Chiri and Feng had to withdraw from the area around Zorgen to avoid getting caught in the attack. That was not all, Zorgen was not finished. Along with the powerful blast, a dimmed golden light erupted from beneath the beast and shot out countless of light beams which pierced and attacked the beast that was in the center of the smoke pillar. All the Berserk Daemons that survived the initial attack was immediately burnt away with intense flames.
Once the searing light beams ended, a blue Combat Aura flashed and Chiri flashed towards the smoke pillar. After a few moments later, he came out of the smoke pillar with a half-conscious man on his shoulders.
The half-elf and the white-haired mage teamed up and Feng took the half-conscious knight and casted the basic Awakening spell on the blond Knight. After breathing raggedly for half a minute, the knight sighed tiredly and opened his eyes.
"Did it work?"
Zorgen, whose hand was still on his comrade's shoulder, got up to his feet feebly. With the faintest voice that he could muster, he asked about the situation. The concerned fortress chief guard said, "I had intentionally ignored the head since it was heavily armored. Instead, I chose to attack the part with the least defense which was the belly. I had to say that even if that was my most powerful attack, the beast weighs at least 400 tons! I may not succeed in killing it!"
"I have no idea if it worked. Even though the beast was burning away his life force to gain power, it was of Gold tier." Feng frowned as he shared a similar concern. His magic was almost drained halfway through. He would need to rest for several hours to fully restore his magic. That is, if he could survive the battle and live long enough. The mage frowned and felt conflicted as he answered. "Right now… I think it's at least—"
Tong!
A bright purplish light shone out of the smoke pillar, and along with it, a powerful sound of a heartbeat.
All three surviving fighters froze.
Boom!
Something was standing up. The earth trembled as something heavy stomped the ground. A pair of bright purplish-blue eyes glinted brightly from within the thick smoke pillar.
TONG!
Another pillar of purplish-blue light blasted out of the smoke pillar, making the black mist swirl around violently. The dust in the smoke pillar was all blown away, leaving no smoke but only purple mist in the pillar. After that, a louder, clear sound of a beast was heard.
"GRAUAAAH! ARGHHHH!"
A loud trumpet like an elephant was blared and could be heard from throughout the battlefield. The beast came out of the pillar and revealed a large wound on its belly. It was a gory sight with the beasts' dangling innards visible. However, to make things worse, the purple mist seemed to gather around the wound, solidifying around it. The beast's flowing blood was stopped and along with a disgusting sound of flesh, new flesh growing on the wound like a tumor and filling up the wound until it was completed closed.
That was a Dragon's Berserk.
The virus spread by the Corrupted Black Dragon had two stages. The first stage was similar to the Dark Tide phenomenon. A part of a being's intelligence would be sacrificed in order to gain the berserk status and power. At this stage, the virus might spread and cause humans and beast alike to gain berserk strength. Other than the sudden burst of strength, there was nothing else one could gain.
The second stage would be the Dragon's Berserk, whereby the monster would gain a power level much stronger than a beast that is infected by the Corrupted Black Dragon virus. In the second stage, the beast would gain an unimaginable power, ultra-fast regeneration ability, monstrous strength, pain endurance, and the worst of all, it could still spread the virus through simple attacks. Furthermore, beasts that had reached the second stage of berserk could have a possibility to give rise to a new Corrupted Black Dragon after death.
Tong…tong…tong tong….tong tong tong…
Both eyes of the beast were covered in a layer of purplish blue membrane. Once a beast had been fully taken over by the virus and reached the second stage, that is the Dragon's Berserk, it would target and attack places with the most number of enemies, places with the strongest life force. Hence, the beast was no longer interested in attacking the wounded, the weary, and the old. Instead, it turned away from the trio and headed towards the castle at lightning speed. It started with fast pacing, then trotting, and finally, sprinting.
The massive body of the colossal beast became that of a specter. 400 tons of mass sent violent quakes to the earth each time its huge legs struck the earth. With unfaltering speed, the beast charged forward through the ice, ignoring all that was in its path. It trampled past through countless of Berserk Daemons zooming through the field like a rocket and crashed into the fortress wall.
The ground shook violently as the pale-white forty-meter-tall wall which was supported by the living tree's steel-like roots, was destroyed. Soldiers that were standing on the walls lost their balance and fell off the walls.
"Fuahahhhh!"
The beast did not stop. It withdrew a few steps back and charged forward again to crash into the destroyed fortress. It's skull armor on its head glimmered with brown light, that of the earth's color.
Another violent quake erupted. No matter how strong the wall was constructed, it could never withstand the sheer force of a Gold-tier beast's powerful charged attack. That was why, in the midst of the howling of the Berserk Daemons, one-fifth of Dark Forest Fortress was reduced to rubble. Strong granite that were used to build the impregnable wall was toppling over like gravestones.
"This is the end…"
Looking at the falling fortress with dead shot eyes, the blond knight lost his will to continue the fight. He knelt on one knee to the ground onto the frigid earth and sighed while fatigue assaulted every fiber of his being. He looked hopelessly at the beast that was covered in the black purplish mist attacking the fortress, again and again, relentlessly as bricks turned into rubble and rubble turned into tiny fragments.
When several thousands of soldier faced off with over 10,000 Berserk Daemons and a colossal beast… the fate of the battle was sealed.
"All forces! Fall back!"
A loud mental command was sent out to everyone present in the fortress that seems to be coming from within the high sky.
Chiri and Feng immediately turn to the sky. That was when they saw the light. The once dark sky that was covered in gray clouds was illuminated by a reddish patch. A powerful object seems to burst out of the clouds, splitting the clouds apart and reintroduce the light of day to the gloomy earth.
"When did… That's too fast…" The white-haired mage muttered softly as he witnessed the sky was being torn apart.
A figure shot down, surrounded by black and red Combat Aura, leaving traces of what seems to be like a meteor coming down to the earth, bring along a pressure that could destroy everything in its path as it broke through the air and zooming towards the Gold-tier colossal beast.
BOOM!
A man stood up from the ground of which he had landed on. Powerful Combat Aura that the man was emitting ruptured the surrounding air, melting all the snow and sublimating them into steam. The violent circulating air gathered all fragments that once was the earth, wall, beast, and dust.
The earth tremored once more and made the earth split apart. In the front of Dark Forest Fortress, part of the wall that stood strong even started to tremble as a small mushroom cloud formed and rose from the crack in the earth.
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Chapter 51: Could Trash Like You Put Up a Better Fight?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Little by little, as the northern wind blew, the chaotic magic in the sky was blown away, dispersed by the Gold-tier warrior's strength. The golden sunlight shone past the cloudy sky and formed beautiful light pillars with the warrior as the center of it.
Ka chak.
The sound of metallic boots, striking the ground could be heard when the warrior walked out of the browned mushroom clouds. What was supposed to be snow was converted into the extremely dry ground.
The warrior that was clad in black metallic armor walked out of the crater that he made during his landing. A blood red radiance seeped out of the metal armor and was releasing powerful heat and light.
Combat Aura, was the cumulation of will and physical strength. It was an expelling type of supernatural strength which would change according to the human's behavior and the soul's attribute. It possesses many types of characteristics. Joshua's Combat Aura's main attribute to burn.
Joshua lifted his head up and observed the surrounding through the V-shaped eye hole in his helmet. Broken arrows were scattered throughout the entire field as well as many craters made from the cannons and magic blast. Unlike the arrows that were scattered around scarcely, the craters were covered the entire field like wild grass in a forest. Innards of the Berserk Daemons could be seen, along with the mangled remains piling up along with snow and dirt. Blood that was not frozen by the extreme temperature flowed like rivers into the craters around to form a small pool of putrid blood.
It was hell.
Joshua took a deep breath of the putrid smell and glared at the scene. The warrior could something inside him awakening.
Like gears in a machine that aligned perfectly, the feeling within was like a bottled desire that was finally unleashed to the world. At that moment, behind the helmet, Joshua cracked a smile.
The taste of hell was good.
What was once a majestic fortress wall had turned into a pile of white granite rubble with countless daemon's corpses buried underneath them. In reality, the Dark Tide had not ended. There were still countless daemons crawling and climbing their way up at the far ends of the fortress. They had not dared to get close to the Gold-tier beast yet they had not deserted their mission to destroy the fortress.
Soldiers that had still a certain level of combat power remained in the frontline and fought the daemons. When Joshua landed with a loud crash, not many soldiers that were still fighting sustained many injuries. Hence, they could still defend the wall and stop the daemons from getting across.
Ba bump.
A soft thump was heard from behind and Joshua turned to look, only to find something odd.
Once the dust settled, all he could see was a gigantic beast with purplish magic runes appearing on all over the beast. The sound from before was made when the beast had fallen to its feet. One of its massive tusks was broken off and the bone skull armor on his head had severe cracks on it. Like a mammoth, the gigantic beast had several wounds and scars was so severe all around its body, lining up with the purplish magic runes.
The colossal beast was still alive. Logically speaking, when Joshua landed and made a huge commotion, the beast should not be able to stand when the warrior had stepped on the beast's spine.
In reality, the beast was still standing. Along with the disgusting sound of flesh, dark purplish mist gathered around the beast and concentrated on the wounds of the beast, triggering muscle growth. The raw flesh formed at incredible speed and closed the wounds that should have been fatal to the beast. No sooner, the beast was already standing firmly on its four limbs. Its purplish-blue eyes were still in chaos. Its berserk will and killing intent had not subsided. As the colossal beast regained its stance, the cold wind grew stronger around it and the icy armor formed once more on its body to provide maximum defense.
"Wild mammoth. A Silver-tier herbivore colossal beast that lives in the mountain region of the cold north. You, on the other hand, have the power and size of a Gold-tier beast. There is something inside you that had provided you your incomprehensible life force. Making you an unchallenged foe."
With his eyes glued to the beast, Joshua walked step by step towards the beast with high interest. "It was only due to the berserk stage that it was able to reach Gold tier. You have taken fatal damage and allowed the virus on your body to be infected deeper, reaching the precursor of the Dragon's Berserk. Now that it has come to this, it seems that the Chaotic Gore Magala must have been to the north."
"However, that is not the main reason that you could still be alive after my attack."
"In that case, shall I examine your body for any abnormalities?"
Joshua casually lifted his sword and allowed the crimson aura around him to swivel around the sword. He gripped the handle tight and aimed the sword tip to the beast and whispered, "Come on."
I'm giving you a chance. Don't let your efforts be in vain.
"Grrr…"
Even though the beast had traded its intelligence to gain strength, the colossal beast held its steps and refused to budge. It knew that what it should do then. If it did not kill the male human standing in front of it, it would die.
With a low growl, the magic runes that was wrapped around the beast's body glowed with an intense purple glow. The ice magic that was surrounding the beast expanded. All the heat that was around hundred meters of the beast was removed. On the other hand, those that were outside the range of the beast had gained intense heat, melting all the snow, turning them into water and mixing with the ground to form muddy plains.
Magic is the source of power even at the beginning of time. It is the building blocks of life and matter. This power originated from souls. It could be anything and could be used to make anything. It could be used to expel heat, stop motion, return everything to being silent, and many other means and method that were only limited by the imagination.
Daemons born were able to utilize those powers. They were protected by it as they were born from it. Nature's child.
"FUAAAHHH!"
As the growl grew louder, so did the tremor that shook the land. Countless snow and dirt floated up and formed a huge ice ball that measured at least ten meters in diameter. With a flash, the beast stomped the ground and hurled the ice ball towards the warrior in Maximillian armor.
There was an unknown force interfering with the ice ball that the beast had cast, compressing the ball and increasing its movement speed. As such, the initial ice ball's shape and texture starting changing after traveling some distance. From an ice ball, it changed to something between solid and liquid—an unfrozen entity.
The unknown frost attack that was many degrees below subzero whistled through the air with a speed that could trample anything in its path towards the warrior in black armor. However… no matter how powerful it might look or sound, it was just an attack by a wild beast.
The beast, that was attacking the fortress, which was held back by merely three Silver-tier fighters and was inflicted with intense wound and fatigue, and was also struck by the warrior in black armor from the sky, was extremely tired. It was obvious to the warrior since it had not chosen to attack physically but to use magic instead.
The frost attack was not weak yet it could not deal much damage. At most, its true threat lies with the area of effect. Still, it was something an experienced Gold-tier warrior could easily dodge, not to mention Joshua, an ex-legendary warrior.
Yet, he stood still, with no intention of dodging.
The bone-chilling wind blew in his face. Joshua's unblinking eyes remained focused on the incoming frost attack. He lifted his sword, faced the multi-form ice attack, and cracked a smile.
The Combat Aura that was seeping out of his armor glowed redder, as well as the aura that was swiveling around the sword's tip. The Wind's Spirit Seal, that was supposed to be hidden in the sword, glowed with a blinding light when a surging power wrapped around the blade. Until one point, the sword was unable to contain the power and surged the excess of it all around Joshua. The heat that was generated by Joshua had sent all the coldness around him upwards as the ground and air around Joshua was burnt.
What else was there, that could excite a warrior's dull life, than a one on one fight? Nothing. That was why, when Joshua was at the receiving end of frost attack, instead of dodging or running away, he took a step forward and sliced his sword downward with all the might he had.
The air resonated as the indestructible, undull blade blast out a powerful deep crimson energy wave that not only had cleaved the frost attack into two parts, did not slow down, and went ahead to crash into the Gold-tier colossal beast.
"…"
The beast wanted to scream in pain but failed to do so as it did not have any energy left to even squeak. The beast opened its mouth wide yet nothing came out of it. Slowly and weakly, the beast fell to the ground as the ice armor that was protecting the beast disintegrated into the air. Its chest area was ruptured and wrecked into a pile of mash from being attacked.
The 'battle' was not fair or on equal grounds since the start. The beast, that could not be defeated by the soldier of the fortress, was killed in one shot by the warrior in the black Maximilian armor.
Walking slowly towards the colossal Gold-tier beast, Joshua, who had realized that the beast had already expended all possible energy and power, sighed disappointingly as he cleaved the beast's head with a final stroke of his sword. The sword that was as tall as Joshua seemed rather small to cleave the beast's head. Joshua had no choice but to imbue a little Combat Aura to lop off its head.
Like a water fountain, once the head was removed from its neck, blood splatter around, drenching the warrior in the black Maximillian armor. The warrior stood unfazed as he did not mind the blood. He just stood still in the pool of purple blood. After some time, he walked closer to the beast's heart and plunged his hands into the beast's body.
After searching around, he found something.
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Chapter 52: Plans and Schemes Are Too Troublesome! How I Wish to Butcher Some Guys!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It was a white, silvery unknown egg-like object that was attached close to the heart of the beast. As the purplish blood oozed out of the round object, it glowed with a dim grayish glow.
Joshua held the object in his palm and tugged with all his force. A loud 'pop' was heard and the egg-like object was in his hands, beating hard like an actual heart.
Standing in the pool of blood, the beast that was in front of Joshua twitched violently for a second before completely returning as a corpse. The warrior took the egg-like object and observed it for some time. Besides a weirdly suction plate and a long tube behind the object, there was nothing else that seemed out of the ordinary.
With his many years of experience, he was not able to identify the object's true nature or anything that bore a resemblance to it.
"Strange… Here I thought that the beast only went berserk due to the virus, and was incubating a Corrupted Black Dragon inside him, forcing him to attack the city in a suicidal manner. Little did I know that there's this little thing?"
Joshua talked to himself and tried to squeeze the object. Even though it looked like an egg; a fragile looking egg at that, it was extremely solid and tough. The force that he used to squeeze the egg was not strong, but it was adequate enough to break an unripe peach. If the object was able to withstand the force and remained unbroken, it would only mean that it was not of a normal object.
Could it be a monster's egg? A demonic parasite? It grew near the heart and even had a tube attached to it… It should not be a mere tumor… After thinking about it for some time, Joshua knew that it would be useless to just keep on throwing random guesses. He then remembered that he had the 'system' with him. Without delay, he summoned the system menu and used the 'Appraisal' skill on the object.
[… Identifying object… Life form evaluation success, Ancient Knowledge evaluation failed, Mystical Knowledge evaluation success.]
[Appraisal Report]
[Marine Abyssal Spawn – Modified. Ancient Mystical Item]
[Being: In the Deep Sea of the South of the Mycroft Continent, there were many surviving ancient beings that roamed the seabed. One of them was the colossal Marine Abyssal Dragon. Legend has it that the beast was a giant serpent that grew up to 400 meters long. It was also said that the beast was not originally from Mycroft. It came from an unknown continent, an underwater world. It fed mainly on other colossal sea kings. However, due to its slow movement speed, it failed to hunt for food. Hence, the Marine Abyssal Dragon evolved to create a new uncommon hunting method, the Marine Abyssal Spawn.]
[Ancient: The Marine Abyssal Dragon was once part of an underwater civilization. However, as the Astral Dragon evolved…]
[Mystical Item: The Marine Abyssal Spawn will continue to release a sort of hormonal essence before being inserted into the body of another being. The Marine Abyssal Spawn will be able to draw in another beast to consume it. After ingestion, the Marine Abyssal Spawn will attach itself to the part of the living being which had the best blood flow to increase nutrient absorption. As such, it will also release a potent aggravation catalyst. The effect would be the same as a Berserk Potion, capable of eliminating Intelligence and conscience of a being with Spirit Sense 30 points and lower. During active effect, the infected being with have increased strength and the tendency to challenge a being with the highest combat power.]
[Combination: Modified being of a higher intelligent being. The essence of the Marine Abyssal Dragon is faint.]
A complicated series of text appeared in view.
"Huh. Marine Abyssal Dragon… I recalled that it was one of the inferior beings of among the Pentashade Dragons. When the Pentashade Dragon God was expelled to the physical world by the co-operation of both the Metal Dragon God and the God of Justice, the Marine Abyssal Dragon was killed for inciting the Berserk Dragon's Calamity by the Metal Dragon and the religious group of the Sacred Mountain of the far seas."
Joshua frowned. He had finally found the reason why he had no idea what was the item. The Marine Abyssal Dragon species, were not in existence in his previous life before he traveled among the seas. All the Marine Abyssal Dragons were killed in the [Berserk Dragon's Calamity]. As such, he had never encountered one, much less killed it. That was why he had no knowledge of the beast.
However so, it would be even strange. Why would an underwater species hunting method would appear in the body of a colossal beast in the northern land's Dark Forest? It was even modified by a higher intelligent being… Wait a minute!
At that moment, a mountain of information flowed in his brain. After some time, that information was linked and connected together to form an answer.
Corrupted Black Dragon, Berserk Dragon Virus, Dark Tide… Pentashade Dragon, Deep Sea Demonic Dragon… The future Berserk Dragon's Calamity…
Why would the God of Justice help the Metal Dragon God to defeat his enemy, expelling the Pentashade Dragon God to the mortal realm and to cooperate with the remaining six gods of humanity to conduct genocide on all related species?
Why would the Pentashade Dragons, that originated from the Astral Realm expel the Old World Dragons that were in large numbers and incite the Berserk Dragon's Calamity on the entire world?
His brain was clicking but the answer was nowhere to be found. Joshua knew that there was something there but he could never link them together. It was then he had regretted the fact that he had not spent more time in the forums to research about the game. If he had, he would not be in this predicament. Being half-assed in something made him rather irritated. Then again, who would spend extra time to read about an item description when all the player has to know was the rough idea of the world setting.
In reality, Joshua only played the game due to the game's 18 setting to enable the blood and gore. There were even more players that were interested in the game because of the beautiful game sceneries. No one would trouble themselves to research on the world's background… It would be too troublesome.
"I should change my perspective. The world has changed too much due to my presence. I should not remain rigid about my knowledge of the game…"
If he had not traveled through the dimension…
Without the experience from his legendary warrior character, Joshua from this world could have died in the world, or perhaps even not. However, if he did survive the orc war, he should be fighting with that bastard uncle Danlya for the title of count.
If that was the case, without Gold-tier guards in Dark Forest Fortress to face off the Dark Tide and the Gold-Tier colossal beast that he had just killed, the damage would be devastating. Over tens of thousands of daemons would have swarmed into Moldovia and cause uncountable causalities. Perhaps even the city itself would have been reduced to ashes. In fact, other territories in the north would have suffered the same fate.
The Cathedral of St. Laurent was the strongest church of the God of Justice and Strength. Most of the citizens that lived in the north were staunch followers. Hence, the oracles should not stay on the sidelines if something were to befall the land.
Besides the north, the Empire's central and southern territories had been suffering from attacks caused by the Dark Tide that was caused by the Berserk Dragon Virus. As such, even they would have rallied their army from central to seal off all the exits and eliminate all the daemons from within.
"If that were the case, that Corrupted Black Dragon was the experimental object that was created by the Old World Dragons that were being controlled by the Pentashade Dragons, and not because of the expulsion of the Shagaru Magala. That would make sense then…"
Such a possibility would require more evidence to support his own hypothesis.
To do so, he would need to find the unknown Corrupted Black Dragon and kill him, check his body for scars of being modified by the Marine Abyssal Dragon and prove whether his hypothesis was true or false.
"Interesting… I see that history of this world has been changed the moment I had set foot in this world."
Joshua smirked but shook his head. He had decided to put this thought aside at the moment to think about it again in later days. He then morphed the greatsword in his hands to became a statuette and stashed it in one of the pockets around his waist. The pulsating Marine Abyssal Spawn was in the warrior's left hand, and a tusk, attached to the severed head of the dead colossal beast in his right hand. He dragged the gigantic head of the dead colossal beast towards the Dark Forest.
Along the way, his killing intent intensified. All the surrounding daemons instinctively moved aside and much more growled at the sight of Joshua. After one of the daemons that seemed to be the leader of the entire pack growled, the entire pack of daemons followed and withdrew back to the Dark Forest. Even the daemons that were still climbing on the far end of the fortress' wall jumped down and ran towards the Dark Forest.
Like a fortress that is easily destroyed without a Gold-tier warrior defending it, without a Gold-tier daemon pressing the attack of the daemons, they were easily crushed by a Gold-tier fighter. That was the instinct that all the daemons felt then. Unlike the infested Gold-tier mammoth that lost all its consciousness and attacked anyone mindlessly, even though those daemons were rampaging madly, they were not mad enough to knock on death's door by attacking Joshua.
As such, after a few minutes, the ever-chaotic battlefield was left with nothing but corpses and mangled bodies. Joshua stood among the mountains of corpses as he lifted the head of the dead mammoth to display his victory to the surviving soldiers of Dark Forest Fortress.
Silence spread throughout the fortress but was broken with loud cheers.
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Chapter 53: Willpower
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Standing not far from the small sloped hill, Chiri Uranus was carrying Zorgen who almost passed out. Standing right beside them was the white-haired mage, Feng Lawrence who was astonished at the sight before him.
As a Silver-tier warrior and a mage that had already hit the pinnacle of their own current tier, Chiri and Feng's insight and the ability to analyze were not on the same level as the other guards that cheered after seeing their own liege slaying a Gold-tier daemon. Although the three of them would bicker over all sorts of stuff on regular days, the three of them were old partners for many years. They even slew a few Gold-tier daemons while serving their previous count. Because of that, they understood how powerful a Gold-tier being could be.
So when the warrior in black armor that descended to the ground tore the sky apart with his red Combat Aura, the three of them knew that the war was as good as over as that power was on a completely different level. Even when the Gold-tier colossal beasts were in their prime, they could not even defeat Joshua who was only armed in one hand.
In contrast with the rumors about their new liege who had not mastered his Glorious Strength and all sorts of upgrades in the abilities of his extraordinary body, what the warrior that Chiri and Feng saw before their eyes was a skilled and experienced warrior who could use his Gold-tier strength to the fullest.
It seemed that everyone had underestimated the strength of this young liege, as he was much more powerful than they imagined.
Flying at high speed, unleashing of his Combat Aura, forming blades with air or adjusting the power of his muscles throughout his entire body. Whichever it was, Joshua had done to it to the max. When he was engaging the Gold-tier colossal beast head-on, he could instantly see through the weak point of the beast and undoubtedly struck the beast to its demise. The two had seen the previous liege do this before. However, they could not help but feel that even the previous liege could not have done it better and smoother than Joshua.
However, even though that was the case, they could only sigh for feeling old while praising the newer generation for surpassing them.
What really bewildered them was the scene right before their eyes now.
Not far from where they stood, the heat of the battlefield that rose tremendously due to the battle between the Gold-Tier warrior and the colossal beast had suddenly dropped again right after the battle ended. The battlefield was covered with a thin layer of frost. The strong winds were blowing the snow far from the north. Everything looked so white that it looked like mist spreading in the air.
However, right in the middle of this misty atmosphere was a large crater.
That was the hole that Joshua left behind with his Combat Aura that tore through the air for passing through. His blazing red Combat Aura came in together with a hurricane crushing the colossal beast across the icy tide, pushing it up into the air, killing it in an instant.
That crater had not disappeared yet until now. The flying snowflakes would instantly evaporate and dissipate into the air the moment they reached the space of the crater. The air there was as hot as blazing steel. Even after some time, the remaining power was still there.
"The power of will…" The white-haired mage said lightly. He appeared to be cranky all the time. He did not look like an old spell user but instead like a true scholar. Observing solemnly, he said, "This is the residue of Glorious Strength."
"How long has it been since our lord crossed to Gold tier? How did he master Glorious Strength within such a short time?"
It was obvious that Chiri was baffled. The enchanted runes on his face were glowing. The golden-haired warrior that he was carrying on his shoulder still remained unconscious. In the meantime, the half-elf warrior was looking at Joshua who just put down the colossal beast at a far distance. Then he asked, "If that's the case, our Lord's Glorious Strength has something to do with his willpower?"
"Not sure about that."
Feng shook his head and revealed a relieved smile on his face. "No matter what, our master is the perfect heir…"
At the same time, Joshua was dragging the head of the Gold-tier colossal beast across the countless corpses that he dropped across the land. The blood was frozen by the low temperature of the surroundings, turning into a layer of red ice. There were also complex magical waves rippling back and forth the area.
Glorious Strength.
It could not be explained. The same words emerged in his head all of a sudden.
The warrior looked at his left that that was holding the unknown creature from the dark abyss while blazing red radiance was gushing out of his hand. However, there did not seem to have any other effect. The silver-white egg was extremely durable. A little Combat Aura would not be able to hurt it at all.
Upon having some thoughts, he withdrew his Combat Aura. After a brief moment, a dark red radiance mixed with a little dark scent rose in the palm of his hand.
"Chi—"
The twitching creature let out a miserable screech as if it was splashed with strong acid and then shrank. Silver lights flashed throughout the body of the creature. It seemed to have entered its defensive mode. However, the body part of the creature that was touched by his red Combat Aura had some black marks that seemed decayed.
Nodding as if he was thinking about something, Joshua kept the power in the palm of his hand back to himself. He decided not to torture the poor soul anymore.
Truth be told, his Glorious Strength was yet to be awakened.
Just like the people of this world who just crossed into the realm of a whole new tier, he would need to acquire the one and special strength that belonged only to him through understanding wisdom and hard training. With the system fixed on the black-haired warrior, he knew that he had to reach Level 35 before he could see his own full potential. However, before that, he could still unleash a small effect of his power that his full power had to offer.
"Wisdom, will, belief, world… previous life. My current Glorious Strength is a kind of purifying power that is based on my Will. I've no idea what I would get. I shall see what effect lies in my power then. I look forward to it."
Nodding his head and bringing up the system tab, Joshua took a look at his own attribute tab.
[Name: Joshua van Radcliffe]
[Level: Level 33 Gold-tier Glorious (Challenge Level – Level 31 170/9,000)
Previously when he just achieved the level of Gold tier, he had killed a Gold-Tier warrior called Moz which was five levels higher than he was. After that, he had not stopped training as he was earning experience points on a daily basis. Furthermore, by descending to the ground with such a powerful impact, he had killed countless daemons as well. Then he also killed a colossal beast that just achieved Gold tier. All the experience points made him level up twice. So he only needed two more levels before he could reach Level 35, the minimum level required for him to truly acquire his Glorious Strength.
"Not bad, however, I can only be reminded that the system exists when I level up. I've almost forgotten that this thing exists."
Closing his eyes and closing the system as well, Joshua sighed and said, "Thank god that I've learned Steel Armor Kokyu-ho. If I missed stomping down on the backbone of the Gold-tier beast from far above the sky like that, I would have crushed every single bone in my legs when I landed."
What he said held some truth to it. The Gold-tier warrior had only stepped into the first part of mastering his extraordinary life. He would still have to suffer a great deal of damage for landing down thousands of meters from above the sky. If it were not for Steel Armor Kokyu-ho that enhanced the toughness of his body, he might have died together with the monster when he landed.
Upon approaching the rubble of the broken walls, Joshua was feeling lazy to walk all the way back to the main gate of the fortress. He activated his Combat Aura and blew off the obstacles right before him, clearing a path into the fortress for himself.
Instinctively, the warrior turned his head back.
Right behind him, the three men that seemed to be wounded pretty badly were approaching him.
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Chapter 54: Ying's Concern
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Noticing familiar faces, the warrior stopped in his tracks. Then he turned around and put down the head of the colossal beast he was holding. After that, he walked up to Chiri and the others.
One seemed old, one looked heavily wounded while the other was unconscious. The three men before his eyes had once served under his father's rule. So they could be considered as elders to Joshua of course, they were currently serving Joshua now. Regardless, he had to greet these familiar faces.
However, when he met them, the warrior frowned. He halted as he looked at the green-haired half-elf with a puzzled face. After that, he turned his head towards the white-haired mage and asked, "Mr. Lawrence, who… is this?"
"Huh?"
Facing a situation like this, Chiri was stunned for a brief moment. He could not react to the situation just yet.
He had seen the Joshua before when Joshua was still very young, instructed by the previous liege to teach the young Joshua how to use weapons. Although the two of them had not seen each other for many years, Chiri could still imagine how the young man would look like after growing up. So it was not hard for him to recognize Joshua. However, he was totally unprepared that Joshua would completely forget about him. Instantly, his felt as if his heart was struck by lightning.
"Don't just stand there, your helmet is falling off."
Feng sighed at the side and said, "He just hasn't seen your face before. So its very normal that he doesn't know you."
Upon hearing the word 'helmet', Joshua instantly understood, "Master Chiri!"
After finished talking, the warrior's expression on his face instantly turned a little strange—The green-haired half-elf's face was handsome and pretty at the same time. Although there were runes all over his face, he still looked extremely charming. Of course, more importantly, that person seemed to be a little younger than Joshua. He looked totally different from the tall intimidating warrior that once taught Joshua how to use weapons. It was perhaps Joshua's youth that led him to see Chiri as tall and intimidating.
Even though Joshua's face looked like a seasoned fighter's, he was a young man that was only in his twenties while Chiri was from the same generation as Joshua's father. So he would be at least forty to fifty years old by now. So it was really a shock to see that Chiri actually looked much younger than Joshua… No wonder he had been covering his face all the while. The runes on his face did not seem to be the main reason. If the bunch of old men in the knight's party could see how handsome and young their commanding officer turned out to be, their morale would have definitely dropped a lot.
Feng did not seem surprised by it. He bowed at Joshua to express his respect towards Joshua. Then he spoke in a low voice, "My lord, this is not a place for chatting. If I may, could you wait for us for a brief moment in the conference room of the fortress? I shall send Zorgen to the infirmary together with Chiri before reporting the situation of the Dark Tide to you."
"There's no need for such a formal process, Mr. Lawrence."
Shaking his hand, Joshua sighed. "This time, I made a mistake. I had not contacted you in days, and I did not react immediately. I thought everything was fine…"
"The fault lies in interference that shielded our communication signals. No one had thought that the Dark Tide would come at us so soon. It was not young master's… not your fault at all. Furthermore, the number of casualties was not high at all. At least only the walls had suffered tremendous damage and collapsed. We just need to rebuild them again."
Continuing from what Feng said, Chiri shook his head and returned to his senses saying, "Now that the Dark Tide has withdrawn, they should not be daring enough to come again before the next Gold-tier daemon reveals itself. We should have plenty of time to fix it. Truth be told, the damage we suffer this round is much lesser than any other amount of damage we suffered in the past."
Upon moving his eyes to the side a little, he could see that the warrior was holding an egg-shaped object that was glittering silver in his hand. Out of his own curiosity, the half-elf could not help but ask,"This is?"
"This is something that I found from the giant beast that I killed earlier on."
Since Joshua was in a good mood, he explained a little, "The mammoths eat grass to live. Although they are not tame to begin with, they do not usually attack the other living beings at will. Meanwhile, as a living being on the top level of the food chain, if it wasn't it, there would not be any colossal beasts appearing in the Dark Tide."
Meanwhile, Feng who was standing right beside him was staring at the silver egg. He then furrowed his brows as he felt a sense of familiarity with that object. He was certain that he had felt that feeling someplace else.
However, it was not the time to talk about that. The white-haired mage thought of it and said, "Zorgen is in a really bad shape. We need to stabilize his condition first. His strength might even reduce a little…"
"There's no need to explain that sort of stuff to me, just go now."
"So we shall see you later in the conference room, my lord."
Outside the city, south of Dark Forest Fortress.
The silver-haired girl was riding on a black warhorse, making her way through the white snowy land. The hooves of the horse were knocking hard on the ground while it was galloping, splashing up the snow into the air leaving a trail behind.
A moment later, the warhorse stopped galloping. Now, Ying was looking at the tall city wall of Dark Forest Fortress that was facing the snow land. The gray-white gigantic rocks had almost the same color as the color of the surroundings. There was no way that anyone could see them.
Running back and forth across the snowy land for two days was mainly because the spreading mist was interfering the communication system. Joshua and Ying could not find the specific range of the interference. So they could only move forward towards the visible mountains. After that, they took a detour around the bottom of the mountain for one round—fortunately for them, they had located the source in the end. So their efforts of running around were not for nothing.
Upon arriving at the gates of the fortress, the female Divine Armament was a little surprised to see the calm faces of the guards. It seemed that not long before she arrived, they were already alarmed by her arrival. Meanwhile, the soldiers and guards on the wall looked at the silver-haired young girl curiously. So, who was the young looking girl that rode a horse? Every single one of them wondered where she came from.
Ying did not think much of anything. She straight away hopped off the back of the horse and revealed her identity card to the guards. The radiance flashed brightly. Her name and her origin were projected halfway in the sky. This sort of card that had magic waves that could not be fabricated. So the small door by the side of the gigantic city gate was immediately opened.
"The liege should be in the memory chamber in the middle tower of the fortress."
Upon going through the passage, the guard of knew her identity immediately informed her of the information. Although she could feel the whereabouts of her master that already made a pact with her, the silver-haired girl was still acting courteously and thanked the guard before she walked out of the passage. Right before her eyes was a street filled with people walking around.
The civilians and soldiers that were not wounded had come back to the street moving supplies required to rebuild. Some of them were distributing supplies to the people in need. Meanwhile, many soldiers who were wounded had to stand in line to wait for their turn by the infirmary. Some of them even got their treatment from themselves by the side of the street. Meanwhile, a small number of Silver-tier warriors and archers were only wounded a little. They had begun running around the place trying to maintain order.
However, mages that wore long robes did not appear in the vicinity. Ying was sharp as she noticed that. On the other end of the street, there was a shadow wearing a long gray robe. That man seemed to be covering his head while he was walking across the stone-paved road limping. He seemed to be in a bad shape.
That was normal. Engaging countless daemons in an all-out war, the mages that were deemed to be a noble class could not actually unleash their full potential and use the advantages they had. Facing that amount of monsters in the Dark Tide having to target their attributes and all, it would be pointless. The case might be different for some special war mages. However, for most of the mages, casting a great number of spells consecutively would cause stress mentally. Right after that, they would have a headache for a period of time after being mentally exhausted.
However, no matter the situation, the city was considered to be in good shape for the moment. There was no sign or proof that a defensive battle against the Dark Tide had happened in the city not too long ago. Ying was recalling on her past memories. There were many different scenes.
She could clearly remember one of the worst ones. When she was here last time, the fortress had been breached. The city was set ablaze in flames. Black smoke was seen everywhere across the city.
Meanwhile, the air was filled with the burned scent of meat. The best thing about that time was that under the support of one of her previous masters, the walls were not breached by the daemons. The soldiers and civilians of the city were fending off the invasion on the walls. The battles raged on for days.
In a nutshell, she had never thought possible to see such a peaceful and harmony scene right before her eyes. So how long has it been? It was not even two hours yet. How could the Dark Tide end so quickly?! Were the daemons so weak and vulnerable that they were forced to retreat so soon? Getting information from one of the guards by the roadside, Ying had succeeded in getting the information she wanted.
"What on earth is this… The issue has been solved so soon…"
Upon sighing out loud, the silver-haired girl could not help but feel happy for having a powerful master and her master's victory. However, at the same time, she was a little unhappy. "Unfortunately, I have not contributed anything to claim this glory… I'm a weapon, but I'm not needed. I've got no chance to prove my own worth to Master…" she sighed.
That feeling was very hard to explain. Ying knew better than anyone that having that thought was not right in the first place. How a master used his tools depended on his own preference. As a tool, since she was not needed, she should just stay in her sheath waiting for the right moment. The thoughts of thinking to reveal herself to the public all the time was an immature thought. That could potentially affect the image of her master. Although she knew all that, and she knew how true that was, she still felt a little frightened and concerned.
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Chapter 55: Minor Tasks to Be Done
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
This room had a design very similar to a standard military brigade.
There were different kinds of weapons hanging on the wall made out of white granite. A cashmere wool weaved carpet embroidered with a golden emblem of two hands bearing swords over a black background could be seen within the room.
Surrounding all four walls were pine tree plants in pots which leaves plants seemed to be a bit yellowish due to the lack of water. On top of a pine wood table resembling a meeting table, an old lamp made from pyroxene illuminated the surroundings.
There was a complete silence in the room. Within this place, a tall and sturdy man with black hair was standing beside the table, looking at a large piece of map.
This map was three-meters long and two-meters wide. This huge map was situated on top of the meeting table. Joshua was examining the map carefully to the last detail.
Ever since he came to Dark Forest Fortress's meeting room, he had been looking at this magic map for quite some time.
This map was made using enchanted magic. It had the capability to expand showing the whole Mycroft Continent and shrink, only showing Moldavia's area. The complexity in terms of craftsmanship for this particular map was unbelievable. Joshua had thought that there would be only about not more than a hundred of these magic items found across the Empire. Nobody would have thought that Joshua could find one within the meeting room of Dark Forest Fortress. It was more surprising as the map was hung on the wall previously.
This is an utter waste of resources! Why did they even make this thing in the first place for an undeveloped northern land and have this item placed within a fortress?Fort Black Forest was meant to be the line of defense against the Dark Tide. There was no valid reason for them to actually own such a high-grade map in the first place.
Joshua felt it was too much of a waste to leave it there and decided to bring it back home and hang it in his bedroom. Even if he didn't really need to use it often, it was still better than letting dust cover the whole precious map in the fortress.
"Based on the information provided by Mengsk, the invasion path of the Dark Tide would be the central Dark Forest, Empire's Southern Border, West of the Empire, and Empire Central District. After a roundabout it'll go all the way up north and reach here."
After drawing a circle on the whole map, Joshua's finger finally landed on Dark Forest Fortress. Furrowing his brows he said, "Based on the movement of this dragon, it does not seem to stop at any point and is heading north currently. It seems that this Dragon-slaying Stone will not have much usefulness in this onslaught. Based on the direction and scale of its movement, the next uproar will be from the Dark Forest near the area of Moldova."
"If there is a chance, I must inform the others so that they can prepare themselves for the upcoming battle. It is also crucial for them to know about the Corrupted Black Dragon having the capability to disrupt communication."
Joshua was still a bit hesitant about his own prediction. After all, who could guess what the dragon thinking about? If the dragon suddenly decided to change his flight path, Joshua's prediction would be incorrect and the wrong information would be conveyed. This could very possibly cause Joshua to feel hesitant about his decisions in the future.
"What a hassle."
After lamenting for a while, Joshua felt that the responsibility at hand gave him quite some headache. The mad beast horde seems to be the aftermath of the Dragon's Berserk, however, there were more issues behind the scenes. All the events felt like an internal conflict within the dragon clan. This issue gave Joshua a headache. Such a hassle!
Joshua felt that he was not the right person to ponder about these issues.
When he was playing the game, he was one of the members of a full party. Whenever they faced similar issues within the game, he would not be the one to contribute brain cells. There would be many people helping him analyze the situation and explain their own circumstances. Being the primary leader of the large party in the Far South, Joshua only focused on one task, which was leading his party to annihilate all enemies before him.
Battle, conquer, and massacre, those were his forte.
Of course, those facts did not state that Joshua only liked using brute force without thinking. One could say that Joshua preferred battle over thinking strategies and plans. Even when it came to planning and plotting against the enemies, Joshua had the confidence to do so.
At this stage, Joshua was still a count. Although he had some servants in hand for him to utilize, the knowledge that these people had was very minimum. Set aside the Dark Tide, even the reason behind the beasts going berserk was still a mystery to them. These servants could only be used to manage government affairs. Anything else beyond that was hopeless.
"Display the map of Far South – Mycroft Continent"
Joshua sighed on the hopelessness of his servants. After that, he gave the map an order. As the huge map received the order, it transformed from the map of Moldavia into a diamond-shaped land and a vast ocean. Within the ocean were numerous island. The peninsula of the furthest north of the land was marked as 'Far South'.
There were four centers of civilization on the vast Mycroft Continent: the mountain basins in the West, the lake hills in the North, the quiet forests of the Far South, and the river plains in the East—Far South was short for [Far Seas South Ridges Metatype Alliance].
'Far South' was a country built between the mountains and forest. It was a country led by humans, elves, and fairies. This place was different from the northern empire which Joshua hardly knew about. The 'Far North' was once the main headquarters for his guild and Joshua knew nearly everything about that place.
The reason Joshua suddenly checked the particular place was not that he wanted to reminisce his old memories. It was mainly because there would be a World Class event occurring which would affect the whole continent. That cause of the event had a very close relationship with the 'Far South.'
The Corrupted Black Dragon which was traversing towards the northern snowy forest might be signal for the beginning of the event itself.
[Exiled God]
"Starfall Year 832, in the brilliant month of June, internal conflict within the dragon clan erupted. The grudge between the Pentashade Dragon and Metal Dragon could no longer be endured. Outside of their world, the Pentashade Dragon God was defeated by Metal Dragon God who had an alliance with one of the Seven Gods of Humanity, the God of Might and Justice. Its sacred realm was shattered and its main body was exiled into the Main Material World. The main body was later on incarnated into a saint and descended upon the Bowen and Volcanic Island of the Far South Stormy Ocean."
After briefly murmuring about the history of the event, Joshua looked at the peninsula of Far South. Without any visible expression, Joshua said, "After a few months later, the Dragon's Calamity would invade our land."
During this period within the game world, it marked the end of the first arc of the story. The maximum level of online players during that time was only Silver tier at best. Facing the Sage's Revenge which caused the Dragon Calamity, every player was battling to their bitter end against the Berserk Daemons. Being the closest area from the core of the Dragon calamity, the Far South suffered heavy damages and casualties.
During that period of time, Joshua suffered a lot during the process as waves and waves of low-level Berserk Daemons invaded. The party which he formed recently during that period of time was trampled by the onslaught over and over again. Warriors who could no longer endure the torment vowed to slay all the Pentashade Dragons. Joshua also made the same vow.
"All due to my presence now, the future will be changed. If Dark Forest Fortress does not fall, Moldavia will not suffer too much damage. With my early advice, the nobles in the north will be more prepared and geared up to face the upcoming invasion."
The current timeline Starfall Year 831, 7th of December. There was still half a year before the Dragon God's arrival into this realm and invoke the Berserk Dragon's Calamity. However, Joshua did not really care about this event.
After this black-haired warrior packed the map, he spoke to himself, "Since the God of Justice does not have a reason to get involved with the dragon's internal conflict, and the internal struggle might not end as fast as this lifetime. Who knows… it might even last for quite a few years. Even if the Dragon's Calamity occurs again, it might not be for the same reason anymore."
The butterfly effect evolved based on the encounters they met during their lifetime. Changes were made for the future as some extra interventions were introduced. Joshua would have never thought that as Moldavia's count, his decisions would make great changes to the state of the world.
This feeling was… not bad at all.
Knock knock
Numerous footsteps were heard outside of the meeting room and someone had just knocked on the door.
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Chapter 56: If I Were to Get Lost Here, It Is the Fault of the Architect
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
A silver-haired girl was looking around while stopping at the crossroad. Slightly furrowing her delicate brows, her eyes glowed green as if the flames of a firefly were swimming in her pupils. After a brief while, she found her direction.
The thick snow had already been cleared with only some snowflakes left. There were no longer any hurdles for people to travel on the road.
There a high chance that the architect of the fortress was a personnel from the military; the way he built the facilities looked very identical and plain in terms of design. From the looks of it, the houses look like cube boxes with a standard design for the roof and had the same arrangement for their windows as well.
In addition to the snow filling the top of the roof, this poor girl had a hard time differentiating the houses.
"Where am I now…"
Feeling lost, Ying felt very confused by the current scenario. All the people around her are soldiers with stern faces and were moving around nonstop. After stopping the Dark Tide invasion a few hours ago, these people kept their composure and continued dedicating their blood, sweat, and tears in repairing the city wall and making preparations for the next possible onslaught. They did not even have time to celebrate their previous victory.
Although everybody knew that even though the beast who lost their leader would not invade the city that had a Gold-tier warrior standing by, they did not turn foolish or arrogant. Even though the group of beasts out there would probably kill each other due to hunger out in the wild, the soldiers did not dare to let their guard down even for a single moment.
Perhaps because Ying was kind of short within the crowd, nobody really took notice of her. Even if someone was curious about the silver-haired girl being in the crowd, nobody took the leisure to stop and figure out her problem. This little naïve Divine Armament who had a serious lack of common sense did not even know how to ask for directions in this scenario. Even as time went by, the situation was not in her favor.
This awkward situation only ended when a masked warrior and a white-robed old mage came out on the street.
After sending the heavily injured comrades to the medics, two of the leaders only then decided to tend their own wounds. The white-haired mage would only need to meditate for the moment to recover from mental fatigue. The half-elf warrior had a more serious issue as he had suffered internal damage.
"Chiri, if you can't endure it, do not force yourself."
Although Feng was a mage, his subclass was a berserker. With his experience gained throughout his old age, the old mage who lived in the north was not inferior to the half-elf warrior. He could easily identify that the comrade in front of him was more sluggish than usual. This could only indicate that this half-elf had sustained quite some damage.
"My wounds are actually getting better real quick here. Just that the regeneration ability is a bit too fast which caused some itchiness…"
Chiri was not lying about his condition. Being a half-elf with a unique class [Blood-Seal Hunter, he could utilize the Beast-blood rune which contained a bit of the daemon's power in his body for combat. Being an advanced Silver-tier warrior, his body could sustain a total of three magic runes. During the battle, he cast [Resonating Thunder Blood, [High-Speed Regeneration] and [Eagle Eye].
To divert his own attention from the pain and itchiness of his body, Chiri initiated a conversation, which was rare. "Did you notice? Young Master Joshua does not look like how he was used to be."
"Yea, I agree."
Feng nodded his head in agreement. "Young master was very gentle and cheerful when he was young. Even after gaining some experience from the military these few years, his temperament was not affected. When he was returning to the main city last time, I was going to inform his father…"
Joshua!
After being stranded on the road for quite some time, the silver-haired girl who almost lost hope heard the name of her master. Her eyes were filled with hope and she directly looked towards the direction of the sound.
There were an old mage and a masked warrior wearing a helmet. Their strength was a level above Ying, in addition to that their posture and aura was somewhat different; the soldiers near them would greet them with respect as they walked passed them. Ying thought that these people should be some high-ranking personnel within the fortress.
"They address my master as young master. Seems like they are heading towards the direction of my master."
Ying followed both of them from far away and muttered, "I think I'm on the right track towards master now. I can finally feel his presence!"
Divine Armaments and their contractors had a mysterious bond between them. This bond was the strongest when both of their levels were within the same range. After Joshua ascended to Gold tier, she could not locate her master's location when they are far apart unless Joshua initiated a communication directly from his side. Now, she was within the acceptable range to detect Joshua's presence and was making her way towards him.
Meanwhile, Chiri and Feng's conversation was still ongoing.
"The young master does not just have a majestic and mighty aura, his presence also brings fear to those around him."
The half-elf replied, "I have been on the battlefield for all these years, how could I not notice the killing aura developed from countless slaughter? Calm and cool? No. That is a deadly aura. The old, gentle and mild young master had already evolved into the deadly killing machine which devours everything in his path. "
The white-haired mage nodded his head in agreement. He had a mixed feeling about this. He did not know whether he should be happy or worried about his young master's condition. "When the old lord passed away, I was extremely worried about our young master's character. He was too mild, too soft in the past. Who would have thought that after our old lord passed away, our young master would change so drastically? No one knows how destiny would change; our lives are always unpredictable as usual."
Huh? Master was gentle and cheerful in the past?
Ying who was eavesdropping the whole time was astonished by this information she just received. Her memory core deep within her body started to operate. No matter how much she recalled her encounter with her master, she could never imagine how her master actually smiled in a gentle way. It was impossible to think in such a way. Her memory about her master and this gentle image does not go well together. Those two different images were too much of a conflict between each other!
However, when she thought about the moment before the battle began, she noticed that this black-haired warrior would occasionally smile. Within his eyes, she saw a strong feeling of excitement. Maybe Joshua did not notice this himself, but Ying who was following by his side all the time had seen all his expressions clearly.
This was a man who would felt immense excitement and happiness during a dreadful battle or bloodbath. Who in the right mind would think that this human could be 'gentle and cheerful'? What nonsense! Ying shook her head, only to think that this old mage was senile. It was just too ridiculous to compare that image to her master!
After passing through multiple paths, this silver-haired young lady felt that her connection with Joshua was getting stronger and stronger. It seems that her path towards Joshua was correct this time.
After a while, she saw the central tower near the great walls of the Dark Forest.
At the entrance of the central tower, there were two sturdy knights guarding. They were equipped with silver-gray metal armor, holding a long spear and shield. A crest with a pattern showing a wolf baring its sharp fangs was engraved on their equipment. As their faces were covered by the helmet, no visible expressions could be seen behind the helmet. They wore black capes with gold linings, displaying the same color as the Radcliffe family's insignia of two hands wielding swords which was dancing in the wind.
"I think this is the place."
Ying sighed in relief. Instinctively, she swiped the imaginary beads of sweat off her forehead.
"The silver-haired lady behind, why are you following us?"
Suddenly, Ying heard a deep voice. The half-elf warrior turned his head towards Ying and stared at her. "Although you do not have any malicious intent, could you explain the reason behind your actions to us? On a side note, I have never seen you in this fortress before. Where did you come from?"
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Chapter 57: White Dragon of the Snowy Plains
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Winter was coming to an end. Glimpses of light passed through the dense clouds, shining onto the passageway where the three people stood.
All three of them were standing in front of the tower. The current situation had created a sense of curiosity to those who passed by, causing a lot of soldiers and civilians to pay attention to what was happening. However, some individuals knew that the two people who were standing right in front of them were their superiors. Without hesitation, they decided to leave the area. After a while, the crowd slowly dispersed and all the people went back to minding their own business.
Chiri's tone was not that stern as if he was just asking a normal question. After all, the silver-haired girl looks like someone who was only slightly over ten years old. She did not seem to pose a threat, thus Chiri did not have his guard up against her. He was only curious that a little girl would follow them all the way here.
However, this does not apply to the other person.
"Hold on!"
Feng was a mage, although he was considered an old one, his perception and memory were far stronger than Chiri's. He frowned and noticed something very surprising. "Silver tier! This young one is a Silver tier… No wonder… Chiri, look at the style of her clothes!"
As Ying did not try to hide her presence, it was not surprising that she was found out by both.
However, after hearing Feng's words both Chiri and Ying were baffled for a moment. Ying took another glance at her own clothing. She was wearing a blazer dress at the moment. Although it was not very glamorous, it was still a quite good looking design overall. She does not feel anything weird about her current dressing and everything seemed to be perfectly normal for her.
On the other hand, Chiri finally examined her clothing carefully and seemed to notice something. He nodded in agreement and said, "You're right. I have neglected this issue just now. The design and style of her clothes are identical."
What in the world is wrong with these two guys here?
Ying frowned as she does not know what the other party was discussing about. At first, the masked man asked why she was following. Now, out of nowhere, they appeared to be discussing the design of her attire, which greatly confused her.
She had the urge to explain her current status to them, telling them that she was also serving the Count of Moldavia. The only downside of this was she's going to expose that she was lost. This was something that made her feel embarrassed.
"Erhem…"
After staying silent for a moment, Feng walked in front of Ying and lowered his body to match her height. He stared directly at Ying and asked, "What is your relationship with Mr. Amos?"
"Mr. Amos? You mean Fang?" Ying replied instinctively. That time, she finally understood why they were discussing her clothing. When a Divine Armament exposed their form, they would always have that same style and wearing nearly identical clothing.
It was not difficult to compare her current outfit to the old Divine Armament's as they all wore the same style in the first place.
"As expected."
Although he did not get a direct answer, he understood. The old mage nodded his head, as if he was quite pleased with his own judgment. "No matter if it is Fang or the older butler, the servant family of Moldavia had a very similar servant-like design in terms of their uniform. Even the female outfit seems to be the same."
"For all these years, the representative of the servant family who had served the Radcliffe is now led by a female." The half-elf warrior finally understood the reason Ying appeared before them. "You must be looking for the young master. Come, this way."
These people had some minor misunderstandings about the existence of Divine Armaments.
Ying who was too lazy to explain everything, sighed. After that, she agreed to follow them. "Let's go then."
A few minutes later in the meeting room.
"This Dark Tide was led by a Gold-tier mammoth. It had led the invasion causing the destruction of the wall up to 25%. Currently, our wall is being temporarily fixed by the elemental mages using petrification. Based on the information and reports gathered, a total of seven knights had died in the line of duty. A total of one hundred and forty foot soldiers were sacrificed in the process, up to seven hundred injured personnel."
All the reports were compiled during the time when the white-haired mage sent Zorgen for medical assistance. With only slightly more than two thousand military personnel within the fortress, it was not hard to them to compile all the information. Although there might be some minor mistakes here and there, it won't affect the overall result by a huge margin.
"As the city wall was breached at a certain point, there were minimal amounts of successful invasions by the Berserk Daemons. This situation caused minor injuries to some civilians. The good news is that no civilians lost their lives during the battle."
Joshua was looking at the report sent by Feng on the main seat of the meeting room. After glancing through the reports, Joshua paused in doubt. "When I was rushing here, I saw the invasion from the breached wall. While I do not really understand the whole scenario during that time, the number stated in the report does not really reflect and match what I saw during that period of time. While the numbers reported may be small and insignificant casualties, this result does not really tally with what I've witnessed."
When Joshua saw the city wall being breached, he thought that up to thousands of people were already been killed during the process. Thus he chose the most reckless plan, which was directly challenging the Gold-tier mammoth to disrupt the plans of the Berserk Daemon. Under normal circumstances, Joshua would actually make the decision to slowly grind for a while until he noticed the weakness of the opponent. Once the weakness is found, he would use that opportunity to control the battle. He would not have risked his life and used brute force to directly counter the invasion.
"If we were to look at the final results today, we were considered lucky that we only sacrificed only this many people. Facing a fifty thousand Berserk Daemon invasion, it could be considered a very good outcome."
Chiri who was on the frontline for the most of the time knew exactly what was going on all these time. He shook his head and said, "Daemons do not have any special plans or tactics to invade a city. Other than using brute force, they would usually climb over the city walls. With our city wall having a T-shaped design, we were able defend against the daemons."
"Although we had the upper hand against the daemons in terms of terrain together with the non-stop rotation of Silver-tier warriors on the city wall, the reckless and suicidal assault from the Berserk Daemon had caused a great amount of structural damage and resource expenses. We had lost all the satellite forts and a huge amount resource such as enchanted arrows and alchemy products. With such ferocious attack launched by the daemons, we might not have many survivors left at the end of the day if it wasn't young master who came and save us."
What Chiri said was not exaggeration or lies. If Joshua was not able to reach in time, no one would stop the onslaught once the city wall was completely breached by the Berserk Daemons.
Luckily, humans are not the brainless type of lifeform. By utilizing tools and equipment, humans had created a lot of opportunities and ways to defend themselves against the daemons. With an army of two thousand combined with the effort of the civilians who were trained before, they are completely capable of defending a city or fortress without being breached or trampled within a short time frame. Despite facing the invasion of fifty thousand Berserk Daemons, the forces available were capable to hold on for quite some time before the daemons could successfully destroy everything on their path.
During the time when the mammoth attacked, it did not care about the things that it trampled. Whether it was a daemon or a human, it does not make any difference to it. Thus, during the time it broke down a part of the city wall, the Berserk Daemons that dared to enter directly through the gap were too few to count. As soon as that happened, Joshua descended from the sky and proceeded to slay the Gold-tier daemon. The death of the mammoth had already scared the wits out of all the Berserk Daemons.
Looking at all the events happened previously, it was not surprising that the human losses were minimal. However, as Chiri mentioned, the number of enchanted arrows and magic cannons was almost depleted. Joshua was worried about the financial state of Moldavia, wondering if Moldavia would have enough funds to resupply enough for future battles.
In this battle, casualties were unavoidable. However, some things were actually salvageable if things were done properly.
There were some key elements of this world which were definitely not the same as the game world, which it was not a game itself but a real living world. This world was nothing like the virtual world as death was permanent here. Everyone living in this land only had one life.
Precisely due to these facts and differences occurring in this world, it had given some sort of direction or goal for Joshua to pursue; to live his life with achievement in mind.
"Thank you, both of you, for the report."
Joshua then folded up the report and handed it over to Ying who was standing behind him. After thinking for a moment, he said to both of them, "Although some of the information was not complete, we may still come to an end on this reporting portion. I've noticed that both of you are extremely tired currently.
"Feng, prepare me an official report and submit it to me after a few days. I will end this meeting at this point."
"Yes! My lord."
Before Feng left the meeting room, he had the urge to ask some questions. At the end of the day, he held back and only talked to Chiri after they exited the main door of the meeting room.
"Maybe it was just my imagination," said the old mage. "The presence that I noticed during the time when you extracted an item out of the mammoth, I believe that I had felt it somewhere before."
"Feng, are you sure?"
He has felt the presence of this Marine Abyssal Spawn before?
Joshua's expression was grim after hearing Feng's words. He then took out the silvery white egg-shaped item from his pocket and pondered for a bit. Later on, he passed it to Feng. "Try to think harder about this piece of item. Try to remember, where have you felt its presence before?"
"… White Dragon."
After receiving the silver egg that contained the Marine Abyssal Spawn, the white-haired mage used his spirit to sense the item. Certain about the identity of the item, he said, "A few months back in the snowy plain, I encountered a group of White Dragons. I feel the same presence and aura of the White Dragons from this item."
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Chapter 58: The Family's Cemetery
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The beginning of civilization was like a kindling material burning brightly in a wild bonfire.
When the Initial Flame lit chaos up creating the first millennium after order and the world had emerged, the ancient humans were born across the land without forests. This newly born race was walking in the newly formed world. Their eyes were filled with curiosity while they looked at everything in their surroundings.
During that time, nothing had a name.
Because the humans hated darkness, they tried to create their own thunder and lightning. They used hard rocks and dried wood to start a fire in the ancient times. Then they used the newly lit fire to illuminate their surroundings during the night. Lifting the torches while exploring the unknown world around them, they began to name everything without a name. They even used symbols of the ancient times to describe everything and record everything that was unfamiliar to them.
Gradually, the information was accumulated with the use of simple languages. The humans had finalized laws and logic for themselves. The era of civilization arrived shortly after that.
The culture was passed down from generations to generations until today.
Starfall Year 831, 11th of December, night.
Four days after the Dark Tide besieged the city.
The freezing breeze was blowing harshly on the fortress in the middle of the forest covered in snow. Snowflakes that were as light as a goose's feather were falling onto the ground, forming layers of frost across the land. The twin moons that looked like clean shiny silver plates were hanging high up in the sky. Bright moonlight was shining down like running water flowing across the entire path made of blue stones.
The black-haired man was holding his horse alongside as he was making his way through the street. Meanwhile, a silver-haired servant girl was following him silently without saying any word.
Looking around the fortress, the young liege's eyes could see through the dark and cold walls around him. He could see the living fire that was flashing across the dark surroundings. Meanwhile, his young servant was staring at the stars hanging in the night sky with curiosity. She was counting the stars softly.
The clear voice of the girl echoed back and forth across the silent street. Meanwhile, Joshua was very focused on observing his surroundings.
They then arrived at rear of the fortress. Rows of small houses were lined up neatly on the two sides of the street. However, it was visibly obvious that the houses were abandoned by their previous residents. There was no sign of any smoke coming up from their chimneys. There were also no signs of any movement in the windows of the houses.
In the recent days, the Dark Tide looked as if it was already over. There were no signs of any movement in the forest. Even after the warrior had gone into the forest to investigate, he did not see any sign of the Berserk Daemons that came charging like a tidal wave in their previous attempt at invading the fortress. The dark purplish mist began to disperse under the shining of the sunlight. The Dark Forest had returned to its former state now.
Since that was the case, after confirming that there were no more conspiracies in the shadows, the fortress had recovered and everything was back to business as usual. Countless caravans and business carts were entering the city, sending in supplies and weaponry as soon as they could. Meanwhile, to hold a service for the fallen warriors, Priest Artanis of St. Laurent Cathedral had arrived at Dark Forest Fortress along with his two apprentices. They came regardless of the intense cold weather just for the service.
The party that went to the Sacred Mountain under the leadership of the archbishop had not returned just yet. So Priest Artanis was the only one in the entire city of Moldavia who was eligible and capable of conducting a ritual of this magnitude. After burying the warriors who died in this Dark Tide in the morning, the priest did not stay in the fortress. He left not long after the service.
Before he left, he intentionally looked for Joshua to have a word with him.
"Now it's time."
This close friend of the old butler told Joshua. His eyes were calm, "Go seek out your father and Fang… although I can't explain why, before he left, he wanted me to tell you this after you've become the liege for a while. He just told me that you'll understand what that means."
Joshua did know what that meant.
11th of December. It had been so long since his father passed away. The old butler had departed almost two months now. Since Joshua had arrived at the fortress, it would be a suitable time for him to see them again.
So late at night that day, Joshua picked up his jacket made of white wolf's fur and walked out of his room. He brought along his female servant and his warhorse while walking slowly towards the fortress.
This was a cold and well-structured city. Relying on the mages' spells, the gray-white walls of the city were almost repaired. With the repair work, the walls had once again separated the mountains and the land. The tall and strong tower was towering firmly right behind the wall. Meanwhile, the coniferous leaves on the trees by the roadside were rustling along with the cold breeze.
The road was wide but not straight. There were houses made of stones on the two sides of the road and some plants around the forts and barns along the road. There were also a small number of warriors walking back and forth on the stone-paved road. They were holding a tall lamp that glowed white.
Joshua's destination would be the church on the far side of the fortress.
After walking past a few streets, Joshua had arrived before an ancient building. He looked around and found nothing in the surroundings. It was an unexpected twist of events that made the warrior look surprised.
"What the hell is going on? It's not here? Impossible."
Upon shaking his head, he left Black outside and brought Ying along with him. He pushed the door that was not locked and walked into the church.
"Huh."
The moment they walked into the living hall, the silver-haired girl let out a breath of surprise. She seemed puzzled while looking around the church. After that, she frowned and said, "Master, this place… it's strange."
The church was not big to begin with. There were not more than forty seats in the middle of the prayer hall. A thick layer of dust covered the seats and the tables. It seemed that this place had been left unattended for quite a while. Meanwhile, right in the front of the living hall behind the altar, the corner where the statues of the sacred gods were placed was currently empty. There was nothing there anymore.
However, Joshua was well aware that that was not the strange thing that Ying mentioned about. Because he could feel it as well. Since he stepped into the church through the main door, there was a strange force surrounding his entire body. The force seemed to be welcoming him. Or maybe, the force was trying to lead him to something.
Joshua could even hear a faint voice whispering in his ears.
"Walk forward."
He could not answer the question that his servant asked him. The warrior was as confused as the girl at the moment. So he said, "Although it was a memory when I was still very young, I can remember very well. I can confirm that this is the place. I just don't know what is really going on."
So the two of them began to walk forward.
While they were walking forward, Joshua could feel it obviously. There was a mythical sense of energy surging in the heart of this church. The energy was rejecting any power that did not fit the criteria. Even the elemental power and magic power that was found everywhere were completely nullified. They could not form any spells at all under the influence of this energy surge.
Anti-Magic Domain
Joshua seldom encountered such situations even in his previous life. Other than some of the natural dead zones of magic power, he had not been intimidated by such an inert magic power.
However, the anti-magic domain of this church was not the same as the dead zone of magic in extreme environments out there. It was more like nullification instead of intimidation. It was not because they could not form a spell, it was because they could not form a spell with their free will.
However, as long as the criteria and rules were met, the spells could be formed.
By getting every step closer to the source of the energy surge, Joshua could feel that the oppressive force was getting stronger by the moment. Meanwhile, that source of the energy surge was coming from an altar made of silver.
Arriving before the altar, Joshua looked at the center deliberately. In the religious code of Continental War, when there were believers praying, a sacrifice for the gods must be placed in the center of the altar. On the other hand, when there was no one around, a god's badge or emblem must be placed there. In other words, the center of the altar must not be left empty.
However, there was nothing in the center of this altar. There was sacrifice, badge or emblem. There was only a concave mark of a handprint there.
"… could it be?"
Looking at his own hand, Joshua did not hesitate for long before putting his palm on the mark. He wanted to see if there would be any reaction to his action.
A stream of blue light flashed from the bottom of the altar to the top as if it the altar had finally sensed the target's arrival. It was spreading like ripples. In an instant, the flash had gone through Joshua's entire body. It even went through Ying's body who was standing behind Joshua. The blue light flashed through everything.
"Bloodline confirmed… Radcliffe family's descendant. Possesses a Divine Armament. Criteria fulfilled."
The voice that had been whispering in Joshua's ear had finally become crystal clear. A thought was passed from the altar, along with a tremendous amount of information into Joshua's head, "You're authorized. The path is opened now."
"Begin from fire, born from steel, wisdom never dies, order exists forever."
Along with the trembling of time and space and the ancient phrase, the initially sealed magic power was activated. At the same time, a blue door began to appear right above the altar soundlessly. Joshua could vaguely see that there was a dark land right behind the door. Meanwhile, there were countless tombstones erected on this dark land.
On each of the tombstones, was a weapon embedded on the ground in front. Some were blades, some were spears. Well, almost all of the weapons that humans ever used were all there. They all seemed broken or damaged. It seemed that every single one of the weapon across that land had received a large amount of damage beforehand.
"… I see. I was wondering why I had not seen this when we were outside. As I recall, my memory is connected to this small church. At the end of it, I did not find anything in the surroundings."
Fixing his eyes on the door that slowly emerged from space, Joshua had understood all information that was passed to him from the altar, " So it's all here, it's actually all here… that explains why the Divine Armament and the seals had not been discovered by anyone over the years…"
Right after Joshua sighed. The cemetery of the Radcliffe family had completely revealed itself from the hidden dimension right before Joshua's eyes.
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Chapter 59: The Power of Legacy
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Master, this is…"
Unlike Joshua who knew a lot of information, Ying had never seen such a strange scene. A stream of blue light flashing and a door appearing out of nowhere. After that, a faint view of a dark land and white sky appeared right before her eyes. There were countless tombstones and broken weapons standing quietly across that dark land. Other than the blue light, there was also the old church that was covered in dust. Both were quite distinct though. They did not affect each other at all.
The girl could also feel a vague sense of familiarity across the dimension. That vague sense of familiarity came from those weapons across the dark land. The female Divine Armament could not help but take a step forward after sensing that. She had an urge to touch the blue light.
"It's a dimensional door."
Reaching his hand to pull the girl back, Joshua patted her head and told the puzzled girl, "The dimensional door that connects the passageway is currently sealed off by some power. You'll get hurt if you touch it now."
Looking at the blue door, the warrior had a clear sense of direction now. Right behind the sealed door lay the cemetery of his family. There was a power calling out to him. It was just like the memory that he had when he was still young. He currently had the same impression he had when he was attending his grandfather's funeral in this church. The memory had such a powerful impact that he could still remember it until today. He could still clearly remember everything that happened on that day.
That would be the resonance of the bloodline. It felt like as if the blood in his entire body was boiling.
However, Joshua had suppressed the resonance within his entire body. After all, mistakes might emerge from memories. In the previous memories of the warrior, the grandfather of the warrior was buried in a tombstone next to the church. However, the truth was that the body of his grandfather was in fact buried at the land behind the dimensional door.
He calmly observed the emerging blue door.
"This is a twelve-point dimensional door that is developed by Thovern Boer, the archmage of the Far South Mages Association. It will require three Level 40 Gold-tier mages to build this. However, even though a large amount of magic was exhausted in the beginning, the dimensional door is still very stable. If the location for creating the dimensional door is suitable, the door can last for tens of years."
Glancing at it, the former legendary warrior swiftly saw through the dimensional door. Using his rich experience as a guide, he had come up with twenty methods to destroy the door. His hands were about to act. "Judging from the design, it's a little outdated. However, it's one of the top new skills in such a time. It's not this advance yet when I was young. So when did they actually upgrade it?"
Maybe they had upgraded it while he was away serving the military.
With that thought, Joshua shook his head. He could not help to think that the old count had left the work without leaving any words behind, free and easy. Without the previous owner of the house to set up examples for him with both precept and practice, even though he had received the messages from the altar, he still had a lot more that he did not know. For instance, why would the cemetery of his family be built in a temporal space like this one? How about the nullifying power of the church?
Temporal space was known to be a special domain between worlds. There were big and small ones. Each of them was different from each another. Their names came from the fact that they exist in the gap between two worlds, If a temporal space was very stable and it could exist long enough, the space could form earth and sky in it. There would even be some special life forms in that space. That space would literally be like a real world on a smaller scale.
Towards the end of Continental War from his previous life, there were quite a number of high-level bosses and forces that had their very own temporal space. Quite a number of dungeons and battles happened in those spaces. One of the most famous ones was that players would enter another realm through a black hole called the [Wild Ancient Sacrificial Realm that Connects the Worlds]. That was a passage among many worlds. The realm had already become so stable that it could be deemed as a new world already.
At that time, to prevent the monsters from retreating or to destroy any possibility of getting surprised attacks from the enemies, almost all people would need to learn how to destroy all sorts of temporal space and teleportation signs, something Joshua was already very familiar with. That was also the reason why he thought of the methods to destroy the blue dimensional door the moment he saw it.
Everyone should have the responsibility to interrupt the teleportation.
However, those were not really important at all. Joshua quickly sorted out the information that the altar passed to him. After that, he immediately knew how to get through that dimensional door.
"As long as I provide the bloodline of the Radcliffe family on the sacrificial site of the altar or part of the body of a Divine Armament there, I'll be able to get through smoothly… Simple."
Joshua bit his own thumb and left a small cut on it. Dark red blood began to drip onto the center of the altar made of stone. Upon making contact with the stone-made altar, the blood seeped into the stone. With the toughness of his current body, other than his own teeth, the knife that he always carried would not be able to leave a cut on any part of his skin anymore.
A few seconds later, following the expansion of the magic power, the seal that was hidden in the dimensional door was broken free. The blue radiance flashed. The ground and sky that appeared translucent at first became visible in front of his eyes. The feeling where that cemetery was very far away had vanished.
Joshua did not hesitate to go through the dimensional door. Meanwhile, Ying followed closely behind him.
As they were going through the blue door, Joshua felt extremely dizzy. However, he had gotten used to balancing himself back right after he crossed a dimensional door. He even had enough strength remaining to carry Ying who almost fell on her knees after experiencing the dizziness of passing through the door.
Standing on black soil, Joshua put the silver-haired girl down who had regained her balance. Breathing in the air that was totally different from the air in the initial world, Joshua looked around at the surroundings of the small world. The diameter of the small world should be approximately 1200 meters. He could even see the edge of the world in the form of glimpsing chaotic light that seemed to contain everything. However, the unidentifiable color of the blurred clusters was flowing by the edge.
"Father and Fang should be here."
Mumbling, Joshua recalled on a memory two months ago. It was a shady day. The snow was just about to start falling. Before the northern winds turned freezing cold, the white-haired old man was smiling at him while saying goodbye to him. It happened right before the main city of Moldavia. After the man left for quite a distance, he vanished into the horizons, out of Joshua's view.
So now, could he really be here?
There were many gray tombstones in that realm. There were probably about forty to fifty of them there. That number had exceeded the number of landowners in the past. Joshua slowly approached the tombstone nearest to him. Then he took a closer look at the words carved on the tombstone.
A broken spear was placed right in front of the tombstone. Right above the shiny surface of the tombstone, a line of simple words was carved. However, it seemed that time had caused the carved words to blur out. To see the words clearly, Joshua approached nearer and used his hands to touch the words—a sense of coldness was passed across his senses. The dust on top of the words was wiped away as well.
—Simos Radcliffe, 541 – 574
—Divine Armament Rou, 541 – 574
[The life of a knight passes quickly, giving a glance at cold death.]
Remaining silent for a moment, Joshua turned his head around and looked at the other tombstones right beside the one he just looked at.
This time, a broken blade was placed before the tombstone. There were some bloodstains on the hilt of the blade. God knows how long the bloodstains had been there.
—Aileman Radcliffe, 692 – 743
—Divine Armament Ya, 692 – 743
[Before hitting the dawn, thirteen Dark Tide, twelve victories.]
An aegis shield that had a large crack right in the middle was leaning against another tombstone near him.
—Ivan Radcliffe, 479 – 517
—Divine Armament Ann, 479 – 517
[Death is not for naught, at least it brings some light to victory.]
Walking past the tombstones across the place, some were carved with words while some were not carved with any words. Some were even carved with the life story of the owner on their own tombstones. The words were condensed. There was no way that Joshua could see the words clearly. However, no matter whose tombstone that was, Joshua would give his respects towards all his ancestors.
Joshua could know when any of his ancestors were born and when they died by looking at the information carved on their tombstones. Also, everyone that was buried in this realm died on the battlefield. None of them died of natural causes. On average, there would be a new tombstone added to the realm once every forty years. Sometimes, a whole family died at the same time on the battlefield.
Hundreds of years ago, in order to securely guard their dimensional door, the ancestors of the Radcliffe family arrived at this frosty land and started their new life. They built cities and forts on the land. They separated the mountains and the Dark Forest, fending off the ferocious tides of beasts from invading the world of men with their flesh and blood.
Under their leading, countless warriors with iron wills came to aid in their crusade of defending the cities. Some were there for the glory while some of them were there to fulfill their duties. Many fought with honor on the battlefield as well. However, more of them died attempting to fight for honor and glory. Their families and comrades had to bury them.
Those sacrifices must be respected.
"Master, come here quickly and have a look at this…"
Joshua heard the nervous voice of his Divine Armament coming not far from him.
He turned around and looked. He noticed that the silver-haired girl was standing in front of an obelisk that was made of solid rock. Confused, she blinked her green eyes which were fixated on the object before her.
Noticing the warrior's approach, the little girl opened her mouth slightly. However, she had no idea where to begin. She could only point her finger at a greatsword that looked incredibly huge at the side of a tombstone. After that, he asked politely, "Is this Fang?"
He walked towards Ying, reaching her side. The first time when Joshua saw the greatsword with black golden runes all over it, he took a deep breath and frowned, looking confused. He was at a loss for words and could only smile bitterly.
"… Ahh. That's right. It is."
As expected. They were here.
The greatsword with black golden runes all over it was plunged in the ground right before the tombstone. The cold blade made of steel had quite a number of cracks across it. As a former legendary warrior, Joshua could tell. The core of the sword that was supporting the sword had been shattered. So anyone could just forget about using it. One normal swing could have shattered the sword
Avoiding touching it, Joshua raised his head and looked at the tombstone right beside it. There was a familiar name carved right on the tombstone.
—Beirut Radcliffe, 785 – 831
That was his father's name.
The warrior had finally found his father's grave.
On top of the solid tombstone, there was a long sentence carved on top of it.
[Perhaps one day, civilization and order will be able to transform the world into a more suitable place for survival, but not today. Before that, someone must stand up to battle, and sacrifice himself.]
The gray obelisk seemed to have been carved in recent years. Unlike the other tombstones in the surroundings, a tucked paper cluster was placed right in front of it. There seemed to be something inside of it though.
Bending down his waist and reaching his hands to pick up the paper, Joshua unfolded the paper and noticed that there were two sentences written on the paper with messy handwriting. Meanwhile, a green gemstone fell onto the palm of his right hand from the folded paper.
The warrior took a look at the paper first.
'My son, Joshua Radcliffe.'
'I believe you will make it here… I hope that you can master the power of Legacy.'
"Father is dead. But he still has so much confidence in me… However, what's the power of Legacy?"
Muttering to himself with questions, Joshua looked at the gemstone in his right hand. His red pupils narrowed a bit, "Could this be it?"
He took the green gemstone of the size of a thumb and observed it carefully.
The gemstone that seemed insignificant looked rather ordinary. People would have ignored it and treated it as a normal stone on the ground. However, Joshua realized that the center of the stone stone was greenish-blue. The pattern in the stone looked as if there was a small galaxy spinning slowly in the gemstone.
Joshua tried to grip it.
After that, the moment when Joshua gripped the gemstone, a sense of electricity surged through his palm and hand like he was instantly electrocuted. The feeling spread across his entire body in one brief instant. Meanwhile, the warrior noticed that a large notification box suddenly appeared right before his eyes. Red bolded words were posted across his entire view.
The long-awaited system notification had finally revealed itself right before Joshua's eyes.
[You've acquired an Origin Item, Special Class Item—The Sealed Guardian's Azurite.]
[You've passed the Will Determination Test! You've passed the Party Determination Test! You've passed the Qualification Test!]
[Important! You've acquired a message about the new Class—]
[You've met the requirement.]
[Do you wish to change your Hero Class to Chaos Guardian?]
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Chapter 60: The Flame of Legacy in the Ashes
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Hero's Class.
Even though Joshua had heard about it before, he could not help but frown.
[Chaos Guardian]. As the name suggested, it should be under the same category of the Class as the [Holy Light's Guard] from the Sacred Land in the distant south and the [Balance Adjudicator] from the West Mountain's Imperial Palace. Although it's rare, it was not rare to the point that people could only hope to meet one but not asked to see one. As for the Sacred Warriors that serve the gods, they were deemed to be half of the Class. However, they were not deemed to be that extreme.
The only thing that really mattered would be this Hero Class.
Just like how humans were rated and the items were good and bad, Class also had weak ones and powerful ones.
People like the farmers and civil soldiers were known as the ordinary [Civilian Class]. Meanwhile, warriors that received training before, thieves that excelled in picking locks and wanderers that wandered across distant lands were known as [Official Classes]. Mages, priests, and others that wield magic were different. Because they required gifts given by the gods in order to use magic, they were rare. So they were born as [Elite Class].
Each Class could undergo improvement in tier and change their Class. Civilian soldiers could turn into warriors or mercenaries. If they were very confident that they had gifts given by the gods, they could choose to become a mage. People are free to choose in Continental War. They could just pick whichever that suited their interest. Meanwhile, the five Classes Civilian, Official, Elite, Excellent, and Extraordinary would be the improvement process that a normal Class would need to go through.
However, some special Class like mages could only be he obtained through having gifts from gods and having the Legacy ability. For instance, [The Chosen] and the [Hero Class] could only be obtained in such a way.
For a person who was naturally born with the ability to control fire, it would not matter at all which Class would the person chose. That person would be different from the others. That person could even enhance his own ability and transcend into a much powerful being. That would be [The Chosen]. Meanwhile, [Hero Class] was different from it. [Hero Class] need not have gifts. It only needs some sort of Legacy Item or Keepsake that carries power.
Every Hero Class would need one Legacy item or Keepsake and sufficient gifts in order to embrace the Class. A [Warrior] needed to have a Demon Slayer sword. An [Earthshaker] needed an earth totem. So obviously, Joshua would need [The Sealed Guardian's Azurite] to become the Chaos Guardian.
Opening up his right palm, Joshua looked at the green gemstone and sighed.
In his previous life, he had at least done ten complicated quests that were linked. He even had to take out a bunch of high-level monsters to gather all the required materials before he could acquire the chance to become a [Rune Swordsman]. By then, only he could understand the supremacy of being one.
As for the current situation, a perfect chance of acquiring a Hero Class was presented nicely right in front of him.
"System, identify."
Joshua seldom used the function of the system, not even when he was facing a powerful Gold-tier enemy. Well, it was not because he tends to reject doing things that he could not master, it was only because his experience was so rich that he already knew most of the solutions to all his problems he faced. Furthermore, he was never gotten used to using the system function even in his previous life when he was formerly the legendary warrior. As such, the warrior had forgotten about the feature of the system that he could use.
However, now that he just encountered something he had never seen or even heard before, he had no choice but to use that function.
[… Identifying the item… The origin knowledge succeeded in identification. Special item knowledge identification failed. Historical knowledge identification succeeded. You've acquired a message about the Class.]
[Identification Report: Origin Item—The Sealed Guardian's Azurite]
[Origin: As the sages said, even if a person has sunk deep into the abyss of eternal chaos, the initial spark would still exist. Perhaps it could not burn, but it could potentially carry the order of the power.]
[Special Item: As a flame that has yet to ignite, the Azurite contains…]
[History: Thousands of years ago, the sages had found an Azurite buried deep in the abyss. It was then given to the third sage, granting him the capability to calm the tide of chaos, sealing the entrance to the abyss. Ever since the Fallen War, the Azurite had vanished from the world of men. However, the Legacy of the Chaos Guardian continued on silently.]
[The Azurite contains a great order of power, but the power within it cannot be derived by conventional techniques.]
[Class Message: Blood of Chaos, the source of flame ignited.]
Joshua turned his head around and looked at Ying without saying a word—Ever since the Divine Armament entered the graveyard, she had been at a loss. Thinking back, the warrior could not help to think that what he was doing was not considerate enough. After all, there were too many remains of many Divine Armaments. It would be too much for Ying that only got out from the sealed chamber for over a month to stomach seeing so many wreckages and remains of her own kind. It was indeed a big impact on her.
Turning his head around, Joshua looked at the surroundings. There was basically nothing in the white sky. The endless sky looked purely white. Meanwhile, the ground was purely black, a total contrast to the color of the sky.
"A free Hero Class. Nothing seems wrong with it. So why wouldn't I accept it then… Regardless of whether it's evil or justice, or maintaining some sort of order, or guarding against chaos, I'm fine with it."
Breathing in still and dry air, Joshua fixed his eyes on the tombstone. He suddenly laughed and said softly, "Regardless of killing orcs or daemons, as long as I can battle much stronger enemies… that would be enough."
Since that was the path you chose to walk upon, it does not seem to be a bad choice either.
So Joshua spoke.
"I take my vow here—I, Joshua Radcliffe, shall see through all makers of evil for eternity in desolation."
Joshua grabbed tightly on the Azurite in his right palm.
"Class, Chaos Guardian."
A sigh of the wind came from the windless world.
There was no color at all, only radiance shining from Joshua's right hand. The light had no temperature and did no damage. It was gentle and mild as if it wasn't even there. However, the light was indeed shining across this small world.
With the warrior as the center point, the radiance began to spread out in a dome shape. In an instant, the light had filled the entire area of the graveyard, reaching to the edge of the Temporal Space. The power of Chaos and Order were clashing against each other by the edge of the Temporal Space. However, no impact or ripple of energy was formed from the clashing.
The air began to move about.
Along the movement of the air, some greenish white light began to reveal themselves across all gray tombstones in the surroundings. After that, the light flew along the wind and over to the right palm of the warrior. The light was gathering in the palm of the warrior.
Joshua could see the memories of everyone—a man with black-haired and red eyes, or a woman. They were born on this land. They grew and learned how to battle. They learned how to fulfill their duty and protect their own people. After that, they were battling against Aragami and Dark Tide. In the end, they died unwillingly.
The Evil God's secrets could not be told to the public. However, someone had to protect the seal. They who chose to take up that responsibility would be undoubtedly deemed as heroes.
The light circle was beginning to spin, expanding to its limit. The colorless radiance continued to expand and shrink all of a sudden. The entire space was dimmed. The radiance had fused the greenish-white light into the Azurite. After that, the lights then spread around Joshua's entire body.
The power was gushing in relentlessly. Meanwhile, the red words right before his eyes continued to refresh. In the end, his view was only covered with red words that were closely packed together.
[You've succeeded in acquiring Hero Class—Chaos Guardian]
[You're Class Level 5]
[Warning! You've not met the requirement to unlock!]
[Class Gift: Order of Emmanuel, Camp Detection, (Locking On), (Locking On)]
[Class Special: Unkindled Flame, (Locking On), (Locking On)]
[Class Skill Tree: Purify, Order, Guard (Fused into Supreme)]
[You need to complete a Class quest to unlock the reward and the Class Gifts and Special.]
[Quest: A Festive Purification]
[Use the blood soaked in Chaos to prime the Initial Flame. The Azurite demands sacrifice.]
[Quest Target: Kill a target in the Chaotic Camp that is at least a Silver Tier. 0/1]
Without even looking at what the quest unlock was about, Joshua closed his eyes as he was sensing the power surging through his entire body without saying a word.
The sudden appearance of the power surge from the Azurite had fused into his bloodstream. The fusion was so perfect as if the two things were initially one. It had fused completely with his body with the purpose of becoming a part of the warrior's power.
"So this is the resonance that I felt earlier on? The ancestors of Radcliffe had been calling it the power of Order for generations. So from the holder of the Azurite to the Azurite itself, and to the next generation that will use his legacy bloodline… I see, if I die, this power will return back to the Azurite and will be passed on to my sons."
Just like the flame of Legacy, even if wood was burned to ashes, there would still be some residue of kindling materials left for the next generation to pick up.
Joshua opened his eyes wide. His red eyes were as bright as the moonlight. Now, all radiance had disappeared. The entire space instantly became calm once again. The Azurite that he held tightly in his palm had stopped flashing. He stayed silent without saying a word.
Upon turning his head towards the graveyard, his eyes gazed at the surroundings for more than ten seconds. Then the warrior turned his head back without showing any expression on his face. After that, he did not say a word as well. He only walked towards the door behind him with large paces, leaving the vicinity. Meanwhile, his Divine Armament was following closely behind him. Upon crossing into the dimensional door, Ying looked back on those tombstones across the black land. Then, she vanished into the blue light that came from the door.
Facing so many respected dead people, what should a warrior do?
There was no need to hold a memorial ceremony for them because continuing their legacies would be the best way to honor them. There was no need to mourn for them as they had already fulfilled their destiny.
The black land, the white sky, the gray tombstones.
The blue door vanished. Meanwhile, the moving air that the Azurite swirled had stopped and stayed still. The graveyard in the dimensional door had recovered to its quiet state.
Fire, brought light and heat.
The beginning of human civilization was sparked by fire.
In the age where darkness covered the entire continent, humans waved torches in their hands to illuminate the darkness.
The fathers would pass it to their sons and their sons would pass it to their grandsons. The fire would only pass on from generations to generations across the civilization. Meanwhile, those kindled flames would be reignited once again.
The new generation of humans had the obligation to continue on the tradition of shining throughout the world.
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Chapter 61: Transition of the Memory
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"… Where am I?"
When the golden-haired Zorgen, the captain of the task force that was defending the fortress woke up on a solid bed that was made of black wood, the middle-aged man could not help but feel unwell. His body was fatigued. He felt like as if he was almost drained completely.
Upon opening his eyes, his vision was blurry. Currently, Zorgen felt as if he was still on the battlefield where they were fending off the daemons.
Slowly recalling his memories, the howling of the cold winds and the roaring of the ferocious daemons were heard in his ears once again. The ferocious gigantic monsters were charging into the walls again and again, tearing them all apart. Meanwhile, the horde of black monsters was gushing into the city like a tidal wave that was unstoppable.
What laid before his eyes had made the warrior feel a sense of despair deep in his heart. However, he was not dumb either. He immediately reacted. If the situation continued in such matter, how would he be lying on the bed peacefully like this?
"I'm actually alive. I've awakened from a coma after I exhausted myself using too much of my Combat Aura. It seems that the war has ended."
Upon making fun of himself for a bit, Zorgen turned his eyes towards the window and looked at the golden sunlight. The golden light was shining on the stand on the bed's front. The light revealed the flying dust in the air. Then he suddenly remembered, "That's right, it must be Count Joshua."
When the monster horde had breached the walls of the city, Zorgen had fallen into a blurry state because he used too much of his Combat Aura. In fact, he went into a state of coma. However, he could feel a tremendous power descending from the sky, slaughtering all the monsters on the battlefield. Meanwhile, that tremendous power must be the new Gold-tier Count of Moldavia.
With one hand holding his head and the other supporting him against the bed, he was awake. The golden-haired knight was still feeling a little dizzy though. He tried to get out of the bed. However, a strong sense of pain spread across his entire body- especially the internal organs in his body. Every time he sucked in a breath of air or swallowed his saliva, he could feel an intense pain across his entire body like having a sense of intense electrocution across his entire body.
"My internal organs are sustaining far more damage than they should. It must have been because I overused my Combat Aura."
Enduring the uncomfortable feeling across his entire body, Zorgen slowly sat himself up. He was currently wearing loose pajamas. His wounds were tightly bandaged. It seemed that the medical team had given him a bath as well.
"This time, it seems much better than any other times back then."
The knight had sustained similar heavy wounds in the past. He had passed out like this as well in the past. However, regardless of anything, he was always sent back to his house naked. He had never thought that the medical team would be so thoughtful to provide him a pair of clothes this time.
As for that sort of wounds, the knight had gotten used to having them.
Combat Aura was the combination of will and body. It could be known as the dual appearance of substance and spirit of life. The unleashing of the Combat Aura was like squeezing one's own body and spirit intensely, bursting out the strongest power from the body's most subtle part. The skill was simple actually. It did not require the wielding of the power to unlock one's own body to protect oneself. Even the mercenaries on the streets could easily do it. However, because the side effect of doing that was too much for some people to bear, people would not simply use it unless it was a crucial moment or moment that involved life and death.
However, as a soldier that always stayed in the frontline of battles, they had experienced more 'life and death' situations than others. Although pushing themselves to use their Combat Aura to the max would cause them to be weak for three months, it would surely be better than being dead on the scene. Zorgen knew that better than anyone. This was not his first rodeo as well. Although his hidden wounds had made it difficult for him to cross into Gold-tier, if he did not do that in all the 'life and death' situation', he would not have survived until today.
Long ago, Zorgen had heard from the previous liege saying that there was some sort of special breathing technique that could instantly surge. Under the circumstance that there were no side effects, the person who used it could also enhance his own adaptability. However, it was also obvious that this was never an ultimate skill that would be passed around. So even the liege would find it impossible to acquire such a skill.
"My strength is still too weak… if I can just break through the barrier to Gold tier and acquire Glorious Strength, I wouldn't have to experience such a dangerous situation. As a servant, not only I failed to share the burden of my liege, I even needed him to come to the frontline to save us. What a disgrace…"
Standing up shakily, the golden-haired middle-aged man sighed. Then he walked out of the room into the living hall.
This was a strong military-styled hall. The head of the huge bear with a wretched face was hanging over the dusty fireplace. From the sunlight that came through the window came a long shadow. There were tools and jars for weapons maintenance in the corner of the room. There were about two to three chairs arranged scattered on the left side of the table. It seemed that some people had been sitting there for quite some time, and then they forgot to clean up the place before they left.
In Dark Forest Fortress, each warrior would have their very own house. Those who had a wife, sons, and daughters would all live together in the house. However, most of the houses were occupied by warriors that were single. As the captain of the defending force of the city, Zorgen naturally had quite a large estate. However, he had not been able to get a wife even though he was forty-three. Therefore, this double-storey house did not have a woman. So no one was there to tidy the house.
Upon getting near to the table, he picked up a cup out of convenience and poured some water into the cup. As the fireplace was not lit, the temperature in the house was very low at the moment. Even though the water in the pot did not freeze, it was very cold. However, Zorgen needed the cold water. He lent the chilling water to refresh and reactivate his brain cells. After that, he no longer shook around as if he could not walk properly.
In the meantime, the sound of frost and ice being stepped on was heard from the main door of his house. Before the knight could turn his head towards the door, he had heard the sound of a key unlocking the door. Then the door was opened.
Holding the key in his hand, the white-haired wizard and the masked warrior walked right in and appeared before Zorgen.
"… close the door quickly, you bunch of hoodlums who do not know how to knock!"
The wind that blew in along the opening of the door was -21 degrees. Even a Silver-tier knight could not bear that sort of chill. Zorgen spoke in rage as if he was roaring in his low voice, "And please explain how did you get the key to my house?!"
"Calm yourself, my friend. You've been out for three days now. If we don't take the key with us, who's going to open the door for us to get in? You?"
Feng closed the door behind them and shook his head, he touched the white beard below his chin and said, "The number of wounded people is too great. The infirmary does not have enough beds for all of them. So we had to send you back here so that you can recover. About that, you should be thankful that we carried you all the way back here."
"… then should I thank you for coming over to visit me as well?"
"We're just here out of convenience."
Chiri was standing at the side with his mask on. Though he did not wear any armor, he shrugged and said, "Who would want to care about you, old geezer? We received a letter from the clock tower. The name on the letter was Scarlet from Moldova. The Scarlet family and the Radcliffe family are of the same Count family. I believe this is related to something big. It's necessary to summon you as well. The three of us shall pay a visit to the Count to report on the situation. Then we shall present the letter to him."
Conference Room in the tower.
Joshua was sitting right in the conference room of the tower. He was frowning as he was trying to recall something. Right before his eyes, there was a black notebook. There were already quite a number of notes written on it.
Thirty years ago, the halflings had made a revolutionary change to the art of making paper. Now that the people did not have any appreciation to the clean and neat papers, they even founded the printing industry. So a notebook like this could be bought with two silver coins anywhere out there. Even a normal resident could afford to get one for themselves.
Now, the warrior was recalling back on his past memories. He was trying his best to recall as much information on the northern Empire as he could.
Unlike the other human settlements where people gather, the northern Empire had a very simple structure when it came to politics.
Many big and small countries in the northern lands and the western mountains were attempting to conquer each other. The situation was always chaotic. The complicated situations were enough to cause massive confusion among the chiefs that controlled a party of hundreds. Meanwhile, the members of the parliament in the distant land of the south had to exhaust their brain juice to fight with both open and secret means.
Unlike them, there was only three powerful influence on the vast land of the north—The Royals, the Nobles and the Church.
Although the royals needed no introduction, the Emperor's strength accounted for their influence. Meanwhile, the Central Army and Elite Army of Five were the other part of the influence.
Meanwhile, things were a little more complicated when it comes to the nobles. The number of the nobles in the Empire was considered the fewest among the entire continent. Counting on from barons to the lieges, their number altogether did not even exceed a hundred, which can only be weighed down by the fact that even the number of rich in some of the larger kingdoms of the eastern lands were more than that. On the contrary to their number, each of them was packed with quite an influential background though.
There were daemons that came from the Dark Tide and those that scattered across the land. Because of that, the mercenaries were broadly restricted. Look at Moldovia, a liege could already have almost a hundred knights and thousands of mercenaries. They could even build fortresses by the border of the land. If their territories were placed in the east, these territories could be considered small countries. Meanwhile, the mercenaries that the lieges could hire might have much better capabilities than the Empire's elite army.
The Church of the Seven Gods would look at the people's hearts. However, in the age where the gods were asleep and left the world unattended, the gods were just staying quiet all the time. They were just observing most of the situations without interfering at all.
That was everything that Joshua knew. In his previous memories, he was educated enough to remember every name and seal of all the nobles. Also, he also remembered the general factional divisions and the common sense that normal people of the land had. However, that was it.
Compared to his knowledge on the south, this information that he had in his head was just the tip of an iceberg.
"I can't believe I can only remember so much of it. There's nothing there that links to the daemons and the dragon race monsters. It seems that I need to ask Feng and Chiri or maybe the others to see if there are any demonic monsters that have Chaos Attributes."
Sighing, even though Joshua was an elite enthusiastic player in Continental War, he could not have known everything. As the captain of the largest party in the game, he did know much more information that others would not be able to know for their entire life. However, that did not mean that Joshua could bypass the server and know about the information on the other territories and monsters.
Looking at the system.
"Class Quest… the demon beasts and giant beasts that were infected by the Berserk Dragon virus… although they seemed like they had lost their minds, however, they were just undergoing the process of 'Berserk'. Nothing is related to Chaos Attribute at all."
He muttered to himself, "The Chaos Attribute of the monster, so other than the daemons, what else can it be?"
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Chapter 62: I Think You Have Big Issues with Each Other
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
If one must differentiate it, the number of monsters with Chaos Attributes was not low at all. That would include the evil cults who worshipped the demons and the evil gods. However, the challenging part of his quest was that he had to aim for those who had a power level much higher than a Silver tier.
A power level much higher than a Silver tier did not include the power level of a Silver tier. That would mean that the warrior needed to kill at least Gold-tier monsters— Well, the characters in the story in the initial game could not just cross into the Gold tier by completing a quest. They would need a certain period of time to adjust themselves in order for them to turn their bodies extraordinary. Therefore, there would be a transitional level for the Silver Tier to obtain first before they could cross into the Gold tier.
Meanwhile, under the suppression of the Church of the Seven Gods, the cults across the entire Mycroft Continent had almost been wiped out tens of years ago. Even if some remained, they were currently hiding deep in the forests and the mountains. Casting aside whether a person was capable enough to take them on, it would already be extremely difficult to even seek them out from their hiding spots.
A few months later, the Terraria Dhole Worm that appeared near the fortress at the border of the Empire must be much more powerful than regular Gold-tier monsters. The power level of that Terraria Dhole Worm might even be of Supreme tier.
Knocking the end of a pen on the table, Joshua thought to himself, That worm could have been a good opponent. However, it will only appear much later. It would have been too late if I wait for it to reveal itself. I won't be able to solve my current problem. Meanwhile, Alphonso should be able to purchase and gather the special items to summon it. As for whether the tragedy would happen, we shall see about it.
The Chaos Guardian Class was currently only unlocked halfway. The gifts and special attributes of many Classes had not been fully revealed yet. That included the five Class levels of the Legacy reward. They could swiftly enhance the power level of a person in combat. Therefore, killing a Gold-tier demon was one of Joshua's top priorities.
"No wonder the previous owner of this mansion had the strength of a Gold tier. Before I inherited this, I'm already a Gold tier. However, it could still reward me with 5 levels. The level reward for this is at least two times the level reward of the Silver tier."
By adjusting his thoughts a little, Joshua finally understood the matter he felt strange about a while ago—if each of the Radcliffe family only had one person eligible to use 'the lesser people know about the evil gods the better' to explain it, then how can every new liege have the power level of a Gold tier? The reason was simple, that would be because of the power of Legacy.
A nobleman did not need to complete Class Quest like he needed to. Meanwhile, under the circumstance of having the best training environment from an early age, if this person cannot reach the Intermediate Silver in his twenties and cannot promise to reach Gold Tier before inheriting, it was really a waste of resources. It would be much better to commit suicide as early as possible so that the family could choose a new successor of the family.
"Argh…"
When his thoughts stopped there, Joshua sighed while holding his pen writing the information into the notebook. He conveniently put his pen down in between the pages of the notebook and put the notebook on a desk. Then he lifted his head and looked at the ceiling before he started to mutter to himself, "Boring. I want to slice people up. I hope I can meet someone who can give me a thrill in battle."
Well, the warrior was thinking about the past just because his hands were itchy. He was craving for battle.
The colossal Gold-tier beast had triggered his thirst for battle but was not strong enough to satisfy it. After that, no matter how hard he tried, Joshua could not find any other powerful monsters around his territory. Maybe that Chaotic Gore Magala would be a worthy opponent for Joshua to look forward to. However, the dragon could fly too fast. If the dragon was focused on evading, Joshua would not stand a chance at landing a hit on the dragon at all.
If he was still in the game in his previous life, Joshua could have just gone and cleared some dungeons if he ever felt an itch in his hands. He could repeatedly clear the dungeons until he felt satisfied. Well, that was also one of the reasons why he could reach approximately 3 million kills. However, the truth about the 'Continental War' was that the monsters that were slain would not exist anymore. There was no way that they would be respawned like they could in the game.
Closing his eyes, he thought of the past.
Long ago when he was still a lone ranger, as a mercenary, he was wandering around the forest in the distant land in the south. Because he had been leading parties in clearing dungeons and his achievements seemed promising, the number of his comrades continued to increase. Because of that, his progress in clearing the dungeons became much more efficient as time went by. He managed to make his own name known to more and more people day after day. Players across the entire distant land of the south would know about the existence of his powerful party.
Not long after that, these comrades who kept clearing dungeons alongside Joshua decided to follow the trend of the game. They wanted to form an official party and promote him as the leader of their party.
However, how could it be possible that Joshua would agree to that? He admitted that he was merely a regular warrior. So how could he become the leader? His comrades later told him that the entire party voted him as the leader.
Feeling the enthusiasm of all his comrades, Joshua had no choice but to accept their offer. After that, the party had changed a lot. From a group that started with pure intentions to becoming the party in the entire land of the south, the warrior had been the leader all along. Although he did not really attend to the management of the party, everyone knew. The entire party existed because of this one man.
Smiling quietly, Joshua came back to the present. He opened his eyes and picked up the pen and the notebook again. Then he began with another round of analysis.
—right outside the door.
The head of the female servant with silver hair was holding a tea tray in her hands as she made her way slowly across the stairwell of the spiral tower.
The north did not produce tea leaves because the weather was just too cold for that. However, no matter whether the citizens or the nobles, both take a liking to red tea which could warm their stomachs. So whenever the caravan arrived at the north, they would bring along a large quantity of red tea leaves that went sour.
To make it more refreshing, the locals would add some ribbon plant leaves that only can be found in the northern lands to increase the intensity of the tea.
Although she was appointed as the head of the female servants, Ying knew that she was still far from becoming a qualified female servant.She did not feel distressed about her lack of talent though. Instead, she was trying to prove herself by acting and learning.
"I wonder what Master was thinking all alone in the library. Although I've no idea if he needs it or not, I'll just make him some tea and pass it to him."
Muttering softly to herself, Ying smiled slightly thinking, "I wonder if Master would praise me a little."
Ever since she was told by Feng that her clothes were too outdated back then, she had changed into a new uniform. Now, her silver hair could be seen flying in the direction of the wind. She was seen wearing a single-breasted black velvet gown, a pair of black long boots and a thick cloak made of wool. Meanwhile, right on the cuff and the chest of the uniform, there was the emblem of a hand holding a black sword with golden side and black background on them.
Upon arriving at the floor where the conference room was, Ying noticed that there were all sorts of weapons hanging on the walls. She could not help but remember the remaining of the Divine Armaments in the graveyard she saw a few days ago.
However, the girl did not feel agitation at all, only admiration.
Even though those Divine Armaments were dead, however, as a weapon, their names were craved by the side of their masters' names on the tombstones. Their fates were intertwined… death was not scary. Instead, that kind of bond was very admirable.
"I wonder when I can become an irreplaceable limb to Master Joshua… He doesn't even need to use me."
Upon sighing lightly, Ying seemed to be worrying about something, "Master is so powerful. He will seldom use me. Could it be that I'll just be a female servant and serve Master tea for the rest of my days?"
The girl that was feeling a little worried was walking forward very slowly. Then, she heard some footsteps coming from behind.
A few seconds later, on the other side of the spiral stairwells, three middle-aged men just appear right in front of her.
"Huh?"
With astonishment on her face, Ying noticed that she actually knew two of them. Because they said that the uniform on them was exactly the same as the ones on the seniors, she decided to change into a new uniform. So she could remember it well.
One of them was a mage while the other one was an elf warrior who seemed to like covering half of his face… They also brought along a middle-aged man with blond hair to see her master.
Meanwhile, Zorgen and the others had also noticed the presence of the girl with silver hair.
Oh, right. This must be the young head servant they met earlier on. Her style was as bad as all her seniors though. But the clothes on her right now was not bad at all.
"Good morning, Miss Ying."
It began with Feng greeting her. Then the white-haired mage said, "Is Count Joshua in his conference room?"
"Yes, Master is contemplating about some matters in the conference room right now." Upon lifting up the plate in her hand, Ying added, "I'm about to serve a cup of tea to Master. Is it urgent?"
—In the conference room.
Upon hearing the unsettling footsteps right outside the door, Joshua could not help but turn his head to the side, looking at the door.
Knock knock
Someone was knocking the door gently.
"Come in."
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Chapter 63: Chaos That Seeped In
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Upon hearing the voice that granted the permission, the door was slightly pushed opened leaving a small gap. Then, the door creaked and opened.
Standing right behind the door was Ying in a long black gown. The young female servant was walking towards Joshua with light steps while holding a tea tray. She lifted her head and looked across the center of the conference room. Then she respectfully said, "Master."
"Ah. You've come at the right time."
Standing up in front of the conference table, Joshua was not feeling thirsty while he was having his thoughts. However, when he saw the cup that was filled with steamy hot red tea, he only realized that he had not drunk a drop of water the entire morning. He could suddenly feel his throat scorching dry.
"You did great." Upon taking the teacup over, he took a sip of it. The warmth of the tea went straight through his body down to his belly. The warrior did not get stingy in praising her. He also noticed the girl's new outfit. So he conveniently praised her, "Your new outfit looks stunningly beautiful. What made you change it?"
"I-is that so?"
Joshua did not notice Ying's face though. She was blushing unnaturally. His eyes were fixed on what was behind the door. "Gentlemen, don't just stand out there. I'm telling you to come in all together. Why are you standing outside the room?"
"My apologies."
Upon hearing Joshua's words, Zorgen led the two of them into the conference room.
"My liege." The two warriors bowed at Joshua with the gesture of a knight. Meanwhile, the white-haired mage only bowed slightly.
Zorgen who just started to recover from his heavy injuries was walking in the front. His face looked a little pale. However, it seemed that this knight had recovered enough to move around normally. Well, when they were about to leave Zorgen's house, Zorgen was still limping when walking. And now, he had recovered enough to walk up and down across the stairs. The recovery rate of a Silver-tier warrior was really impressive. It had exceeded far beyond the category of a normal person.
As the captain of the defensive force of the entire fortress, the position of this golden-haired knight was half a level higher than the position of Chiri and Feng. Whenever they wanted to report something important to the liege, he would be the one person chosen to do it.
"What's so important that the three of you must come together?"
Taking another sip of his tea, Joshua was a little puzzled with their intention.
Now that the fortress was still under reconstruction rebuilding up the collapsed walls, other than the heavily wounded Zorgen, Chiri and Feng should be commanding the operations in the scene. So why would they drop their responsibilities to come all the way here to see him? Could it be something very urgent and important then?
"My liege, the communication circle has received a few urgent messages. We believe that you should know about them immediately. So we have brought them all along. However, because we did not look at the content of the messages. So we do not know how important those are."
"Let me have a look first."
Zorgen walked up to Joshua, took out some letters and passed them over to Joshua. Meanwhile, the warrior did not hesitate at all. The moment he received the letters into his hands, he picked one of them and took the letter out of its envelope.
"Enchanted paper… This is an urgent message!"
Upon touching the paper, Joshua immediately knew. It was indeed a very urgent and important message.
After all, a message duplication was actually a skill that works like a fax machine. The process would completely duplicate the messages onto an empty enchanted paper through the resonance between the magic of the communication circle. Although the theory was not complicated by the sound of it, the process would exhaust a large amount of magic power because of the distance factor. The cost of doing so was also very high. If it was not necessary, no one would use this skill.
Sensing the other letters, Joshua was surprised to find that the other three letters were also made of enchanted paper.
"Three urgent messages arrived at the same time. So what the hell is going on?"
Speaking in a very surprised matter, the warrior understood why the three of them came together. However, it was not the time to think about that. So he looked at the content of the messages seriously without saying a word.
The conference room was silent all of a sudden. The liege with black hair and red eyes frowned. He was looking at the letters in his hand while the silver hair servant just stood beside him. She lowered her head and stayed silent. Meanwhile, the officers of the fortress were had grim looks on their faces. They seemed as if they were thinking about something very important.
"Phew."
After a while, Joshua felt relieved and let out a breath. He smiled and put the first letter aside. Then he shook his head, "The first letter bears good news."
"What good news did it bring, my liege?" This time, it was Chiri who asked. Because of the thick helmet he was wearing, his voice sounded very low and dull. "If it is a good news, wouldn't there be no reason for them to pass the message through such an urgent means?"
Well, that should be considered as an old habit of the half-elf warrior. He did not purposely question anything. It was merely because he wanted to point out the oddity.
"This is a letter from the dwarves."
Joshua respected this half-elf warrior who taught him the art of battle while he was still young. He was very well aware the half-elf's speaking style. So he answered seriously, "The rune dwarves of the Volcanic Lake found out about the Dark Tide. They decided to aid us with their best foundry after seeing the friendship they had with us. They decided to support us with resources and arrows and weapons without asking for anything in return."
"Initially, they intended to send the letter with a party to pass us the great news. However, because they noticed that it would be too late when the message arrived. So they decided to use the message duplication function of the communication circle to send us the message. Don't forget. They have as much magic power as they need in Volcanic Lake."
Saying that, he picked up the letter again and glanced through the content of the letter once. "It seems that they initially intended to send a party over to aid us in building our new walls. However, because the cold weather here is not suitable for the dwarves to carry out any activities, they had to abandon that idea. That's why they decided to send a batch of special building resources over to us.
"Well, what a shame."
Listening to Joshua, Feng could not help but mutter, "The dwarves have superior capabilities to forge and to build. If we can get their support in building the new walls, our new walls can definitely be much stronger than before. At least they won't collapse after being rammed by the giant beasts for a few rounds."
"That's not just resistance you know. The initial walls also had the elves' root blessing. Normal turrets would not even destroy the surfaces of the walls. However, the Berserk Daemons that are Gold tier are extremely powerful monsters that can't be judged based on normal logic… Anyway, it's still good to have a batch of resources by the end of it."
Joshua did not continue to dwell on the topic. He picked up the second letter and tore the envelope apart swiftly.
"A letter from Alphonso?"
His eyes glanced through the letter and saw the name on the letter. The warrior froze for a brief moment. He had never thought that the merchant Alphonso would send him a message so soon. After that, he quickly looked at the content of the letter with a mountain of interest.
The message seemed very simple.
Several days ago, that merchant received Joshua's recommendation letter. Then he immediately departed for the dwarves' settlement area. Joshua had no idea what mean did he used, the merchant had succeeded in obtaining the right to use the dwarves' tunnel.
Now, Alphonso and his other merchants went through the tunnel. They had gone around locked regions and the berserk beasts in the Dark Forest. They proceeded to get to a large city in the center of the Empire. Alphonso had begun searching for the few special items that Joshua told him to find.
"He has found the magic book that I mentioned before. However, the book is currently in the possession of a noble. So at the moment, he cannot purchase the book. He'll need to wait for the spring auction this year to see if that owner would release the book for sale."
Talking softly to himself, Joshua gave some thought to it. Then he nodded in satisfaction. "No matter the outcome, he's progressing quite efficiently. I first thought we can only try our best to obtain it. From the looks of it now, I might be able to change the fate of Fort Ares."
There was one letter remaining.
Joshua lifted his head and looked at the three men. He could feel that the final letter would be the most important of all three letters.
Picking up the violet envelope, Joshua noticed that there was a seal of a red crescent stamped on the wax. The name was 'Vale Dani Scarlet'.
"Scarlet of Moldova?"
Of course the warrior would know one of the four noble families of the borderlands in the north. That was the Scarlet family, represented by the seal of the Red Crescent.
Truth to be told, among the four influential families, the Radcliffe family had enemies like the Wilson family that tried so hard to destroy the Radcliffe family. However, there were also acquaintances or even friends that had been keeping in touch with the Radcliffe family through letters for hundreds of years.
Although there was no way to tell if they actually had good or bad intentions towards the Radcliffe family, there were also others that appeared as friends on the surface since the beginning. For instance, the Countess of the Scarlet family was a friend of Joshua's.
[To the Count of Moldovia, the successor to the Radcliffe family, Joshua van Radcliffe who holds the Cold Steel Sword]
Upon reading the entire passage, the letter could be summarized in a few sentences.
Following the cold winds and frosty weather coming from the northern sea, the tide of daemons that were concealed within the snowstorm came in much more ferocious than anyone could have anticipated. Under the continuous impact from the insane attack of the beasts, the Countess of the Scarlet family, a Lower Gold-tier mage was no longer able to fend off the beasts. Under a very dangerous circumstance, she had no choice but to seek any help she could.
After seeing the contents of the letter, Joshua could not help but frown intensely.
Although the tone of the letter did not contain any desperation of requests for help, anyone would still be able to see the urgency just by reading the letter. The content of the letter had shown Joshua that the person who wrote the letter did not write like a member of the prideful Scarlet family he once knew. Could it really be that the waves of beasts had become so dreadful that a powerful Gold-tier mage could not fend them off?
Indeed, there was that possibility there. Joshua began recalling the recent strange happenings that occurred throughout the Dark Forest.
Theoretically speaking, even if the beasts were dispersed, it would not be possible that there was not even a sign of one beast around. For the past few days, the warrior had not even seen one single beast in the forest when he was out patrolling around the forest. There were only snowflakes falling upon the Dark Forest. The entire place was so quiet as if the place was dead.
The daemons were not dead. They must have been to someplace else. They were not in Moldavia and there was no Dark Tide in other places. Furthermore, Joshua had predicted the route that the Chaotic Gore Magala would take by looking at the magic map. It would be possible if all of the daemons across the Dark Forest had gathered at Moldova… if that was really the case, it would be a bad luck that no one could have anticipated.
Now, if that was really the case, it would not only be a bad luck, it could be described as an unfortunate event.
The letter had a second page.
[If it's just a normal beast horde, we can still fend them off. However, there have been sightings of new and strange daemons from the depths of the Dark Forest. They do not fear magic nor Combat Aura. Only pure physical attacks can crush them into bits.
These monsters will turn into black dust dispersing into the air upon their death as if their bodies are not made of flesh and blood. Meanwhile, these strange types of daemons are too powerful for us to comprehend. That is the main reason why we cannot hold on much longer.
Although there are always power struggles and conspiracies among the four territories in the North, it is not the time to talk about that. My dear friend, if Moldova is breached, the horde of beasts will not stop even after they feast on my flesh and bones. Their hunger will spread. Hence, please lend me a hand. It will also be for your own good. On the honor of the 'Fate of the Red Crescent', the Scarlet family will not mistreat any of our friends.
— Yours sincerely, Vale Dani Scarlet]
After reading the direct words and description, the shadow of a monster slowly emerged in Joshua's mind.
Until the end of it, he saw that there was a shape of a monster drawn with black ink by the lower corner of the envelope.
The drawn monster seemed totally different from the normal daemons he had seen before. It looked like a ferocious monster that came entirely from another world.
Joshua's pupils contracted a little, looking bewildered.
"Aragami!"
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Chapter 64: In the Name of the Northern Wind
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Joshua knew what an Aragami looked like.
Well, he was too focused on clearing new dungeons in his previous life in the game. So he did not really pay much attention to the information about the Divine Armaments and the Aragami. However, those were merely mainstream topics being discussed among the players. So even when he did not intentionally go and look or even listen to it, he was still informed about it by the people around him.
The appearance of an Aragami was one of the information he heard about. The unique yet strange appearance was absolutely different from the appearance of the other monsters in Continental War. The artwork of it was unique and memorable. So after seeing it once, there was no way anyone would forget about it soon.
The monstrosity that was sketched on the letter was not the same Arigami that he saw in the game forum previously. However, there was no doubt that the appearance of the monster was the same as the Aragami. Furthermore, the description in Vale Dani Scarlet's letter indicated that Combat Aura and magic were ineffective against them. Only physical attacks could effectively hurt them. Upon death, they turned into black dust…
The conclusion was undoubtedly obvious. There were Aragami mixed among the beast horde that attacked Moldova.
"How is that possible…"
Ignoring Ying's surprised expression and the puzzled faces of Zorgen and the two men beside him, Joshua continued reading the letter word by word. His eyebrows furrowed more intensely as he continued reading the letter. The side of his mouth twitched a little, "Aragami? Appearing in Moldova?"
That should be something that was not possible. That was because all of the pathways that were connected to the contaminated realm were located in Moldavia. Not to mention that all of them were sealed tight. So where did all those monsters come from?
The warrior did not mind if Zorgen and the others would know something out of the few words he said out loud. Truth be told, across the entire northern land, he and Ying might be the only ones who knew about the information about the narrow passages that were sealed and the Aragami. Only the two of them could understand the meaning of the appearance of the Aragami.
That being said, after hundreds of years later, Chaos had once again invaded the world. The tentacles of darkness have once again reached out into this world.
There were three narrow passages in Moldavia. Two were located in the main city where they were cast with the sealing circle to suppress them by the Empire's mages. Another one was the family graveyard that was located right in the middle of the fortress of the Dark Forest. That narrow passage was locked with the power of Order of the historical owners of the house.
Although there was no previous owner of the family to teach by example, however, according to the message in the altar, there were still many old books that could only be read by the owner of the house. Joshua did know many things about it. A faint smile slowly emerged on his face, "It seemed that there must be a new passage that appeared deep inside the Dark Forest. There's no way to confirm the location of it momentarily… Interesting."
As for why Vale Dani Scarlet did not know anything about Aragami, it was easy to be explained.
Although the Scarlet family was the descendants of one of the four heroes that entered the outer realm and sealed the dimension, they had chosen to give up that responsibility many years after the occurrence. Meanwhile, in order to rid of the existence of the evil gods' messages, the owner of the mansion of the Scarlet family had destroyed all of the information that was related to dimensions and the records of the monsters' background that was in their family.
To give up would mean totally forget about it. That was also one of the choices available.
As his knowledge about the messages had increased, the things that Joshua had doubts with his previous life were explained—the ten players who succeeded in forming a pact with a Divine Armament would disappear without revealing any information about it behind. It wasn't because they tried to hide their power level on purpose or trying to keep the story to themselves. They were just obeying the terms they agreed on back then, promising not to reveal any information about the Evil Gods.
"It seems that I'm not going to be free at all."
Upon letting go a long breath, the new Chaos Guardian shook his head and said, "I was still worried just now. I was worried that where I can get some Chaos monsters to slay. Now, there are so many of them."
Although it was not a morally right thing to do, the warrior was still very much looking forward to slaying the Gold-tier Aragami in Moldova to complete his Class quest. That should increase some levels in defending against the tide of monsters that were about to come.
"My lord, what is happening at Moldova now?"
Although he could not understand the words that Joshua said, Zorgen could still understand that this letter that came from the Scarlet family was an urgent letter to ask for aid and support. So he asked, "Do you intend to lend them a hand?"
"Yes. Moldova is just like us. Now, their fortress is under siege of the Dark Tide… no matter how many years our friendship had lasted, we need to go and lend them our aids. That's also for our own good."
Keeping the letters in his hands aside, the black-haired warrior stood up and said, "The daemons that surround their fortress are much more abundant than the horde that attempted to invade us. According to the fact that the surroundings of our side have no signs of any living things around, I can assume that all daemons across the volcano of Mount Great Ajax are moving towards their direction as we speak."
"If we don't take the opportunity where the daemons are gathered in one spot now and annihilate them all when the monsters become scattered everywhere, the remaining three territories including ourselves would suffer great losses in the future. It will become just a matter of time before they invade us. By then, none of us will escape the ill fate that lies beyond getting surrounded by the monsters."
The existence of fortresses was to attract the attention of the monsters in order to prevent them from scattering all over the place. That could also prevent them from attacking all of the other manors and towns that had weaker defenses.
Meanwhile, in Moldova, there were at least a hundred thousand, or even two hundred thousand daemons besieging the fortress. That explained perfectly why even the powerful advanced rank Gold Tier warriors could not fend off the horde. Even Joshua was not confident to say that he could fend off that kind of powerful horde. If the Scarlets really lose their post, the daemons would lose their targets as well and scattered across the land attacking anything they come across. It would be a calamity for everyone in the entire northern land.
Upon resting his thoughts there, Joshua could not help but feel strange, "Theoretically speaking, their Communication system should not be the same as ours. Shouldn't they be shielded from the Chaos power? How could we receive their distress message then?"
However, he found a logical explanation for that, "That's right, Vale Dani is a Gold-tier mage. She'll definitely be able to solve any problems that involves magic."
Although they were both Goldt ier, regardless of how experience he currently was, the warrior could only disperse the mist by brute force. He could only forcefully discharge the interference caused by the magic with indirect methods. On the other hand, a Gold-tier mage would definitely have other means to undo this kind of interference. That would be the difference between having different capabilities in different directions.
Upon making his decision in his heart, Joshua looked at the three men and nodded. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. With my habit, it could have been long after today before I notice these letters… Anything else? Since we're all here now, spit it out and we can solve it now. We better not delay the course to give aid to Moldova. We need to prepare as soon as possible."
"…"
Zorgen, Chiri, and Feng looked at each another in silence for one brief moment. The three of them seemed decided about something. After that, the golden-haired knight took a step forward and look into the eyes of their liege. Then he lowered his head and said, "Maybe this is a little hasty, but we're here today not because we wanted to pass the letters to you, my liege. The letters were just out of convenience…"
Before he could finish his word, the three of them went down on one knee. They put their left hand on their chest and right hand down touching the ground. Then they spoke together, "We did not get the chance to do this because we were too occupied attending the things in the fortress. But now, we've made sure everything is on track. So today is the day where we pledge our allegiance to you."
Bending on one knee with their left hand across the chest, and right hand that held the weapon touching the ground. That was the gesture to pledge allegiance to their liege for over thousands of years in Continental War.
Facing the sudden pledge of allegiance from his men, Joshua felt a little surprised.
However, he did not falter. The black-haired warrior only frowned a little in front of the three men. Then he spoke, "I thought you have pledged your allegiance to me long ago… Could it be that you've not been approved of me as your new Count of Moldavia, the heir to my family?"
"No, my liege."
The half-elf warrior took off his helmet, revealing his shoulder length green hair and rune-filled face. He spoke solemnly, "Maybe Zorgen and Feng do not really know you, but I'm different. As your martial arts trainer when you were young, I've seen your true qualities."
Upon saying that, Chiri lifted his head and looked into Joshua's eyes. "It was most probably because of your father's passing. You've abandoned your attitude and kindness, turning yourself into a firm and intimidating man. However, regardless of everything, you've always been the heir that will rule this land, the only count that I swear allegiance to. It would be my honor to serve you."
"That's right. However, regardless of that, we've been knights that served Count Beirut Radcliffe. We were not yet the knights who'll serve Joshua van Radcliffe."
Feng was the one who said that. As a mage who was not that young anymore, he had quite a strong body. The white robe could not conceal the toned muscles of his body. The explosive power and wit were apparent in this old man despite his calm demeanor. He spoke in a casual tone, "The family of my family is not my family. That sentence has been passed down for many years. Same goes here—as your father's servants, we are not your servants."
"Since your father has passed away, you'll be our new Count."
Upon concluding up, Zorgen's face was still looking very pale. However, his voice was powerful and loud. "Since that is the case now, we must officially swear our allegiance to you."
After saying that, the three of them pulled their swords and staff from their waist. They placed their right hand on the surface of the ground while they clenched their left fist and put them right in front of their chest. Then they spoke with the same tone, "So, from now on forth, in the name of the blood and fire of the northern wind, the Count of Moldavia, the person with the emblem that holds the sword, please accept the allegiance and respect of your fathers' knights."
"Proving with our lives and honor, we shall become your blades and scepters. We shall carry your will across the land and annihilate your enemies."
Their voices echoed across the narrow conference room. Joshua looked at the three in silence. It seemed that he was thinking about something.
It was really unexpected at all. It was a sudden occurrence, an official ceremony of swearing their allegiance to him.
Without any hesitation, the black-haired warrior with red eyes stepped forward and accepted the weapons in their hands. Then he returned the weapons to them. Meanwhile, the three of them put their weapons back on their waist with care after receiving them from Joshua.
To receive the sword and give the sword was the most traditional ritual of all for the knights that serve the family.
Upon completing the ritual, the black-haired warrior spoke seriously, "I shall accept this oath… Zorgen Colclough, Chiri Uranus, Feng Lawrence. From this moment forth, you shall be my sword and shield. You shall secure my glory. On the other hand, I shall become your liege and your protector. I shall bear pride to have you serve me."
"Rise."
Upon hearing that, the three of them immediately stood up.
Meanwhile, Joshua who was standing before them turned around and shook his head. He spoke frankly, "Even though that is the case, I'm not a suitable candidate for you to serve… you need to know, I'm not good in attending the affairs over the territories. I have no capability in handling finances as well. I can't even promise you that we're going to get richer in the future."
Upon saying that, he laughed all of a sudden, "However, as your liege the person you serve, I can at least make one promise to you all."
"I can lead you towards victory."
In the previous life, the legendary warrior had experienced countless battles without any losses. He had his Glory as the proof of that.
"I shall lead you into battle, we shall win, again and again."
"My liege…" Upon hearing the words, the golden-haired knight could not help to grin a little. Then he started laughing a little as if he was infected by Joshua's excitement. Meanwhile, the half-elf warrior and the white-haired mage were also affected and both of them laughed together. "That'd be enough."
For the knights, that would be enough.
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