█████████████
Signs of Instability (4)
█████████████
The Crown Prince briefly explained his dreams in which Iron often appeared. His dreams showed the destruction of the Empire and what was yet to come. The outcome in his dreams changed every time but there were always two things that didn’t: the fall of the Empire and the people uniting under Iron’s influence and charisma.
However, humans would eventually face the limits of their power. No matter how much mankind tried to hold its ground, their strength could not withstand the catastrophe, eventually it led to the destruction of the empire, with only the military left behind.
“Did I… die?” Iron asked calmly.
“Yours didn’t appear until the end of the dream.” The Crown Prince responded heavily after pondering about it for a moment.
Iron nodded heavily at his reply. At the very least, his death was still uncertain.
“All of the futures I had in my dream, I always witnessed mankind uniting around you after the fall of the Empire,” the Crown Prince said. It seemed like he took responsibility for the duty to watch the Empire end. That was his duty. For him, there was nothing he could do for the future of mankind.
“May I inquire a few more questions?”
The Crown Prince nodded, signaling his approval at Iron’s request. Iron inquired about the questions that had been on his mind. One, how many more ancient monsters would appear? Two, would the Gods descend themselves. Three, what was the exact cause of the Empire’s downfall. Those were the questions that Iron wanted to know.
However, the Crown Prince did not have concrete answers for his questions. The future that he had seen was limited. Only fragments of the major events kept on appearing in his dreams and there were even plenty of changes in every dream. The Crown Prince frowned as he tried his best to recall the things Iron inquired about, but his memories were blurred. The only thing that he could clearly remember was the Empire’s downfall and mankind uniting around Iron as well as the large-scale war, the rest of the details of his dreams were blurred as if they were obscured in mist.
“Hmmm…” The Crown Prince hummed, trying to recall the things that he saw in his dreams but he had a hard time doing so. In the end, all he was left with was a frustrated expression as he failed to recall the entirety of his dreams.
‘Is it a restriction?’ Iron thought, frowning.
It was clear that the scenes were intentionally obscured and manipulated so that the Crown Prince could only remember the main events.
‘I’ve got everything I need.’
Just when Iron was about to stand up, knowing that there was nothing else for him to know here, the Crown Prince continued to struggle and stammer out all of the details in his head. He tried to explain a little more further. So, Iron calmly and intently listened to the Crown Prince’s words until the end.
“Even if God’s Orb breaks, the barrier will not completely vanish.”
And in the process, he unintentionally secured valuable information. With this information, Iron was assured that this world would not become a playground for the Gods the moment the God’s Orb breaks. Iron also heard about the monsters and creatures that would trample the Empire’s land. However, the Crown Prince did not mention any divine beings. However, ancient species that could only be heard from myths and legends would appear. But from what the Crown Prince said, they were on par with the Gods.
‘Isn’t that worse?’ Iron thought, smiling wryly?
“…Was it helpful?” the Crown Prince asked.
Iron was still pondering deeply when the Crown Prince asked him. However, he smiled brightly and said, “Yes, you were a great help.”
“That’s a relief.” the Crown Prince said, as he placed his hand over his heart.
“I’m glad to have fulfilled the role God has given me.” At the Crown Prince’s remark, Iron looked at him with a serious expression.
“Do you believe in God?” Iron asked.
The Crown Prince shook his head and smiled.
“I used to,” He said, smiling wryly.
“However, with the recurring dreams, it made me realize that the God I believed in is maybe not necessarily the ideal being that I imagined him to be.”
The Crown Prince recalled his dreams. There were people that cried calling out to God during grave situations. However, the Lord God turned a deaf ear to their earnest pleas. In the end, they were killed by the monsters and devoured by strange mutants.
“I do not believe in God. I know that the Lord God will not save us even if we asked him to. I just…” the Crown Prince trailed off, looking at Iron timidly as he continued to say, “…at least I believe that the Lord does not want us to perish.”
Iron watched the Crown Prince. These words alone showed the direction that God wanted them to go to for their survival.
“…I seem,” Iron said, nodding in agreement. Iron did not know what God’s purpose was but there was one thing that he was sure of: the Lord God did not want the other Gods to interfere with the continent.
‘Even if it faces destruction…’
At this moment, Iron thought that it was alright to believe in God and move forward. Iron sipped his tea as he continued to ponder over the course of his future actions.
The Crown Prince looked up to him and said, “It’s already late. Would you like to have dinner with me?”
“Ah…” Iron looked at the Crown Prince and nodded. He said, “How dare I refuse the Crown Prince’s offer? I would stay for as long as Your Highness wishes me to stay.”
The Crown Prince’s face brightened at Iron’s words. Iron couldn’t help but be suspicious at the sudden change of the arrogant Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was hailed as the greatest actor in the Empire. If he were born as a commoner rather than a prince and entered the theater, he would have already become famous for his talents. This was also the reason why everyone thought that the change in the Crown Prince was just an act.
However, Iron had watched his eyes, expressions and actions during their conversations. He could tell.
‘He has changed’ Iron thought.
Although it was only a dream, he thought that after the Crown Prince experienced those countless dreams and experienced numerous deaths and destruction. The experience itself was definitely traumatic enough to change one’s personality and attitude. Iron was certain since he himself had changed after suffering from a lot of setbacks in his previous life. Witnessing the Empire’s destruction and the fall of mankind did not necessarily mean that one would change. However, the Crown Prince recognized his shortcomings and changed to repay the work of the people in the Capital and regain their trust in the Emperor. He even went so far as to let go of his arrogance and carry the final task that God had entrusted to the Imperial Family. If that was the case, then Iron also had to give his respect to the Crown Prince. At the very least, he had to give his respect to the person that chose to enact and carry out his final duty as part of the Imperial Family to save mankind.
“The God’s Orb… has already reached its limit.” Iron sighed as he went to inspect the God’s Orb after dining with the Crown Prince.
The sacrifice of plenty of people, even risking his own life to protect the capital and God’s Orb was still fresh in his mind. They were lucky to be able to stop its destruction back then. However, the cracks in the orb were too much. Iron could tell that it could break at any moment. Even with the help of countless magic circles and the priest’s holy power, the God’s Orb was still on the verge of collapsing.
Crack!
A small fragment fell down from the cracked God’s Orb. Iron frowned at the sight. If the fragments of the orb kept on falling like this then it would definitely collapse at any given moment. In order to increase their time, the orb should at least maintain its complete form. Iron approached the orb and inspected the orb. He turned to the Crown Prince and asked, “Do you not have enough holy power?”
From what Iron could see, the pieces that fell had faded. Hearing his words, the Crown Prince nodded. He said, “Haa… It’s very difficult to find a priest these days.”
After the Divine Nation Alliance abandoned and betrayed God, finding a priest had become an arduous task. Moreover, they were also busy working in various parts of the Empire, purifying contaminated lands, sealing and purifying dimensional cracks and many more. Plenty of priests had moved into the Imperial Palace because of the God’s Orb. However, their power still proved to be inefficient.
Whoosh!
Iron looked at the God’s Orb for a moment before lifting his hand. Then, bright light appeared in his hands as an enormous amount of holy power covered the fragments of the orb that were about to fall off. After he was done, the orb was shining brightly once again.
“This is enough…” Iron said, as raised his head.
[Side Quest! Inject your Holy Power into the exhausted God’s Orb.]
– The God’s Orb is facing extreme hunger. Fill it with holy power until it’s full!
– Rewards: Extension of God’s Orb’s life
[23 : 59 : 59]
Iron tilted his head at the sudden appearance of a quest. He watched as the fragments of God’s Orb shone brightly. It seemed like his holy power kept the falling fragments intact and made sure to keep it whole as much as possible. However, based on the quest, the holy power that he injected was still insufficient.
Iron looked at the God’s Orb in confusion. Then…
-Ring!
[Linked Quest! Piece Together the Fragments of God’s Orb with the Help of the Wizards and Priests.]
– Help prolong the lifespan of the God’s Orb.
– Rewards: Double the reward for the quest: Inject your Holy Power into the exhausted God’s Orb
Seeing the Linked Quest, Iron hurriedly turned towards the Crown Prince and said, “Can you please summon the wizards and priests?”
“Alright,” The Crown Prince said, issuing an order through the chamberlain.
Not long after, all of the priests and wizards in the Imperial Palace gathered around the God’s Orb. All of them were curious, wondering why Iron called for them. However, instead of answering them, Iron turned to the God’s Orb and injected his holy power into it. The fragments that lost their shine and had become like ordinary stone fragments began to glow once again.
The priests looked at the fragments that did not react to their holy power when they tried to infuse it with holy power before. They couldn’t believe that it reacted to Iron’s holy power.
“Ho… How is this possible…? It didn’t react to our holy power before…”
“Once the holy power has been exhausted, you need a huge amount of holy power to replenish it again,” Iron said as he injected a huge amount of divine power on the fragments.
Iron’s holy power continuously flowed to the fragments until they started to float up and glow brightly.
“Do you you can maintain this around the God’s Orb?” Iron asked as he looked at the priests and wizards.
The priests and wizards hurriedly gathered to discuss among themselves. The wizards then inspected the fallen fragments and surrounded the God’s Orb. Only after that did they nod.
“Yes. I think we can help maintain the holy power around God’s Orb.”
“Please prepare right away,” Iron said the moment the wizard answered. Of course, he continued to inject his holy power inside God’s Orbs and its fallen fragments. His holy power continued to flow inside the God’s Orb as if it was a spring that would never run dry.
The priests looked at Iron in awe after witnessing the sight. Then, Iron asked, “Where are the other fragments?”
“We kept them separately,” the chamberlain said.
Then, the Crown Prince immediately ordered, “Bring them all here.”
“Yes!”
With the Crown Prince’s orders, the remaining fragments of God’s Orb were brought to them. And with the help of the wizards and the friests the fragments started to float and shine brightly once again. The wizards created new magic circles while the priests prayed to God, infusing their holy powers and individual powers to the fragments.
“Is it over?”
One of the priests shook his head in response to the Crown Prince’s question. He said, “We have to inject our holy power for an entire day. No matter how strong a Saint is, he will still find it difficult to do.”
“That’s right. It’s enough for now. We can finish it for today and reinforce it later…” One of the wizards said in worry after hearing the priest’s words. However, Iron shook his head as he continued to concentrate on injecting his divine power.
“I don’t know when I will be able to come to the Imperial Palace again. Besides, if we stop here, we won’t be able to finish it perfectly. Right?”
“That is true, but…” The wizard said, mumbling the end of his words.
Iron nodded at him. He said, “I always see the end of things once I start doing them.”
The wizards and priests’ backs were drenched in cold sweat as they went back and worked. They continued to work on extending the life of the God’s Orb all night thinking that they would die if they did not do so.
However, despite their best efforts, another unusual situation occurred in the continent.
[A mysterious race had appeared south of the Divine Nation Alliance! What race are they?]
[Mountain Giants have appeared in the Giant Mountains! The appearance of this extinct species, is it a good sign or a bad sign?!]
[A vortex suddenly appeared near the old site of Atlantis. What’s inside it? The Eastern Command has issued an emergency order…]
Suspicious and unexpected situations appeared all over the continent. Everyone agreed that these ominous signs were the signs of the end coming near. This time, the scholars agreed with the public sentiment.
In the end, the time of destruction has arrived.
█████████████
Signs of Instability (5)
█████████████
Everyone was panicking at the sudden appearance of the signs of destruction but the attention of the Imperial Capital was focused on somewhere else. Their attention was diverted only because of a certain newspaper headline.
[Commander of the Mobile Field Army, Iron Carter, has done it once again!]
The newspaper with this headline had been selling like hot cakes in the square since dawn.
The most valuable jewel in the continent, the God’s Orb, was rumored to break anytime soon. However, it was said that it did not break any further despite the cracks not being repaired cleanly. Thanks to this, the time of destruction had been pushed back which increased the faith and trust of the people in the Empire for Iron.
“Oho! This rascal. I came here under the orders of His Highness.”
“You cannot enter, please be on your merry way.”
“Then, how about this?” The noble asked, trying to secretly bribe the Imperial Guard. However, the guard flatly refused the offer. If someone was unaware, with the situation that they were in, and they accepted the bribe, they would be beheaded. No questions asked. This was the Crown Prince’s absolute order.
“Do not permit any aristocrats to set foot on the palace until he returns.”
With this order, the guard would face big problems if he were to receive the bribe, just like in the past. Besides, this was related to Iron Carter. Iron Carter was an existence that could make anyone from the empire fall down from grace. The nobles hoped that nothing bad would reflect on them from what they did before. Because of that, the nobles gathered in front of the Imperial Palace to meet with Iron. However, no nobleman was able to get through the Imperial Palace’s gates.
‘Sigh… I was already lined up with Western Command.’
‘Still, Iron Carter is the best choice!’
‘Tsk! I have no choice but to bet all the rest of my fortune.’
The noblemen that had gathered in front of the gates were struggling to think of a way to grasp Iron’s line.
They wanted to find a way to live so they made sure to grab the different Commanders’ lines by either sending their children or sending money in the form of donation to restore their collapsed armies. Since the entire Empire would be in danger, the safest place to be was next to a Master.
The most popular choice was Central Command. This was because the Central Command was relatively free compared to other Commands, which were under a crisis. The least popular choice was Southeast Command. Why was it that the Southeast Command was the least popular when it was equally as dangerous as the other commands? The main reason was Iron.
“The entry of Central Nobles is prohibited.”
Due to this simple decree, the central nobles have no means to get in touch with Iron. The reason was relatively simple.
There was an ongoing intense battle, so do not interrupt.
The Southeast Command had enough justification since they were all busy crossing the line of life and death as they fought battles every day.
However, even though they were in that situation, Iron still personally came to the Imperial Palace. And compared to before, when he only visited for business, he dined together with the Crown Prince before repairing the God’s Orb, right?
To the nobles, it sounded like Iron was showing them his political stance. That he would open the Southeast’s closed doors. That was the reason why the nobles rushed to the Imperial Palace early in the morning.
“We will have an audience meeting with His Highness soon. Why are you blocking us?”
“I apologize. However, His Highness the Crown Prince has ordered the meeting with him to be moved to the afternoon.”
The high-ranking nobles that attempted to enter for their meeting with His Highness were even blocked and soon the nobles began to give up one by one. Yet, there were still those that never gave up, lining up since dawn in an attempt to meet with Iron.
On the other hand, the Imperial Family went ballistic.
“Of all days…” The Fourth Prince said, biting his lips in worry.
Iron had apparently come to the Imperial Palace just when he was about to completely take over the authority of the weakened crown prince and isolate him.
The Fourth Prince was also aware that the Crown Prince’s relationship with Iron was bad. He wasn’t dumb, he was fully aware that the Imperial Family’s era was reaching its end. In that situation, what would become if Iron pushed the Crown Prince?
If Iron were to become interested in central politics and become the kingmaker, the Fourth Prince’s effort would be for naught.
The Fourth Prince tried to make connections with the other commanders. But contrary to their stance of willingly receiving monetary support from the nobles, none of the Commanders met with the Imperial Family. It was clear as day that none of the Commanders wanted to be involved with the Imperial Family’s power struggle.
So, if Iron were to become the Crown Prince’s backing, then he would be the only commander to support a member of the Imperial Family.
Someone had asked, “What’s the essence of being an Emperor in the time that the destruction is fast approaching?”
However, that thinking was wrong. It was exactly this crisis that would allow them to rise to a higher position. After all, the higher the place you’re sat at, the higher your chances of survival. Even if destruction was fast coming, there was no telling that the Empire would truly meet its fall.
“At this rate, our plans will go awry,” the Fourth Prince mumbled.
As soon as he gained the upper hand among his siblings, he had planned to make the Crown Prince the Emperor and then as soon as possible, dispose of him.
The value of the status of the Imperial Family was fast declining after the collapse of the Imperials’ power. In such a grave situation, only the position that the nobles had acknowledged was the Emperor. It was a position that would guarantee his safety. That was why the Fourth Prince wanted to ascend the throne. But it seemed like his plans were futile.
Of course, the Fourth Prince’s concern was also the same concern that the other princes had. Those who had dreamt to be the next Emperor had their dreams shattered. However, they couldn’t delay anything any longer.
If Iron were to show his support to the Crown Prince, the nobles would eventually feel troubled until someone would formally suggest making the Crown Prince ascend the throne. There was no one in power that could oppose the Crown Prince’s ascension to the throne. Even those that supported the Imperials did not have the power to do so.
While the princes were immersed in their own world and worrying about their own future, Iron has been drinking tea with the Crown Prince after their dinner. He had finished everything and it was time for him to leave the palace.
Then, the chamberlain approached the Crown Prince, who was still talking with Iron.
“What’s the matter?” The Crown Prince asked.
The chamberlain whispered his report, “The nobles are clamoring that the position of the Emperor should no longer remain vacant. I believe they will put this as an agenda for our meeting set after a few days.”
The chamberlain tried his best to lower his voice as possible so that only the crown prince would hear it, however the Master-class Iron had heard it all.
‘Would the empty seat finally be occupied?’ Iron thought as he watched the Crown Prince’s bitter expression while drinking his tea and pretending to be ignorant.
“I will become the Empire’s final Emperor.”
Iron placed his tea cup down and congratulated the Crown Prince. He said, “Congratulations.”
“You know full well that the Emperor’s position is meaningless, right?” The Crown Prince said.
Iron remained silent in front of the Crown Prince’s bitterness.
The value of the throne has lost its meaning to the Crown Prince, who had foreseen the fall of the Empire. On the other hand, the other princes still had lingering obsessions for the throne. None of them had abandoned their dreams of becoming the next Emperor.
None of the nobles were ignorant of the fact of trying to make the Crown Prince as a stand-in and dethroning him right away. After all, the Crown Prince had abandoned his influence and power and was no longer the core of the Imperials.
Iron was well-aware that the other princes were anxious to meet him.
‘Does knowing the future make any difference?’ Iron thought as he looked at the calm Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince looked like he had been freed from all of his worldly greed. That was when Iron realized that the Crown Prince had not told him everything.
“Did you foresee yourself becoming Emperor in your dreams?” Iron asked but the Crown Prince just smiled.
Silence meant yes, right? With the Crown Prince’s silence, he had affirmed that he would ascend the throne in the future. Then, a question suddenly popped up in Iron’s mind. ‘If His Highness is aware of the destruction of the Empire, why is he acting this way?’
With things as they were, the Empire would not last. Even if he were to ascend the throne, once the Empire fell and destruction came, his position and throne would be meaningless. But as long as he remained the Emperor, he would have to protect the Empire, no questions asked.
But the Crown Prince remained silent. He did not ask Iron any favors. It was as if the future was already set in stone. All he ever mentioned to Iron was taking care of the people of the Empire. Iron’s eyes widened at the sudden epiphany, but when he turned to ask the Crown Prince…
“…”
…he was met with the Crown Prince’s shaking head. Iron remained silent as the uncomfortable silence shrouded the dining area.
The Crown Prince, who had been silent for a long time, said, “You must be busy, I must not keep you occupied.”
At the Crown Prince’s words, Iron looked at him silently and bowed his head.
“…Yes.”
Iron reluctantly rose from his seat and continued to say, “I hope we will meet again in the future.”
“I shall wait for that day to come.” The Crown Prince smiled deeply as he saw Iron off.
They continued to chat as they walked towards the warp gate installed within the palace. It was mostly about the information related to the God’s Orb and the destruction’s arrival, so no one was allowed to approach them as they chatted.
At the sight of them, the maids and the servants had misunderstood that the two became close. However, they weren’t wrong either. Actually, Iron had begun to view the Crown Prince in a different light, while the Crown Prince believed in Iron the most in the Empire.
“I hope to receive good news from the Southeast.” the Crown Prince said.
“I will make sure that it will happen,” Iron said as he shook hands with him one last time and approached the warp gate.
The lights then engulfed Iron as he disappeared to go back to the Southeast. The Crown Prince only turned back after seeing Iron gone.
“…Your Highness,” the chamberlain called out.
However, the Crown Prince remained silent.
“Why haven’t you told him?” The chamberlain asked, looking at the silent yet smiling face of the Crown Prince
“The future… can be changed.” said the chamberlain.
“I know that.”
The prophets had said that the future could be altered through everyone’s individual efforts. However, if it was the future that the Lord himself had shown, then it would be a different story.
He had suffered and witnessed the downfall of the Empire multiple times. And in those dreams, there were futures where he was given a choice to either struggle to live or to ask Iron a favor. In the end, everything was useless.
“Of the dozens of futures that I have witnessed, there was no future where the Empire was not destroyed. My future was also set in stone even though the process differed every time.”
The chamberlain closed his eyes sadly at the Crown Prince’s words.
“Do you know what is the best future out of all the futures I had foresaw multiple times?” The Crown Prince asked.
However, the chamberlain remained silent. Seeing the sadness in his face, the Crown Prince smiled and said, “It is my and the Empire’s downfall.”
The chamberlain bowed his head at the Crown Prince’s calmness. The stupid and arrogant Crown Prince accepted his and the Empire’s destruction.
Those who knew him before in the past would treat it as a joke. And their judgment about him wasn’t wrong at all. If he could prevent the fall of the Empire and enjoy the life of having absolute authority as an Emperor, he would do it, even now. Yet none of the futures he had foreseen in his dreams had such an ending. And out of all the dreams that he had seen, only one future was filled with a ray of hope.
There was only a single future out of all the dozens of future that he had seen where mankind could hope to survive destruction. And that future included his and the Empire’s downfall.
This was the reason why the Crown Prince had made this choice. Their ancestors might have made the wrong decision in the past for their cause but at the very least he wanted to make the right choice for the last time.
He always woke up with trembling legs and clothes drenched with sweat from his dreams, but he never changed his decision. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to do anything so at the very least, he wanted to spend his final moments righteously.
The chamberlain followed silently behind the Crown Prince, fully respecting his decision and sacrifice.
█████████████
Signs of Instability (6)
█████████████
The nobles, who gossiped and made their speculations, especially the ones that expected Iron to make a move in politics became even more anxious after seeing Iron leave the capital directly after his meeting with the Crown Prince. This was especially the case after they learnt that Iron only met with the ‘Crown Prince’ alone.
Once the Southeast was stable, it would become one of the strongest candidates for the Empire’s safe zones together with the Central Command. And after seeing Iron’s moves, the Southeast region was likely safer than the Central Command. After all, despite everyone’s assumption, the Mobile Field Army was the only army in the Empire that could soar higher in the future.
And with Iron, the commander of such an army, meeting with the Crown Prince alone, the Crown Prince’s once stinky reputation was bound to soar to the skies. They knew this to be a fact after gossiping and hearing the accounts of the maids and servants in the palace.
“Commander Carter has always been together with the Crown Prince during his stay in the Imperial Palace.”
“The two of them often discuss in private.”
“During these conversations, the smile never left Commander Iron Carter’s lips.”
The rumors eventually spread beyond the gates of the Imperial Palace and ended up being widespread in the capital. In the end, it became an established fact that Iron backed the Crown Prince.
The nobles that grabbed the line of the other princes wept in despair and the same was true for the other nobles. While most of the nobles sighed and lamented their fate, those that remained with the Crown Prince from beginning until the end remained silent. However, there were still quite a few nobles that smiled at this.
The moment these nobles learnt that Iron met with the Crown Prince, they all clamored to file a petition to proceed with the coronation that they had been delaying for a long time.
The noble council and the nobles that placed this agenda officially for their audience with the prince had their ears all perked up. They all have the same thoughts running in their heads.
‘Once the Southeast gets stable, the next one will definitely be the Center!’
‘With the Central Army and the Mobile Field Army fighting together to protect the Center, the Center would become the safest place!’
‘The time for the Center to return to its past glory has come!’
‘Let’s go!’
The people in the Center that were suddenly presented with a sudden burst of luck cheered loudly as they ridiculed the once that fled from the Center. They called them foolish and moronic nobles and people that abandoned the capital.
Despite not knowing what was coming for them, the people of the Center rejoiced for the past glory that they would be able to reclaim. In the center of this storm was none other than the Crown Prince and Iron, who was supporting him from behind.
While the Central Region was cheering loudly, the rest of the Empire was wrought in despair. After all, strange occurrences kept on appearing all over the place. Fortunately, there were still good nes.
“The expansion stopped?” The Eastern Commander frowned as he probed the naval officer reporting the situation to him.
“Yes, sir.”
The vortex that devoured the wreckage of the ruins of Atlantis had stopped expanding at the same time the report of the God’s Orb being repaired to some extent had been received by their communication’s officer.
“Ho…” The Eastern Commander sighed ruefully, both disappointed and frustrated after hearing the report. It seemed like the things that they had done were of no use. The chaos that they were trying to contain calmed down the moment the God’s Orb was restored.
The Eastern Commander continued to read the report as he recalled the things that they had experienced and done so far.
This phenomenon did not only happen in the East. Plenty of mysterious beings suddenly jumped up from the crevices that resulted from a large earthquake that shook the world. There were also mountain giants that sprang from the collapsed rocks and giants that awakened from under the depths of the overflowing lava, with the exception of only a few, began to go back to their slumber once again. As these phenomena began to dwindle down one by one, the people turned their focus on God’s Orb.
[Save the God’s Orb!]
This line had been spread all over the continent which made the people aware how important the God’s Orb was. However, there were also plenty of people that expressed that managing the God’s Orb was the responsibility of the Empire and that it had nothing to do with them. But after realizing that they couldn’t overcome the crisis presented in front of them, they realized how wrong that kind of judgment was.
Everyone had already prepared to find ways to survive by themselves the moment the God’s Orb crumbled and the signs of destruction appeared in the entire Continent. However, in this time of crisis, the disaster that they would face was ‘suspended’ as some parts of the orb had been restored.
Just like that, the scholars all over the continent began to flock to the Empire’s capital in hopes of maintaining the God’s Orb to buy a little more time for them before the coming destruction.
However, not everyone in the continent agreed to this idea.
“It’s better for us to put our trust in the Ancient Gods during these trying times.”
“I’m too busy trying to complete the Ancient God’s quest.”
“Even if they do their best and successfully postpone the destruction, it wouldn’t change anything.”
These were what the people of the continent’s Southern region believed. So, they focused on completing the Ancient Gods’ quests. This was also true for the other-worlders. The words that came out of their mouths were far worse since they knew that this world was not theirs.
Even the Divine Nation Alliance in the West was also in the same situation.
“Have faith in the Sun God. He will protect us.”
“No! Have faith in the God of Liberty!”
“Have faith in all of our Gods. They are the only way for us to survive in the end of times!”
“Do not waver in your beliefs!”
The priests of the Divine Nation did everything in their power to unite the people in the West. They urged them to have more faith in their gods.
Of course, there were also those that did not go to these extremes. The neutrals opted to make their way to the Empire and give their support. They procured materials that could help restore the God’s Orb or find the priests to send to the capital. Everyone, from the archeologists, to the ancient historians, to the wizards of the tower, to the old priest and to those that wished to help with the restoration of the God’s Orb, headed straight to the capital. Their origin became irrelevant in the face of their task. The Empire also willingly and unconditionally opened their doors for the people that came to help with the restoration of the God’s Orb.
Meanwhile, the Empire also began to prepare to welcome their new Emperor. Under the eyes of everyone watching the restoration of the God’s Orb, whether the nobles liked it or not, they had to unanimously agree to send the Crown Prince to fill the vacant throne and make him the new Emperor.
However, since they were in a difficult time, the coronation was held simply and did not ask for the presence of the major military forces of each region as well as their commanders. Although the Crown Prince’s decision to hold a simple ceremony was unprecedented, none of them could find any good reason to dispute it.
With the signs of destruction subsiding in the meantime, some nobles decided to reveal their presence to their commanders. However, not long after, a huge war broke out in the Southeast. News about two Master-class monsters attacking the Mobile Field Army quickly spread across the empire.
[Breaking News! The Mobile Field Army is at War!]
The attention of the people of the Empire all turned to the Southeast with the release of articles with these headlines. After all, the war in the Southeast would determine if they could stabilize their region and if the Center could return to its past glory.
Amidst the nervous tension of the people waiting for their victory, the situation in the Southeast took a strange turn. Instead of the expected massive one-shot kill all battles or numerous battles erupting everywhere, the Mobile Field Army were engaging in simple battles by chasing monsters. They did not even engage in proper battle.
“Ha… How dare these..!” Iron roared in anger as he rode on Two Moons’ back. He couldn’t put into words the curses that he wanted to say but anyone that could see him would understand his anger.
Since returning to the Southeast, Iron has never slept properly after moving around everyday. In fact, if the people could vote and nominate who was the busiest person in the Mobile Field Army, everyone would, without a doubt, choose Iron.
His situation became like this thanks to the two factions’ commanders. As the Mobile Field Army grew stronger, the two monster forces formed an alliance to stop the humans that were growing increasingly powerful. The problem was not the sizes of their forces. In the first place, the manticore was already a clever bastard but recently, even the imoogi started to use its brain which effectively made Iron’s life difficult.
“Cowardly bastards!” Iron grumbled as he watched the imoogi retreating away.
Instead of confronting Iron directly, the monsters moved around and tried to attack the Mobile Field Army. This was the reason why Iron had no choice but to go around and move from one place to another. The moment Iron moved to where the Mobile Field Army was being attacked, another force would appear on the opposite side to take advantage of his absence. Just like that, Iron was left with no choice but to move around every single day while riding on top of his divine beasts.
The monsters were aware that a one-to-one fight against Iron was disadvantageous. They did not have any guarantee of reigning victorious once they decided to fight one-to-one. Then, if that was the case, why not do a double diversion!
Iron’s anger rushed to the top of his head as he continued to watch the sly bastards slipping away and avoiding him. His head was now only filled with thoughts of making sure that his plan was carried out properly.
The truth was he only needed to call in all of his troops back to Command to end this kind of arduous life. However, that would only happen if they were on the defensive. The Mobile Field Army was at a time where they could still move to annihilate these monsters.
But the field remained a place that was filled with disadvantages for humans. The bigger problem was that the monsters willingly sent out baits at the expense of their own colleagues.
One time, several monsters appeared near the Mobile Field Army. Of course, the moment the battle commenced, the army was victorious. But once they moved to kill the fleeing monsters, the manticore or the imoogi would appear without fail.
Of course, humans were intelligent beings. An incident in which they suffered once would never happen again. However, this only meant that these monsters would throw the line somewhere else.
“Sly bastards…” Iron said as he gritted his teeth while watching the imoogi running away.
It was true that most of the tactical victories were ont he Mobile Field Army’s side. Even if the Mobile Field Army bit on the bait and a battle broke out, they did not have any casualties while the enemy suffered a lot of damage. Including the monsters that they set up as bait, the casualties on the monsters’ side were far greater than theirs. And if one accounted for all of the casualties from the repeated battles, one could see that the monsters suffered more casualties.
The problem was the number of forces that they recruited. Iron did not know where they came from but their numbers were enough to maintain their original numbers. Even if the Mobile Field Army’s casualties were few and far in between, the size of their army was still gradually decreasing. This was an indication that the battle was not going well for them. In the end, even if the monsters suffered from enormous damage, they would still win and gain a strategic victory.
“Hoo… So this is how it turned out?” Iron mumbled to himself, lost in thought as he rode on top of Two Moons.
He watched the imoogi crawl back inside the ground. He knew that the war could not be dragged around like this forever. Since the monsters were willing to take on risks for a strategic victory, then they should also be willing to take risks. Iron stared at the sky in thought before finally making a decision.
‘One must be prepared to take risks to win.’
Iron gritted his teeth as he conveyed his thoughts to his army. Then, the once scattered Mobile Field Army began to gather in one place. The change in the battle tactic reflected Iron’s willingness to take on a different path.
Meanwhile, there were beings that watched the war in the Southeast take a different turn. These beings were wearing black robes that only showed a peek of their slanted eyes akin to those of a lizard’s eyes.
“We should avoid direct combat with them,” One of the robed beings said as he swung his arm. Although they were at a distance from them, they could still feel an ominous energy that was enough to make their skin tremble.
“…Yes, I agree. Those humans, especially their Commander, are very dangerous. I’d rather we go to the east.”
“There’s nothing up north so it’s better if we go there.”
The robed beings stated their own opinions as they began to disappear one after the other. Only one being was left staring blankly at the sky.
“Everything will be done in accordance to your will. This is for the Lord’s perfect resurrection…” The man murmured as he looked up again to watch where the gigantic divine beast disappeared from his sight, just like everybody else.