Ending Maker Chapter 105
Ending Maker Chapter 105
Chapter 38 — Marching Out
The appearance of a corrupted Wild God during the Karaval sent a massive shock through the entire East.
Although those who witnessed it were only a small fraction of the East's total population, most of them held positions leading their tribes, so the impact was extraordinary.
"We have to strike the West as soon as possible."
Even Gentle Snow Breeze, who had the gentlest temperament among the Wild Gods, insisted on an aggressive attack, so the East's opinion itself came together easily.
"This fight was never meant to be defensive. We must strike the west and drive those demon worshippers out of the Wild Lands."
And if a war was going to happen anyway, it was better to fight in the West than in the East.
"Every battle in the Wild Lands is a field battle anyway. In that case, there's no need to make our own land the battlefield."
Of course, there were supply issues, and even in a field battle without walls, one could discuss terrain advantages, so the defending side usually held the more favorable position over the attacking side.
But the East had one more reason why it had to attack into the West.
"We must detonate the corrupted Dragon Veins and awaken Golden Dragon King from his deep slumber."
It was an oracle that Golden Dragon King had personally given to Yuder and Cordelia, the guardians of the Wild Lands.
When the Wild Gods, including Gentle Snow Breeze and Great Storm, verified that the two were the guardians, no one in the East doubted their words.
"We gather the East's strength and strike the West."
It was already decided.
The chieftains who had gathered to watch the Karaval hurried back to their tribes, and full-scale preparations for the expedition began.
And three days.
When four days had passed since the Karaval, the Great Storm tribe and the Blade Song tribe gathered once more in Gentle Snow Breeze's territory.
* * *
Councils in the Wild Lands were fundamentally conducted on the floor, with everyone sitting in a circle and exchanging opinions.
Accordingly, the council hall that Gentle Snow Breeze had prepared was also arranged for people to sit gathered around a large map placed in the center, but there was one special feature.
'Four seats of honor.'
Four large chairs, positioned behind the people sitting in the circle, on which one could half-recline.
They were none other than the seats of the Wild Gods.
"It's been a while."
"It has, Great Storm."
Great Storm, who had exchanged warm greetings with Gentle Snow Breeze, took the seat of honor on the south side, while Gentle Snow Breeze took the east seat of honor and Rough Avalanche took the west seat of honor.
And the north seat of honor.
"I can't remember the last time all four of us gathered in one place like this."
A handsome young man with a short black beard said with a bitter smile.
The Wild God Blade Song.
As if revealing that his true form was a giant wolf, even now in human form, his two eyes were as intense as a wolf's.
"You still like flashy things, I see."
"That's because I myself am flashy."
Blade Song, who replied with a cackling laugh to Great Storm's frowning remark, shrugged his shoulders as if showing off the colorful tattoos etched across his bare upper body.
"Alright, enough. Let's sit down first. We need to get on with the discussion. If we keep chattering among ourselves, the kids won't be able to talk."
"Oho... Lord Rough Avalanche. How did you become so adorable? No, wait — were you always adorable?"
"Yes, yes. I was always adorable, so sit down first."
"Heh heh, as expected, you're experienced."
When his provocation failed to work on Rough Avalanche, Blade Song cackled again and took the north seat of honor.
"Now, proceed."
When Rough Avalanche signaled with his eyes, Gentle Snow Breeze lightly clapped her hands, and those who had been waiting outside entered the council hall.
"Red Gale of the Great Storm tribe greets the Wild Gods."
"Nine Blades of the Blade Song tribe greets the Wild Gods."
"Fine Eyes of the Gentle Snow Breeze Tribe greets the Wild Gods."
As the chieftains who had paid their respects in turn took their seats, the key figures of each tribe likewise took their places one after another.
And among them were Yuder and Cordelia as well.
'Yuder, Yuder. That bastard keeps glaring at us.'
'You know you can't glare back too, right?'
'I know, but I want to glare.'
'...If you don't glare, I'll make you something delicious.'
'You were going to make me something delicious anyway.'
'We're on the same wavelength right now, right?'
'Uh... probably?'
Yuder and Cordelia, who had been conversing with their eyes, looked forward again.
The gaze Cordelia had mentioned.
Yuder could feel it too. Blade Song, seated in the seat of honor across from them, was openly staring at him and Cordelia.
'He must be intrigued.'
After all, Golden Dragon King had granted the status of guardians not to anyone from the Wild Lands, but to a boy and girl from the Saelun Kingdom, which had opposed the Wild Lands for ages.
Unlike the Great Storm tribe, which was located in the south and had rarely clashed directly with the Saelun Kingdom, the Blade Song tribe had always been at the forefront of battles against the Saelun Kingdom.
Since their fundamental disposition and history were different, it would have been stranger if Blade Song's gaze toward Yuder and Cordelia had been kind.
"Then, the council will now begin."
After Fine Eyes’s opening declaration, they first discussed the basics.
"The allied forces will first assemble in the East seven days from now. We are planning to march out eight days from now."
If all of the East's forces were to gather, the number could exceed fifty thousand and approach one hundred thousand, but that was only if a full mobilization order were issued.
Taking into account the troops needed for defense, the troops needed to maintain supply lines, and the travel speed of tribes located in geographically distant areas, the forces that could gather for the first assembly numbered only around twenty to thirty thousand.
"The first unit will advance into the West first, and the second unit will march out afterward to support them from behind."
The basic strategy itself was sound.
This was because the existence of the great mountain range dividing East and West limited the routes through which an attack could be launched in the first place.
'The real problem is, as expected, the corrupted Wild Gods.'
Fundamentally, Wild Gods were bound to remain in their sanctuaries, but the possibility that the Devil's Eye bastards would leave the Wild Gods they had corrupted idle in that manner was close to zero.
They would actively deploy them on the battlefield.
"We will stop the West's Wild Gods."
When Blade Song spoke with a scowl, Great Storm likewise nodded with a frown.
It was uncomfortable that they had to leave their own sanctuaries, but it was also because the reality of having to fight fellow Wild Gods was painful.
'The basic framework is in place.'
The East's great army would advance into the West, and the Wild Gods would accompany the main force and confront the West's Wild Gods head-on.
Under normal circumstances, Yuder and Cordelia would have had to go along with this flow, but Yuder's thinking was a little different.
"Cordelia and I intend to move separately."
Unlike the Great Storm tribe, with whom they had already exchanged opinions, the Blade Song tribe tilted their heads and expressed puzzlement.
In a battle between great armies, what did they intend to accomplish by moving separately, just the two of them?
"Explain."
When Blade Song spoke commandingly from the seat of honor, Cordelia frowned, but Yuder, as if it were nothing, respectfully paid his respects, then rose from his seat and stepped forward.
"As you can see, between the East and the West, great mountain ranges stretch like walls."
Because of this, the Eastern army planned to march its forces through the southern plains located between the mountain ranges.
"Instead of accompanying the main force, Cordelia and I intend to head north separately, cross the Skyroof Mountains, and strike the tribes of the northwest, which are defenseless."
Since the West was also watching the East's movements, they would dispatch not only troops but even Wild Gods toward the southern plains.
Then their rear would naturally be left empty, so Yuder was saying he would cross the mountains and attack that rear.
"Cordelia's and my objective is to detonate the corrupted Dragon Veins, so there is no need for a head-on confrontation with the tribes in the rear. We simply need to infiltrate and send the Dragon Veins out of control."
Of course, once one detonated, the enemy would also strengthen their defenses, so repeating it would be difficult, but if they could truly cross the Skyroof Mountains and infiltrate the rear, they would be able to send at least two or more Dragon Veins out of control.
"The strategic effect of this is significant. The enemy will have to worry not only about the front but also the rear, and they will be in constant anxiety, never knowing when their own base might suffer a massive blow."
To those who lived in the Wild Lands, Dragon Veins were sacred; to the Devil’s Eye, a group of demon worshippers, they were targets to corrupt.
In other words, Yuder and Cordelia were the only ones in this land who viewed Dragon Veins as objects to be detonated.
'Attacks that shatter common sense are always useful.'
Since it was beyond imagination, proper defense was also impossible.
At Yuder's explanation, the Blade Song tribe blinked, and Blade Song, who had been listening quietly, soon burst into laughter.
"You're madmen. And that's why I like you."
Send the Dragon Veins out of control and destroy the sanctuaries.
It was a simple statement, but to him, a Wild God, it carried a special meaning.
The destruction of a sanctuary was tantamount to saying one would shatter the very foundation of a Wild God, and that in turn meant blowing away the homes of those who lived in the Wild Lands.
'But the one who permitted it is Golden Dragon King, is that it?'
In truth, it was the most efficient method.
If the entire Wild Lands were going to fall anyway, it was better to scorch the West to the ground if necessary to protect the East and crush the enemy.
"The ruggedness of the Skyroof Mountains is beyond imagination. Can the two of you cross the mountains safely, and on time at that?"
When Blade Song asked provocatively, Yuder smiled faintly and said,
"It will be difficult and arduous. That is why I need your help, Lord Blade Song."
"My help?"
"Yes, if you help us, Lord Blade Song, it will be possible."
Yuder still did not lose his smile, and Blade Song narrowed his eyes.
'Look at this guy?'
Instead of being intimidated, he had actually turned around and asked for help?
'Interesting.'
He had asked the question to put some pressure on him, only to box himself in instead.
After all, with Gentle Snow Breeze and Great Storm watching, he could not say that he could not help.
'I was the one who asked whether he could do it.'
If he backed out here, what would Blade Song himself become? With the children watching too.
"You've got guts."
"Thank you."
Yuder answered smoothly, and Blade Song ultimately had no choice but to smile genuinely.
'Since it's come to this, I might as well go big.'
In truth, he had taken a liking to Yuder as well.
True to his warlike nature, Blade Song liked those who were fearless and brave.
"Tell me, what kind of help do you need?"
"May I tell you?"
"Yes, speak freely. What do you need? I’m not a petty man like Great Storm."
Blade Song cackled. Great Storm frowned, but said nothing.
Because he had already had a conversation with Yuder.
And one more person.
Cordelia quickly sent a look to Great Storm.
'You'll play along, right?'
'Yes, I'll play along as much as you need.'
Great Storm knew Blade Song's personality well.
And Yuder, having heard Great Storm's stories, had predicted that Blade Song would say exactly what he had just said.
I am not a petty man like Great Storm.
In other words, I will help more than Great Storm did.
Then what if they inflated the extent of Great Storm's help?
And if Great Storm acknowledged that help?
'Thank you.'
'Thank you!'
Why did the fierce, hearty, handsome Blade Song somehow remind her of the benevolent, beautiful Wild Fairy Queen?
Cordelia smiled brightly, and Yuder began speaking in a gentle voice.
* * *
"Is that true?"
"It's true."
"R-Really?"
"Really, truly."
Receiving Blade Song's desperate gaze, Great Storm put on a perfectly innocent face and then clenched his teeth.
He struggled mightily to control the corners of his mouth that kept rising.
'Heh heh heh, he's getting completely fleeced.'
The blessing was only the beginning.
Blade Song had to hand over the divine artifacts he had treasured, and in the end, he even had to bring out and offer up an ancient medicinal liquor he had hidden away for a long time.
'Sniff... H-How long I've cherished this.'
A hundred-year-old medicinal liquor.
The thing he had only gazed upon for a long, long time.
Of course, since he had to bring out items of this caliber, Blade Song's psychological resistance was considerable, but in the end, Blade Song had no choice but to bring out his possessions one by one.
'Just as planned.'
No matter how much Blade Song was a prideful Wild God who lived and died by his reputation, going this far because of a single word he had spoken earlier was strange.
Therefore, Yuder had coordinated their stories in advance to turn that strange thing into reality.
"Ooh! As expected of Lord Blade Song!"
"How magnanimous you are!"
"As expected of you, Lord Blade Song. You’re truly amazing."
"I have no choice but to acknowledge it. You're the best, Blade Song."
"Hahaha! As expected, you’re incredible. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call you the greatest in the east."
The Gentle Snow Breeze tribe and the Great Storm tribe made a fuss, and Gentle Snow Breeze, Great Storm, and Rough Avalanche each added a word as well.
For Blade Song, who valued his reputation, it was a checkmate from which he could not possibly escape.
"Argh, damn it! Take it!"
"Thank you!"
Yuder, who had expressed his gratitude loudly, gathered up the divine artifacts and the ancient medicinal liquor.
He could almost hear Cordelia’s voice from behind him as she beamed.
'Our Yuder is the best! Number one husband material!'
Of course, Yuder had not simply fleeced him indiscriminately.
Blade Song was an important figure who would be at the forefront of the fight against the West, and extorting supplies meant for the war could have been a loss for the allied forces as a whole.
Therefore, Yuder had concentrated on items that would be difficult to use in the war, but useful to Yuder himself and Cordelia.
'Lord Great Storm, Lady Gentle Snow Breeze, Lord Rough Avalanche. Thank you all.'
The three Wild Gods had not only provided information about the various divine artifacts Blade Song possessed, but had also chimed in with agreement.
Blade Song's divine relics would be useful for crossing the Skyroof Mountains, and the ancient medicinal liquor, condensed with immense life energy, would help open a new gate of the Nine Heavens Nine Gates.
'I did well, right?'
'Yeah, yeah, you did so, so well. You're so pretty. I want to shower you with praise.'
Cordelia, who had praised Yuder as much as she could even if only with her eyes, beamed brightly, and Yuder sat down beside her and signaled to Red Gale with his eyes.
It meant to resume the council.
And so, another half hour or so.
Leaving a painful wound in the heart of one Wild God, the first council for the western expedition came to an end.