Ending Maker Chapter 114
Ending Maker Chapter 114
Chapter 42 — Distortion
The northern barbarian invasion, a major event early in the original story, was more background setup than an event the player directly participated in.
No matter which playable character one chose, the level gap with the enemy was simply too large to fight on the front lines.
Actual combat only began after Thunderdoom Fortress, defended by the ravens, fell to the barbarians, as the player escaped from or entered the north ravaged by demon worshippers.
'The enemies you encounter differ depending on the playable character.'
The corrupted Wild Gods—though at the time, the original story gave no way to know that was what they were.
Likewise, the barbarian warriors who had become corrupted and turned into the demons' servants.
If you played as Yuder, you could face the corrupted Rough Avalanche and Sun Song, and if you played as Cordelia, you could face the corrupted Gentle Snow Breeze and the Fine Snow and Clear Eyes brothers.
'And the enemies you face no matter which character you play.'
Those who led the northern barbarian invasion and effectively became the rulers of the north, spreading chaos and terror.
'The Great Warriors.'
They were special barbarian warriors such as Seven Horns, chieftain of the Angry Rhino Tribe, and effectively served as the mid-bosses of the northern barbarian arc.
'And Haragen.'
A high-ranking Demonic Human of the Devil's Eye who could be called the beginning and end of the northern barbarian invasion.
The first high-ranking Demonic Human encountered in a normal playthrough, he served as a wall that made players keenly aware of the gap between high-ranking and mid-ranking Demonic Humans.
'The last one.'
The final boss of the northern barbarian section.
The great demon Kraimler, one of the trusted subordinates of Infernal Lord Belial.
The demon of the magic sword who slaughtered not only Count Bayel and Gale Bayel, but even Count Chase.
He was the strongest enemy in the north, and one Yuder and Cordelia absolutely had to stop.
* * *
The eastern and western armies, which had been steadily advancing toward Snowflower Wind Plain, halted their march at a certain point as if by mutual agreement.
A point where both sides could keep Snowflower Wind Plain in view.
Encampments were established, and though there had been no communication whatsoever, the eastern and western armies knew.
Tomorrow morning, the decisive battle for the fate of the Wild Lands would begin.
"We will win."
At Sun Song's words, Red Wind, who had been staring at Snowflower Wind Plain with a tense face, smiled awkwardly.
She wanted to smile brightly like Cordelia, but she couldn't.
It was her first war. It was also her first time going to the front lines with so many people.
So she was scared.
Honestly, she was afraid.
In the end, fear showed plainly on her face.
"It's only natural to be afraid. I was the same when I first went to the front lines. No, I was worse than you. Just between us, I wanted to run away."
When Sun Song spoke in a hushed voice, Red Wind's eyes went wide.
Red Wind had defeated him, but only with Yuder and Cordelia's help. If they fought again now, she would almost certainly lose to Sun Song nine times out of ten.
A powerful and seasoned warrior.
A man who seemed to have been brave from birth, whose young and weak appearance was impossible to imagine.
But he too had once been a baby, and he too had once been a greenhorn.
"But you have to overcome it. If you can't get past the first time, you won't be able to move forward."
It was not only true of battle.
Everything one encountered in life had a first time, and only by overcoming that first step could one move forward.
"Are you not the one who defeated me? You are already a fine warrior."
Sun Song gave what he intended as a friendly smile—though by any objective measure, it looked downright ferocious.
And Red Wind smiled back.
"Thank you, Sun Song."
"Yes, and I'll say it again...... do not be afraid. I will protect you."
Unbefitting of a mighty warrior, his voice wavered at the end. He also subtly averted his gaze.
Red Wind's eyes went wide again, and this time she truly smiled brightly.
"I'll look forward to it."
"Mm, yes. Look forward to it."
It had gotten a little messy at the end, but hadn't that gone well enough?
After clearing his throat a few times, Sun Song gazed into the distance where the western army's encampment was spread out.
The bleak wind of the battlefield brushed past Sun Song's neck.
* * *
Gale and Adelia finally arrived at Thunderdoom Fortress, but the atmosphere was not particularly good.
No matter that they were the eldest son and eldest daughter of two of the Twelve Northern Houses, they had appeared after crossing the border in reverse from the Wild Lands, of all places.
'As expected of the ravens.'
Although they had passed through the gate, Gale and Adelia were treated not as guests but as potential enemies of uncertain identity.
Instead of being shown inside, the two had to stand surrounded in the middle of the training grounds, and Gale got to see Adelia's true nature again for the first time in a while.
A razor-sharp gaze, a murderous expression, and an overwhelmingly menacing aura.
The nickname "Demon of the Royal Guard" was no empty title.
Even while surrounded by more than ten ravens, far from being intimidated, she glared at each and every one of them as if she would kill them.
'Hmm...... how should I put it.'
Gale could almost hear her growling.
If Yuder had been there, he probably would have marveled that she really was Cordelia's older sister.
Of course, if Cordelia was a small lapdog, Adelia was more like a genuine predator—a leopard or tiger.
In any case, there was nothing good about letting this ferocious contest of auras go too far.
They had not come here to fight in the first place.
"Adelia."
Gale agonized over what to say, but in the end he simply called her name. The effect was immediate.
The ferocious aura radiating from Adelia's entire body subsided all at once.
That was not all. Adelia flinched at Gale's call, her cheeks reddened, and then she put on an unusually demure expression.
'Ugh, what do I do.'
She had been so angry that she had completely forgotten Gale was there.
What if he thinks I'm a scary woman?
Adelia hunched her shoulders, not knowing what to do, and Gale, already smitten, unconsciously smiled with satisfaction.
Of course, the ravens looked thoroughly unimpressed by both the dramatic change and its cause.
And so, a few more seconds passed.
As if to rescue both Adelia and the ravens, a man who could finally put an end to this situation appeared.
"Gale, it has been a long time."
Count Hraesvelgr, one of the Ten Great Swordsmen of the Saelun Kingdom and leader of the ravens.
At the sight of him wearing armor bearing the golden eagle crest and a white cloak, Gale naturally felt admiration.
It had been years since they had last met, but it was because Count Hraesvelgr's aura had only grown more robust rather than diminished.
"Gale Bayel greets Count Hraesvelgr. This is Lady Adelia Chase of the Count Chase Household."
"Adelia Chase greets Count Hraesvelgr."
When Gale offered his respects first, Adelia likewise offered hers by placing a hand over her chest in the manner of the Royal Guard.
"I am pleased to meet you both. I am Count Hraesvelgr. This is my son, Lucas."
"Lucas Hraesvelgr greets you both."
Lucas, who had been standing beside Count Hraesvelgr, offered a knight's salute by striking his chest with his fist.
He had already met Gale once in Langesthei, but this was his first time meeting Adelia.
"Let us go inside and discuss the details."
The Bayel and Chase households already had much to discuss with the Hraesvelgr household regarding Yuder and Cordelia.
And now Gale and Adelia's situation had been added on top of that. They had crossed the border in reverse from the Wild Lands, of all places.
"We will tell you everything."
"Yes, you will have to."
Count Hraesvelgr answered quietly and turned away. Lucas, looking ready to burst with questions at the slightest prod, hurriedly followed suit.
Then Gale and Adelia looked back at each other.
'I will lead the conversation.'
'Yes, and I will protect you, Lord Gale.'
Their eye-contact conversation failed again this time, but the two, unaware of that fact, smiled at the same time and set off with satisfied faces.
* * *
The eastern and western armies faced off with Snowflower Wind Plain between them.
Red Wind and Sun Song comforted each other, and Gale told Count Hraesvelgr about everything that had happened.
One day earlier.
At that moment, with the prelude to the great battle that would decide the fate of the Wild Lands right before their eyes.
"Whoa, it really is star-shaped!"
"If you say so, then it must be."
"No, I'm serious! You saw the light spreading when it went 'boom!'"
"If our princess says so, then it must be so."
"No, I said it's true?"
"Dobby believes what master says."
"I hate you. You're so annoying."
Cordelia stamped her feet and grumbled despite Yuder claiming to believe her. Yuder watched her fondly for a moment, then turned his gaze toward the site of the explosion.
'As expected.'
The western army's rear, located beyond the Skyroof Mountains, had no defenses to speak of.
The Wild Gods whose corruption had already been completed had all vacated their positions, apparently to be mobilized for battle, and each village and city had only the minimum troops left for maintaining order—it was practically empty.
'They probably never imagined anyone would cross the Skyroof Mountains.'
Melissa had not waited nearly forty years for nothing.
The Skyroof Mountains were called the roof of the sky for a reason: no one could cross them.
'In any case, now there's one.'
The western Dragon Vein springs numbered twenty-one in total.
All of them had been corrupted, so it was no wonder the Golden Dragon King was languishing and unable to awaken.
'If the rear is hit, the front lines are bound to waver.'
That was why Yuder had chosen to strike the rear instead of going directly to the front lines.
How could they fight properly while worrying about their rear?
'The longer the battle drags on, the more advantageous it becomes for us.'
Yuder and Cordelia were not mere operatives.
They were powerful combatants capable of facing a mid-ranking Demonic Human alone.
Sending troops piecemeal as a stopgap would only get them picked off.
But they also could not simply stand by and watch their rear be ravaged, so in the end, they would have to mobilize a considerable force.
'And we can pick and choose where to strike.'
The enemy had as many as twenty points to defend, and there was no way for them to know which of those Yuder and Cordelia would hit.
'And on top of that, mobility.'
He didn't just mean Yuder carrying Cordelia on his back and running.
He meant the mobility advantage they had gained from Melissa joining them.
'We can use the central tunnel.'
The research facilities built by Magellan's High Elves.
Because they were research facilities that used the Dragon Vein springs, most of their locations overlapped with the Wild Gods' sanctuaries.
In other words, by using the underground tunnels connecting the research facilities, they could move quickly between the Dragon Vein springs without being detected.
'Word will probably reach the front lines by tomorrow or the day after.'
Once news spread that the rear was being hit, Haragen would also have difficulty fighting properly.
In other words, as long as the battle between the eastern and western armies was not decided in a single clash, they could use strategy to pressure the western army.
'The decisive battle will probably unfold tomorrow.'
If they focused on defense, they would be able to buy enough time.
'Then the only remaining problem is Kraimler.'
One of Belial's great demons, the creature that had brought down the north of the Saelun Kingdom.
Countless strong warriors of the north had fallen at the hands of that powerful magic swordsman.
'Father and brother.'
It was not only Count Bayel and Gale.
Count Chase had also died at his hands, and Count Hraesvelgr, leader of the ravens, had likewise met his end before his sword.
'We can't win through conventional means.'
Yuder and Cordelia had grown incomparably stronger than when they first entered the Wild Lands, but even so, they still could not take on Kraimler, a great demon.
But if they did not stop him, a perfect happy ending would remain nothing more than an unattainable dream.
'The point when he is summoned.'
It had not happened yet.
Haragen summoned Kraimler to the surface after subjugating the Wild Lands.
Summoning a great demon of Kraimler's caliber was no ordinary feat, after all.
'The best option is to prevent the summoning itself.'
If he had not been summoned yet, they would make sure he never was.
'The second-best option is the Golden Dragon King.'
Wake the Golden Dragon King as quickly as possible to prevent Kraimler's summoning, or simply defeat Kraimler outright.
Yuder had only witnessed it briefly, but the Golden Dragon King's power was truly immense. With that power, he should be able to bring down Kraimler.
'We can do this.'
Originally, the plan had been to stop Kraimler with Lena's power, but the situation had changed.
Stop Kraimler with their own strength, or bring down Kraimler with the Golden Dragon King's power.
If neither option worked, they would bring Landius and Kamael into the fight by any means necessary.
Of course, bringing in those two from the central and southern regions of the Saelun Kingdom would take considerable time. It was nearly the worst possible option, but still better than having no option at all.
'Alright, let's do this.'
Yuder had already seriously derailed Haragen's plans through his exploits in the east.
Unlike in the original story, Haragen had failed to seize control of the east and had failed to kill Red Gale.
The Eastern Alliance had been formed, and the Devil's Eye had already lost several mid-ranking Demonic Humans. Including those Yuder did not yet know about—the ones felled by Count Chase and Gale—a full ten mid-ranking Demonic Humans had vanished, meaning the Devil's Eye was in a truly critical state.
Because of this, Haragen had been forced into a major battle—the decisive clash between the eastern and western armies—that he would not have needed to fight in the original work.
Little by little, they were cornering Haragen.
Now, with just a little more, they would be able to bring him down completely.
A grand strategy of slowly tightening the noose around the enemy.
Yuder's own specialty and preferred method.
"Your eyes look wicked. You're definitely thinking something bad."
Cordelia narrowed her eyes and looked up at him.
With their height difference now exceeding 10 cm, the two could no longer meet each other's eyes unless Cordelia hopped up and down or Yuder lowered his posture.
Yuder first noticed the rabbit-ear headband bobbing before his eyes, then looked down at Cordelia's face.
Naturally, Yuder thought of the long-term grand strategy he had been pursuing.
'It's already an established fact, though.'
First, build the environment.
Make the people around them believe it, regardless of the actual facts.
If his old comrades had seen him, they would have clicked their tongues and asked what the hell that madman was doing, but it couldn't be helped. This was Yuder's own way.
Little by little, little by little.
Step by step, cornering the opponent.
"What, what. What are you really thinking about?"
"Good thoughts, right thoughts, pretty thoughts."
"Are you sick? Do you have a fever?"
Cordelia placed her hand on Yuder's forehead, and Yuder smiled softly.
"Let's go to the next one. This time, I'll really make it explode in a star shape."
"Nooo, I'm telling you, it really was star-shaped!"
"Yes, yes, I'm sure it was."
Yuder replied that way just to tease her, then stepped forward while listening to Cordelia grumble.
And the next morning.
When the eastern and western armies clashed, and the second Dragon Vein exploded.
An unexpected variable shook the Wild Lands.