Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: I Won't Give Even a Single Drop (4)
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Winter. The end and apocalypse of all myths... or the season depicted as a cold hell.
Aren't winters portrayed so negatively because of the deadly chill that arrives with them?
Spring and summer go without saying, but even autumn had its own bountiful harvests and spectacles—nothing truly negative about it.
Winter is different. Winter is as cold and merciless as the reaper's scythe.
Blizzards, in particular, are terrifying enough to be called the pinnacle of winter's wrath.
That's why any commander leading troops must meticulously account for variables like weather and terrain in their plans.
"Make sure anti-frostbite measures are rock-solid. If gear's worn out or malfunctioning, report to your superior for immediate replacement."
A month had passed. After the harvest festival, true winter began to rear its head, and Cain was on the move with his army.
Of course, it was little more than an army in name, composed solely of wyverns and beastmen...
Still, a month's worth of training had shaped them into something resembling proper troops.
"Leave the supply depot to me. Master Grandel will guard it with his life."
"Having Sir Grandel personally oversee the supply depot fills me with true reassurance."
The plan was simple: establish a midpoint depot for smooth resupply, then keep drawing from it.
Of course, none of this would be necessary if they could make direct contact with the Lost Empire right away.
Truth be told, even that was uncertain—nobody knew exactly when they'd meet.
"So this is Lost Empire territory..."
"No matter how many times I see it, it's a desolate place I never want to visit."
The landscape was barren. Trees and grass hung limp and withered, as if the very life had been sucked out of them.
Even the monsters from the demonic frontier that had hounded them nonstop until now had vanished upon entry here.
Instinct warned even mindless beasts away from this place—they didn't dare approach.
Lonely Shadow.
That's what they called the territory ruled by the Lost Empire in the demonic frontier.
True to its name, it was a chilling domain that seemed to exist in solitary shadow. Cain checked his status right away.
"How's the situation? Any issues?"
"Surprisingly, nothing at all."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [No anomalies from the skies either.] Judging by the calm, unshaken voices of Ryuku and Las, they seemed utterly unaffected.
Unfortunately, mere humans like Cain, Princess Morgana, and Anna were continuously under its influence.
A creepy sensation lingered, as if shadows from the surroundings were trailing them relentlessly.
'Looks like bringing only beastmen and wyverns was the right call. If even I'm feeling this, the soldiers would be...'
They might hold out at first. But cracks would widen inevitably over time.
Even sturdy walls crack under sustained assault—human minds are far more fragile.
The Lonely Shadow was exactly that. From the moment they entered, something invisible battered their psyches nonstop.
Cain endured thanks to endless cycles of death and rebirth, but the other two worried him.
"Are you two alright?"
"I think I can handle this much."
"I-I... as long as Lord Blackguard is by my side, I'll manage...!!"
Princess Morgana and Anna felt it too. Yet surprisingly, they were holding up well against the shadows.
Morgana was a heroine bold enough to command armies, and Anna had her own guts and grit.
She'd slipped out of a safe castle with just a few escorts to make contact with Cain—that first meeting proved it.
"Then we're good."
"......"
"......What now?"
Cain sighed, addressing Scardi's sullen glare.
Unlike Chris, who could be gently reined in after going mad, she was an unpredictable catastrophe.
How bad? In just half a month together, he'd understood why she'd once been called the Sword Ghost.
Still, as top-tier firepower, he had to check. If something was wrong...
"Why not ask me?"
"......You serious?"
"Of course."
"............Feeling okay?"
"This is nothing."
What the hell?
But Cain dropped the puzzle. Trying to grasp the ungraspable was just wasted time.
Forming an army in a month and marching this smoothly was progress enough.
Truth be told, it was possible only because the wyverns and beastmen had limited forces left...
Yet they exceeded expectations, punching above their numbers.
Wyverns scouted skies for intel, beastmen's keen senses charted the path.
"The Alliance isn't mobilizing big forces either, so this should crush them easily."
"You have experience against the Alliance?"
"Sure. The Empire wasn't the only one probing the demonic frontier."
Ryuku nodded matter-of-factly. Like the Empire's quiet incursions,
the Alliance had assaulted it plenty too—just with heavy losses.
That's why opposition to frontier campaigns dominated Alliance views. Until Cain Blackguard appeared.
"Before Lord showed up, they mostly favored watching. No way the Empire would push the frontier..."
"But that's changed now?"
"Obviously. He subjugated two of the four great powers in under a year."
Claiming two of the demonic frontier's four great powers meant seizing half the realm.
The Alliance couldn't sit idle—they scrambled to ramp up their own campaigns belatedly.
Ryuku smirked, a clear sneer at the Alliance.
"The frontier isn't some pushover you beat by rushing in blindly. Fools..."
Ryuku seemed eager to stress the frontier's dangers.
No need for words, though. An unpredictable variable loomed right before them.
Mist and shadows writhed like serpents, then crimson something emerged.
"......What the hell is that?"
"This... is rare. Didn't expect the Lonely Shadow's master to show personally."
"The Lonely Shadow's master? So that woman is..."
"Scarlett Royal Blood. Head of the Lost Empire... and creator of the Lonely Shadow."
Even Ryuku hadn't anticipated her personal appearance. Why? What wind blew this monster out?
Cain had no time for that. A damn familiar sensation returned.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Defeat Regression Triggered upon encounter alone...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Scarlett showing interest was exceedingly rare. Not once in the past few centuries.
Her reason for moving now? One thing: she'd heard of Cain Blackguard's fame firsthand.
A human subjugating two of the four great powers in under a year. That alone? Fine.
'Seen plenty of heroes overflowing history. But Cain Blackguard's different... an impossibility, maybe.'
Great heroes had left marks aplenty, but they differed fundamentally from Cain.
A mere ordinary person, at best a talented one. That's her verdict after witnessing his clash with the Sea King.
Yet that ordinary soul devoured the Sea King and even the technique-perfected one after.
It piqued her interest—just enough for a welcome, not a visit.
And in that instant, Cain Blackguard reacted first. He approached her slowly.
She'd planned to mesmerize them all into slaves if he didn't move—did he read her intent?
"You're Scarlett Royal Blood."
"Yeah, that's me."
"Up for negotiations?"
"Not really..."
In that moment, blackness eclipsed her view. A massive greatsword flashed like lightning.
In a split second, her porcelain-white, beautiful crimson hair scattered to the dirt, sullied.
"Then die."
But Cain merely glared at Scarlett's severed hair with contemptuous eyes.