310. The Ultimate (3)
310. The Ultimate (3)
- 1 -
"Move out!"
The voice of the old lord of southern Kakia—Fei Post, now a marquis and governor of the Hinness territory—echoed heavily.
At that same moment, the ironclad knights began to move in unison.
The sound of steel clashing against steel.
The sound of flags snapping, 'Peolleok!', as they tore through the wind.
The faded crest of Kakia and the marquis household's emblem fluttered beneath the sky.
'A second attack, then.'
A bitter smile drew at the corner of his mouth.
"Something I yearned for my whole life... and now it's happening twice in my old age."
He had spent his entire life guarding this southern fortress.
But today's mission was different. Not 'surveillance', but 'provocation'.
Thanks to the previous 'protection' of the Hinness Duchy, which had instantly vaulted his title from viscount to marquis by several leaps, he now moved under the certainty that this attack would solidify his own standing.
"What is Hysen's response?"
When the marquis asked his adjutant, the adjutant struck his fist to his chest and answered.
"More troops than usual have been deployed to the border. At least two thousand, I would say."
The marquis snorted.
"Quite a lot for a hastily gathered force. That is Fate Hysen for you. But we simply follow my orders. Let us test their defensive line."
The marquis, the lord, did not actually desire a clash with Hysen.
The previous Hinness Duchy matter had given them justification, and their combined force had been overwhelming, but this current provocation would only expend the power of his own territory.
That was because Kakia also considered a full-scale war to be troublesome.
In other words, whether they won or lost here, nearly all the losses would be the lord's own.
'Though they did provide mercenary and military support from within...'
The lord furrowed his brow.
Several nobles had led this affair. They had indeed sent troops.
But something felt off.
The method for using the army was ambiguous, and it was doubtful whether they would even follow orders properly.
And above all...
'Is this truly the will of His Majesty the King?'
He could not know.
He could not know that those truly leading this affair were not Nicholas II, but those who served the demons.
"A test, eh. Good."
But he was a soldier.
The royal family's orders were to test Hysen's capabilities and apply psychological pressure through a show of force.
That was the only word given under the name of Nicholas II.
"We shall not go in too deep. Do not forget that we must withdraw after confronting them."
"Yes."
The adjutant bowed his head loyally, but a different intent was set in his eyes.
He genuinely wished to destroy Hysen.
For he was one who served Dantalion.
◆
"They are coming."
Meanwhile, at the northern border of the Haisen Kingdom—at Bespera Fortress, facing the Hinness Duchy.
Daniel, the son-in-law of the Eskaf family, rulers of the Verno Marquisate, and one of Hysen's great generals tasked with guarding the northern fortress, surveyed the opposite side through binoculars from a high watchtower.
"With that force, it is unlikely they intend a full-scale invasion."
'It is just as Master said.'
Thanks to the Talhan messenger sent by Libertas, Daniel was already well aware of the current situation, but he feigned his doubts.
There was nothing good to be gained from showing that he had known about this situation in advance.
Now, knights bearing the banner of Kakia were descending along the border, exuding an ominous atmosphere.
"According to the reports, similar movements have been detected on the Elieniessi side as well. The two nations are simultaneously reinforcing their borders. Their justification is to 'punish the monster queen.'"
At his staff officer's words, Daniel furrowed his brow.
The information Hysen officially knew extended only to the fact that 'the movements of Kakia and Elieniessi are unusual.'
Of course, Daniel, Queen Yurena, and all the other military experts of Grakheisen were fully aware of the real situation.
Thus, it was all the better to solidify the prestige they already held.
"All forces, defensive stance."
Daniel's voice was low.
But that single phrase carried a will stronger than steel.
Because behind him, his fiancée was waiting for the day they could hold a proper ceremony.
""Defensive stance — !!!""
The cries of the adjutants echoed through the fortress.
The peaceful air was instantly charged with war.
Tension spread like a wave.
Cheolkeong!
Kkeugeugeugeung...!
A civilized ogre, clad in armor, single-handedly hauled a catapult forward.
The power surging from that massive frame shook the earth.
Peolleok!
Hoo-ook!
Over a dozen flying magical beasts spread their wings above the fortress.
They had readied themselves to dominate the sky.
Jju-uk!
Kkwak!
Humans drew their bowstrings.
Orcs gripped their javelins.
And the undead, clad in armor to conceal their identity, raised their massive shields.
An army where the boundaries of race had crumbled. It was Hysen's new strength.
"Everyone is prepared."
"Good."
It had taken less than ten minutes for Bespera Fortress's defensive line to be fully established.
For they had already been in a pre-war readiness state since the night before.
A faint smile spread across Daniel's lips.
'A war achievement is rolling right in on its own.'
Knowing that the main force of Hysen would arrive soon, Daniel thought this with a smile like a sigh.
Evangeline in Kiza, Esther here in Hysen.
Libertas's subordinates would become great generals and march north to block the two nations.
And they would show the whole world what the effect of human-monster integration was.
Although it was a shame he could not participate in the more crucial phase, for him, Kakia and Elieniessi—who were helping his rise in the world—were nothing but welcome.
- 2 -
While the armies of Kakia and Elieniessi were thus throwing the north of Hysen into chaos, there were others who infiltrated covertly.
They were the personnel sent by the nobles serving Dantalion, who had separately formed an adventuring party.
They had filled their ranks with those who could be moved by money—adventurers, mercenaries, and assassins—and placed their own man at the helm to align with Botis's movements.
"The reason Hysen and Orbis are proceeding with integration with monsters is because a Dungeon Lord is controlling the people behind the scenes, they said..."
Though Kallin knew how absurd that claim was, he had ultimately nodded in front of the reward money.
...And now, he was fervently regretting that decision.
"If a dungeon like that truly exists..."
He stared blankly at the marketplace of Clarent, then scratched the back of his head and looked down at the map.
The mercenary company and adventurers who had come with him were also all furrowing their brows.
"According to the information that noble sir provided, there is supposed to be a dungeon around here..."
"No matter how I look at it, it is just a normal city."
A female mage beside him looked around and shook her head.
"Atrium to the south. Pontegures to the west. And that newly-built city Clarent to the northeast. Everything is a normal city. No abnormal mana reactions either."
The city at the foot of the mountain where they were staying now—Clarent—was a fine place.
The entire city was neatly organized, and the peaceful afternoon sunlight illuminated the well-maintained streets and old-fashioned buildings beautifully.
In the marketplace, merchants were energetically selling their goods, and children were playing in the streets.
Whoever the lord of this place was, it was clear they were a rare and good ruler.
"But that noble sir definitely said this place might be a monster nest. That the whole city is full of monsters."
"Well, there are monsters here, though."
The vice-captain of the adventuring party looked around and nodded.
Orcs laughing and trading with merchants, goblins playing with children, humans and monsters coexisting peacefully.
Their clothes were tidy for being supposedly ferocious monsters that would devour humans at any moment, and even the smiles on their lips were natural and relaxed.
"...Who could possibly charge madly at that scene other than the direct adventurers personally commanded by the Thirteen Stars?"
"Mm..."
Kallin nodded, recalling those 'monsters'.
The Continental Thirteen Stars.
Three heroes and ten mighty individuals revered across both continents, east and west.
Also called the 'Noble Three Suns' and the 'Ten Moons with Mighty Power,' their adventuring corps were notorious for their fanatical loyalty.
"No matter how I look at it, it is nonsense."
The vice-captain ultimately shook his head.
"The guild's detectors are not showing any anomalies either, are they? It might be better to head back before we waste any more time."
"Tch. We came because they offered a lot of money, though..."
Just then, an old man approached them.
Kallin observed the old man's face and attire.
His face was full of wrinkles, but that was merely the passage of time, and his clothes were clean.
It was yet another testament to how well this city was being governed.
"What is the matter, adventurer sirs, wandering about so restlessly?"
"Elder. Have you happened to hear any talk of a dungeon being around here?"
"A dungeon, you say...?"
The old man thought for a long while, then scratched his head.
"It has been a long time since I have heard such news. Usually, we only hear word of them being subjugated. Ah, but there is an abandoned mine in the northern mountain range. I heard monsters sometimes appear there."
As the old man finished speaking, the adventurers' gazes all turned towards Kallin.
"Were we tricked? Or were we just misinformed?"
Kallin scratched his head, thinking, then made his decision.
"We should at least be able to say something to that noble sir. Let us keep searching. Whether it is there or not."
In various places across the northern Orbis Duchy and southern Hysen, about a dozen parties were currently experiencing similar situations.
All of them succeeded in discovering minor dungeons or finding and exterminating powerful wild monsters, but they could not find the 'suspicious Dungeon Lord' the nobles had commissioned them to uncover.
They did not know.
They did not know that they were already standing within that Demon Realm.
And that in the deepest heart of the tall castle before their eyes, the lords of two Demon Realms had already begun their war.
- 3 -
The core room of Clarent Fortress.
Kurrureung...
Kamaya, Nirvana, Echidna.
Amidst the ever-intensifying noise from outside, the three monster queens stood before the high-grade sacrifices, looking up at Libertas.
They were at the ready, hands on the pillars carved with the magic circle set for the ritual, prepared for any unforeseen change.
Yet they did not—could not—take their eyes off Libertas.
"Will she truly be alright?"
"The ritual itself will conclude well. The only issue is how much of an achievement she will make."
When Kamaya finally opened her mouth to voice her worry again, Nirvana immediately answered.
For they were thinking the same thing.
Especially in Nirvana's case, having witnessed the ritual of a monarch she once served, her worry was even greater.
'The Ultimate (究極).'
It was a ritual where a Dungeon Lord overcame yet another of their own limits.
A time when they underwent a more fundamental change from the elite stage to the high stage.
Typically, Dungeon Lords prepared for this ritual for years, sometimes decades.
It was an undertaking attempted only after forming contracts with seniors or demon realm nobles, or after receiving sufficient support.
But Libertas was attempting the ritual even after having poured out every support she had already received.
It was already remarkable that she had acquired twenty-five high and elite-grade monsters on her own.
However, the fact remained unchanged: how much of them she absorbed now, and how well she digested it, could easily make her future either bright or difficult.
They did not even consider failure.
Because the master they knew was 'one who does not fail'.
"The sacrifices are beginning to melt."
At Echidna's words, the queens' eyes turned back.
The cores of the ratman, hydra, and kraken were slowly scattering as if melting like snow.
"It is fast... incredibly so."
At Nirvana's voice, tinged with admiration, Kamaya narrowed her eyes.
"Is it to that degree?"
"Even though a Dungeon Lord is a special existence, the higher the boundary, the smaller the gap becomes. There are many high-grade monsters stronger than an elite-grade Dungeon Lord."
Yet Libertas was absorbing the power of such a high-grade monster as if a sponge drank water.
It was a moment when the laws of the world were distorting.
"..."
Moreover, their master did not even seem to be undergoing severe pain or backlash.
She was simply calmly adjusting the massive power surging around her, her eyes closed in tranquility.
"Of course, it is probably only that we cannot perceive it. In reality, an immense storm must be raging within..."
"Is even this much considered exceptional?"
"Yeah."
The three queens looked at Libertas with much more ease than a moment before.
The noise outside was growing closer and louder, but their master would surely awaken in time.
They felt such certainty.
Meanwhile, a different battle was unfolding within Libertas's inner self.
- Haaah...
She was now confronting an endlessly crashing wave of power.
Having forgotten even the flow of time.
- 4 -
"Goddamn bastards..."
Botis's face contorted.
A flustered complexion.
The triumphant air he had when he first arrived here was gone without a trace.
Lost subordinates?
That was not the problem. They could simply be replenished.
Fell into a trap?
That was also fine. With his power, he could break through any trap.
The real problem lay elsewhere.
"Ha... They really are persistent. For a marquis."
"Indeed. It is certainly difficult with this level of power."
Those two beings who had appeared alongside traps and sometimes armies.
The red-glowing white wolf beastman and the violet-sparkling black nine-tailed fox.
They were undeniably high-ranking beings.
Minnow-like existences that his fully mature Dungeon Lord self could trample in a single breath.
"...What are you?"
But he could not.
Because their abilities were extraordinary.
'They possessed such a powerful summoned creature?'
They and their forces had already executed one of the three counts under his command, injured the other two, and made things difficult for him himself.
They had turned this battlefield into a true war, not a field of subjugation.
"Ah... Who knows. You probably would not understand even if I told you."
Lin Xue sneered, her two eyes and hair blazing with a red-hot frenzy.
"How about you just slowly withdraw now? Your Excellency."
Beside her, Yu Ran kindled her foxfire over her six increased tails and mocked him, languidly waving her fan.
'These insignificant wretches...'
Botis ground his teeth. Then he suddenly changed his expression and straightened his back.
He decided to change his mindset and attitude.
An otherworldly power explosively burst forth from his entire body.
"I acknowledge that you are impressive."
He slowly walked out, one hand clasped behind his back like a gentleman.
"It would be a waste to kill you here. Surrender, even now. Then I shall speak to the Archduke and lead you to greater glory."
It was an exceptional thing—for a Marquis of the Demon Realm to adopt such an attitude.
But Botis believed this facet was precisely his and Dantalion's strength.
This generous attitude of reaching out to those of value, even if they had once been enemies.
But.
"...Pfft."
"Ahahaha!"
At the burst of contemptuous laughter from the two women before his eyes, his face contorted once more.