Chapter 222
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 222
Chapter Title: Northern Disaster (2)
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The northern lords who received the letters from the Ron family showed a variety of reactions.
"A disaster caused by the God of Death is about to begin...? Tsk, Ron Camillo. Have you finally lost your mind?"
Some dismissed it as nothing serious.
"An unidentified ancient cave has been discovered up north, they say. Hey, is there anyone here who knows the paths through the Northern Mountains well?"
Others first verified the information Camillo had sent.
"A disaster is beginning?"
"Something like a Dimension Reverse?"
"With the Abyss Gate closed, what could it be?"
Still others agreed to band together as allies and watch the situation quietly for now.
"Father, are you really going?"
"Yes. It's a blood oath passed down from our ancestors. Of course we have to go."
"But the territory's situation hasn't been good lately."
"We still have to go. He's not the type to summon us without good reason."
Even in dire circumstances, some raised their troops and headed for the city.
The residents of those territories had to abandon their homes with baffled expressions they couldn't comprehend.
However, one thing was certain: at this very moment, the rift in the northern sky was steadily growing larger.
"Only three families responded to the letter."
Even with a letter from the hegemon who dominated the north, only three out of the fifteen families had answered.
This was stark proof of how far the Ron family's prestige had fallen.
"Hoo..."
"...Brother. Still, you have to think positively. Three out of fifteen... but this is no ordinary matter."
"...You're right. They can't grasp the reality of it yet."
Without a doubt, when the event actually struck, they would scramble into action.
But none of them could easily predict how great the sacrifices would be by then.
'The damage this crisis will inflict on the north is beyond imagination.'
Mass refugee processions might form.
So many people abandoning their livelihoods and fleeing in this freezing weather.
How many would perish?
'Just a short while ago, I couldn't have even dreamed of a situation like this.'
He gazed at the northern sky.
Even amid the bone-chilling wind like frost needles, the rift in the sky showed no sign of vanishing.
No, it even felt larger than before.
"...Still no word from the White Whale Mercenary Corps?"
"Nope. Looks like they're swamped too."
As Camillo had said, Jun and his companions were also moving busily at this very moment.
"Grrrr... My eyes feel like they're gonna pop out!"
Eleanor was mass-producing holy magic scrolls through enchantment magic.
She extracted holy power using mana fluid and the End of Lament, then drew enchantment patterns onto parchment.
It was the pinnacle of repetitive labor, but Eleanor couldn't rest.
She knew full well that the pain she endured now would save countless lives in the future.
"Hng!"
"It's empty!"
"Kuh!"
Aiden and Maya focused on heightening their senses in preparation for the coming battle.
Before major fights, they always warmed up like this—it was the best way to push their synergy to the limit.
And their leader, Jun,
"Phew... Finally done."
had finished analyzing the pocket watch he'd received from the ancient spirit.
"Ha, really."
Jun's eyes, now precisely aware of when the disaster would begin, were filled with emptiness.
The time until the disaster's onset pointed to a mere two days away.
The hour hand was just past 11, heading straight for 12.
Even as preparations progressed steadily, countless people in Stunheim continued their daily lives.
Yet the heavy undercurrent of tension flowing through the city could not be hidden.
"Is it really... like a war's about to break out?"
"I heard the Waren Merchant Guild is buying up massive amounts of food...?"
"Isn't the Waren Guild run by the lord's side?"
"Come to think of it, they say there's something in the northern sky."
"Yeah...? There is something, but it's hard to see... Wait, what's that?"
"Right? See? They say the sky's splitting open and monsters are gonna pour out!"
"D-Dimension Reverse?"
"No way... The Abyss Gate's closed right now!"
Anxiety quickly bred fear. Housewives began barricading their doors, and the back alleys where children once played fell eerily quiet.
An inescapable tension settled over Stunheim.
Soon, with the arrival of troops from the three vassal families who had confirmed their participation, the rumors spread even faster.
"Refugees came from two of the three territories."
"Refugees...?"
"From territories up north."
"Did a monster wave hit or something?"
"No, they say something even worse is coming."
"This is frustrating! Doesn't anyone know the details?!"
Fear soon sparked chaos.
When the anxiety permeating the city day by day reached its peak,
Count Camillo, who had perfectly read the flow, made his appearance.
On the terrace of the castle where he usually resided.
The people gathered in the square could finally look up and spot their lord.
"Armor...?"
"So the rumors... were true?"
The sight of their lord clad not in protective leather against the cold, but in sturdy steel plate.
As Camillo stood before the masses,
Jun and his comrades watched the northern sky from atop the walls.
Click.
When he opened the pocket watch from his pocket, the hour hand was pointed precisely at 12.
And at that exact moment.
"Eeek!"
Eleanor pointed at the sky where the rift was forming.
A certain energy invisible to others appeared vividly in her eyes.
"The rift is opening!"
"...It's real. It's getting bigger and bigger."
"A hole in the sky for real...?"
From Eleanor's excited outburst, to Maya frowning in clear displeasure, to Aiden staring with eyes wide in disbelief.
"Yes, it's finally begun."
The rift soon grew large enough to be clearly visible even to Jun's eyes.
Finally, beyond the hole shattering like glass, red light began to leak out.
"That light..."
"Invaders...?"
"It's them."
The one with the most intense reaction among the group was none other than Maya.
At this moment, she could clearly feel it.
And it wasn't just her.
The countless ancestral spirits within her were erupting in rage.
They informed her that the one who had driven her tribe to destruction lay beyond that rift.
"Maya..."
Aiden gazed at her worriedly.
Through their recent spars, he had felt closest how her emotions were reaching a point where they were growing harder to control.
"The type... an army camp, as expected."
Crimson shadow forces formed of dark red silhouettes rained down from the sky.
It was a scene straight out of hell's gates opening.
And those witnessing it weren't just Jun and his comrades.
The citizens already watching from the city plunged into a cauldron of chaos.
"Wh-What's that!"
"D-Dimension Reverse! It's a Dimension Reverse!"
"Monsters are falling from the sky!!"
Even though it was unfolding in the distant canyon, the hole torn in the sky couldn't be concealed. Screams echoed through the streets.
At least the Ron family territory was handling it relatively well.
Thanks to Count Camillo's swift response, soldiers were calming the panicked citizens.
The problem lay elsewhere.
"...They're pouring out without end."
"Yeah..."
The two from the Ron family muttered as they gazed at the northern sky.
Just where would that procession of monsters lead?
No one knew, but one thing was certain.
As one mercenary mage had said, this incident would go down in history under the name of disaster.
Army camp.
One type of Invader: they descended to the surface clad in red uniforms.
"So this is the surface."
"The surface, eh. It's been ages."
"This cold air."
"Northern air."
"Empire. We've waited so long."
Among them, five commander entities gleamed with red eyes.
From the canyon peak amid whipping frost winds, they overlooked the surface.
The landscape of Stunheim, comprising sixteen cities in total.
And the five commanders' gazes converged on one spot.
Unmistakably, the southern land where the strongest souls emanated: the Ron family territory.
"The biggest prey is in sight."
"But not our destination now."
"Yes. We have only one directive."
"We must gather more souls."
"The greatest pleasure is always saved for last, after all."
The dark red shadow army filled the canyon densely.
Without anyone explaining, they formed neat ranks behind the five commanders in perfect order.
"I'll head southwest."
"Then I'll go southeast."
Each chose their path and began their march.
The time for thorough slaughter had arrived.
It wouldn't be difficult.
After all, it was what they had always done.
Since time immemorial.
War was something familiar to them.
It took only half a day for the dark red shadow army to begin moving.
"What do you mean! A hole ripped open in the sky?!"
"I-It's true! You have to see it yourself!"
The lords who had received Camillo's letters but refused to believe them finally looked to the sky belatedly.
"A hole really tore open...?"
Realizing the letters were true, the lords hastily mobilized their armies.
The lord of the Bivalley family was among them.
"How many enemies! What's the count?!"
"Th-The herbalist says it's around fifty...!"
"Fifty...?"
Didn't things keep falling nonstop from the gaping hole in the sky?
Yet only fifty?
'Even that number... we can handle it.'
The calculations suggested it was feasible.
"We can't rely on the Ron family now. Especially not in times like this—we have to overcome it with our own strength."
There was no rule saying he couldn't aim for the hegemon's seat like the eastern lords.
The north didn't have to be ruled by the Ron family forever.
For a lord whose territory had grown lax and bloated from long years of peace, that was the limit of his imagination.
"Prepare for battle. Draw your swords and follow me! Teach them who the true master of the north is—one who knows true valor!"
He wasn't the only lord to draw his sword and march out.
Two families in total charged at the approaching red army encroaching on their territories.
"Charge!"
"Kill them all!"
"We'll make you prey for the northern wolves!"
"I, Norn, will join the fray!"
"Horen's here too!"
The seasoned northern hunters and the lord's soldiers, experienced in battling monsters from the canyon each year, clashed against the army camp with high morale.
And their confidence yielded results: with veteran skill, they halted the army's advance using spears and shields.
"What? They're sturdy enough, but..."
"Compared to all the fuss about disasters and gods of death, they're nothing special?"
"Hahaha! Come at us all! This place is under my protection, Norn's watch!"
The lords watching the scene smirked bitterly, thinking, Of course.
We're not weak.
They sank into the thoughts of frogs in a well.
"My lord! More enemies have appeared!"
"Hm! With so many falling, more were bound to come. How many?"
"Fifty!"
Bivalley let out a scoff at the report.
"Hahat. Yeah, nothing more than that. God of Death, my foot. Let's go. Rack up more victories and show them our family's might!"
It was then, as he laughed heartily,
"M-My lord! Enemies have appeared!"
"Hm? Didn't you just report? Fifty again, like before?"
"Pardon? N-No!"
"What?"
"Over... a hundred!"
"What?"
A hundred... that was a lot.
Even so, retreat was out of the question.
They could afford some losses; taking out that many would buy breathing room.
"Advance!"
He issued the order from the warmth of his tent.
Then another scout sent out on reconnaissance came rushing back. His expression was graver than the previous two reporters.
"More enemies have appeared!"
"A hundred? I already heard! You idiots, is your reporting system this incompetent?!"
"Pardon? No, no! Far more than two hundred...!"
"What the...?"
As the reports kept coming, Bivalley stepped outside.
He soon stared dumbfounded at the hundreds, no, thousands of red shadows approaching from beyond the canyon.
"Uh...?"
And their numbers were still growing.
The expressions of the countless other hunters and soldiers who saw the sight were no different from their lord's.
"Retreat... R-Retreat! Fall back to the castle!"
Even without Bivalley's scream-like order, they had already turned tail and were running.
Toward anywhere, any place they could escape the red army.