Chapter 359
----------------------------------------------------------------- Translator: 8uhl Chapter: 359 Chapter Title: I've Been Waiting for You -----------------------------------------------------------------
[Ah, got it.]
Perhaps because of all the ordeals they'd endured.
The moment he heard Rimon's voice crackle over the radio,
Umbarru—who had somehow managed to stay relatively calm amid the chaos—sprang into action.
And so, Umbarru and the Masai warriors hauled several of the outermost stone pillars with the trucks they'd prepared in advance.
Whoosh!!!
The psionic flow twisted,
and the flames that had been surging outward lost their way, swirling aimlessly between the pillars like awandering mist.
The soldiers watching the scene finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But that relief came too soon.
Like it was enraged at losing its target,
the vortex of flames swelled even larger and fiercer, spewing its heat even at the stone pillars.
Rumble!!!
"...!"
The pillars bent the flames' path in every direction.
Waves of fire pressed in hotter and hotter as they were pushed back.
As the leaders of the Continental Alliance gaped at the fierce clash of the two forces exploding repeatedly,
Bang!!!
One pillar, unable to withstand the overwhelming heat, shattered like a pebble tossed into the blaze.
But that was just the beginning.
Bang! Boom! Rumble rumble boom!
As if gaining momentum from toppling the first one,
the flame vortex rampaged like a wild beast, sweeping through pillar after pillar.
The soldiers blanched pale as they watched five or six pillars shatter in an instant.
"Heaven and Earth, open."
[Got it!]
Rumble rumble rumble.
Rimon's voice echoed through the air once more,
and an astonishing sight unfolded.
As if the pillars' destruction by the flames had been an illusion,
the debris melted away, and pristine new pillars appeared in their places.
Rumble! Boom!
The flames surged back with renewed fury, attacking the pillars again.
But it was all in vain.
No matter how many times it burned or toppled them,
no matter if it tried to slip between them,
the pillars kept vanishing like mirages and reappearing, steadfastly blocking the inferno.
"What the hell!"
"How can a barrier like that...!"
The Continental Alliance leaders' jaws dropped.
Not only had it toyed with over ten thousand Egyptian troops,
but it blocked this torrent of flames so effortlessly—and it regenerated infinitely, no less.
They could grasp just how incredible that was.
Those who truly understood were utterly dumbfounded.
Having participated directly in the construction made it all the more shocking.
They didn't know the principles behind the barrier, but they knew exactly who had created it.
That was why
their gazes instinctively turned forward.
To the tanned blond boy casually directing the formation with a few curt words.
'As expected of a once-in-a-millennium genius strategist!'
'So his reputation isn't just hype after all.'
'I thought he was just some punk who got lucky shacking up with an Eastern Outlaw's consort, but now I see why.'
'Maybe even Africa's tyrant took that brat as a concubine and halted the war because he recognized his worth.'
'In that case...'
Their awe and admiration soon twisted into envy and jealousy, then something darker.
They were heads of state, after all.
Even in this alliance, they couldn't help thinking about what came after the war.
And to their eyes, a boy who seemed fragile enough for a consort role(?) yet capable of this feat looked utterly tantalizing.
Temptation gleamed openly in their stares.
A chill ran down their spines!
"...!"
But right then, they froze.
Like a mother bird guarding her egg,
the masked woman standing tall behind Rimon turned to face them.
Rose's demeanor was serene, as if their eyes had merely met by chance.
Yet they couldn't help swallowing hard.
They had seen it.
The faint smile that always lingered on her lips was gone, replaced by eyes devoid of any warmth.
Her gaze was icy,
deep as an abyss and utterly chilling.
Just looking at it raised goosebumps.
Everyone who'd locked eyes with her even once broke into cold sweats and bowed their heads.
But Rose didn't look away, no matter how much time passed, and the intangible pressure only intensified.
Just as their hearts were about to stop under the strain,
"Sis, something wrong?"
"Nothing at all."
"Didn't feel like psionics leaking out, though...?"
"Must've slipped out unconsciously from the tension before this crucial battle."
"Yeah? Well, can't blame you."
Calmly,
softly,
with her usual faint smile, Rose's reply made Rimon nod and move on.
The leaders, gasping like they'd escaped a frozen lake, bowed even deeper and resolved themselves.
No ambitions, no nothing.
Never cross Rose.
And never even glance at that tanned blond boy again.
Just seeing Rose smile warmly now, as if that cold expression had been a hallucination, made it clear to everyone.
That boy was her reverse scale, and anyone who touched it wouldn't survive.
"Hmm, this should hold for a bit, though it's pretty dicey."
Whether he hadn't noticed or simply didn't care about the leaders' subtle shift in mood,
Rimon kept monitoring the formation's movements for a long while.
Only after the raging flames finally died down did he look away, and Rose asked calmly,
"What's the plan now?"
"Eh, nothing grand enough to call a plan. At this point, it's just a battle of endurance."
"No preemptive strike, then."
"No need to spill unnecessary blood."
Rimon shrugged.
Then, eyeing the now-silent Egyptian forces that had ceased even their bombardment, he smirked.
"Besides, Princess Chain-smoker isn't the type to just take a one-sided beating, right?"
"...You hold Hasneti in pretty high regard."
"Overestimating the enemy just makes you look like an idiot, but underestimating them gets your men killed."
"Well said."
Whether her high praise for Hasneti stirred some emotion,
Rose briefly lowered her gaze before smiling faintly again in agreement.
To her, Rimon asked quietly,
"On that note—what're you planning to do, Sis?"
"As I said before."
"You sure that's okay?"
"Yes."
No matter how perfect the Stone Soldier Eight Gates Golden Chain Formation was, an incomplete setup had its limits in containing Hasneti.
Besides, this was a war she'd started.
So she had to be the one to end it.
Rimon nodded at Rose's unwavering words.
"Fine. I'll set the stage for you."
"Thank you."
"If you're really grateful, just come back in one piece."
"That's..."
To the hesitating Rose,
Rimon said firmly,
"Don't forget—you're already mine, Sis."
"...!"
Not content with just acknowledging her as his bride, they'd already joined as lovers, so she was his.
He wouldn't allow her to get hurt on her own terms.
Rose's eyes widened at his gruff words, but she soon smiled like a blooming flower and knelt on one knee.
"If that's your wish."
Before heading to the battlefield,
like a knight seeking a blessing,
she took his hand, kissed the back of it,
and with her earring glinting in one ear, Rose pledged victory to her mate.
Formation arts.
A technique that amplifies psionics through resonance and produces specific effects.
This played a huge role in why the Seven Dragon Society endured being called a demonic cult.
The prime example: the Stone Soldier Eight Gates Golden Chain Formation.
An ultimate formation perfected by the mechanism-savvy Black Dragon Clan after centuries of research and refinement, boasting no fewer than eight effects.
Ordinary formations had one effect.
Even clan ultimates topped out at two or three—which said it all about its prowess.
Of course, the Stone Soldier Eight Gates had its flaws.
It could only be used in pre-set locations due to integrating mechanisms,
required vast funds and time to install, was so intricate only Black Dragon clansmen could handle it, and had stacking limits based on prowess.
All those issues made it utterly useless in field battles.
Yet it was hailed as one of the Seven Dragon Society's top formations for one reason.
In defensive sieges, it more than compensated for every drawback.
Within its domain, a single unit could repel a million-strong army, even trapping incarnations once ensnared.
"Uwaaaah, why won't it break...!"
That was why Nadia was making such a miserable face right now.
It had been days since they got trapped here.
She'd tried every trick to shatter the Stone Soldier Eight Gates: blasting pillars with firepower, chaining troops with ropes to send them out, even digging tunnels.
The results were disastrous.
No method freed them from this prairie ringed by eight pillars.
And every dispatched unit vanished entirely.
Thousands lost, half her forces gone without a single battle.
For Nadia, veteran of countless wars, this horror was unprecedented.
"Nadia, any countermeasures?"
"Well..."
That was why
she could only bow her head at Hasneti's question.
"Looks like we'll have to chip away at the formation's durability over time, then break through by force."
"How long?"
"Depends on its toughness, but... at least ten days, I think."
Nadia wanted to cry.
Not only had she failed her revered princess, but all she could offer was a textbook solution.
She deserved to be burned alive.
"I see."
But Hasneti didn't rebuke her.
She just nodded slowly, as if she'd expected it.
Staring silently at the eight pillars encircling the prairie for a long moment,
Hasneti spoke in a husky voice.
"Have the remaining units hold the line. Bring only the Flame Dragon Corps and follow me."
"Pardon?"
Thud, thud.
Before Nadia could even process the unexpected order,
she panicked.
Hasneti was heading straight for one of the pillars on the prairie.
"P-Princess?"
She knew how many soldiers had vanished approaching those pillars carelessly.
Nadia hesitated whether to stop her.
But only for a moment.
Pweeeet!
Soon resolved, Nadia issued orders via radio, whistled sharply,
and chased after Hasneti with three dozen warriors.
It was her duty as an aide to protect and serve in any situation.
Swish.
How far had they walked?
The moment they entered a certain range of the pillars,
change struck.
Before they realized, the Egyptian troops waiting behind melted from view.
Hasneti didn't stop.
Passing pillars,
rounding boulder-like rocks,
scaling cliff-like columns,
until they reached the heart of yet another prairie ringed by eight pillars.
Hasneti, who had walked on and on in silence, pulled a cigarette from her coat pocket, lit it, and took a drag.
"This should be enough."
With only empty prairie and pillars around,
she murmured softly, as if addressing someone,
and inhaled deeply.
A calm voice replied.
"Yes, no need to drag this out any longer."
That instant,
Nadia's eyes flew wide.
Not just because the prairie vanished like a stage change, revealing Kilimanjaro's summit.
A woman stood atop one pillar, her blue hair fluttering—who knew how long she'd been there?
That sudden appearance left Nadia reeling.
But unlike her entrance, the woman showed no hostility.
She merely wore a faint smile.
"I've been waiting for you, Hasneti."