Chapter 50
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: The Behe-rik Subjugation (3)
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[Fixed track connection established. Steam engine ignition accelerating. Mana generation... 3, 2, 1. Complete. Engine has reached required operational output.]
An immense amount of power was needed to move the armored train's massive chassis.
Although the Ain army had already begun the preliminary startup, it still took a considerable amount of time before the train began to move forward.
Just then, Kaisen was surprised anew as the miniature device in his ear crackled to life, pouring out voices.
[Confirming communication link. This is Model 49.]
“Loud and clear, Your Majesty.”
[You seem taken aback by the new technology, Kaisen. This is what's called science. A device known as a wireless communicator.]
“It's incredible. To think Lady Setsunen's power could be replicated like this…”
[The result is similar, but it's still so inferior that the comparison is embarrassing. We've only managed to imitate the bare bones.]
Was this humility...?
Unlike the Thunderous Fragrance Resonance, which was delivered directly to the mind, this had the limitation of ringing in the ear.
‘And there’s the limitation of having to speak aloud.’
This meant there was a chance for the conversation to be drowned out by the noise of the battlefield where the speaker or listener was located.
With Thunderous Fragrance Resonance, one could convey their intentions with mere thought in an emergency.
But even considering those limitations, no, even if there were more minor ones...
‘Still, this thing is absolutely unbelievable.’
Anyone who had experienced how Thunderous Fragrance Resonance changed the battlefield knew... and they replicated *that*?
[During the Glutton Lord subjugation operation, you will follow my orders. Mirngadia of the Blue Star has also entrusted me with command.]
“I am aware.”
[Isla, the new Giant God Model 33s your subordinates received have several new functions. They're simple but effective, so they'll master them quickly. Fortunately, there are plenty of practice targets all around.]
The Giant God pilots of the Dragon's Fall Corps had switched from the old Model 16s to the new Model 33s.
These were the gifts Halbaron had prepared in advance for Isla at the platform.
Their armor was lighter, increasing mobility, and they featured a large cannon mounted on the abdomen, capable of firing.
[Isla doesn't know how to pilot a Giant God!]
[I believe I said your subordinates, not you.]
[Don't you worry, Your Majesty. They're perfect, like a part of our own bodies. These things are incredible.]
[Of course they are. Do you know who made them?]
[If you give them to us and then take them back, we'll come crying to you. With Isla. Be prepared for your eardrums to burst.]
[Isla's subordinates are as ill-mannered as their master. How dare you speak so freely to the emperor of another race. I'll have you all summarily executed for impertinence.]
[We're the FakeWarrior Corps. Emperors, kings, we can be friends with any of them. No problem.]
[Isla is a dragon! The highest being! Dragons don't need manners!]
[That's enough. All army and navy units, you are to escort all three armored trains out of this battlefield. Secure the railway.]
And so, the first joint human-Ain front of the 'Red Summer' began.
There were two objectives.
One: deliver the armored trains and escape the station base. Two: subjugate the Glutton Lord, Behe-rik.
Mirngadia of the Blue Star had foreseen a future where Behe-rik would become a grave threat during the Neigalas subjugation, and so he planned this operation.
No, in fact, he went further than that.
He drafted a plan to completely annihilate not only Neigalas but the entire warlord faction of that monarch.
Now, because his own life was drawing to a close.
Before his wretched life ended.
To do everything he could for this world before he departed.
Thus, the plan was to defeat the high-ranking nobles on three fronts, then aim for the throat of Neigalas, who was recovering his strength in the rear.
To do that, first...
This day's battle had to be solidified as one of the cornerstones of victory.
[Your Majesty, this is Fleet Admiral Gustav Julius of the Steel Fleet. Naval support bombardment is ready.]
[Well done. To all fleets, this is Model 49. The Glutton Lord is approaching. Commence suppressive fire to prevent it from reaching the armored trains.]
[All units, fight bravely. His Majesty the Emperor is watching. For the glory of victory, for our great Emperor!]
The Course of the Counterattack,
The Behe-rik Subjugation (3)
[This is Armored Train 1701! Multiple hostiles are blocking the tracks!]
The seven-hour battle that day felt like being in the heart of a nightmare.
The memories themselves were a blur.
With two operations intersecting on a single battlefield, it was impossible to catch one's breath or commit anything to memory.
[This is Leberecht of the 3rd Armored Brigade. Conserve your equipped shells. We'll need those after we leave the coast.]
[Understood.]
[Black Rose Corps, break through the front. Dragon's Fall Corps, defend the flanks of the armored train and keep moving!]
[But there are too many of them!]
“I will handle it.”
The ancient horde, surging endlessly like a sandstorm to cling to the sides of the armored train—
*One Strike, Thunderous Quake.*
—was torn asunder by a single streak of red lightning, a vivid, straight line cutting through the storm of infinite power.
The silence after a lightning strike.
One of the principles of creation.
A deathly stillness descended upon the corpses, all decapitated at once, and the train broke through that silence, charging forward.
[Damn, that sword draw gets me going every time!]
“No, I made a mistake.”
He swallowed a dry, sandy gulp.
As he watched the decapitated corpses fumble about, find their own heads, and reattach them to their severed necks.
Remembering a piece of information he had momentarily forgotten, he felt his heart pound violently...
‘This is a pain. It's exactly as I learned in the *Chronicles of the Valiant Sword*.’
The authority granted to the Lizard Monarch, Neigalas, was the reaping of souls.
Because Neigalas held their souls captive, the Reptilians could enjoy eternity, their bodies merely disposable shells.
Therefore, their bodies had to be utterly destroyed, leaving the soul with no vessel to move.
“Kuaaaang!”
Just like that, the ones completely crushed into bloody pulp by Isla's hammer couldn't revive. Or the ones who were burned.
“Kaisen is weak! Feeble! Isla is strong! Great! Do not despair! The difference between a dragon and a human is vast!”
She would be perfect if she just didn't say things like that.
“Why does Isla not get the same compliment?”
[Wow! Now that's a hammer swing that gets you going! Amazing, Isla!]
“Kyakakakakakaka! More, you can praise me more!”
Isla's corps was also performing spectacularly.
And for good reason.
For the Giant Gods of the Dragon's Fall Corps, the Reptilians' limited regenerative ability was as good as nonexistent.
[Shell loaded! Firing!]
[Damn! That bastard's been turned to a pile of ash! Isn't the performance on this Giant God insane? It's leagues above the mass-produced models.]
[Enemy formation broken! The way is clear. Well done, Dragon's Fall Corps.]
In contrast...
It was obvious that Ria, whose swordsmanship specialized in instant kills by targeting weak points, was struggling.
It was just like with Senior Sharon during the Tahup incident; the matchup was just too bad.
[Kaisen, Reptilians have started destroying the tracks at point 12-22. We can't handle them on our own! If the rails are even slightly misaligned, we're in big trouble. Hurry!]
In this way, the chaos would begin anew just as it seemed to end.
He simply moved where he was called, cutting down everything in his path, then moving to another location, repeating the process.
His whole body was soaked in blood...
Could this be... my own blood...?
If so, I need to inject the Dragon's Blood serum...
No, I don't think it's my blood...
Meanwhile, a cacophony of voices crisscrossed in his ear, testifying to the urgency of the battle.
[Got one!]
[This is Model 49. The second defense line has been breached. 3rd Armored Division, cease covering allies and support the armored train escort.]
[Acknowledged, Your Majesty.]
[Kaisen Alter Aradamanthel, large numbers of heavy Reptilians have appeared to the southeast!]
“Heading that way.”
[Good work, FakeWarrior!]
[Naval guns, commence salvo!]
[They're on the tail of 1702! Requesting support!]
“On my way.”
[Those monsters are aiming for the engine room! They've climbed on top! We can't shake them!]
“Taken care of.”
[Excellent work, FakeWarrior! The east gate is coming into view. We're almost there!]
[Your Majesty, Black Rose here. Enemy forces are occupying the east gate, but the defensive turrets aren't receiving engine power yet.]
[Isla is going! I'll swallow all those lizards!]
[No, we'll handle it. Steel Fleet, this is Model 49. Commence a full bombardment on the east gate.]
[Understood. However, we are concerned that 1701 might get caught in the blast.]
[The armored train's armor and mana are more than enough to break through the debris. Black Rose Corps, board train 1703 now.]
Steel, a rain of steel, poured down endlessly on the eastern side of the station base.
A shower of steel that shattered and collapsed the stone walls, scattering the Reptilians occupying the area into pieces of flesh and bone.
And through the thick, rising fog of dust, the train burst out, smashing through the rubble.
Whooooooosh...!
First, train 1701.
Followed by 1702.
And finally, 1703, carrying the Black Rose Corps, which had lost nearly thirty percent of its forces.
[Your Majesty, this is Ria Alter Tassalpo. All three trains have cleared the station base. An escort is no longer needed. Thank you very much.]
Haaah...
Only after watching the rear of the train disappear into the dust did Kaisen finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
‘Alright, now then...’
Of course, it wasn't a sigh of relief, but a deep inhale in preparation for the next battle.
[Kaisen, Isla. This is Model 49. We are now moving to phase two of the operation.]
“Understood.”
“Isla's legs hurt! Halbaron, send a ride at once!”
[A flatcar is already on its way. Move to the boarding harbor's dock sector and get on transport ship 2207. That will be the raft that carries you into the monster's belly. The Clear Cry Sword I received from Mirngadia is on board.]
A flatcar was a railcar with no outer walls or roof, a useful means of transport for Giant Gods.
“Acknowledged. We're boarding.”
As the flatcar, now carrying all the Giant Gods, began to move, Kaisen gazed at the nightmare that had appeared on the distant southern horizon.
Behe-rik.
The nightmare from among the Old Nobles, infamous in legend for its transcendently colossal size.
‘This is insane...’
Thump, thump, thump.
A primal despair made his pulse race, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Sensing its wielder's abnormal heartbeat, Aradamanthel let out a high-pitched cry.
‘It's dozens of times bigger than Mauna Loa? It looks completely impossible to even cut.’
The ancient reptile had a total of three heads, spewing lava like mad as they grew from long necks.
That was where any trace of a living creature ended.
Viewed from a distance like this, it didn't look like a creature, but a moving volcanic region.
‘Yes, a long chain of volcanoes...’
The mountain peaks on its back undulated toward the unseen end of the horizon, lava flowing down from each one.
That volcanic region.
The sight of it approaching, writhing on thousands of human arms for legs, was a nightmare itself.
‘Is that an ancient reptile, an ancient centipede, or an ancient volcanic range...?’
The theory instructor from the *Chronicles of the Valiant Sword*, Rahel Dune Jeraye, had once said this:
Behe-rik.
In the old tongue, the name means Gluttony.
It didn't just swallow everything in the world; it swallowed the world itself, turning it into a realm of harsh wastelands, red volcanoes, and sand.
- Behe-rik's body is a literal volcanic zone. For humans, dealing any meaningful damage from the outside is next to impossible.
Does that mean it's invincible?
To that question, Rahel had shaken her head and drawn a circle inside the simplified diagram of Behe-rik's body on the chalkboard.
- The first AuthenticWarrior, Alkaios, used the method of entering its body and destroying its soul core. For humanity, this is the only way.
The operation devised by Mirngadia was the same.
It was based on the meager information left behind by the war of the gods—information called hope.
But they had to go.
They simply had to.
Now, to the very edge of that hell, as fake warriors holding not true holy swords but fake ones, not true heroes but fake ones.
He remembered Setsunen once explaining the reason with a sad smile.
- Though you may be fakes, never forget that you are the last warriors of this pitiful world.
But Halbaron's thinking was different.
If they had to face an enemy beyond all standards, shouldn't they, in turn, create a weapon beyond all standards?
The result, built upon the experience of the 'Black Summer,' was Model 49, the colossal Giant God.
[Target has reached the designated location. Model 49, launching.]
A standard Giant God is typically operated by four pilots: a commander, an arm pilot, a leg pilot, and a gunner.
But Model 49, 31 times larger, required 103 pilots and 3,233 gunners to control its absurdly massive frame.
This was the very pinnacle of science, created by equipping 77 'Artifacts' that concentrated the technology of The Ones Who Came.
And the commander overseeing it all was none other than Halbaron, himself the greatest of all Giant God pilots.
Thud...
Thud, thud...
Thud, thud, thud...
As the two behemoths approached each other, the ground cracked and quaked with every footstep.
[So, you want to try me?]
If Behe-rik was a crawling volcano, then Model 49 was a walking mountain of rock.
Its massive height was equal to Behe-rik's.
Equipped with five 217th-order mana steam engines, each powerful enough to move ten armored trains, the sight of it grabbing Behe-rik with both arms was truly a spectacle.
[Now, I'm sending it your way!]
Having caught the charging Behe-rik, Model 49 activated three auxiliary power cores, massively amplifying the machine's strength.
[All fleets, unload your shells into Behe-rik's giant ass. Let's teach that ancient mutt how fun it is to play in the water!]
For a moment, Kaisen couldn't believe his eyes.
Did they really do it...?
Did they really just topple that ancient volcano and knock it into the sea...?
[Target locked, fire!]
[Target confirmed!]
[Take this!]
[Your Majesty, this is the 3rd Battleship Squadron. The Glutton Lord has turned its attention to the fleet! It's getting back up!]
[I see it. Kaisen, Isla. This is Halbaron. Are you two ready?]
“Ready!”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I'm currently on board cruiser 2207 with the entire Dragon's Fall Corps, and we have received the Clear Cry Sword.”
[This is an order from Fleet Admiral Gustav. All crew of cruiser 2207 are to immediately evacuate to other ships!]
As its name suggested, the Glutton Lord Behe-rik charged forward, swallowing the world.
The ships in its path that failed to evade were devoured by its massive jaws.
Watching the scene, Isla muttered blankly.
“So many...”
“What was that?”
“So many are dying. Isla is a dragon, so why can't she do anything in a situation like this?”
That...
Unable to find an answer, Kaisen suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine.
- Always remember. We cannot achieve the unrealistic feat of saving everyone. What we can do—no, what we *must* do—is to ensure that a meaningless death becomes a noble sacrifice.
Ah, right. Now I understand why Senior Roveris said that.
No, it's not the reason. I think I understand how she must have felt when she said it.
It was this feeling of powerlessness, like my heart was being torn apart...
[Your Majesty, the 9th Destroyer Squadron has been wiped out! Target's mobility is greatly reduced in the water, but it's still powerful!]
One after another.
With a force that seemed ready to swallow the entire world, Behe-rik devoured both sea and ship as it drew closer.
He had expected it, but now that the moment was here, fear... His entire body trembled.
[Kaisen, it's me. Private channel.]
“Go ahead, Your Majesty.”
[You're seeing it with your own eyes, but the Glutton Lord is about to swallow you. Once you're inside its belly, I'll engage it with Model 49. I'll buy you as much time as I can. In the meantime, take the Clear Cry Sword and head for its core.]
“Understood.”
[I've mobilized my most elite naval and land forces for this mission. And I'm sacrificing them as I see fit. Don't let their deaths be in vain.]
“I won't disappoint you. I wish you good fortune in battle, Your Majesty.”
[The same to you. Take care of Isla. Over.]
There was no mental leeway for exchanging pleasantries.
Because at that time, in that moment, they had to cut down the cruel god's minion in this cursed world.
Soon, transport ship 2207 was sucked into the colossal maw, and the world was plunged into vast darkness.