Chapter 56
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Subjugation of the Forgotten King Neigallas (1)
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South of the Red Mountains, Letan Ridge.
Year 1698, March 29th.
Immediately after subjugating the Golgong King, I boarded a large tracked vehicle in Sector 6-15B and managed to rejoin the main force.
Most of the railway had been destroyed in the battle against the Golgong King and Yin Hibaek, so the only available routes were mostly through tunnels.
Every time the tracked vehicle occasionally emerged above ground, the sight of mountain peaks painfully spewing lava caught my eye.
“It used to be such a beautiful place…”
Seira sighed regretfully beside me.
“To think the power of the Abyss has begun to reach even the Red Mountains.”
The King’s Abyss was said to bring malevolent changes to all of nature.
Had even the sanctuary of the old Red Dragon Corps failed to withstand its power?
Now, the mountain range, shrouded in black smoke and lava, looked simply sinister.
Even the Red Mountains have fallen…
What will become of us, the FakeWarriors…?
I had to shake my head to banish the delusion that the fall of the Red Mountains was a shadow of our future.
Twenty-six hours later, the tracked vehicle reached a temporary guard post south of the mountains.
The area south of the mountains was covered in sandstorms mixed with volcanic ash, and it reeked of a world rotting and melting away.
“Look at this railway, Kaisen. The signs of hasty construction are obvious.”
Right. While we were fighting for our lives, was Mirngadia building this?
Perhaps it was because, unlike Mirngadia, we were mere mortals just trying to survive the present.
At times like this, a mortal mind could only marvel at Mirngadia’s plans.
‘Defeat his key lieutenants on three fronts simultaneously, then launch a surprise attack to take down Neigallas before he can prepare. This is the only way to seal the old king…’
Just as Seira said, the framework of the railway clearly showed signs of being hastily built.
The tracked vehicle came to a stop at the depot.
In front of the post, Roveris was waiting, holding a parasol to shield herself from the volcanic ash.
“Seira, you and Jeong Cheol have two more stops to go. Your post is different from the Iron Cross.”
“Yes, Senior. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“Your flattery is improving. Not that it’s a useful skill, since I’m the only senior left for you to flatter. Now, be on your way.”
After watching the vehicle carrying Seira move off to the west for a moment, Roveris turned around.
“Kaisen, we can catch up later. There’s no time to rest. While we were in the field, the Black Rose was escorting the engineering corps, diligently laying down tracks.”
“Yes, I was briefed.”
“But it seems Neigallas isn’t a fool. He must have sensed something was amiss. They say we need to be deployed immediately to escort the railway construction and the installation of the barrier stones.”
“Understood.”
We had only been apart for about half a month, yet meeting my senior FakeWarrior again, alive, felt as awkward as if we’d been separated for a long time.
As we walked side by side in silence, ash and gravel crunched under our combat boots.
Just then, Roveris stopped and looked up at the ash-strewn sky.
“Kaisen, Gorgotia is dead. He sacrificed himself when we sealed Yin Hibaek using the Elder’s power.”
Only after seeing the mix of unspeakable emotions and unspoken words in her eyes did I feel reconnected.
In the presence of recent death.
In the sorrow of a death so close.
Was it a sense of kinship, as FakeWarriors living in the same world and walking the same path?
I finally managed to reply.
“Isla died the same way.”
“Yes. That’s why I offered a prayer of thanks to the gods for allowing you, at least, to return alive.”
Roveris’s words sounded somehow unreal.
Like the distant sound of an ordinary day, a “welcome back” in response to an “I’m home.”
Like a trivial yet precious memory from a now-lost daily life…
“…The gods.”
“Do you doubt their existence?”
“In a situation like this, I’m not sure if I can believe in them myself.”
Roveris started walking again.
She held the parasol over Kaisen, and no matter how many times he offered to hold it for her, she wouldn’t let him.
“I felt the presence of the gods in this very moment, seeing you return alive and speaking with me again.”
“…?”
“It’s something one of the heroes of the ‘Black Summer’ once told me. He was a truly great priest. Yes, he’s dead now, too.”
Somewhere…
It felt like I’d heard those words once before, on some day in the distant past. The memory was unclear.
“I’m also glad to see you again, alive, Senior.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
The brief respite ended there.
The familiar sensation, like sunlight beaming directly into my brain…
At the same time, threads of multiple voices began to weave together inside my head.
[Kaisen, you’re alive.]
A stepping stone of blood and corpses,
The Subjugation of the Forgotten King Neigallas (1)
“Ria.”
[Yes, it’s me.]
“I hear you’ve been promoted. Aide to the Commander-in-Chief?”
[It’s a position beyond my merits. The floating castle has fallen, and Mirngadia is focusing on his recovery, so…]
Throughout their conversation, neither of them mentioned Isla’s death.
And they never would.
But from that day forward, the death of their comrade, who had died in their stead, seeped into the foundation of every conversation they shared.
“Right. It must have been hard for you, too.”
I thought it was just ordinary small talk.
But whistles and jokes came in from all over.
[Ho ho, flirting the moment you get back?]
[It must be tough being so popular.]
[The unpopular guys are already feeling lonely.]
[Ah, uh, sorry…]
I don’t know why he’s apologizing.
Ria cleared her throat a few times to compose herself and spoke again.
[Kaisen, I’m sorry, but I need you to deploy immediately. We’re splitting the Iron Cross Knights into five squads. Senior Roveris is with you, right?]
“I’m listening.”
[The Reptilians have sent more search parties south of the mountains. We’ve been proceeding with the construction operation under Arte’s concealment magic, but if the enemy gets too close, we’ll be discovered. So, I need you to eliminate the search parties.]
I was put in command of the Iron Cross 4th Squad again.
In just half a month, the number of squad members had been cut in half. The atmosphere of our reunion was full of smiles, but underneath, it was somber.
The squires and attendants were almost all dead; the survivors were mostly knights skilled with a blade.
[Kaisen, we’ve lost contact with the 7th Engineering Battalion east and west of your current position. Rescue the engineers and resume the construction operation.]
The mission assigned that day was to eliminate the enemy and provide cover for the railway construction and the installation of the barrier stones.
It was a grueling, exhausting fight.
Perhaps because the King was so close, a lava-like substance called the ‘King’s Blessing’ shimmered over the Reptilians’ hides like a protective shield.
“FakeWarrior, enemy at your two o’clock!”
“We’ll handle this! Get to the engineering corps!”
“It’s a troll! Get lost, you gorilla bastard!”
In the past, would I have insisted on fighting together, leaving no one behind?
One step, one slash.
I had that thought as I stepped forward, tearing through the blessing of lava with the blade of Aradamanthel and striking down the exposed body with Gaumris.
“Your skills are as incredible as they say! Thank you for your help. The barrier stone is over there.”
[Kaisen, I’ve confirmed the barrier stone’s power has returned. Good work.]
“We’re fine here now, you can go! Thank you, FakeWarrior!”
The mission just went on like that.
In the gloomy darkness, where a distant volcano would stir and greedily spew lava…
It was a cycle of moving to wherever the orders directed, and repeating the act of cutting down and killing.
[HQ, this is the 3rd Engineering Regiment! Barrier Stone Site 19 is under attack by basilisk riders!]
[Kaisen, I’m sending you the location of Barrier Stone Site 19. Take down the basilisks!]
“Ten-squad Migratory Bird Formation! Form a kill zone.”
I gave the order as soon as we arrived in the operational area.
The soldiers immediately gathered behind the FakeWarrior, forming a ten-layered Migratory Bird Formation.
I signaled by raising my mother’s smallsword high. In the dim light, the sword reflecting the residual light was more effective than a hand signal.
“Wait for it… wait… now! Turn them into beehives.”
Basilisks.
Creatures of Neigallas, one of the magical beasts that had existed since ancient times.
They were an S or A-rank threat to adventurers of old, but with the anti-Abyss silver bullets developed during the ‘Black Summer,’ even regular soldiers could now inflict significant damage.
“Damn it, the basilisks are spitting poison!”
“Since when did they spit lava?”
“Don’t mess with us! We’ve got the strongest FakeWarrior in history here!”
The lava spewed from above is neutralized by Gaumris’s light-pressure destruction ability.
‘And the ones whose patience runs out under this hail of bullets…’
…tend to dive from high altitudes, just like this. Unaware that this was the very moment I was waiting for.
Cut in two with a single stroke.
Letting out a piercing shriek, the bodies of the magical beasts that dove through the sandstorm are bisected by the blade of pure blood that shot from its sheath.
Perfectly precise, as if measured with a ruler, split in two down the center of their skulls.
As the five pairs of severed bodies crashed on either side of the formation, kicking up clouds of dust, cheers erupted.
“Damn! That’s some insane skill, FakeWarrior!”
“Hey, you son of a bitch! How does it feel to be on the ground? I’ll put a bullet in your head.”
“Basilisks neutralized. Commencing barrier stone purification.”
“Basilisk elimination complete. Thank you, FakeWarrior.”
The orders mostly came from the Black Rose Brigade, but when Ria was in combat, they were relayed by Roveris.
[Kaisen, we’ve received a report that a Reptilian unit has appeared at Barrier Stone Site 45. You’re the closest. Go and take care of them.]
“On my way.”
For two whole days and nights, how many times did I repeat such missions?
The problem arose just as the railway construction was nearing completion.
With breath that felt like it would give out at any moment, a day that seemed like it would never end began.
[HQ, this is the 2nd Infantry Brigade. Requesting immediate support. Do you read me?]
[We read you. Go ahead.]
[A large Reptilian force has discovered the location of the temporary platform! We’re taking cover, but it looks like a fight is about to break out.]
[Sending support right away. Seira, head to the temporary platform, assist the infantry, then board the armored train!]
[Jeong Cheol, mission confirmed.]
[Engagement has begun! Break the Migratory Bird Formation! Retreat to the platform trenches!]
On the battlefield, problems never arose one by one in an orderly fashion.
Problems, much like enemies, would stealthily probe with their antennae and swarm in all at once the moment an opening appeared.
It was always like that on the battlefield.
[This is Armored Train 1702. Socheon Peak has turned into a volcano and erupted! Lava is about to swallow the platform! We need to depart immediately!]
[There are bastards to shoot everywhere! Haha, a hit! Hahahaha!]
[Confirmed. Train 1702, depart immediately. Iron Cross 1st, 3rd, and 4th Squads, this is Ria. Assemble at Barrier Stone 7’s location and wait to board the armored train when it makes a brief stop.]
[Alright, kill them all!]
[This is Mern, confirmed. Iron Cross 3rd Squad, moving to Barrier Stone 7.]
[Emergency, emergency! Requesting support!]
[3rd Armored Regiment, report your situation.]
[We were ambushed while moving to Train 1701! Need support now! …Guaaaah!]
[3rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Regiment? Respond, 3rd Armored Regiment!]
[It’s too late. If we send reinforcements, they won’t be able to get on the train either.]
[But, Senior Roveris…]
Kaisen, who had been about to board a car of Train 1702 at the relay point, stepped back down onto the sandy ground.
“I’ll go. By myself.”