Chapter 257
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 257
Chapter Title: Corral's Total Mobilization
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The King of Corral clutched his head at the report that had arrived early in the morning.
"Lost again?! This time, they were completely wiped out?!"
He flew into a towering rage, forgetting all decorum as king.
"You useless bastards! How is that even possible?! There were nearly ten Masters! And plenty of skilled fighters besides..."
"Your Majesty... Please, have mercy!"
"Damn it! How could just two people slaughter them all?!"
The outcome of the war no longer mattered.
The main force Corral had pinned its hopes on had been utterly shredded by a monstrous intruder who had suddenly infiltrated deep into Corral's territory.
All that remained were regular soldiers, along with Expert-level knights and mages who couldn't be relied upon for major contributions.
The problem was that even they lacked the supplies to sustain the war.
And their opponents weren't just Bata—they now faced elven archer units and the Holy Kingdom's knight orders as well.
It had seemed like an unwinnable scenario before restarting hostilities. Yet overnight, it had come to this.
"Damn it! Any word from the general at the front lines?"
"Well... The siege is at a standstill due to reinforcements from the Holy Kingdom and the Great Forest..."
"You useless fools!"
He tore the letter in his hand to shreds.
This letter had been delivered by the sole surviving martial artist from the East Continent side, who had returned with a mortal wound.
It was penned by the monstrous figure who had annihilated the East Continent's main forces and even their secret weapons.
-Unconditional surrender. Any other choice means the utter extermination of the Corral royal family.
They no longer needed to worry about seizing enemy land.
In the worst case, Bata's forces might cross Corral's borders and reach this very place.
And if that monster who had devoured the East Continent's strength headed straight for the capital's palace, there was no visible way to stop him.
With the East Continent's forces crushed, it was beyond what Corral's power alone could withstand.
Though a nation of great might, Corral's forces were meager compared to the East Continent's.
That was why they had sent only Corral's troops to the vanguard, sparing the East Continent's.
Everything had gone awry.
"Y-Your... Majesty..."
"How... how could this happen? To end up like this without gaining even an inch of Bata's land..."
"Please, have mercy..."
"Listen, all my ministers."
The King of Corral, clutching his head with one hand and trembling, slowly opened his mouth.
"From this moment, proclaim to all the kingdom's subjects: Your lord, your god, your father is in peril. Arm yourselves with whatever weapons and armor you can carry and repel the enemy."
"Y-Your Majesty?!"
"Enact total national mobilization."
He was divine blood. The king of Corral, bearer of the gods' lineage. No one could treat or threaten him lightly.
He felt the ministers' panicked shouts at his command, but he rose from his seat and left the audience chamber for his private quarters.
"Speak of this to no one."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
The chamberlain bowed his head, and he entered his chambers without hesitation, subtly touching a bookshelf in the corner.
With a rumble, the shelf slid aside, revealing a hidden narrow passage.
"Burn it all to ash. Bata, the East Continent, the Empire, the Holy Kingdom. If I can't have it, I'll reduce it to cinders."
His rage converged on one destination after circling around.
House Cascadia.
That place alone he would erase, even if the world split in two.
From the darkness, he drew out a box engraved with bizarre decorations.
Its existence was legendary, its reality unknown, but it was worth attempting regardless.
He drew a dagger and slashed his palm, letting blood droplets fall onto the box.
"Ancient being, golden monster. Radon... I offer sacrifice. Fulfill my wish."
Astonishingly, the box began to tremble faintly.
He had sent a letter demanding unconditional surrender, but the chances of the King of Corral accepting were slim to none.
In fact, when he informed Melissa and Bata's commander, both gave the same response.
According to intelligence embedded in Corral, the king had issued a total mobilization order to all his subjects.
Such an order was typically seen only in unprecedented crises threatening the entire continent.
It meant handing weapons and armor to anyone with limbs, regardless of age or gender, and sending them to the front lines.
A true total war. No dictator on the Laizeros Continent had ever gone this far.
But the King of Corral seemed convinced his self-proclaimed divine blood held even greater value.
Well, having been exalted as divine blood since birth, it was only natural.
Whatever his actual blood type—nothing special or miraculous—they firmly believed their lineage was nobler than any other.
Even if it meant the kingdom's destruction, their will to kill him burned fierce.
Having already ransacked most of Corral's strategic cities, he had arrived at the capital last.
The capital's encircling walls, visible from afar, teemed with troops guarding it without a single gap.
After starting a war, to hoard so many forces protecting his own neck. Did they even intend to win?
"History might call this the shortest war."
Luna, standing beside me, offered her calm assessment.
I shrugged.
"If resistance forces spring up, it'll just be a hassle. Even if we win the war, whether Bata keeps Corral's territory or not is another matter."
"Any other reasons?"
"Wars drag on and just claim innocent lives. Not everyone in Corral is evil. The royals started it, but the people bear the suffering. That's infuriating."
The area around me now was peaceful, but the front lines would see massive casualties in a single day.
Sending Varil there was to minimize such sacrifices.
"Father. Wanna play again?"
Grivi's voice came then. Turning, I saw her atop a massive rhinoceros, patting its neck as she asked.
I decided not to question why a rhinoceros was here.
Snapping to, I realized Grivi had brought it back from playing deep in the forest.
The rhino, terrified of her, trembled without resisting.
Unlike when we first contracted, Grivi's hair was now neatly styled and pretty.
The length was similar, but the wild mess was mostly gone.
Luna had clearly put effort into it.
As a spirit, Grivi could revert anytime with intent, but she seemed to like the style and kept it.
Grivi was a spirit, but unlike ordinary ones.
That's why she could manifest like this without my summoning.
"This time, hide-and-seek."
"Grivi wants to play too."
"Next time. Be good today."
"Okay..."
She pouted openly, not hiding her disappointment.
Afterward, I quietly took in the sight of the capital's firmly shut gates.
The massive gates, dozens of meters high, had once symbolized Bata Kingdom's indomitable fortress.
Corral Kingdom's roots lay with rebels from Bata.
Naturally, the capital's fortress had been a Bata stronghold.
The most developed city as capital, with the highest defenses.
That was Corral's capital.
In a matchup of comparable forces, conquering it would be exceedingly difficult.
But no wall, no gate, no brave soldiers were ever perfect.
Small-scale guerrilla tactics were a time-honored strategy that gave even great powers headaches.
There was no need for me to assault the capital directly. Varil's appearance had already swept away the stalled front lines.
Surviving Corral forces had scattered, and all field commanders were dead or captured.
In short, if Bata pushed hard, Corral had no way to stop them.
Indeed, Bata Kingdom's forces were advancing here like a high-speed highway, crossing the border.
Resistance? With the main army annihilated, many nobles guarding castles and forts had fled, leading to numerous bloodless entries.
They must have exploited them harshly.
After pausing our usual activities for a few days to wait, a massive army appeared in the distance.
Not Corral's banners.
The royal flags of Bata Kingdom. Bata's forces.
At the vanguard was a familiar face I'd met before.
"Duke Berli. Long time no see."
"Haha. I hope we haven't kept the war hero waiting too long."
"War hero? You're too kind."
He chuckled at my nonchalant reply.
"Saving thousands, nay, tens of thousands single-handedly—how could we not call you a hero? First, let's set up camp for the soldiers to rest, then talk."
He efficiently deployed his troops to establish defenses and tents in the area.
Then he fed the weary soldiers heartily and let them rest.
Corral had no forces left to attack here.
The capital's defenders were all they had.
Bata might not have intended to push Corral this far originally.
But with things progressing more easily than expected, they'd decided to eliminate future threats while at it.
Bata's stance had been set from the start.
Entering the command tent, I found Duke Berli leading a meeting with numerous generals.
"Corral currently has no means to resist. They have numbers, but without a unifying force or main strength, the rest will scatter."
"Indeed, public sentiment in Corral is poor—desertions are rampant. No worries about rear attacks."
Just as Corral had, Bata needed supplies to push this far.
Bata wasn't overflowing with them either, so time was short for them too.
"Young Master Leon, you've arrived."
I gave a slight bow, and murmurs rippled through.
The newcomers seemed intrigued by me, the one who had shaken all of Corral.
"Frankly, I never imagined such an absurd tactic could work. Once this war ends, nations far and wide will turn their eyes to you. If you wish, this merit could propel you to the heights..."
"I'm only interested in House Cascadia."
"Of course. Heh heh. That's just who you are."
He laughed heartily at my flat response.
Then he took a short breath.
"You've done well. Thanks to you, Bata's youths reached here without dying."
"Glad I minimized needless sacrifices."
"But there are times we can't retreat. What do your eyes make of that fortress?"
"Even beyond the sturdy walls, the terrain alone makes it near-impregnable."
"Indeed. It was once Bata's key defensive stronghold."
He drew a short breath.