The Dead

Salavan led Barganta’s border defense forces in place of the dead Garth. Large-scale forces combined with Rezhen Kingdom forces pushed into Tyr.

Tyr was in a state where defenses had loosened due to Jan and the main force’s death plus Barganta invasion’s failure.

Even the border that had boasted iron walls crumbled helplessly to the Barganta-Rezhen alliance.

In response, Tyr started by enthroning new royalty in the vacant throne.

Though somewhat weak-willed, the new king called a tactical genius thoroughly induced a war of attrition against alliance forces.

Even if giving up one castle, he made alliance forces’ troops and supplies exhausted to become impoverished, and solidified defenses while delaying time to reach the capital.

Nobles who’d only calculated their own interests also moved as one body in the nation’s crisis.

They desperately devoted themselves to castle defense to buy even one more hour.

Alliance forces that had pushed through with crushing force also began hesitating at some point.

When the situation wouldn’t move as intended, Salavan frowned.

‘We have more forces. Rather, that’s becoming like a burden.’

Even occupying castles, not a single supply was stockpiled.

The large army only consumed strength, but there was no way to replenish supplies locally. Moreover, this side’s supplies were slowly starting to run out.

From the start, he’d mobilized even Barganta’s border defense forces thinking to conquer Tyr quickly.

He hadn’t anticipated Tyr had persistence to tenaciously cling like this.

Thanks to that, food brought to feed Rezhen forces was rapidly consumed taking care of even Barganta’s border defense forces.

He’d requested supplies from Rezhen, but using land routes required minimum one week.

‘Heavy feet.’

In a situation where forces’ fatigue rose each time they occupied a castle, he worried whether to construct positions and hold out. But to remain as is, Tyr’s royal castle’s response was also swift.

‘If we don’t definitely destroy Tyr, the main force is also in danger. The day Tyr perhaps joins hands with Rakis…’

Leaving a danger factor at the rear was an element making alliance forces anxious.

They must thoroughly exclude it now.

But time was on Tyr’s side.

The more they occupied castles, armor seemed to press down on the body heavily.

“Your Majesty! Urgent news!”

It was when Salavan was only sighing deeply before the fifth castle.

A hurriedly rushing messenger conveyed unexpected news.

“From the western border, 5,000 Barganta troops are pushing down!”

“Five thousand? Who’s the person in charge?”

“A Barganta staff officer named Rio! He conveyed to rendezvous at the seventh castle!”

Salavan’s lips twitched.

He couldn’t understand why Rio had come here.

But 5,000 troops’ joining was sufficient to boost alliance forces’ morale.

“We’ll go to the next castle without rest! Begin the siege!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

When they propagated to alliance forces that Barganta’s staff officer was coming, morale boiled over. Hope that there was still something to receive support lit fire in soldiers.

Salavan occupied the fifth and sixth castles with soldiers without rest.

Arriving at the seventh castle in merely three days, Rio was welcoming at the widely opened castle gate.

“I greet Your Majesty Salavan.”

“Did you occupy this castle?”

“Yes. Thanks to Your Majesty capturing attention, we bypassed and easily took it.”

Easily? A castle of this scale?

Contents prepared inside the castle would make surprised Salavan smile even more.

“Because we occupied the seventh castle before enemy supplies headed to the capital, most supplies remain.”

“Is, is that truly so?”

“You can feed the army full for the time being, so don’t worry.”

A way opened in one moment.

Salavan smiled contentedly at Rio’s tactics that precisely grasped the pulse and brought forces into the castle interior. But there was no time to rest among commanders.

Salavan quickly discussed the future with Rio.

“Fortunately, based on this place’s supplies, we have leisure to advance. Please capture Rezhen’s supplies toward the capital side and advance tomorrow.”

“Supply leisure makes it possible. I’ll do so.”

“Then I’ll take Barganta’s border defense forces.”

“Not fighting together?”

Rio pointed out pathways leading to Tyr’s capital one by one.

“Previously we made our base region here. In case war broke out, it was to proceed with supplies and aim for enemy weak points. And Tyr didn’t discover the base region.”

“These pathways are the base region?”

“That’s right. Based on this, we’ll strike flanks. Your Majesty please keep capturing enemy gazes from the front.”

“Use me as bait?”

“It’s a time battle. If we show the most certain card, won’t enemies respond and not easily expose gaps?”

“Bold.”

“Thank you.”

Salavan burst out an empty laugh.

He thought Rio who didn’t change expression before him as king was amazing.

“Though they say heroes appear in troubled times, Tyr’s fate must rightfully finish here. Work toppling one nation’s history won’t be easy. But we lack time. We must show the world that any history can collapse before contemporary opportunity.”

Salavan nodded.

“Do as you wish.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

The next day, Salavan and Rio divided forces in half and advanced to Tyr’s capital.

Even when Salavan hesitated, Rio’s tactics breaking through from flanks were excellent.

Base regions made here from when he’d made deals with Yuliana were mainly connected to castles’ underground.

Tyr that poured strength into walls was toyed with by Rio’s elite forces that infiltrated riding underground passages.

Thanks to thoroughly annihilating castle forces so information wouldn’t leak, tactics weren’t easily discovered.

And when one side wavered, nobles handling Salavan also shook.

Anxiety not knowing when the rear might be struck made their defenses sloppy, and Salavan pushed through with crushing force.

With Rio’s joining, they faced Tyr’s capital in merely a fortnight.

“They installed various devices on the capital’s gate.”

“Time-buying for desperate resistance.”

Wedges protruding from the wall and castle defense weapons.

Even tragic resolution was felt in soldiers’ eyes wearing gleaming armor.

Breaking high and thick walls didn’t seem easy.

“In five days we can collapse one axis of the castle.”

“Are you confident?”

“If you entrust me, I’ll sink Tyr.”

“King Pernok is enviable. Since he has bold talent like you nearby, Barganta will prosper afterward too.”

“You overpraise.”

Salavan chuckled and handed the command baton to Rio.

“The supply unit will soon bring siege weapons. Then, charge all at once.”

“Yes!”

Rio grasped the command baton and stepped before the large army.

Even looking around the enemy wall, no Magus presence was felt.

‘At the point Jan died, this nation’s future vanished.’

No matter how excellent tactics and wisdom were wrung out, what always reversed war situations was Magus power.

This side also had no Magus the same. But they could isolate Tyr to slowly make it wither and die.

War without Magus had everything determined by formations and troop numbers.

Forces without will to burst out would eventually self-destruct after being ceaselessly pounded.

Rio was finding siege direction while looking around Tyr’s solid walls.

“Hiiiing!”

Suddenly horses in all directions shook.

Horses didn’t follow riders’ touches as if gripped by fear.

Around when even soldiers joined to catch shaking horses, ashen clouds gathered in the sky.

“Huk!”

Suddenly nearby mages turned pure white.

They frequently collapsed as if struck by mana intoxication.

“What are you doing!”

Around when Salavan shouted trying to straighten scattered formations, Rio’s spine chilled.

A feeling like facing the evil mana of the summit’s master who’d driven people at the demon beast mountain range.

Not just Rio, but even soldiers without mana all seemed to feel ominous energy.

Their gazes gathered on Tyr’s capital.

And chilling wind began blowing though it wasn’t even winter.

White breath that seeped out rode wind and soaked into the ashen sky.

Eventually ashen color from the sky shone on Tyr’s capital.

It gradually changed to become yellow light resembling gold.

A pillar of light fell.

Intense yellow light difficult to watch with eyes open swallowed Tyr’s capital like a pillar.

Not a single roar was heard.

Far from the wall breaking, the capital maintained its intact appearance as is.

Only one thing.

Only that unbelievable scene had changed.

“Your Majesty!”

When Rio first detected the abnormality and hurriedly mounted his horse, Salavan also drew his sword and shouted.

“Advance!”

The ashen sky passed and blue light made the world bright.

Both horses and mana all returned to intact state as if it had been a dream.

Salavan and Rio ran across the calmed battlefield.

Forces hurriedly followed, but Tyr’s royal castle didn’t shoot even one arrow.

No, couldn’t shoot.

Those who approached the wall were shocked seeing dried corpses.

“Break the castle gate!”

When Salavan shouted taking the lead, soldiers began the siege without time to be surprised.

Breaking the gate without resistance, countless horses poured into the royal castle.

And they couldn’t say anything seeing streets lined with corpses.

Both soldiers and people had all become dried corpses without a drop of moisture.

Salavan and Rio couldn’t understand what on earth had happened.

Where was there a force that would target Tyr besides themselves?

Moreover, since they hadn’t felt other Magus presence coming here, it was all the more puzzling.

Embracing thick doubt, they entered the royal castle.

Wading through piles of corpses in all directions, they finally found Tyr’s new king.

He too had dried up thin, but faint color remained in his pupils.

“Be…because of…you bastards…”

When Salavan and Rio approached, Tyr’s king spat venomous words.

“If only…you bastards…weren’t…I would…join hands with Rakis…”

“Rakis?”

“…I’ll curse you…becoming…a specter…you bastards…”

Tyr’s king drooped limply.

His neck that couldn’t even bear the crown’s weight broke with a snap.

The corpse that collapsed futilely flowed out words full of resentment.

“Hand…amber…hand…”

Together with incomprehensible words, the king dried up completely.

It was a miserable appearance that had sucked out indescribable something together with human moisture.

Pernok checked his body condition for the last time then entered the Floating Castle. And immediately called all messengers from each region to gather in the conference room.

Around Pernok at the head seat, messengers from each army and Arisha sat at a long rectangular table.

“Thanks to the Sacred Emperor’s sublime sacrifice, Barganta escaped from crisis. I borrow this place to express gratitude and condolences to the Sacred Emperor once more.”

Arisha nodded.

“But now we have no leisure to hesitate at any sacrifice. The enemy is before our eyes, but it’s an empire that claimed to be strongest for hundreds of years of history. Even if we broke Chris and Mardo, we still cannot even guess the Hegemon Emperor’s power who killed the Sacred Emperor. Now is the opportunity. Only this time when all nations’ wills gathered must we kill the mysterious enemy.”

Pernok looked around the assembly.

“The situation in each region?”

Messengers spoke competitively.

“I report! Coastal conquest was safely achieved! Currently together with Association Head Ruin and two priests, we’re moving supplies to the coast and preparing the next siege!”

“Duke Flemyr occupied Luman Castle! He awaits next instructions!”

“Duke Ludmila says he’ll advance to the next castle matching with friendly forces! Please issue instructions quickly!”

And a messenger arrived from Rio’s side who’d struck Tyr at the rear.

“I report! His Majesty Salavan and Staff Officer Rio have captured Tyr’s capital!”

Just as the assembly gained vitality at successive victory reports.

The messenger uttered strange words.

“However, Staff Officer Rio says he faced unusual matters.”

“Were there difficulties in capture?”

“Not that, but that nation’s people and king all dried up.”

“Dried up?”

“Yes. They all became dried corpses.”

When Pernok tilted his head puzzled, the messenger quickly added words.

“While preparing the siege, the sky was dyed ashen, and suspicious light was dyed yellow to shine down on the royal castle, whereupon all living creatures there transformed into dried, withered corpses.”

“Yellow…light?”

“Tyr’s new king mentioned the Amber Hand before dying. And he let slip words that he’d joined hands with Rakis.”

Amber…

Suddenly past memories surfaced, but in situations Pernok knew, there was no influence that made things wither dry.

Because that era’s amber hands had been power controlling corpses.

But the part where Rakis was involved was concerning.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t anticipated the Hegemon Emperor would abandon his own nation and return to Barganta with the 13 Lords.

A variable.

Though never faced, the Hegemon Emperor Arad felt like he possessed unique and indescribable characteristics somehow.

“King Salavan?”

“Currently, he asked us to inquire intentions whether to join here while clearing Tyr capital’s corpses.”

“Tell King Salavan to guard the rear from there, and entrust Rio with 10,000 forces to reinforce here.”

“Understood.”

The messenger received Pernok’s letter and left the conference room.

And Pernok looked around the assembly and spoke firmly.

“Whatever variables Rakis creates, our actions don’t change. We’ve started and must definitely see the end.”

Even if Chris who’d been the greatest difficult enemy returned alive at this point, there was nothing at all to be wary of.

Synchronization rate 91 percent.

The artifact’s final awakening.

And complete synchronization with the past body.

Now that Rakis’s border had collapsed, it was time to take total offensive.

“The Hegemon Emperor’s uniqueness originates from aggression and unexpectedness striking Barganta leaving his nation behind. Even now we don’t know where that bastard is. If I led the main force and advanced, then the Hegemon Emperor conversely struck our nations, this war would cause enormous damage even if we won.”

Pernok looked into Rakis Empire’s map and placed friendly pieces in places.

“We lay traps to bind the Hegemon Emperor’s movement route to Rakis and strike the imperial castle and that bastard in one blow.”