< Chapter 42 - Twist #3 >
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Uther’s strategy was simple.
The Eastern Army becomes the anvil, and Uther himself and Cordelia become the hammer.
In the rotation that starts on the Snow Flower Wind Plains, if the Eastern Army creates a standoff, Uther and Cordelia will trample on the rear of the Western Army, making it impossible for them to maintain their front line.
First of all, the hammer was successful.
After crossing the Sky Ridge Mountains, and meeting Melissa, I was able to use the underground tunnels left behind by Magellan’s high elves.
It was possible to freely exploit the rear of the unoccupied western region.
But this alone was not enough.
The success of the hammer alone did not complete the strategy.
‘If Moru can’t hold out.’
If the moru is destroyed by enemy attacks.
Tactical achievements that shatter strategy.
Something that is normally impossible.
But Haragen had a secret weapon that made it possible.
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“Arararara Rai! Arararara Rai!”
The seven horns that were reborn as the minions of Belial roared with their red eyes shining.
Tens of thousands of warriors joined in with a shout that shook the heavens and the earth, and their momentum alone was enough to crush the enemy before their eyes.
And the Red Whirlwind didn’t just watch.
Knowing the importance of a battle of momentum, he raised his hand, and Nine Blades, the chieftain of the Bladesong tribe, roared in place of the Red Gale.
“Kurara! Kurara!”
The Eastern Army also shouted together. They blew horns everywhere, and the wild gods accompanying the Eastern Army roared in anger. They wanted to cover the Snow Flower Wind Plains with their sacred power.
“Ahhhh!”
“Ahhhh!”
But it wasn’t easy. There was something that received the holy energy.
The wild gods of the West, who had become the beasts of hell as a result of the fall, howled, and the great evil thoughts counteracted the sacred power.
The number of the Eastern Army is about 30,000.
The number of Western forces that lost troops during the Western unification process was approximately 28,000.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of the drum rang out.
Seven Horns, wearing a helmet decorated with stag horns, rode forward on a hellish beast resembling a rhinoceros, while the fallen chieftains lined up beside him.
The same wedge formation and furious charge as always.
As expected, the Red Whirlwind raised its hand again.
Flags were waving everywhere, and the Eastern Army was forming up to withstand the attack.
“Kuraha! Kuraha!”
The Eastern Army struck the ground with the tips of their spears.
The Western Army roared again, each raising their weapons.
Haragen watched the scene from behind.
Haragen’s confidant, Sharp Horn, took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart.
Intermediate mines located everywhere waited for the battle to begin.
And then at some point.
The moment Haragen exhaled, the moment when Yuder realized the truth from far away.
“Dol-jin-ha-ra!”
The Seven Horns declared loudly. The warriors of the Angry Horn Tribe rushed forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground shook as tens of thousands of people rushed in at once.
The Red Wind swallowed his saliva at the overwhelming force that filled his eyes, and the nearby Sun Song took a deep breath.
Nine Blades drew his sword. He looked back at the Red Wind, and the Red Wind, who had been staring straight ahead and remaining silent, counted the numbers.
It was a hunting-like trick.
It couldn’t be too fast, and it couldn’t be too late.
Sweat ran down Red Wind’s forehead. Even though he was a seasoned and courageous warrior, it was his first time fighting against such a large force.
One breath.
The Angry Horn Tribe crossing the Snowflower Plains.
The roars of wild gods and monsters echo through the sky.
“now!”
The Red Wind roared. The Nine Blades swung their swords, and auras fluttered everywhere.
The Bladesong, who had been crouching and waiting, suddenly stood up and shouted, and the Great Tempest carried his shout through the winds throughout the battlefield.
A rough avalanche arose. The gentle snow wind sang.
“Go away!”
The Eastern Army charged.
Likewise, it shook the earth.
The front lines on both sides.
Those at the very front.
Extreme excitement took possession of them.
Intoxicated by the madness of the battlefield, they finally met each other’s breath.
Kwagagagagagagang!
Waves collided with waves.
We broke apart.
Those in the front lines were broken and destroyed, regardless of whether they were from the eastern or western armies.
In an instant, dozens and hundreds of people lost their lives.
The situation was a little different from what Red Whirlwind had expected.
The Western Army’s unexpected and unimaginable brutality has led to the current results.
But the Red Whirlwind did not lose its composure.
There were only a few hundred out of tens of thousands.
In any case, the first day’s battle was bound to cause great damage.
In order to keep the phone from reaching the East, they had to stop them in the Snow Flower Wind Plains, so they had to be prepared to bleed as well.
‘The guardian deities are with you.’
A word used by those who live in wild lands to call upon the wild gods.
The Red Storm’s belief was not wrong.
The song of the gentle snow wind healed the warriors.
The great storm energized the warriors, and the encouragement from the rough avalanche didn’t help much, but it was better than nothing.
And the song of the blade.
He did not hide his temperament. He transformed into his true self, a giant black wolf, and went into battle himself, showing off the power of a wild god.
“Tear yourself to pieces!”
It didn’t stop at just trampling and biting. When it unleashed its divine power, dozens of invisible blades rose up and tore apart the western army surrounding the Blade Song.
“Song of the blade! Song of the blade!”
It wasn’t just the Blade Song tribe. The Eastern Army cheered loudly, and the Blade Song, in a good mood, ran wild across the battlefield.
The Red Wind also fought hard. Instead of standing in the front lines, he used the Phoenix from a slightly behind position, and from time to time, he looked around to find the back of the Sun Song who was fighting in the front.
The great storm took the form of a giant bird, its true form, and headed high into the sky.
From there, he looked down on the entire battlefield and relayed what he saw to Red Gale.
Clash between Eastern and Western Armies
It was a fierce clash that shattered both sides’ front lines, but it has now entered a lull.
Instead of people dying one after another, people started pushing each other away.
It wasn’t bad.
There was no tactical maneuver on the part of the Western Army. There were no mobile units moving to the rear, and there was no unusual movement on the part of the reserve forces.
Just a reckless rush.
‘Maybe this.’
Wouldn’t it be possible to completely destroy the Western Army rather than just hold out?
The two ends of the Eastern Army slowly advanced forward.
The aim was to surround the Western Army, which was attempting a reckless frontal breakthrough.
If the siege is completed like this.
The great storm anticipated a great victory.
The gentle snow breeze’s song reminded me of a victory song.
And Haragen looked at the sky.
I waved my hands while looking at the beautiful white bird looking down from high above, and the great storm.
“Do it.”
Consciousness.
What we have prepared.
The sharp horn raised the flag.
The mines scattered throughout the battlefield began to move, and the fallen wild gods who had been standing their ground rather than stepping forward since the battle began finally stood up.
Haragen looked at the sky again.
The compound eyes of the mine were no longer hidden.
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Cordelia knew Uther well.
I could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his eyes.
So I lowered my posture. I met Yuder’s gaze as he sat in front of the altar with a blank expression on his face.
“Uder.”
He called again. Yuder, who had come to his senses, looked at Cordelia, and instead of speaking again, Cordelia simply looked at Yuder.
Uther let out a sigh.
After doing that several times, I finally calmed down.
Cordelia returned to the form of Uther she knew so well.
“What kind of ritual is it?”
It was not a ritual to summon the Great Demon Kremler.
Cordelia could tell that much too.
Uder opened his mouth.
He told me what he found out.
And then, right after, Cordelia had a gut feeling.
Her instincts told her.
The Eastern Army is defeated.
They can’t handle the Western Army.
And as always, her intuition was right.
&
In the original, Haragen easily acquired the wild lands.
He corrupted most of the wild gods in the west and east and made them his subordinates, and purged the rebellious chieftains, including the Red Gale, to raise the barbarians into a single army.
That is why the Demon Eye’s headquarters in the Argon Empire did not interfere with Haragen’s progress. Rather, they did not spare support.
That’s why Haragen didn’t summon the Great Demon Kraemler from the wild lands.
Only after he had laid waste to the northern border of the Kingdom of Cailun by using the unified barbarians and corrupted wild gods did he summon Kraemler.
Because it wasn’t needed before.
The paddles they had were enough until the two swordsmen, Count Bayer and Count Hresvelg, began to slay not only the barbarian chieftains but also the corrupted wild gods.
But everything has changed.
Uther and Cordelia made it so.
Haragen was cornered and made a choice he didn’t make in the original.
“Oh, Belial.”
Haragen smiled sinisterly.
The West was virtually scorched earth.
Except for the warriors on the battlefield and the minimum number of people providing rear support, everyone was sacrificed.
Rivers of blood flowed during the rituals performed by the great warriors.
‘I don’t spare it.’
Wild gods and such.
Burn it all with a wood fire.
Before Haragen’s eyes.
A place located slightly behind the battle areas between the Western and Eastern armies.
The point where both ends of the Eastern Army are slowly approaching.
The fallen wild gods gathered there.
The mines gathered together.
Haragen commanded.
Belial’s will dominated the minions, and they cut off the necks of the sacrifices they had brought. They soaked the floor with blood, and then they stabbed their own necks.
blood.
The currency of the soul.
They covered the floor.
I drew a circle.
And the fallen wild gods standing at the edge of the circle offered themselves to the magic circle.
Nearly twenty wild gods.
Human sacrifices numbering in the tens of thousands.
What it creates.
“Ah …
Haragen cried out in joy.
The magic circle of blood seemed to tremble and then completed itself. Intricate patterns were carved into the ground, and the great storm looking down from the sky opened its eyes wide.
It must be stopped.
We have to stop it somehow.
But how.
The song of the blade that had been running wild raised its head.
I saw the power focused on the blood magic circle. I saw the evil beginning to swirl above it.
The gentle breeze realized.
A rough avalanche collapsed, swallowing the screams.
“Open up.”
“Haragen said. He burst into laughter from the very tip of his lungs.
Kwagagagagagagaga-!
The ground split open. And from within rose a giant door.
A giant crack connecting this world and the other world!
“The gates of hell.”
Uder said.
Cordelia looked south.
Haragen laughed, and the gates of hell opened.
A large number of monsters appeared.
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It was a gate to hell that was tens of meters high.
No, size didn’t matter. The moment it opened, everyone on the battlefield could feel it.
That’s why I looked back.
For a moment, the entire battlefield stopped.
The Eastern Army raised its head.
The Western Army looked back.
A small monster walked out of the giant door.
In fact, it was a giant that was three meters tall, but the door was so huge.
And it continued.
The monsters continued to advance.
Dozens and hundreds.
And time, which had stopped, began to flow again.
A new fight has begun.
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“Run away!”
Nine Blades shouted desperately.
The battle lines had long since collapsed.
The demons pouring out of the gates of hell broke through the front.
The Western Army, which had been struggling with the Eastern Army, split into two flanks and tore the Eastern Army apart.
It was a big mess.
The monsters did not distinguish between the eastern and western armies. They tore, crushed, and killed any human who stood in their way.
The evil emanating from the gates of hell overwhelmed the sacred power of the wild gods.
“I can’t win.”
The Great Storm spoke. It was not out of fear.
It was a cool-headed judgment.
“I have to run away.”
It was important to escape well.
If we fought here, the entire Eastern Army would be annihilated.
The Blade Song knew that. That’s why it didn’t turn its back. Instead, it stepped forward and shouted.
“Warriors of the Blade Song!”
At the command of the Wild God, the warriors of the Bladesong tribe turned back.
The Nine Blades looked at his guardian deity, and the Blade Song smiled bitterly. He declared to his warriors.
“It is today.”
This is the place.
Where we die.
A place to sing the last song.
Nine Blades understood.
And smiled.
Because he was a warrior of the Blade Song.
Because he was one who stood on the battlefield and sang of death.
Moreover, it was a fight to protect.
It was a beautiful and worthwhile fight.
A good song would have been made.
“Song of the Blade.”
The Great Storm spoke, and Bladesong simply smiled.
I didn’t want to say anything weak to my long-time nemesis, but I had to say something anyway.
“Please take care of the children left behind.”
Children who did not stand on the battlefield.
Children who will continue the song of the Blade Song.
“Brother!”
The gentle snow wind roared and did not look back at the song of the blade. It laughed fiercely and charged forward.
“Let’s go, my warriors!”
The warriors of the Blade Song turned around and charged forward with their guardian deity.
It became a living wall to buy time for the Eastern Army to retreat.
“father!”
The Sun Song shouted, and the Nine Blades saw the Sun Song. They smiled and said goodbye.
“good.”
Lead the children who are left behind.
The Blade Song wants that too.
That was it. Nine Blades no longer looked back. He charged forward with the warriors of the Blade Song.
I bought time with my blood and life.
“Retreat!”
The red gale roared loudly.
The gentle snow wind sang while shedding tears of blood. It raised the spirits of the warriors of the Blade Song and gave strength to the feet of the fleeing Eastern Army.
The red wind grabbed the arm of the roaring Sun Song.
The Eastern Army retreated.
The lack of blade song became a wall.
The Western Army tore down the wall, and monsters poured out from the gates of hell.
“Oh, Golden Dragon King.”
Blade Song, whose whole body was covered in blood, thought of the King of the Wild Gods while facing the beasts of hell.
He thought of the cheeky brats with his sentences.
Why is that?
At the last moment, the faces of those two come to mind.
“Hello.”
The Blade Song flew towards the monsters.
I sang the last song.
&
The Eastern Army collapsed.
The Snow Flower Wind Plains were drenched in blood, and the Western Army was virtually destroyed by the Gates of Hell and the monsters pouring out from within.
About half of the Western Army’s regular soldiers have become corrupted and have become low-level monsters that can no longer be called human, while the other half have been sacrificed as offerings to maintain the gates of Hell.
Haragen won the battle as he declared.
I didn’t care even though I had to sacrifice so many things to do it.
It’s over.
Moreover, his purpose was to cause chaos in the Wild Lands and the northern kingdom of Cailun.
The methods changed, but what mattered was the result.
Inside the gates of hell.
A demon with great power was approaching.
If only he could come down to earth.
If it happens before your life is cut short, before the gates of hell can no longer be held.
“Oh, Belial.”
I give you the wild land.
That was when Haragen prayed as if he were serving God.
The rough avalanche that fell alone while running away raised its head.
He saw a man in red robes standing in front of him.
A man who reminded me of Cordelia, even though he looked nothing like her.
He saved the wild avalanche that was being chased by monsters. Then he looked away and saw the gates of hell rising in the distance.
Having studied the tragedy of the Paragon Kingdom in depth, he did not fail to recognize the Gates of Hell.
“Cordelia.”
The man who spoke softly, Count Chase, looked back at the rough avalanche.
And at the same time.
The easternmost tip.
A place called the Holy Land.
Bluebeard, who had been cowering at the eerie aura he felt from the west, suddenly raised his head and looked back.
I quickly flew into the temple and was able to face it.
The pure white wings of an angel spread out.
The holy angel who washed away the energy of hell opened his eyes.
Lena Einsberg.
One of the five heroes who ended the tragedy of the Paragon Kingdom.
She woke up.
I looked west.
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< Chapter 42 - Twist #3 > End