Translator: Pai_
During the festival held to celebrate Iron's promotion to Field Marshal, everyone at Master Level and above had shut themselves away for training.
The Grand Masters were no exception.
Iron personally trained them, since they were still unaccustomed to imbuing their Mental Images.
However, the Holy Alliance did not allow much time to prepare.
[The formation for the complete Descent of the Outer God begins its activation sequence.]
As the system voice rang out, a black pillar surged up in the distant sky.
"So they're not going to give us any time, huh?"
Iron clicked his tongue as he spoke.
“This will be a tough battle.”
At Ariel’s words, who had approached at some point, Iron gave a small nod.
He too thought this battle might be the one that determined the outcome of the third story of the Apocalypse.
The enemy surely knew this, which meant they must have made thorough preparations.
"Have the Divine Beasts not emerged yet?"
At Ariel’s question, Iron gave a small nod.
Their bodies had not fully recovered yet.
Thus, more time was needed, but the Outer Gods seemed unwilling to allow it.
“If we’re lacking, then we fight with what we have.”
Iron said as he looked at Ariel.
“Get ready to move.”
“If you give the order……”
At Ariel’s words, Iron shook his head.
“The Mobile Field Army is now under Commander Ariel. That should be respected.”
Although Iron had risen to Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army, he had no intention of giving orders as he pleased.
The supreme commanders of each region were still the respective Commanders, and Iron believed the role of the Supreme Commander was to coordinate them.
Therefore, he made sure Ariel’s command authority was firmly guaranteed.
At Iron’s request, Ariel moved quickly to mobilize the troops, and Caeden Wall, who received the chain command, also began preparing to mobilize the Northeastern Army.
“I’ll move out first.”
As Iron spoke while looking at the distant black pillar, all the commanders saluted.
“Wishing you good fortune in battle!”
At Jaiden Wicks’s words, Iron smiled faintly, returned the salute, and walked toward the Mobile Field Army that was waiting for him.
“All preparations are complete.”
With Ariel’s words, the commanders of the Mobile Field Army and Northeastern Army were lined up.
From Ariel, the Commander of the Mobile Field Army, and Caeden Wall, the Commander of the Northeastern Army, to Corps Commander-level individuals like Gaon, Cardro, Saeriden, and the Northeastern Corps Commanders Sky Renz, Oz Tereivo, and Fogg Coshway were all awaiting Iron’s command.
“The core of the operation is simple. Destroy that pillar.”
Iron pointed at the black pillar with his finger.
“Our operation differs from those two. Rather than aiding me in fighting the Outer God, the focus is on destroying that.”
Iron spoke as he looked at the troops with a confident expression.
Unlike the still inexperienced two Grand Masters, Iron had become somewhat accustomed to fighting gods.
Therefore, rather than aiding him, the focus was on breaking the central axis.
“Destroy it as quickly as possible and then assist elsewhere. Understood?”
“Yes!”
At everyone's response, Iron gave a small nod and boarded the flagship.
Then, a massive number of airships simultaneously rose into the sky.
Drakes escorted those airships, while below, newly developed magical vehicles prepared to launch.
These cars, powered by mana and coated with defensive magic circles and special steel, moved along with the airships, and as the first army led by Iron began to move, another black pillar rose elsewhere.
“It’s time for us to move too.”
“Yes.”
As the two Family Heads stood up and spoke, the system voice rang out.
-The formation for the descent of the god has begun full activation. As time passes, the formation will be completed, and the northern central axis will also be fully restored. Destroy all central axes as quickly as possible!
At the sound of the system voice, most of the forces stationed on the Western Front began to move.
To prepare for a possible surprise attack, only the troops needed to guard the frontlines, centered around reinforcements from each region, were left behind, while the entirety of the Imperial Army's elite forces began to move for an expedition to the western part of the continent.
The 1st Army led by Iron.
The 2nd Army led by Lioner.
The 3rd Army led by Terrion.
As these three expeditionary forces moved to destroy the central axes, the Western Command Headquarters, which had been bustling until recently, now felt almost deserted.
"The Western Command Headquarters was so packed before…"
A soldier on top of the fortress wall looked out over the Western Command Headquarters.
Although reinforcements from various regions had been left to defend the Western Command, their numbers were nothing compared to before.
That showed how much the Imperial Army was risking everything in this war.
"Please…"
"May they win…"
Soldiers standing on the fortress walls began to pray for the army marching toward the black pillars.
If humanity could just endure this crisis, it would become stronger, more resilient.
All citizens of the Empire knew this well, and that’s why they were putting everything into this fight.
A new railroad being constructed in the capital would supply several times the volume of existing rail lines, and large-scale warp gates and air force bases were also scheduled to be established, attracting numerous contractors.
The major fortresses on the Western Front would be reinforced, and the rapidly advancing industrial power and magical science would elevate humanity’s military power to an entirely new level.
For that, the central government was already drawing poor people from across the Empire to work on massive construction projects.
So, all they needed was to overcome this crisis.
The troops remaining on the Western Front looked at the distant black pillars and earnestly hoped for victory.
Not long after, the 1st Army, led by the Supreme Commander of the expeditionary forces, Iron, finally arrived at the closest black pillar in the east.
"…That's massive."
Ariel looked at the overwhelming number of Birdmen and made a daunted expression.
Aerial fortresses that had once tried to break through the Western Front were now stationed there, with inquisitors who had once been a nuisance to Iron at the front, and behind them stood holy knights.
But that wasn't all.
"This is insane."
"Huh…"
"Are all of those Avatars?"
The commanders couldn’t close their mouths at the sight visible from their airships.
Among the countless Birdmen escorting the aerial fortresses, many suddenly began to emit light and transformed into massive Avatars.
And the phenomenon wasn’t limited to the skies.
Inquisitors standing at the front lines on the ground also began to emit light.
As these inquisitors, who had entered divine possession and become Avatars, began to exert their power, the expressions of all Imperial soldiers stiffened.
"Prepare for battle."
The moment Iron gave the order to the confused commanders, their wavering gazes calmed.
"Everyone, battle preparations!"
"Open the gun ports!"
"Ready the fortress cannons!"
"Contact the ground forces!"
At Iron’s command, the troops began to reorganize their formation around the flagship and prepare for battle.
As the Mobile Field Army in the sky and the Northeastern Army on the ground got ready to strike the enemy, the black pillar began to tremble.
And since Iron had already witnessed this phenomenon once before, he grew curious about which god would descend from it.
Among the countless Outer Gods, it was clear that one capable of defeating Iron would descend through that black pillar.
"Who could it be…"
Iron muttered to himself as he looked down at his own hand.
It was obvious the opponent would be hard to defeat even in perfect condition, but Iron hadn’t fully recovered from his injuries, and above all, the Divine Beasts had yet to appear, which was the biggest problem.
"Whew…"
Thinking that this might truly be difficult, he let out a small sigh.
He showed an unshakable and resolute appearance in front of his subordinates, but his hand was already drenched in sweat.
"Prepare the fortress cannon."
"Ready!"
At Iron’s order, the ultra-massive fortress cannon was immediately prepared.
"Target the black pillar."
"The black pillar!"
The moment he saw the fortress cannon being readied, Iron looked at Ariel.
"I leave the battlefield to you."
"…Yes!"
At Iron’s request, Ariel lowered her head and answered.
Seeing that, Iron patted her shoulder and immediately jumped down from the flagship.
And shortly after, an ultra-massive fortress cannon flew toward the god that was shaking inside the black pillar, attempting to emerge.
Kwaaaang!
The sheer power of the ultra-massive fortress cannon, created by the convergence of dozens of airships, partially shattered the black pillar, and in that moment, Iron’s massive white sword sliced through the sky, flying toward the pillar.
With that, the war between the Imperial Army’s 1st Army and the Holy Alliance Army defending the eastern central axis began.
"Assist the Supreme Commander!"
"Find the devices supporting the axis first!"
"The Aerial Fortress is resonating with the eastern central axis. Target the Aerial Fortress!"
The commanders quickly compiled the information they gathered and relayed it to the entire army, and each commander immediately began operations based on that.
In the meantime, the black pillar, damaged by Iron’s white sword and the ultra-massive fortress cannon, began to break apart little by little.
At first, Iron thought, "Did we stop the god’s descent?" But he soon realized he was wrong.
-We meet again.
"War God……."
-This time, unlike before, you won’t be able to run.
The War God, whom Iron faced once again, stared at him with murderous intent.
With the intent to kill Iron, who had toyed with him and vanished before, the War God drew his weapon from the beginning, prepared to go all-out.
The moment Iron saw the weapon in both his hands, in a form far more complete than the one he gained by sacrificing one axis, he sensed this battle wouldn’t be easy.
Kuuuung!
"Keugh!"
The moment Iron and the War God clashed, a storm erupted.
-Are you suffering from internal injuries? Tsk! I didn’t want to win like this……
Noticing Iron’s condition from their first clash, the War God frowned in displeasure.
But such was war by nature.
The War God ruthlessly exploited his advantage and launched his assault on Iron.
-Tweet!
"Baepsae?"
Iron, who had been utterly overwhelmed, widened his eyes at the sudden appearance of Blue Baepsae.
Before anyone realized, the other Divine Beasts had also emerged and began attacking the War God, who was pressing hard.
However, the Divine Beasts were not in normal condition.
They had forced themselves out before fully recovering because Iron was in danger.
‘This is going to be a difficult battle.’
As Iron thought that and looked at the War God, the latter smiled faintly.
Even after revealing his hidden card, the Divine Beasts, it was clear that Iron was at a disadvantage, and the War God burst into laughter.
And Iron was not the only one in this predicament.
Lioner and Terrion, who had gone to attack the western and southern central axes, were also facing difficult battles.
Even though they had practiced beforehand and teamed up with the Masters to take down the gods, they were being thoroughly overwhelmed.
"…It’s not easy."
Lioner looked at the woman with the spear who was cornering him.
The frigid air surrounding her was terrifying, but even more frightening was her spear technique.
And the moment he tried to create some distance, powerful arrows would fly at him.
Each and every technique felt like a secret move infused with a Mental Image.
"It’s like she’s hunting me."
Surrounded by a lion-shaped aura, Lioner raised his sword.
-A beast, huh… You’re the perfect prey for a god of winter and the hunt like me, Skadi.
The woman, who identified herself as Skadi, smiled brightly.
In contrast, Lioner’s expression darkened.
It was already unpleasant to be treated like an animal, but being regarded as prey made him feel humiliated.
However, he couldn’t refute it.
That’s how vast the gap between him and her was.
And the same applied to Terrion’s side.
A woman who identified herself as a god of magic was relentlessly bombarding Terrion with numerous spells, toying with him as if for fun.
The three Grand Masters whom the Empire relied on were struggling against the descended gods, and as the citizens of the Empire watched this unfold in real time, their hearts burned with anxiety.
“Are… we going to lose?”
“Please…”
“Let us…”
Just as the Imperial citizens were earnestly praying while watching the increasingly unfavorable state of the battle…
As if in response to their prayers, the Eastern Army’s fleet arrived right in front of Saintrea.
And at that moment, the system voice rang out.
-Otherworlders have entered Saintrea. As a result of quest completion, a substantial reward is granted. Additionally, a minor buff is applied to all of humanity.
-Upon completion of the bonus quest, a debuff will be applied to the Holy Alliance.
***
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