Chapter 192: Savior (2)

Amidst tens of thousands of monsters,

Four ogres carried an enormous sedan chair.

It was so massive it looked like a house floating along.

This sedan chair belonged to the emperor leading all these creatures.

Inside, the Snow King stared blankly ahead.

Crk…

How did I end up like this?

Frightened by some unknown monster’s threats, they had hastily abandoned the White Mountains region and been relentlessly pursued ever since.

Grrk!

It had been a truly dreadful ordeal. Humans were told to leave, yet why did they keep chasing after them?!

If they went here, the human scum appeared there.

If they went there, more humans materialized over there!

Thanks to that incessant pursuit, the entire group had been on the run without rest, pursued by relentless beasts. And throughout this ordeal, why did those humans keep showing up and blocking their way? They truly dared to defy fate!

Grrr…

When the human army first appeared, I must admit, I was a bit unnerved.

Steel giants.

Those monstrous creations of humans.

Their infamy was well-known to me.

Even the weakest among them could effortlessly slaughter dozens of orcs, while the stronger ones were comparable to most large monsters.

And there they stood, thousands of these steel giants blocking our path, with a terrifying beast chasing us from behind.

To this day, recalling that moment still sends shivers down my spine.

Crunch!

If those steel giants hadn’t crumpled at the touch of an unknown light, that would probably be where I’d be buried now.

What happened after that is hazy in my memory.

I just remember being frantically pursued, trampling and overcoming humans blocking our way, my eyes fixed solely on moving forward.

It’s impossible to say how frantically we ran, but I know that of my original 80,000 warriors, only 50,000 remain now.

Among them, about 20,000 had fallen to humans, while the rest had perished from exhaustion, unable to rest as they fled. Some had even become food for their hunger-stricken kin.

After enduring this agonizing ordeal, I realized at some point that the monsters were no longer pursuing us.

As my senses returned,

Grrrulk!

I found myself here.

Grrk!

In the distance, a massive castle loomed—the only useful structure humans had built in this forsaken land.

From where I stood, I could feel the countless humans hiding within its walls.

And then, it hit me.

Fwsssh!

This was it!

The true intent behind the monster’s decision to set me on this path!

It had led me here for a purpose!

If that was the case…

Grrg.

All I had to do was live up to the monster’s expectations.

‘A human city, you say?’

Just by looking, I could tell it was quite vast.

It was probably a fairly renowned city among human settlements.

Rather, this is fortuitous.

Instead of an empty mountain, I could seize what humans had built and make it my stronghold! I would enslave and exploit humans to establish a new kingdom from this place. The city humans built would become sustenance for me as I consume their lives and flesh!

I will make all human lands my own!

As Snow King gazed at the distant islet, his eyes gleamed with madness, and his dark red tongue licked his lips, as if there were a delicious piece of meat right in front of him, his mouth watering profusely.

The Do-Minence Empire’s islet—an autonomous region nestled within the vast empire that dominated the eastern part of the Winter Continent—had suddenly found itself under threat. An enormous army of fifty thousand monsters had materialized at its heart, halted at a mere kilometer from this small, isolated territory.

Though it was “just” one kilometer away, for all intents and purposes, they were practically standing at the threshold of the islet. This forced the Empire to swiftly seal off the area. Not only did commoners avoid entering this perilous zone, but even merchants refrained from venturing near. No one dared to brave the legion of creatures encamped there, despite the narrow escape options.

Within the islet, nobles and commoners alike were trapped, along with those who had arrived from the outside and now found themselves stranded. The islet lay frozen by the presence of the Snow King’s Army.

Meanwhile, at the very center of this crisis—the Imperial Palace—a heated debate was raging among those charged with making critical decisions for the Empire.

“That’s why we must have a countermeasure!”

“What countermeasure can we possibly discuss given the current situation?! We need to immediately remove Your Majesty from this system and relocate it!”

“What nonsense is this?! Abandoning the very foundation of our Empire is tantamount to surrendering this nation!”

“What? Who gave you the right to speak such reckless words?!”

Despite the Emperor’s presence, senior officials openly bickered at the top of their lungs. The Emperor remained silent, observing their futile debate. Truthfully, he lacked the energy to rebuke them.

He clutched his forehead tightly.

It has come to this, hasn’t it…

The third line of defense, created at the cost of countless lives, had finally been breached.

How… how could this happen…

A thin wail escaped from the emperor’s mouth. His rage flared, and his consciousness connected to the root of this calamity—Duke Samuel.

Just days ago, that brazen fellow had been dragged to prison, shouting about his innocence.

The audacity of that scoundrel!

The entire disaster had been set in motion by Samuel’s initial plan. To make matters worse, his attempts to remedy the situation had only driven it further into chaos.

And to think Sword Saint has fallen…

The Empire’s strongest warrior. According to reports, the monster Samuel had sent suddenly abandoned the front lines. This caused their entire strategy to crumble, leaving the Sword Saint vulnerable and ultimately leading to his demise at the Snow King’s hands.

We have lost far too much…

Not merely vast sums of military funds, but thousands of Transcendents as well. And with them, the Empire’s pride and joy—the greatest warrior in all the land.

They had lost so much, so futilely. Once set in motion, the machinery of war threatened to shake the very foundations of the Empire.

Is there no way…?

The Empire had committed a staggering 150,000 troops to this conflict. With the addition of forces from their tributary states, the total approached 200,000. Given more time, the Empire could have mustered several times that number, for it was the Empire for a reason.

But there was one problem…

I lack time.

Time was the crux of the issue. Waging a successful war required ample preparation time—from procuring war supplies to readying soldiers. Yet the Empire had engaged in multiple large-scale conflicts, one after another, over just a few weeks. And without proper preparation to boot.

The Empire had been able to make this much preparation only because it was, well, an Empire. But now its resources were stretched to their limit. It was far too late to ready anything more.

“Phew…” The Emperor’s quiet sigh was lost in the clamoring voices that came from all directions.

Then, in the blink of an eye:

Clunk-clunk!

The sound of armor approached from outside the door. A moment later, a single warrior entered the great hall. Rushing to the center, he dropped to one knee and announced, “I bring news!”

His sudden appearance quickly brought all voices to a stop. The Emperor even straightened up slightly, resting his weight on his back.

“What is it?”

“A report has just been received. The monster army is on the move!”

”…?!”

The Emperor’s expression froze.

He asked urgently, “Are our forces ready?”

The remaining Central Defense Forces amounted to a little over 10,000 soldiers. This was a sufficient force to withstand a siege, but the emperor couldn’t help his worries.

The soldier answered with a resolute expression, “No problem! Even if they all come at once, those invaders will never set a foot onto our sacred land.”

“Hm… But how long do you think we can hold out?”

“If we only use our prepared supplies, we can last three months. However, if we gather all available resources from the islet, we can certainly endure for a year!”

Gather all available resources from the islet.

This meant forcibly requisitioning the property of commoners living within the islet.

Yet none present voiced any objection. Rather, they were relieved.

“Ah… That’s a relief.”

“A year is… long enough for even those vile creatures to give up and withdraw.”

“In a year, the Western Command Post’s reserve forces will be ready to rescue us!”

To the nobles of the regime, the wealth of commoners was as worthless as hair in a dog’s fur. They didn’t mind wasting it if doing so could ensure their own safety.

As they discussed these matters at length, the nobles were feeling quite pleased with themselves.

Boom!

A sudden, deafening sound reverberated throughout the throne room of the royal palace, startling everyone. The emperor shot to his feet, alarmed.

“W-What’s happening?!”

The guard delivering the report was equally startled.

“I’ll g-g-get to the bottom of this!”

He hastily dashed out of the room.

Boom! Boom!

The ominous sounds continued in the background.

Moments later, the guard returned, his face ashen.

“I-I have news!” he cried. “Large monsters are hurling… o-orcs at our kingdom!”

”…?!”

A fully grown adult frost orc weighed well over 100kg, roughly the same as a hefty boulder. And these creatures had tens of thousands of orcs at their disposal. Their reproductive prowess was truly horrifying. If this… this ‘orc catapulting’ continued unabated?

Could this imperial palace truly be safe?!

The Emperor imagined 10,000 orcs flying directly overhead. The blood drained from his face.

“Your Majesty, we must flee at once!”

“Nonsense! Don’t act so rashly! It’s just a temporary issue! We can easily repel these creatures if we stay here!”

“If Your Majesty comes to harm, can you take full responsibility? Without Your Majesty, our Empire ceases to exist!”

“Our Empire stands strong! It will never be conquered by mere monsters!”

“The monsters are practically at our doorstep! They’re even hurling their ownkind as weapons!”

The grand assembly once again devolved into a chaotic marketplace atmosphere.

One faction advocated for the Emperor’s immediate evacuation while another claimed it would be more dangerous to leave, arguing they should wait for reinforcements inside. Ministers split into two camps, raising their voices in heated debate.

As the argument grew more intense, no clear solution materialized.

This frustration…

The emperor panted as he gazed at the ceiling.

His labored breathing made him dizzy.

As everything turned white, there was a stark contrast to his current situation and it was beautiful.

…White?

At first, he thought it was just a temporary phenomenon caused by his dizziness.

But that wasn’t the case.

”…?!”

The emperor sprang up from his seat as the room was flooded with bright white light. His ministers reacted similarly.

“What is this?!”

“What’s going on?!”

“Why is there suddenly so much light?!”

Everything was glowing white.

The source of the light was outside.

It was streaming into the grand hall, illuminating everything.

Unable to wait for a report, the emperor took action himself.

He quickly threw open the windows of the grand hall.

At the same time, he saw it.

Far above the highest peaks of the islet, an enormous human figure hung in the sky.

…Can that even be called a person?

The colossal figure dwarfed everything below, its size measured in tens of meters. Everything about it was white and radiated an air of sanctity. Its eyes, gazing down upon the earth, exuded an aura of supreme dignity.

The light illuminating the islet originated from this very being.

The Emperor and the nobility were rendered speechless, staring at the sky with blank expressions for what seemed like an eternity.

How much time had passed when a soldier rushed into the great hall, his face flushed with urgency.

“Y-Your Majesty!” he cried. “Urgent news! The monsters have ceased their attack!”

“…?!”

“Furthermore, they’re said to be retreating out of fright!”

The Emperor gazed at the soldier, incredulous. “You’re telling me the monsters are fleeing in terror?”

“That appears to be the case, Your Majesty!”

“But… but how is that possible?”

“The exact cause remains unknown. However, we’ve observed that whenever it appears in the sky, monsters flee in terror!”

“Hmph…” The Emperor’s awe erupted from his lips. “What in the heavens could…?”

What force could possibly repel these monstrous creatures? His curiosity was soon satisfied.

Flash!

A burst of light suddenly filled the grand hall. Then came a voice:

“May the grace of the Pantheon be with… thee, oh Lord!”

Against the faint glow, a white-haired young man named Louis emerged, tracing a holy sign with his fingers. Following closely behind him was Pablo.

Their sudden appearance startled everyone present, eliciting cries of alarm:

“Who the devil are you?!”

“Who are you?!”

Louis smiled at the questions directed towards him. “Your saviors, you fools.”