Chapter 358 – Ep 2

Terms used in this episode:

Asymmetrical forces – Asymmetrical warfare is when the military capabilities of hostile powers are not simply unequal but so significantly different that they cannot make the same sort of attacks on each other. In short, a very powerful force versus a weak force. Asymmetrical forces are the troops that make that huge difference in power.

EPILOGUE 2

The imperial civil war.

It was also called the Calamity War. Half a year after that war, the relationship between the Argon Empire and the Sälen Kingdom was not good.

With the fate of the world at stake, the two powers of the continent had dramatically joined hands in that great war.

In fact, the two countries maintained a close cooperative relationship during the Calamity War.

They faced the demon followers together and spared no expense in providing each other with supplies.

Because it was an extreme situation in which the entire world would be in danger if either side collapsed.

As history had always proven, internal forces would end up uniting with each other when an outside enemy appeared.

The attacks of the beings from outside Pleiades, the archangel of Heaven and the overlord of Hell, brought even the Argon Empire and the Sälen Kingdom which had been at war and a truce for 300 years to hold hands with each other.

And like always, as history had proven this time, the moment the outside enemy disappeared, the unity of the internal forces was also broken.

“The demon followers are still active. There are still two calamities who escaped from the Calamity War, and attacks from the east are still continuing. It means that the Calamity War is not yet over.”

Countess Mino.

As the ambassador of the Argon Empire, she spoke in an earnest tone, even throwing away her diplomatic rhetoric.

But the expression of King Henry II of Sälen when he heard her was that of indifference.

And he actually replied indifferently.

“I know.”

“Your Majesty!”

Countess Mino reflexively raised her voice, but flinched and backed down. Because the hands of the knights who were guarding the audience room had immediately moved to the handles of their swords.

Although they had not pulled it out yet, Countess Mino, who was also quite skilled in swordsmanship, could tell.

Their swords were not actually pulled out, but the eyes of the kingdom’s knights were full of hostility.

Countess Mino closed her eyes.

Even though she knew that persuasion was impossible in the first place, she felt heartbroken when faced with the frustrating reality.

Henry II spoke.

“Countess Mino. We just acted in order. We defeated the imperial forces that had attacked the Cilates Plains and driven by that momentum, we advanced and captured Fortress Byron. And according to the rights of the victor, we will continue to own Fortress Byron. What problem do you find in this situation?”

“It was the chancellor’s army, those traitors, and the demon follower groups who attacked the kingdom.”

“Yes, my Sälen Kingdom shed a lot of blood to fight them. Because of the war caused by the imperial chancellor.”

“He’s a traitor.”

“He’s a traitor of the empire. He was originally the chancellor of the empire.”

Countess Mino gritted her teeth.

Fortress Byron.

One of several fortresses that existed between the empire and the kingdom.

But this was only its dictionary meaning as Fortress Byron had a great value that both countries could not easily give up.

‘It’s a strategic point.’

On the outskirts of the Cilates Plains, large mountain ranges were spread out like walls.

Therefore, from the perspective of the empire, they had no choice but to cross the rugged mountain range or advance through a relatively narrow one-way path in order to attack the Cilates Plains.

So both countries had one fortress each there.

Fortress Saradium, the garrison of the Knights of the Golden Lion and called the shield of the kingdom.

Fortress Byron, the gateway to the Cilates Plains and at the same time, a gateway to prevent the kingdom from advancing to the empire.

After defeating the chancellor’s army led by Marshal Bartolein in the Calamity War, the kingdom’s army continued to advance north and occupied Fortress Byron.

And this brought about a serious security crisis for the empire.

The mountains surrounding the Cilates Plains were the shield of the kingdom against the attacks of the empire, but it was also the shield of the empire against the attacks of the kingdom.

However, the Sälen Kingdom could now freely advance into the empire with the acquisition of Fortress Byron.

It was a huge security threat to the empire.

War would obviously not easily happen.

The kingdom’s army was more likely to use Fortress Byron as a barrier in order to defend the Cilates Plains more completely than to use it as a stepping stone for attacking.

‘It’s just a possibility.’

Both countries suffered huge losses from the Calamity War, but the empire actually suffered more in losses.

A civil war broke out, and not only did the imperial forces were split into two, but the battle itself was almost entirely within the territory of the empire. Thus, the damage caused by the ravages of war was inevitably on their side.

The imperial capital was completely in ruins, and other major cities and highways of the empire suffered great damage.

And their problems did not end there.

‘We lost too many skilled people.’

In Pleiades where superhumans existed, the value of asymmetrical forces like the great swordmasters and archwizards was truly enormous.

But due to the Calamity War, the empire lost too many human resources.

Absolute Knight Galahad was killed by the demon followers, and Grand Sword Master Lucius became a demonic human and was killed by the Golden Sword Saint.

Even before the Calamity War, the Sword God who was called the strongest on the continent had been seriously injured and forced to retire, so they actually had one Grand Sword Master left, Elune.

‘But Elune does not want to go out of the Shadow Forest.’

In other words, in the event of a war with the kingdom, there would be no Grand Sword Master from the empire who could stop the great swordmasters of the kingdom.

‘The problem is not just the Grand Sword Masters.’

The number of Sword Masters who became demonic humans was not small.

Many people died and killed each other during the war.

The loss of wizards was added to this.

The absence of frontline commanders and so on.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the power of the imperial army was cut to less then half compared to before the Calamity War.

On the other hand, the kingdom’s army did not.

Rather, their power was stronger than before the war.

The Sword Saint of Stars, Musu, had retired due to an injury.

But as their replacement, a new strong man was born in Sälen Kingdom.

The Sky Sword Saint, Lucas Hræsvelgr.

At the age of seventeen, he was a monster among monsters who rose to the position of the strongest Sword Saint in both countries.

His existence was no different from a disaster for the empire.

It was not just that.

In the Calamity War, the kingdom’s army hardly lost their great swordmasters.

Rather, the growth of newcomers such as Gaël Bayer, also called the Wolf of the Wind, and Seven-Killings Sword, Seryu, was remarkable and their power was further strengthened.

In particular, the actions and dignity of Count Alex Bayer, the Sword Saint of Wind, struck terror into the hearts of the imperial army.

On top of that, there was the Red Angel, Count Arthur Chase.

Comparing each other’s hands, it was a situation wherein defeat could be seen even before the fight.

“We just got what we deserved. No, we were rather seriously considerate of the situation. In fact, the war compensation we demanded from the empire was only a small amount.”

Countess Mino felt like her heart was crushed by the casual remarks of Henry II, but he maintained his expression even if it was hard.

Henry II had changed.

The indecisive and weak king no longer existed.

For the kingdom, he became like a cunning and sly person who was brazen and firm.

So he replaced that huge amount with the words ‘only a small amount.’

“I have nothing more to say. So let’s finish this. You must have been tired from coming a long way, so take a good rest and go back. Make sure to try the Partion wine that can only be drunk in winter.”

Henry II had a friendly smile as he stood up from his throne as though he was not giving her room.

Countess Mino who visited the kingdom without even a single card had no way to defeat such a Henry II. She could only bow down in bitterness.

“Whew, that was hard.”

As soon as she left the audience room, Henry II drooped his shoulders.

He pretended to be confident in front of Countess Mino, but he felt like this did not suit him.

“Oh my, what are you talking about? You’ve shown me such a great performance that my heart is pounding.”

At the words and bright smile of First Queen Justina who was watching everything inside the audience room from the outside, Henry II awkwardly smiled.

“Justina.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“There will be no war with the empire, right?”

“Yes. The empire cannot afford it. In fact, thinking of trying to advance further north while we’re at it… is a bit too much for us. It will not be a wise decision to do so.”

There was an actual practical reason for that than a rational one.

The Argon Empire was now serving as a breakwater in blocking the demon followers coming from the east.

The empire was protecting the kingdom by shedding their own blood, so there was no reason for the kingdom to advance.

It was better to aim for the empire after the battle with the east ended.

“And… we also have to turn our forces to something other than invading the empire.”

At the words of Queen Justina, Henry II slowly nodded.

As she had said, there was something far more important than marching into the empire.

“Daphne asked for an audience. I think she heard something from the heavenly voice.”

“Is it Heaven again?”

The beings from the distant Heaven.

Henry II definitely knew.

That Raguel and Auriel were different.

Raguel, the archangel of justice, was a kind, gentle, and true angel like Solari, Eros, and Gabriel who sacrificed themselves for Pleiades in the past.

But he was still uncomfortable with the fact that they were beings from Heaven.

Because Raguel was not the only archangel in Heaven.

There were two more archangels, and they were all sisters.

He did not know if they would seek revenge for Auriel and attempt to invade Pleiades.

“They will not.”

“Common sense tells us that they will not. But… isn’t there already an example that goes beyond common sense?”

The archangel Auriel.

She loved Solari so much that she went mad.

She tried to destroy with her own hands the people whom Solari had sacrificed her life for.

“In any case, this is Raguel we’re talking about… and the remaining two are different from Auriel. They have not gone mad. Haven’t they also refused to hold hands with the demons, even if it was temporary?”

First Queen Justina smiled and spoke as if to reassure him, but Henry II could not immediately nod.

Was it not impossible to even know the thoughts of someone who had been with you for a long time?

He was too hurt from the past to trust the words of other people he had heard through others.

“Of course, there are practical reasons. Due to this war, the archangel Auriel is dead, and as a result, there are only three archangels in Heaven left. On the other hand, there are still five overlords left in Hell. In short-”

“You want Count August Bayer and Countess August Chase to defeat the overlords?”

“Yes, as I have said several times before.”

From the perspective of Heaven, it would not be strange if their side cheered for the two to be strong.

“Ha…. I don’t like her.”

“Me too. But… why don’t you trust Raguel a little? After all, she still lost her beloved sister. But she admitted the fault of her sister and asked for forgiveness. She… I think she is someone we can trust. You could say that ‘gods’ have a human side too.”

“Gods have a human side…”

Henry II sighed again and slowly nodded.

If Countess Mino had seen him, she would lament ‘He was that kind of guy?’ The kind who knew well to follow Justina’s advice every time he was unsure, worried, or could not make a choice.

“What did Daphne want to talk about?”

“I think she decided to get help from Raguel for this ‘expedition.’ Since they’re going to Hell in the first place… it’s natural to get help from the angels.”

“This world has gotten weird.”

It was a world where surreal beings like angels or demons have become common sense.

“But Your Majesty, is this really okay?”

“What’s okay?”

“This expedition.”

First Queen Justina looked at Henry II with calm eyes and asked.

What she was asking about.

This expedition was very dangerous.

It was a world that was not a neighboring country, it was Hell.

Most of the asymmetrical forces that the kingdom had an upper hand over the empire were expected to participate in this expedition.

And it was highly possible that all of them would never come back.

It was such a dangerous choice.

As a king of a country, opposing this expedition might be the right decision.

But Henry II shook his head.

Despite Justina’s question, he spoke firmly without any hesitation.

“We have to do it.”

They had to save Jude and Cordelia.

It was impossible to abandon those two.

“Why do you think so?”

Why do we have to do that?

There was no smile on the face of Justina. She asked as she coldly stared at Henry II.

Henry II did not avert her gaze.

He was indecisive and weak, but he nevertheless showed why Justinia agreed to marry Henry II.

“Because that’s the right thing to do.”

Even if he was the king, he could not just abandon them.

There were things he wanted to protect as a person.

Jude and Cordelia had saved Henry II himself.

They saved the royal family, the kingdom, and the whole world.

It was impossible to abandon those two.

He could never allow abandoning them.

“Because that’s the right thing to do…”

First Queen Justina tried to repeat the words of Henry II in a murmur before she gently smiled. She giggled and looked up at the king. She whispered with the expression of a maiden.

“That’s why I like you.”

Because that’s the right thing to do.

Because you can say such things.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Henry II blushed and cleared his throat, so Justina laughed again. She gently held his hand and said.

“Well, shall we go? Daphne will be waiting for us.”

“Yes, Justina.”

Henry II shyly smiled again and held Justina’s hand, and Justina turned red this time.

The knights and maids around them averted their gazes as they hid their happy smiles.

***

Fran raised his head.

“Old man.”

“Yes, Fran.”

“Ugh… you’re no longer an old man. I can only see you as my age.”

“Hmm… If I look at it objectively, don’t I look younger now than you?”

Fran frowned at the remark of Velkian who was reborn as the No Life King, a vampire lord.

Because it was true.

“I’m going to find the fountain of youth.”

“Contact me when you find it. I want to use it as research material.”

“Why, old man? Your personality changed when you became younger.”

“That’s natural. Just as how the mind affects the body, so does the body affects the mind.”

If Fran was a good-looking man similar to a beautiful woman, Velkian was a handsome man with a manly and cold impression as if he was carved from ice.

“This is a scam. Why did you grow taller just because you got younger?”

“You get shorter as you get older. You’ll be there soon.”

“No, I won’t? I’m still far from that, okay?”

Fran childishly grumbled and deeply sighed before looking around.

The two were currently on the battlefield.

They were in the eastern part of the empire.

The land where war with the demon followers coming from the east was continuing.

It was not a fierce battle.

Rather, it seemed like the continuation of a standoff situation.

It had actually been more than a month since Fran and Velkian last stepped on the battlefield.

“Fran, where is Kamael now?”

As a vampire, Velkian slept during the day and was active at night.

Therefore, he always asked what happened during the day every time he wakes up.

‘But I think he was like that even when he was a human.’

A nocturnal person who slept during the day and was active at night.

In any case, Fran replied as he scratched his chin.

“He’s looking around the frontlines one last time.”

“One last time?”

“Yes, the letter has finally arrived.”

An expedition to Hell.

Starting the invasion was not an easy task.

They also needed to solve the various restrictions that would be there after their invasion.

Therefore, even though Lena and the young goddess Atalia had been working hard, their expedition had already been delayed for several months.

“Is it finally over?”

“Perhaps.”

Fran replied with a smile, leaning against the wall and looking up the sky.

It was night, but he remembered the sun.

***

Letters were sent all over the continent.

Many responded to the order to gather for the expedition.

Princess Leica once again led her troops and left the Forest of Eternity.

Elune, who left a letter of apology to Vincenzo Lombardi, attempted to run away for the first time in her life.

Seven-Killings Sword, Seryu, stopped wandering and headed for the royal capital.

Red Wind who was equally blessed by all the wild gods, proudly left the wild lands.

And one more person.

The man who would be the protagonist of this expedition put down the letter.

He grabbed the Solar Blade that was still shining even after that day.

“May the muscles always be with you.”

The sun that would remove the darkness of Hell.

The one who would lead everyone with a consistent view of his back.

He also met the goddess of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.

He was able to make a lot of progress from his meeting with her.

“It’s Hell, huh?”

There was no fear in the face of Landius.

Rather, a sun-like energy radiated out of his entire body.

“I’m going, my disciple.”

I will surprise you this time.

Landius openly laughed and took a step forward.

He headed to the royal capital for their invasion into Hell.