“It is over 500,000.”

King Nemesis was sitting by the windowsill. The weather was good. The sunshine was warm, and the wind was refreshing. Reidan’s desert was hot, but the trees that had been planted in the garden had fruit.

“As expected, the orcs have a high participation rate in the war.”

The Gauss Kingdom had maintained its history and traditions even on the border of the empire. Their long history proved they weren’t a kingdom to be bullied. 

At the heart of the kingdom, there was a competent royal family. King Nemesis was bright and had sensed a change from the moment the new empress started the reforms. He had foreseen and prepared for the Overgeared Kingdom’s conquest war. Once he heard that the orc lord had pledged allegiance to the Overgeared King, he already started preparing for the invasion of the orc army. This meant they had enough time to prepare for it.

“It will be very close.”

King Nemesis waved his hand, causing a small shockwave that hit the branches of a cherry tree. He hurriedly caught the fallen cherries, roughly wiping them with his sleeve and then putting them in his mouth.

“Hrmm.”

The taste and aroma of the cherries spread through his mouth, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

‘Could the Gauss Kingdom also leave a lingering impression on someone?’ King Nemesis had this thought as he spoke to the prime minister standing beside him, “They’re sweet, fresh, and delicious. The people will like them.”

“I’m glad.”

For nobility and royalty, a garden was a symbol of authority. The size, magnificence, and beauty of the garden were used to flaunt their power and financial resources. However, King Nemesis was an exception. His garden was large and lush but not beautiful. It was full of fruit trees like an orchard. The empire’s ambassador had sneered at the king for his taste. Nevertheless, the nobles of the Gauss Kingdom didn’t shame King Nemesis as he had planted the fruit trees to give a bit more to the people.

“It must’ve started.”

Regardless of whether it was the west or the east, kingdoms that were geographically close always had bad relations. The hostile relationship between the Gauss Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom had lasted for hundreds of years, and the Overgeared Kingdom had inherited it.

The Gauss Kingdom hadn’t forgotten the tragedy of Borneo, where 3,000 young soldiers had been killed. From the time that Lauel—who killed the 3,000 surrendered soldiers—became the reigning prime minister of the Overgeared Kingdom, the relationship between the two kingdoms became irreversible.

This war had been foreseen for a long time. The Gauss Kingdom had six plans for victory in this war.

***

“As expected, we can’t let our guard down.”

‘Detector’ was the sum of alchemy, where magic and science were combined. For a variety of reasons, countries without alchemy coveted them. It was said that it was more advantageous to use the money it would cost to build an alchemy facility to buy a detector.

However, the detector was one of the few items even the empire found hard to obtain. It was because this product could only be produced in high-grade alchemy facilities, and the success rate was atrociously bad. The empire had exactly 23 detectors, most of which were distributed to the commanders on the front lines.

Yet in the capital, Reinhardt…

“Now, now. Look at the things clinging to the walls.”

The soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom were hiding behind pillars of the outer walls and watching the intruders. They were extremely ordinary soldiers yet some of them possessed detectors. It was an absurd sight that couldn’t be seen even in the empire.

“They are slower than a turtle.”

“Every step along the way, they have to slow down to take a breath and look around.”

“They are extremely careful. That’s how they managed to get here while avoiding the eyes of the farmers.”

The detector was a mix of alchemy products that could visually detect targets, multi-faceted crystals, the Magic Power Detection spell, and various telescopes. The structure itself was relatively simple because it wasn’t much different from a telescope, but it couldn’t be easily produced due to the crystal correction and the low probability of the magic spell being attached.

However, Grid had recently dramatically raised the level of Reidan’s alchemy facility and produced more than 50 detectors. The increase in the facility level temporarily raised the success rate of the detectors, and they produced a batch of detectors, aiming for this exact timing.

Most of the 50 detectors were first deployed at Reinhardt’s gates. Some veteran soldiers were holding a detector. These soldiers had been watching the invaders from the beginning, waiting for the right timing to kill them. They planned to appear above and below the walls the moment that the intruders climbed halfway up and became incapable of escaping. Yet the soldiers didn’t have to act.

“Eh?”

A stench pierced their noses. It resembled the stench of the rotten flowers that Piaro had buried deep below the walls a few months ago. Why did he bury the bizarre flowers that had withered and rotted under the walls? The soldiers hadn’t known why, but they discovered the reason at this moment. The flowers they had thought to be dead and buried were actually alive. Vines dug out of the earth and moved secretly, winding around the ankles of the intruders in unison. 

-Puraaaaaaaah! Grotesque petals emerged from the ground with a bizarre scream.

It was a daunting appearance not only for the intruders caught in the vines but also for the soldiers on the walls.

“Hiik!”

“M-Monster!”

The intruders screamed. They tried to cut the vines clutching their ankles, but this resistance was pointless. Before they could even make a few moves, they were swallowed up by the rafflesia. Dozens of humans were swallowed at once, and the rafflesia’s enlarged stem seemed like a devil’s esophagus.

The sight was so terrifying that the soldiers broke out in goosebumps, and their faces turned pale. 

The rafflesia gazed at the gulping soldiers and raised the corners of its mouth, shaking its vines. It was like it was smiling in greeting. Watching the flower disappear back into the ground, the soldiers murmured, “What the hell are we supposed to do...?”

***

‘By now, they should’ve been discovered.’

Burang stood quietly at the north gate before starting to move. He was moving toward the south—the opposite direction of the soldiers.

‘I have to act quickly while the assassins get the soldiers’ attention.’

Burang was a refugee from the Rotemon Kingdom, which had been destroyed by Great Demon Berith. He acquired the nationality of the Overgeared Kingdom back when they were accepting refugees on a large scale. During the past few months, he stayed in Reinhardt and lived among the ordinary people.

However, Burang’s daily life was over today. Now, he had to regain his original identity of ‘Nemesis’ Sword’ or ‘Gauss’ First Sword’ and carry out his final task.

‘It has been a long time.’

Burang’s infiltration mission had been designed from the time Berith attacked the Rotemon Kingdom. The Rotemon Kingdom had been in a state of confusion and chaos. After acquiring the identity of a Rotemon Kingdom resident with a few gold coins, Burang had waited quietly for the kingdom’s destruction. Then he naturally became a refugee and was able to become a member of the Overgeared Kingdom without much suspicion.

‘My great king.’

Step. Step. Step. As he walked silently along the lively boulevard, Burang—King Nemesis’ Sword—was determined.

‘I will surely live up to your expectations.’

Burang’s gaze was directed at the artificial forest in the downtown area. There was a small reservoir in the forest. It was the place where Overgeared Queen Irene often gathered orphans, handing out food and reading storybooks to them. Burang had been observing Irene’s path for months and knew she was a respectable royalty. Even so, she was the enemy. He had to kidnap her and pass her onto the colleague waiting at the west gate. Eventually, he would die, but it didn’t matter. He could sacrifice his life one hundred times for his family, his kingdom, and his king. 

Burang entered the forest and the withered leaves crumbled. The knights lurking all over the place appeared in unison and surrounded him.

“Go back. This place is closed today...” The knight couldn’t finish his words.

Burang’s sword didn’t give them time to speak.

“This skill...! Be careful!” The knights recognized Burang’s prowess and fought back. Burang planned to destroy them in a flash, but...

‘To think that the strength of the queen’s guards is this good?’

The knights, who had been trained by Piaro and Asmophel and used Mercedes as a role model, far exceeded Burang’s expectations. They were at least twice as strong as what Burang had observed for months. It meant the knights had been hiding their skills.

‘Unbelievable!’ Burang’s eyes shook.

He, one of the greatest talents of the Gauss Kingdom, was having difficulty with ordinary guard knights who weren’t even representing the Overgeared Kingdom such as Piaro and Mercedes? He was feeling flustered when the voice of a child entered his ears, “What is going on?”

“...!” Burang looked back and saw a pretty young man with black hair. It was Overgeared Prince Lord. He had just entered the forest, and there were no escorts by his side. Lord was just with a few of his girlfriends as always.

“Your Highness! It is dangerous!” The knights hurriedly cried out, but Burang was already rushing toward Lord.

‘It is a chance from Heaven!’

According to his usual schedule, Prince Lord was supposed to be at a different place, yet he had appeared here. Burang saw it as a chance from Heaven and stabbed at the prince with his sword. He didn’t intend to kill the prince though. A hostage needed to be alive to be valuable.

“You dare to act against the prince?!”

‘What?’ Burang was stunned. The moment he attacked Lord, the women standing by Lord’s side pulled out maces and swung them at him. Their momentum was even more superior than that of the swordsmanship of the knights he had just been dealing with. How was it that these thin bodies could contain such power?

Burang retracted the sword he aimed at Lord and blocked the maces, barely managing to stop after taking a few steps back.

‘I knew they were not ordinary women, but I didn’t expect it to be like this.’ Burang gritted his teeth.

The knights were behind him while the women with maces were standing in front of him. Burang was surrounded. 

Lord gazed at Burang and ordered, “Capture him, but don’t kill him. We needed to determine from him how many enemies are in the capital.”

“Hah! Do you think it is possible to capture me without killing me?” Burang realized that the mission had failed and revealed his true power. He gave off a powerful air that was enough to make the knights and Rebecca’s Daughters candidates nervous.

Lord bowed his head slightly. “You have worked hard, Master.”

‘Master? What all of a sudden…’

“...Eh?” Burang’s vision tilted.

He looked back with a trembling gaze when he felt an intense pain at his neck. A man with dark skin had completely assimilated with the darkness of the forest and was staring down at him. King of Shadows, Kasim—Burang’s shadow had long been subdued by him.

“This... Why...” The fallen Burang fell into deep despair. He had a hunch...

His country would soon perish.

***

-You were born in a big country proud of its 4,000 years of history. Do you want to follow an unscrupulous small king? Don’t you have any pride?

-I’m sure they’re eyeing the rewards. Tsk, it is really shameful.

-One China is a dream that is hard to achieve easily. China has a large population, but there is such garbage.

The Chinese viewers were divided over the 400,000 orc army gathered in Reidan. They went crazy upon seeing the orc players, who should be the pride of China, stood on Grid’s side. Even the anchors who needed to continue broadcasting expressed blatant discomfort.

『 The entire world is watching this scene now. How will the world react when they see a small giant of South Korea dominating 400,000 Chinese players? They will laugh. Yes, they will definitely laugh. How much will they laugh when they see the Chinese nation at the heart of the world being dominated by only one Korean? We can’t raise our heads from the shame. It is really the worst day. Today’s event will remain in China’s long history. 』

“......”

China was overturned, but Reidan was calm. The 600,000 troops and tens of thousands of spectators were silent at Grid’s words. Thousands of cameras from broadcasters around the world were filming the scene. As China and the world watched, Grid first spoke to the soldiers of the Overgeared Kingdom.

“Piaro and Asmophel will be at the forefront of the army, and Mercedes’ shield will protect you. Be fearless. Advance valiantly and annihilate the enemy.”

“Attention!”

Sounds filled the desert. Shouting alone caused the dust to swirl.

Grid’s gaze turned to the orc army. “You won’t regret it.”

These words were sufficient. Understanding what Grid meant, the orc players nodded and made up their minds. Grid made a brief speech like the big war wasn’t in front of him and then turned his attention to across the desert. 

The tens of thousands of Gauss soldiers freely entered the desert and stood in the middle of it. This was proof that the Gauss Kingdom was formidable. The leader of the Gauss Kingdom knew that the dark-skinned Twilight orcs were vulnerable to heat. Even now, the Gauss Kingdom would be sending troops here. They intended to make the desert the stage of the war to suppress the orcs’ power as much as possible. The key to this war was to break through the desert before the enemy’s forces arrived.

Grid leaped through the desert and entered the flying state as the aura of the blue dragon surrounded his body. Then he used Blackening and Quick Movements to maximize his movement speed. A sandstorm occurred along the path that Grid moved. He looked like a giant dragon.

“Divinity. Item Combination.”

Grid combined two swords into one within the enemy’s field of vision. From the perspective of the Gauss army, Grid was still as small as a dot. Then...

Grid appeared in front of the Gauss Kingdom’s army. The concept of space didn’t restrain him.

『 Shunpo? 』

“100,000 Army.”

Grid’s waist bent over significantly.

“Massacre Sword.”

A single blow took over the battlefield.

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