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“The Cackling Madness, Shu’Yulculla.” The King of Oceans. All the seas on the earth were under his rule. Fish people, the ‘Ruttlewe’, were his subordinates.

“The Wriggling Chaos, Kelek-shak.” The King of Insects. The Edea Peninsula, which the fairies called home, was his fertile territory. He ruled over a race of humanoid maggots called the ‘Kinwe’.

“The Blasphemous Cleric, Ashron.” The King of Spiders. He ruled Harbadonia, the land of snow and madness up north. The spider people, ‘Necranech’, were the king’s blessed subordinates.

“The Distorted Scream, Anridal.” The King of Time. He ruled the central part of the Akrad continent. The old hunting dogs known as the ‘Tantalos’ ran through time and space at her command.

“The Howling Destruction, Neigalas.” The King of Lizards. He ruled over the entire Adrion Continent, the stolen land turned into a desert. Those blessed by her were called ‘Reptilians’, as they were humanoid beings that showed reptilian elements.

“Humanity, and all the mortal beings of the world, were their slaves.”

There was not a trace of civilization back then, as it was a blessing exclusive to those mutant monsters who enjoyed the Kings’ favor. Humans crawled on all fours like beasts and lived in fear. They were not the great beings of creation.

“That was when the Lords of Light came to this land. At the time, humans were illiterate and lacked knowledge, so they merely called them ‘Those Who Arrive’.”

Those Who Arrived, the seven beings with the power of creation to light up the world of emptiness and chaos.

Tervel, the Sky’s Sun.

Shurigan, the Bloody Sun.

Karenden, the Black Sun.

Maxentia, the Pale Moon.

Jeannir, the Noble Moon.

Tersia, the Sorrowful Moon.

Meian, the Moon of Creation.

“The lightning of the Sky’s Sun, Tervel, burned the ancient forests, and the light of the Pale Moon, Maxentia, caressed the burned desert and made it shine with new life.”

In the war of creation, Those Who Arrived made enormous sacrifices and sealed away the souls of the Old Kings.

“It is all thanks to their love that we can laugh in this warm house now.”

The story of Those Who Arrived and the ‘real’ Warriors who served them ended with the war of creation. It was why people whispered that there was no more light in the land when the ‘Black Summer’ began.

“Dad, Grandpa Gwen said that the gods left. He said that the last war was a great one, but Those Who Arrived didn’t appear.”

“He said that? Ratel, the gods exist. They are watching over us, even now.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“How do you know? I want to see them.”

Father, who had been telling old legends while seated by the stove, suddenly turned to the table.

Mother was feeding the younger sibling some porridge, and the little brother smiled brightly when he met his father’s gaze.

Looking at them, the father replied. “Whenever you run toward me with that smile on your face, I can feel the gods’ presence.”

“What?”

“Have you ever thought something similar while looking at Kaisen? When he smiles at you while trying to reach you.”

“That’s… I dunno!”

“Ratel, this world is beautiful, and everything they made is brilliant. The gods’ love is embedded in that brilliance. A day will come when you realize this.”

She remembered her father smiling down at Kaisen while stroking his head.

She’d smiled as well. How nice would it have been if they could have stayed in that moment forever.

The memories faded away along with that warmth… and she opened his eyes to the lonely cold of reality.

‘Ah…’ Ratel got up from bed, wiping away the tears in her eyes. Her young son’s breathing as he lay sleeping beside her was faint, but his face was clear and innocent, without a single blemish.

Ratel, quietly looking at her son’s young face, felt a sharp pain in her heart once more.

‘Ahh…’ Was that what her father was talking about back then…? Covering her son’s body with a blanket, Ratel got up to do some housework.

The ‘Imperial Woodlands’ was a general term for the western part of the empire. The land, rich in timber, made a lot of money by exporting firewood to various places since the beginning of the era of steam engines but was always short of manpower.

Was that why they accepted the refugees who fled to the empire from the scorching heat? Ratel, a woman from a village at the end of the world, lived as a vagabond before marrying a local man.

‘So what if we were accepted?’ They kept doing stupid things… She guessed that they had no choice but to accept refugees, as it was the will of Her Excellency Setsunen.

“What on earth is a ‘religious reform’?”

The Holy Human Empire, the most powerful empire in human history, was divided by the true and heathen religions under the pretext of a ‘religious reform.’

“Ratel…”

The ‘True Religion’ was a group that upheld the teachings of the Church of the Light Dragon while the Heathen Religion advocated for individual freedom, which had been oppressed by religion in general.

“Ratel…”

The empire was fighting with itself while, south of the mountains, people fought against the abyss.

‘If I want to find my mother and brother, I need to go south…’ She was struggling to even take care of her family and seethed at her miserable helplessness.

“Ratel!”

Her thoughts were broken by someone’s call. When she looked up from the laundry, she saw her husband. Suddenly, fear filled her heart. He was supposed to be working at the government plant, but for him to be there, so out of breath with soot covering his face…

“Why?”

“Here, this is a newspaper from down south…”

“A newspaper from below the mountains? That’s illegal. The nobles block us from reading it. How did you get it?”

“Shh, someone might hear. That’s not important. You said your brother is named ‘Kaisen’, right?”

Kaisen… Ratel remembered her younger brother chattering, “Sis, I’m hungry… let’s go home…” as he followed behind her.

Whenever he met either their parents’ or her eyes, he would smile brightly for no reason.

Her husband, seeing Ratel’s tightly closed eyes, took it as affirmation and urgently said, “Look at this. At the beginning of the year, a male Fake Warrior was initiated, and he’s doing great.”

“A male Fake Warrior…?”

“His name is Kaisen. Kaisen Alter Aradamantel. Look here. Isn’t this your little brother? I heard that there was a picture of him, but I couldn’t get it.”

Ratel held the newspaper and stared blankly at the words on the page.

‘Aradamantel, Aradamantel…’ She was certain that her mother had said that her name was Raminea Alter Aradamantel… Was it a coincidence…?

No, but, still… The name ‘Kaisen’ was derived from the Dragon Tongue, so it was by no means a common name…

The paper had no personal information or a picture of the male Fake Warrior. Only words, nothing else, but she felt the blood connection between them clearly.

Ratel’s sight blurred with tears. An unstoppable sob burst out from deep within her chest, making her whole body tremble. “You’re alive. You, you’re alive…”

March 8, 1698 AD.

It was not known exactly how many troops were able to successfully retreat to the mountain defense line. The battle took seven seemingly endless days.

During those seven days, the Fake Warriors had to move around like crazy, guarding and encouraging the soldiers.

Was that why, when they reassembled, everyone’s faces were filled with despair and exhaustion?

“The Old Kings aren’t some pest. How could she hide like a rat under Aurelinople just to destroy the floating castle? Utterly ridiculous. That fucking lizard bitch,” Gorgothia scathingly said.

Loveris answered, “Just her use of such a plan shows that she’s the most dangerous opponent I’ve ever faced. Fortunately, we will receive support.”

“Support? Who on earth would send support? Is the empire finally deciding to help?” Mern’s eyes widened.

“His Excellency the Crimson Flame will come from Harbadonia. The Light Dragons from the Imperial Court are also coming.”

“Where did you get this information?”

“It is what Her Excellency the Lightning told me.”

Teval scoffed in disbelief. “His Excellency the Crimson Flame, Acarea? He’s not in any condition to fight right now. Even dogs know that he’s been in Harbadonia since he helped defeat the King of Time in order to recuperate…”

“Loro, even if Lord Acarea comes, how can we last until then? By the time he arrives, the Red Mountains will have already collapsed, and we will be buried beneath them.” Alidona exhaled a long puff of smoke as she came to terms with reality.

Loveris rubbed her temples. “We have no choice but to prevent that from happening.”

“We have to do that without His Excellency the Heavenly Castle’s wisdom or Her Excellency the Lightning’s array?” Kaisen asked.

Everyone turned to look at the young Fake Warrior at his sharp, realistic remark.

Loveris sighed. “Thank you for clearing things up. What are you trying to say?”

“I’m too dull to think of a way to resolve our current situation, but Lia is different.”

“Lia?”

The young heroine, who had been standing behind Kaisen, cautiously stepped forward in front of the senior Fake Warriors.

When her hair turned white, the elasticity of her aristocratic curls disappeared, but she was still beautiful, even though she was covered in blood and dust…

Lia Alter Tas Alfo spoke. “I don’t know if I dare make a suggestion, but…”

“What are you being so cautious about, brat? Just speak.”

“Neigalas sent out three high-ranking Old Nobles first and has not yet fully revealed herself in Aurelinople. She is strangely cautious.”

“Of course. That bitch is smart.”

“Historically, you can see that Neigalas is more cunning compared to the other Old Kings, but this is too much. Why would she hide when even His Excellency was eliminated? What more is she expecting to trap?”

The chatter died down, and people exchanged blank looks.

“What we can guess, no, what we can be certain of is that Neigalas is not doing well.”

“Come to think of it, I think His Excellency said that he had never seen a future like this…”

“In order to escape His Excellency’s predictions, she must have resorted to some trickery. She must have gone to extreme lengths, right?”

Alidona shook the ashes from her smoking pipe. “So you want to aim for the Old King?”

“There are no guards around Neigalas. Originally, Roten’s Force of the Eternally Damned was supposed to protect her, but since Kaisen subdued them…”

“It’s like you’re saying we should go die. Even if there are no guards, if the Old King calls, wouldn’t the three Old Nobles come rushing? Fighting the King and being surrounded by the Old Nobles at the same time?” Gorgothia pushed her point.

Lia stood firm. “Of course, I’m not saying we should go without a strategy.”

Loveris nodded. “Speak.”

“In a defensive battle from a fixed position, humanity has a 70% chance of winning.”

“Everything you’ve explained so far makes it seem like you were talking about an offensive battle.”

“Yes, that’s right. I plan to play an offensive-style defensive battle.”

Everyone muttered with expressions of disbelief.

“Do you all remember? The dwarves were supposed to supply us with new weapons.”

“Are you talking about the armored train?”

“Yes. The armored train will probably arrive at the coastal lift base bordering the plains soon. Since His Excellency the Heavenly Castle brought forward the dispatch date, there was no time to hand it over during the recent recapture of Aurelinople.”

The armored train, an invention of the Smith of Ten Thousand Weapons, Halvaron. It was a groundbreaking innovation that reshaped trains, which had always been a means of transportation, into a weapon of war.

The length of the engine compartment alone was 96 meters. The horsepower limit for steam engines was 34,000, and it was a war machine made by combining 116 carriages, each with 56 wheels.

Lia seemed to have the exact blueprint of the vehicle written in her head.

“Please continue explaining,” Loveris said.

“We will place all three armored trains in a row, surrounding the outskirts of Aurelinople and fortifying them like a fortress.”

“A fortress of trains?”

“Yes. Regular soldiers will support the subjugation of Neigala from this ‘train fortress’ by dealing with the demons that will surge in from all sides. This way, a defensive battle line will be complete.”

Everyone started muttering at once. They had a hard time believing that such a simple yet effective strategy could be devised by a human.

Kaisen glanced at Ria and nodded.

Gorgothia said, “That’s quite a fresh idea. A defensive battle in enemy territory? Sounds awesome.”

“We can’t guarantee survival… the goal is to subjugate Neigalas before everyone dies.”

“What’s so surprising about Fake Warriors dying? I wanna drill a big hole in the back of that bitch before I die.”

Kaisen asked Loveris, “What would you like to do?”

Loveris’s pupils trembled quietly in the candlelight. Among the three marshals on the central front, two were dead, and the last was on another front. As such, the final decision rested on her shoulders.

Having the final say…

It was never easy, as any choice she made would affect the lives and deaths of countless people. Her respect for the Heavenly Castle and her despair at his absence filled her.

“Captain, we can’t stay here forever. Make a decision.”

Loveris closed her eyes tightly. A decision… She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again as she clenched her fists.

[I will approve the plan.] Suddenly, the candle flame split into many branches and spread into a string of characters in the air.

That wasn’t what surprised everyone—a pure presence instantly brightened everyone’s hearts in the darkness.

“Oh, my God.”

Setsunen of the Lightning appeared with the sleeping body of Mirngadia in her hands. How arduous must it have been to rescue Mirngadia from the floating castle while evading the Old Nobles, volcanic ash, and sandstorms?

Setsunen’s golden form was covered in wounds that couldn’t be healed quickly, even with a dragon’s regenerative powers.

“Your Excellencies…” Loveris immediately knelt down in obeisance, and the others followed suit.

Although his body was asleep, the mind was awake, and the voice of the Heavenly Castle transmitted through the Electrical Reverberance Formation.

[The sealing of Naigalas is my duty. To do so, we must open the way, but as you can see, I no longer have the capacity to do so.]

“…”

[I am now telling you to die so that I can complete my mission. Will you still follow me?]

Silence filled the room. In everyone’s mind, the swirling sandstorm and the shadow of the King writhing rose like a nightmare.

‘For His Excellency to order death…’

Mirngadia had never before commanded death so directly.

No… The operation was the first and last time the Heavenly Castle requested anyone’s death in his long career as a commander.

Did that mean that, in a future where the King was overthrown, everyone there would no longer exist?

Everyone remained silent.

Loveris Alter Shirfang was the first to speak. “Your Excellency, the Iron Cross will obey your commands until the very end.”

Tears filled Setsunen’s eyes. It wasn’t just because she was a naturally sentimental person—she had read Loveris’s inner thoughts when she spoke so concisely.

“My, Gorgothia’s, Piljung will also be there. If I don’t drill a hole in that bitch’s head, I’ll end up dying from regret.” Gorgothia’s hero party lined up next to her, using their desire for revenge as a stepping stone.

“My Black Rose will also go,” Lia said, “It was a plan I devised, so it would be ridiculous for me not to go.”

Everyone’s attention turned to the Fake Warrior who had not yet spoken and who did not have a corps of his own—the Third Seat, Kaisen Alter Aradamantel.

“My intention, as ever, remains unwavering.”

On that distant day, faded in the sandstorms gone by, he gave the exact same salute his teacher Kamila had given when she was ordered to die.

“Your Excellency, please command this Fake Warrior once more.”

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