Chapter 183: Turning the Tables (3)

It had been three weeks since the reports from the Kingdom of Kanburk. Duke Samuel had been waiting for this news.

The news was intense. An unimaginable army of over 80,000. While it wasn’t the legendary 100,000-strong monster army of old tales, it was still enough to turn the Kingdom of Kanburk into a barren wasteland.

The Duke was delighted to receive this report.

“That’s the end!”

Though unexpected calamities had befallen along the way, he had finally achieved the most desirable outcome. How could he remain seated idly now? The Duke promptly informed the Emperor of this joyful news that day.

The Emperor’s laughter echoed throughout the palace during the report, and the Duke intuitively sensed that this mirth was connected to his own well-being. In the days that followed, a series of delightful messages continued to stream from the Kanburk territory:

Each daily update brought smiles to both the Duke and the Emperor, their joy evident in the curling corners of their lips.

Kurt, the Orc Lord’s eyes were vermilions from the bloodlust. To anyone unaware of the situation, it would have seemed as if his eyes were filled with madness, but that was not the case.

He sensed it instinctively—the inevitable approach of that terrible being. This compelled Kurt to drive himself relentlessly forward. The mere presence of the dragon etched deep into his mind had paralyzed the Orc Lord’s rational thinking.

The instinct to conquer? Even the innate urge to vanquish couldn’t overcome Louis’s awakening of the survival instinct. Thus, the Orc Lord spurred on his subordinates to evade the pursuing monster.

Move faster!

Wave after wave, countless orcs and large monsters advanced under their lord’s command. Despite being monstrous beings themselves, an army of 800,000 moved frustratingly slow. The Orc Lord was tempted to abandon his forces and flee at any moment.

Kurt couldn’t do that. To him, his army of monsters wasn’t a means to conquer but a shield for his survival. He felt at ease only when surrounded by the soldiers he had gathered.

We need to leave this place!

As the Orc Lord led his troops:

Shudder!

A monstrous aura radiating from the front struck a chill in his heart. He sensed with terror the presence of the creature that had been lingering behind them.

It moved ahead of us somehow!

Kurt raaaarred, commanding the swarm of monsters to veer off course. As the army changed direction…

“This is Kani, Kani, come in!”

[Kani, here.]

“The ugly War Pig went that way.”

[Understood!]

Kani smiled prettily at the receding army of monsters.

The boundless plain stretched out under a blanket of snow, transformed into a pristine expanse of white by the night’s fall. Amidst this frozen landscape, an army of forty thousand had gathered.

In the command tent of this formidable force, a warrior burst in with utmost urgency.

“Y-Your Majesty!” The eyes of Lokan VII and the assembled nobles, engrossed in a strategy meeting, snapped towards the newcomer.

“What news brings you here?”

“I-I bring grave tidings!” The soldier’s face was pale from the frantic sprint. Without pausing to catch his breath, he swiftly reported, “The Snow King’s army has altered their course!”

“What?!” The nobles’ eyes widened in shock.

It had been but two days since they first heard of theSnow King and his 80,000-monster-strong army descending upon the Mac Mountains.

The Kingdom of Kanburk, having prudently gathered its forces in anticipation of unforeseen events, swiftly began mobilizing its troops. They aimed to anticipate the movements of the Snow King’s Army and deploy their soldiers accordingly. However, their plans were thwarted when the Snow King’s forces unexpectedly changed direction.

Duke Bliss urgently questioned the soldier who had just reported to him. “Where are those creatures heading?”

“That is…”

Just as the soldier was about to answer, another interruption occurred.

“I-I bring news!” A second soldier burst into the tent.

Within mere minutes, these successive developments drew the nobles’ eyes back to the scene unfolding. Sensing all eyes on him, the newly arrived soldier blurted out:

“The Snow King’s Army has changed direction towards our forces! If they continue on this path… we’ll encounter the Snow King’s Army within an hour!”

”…?!”

The sudden shift in the Snow King’s Army’s movement route caused panic in the Kanburk Kingdom’s command. The soldiers’ pace naturally quickened.

“Hurry up!”

“Build the battle formations before they arrive!”

There was no time to find a better location for setting up formations. If the enemy was coming this way, they had to fight here.

“Move, move, move!”

Armed soldiers began lining up in long rows. Pikes, shields, archers—each soldier took their place according to their branch of service.

As they frantically deployed their forces, a dark shadow appeared beyond the horizon.

An overwhelming swarm of monsters bore down on them, their numbers reported to be a staggering 80,000. The ranks included immense creatures that would challenge even the valiant warriors of the Marcy state, as well as frost orcs which typically required two or three soldiers to bring down.

Gulp.

Their forces were outnumbered two to one. Despite being seasoned warriors from the Kanburk Kingdom, the sheer scale of this monstrous army was unprecedented, and tension gripped the soldiers’ hearts.

As the troops tensed, their hands clenching their weapons so tightly their knuckles turned white…

Dong!

The resonant boom of a drum echoed across the battlefield. Simultaneously, a mighty voice boomed:

“Fear not!”

The proclamation, as if amplified through a loudspeaker, reverberated throughout the encampment.

The voice belonged to the ruler of the Kanburk.

The soldiers tightened their grip on their weapons at their ruler’s voice. At that moment…

Boom! Boom!

Giants appeared on both sides of the pillar of soldiers amid thunderous steps that shook the very axis of the world. Upon seeing them, the soldiers’ faces brightened.

“Transcendent!”

“Ice-white armored warriors!”

Boom! Boom!

Several hundred Transcendents emerged before the soldiers and lined up in a row. Most were fourth-rank Transcendents, but even that was enough to raise the soldiers’ morale. The Transcendents stationed in the frontmost ranks provided a sturdy shield against the enemy while also serving as massive spears against the enemy. And right at the front of those Transcendent ranks…

From a pure-white second-rank Transcendent, the king’s voice rang out once more.

“Fear not! Since when did the mighty warriors of winter cower before mere monsters! Your ancestors would scorn you from their graves if they beheld such cowardice!”

As he spoke, the Transcendent belonging to the king unsheathed his sword.

Shing-ling, shing.

The colossal blade extended to three times its length.

Lokan VII gestured with the tip of the sword towards the advancing Snow King’s Army.

“Arise, Holy Swordsmen of Frost!”

At his command, the Transcendents pulled out their swords in perfect unison. Their movements were so synchronized it was as if one person was controlling them all. It was a magnificent spectacle to behold.

“You are the true warriors of the tundra! Melt these icy plains with the blood of your enemies!”

Vmmmm…

As the voice of the king’s Transcendent reverberated across the battlefield, the eyes of the soldiers shimmered with renewed vigor.

Stomp.

The king’s personal Transcendent, having exhorted his soldiers in a majestic voice, stepped forward. The determination to be the first to face the enemy was evident in its sturdy stance.

Shreeee.

The 40,000 elite troops of Kanburk bristled with fighting spirit as they gazed upon the approaching monster army.

Lokan VII, riding his Level 2 Transcendent, bit his lip as he stared down the enemy line.

…This won’t be easy.

Everyone had tried to dissuade the king from joining the battle. But Lokan VII rejected their pleas. He was a warrior of Kanburk, and no man flew a Transcendent better than he did.

If he could save just one more soldier through his efforts, even if this place became his final resting ground, he would wield his sword with all his might.

Thud-thud-thud!

The approaching ranks of Snow King’s army were now clearly visible. Their march sent ominous echoes across the frozen plain.

‘Come at me!’

As Lokan VII mentally steeled himself for battle…

“Nice speech, Your Highness.”

Lokan VII was startled by the sudden voice, which seemed to come from right beside his head. He whipped his head around as a king would.

At the same time, Lokan VII could see—who else but Louis perched on his shoulder, the monarch fully transcendent era.

When did…?!

He hadn’t even sensed Louis’ approach. How had he appeared here in the first place?

Louis smiled at Lokan VII’s startled exclamation.

“But isn’t that a bit harsh, my lord?” he teased gently. “With your Transcendent at hand, shouldn’t anyone who can’t match your skills be given a chance to catch their breath?”

“How dare you…”

“Well, it speaks volumes about how much you value your soldiers, doesn’t it?”

“How did you end up here?”

“I arrived well and truly.”

“I don’t care why you’re here… Be gone!”

“Didn’t I tell you? The Pantheon will favor us. Ha!”

Louis leaped down from the Transcendent as if muttering to himself.

“I came here to show you,” he said, strolling forward.

Lokan VII cried out, astonished.

“P-P-… priest!”

Despite being called to, Louis didn’t pause.

Instead, he casually waved his hand and continued.

“Observe and take note. This is the concept of a Pantheon.” With that, Louis continued his steady advance.

When he was about ten paces away from the king’s Transcendent—

Hwooooooo…

A white energy surged forth from Louis’s body.

Soon, the energy began to coalesce into a distinct form.

Hwoooo…

Two hundred fifty years earlier, this very figure had appeared before three hundred bandits.

Drrrrr…

The air and earth trembled unnaturally as the white energy sustained its intensity.

“Argh!”

“Urgh!**

Overwhelmed by the crushing presence, soldiers and knights couldn’t help but groan aloud.

Moments later, an enormous entity fully materialized.

“Hah…”

A colossal male form descending from the heavens, exuding the aura of an Absolute Being—it was none other than the divine presence itself.

Someone, entranced, murmured in amazement.

“The Pantheon… It’s Carlos.”

Gulp.

The 40,000 soldiers and those in the rear command.

Those riding the Transcendent, including King Lokan VII.

Everyone was entranced by the shape and majesty of the full Pantheon hovering above Louis. They were so engrossed that they didn’t even notice the Snow King’s army coming within a few hundred meters.

But soon, they realized something was off.

The distance between them and the approaching army of the Snow King had stopped shrinking.

They could no longer hear the thudding footsteps of the enemy soldiers, which had once reverberated throughout the land.

The Snow King’s army had halted around 200 meters away.

Faced with this, King Lokan VII muttered to himself:

Forty and eighty thousand.

A total of one hundred and twenty thousand troops were now stationed on the snowy plain. Amidst this desolate landscape, the voice of the Pantheon boomed:

It was not a long speech.

However, Lokan VII trembled at the power contained within that voice.

Could this be… the voice of God?!

It was astonishing enough to hear the voice of God, but what happened next was even more extraordinary.

Graaaaawr!

A colossal roar erupted from the center of the Snow King’s Army.

Lokan VII’s thoughts were simple upon hearing it:

They’re… afraid…?

Despite its thunderous volume, the roar was filled with terror.

Why is that?

The moment Lokan VII formed this question…

Thump-thump-thump!

The previously stationary monster army began to move. But their direction was peculiar. The monster army was…

“Running away?”

“W-What’s going on?!”

“My goodness… Oh, God…!”

Eighty thousand monsters were bypassing the forty thousand soldiers of the Holy Empire, making way for something else.

The warriors of the Kanburk Kingdom, prepared to face death, could only stare blankly as the Monster Army passed before them. Thus, the Snow King’s Army completely withdrew from the battlefield.

Shshshhh…

As the divine figures that had soared into the sky vanished, light settled over the frozen landscape. To countless soldiers’ eyes, it seemed as though the Divine Body was blessing the land of Kanburk.

Lokan VII, witnessing this, found himself muttering unconsciously:

“Could it be… we should truly adopt the religion of the Divine Body as our state faith?”

With so many having already witnessed miracles before their very eyes, opposition wouldn’t likely be as strong. Moreover, having experienced this miracle himself, Lokan VII continued to seriously consider making the religion of the Divine Body the official state religion.