Chapter 241

The Cordis Imperial Army advanced powerfully.

A great force of seventy thousand began to cross the great mountain range along the narrow, single path.

The West could not stop them, even if they tried.

This was because the Widow Queen and a portion of the troops had left for Schmeizen.

Instead of waging a muddy battle on the narrow path, they blocked the front of the gate and solidified their defenses.

They built a gate at the pass exit.

The mages of Hohopran Magul, representing the Western Magic-path, all clung to the task and erected a massive Triple Gate.

They poured out their mana until they collapsed, and even when they collapsed, they were fed Golden Medicine, only to rise again and pour out more mana.

The Western soldiers hastily reorganized their formations.

Since they were men gathered from various Western nations, the command structure was a mess.

I created a staff skilled in administration and military strategy to make the Combined Command functional.

It was not an easy task, but as it was my second time as the regressor Shion, staying up for a few nights was enough.

Obro Denoebang and Amethus.

The two most outstanding swordsmen in the West prepared in opposite ways.

Obro Denoebang drank and wandered about.

His soul was already complete, so nothing would change whether he prepared or not.

Therefore, Obro Denoebang showed the soldiers the figure of a hero, distinctly different from before, but rather more jovial, boosting their morale.

Amethus stayed in his room, sharpening his sword alone.

He had no ties to the West. Having even sent Shadi Shandor away, he was terribly alone. But it did not matter.

He just sharpened the sword, the double-edged sword he received from Ferbias, with a piercing heart.

Before the advance of the Imperial Army, everyone waited busily.

There was no excitement.

They had strived and prepared, but they earnestly wished all these preparations would be in vain.

A few young ones chattered loudly, saying it was finally time to show their skills.

However, those even slightly older could only chew on the meaning of death, their faces naturally darkening.

I, Shion Pollinglight, stood before such a crowd.

It was about the time the Imperial Army would reach the West in two hours.

I was on a dais.

It was a place where I could look down on the entire crowd, and the entire crowd could look up at me.

It was time for a declaration.

I am a secret-keeper.

I could have raised my voice as if in oration and spewed lies to deceive them.

Lies such as these, for instance.

The Empire is actually weak.

The West is actually strong.

We have hidden forces.

The Western Alliance will responsibly protect you……. I could have boosted morale with such lies, and it might even have been quite effective, but I did not do so.

It was not a matter of efficiency, nor of profit and loss, but a matter of courtesy.

In my position of driving them to their deaths, I had no choice but to observe minimal courtesy.

This was because I, Shion Pollinglight, am that kind of person.

“I am Shion of Merion.”

I, Shion Pollinglight, began my words thus.

“As some of you may know, I am a new groom, married last year.”

The young men from the Bururade Peninsula nodded.

Anyone from Bururade could not not know the Verchello family and me.

“Like many of you here, I too urgently evacuated my wife. I desperately wanted to follow her, but I could not.”

I did not hide the fact that I had evacuated my wife.

As I was a liar, I knew well when it was okay to lie and when it was not.

Now was a time when I must not lie.

“Why could I not follow her? Why did I have to remain here with all of you?”

There was no one who answered.

The crowd did not yet fully grasp my intention.

It was noon.

Under the shattering sunlight, I, Shion Pollinglight, was, as always, brilliantly beautiful.

My golden hair and blue eyes shone like the sun.

Regardless of whether the skin beneath my bandages was covered in scales, or how my insides were rotting.

“It is simple. You all already know.”

I spat out the fact dryly.

“It is because the Cordis Empire is strong.”

The soldiers’ faces turned pale.

Even the seasoned staff members looked worried, wondering if it was okay to let me keep talking.

Although they had heard about it beforehand, it was too different in character from a generally accepted speech.

What on earth did I intend by exposing their inferiority?

Many thoughts, many worries, many gazes.

Many things were directed solely at me, one person.

But I calmly continued my words.

“This, too, is something I wish to hide. But can it be hidden? Everyone, our opponent is Cordis. The Millennium Empire that has always oppressed us! Even though Great Emperor Continua has stepped down… they are still powerful. So strong it makes one shudder.”

My voice, carried by magic, drifted among all the soldiers.

The soldiers held their breath and listened to my words.

It was not a booming voice, nor was its content positive.

It was a truth they did not particularly want to face, but hearing it whispered like this strangely made them want to keep listening.

“Such a powerful enemy has closed in right before us, yet if I were to flee….”

I, Shion Pollinglight, swept back my hair.

My blue eyes flashed.

“Who will protect my wife?”

That simple phrase resonated in the soldiers’ hearts.

They were not special nor spectacular words, yet they could not understand why it struck home.

I felt the gazes fixed on me begin to carry heat.

“The reason we cannot flee is simple. It is because it is the same for all of you. There are those who sent their families far away, and those who could not, but it is all the same. The detestable Cordis knows no satisfaction. They will chase you to the ends of the earth and trample you, and your families. Do I really need to tell you what state Horm ended up in?”

A few soldiers shook their heads.

The rumor that Horm, a country in the far east, had been conquered by the Empire and split in half was already famous.

No matter how moderate a man the conquest army’s commander, Secundus, was, war was war.

No matter how moderate, it was only natural for it to contain a cruelty that shattered daily life.

An unfathomable tragedy had swept through the land of Horm.

“Therefore, protect them.”

I clenched my fist.

“Whether you can or cannot is not important. Protect them! You must protect them. Think of your wives and children. Remember your sisters and parents. If you do not want them to be trampled, you, yourselves, right here, must stop the Empire. There is no other way.”

I added more words over the silent crowd.

“I will say it again. There is no other way.”

I raised my index finger and pointed accusingly at the people.

I did not distinguish between soldiers or officers.

There were those who avoided it and those who did not.

“You, you, you! We!”

Agitation threatened to mix in, but I struggled to compose my heart.

“…Yes, we must die here together with those Empire bastards.”

I spoke calmly of death.

I did not hide the fear everyone wanted to turn away from.

At that, there were many who felt as if they were not afraid.

This was my, Shion Pollinglight’s, way.

“Then, our people, the ones behind us, will live.”

I bowed my head.

“Therefore, everyone. Let us prepare to die to the best of our ability.”

***

At the end of the Waist Gate, the Imperial Army stopped its march.

The Triple Gate created by the West blocked them.

“Hmm. It was a short time, but they managed to build such a gate.”

“…All of the West’s mages must have clung to it.”

Secundus and Kateka exchanged conversation.

Nana Nereyades was also guiding her horse beside them.

Behind them followed a great force of seventy thousand.

The ground trembled with every step.

“…I will call the Magi-Soldier Corps.”

Kateka Keshulei said.

“…If we begin a group Dispel, a gate like this will soon….”

“No. There is no need for that.”

Secundus leaped nimbly down from his horse.

He briefly sized up the Triple Gate.

Its width was enough to block several hundred men, and its height was like a hill.

It was thick upon thick, and being three layers, it was clear a Dispel would take considerable time.

“I couldn’t be bothered to give a speech or anything anyway, and now I have something to show them.”

He raised his hand to halt the advance.

Soldiers who saw the Three-Mi Grand General’s gesture hurriedly relayed his command to the entire force.

Following that, mages rushed out under Kateka Keshulei’s direction.

They chanted spells and formed hand seals, casting magic.

At that, an image capturing Secundus’s form floated in the empty air.

It was enormous, large enough for the entire army to see.

In the image, Secundus left the soldiers behind and walked out alone before the Triple Gate. Even his back looked immense.

The Triple Gate, meant to block a great force of seventy thousand.

One man standing before it.

“…Watch closely, Cordis.”

Kateka Keshulei’s murmur mixed into the image.

“…That man is your Grand General….”

Secundus clenched his fist.

A small shield was attached to his arm.

The Ancient Weapon, ‘Olive of Victory’.

According to his will, the shield became a gauntlet covering one arm.

The scent of olives wafted everywhere.

“Hmm.”

He clenched his fist, made a grunting sound as he gazed at the Triple Gate, and presently, struck.

At that, a KABOOM sound occurred.

It was no ordinary loud sound.

That KABOOM sound was as if a thousand cannons had been fired simultaneously.

If one were to write it, it would be insufficient no matter how many exclamation marks were attached.

It was the thunderous roar of Secundus Debius’s punch destroying the gate.

The massive, dam-like gate came pouring down with a crash.

The first gate was shattered into pieces, and the second gate was also half-destroyed.

However, the third gate merely had a large hole punched in it, which looked insufficient for an army to pass through.

Secundus Debius laughed heartily.

“How embarrassing. The one at the very back wasn’t fully broken.”

I struck such a pose, and yet.

At that, there was another KABOOM.

It was because he had abruptly rushed at the third gate and punched it.

The Triple Gate, which all the Western mages had clung together to create, was futilely shattered into pieces by just a few of Secundus’s punches.

The wide-open Triple Gate.

The West beyond.

The Western soldiers, staring at him in bewilderment.

“Hmm. Now that it’s wide open, this is good!”

The Western soldiers found it difficult to grasp the situation.

There were KABOOM, KABOOM, sounds, and then the massive Triple Gate collapsed, and one enormous man appeared.

From the circumstances, it seemed that man had destroyed the Triple Gate, but it was not something that could be understood with common sense.

The Imperial Army was similarly baffled.

Although they had heard many rumors that the Three-Mi Grand General Secundus Debius was strong, it was because they had not known he was such a monstrous person.

Only the honor guard that followed Secundus snickered and followed behind him.

And Secundus saw me.

I also saw Secundus.

From this side of the battlefield and that. From the West and the East.

The half-brothers clearly recognized each other and met eyes.

Then, we quickly turned our heads away.

It was a time of war.

“What are you all doing?”

Secundus Debius raised his voice.

“Before your eyes! There is the enemy!”

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