Viscount Liam's Estate...
"Alex, everything is ready. Jevran asked me to inform you." Noriyuki's voice cut through the morning air, a hint of urgency in his tone.
Alex looked at Noriyuki, a wide, eager smile spreading across his face. "Excellent! That's exactly what I wanted to hear. And what about the war slaves?"
Noriyuki stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Ah, they should arrive this morning. Jevran requested they be unloaded right here at the harbor. He purchased what they call a 'combo'."
Alex's curiosity was piqued. "A combo?" he echoed, raising an eyebrow.
Noriyuki nodded. "Yes, a combo: thirty war slaves, fifty swords, and fifty sets of armor."
Perfect. We are more than prepared.
"I see. Thirty slaves. These thirty, the survivors after the war, will earn their freedom. I don't intend to use them in the future, only on the day of the invasion."
Alex's gaze softened as he looked at Noriyuki, a faint, relaxed smile gracing his lips. "Hey, Noriyuki, let's have a duel. There's nothing else to do anyway."
Noriyuki chuckled. "Why don't you get some sleep? The invasion could happen at any moment."
"Already running away, are we? Hahahaha!" Alex teased, a playful glint in his eyes.
"Far from it. Very well, I accept..." Noriyuki conceded, a competitive spark igniting within him.
The Theocracy of LumenThrone Room
King Magnus sat upon his throne, lost in thought. The grand palace doors swung open, and Magnus watched as his representative, Takuma, stumbled through, panting and drenched in sweat.
Takuma immediately knelt before the king, bowing his head in reverence. "Your Majesty, a thousand apologies for the delay. I know you must be weary and wish to rest, so I shall not prolong this."
King Magnus leaned back against his throne, his voice calm but firm. "Proceed, Takuma. What news do you bring from the Royal Empire?"
"W-well, Your Majesty," Takuma began, his voice still a little strained, "as you commanded, I journeyed to the capital of the Royal Empire. Upon my arrival, I secured an audience with King Greg. The following day, we began negotiations. I explained the dire situation to him: that the monsters of the Verdant Wastes grow stronger each day and continue their advance towards the Crimson Forest. After my explanation, I offered a solution. I requested that he relinquish command of the Verdant Wastes to the Theocracy of Lumen for one month—a sufficient time to purify the entire forest. However, he refused to accept, stating that there would be no further negotiations and that the next encounter between the Royal Empire and the Theocracy would be on the battlefield..."
Magnus, his face contorted with pure hatred, began to emanate a terrifying aura, the very air around him growing heavy with his fury.
"War is what he desires, and war he shall have! I will dispatch twenty thousand men to occupy the forest within two days. Furthermore, I will send two of the twelve Luminarca Conclave members as commanders. I will claim that forest, even if it means igniting a full-scale war!"
Takuma stared at the king, visibly startled.
I've never seen the King like this. He has always been so calm. In any case, it's best if I withdraw.
"Your Majesty, my task is complete. Do I have your permission to withdraw?"
The king looked at Takuma. "Yes, you may go. Good night."
The Next Day...Mist Harbor
Alex stood on the east coast, disguised as Liam, awaiting the arrival of the slave cargo and armaments. As the ship docked, a well-dressed merchant disembarked.
"Greetings! You must be Lord Liam, am I correct?"
Alex scrutinized the merchant from head to toe before replying, "Indeed, that would be me."
The merchant continued, "Well, Lord Jevran instructed us to unload the cargo here, and that you were already aware of all the arrangements."
This man disgusts me. He treats other races as if they are mere objects to be used and discarded.
"Noriyuki, come here. Please take care of the cargo. I have something else to attend to."
"You can count on me," Noriyuki replied, already moving towards the ship.
Alex muttered to himself, "Ugh, this beach smells of rotten fish..."
I think I'll head to the Verdant Wastes for some training and to fully map out the terrain.
One Hour Later...
"Well, here we are, at the entrance to the Verdant Wastes. This forest is as green as ever."
Alex began to trek through the forest in his normal form, a soul-bound clone remaining on the east coast, acting as Liam.
Suddenly, Alex spotted a massive serpent ahead. He immediately adopted a combat stance and charged forward with his sword. Alex sliced off the serpent's head, but to his astonishment, it rapidly regenerated. He recoiled, his mind racing.
Self-regeneration, huh? I need to prevent it from regenerating. That means I must land a destructive attack that covers most of its body, hindering its recovery. I think I know what to do.
The serpent lunged at Alex with full force, but he effortlessly dodged its attacks. Alex conjured numerous magic circles in the air, from which several swords forged of fire emerged.
"And now, for the grand finale!"
Now, I just need to try fusing the already created fire with the element of darkness, creating swords of black fire with utterly destructive power.
Alex extended his hand, pointing towards the colossal serpent. All the swords instantly shot towards the creature, piercing it in countless ways.
Alex stood still, observing the aftermath.
"Incredible! I managed to fuse dark magic with fire. This will be a good trump card for my revenge, but it's not enough. I will continue. I won't stop until I wipe out that scum!" Alex declared, a dark, resolute glint in his eyes.
Alex walked towards the now lifeless serpent. As he approached, the serpent's body simply vanished, and a small magic stone appeared in its place.
Alex bent down and picked up the magic stone, then placed a hand on his chin, deep in thought.
How strange. Why is it that in this world, some monsters drop magic stones upon death, while others drop nothing? And what exactly are these magic stones? This world remains a great mystery to me.
Alex continued his journey. A few black goblins surrounded him, but he eliminated them without issue, pressing onward. As he looked ahead, he saw a massive crater carved into the ground.
Alex smiled, a nostalgic expression on his face.
"So, this is where Clif danced for the last time. What an incredible, powerful attack. It looks like a bottomless pit. He truly left his legacy right here."
Alex clenched his fist and pressed it against his heart, a faint smile gracing his lips.
Alex looked up at the sky, noticing that it was already late afternoon.
"I should head back to the harbor. I wonder how things are going with Noriyuki and the rest of the crew."
Half an Hour Later...
Alex looked ahead and saw something beyond his comprehension: a Fenrir, a legendary beast, was passing through the forest.
"Incredible! I feel that if I had to fight it, I would surely die..."
Alex looked at his hands, which were trembling uncontrollably.
"Perhaps in the near future, I might be able to face you."
Alex veered off his original path due to the Fenrir's presence.
Royal EmpireTraining Ground, Obsidian Plain
A thousand-strong army stood ready, alongside their commander, Rashford.
King Greg stood beside Rashford.
"Alright, Your Majesty has something to say. I want everyone to pay attention," Rashford announced.
Greg, a smile playing on his lips, addressed his troops.
"As you all know, the Theocracy has been troubling us for several months. Now it is time for us to respond in kind. They want the Verdant Wastes, do they? The best response I can give them will be to seize the Crimson Forest for the Empire! I am counting on all of you!"
Following his declaration, numerous war cries erupted from the soldiers. The king, still smiling, turned and departed.
"Rashford, come here. Take one of the Four Blades with you. Perhaps the Empire will send that group of Luminarcas."
"A question, Your Majesty. How did you discover that the Theocracy would attempt another attack in two days? I ask because if the information came from them, it could be a trap set by the Theocracy itself. And why so many soldiers? I believe that with five hundred soldiers, we could completely dominate the Crimson Forest."
Greg smiled calmly and replied, "Rest assured. I have a loyal operative infiltrated within the Theocracy, so you may proceed without fear. The individual in question discovered that the Theocracy would send a large army in two days to seize the Verdant Wastes. As soon as this person found out, they came directly to me to report the situation. Oh, and regarding the number of soldiers, it's simple: I believe these numbers will be sufficient. It's not too few, nor is it exaggerated. I will send Cat with you; I believe she will be useful, being one of the Four Blades."
Rashford bowed in reverence and thanked the king.
Nightfall...Verdant Wastes Forest
Numerous soldiers of the Royal Empire began to march deep into the forest.