Before long, the dust that had filled the arena began to settle.
And moments later.
As the imposing figures of the monstrous bird legion gradually came into view, along with new users leaping down from their backs, I couldn’t help but gasp sharply.
I hadn’t imagined it. The flags fluttering in the distance clearly bore the golden lion emblem of the Golden Lion Clan.
But that wasn’t all. There wasn’t just one flag, nor were they all from the Golden Lion Clan.
“How… how is this possible…?”
Looking back, the Northern Continent had two major golden ages.
The first was when the Golden Lion Clan, rulers of the Old Northern Continent, led the charge to conquer Barbara. The second was when our mercenary clan spearheaded the assault on Atlanta.
And now?
Not only the Golden Lion Clan, but also SSUN, Balhae, Buknyeok, Stella, Across Vaino, Myeolhwarang, Iris, Mir, Hanul, Nopsaebaram, Ssawoolabi…
All the clans that once led the Northern Continent to glory had gathered here. Just the clan banners I recognized numbered over ten. And scattered among them, I could clearly see the old Ten Strong—this was no illusion.
I had no idea what was going on. The Northern Continent’s forces had multiplied exponentially in mere minutes. But how…?
“Ah.”
No, there was a way. If you use GP to make a wish, you can even resurrect dead users as residents.
So that means my brother must have revived every single one of those people with GP? After fighting a war, just to save me?
“Haaah…”
At that moment, someone sighed deeply, weighed down by despair. Astaroth covered his face with his hands.
“I told you… we should have stopped them at the gate… Why let them get this far…?”
I instinctively turned my gaze and saw Erwin standing rigidly at the edge. His face was pale as death, but his expression was tightly controlled, as if suppressing every emotion.
“Perhaps…”
Finally, Erwin spoke quietly.
“…I think I was wrong.”
Astaroth glanced at him sharply.
“There are less than ten thousand of them anyway. We could have just wiped them out and taken everything.”
“…Yeah. We should have done that from the start. Damn it!”
Cursing, Astaroth jumped down from the platform, clearly frustrated.
“Ahahahahaha!”
Suddenly, laughter rang out from the sky, echoing all around. The sound felt oddly familiar, and as I looked around, someone suddenly leapt down beside me.
The moment I recognized who it was, I squinted instinctively.
“Thanatos…!”
“Su-hyun.”
Since arriving at the Temple of Promise, Kim Yu-hyun had been staring up at the platform. His eyes narrowed slightly. He sensed the enemy’s behavior shifting strangely, but for some reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off his younger sibling’s face, which was filled with disbelief.
At least, they had made it here safely.
But to be honest, they had only arrived. Nothing had been accomplished yet. More precisely, there were still many mountains to climb—it was only just the beginning.
“Hey.”
Just as he was about to sink into despair, a rough voice spoke, tapping his left shoulder. Turning around, he saw a handsome middle-aged man, probably around forty, with kind eyes and a warm smile. He was the clan lord of the Golden Lion Clan, once rulers of the Northern Continent.
“This isn’t the time to just stand there, friend.”
At the friendly voice, Kim Yu-hyun nodded, catching his breath.
“So, those guys were the ones who stirred up the Western Continent and started the war back then?”
A calm voice came from the right. The former Goryeo clan lord stood with arms crossed, staring straight ahead. Kim Yu-hyun answered steadily.
“Yes. But that’s not all. The demons also summoned beings from other dimensions during the Steel Mountain Range campaign. If not for that, the Goryeo clan wouldn’t have been destroyed just before reaching Atlanta.”
The Goryeo lord’s expression stiffened.
“…Understood.”
He muttered to himself quietly, then glanced sideways.
“By the way, this is surprising.”
“Hm?”
“Not you. The Golden Lion Lord.”
“Hmm?”
As the Golden Lion Lord swung his right arm, the Goryeo lord smiled wryly.
“I never imagined you’d accept joining the fight. Even if it’s to avenge your fallen comrades.”
“Ah… it’s simple. They saved me. And promised resurrection. A deal like that is a bargain.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“So let’s not growl at each other here. I heard the Golden Lion Clan was destroyed by internal strife… I can’t quite understand it yet.”
“Hah! You talk as if you’re blameless.”
“What?”
The Goryeo lord sneered, and the Golden Lion Lord snapped back angrily. But then he suddenly flinched and stepped back. A long staff had suddenly been thrust right in front of him.
“What’s all this noise?!”
The voice was hoarse but filled with magical power, booming fiercely. The staff was withdrawn, and the figure approaching was none other than Son Bun-rae, the former protector and great mother of the Northern Continent.
Son Bun-rae glared with wrinkled eyes and clicked her tongue. The Golden Lion Lord sheepishly scratched his head.
“No… he started it…”
“Quiet! You’re alive now, and this is the time to bicker?”
“You’re alive too…”
“You old hag! Be quiet!”
Son Bun-rae shouted, then pointed her staff threateningly at the sky. At that moment, the three men tilted their heads back to see the demon legion rising into the air.
Krawrrawrrawrrawr!
The monstrous bird leader let out a fierce cry and spread its wings wide. Having been asked to prevent the enemy from gaining air superiority, it was moving without hesitation.
At that critical moment—
“Enemy attack has begun!”
A frantic shout came from the front as countless arrows soared from the enemy lines, filling the sky. The atmosphere shifted strangely, and the archers who had been aiming since earlier released their strings all at once.
In other words.
The war had already begun.
“D-Defensive magic…!”
Watching the arrow storm rush in like a bullet, the Goryeo lord shouted urgently.
But the Northern Continent wasn’t standing still.
“Defensive Matrix!”
Whoooosh!
Suddenly, a fierce wind whipped around us. A blue-tinged gale spread wide, quickly forming a massive, rounded barrier.
Within the howling wind that whipped hair wildly, Baek Han-gyeol gritted his teeth and spread his arms wide. Then he shouted once more.
“Reflection!”
At that moment, the wind-made shield glowed bright white just as the descending arrows struck it.
“Oh-ho…!”
The Golden Lion Lord couldn’t hide his astonishment. The arrow storm that seemed poised to blanket the Northern Continent was completely blocked by the barrier. Some arrows even bounced back toward the enemy lines. Of course, a few did break through, but they were easily handled by the mages and priests’ defensive spells.
After the attack ended.
“…It’s begun.”
Son Bun-rae poked Kim Yu-hyun’s back, who was standing dazed, staring at the monstrous bird legion soaring into the sky.
“You there!”
“Yes?”
“The enemy is already moving. And you’re the commander of this battlefield. Are you just going to stand there spacing out?”
“Of course not.”
Kim Yu-hyun answered calmly. Though standing still, his mind was already racing.
The enemy forces could be divided into four groups.
Western Continent, Southern Continent, Demons, and Fairies.
Even if they could handle the Western and Southern Continents somehow, the other two were problematic. The monstrous bird legion alone wasn’t enough to stop the mid-level or higher demons attacking from the air, and the fairies’ summoned spirits were no joke.
But.
‘We will win…’
If they couldn’t win, they wouldn’t have come.
No, if that were the case, they would have just accepted negotiations quietly.
‘We must win…!’
But they came this far because they believed they could.
“Enemy movement detected!”
“The Western and Southern Continents are charging head-on!”
“Demons are taking to the air…!”
“Fairy spirit summons detected…!”
Reports came in one after another. With the arrow attack blocked, the enemy was finally moving in earnest.
With no time to organize his thoughts, Kim Yu-hyun quickly spoke.
“First, the two of you should join forces to hold back the enemies coming straight at us.”
“Hm? Just hold them back? That’s it?”
“You’ll find out if it’s ‘just’ when you face them. But if possible, pushing them back would be even better.”
“Well, well! This actually bruises my pride more than I expected… But fine. Let’s give it a shot.”
With a puzzled look, Lord Golden Lion curled the corner of his mouth into a sly smile. Then, striding forward with purpose, he raised his spear and shouted loudly.
“Golden Lion Archers! Forward!”
At his command, about thirty soldiers began to move, and the front ranks quickly formed into a tight, disciplined formation.
Kim Yuhyun’s decision to save the users from the Old Northern Continent was based on two main reasons. First, their combat experience was nearly on par with the current elite users. Second, although limited to allied clans, the mere mention of the “Golden Lion” unified their entire command structure.
In other words, as long as they could be brought onto the battlefield, they wouldn’t flounder like amateurs but would act with coordinated precision. And so far, the Old Northern Continent troops were exceeding Kim Yuhyun’s expectations.
“What are you waiting for? Let those bowstrings sing! Fire as much as you want!”
Watching Lord Golden Lion’s familiar commanding figure, Kim Yuhyun pulled a communication orb from his chest pocket. As he channeled magic into it, the orb glowed brightly and a video feed appeared.
After a moment, a woman’s voice came through.
(Yes, Uncle. I’ve been waiting.)
(Hmm… Yes. Actually, we just received a report that the fairies are summoning spirits.)
(It seems so. I’m watching it too.)
(…Are you really confident?)
Kim Yuhyun spoke cautiously, a half-beat behind. Though he didn’t yet know what she was confident about, the woman nodded vigorously as if no further thought was needed.
(Of course. Last time, we didn’t even know they existed. But now that we do, it’s definitely possible.)
(But…)
(Please believe me. I am their queen.)
(…Then, we’ll leave it to you. We’ll try to draw their attention as much as possible. When the right moment comes, make contact.)
Moved by her desperate plea, Kim Yuhyun found himself apologizing as he entrusted her with the task.
Yet the woman smiled brighter than ever.
Meanwhile, at the same time—
As the final war, sudden and unannounced, was just beginning to stir,
The allied forces had sent all the Demon Fourteen Lords and even the Great Demon to the front lines, but Erwin remained on the dais.
It was only natural. Every war needs a commander to issue orders, and this high platform was the perfect vantage point to monitor enemy movements.
Erwin’s current orders closely mirrored the strategy that had shattered the Northern Continent in the previous war.
First, attack head-on with the Western and Southern Continents’ forces and the lower-ranked demons. Then, quickly eliminate the giant beasts with mid- to high-level demons, providing aerial support to ground troops. As the enemy lines began to falter, send fairies and spirits to strike from the flanks.
Given the changed circumstances, the demon victory seemed all but assured.
Yet despite this, Erwin’s eyes were filled with an inexplicable anxiety.
“Where is it…?”
One of Satan’s greatest strengths was never letting his guard down, no matter the situation.
“What is he thinking…?”
If he was willing to reject such a negotiation and declare war first, there had to be some hidden move. That’s why Erwin’s gaze had been constantly watching since the attack orders were given.
Then—
At the exact moment he spotted a lone figure suddenly emerging from the enemy ranks,
“…W-what?”
Even Satan stammered—a rare occurrence—because the woman was someone he knew well.
How could he not? She was the second most watched user after Kim Suhyun.
Yet, from the Northern Continent’s ranks hastily forming a defensive line, a woman suddenly broke away alone.
“Alone… she’s coming out by herself…?”
Putting aside the fact that this was the middle of a battlefield, if she understood her own importance, she would never do something so reckless. It was madness.
Just then,
“Ah!”
Erwin’s sharp eyes involuntarily widened as if about to tear.
At that moment, Satan made two fatal mistakes.
First, he was so distracted by Kim Yuhyun’s declaration of war and the sudden appearance of the giant beast army that he only belatedly remembered Ansol’s presence.
Second, by focusing all his attention on Ansol, he failed to notice the woman slipping away stealthily in another direction.
(Kill herrrrrr!)
So urgent was Erwin’s roar that it was almost a bellow.
The demons, startled by the shout, immediately spotted Ansol running alone, halted their maneuver, and charged toward her at lightning speed.
But it was too late.
Far too late.
“Ei-ight!”
With a surprisingly cute scream that belied her grim determination, Ansol raised a sword high into the air.
Then, the pure white blade caught the dazzling sunlight and came crashing down with tremendous force.
And at that very moment—
---------------------------= Author’s Afterword =---------------------------
I’m sorry.
I’ve gotten into the habit of taking Mondays off, and my body just wouldn’t cooperate this time. ㅜ.ㅠ
I kept wanting to rest, but somehow I managed to finish this installment, and that feels pretty good.
I have conquered the Monday blues. Ha ha.
…But you know what?
One comment completely shattered my mental state.
Dongx: “Of course people hate it when you call Royujin ‘Royumi.’ Since ancient times, ‘Jin’ has meant first place in women’s competitions, not ‘Mi.’”
…….
………….
…………………….
……………………………….
…Yes. I admit it.
Not that I agree with the ‘Jinseonmi’ idea, but that’s a pretty original take.
Anyway, it’s definitely fresh. But may I ask—
Did you really have to say that?
Actually, ‘Royumi’ isn’t my ID, so I could just ignore it. But after reading that comment, the name ‘Royujin’ itself feels like a burden.
Every time I log in and see my nickname, that comment pops into my head. And I want to bang my head against the monitor. Honestly, I want to change it.
That said, some readers found it funny and laughed along.
But not a single reader has told me to stop now that the story’s almost over!
…Fine.
That comment was a brilliant declaration of war that shattered my sanity.
I tried so hard to avoid this, but if you insist, I will gladly accept the Third Loli War.
Since I was attacked first, it’s only right I strike back.
Ah, readers, I almost forgot to mention!
Actually, the appearances of Gexx and SuX were just event cameos.
Meaning, the war can be won without them.
So, I’m planning to seriously reconsider whether their appearances really fit the story flow.
Definitely not because of that comment.