Chapter 53
“This is Kaisen Alter Aradamantel of Kaisen — just returned. Requesting mission orders.”
He repeated that several times, but no answer came back.
His fingers trembled.
The message isn’t being transmitted?
Had he been outside the range when the mental-resonance formation went up? He wanted to believe it was only for that reason.
[This is Nelquin of Ironhold. Report: the Golgong King Hyrkan has broken through the mountain defensive line.]
[What…]
[All squads of the Ironhold corps — hasten, finish evacuation escort operations and assemble at the rally point. End transmission.]
The highway ended midway up the western-central slope of the range.
Originally the road should have continued to the peak, but the Reptilians had wrecked the path and, as if a generator had stopped, the power had been cut off.
He swung his foot into the stirrup and hauled himself up into Bloodwind’s saddle again.
[Magic battery! This is Hosen’s rapid unit! We’re under attack from the Golgong King! Magic-battery interception is desperately needed!]
[Copy. Send coordinates.]
[Coordinates transmitting!]
[Coordinates confirmed. We’ll fire the Annihilation Flame Discharge Cannon (Seomhwa Cheongyeok-po) immediately.]
[Annihilation Flame Discharge Cannon, huh — now that’s something!]
Like a dragon belching flame, majestically—
A jet of fire leapt at an angle from Spirit-Immortal Peak where the magic battery was emplaced.
Through the sandstorm the flame ripped, drove deep into Seolhwa Peak and detonated in a blaze.
[Rapid unit, report status.]
“This is crazy — we hit it directly, but there’s no damage at all! Magic isn’t working! We can’t stop it!”
“That can’t be… hold on. We’ll send a second spell immediately. Prepare the Electro-Discharge Barrier!”
“No — we can’t hold! Aaaaaah…!”
A hideous scream hammered the air.
As he bit his lip, Kaisen finally encountered the remnants of humanity’s routed units.
“Help! Somebody please —!”
“They’re still coming after us!”
“Take cover!”
Soldiers were evacuating casualties, and the Reptilians who had pierced that fragile rear guard were committing slaughter—
Then a single flash exploded.
One-Strike Blast Flash.
A storm of light that destroyed dozens of ancient reptilian bodies in one blow and scattered them into radiant particles.
Soldiers who had been shadowed by despair looked up, stunned by that blinding burst.
Kaisen Alter Aradamantel shook blood and flesh from his blade, Gaumris, and asked.
“What unit are you from?”
“Pe- Peiquelier…?”
“What the — where did you come from—”
“Kaisen. Kaisen Alter Aradamantel! The one who cut demons and the Kiral!”
An officer snapped a hurried salute and reported.
“I’m the captain of Company 3, 4th Battalion, 14th Infantry Brigade. Our assigned defensive line was broken through and we were retreating.”
Kaisen returned the salute with a single nod.
“I just arrived at the mountain. I’ll guard your rear for a bit — report the situation.”
“The eastern mountain front is under simultaneous assault by high nobles. When we moved to the Iron Cross eastern front, the Golgong King pierced the central front—”
“Who’s the commanding general now?”
“Grand Marshal Melvin.”
“Explain why our forces are so few.”
“His Excellency ordered a retreat, so eighty percent of our main forces are manning the mountain defense line; the rest are guarding the evacuation columns below the range!”
Where were Cheongseong and Noehyang…?
Even as those reports came in, the various fronts raced through his head in urgent flashes.
[Southern Allied Forces, this is Julius. We’ll send a new train now. Please confirm the safety of the railway.]
“Thank you, Count Julius. Second Infantry Brigade, this is Grand Marshal Melvin. You must hold the railroad connecting to the city at all costs, understood?”
To run this operation efficiently, he needed to confront the supreme commander directly.
If not the commander himself, then someone who had received orders from him — the Iron Cross knights, the Ironhold major corps, any unit of the Peiquelier corps would do.
“What about a counterattack? An evacuation can’t be the whole plan.”
“Lady Seira of the Ironhold Major Corps is conducting an operation to subdue the Golgong King. If Peiquelier assists, it will be easier.”
“Not just easier — impossible to do alone. Where’s the Ironhold corps’ rally point?”
“Mid-slope of Shinwha Peak.”
Shinwha Peak…
At the core of the Red Range’s power, then.
“Too far.”
“If we can get a railcar on the southeast slope, we can get there quickly. We’ll guide you.”
The railcar was a small vehicle designed to run on the tracks. Because it could be operated by a medium steam engine, it could economically serve logistics across the entire range. Frontline soldiers jokingly called the railcars the bloodstream of the Red Range.
“All right. We’ll take you.”
“Third squad, lead Peiquelier to the railcar relay. Follow!”
“Aren’t those places occupied by the lizard bastards right now?”
“We must help Peiquelier join the Ironhold corps. Move, three squads!”
With help from the third squad, they fought through sand and Reptilians and found the relay station.
“How do you like the taste of my bullets! You like that, you bastards?”
“Internal suppression complete!”
“Good — now let’s search the inside and find a railcar.”
The railway was still intact, protected by a ward, so it looked undamaged.
But only one railcar remained; its side was smashed and the steam engine looked badly worn.
They had no choice. Kaisen and Bloodwind clambered onto the railcar and the officer pulled the engine lever.
“Peiquelier, it was an honour to be able to help.”
As the railcar rattled and started moving, the officer and his squad saluted.
He watched that salute for a moment.
What feeling lay in that salute — reverence, hope? He couldn’t tell, but he returned it respectfully.
“Your assistance was a great help. Now go down carefully. Dismiss.”
Simultaneous Frontlines,
Blocking the Bone King Hyrcan (2)
The railcar sped down the railway, revealing the reversed mountain scenery spreading out on both sides.
Even Mythic Peak, once the core of the Red Mountain Range’s power, was now buried beneath the scars of war and sandstorms. The sight struck me anew with its immense impact.
Most of the military facilities I passed had lost their former majesty, destroyed mercilessly into ruins.
“Well, well. Look who it is. Our shabby little Demon Slayer has come all the way to such a prestigious place.”
The officer wasn’t wrong.
The Iron Fortress Legion had gathered at the relay station halfway up Mythic Peak.
Not long after I disembarked from the station, I was greeted by a familiar voice.
“I heard you were coming. Your name’s been all over the thunder-mind resonance network.”
At that moment, Seira was cutting off her braided hair—hair that had once exuded obvious nobility—with a dagger.
I could only imagine how many battlefields she’d crawled through; her entire braid was matted with dried blood.
We took one look at each other’s appearances and instantly understood the kind of battles we had gone through.
“But… what about Isola?”
“Isola….”
I couldn’t bring myself to continue.
The hole in my chest ignited again, severing the connection between my heart and my voice so that no air would pass.
There was only one thing I could do.
Silently, I pulled Gaumris from my back and held it out in front of me.
It was the proof of a Feycourier’s life—and of their death.
“Ah…”
Seira gazed at Gaumris silently for a moment, then gave a sorrowful smile.
“I see… so that’s what happened.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Why would that be your fault? Honestly, I half-expected it. The Azure Star said ‘you’ would come—He never said ‘you all.’”
She had already prepared herself for grief.
While I still struggled to even speak through the pain in my chest…
Important information had been mentioned. I couldn’t afford to wallow in sorrow.
“The Azure Star? Then this entire situation… this whole operation… it was all his plan?”
“Yes. As you know, he’s no longer in a condition to command personally like before… but now that you’re here, we can finally begin in earnest.”
The Iron Fortress Heavy Legion was, as its name suggested, composed of 3,000 heavy infantry.
Armed with archaic spears and massive rectangular shields, clad head to toe in plate armor—these heavy infantrymen formed defensive lines like moving bastions.
They were nicknamed “The Breakwater of the Battlefield,” a reputation they had earned since the days of the Black Summer.
“This is Seira of the Iron Fortress. Kaisen Alter Aradamantel has joined us. Requesting authorization for Phase 2.”
[This is Commander-in-Chief Melvin. It’s truly good to know you’re alive, Kaisen Alter Aradamantel. We desperately need the strength of the Feycourier who defeated Mauna Loa.]
“Kaisen is listening beside me. Please continue.”
[The Bone King has broken through the mountain defense line and is heading straight here. There are over seven million refugees in this area alone. There is no one who can stop him and protect them except you. Will you do it?]
On the battlefield, the question was never “Can you?”—it was always “Will you?”
No one in this land could promise possibility.
Only resolve could be confirmed. And through Seira, I transmitted that resolve.
“We will stop him. No matter what. Over.”
[Then may the gods guide you, Feycourier.]
If the Bone King had already crossed Snowpeak and descended the slope, then the most effective way to cut off his path and intercept him would be…
“Levanphile Gorge, Seira.”
“Levanphile?”
“There’s no other place. We have to block him there.”
Levanphile Gorge.
The northern slope of Snowpeak was infamous for its harsh terrain.
To descend directly from mid-mountain without detouring through other ridges, one had to pass through the long, narrow corridor known as Levanphile Gorge.
“Yes, that’s perfect. It’ll let my troops make full use of their strength…”
Seira’s eyes gleamed as she nodded, then she lowered her helmet’s visor and shouted:
“Iron Fortress! Advance! Move diagonally along the ridge and reach Levanphile Gorge first!”
As expected, Seira had reached the same conclusion.
The sight of heavy infantry locking shields, covering each other’s blind spots as they advanced, had a brutal elegance to it.
That wall crushed the primitive hordes, then butchered what remained.
After entering Mythic Peak—the central range—the enemy forces had changed.
Reptilians had greatly diminished, replaced by grotesque human-like figures crawling on all fours, their limbs covered in reptilian scales.
— These are Primals.
I remembered this clearly from theoretical lessons in The Sword of Majesty.
— The Bone King, granted authority by the Sky King, steals the souls of humans and transforms them into undead creatures—these are the Primals.
They were of an entirely different class from the Bloodline.
The Bloodline were turned into Blood Slaves after being killed and infused with tainted blood—but Hyrcan could do it while they were still alive.
— Is there no way to save them?
— None. It is said that the royal bloodline of Solond could, but they all perished in the Black Summer.
— …
— Don’t make that face. If not you, then who else will cut down those wretched bodies and free their trapped souls?
Salvation of the soul…
I forced down the thought They were once human, pushed it aside, and looked forward.
“Enemy ahead!”
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
“Shove these damned lizards back!”
The difference in combat power between Feycouriers and normal infantry was overwhelming.
We didn’t even need both of us to handle the small fry.
Which gave us time to catch our breath and exchange information as we advanced.
“During the three days we waited for you, the mountain defense line was breached. We thought we’d wiped out most of the Reptilians, but once the Bone King appeared, the primitive army followed.”
“What about the Iron Cross?”
“Senior Roberis went east to take down Eum Heebaek.”
“The Bone King is probably the strongest of Naigalas’s old vassal nobles—how did this operation even come to be?”
“Heh. Isn’t it because you and I are just that strong?”
Seira snickered.
I couldn’t.
“What about the Lord of Thunder? The transmission quality’s been bad.”
“He’s deployed a thunder-resonance field across the entire mountain range. They say even facing an old noble can make ordinary people’s bodies explode—but thanks to him, at least we can resist.”
“I see. No wonder he can’t join the front.”
Yeah… that made sense.
As long as he was alive—that was enough.
Only then did my tense expression finally ease a little.
“And yet, you still think about other women even with such a beautiful comrade beside you? Unbelievable.”
Even as Seira joked, the entire mountain range continued to erupt with urgent transmission reports.
[Commander-in-Chief, Iron Fortress Heavy Legion has begun descending toward Levanphile Gorge. We will provide support.]
[Permission granted, 18th Infantry Brigade.]
[Red Mountain Range Platform Defense Force, this is Refugee Transport Train F-882. We’ll be arriving at the station shortly. Please confirm safety.]
[This is the 2nd Armored Regiment of the Platform Defense Force. Still secure for now. Come in quickly.]
By the time the Iron Fortress Heavy Legion reached Levanphile Gorge, such reports were being exchanged.
Thank god…
We’re not too late…
So I thought, as I looked down the gorge. Through the whirling dust currents, I could faintly see the mountain platform, swarming with refugees.
This is the final stronghold. If we fail to block him here…
There was no time to breathe.
The nightmare of a bygone era appeared from afar, trailing dust behind it.
“Bone King sighted!”
At first, the dust was too thick to make out his figure clearly.
But…
Before his shape appeared, his presence struck first—an existence so surreal that my breath grew ragged just sensing it.
“Iron Fortress! Form the square! Don’t let a single one through!”
The first wave of despair came as sound.
A sorrowful, tearing scream…
From within that scream, an ancient creature hatched anew…
Under that primordial terror etched deep in my body, facing him without gasping for air was impossible.
“Please… no… AAAARGH!”
From within the dust, someone was crawling toward us.
Before we could help, their body bulged—as though something inside were hatching—then tore open from within.
From the shredded remains, a skeletal creature—part lizard, part human—rose up on all fours…
A Primal.
Hyrcan, the Bone King—the only old noble granted the title of Sky King.
Crunch…
Once the king of an ancient primal kingdom, he had sacrificed his nation and all his people to Naigalas, gaining that title and power in return.
Crunch… crunch…
With that power bestowed by the king, Hyrcan transformed living humans into Primals, creating his army.
Crunch… crunch… crunch…
That was the Primal Army.
Crawling on all fours, escorting Hyrcan—soulless soldiers of the damned.
Their number seemed to exceed a million, filling the entire corridor and pouring forth endlessly.
Clack…
Leading them, walking down the center of the gorge, was Hyrcan himself.
Wearing the Rakuken, an abyssal armor supposedly forged in lava, heat surged from his entire body.
The greatsword on his shoulder was formed from innumerable faint, interwoven souls—crying out in eternal lament.
Height, roughly nine cheok. Neither as impossibly massive as Behe—rik, nor multiplying endlessly like Rotten’s Legion of Annihilation. Nothing difficult about that.
Just a simple…
Ridiculously simple humanoid.
His appearance could be summarized so plainly, and yet…
Why… why does my heart refuse to stop pounding? What is this transcendent terror… this murderous aura?
「Du roho sei…….」
Hyrcan stopped and looked straight at us.
It was a mass of madness.
An ancient whisper. A temptation of the universe. A fascination that transcended laws…
The heavy infantry of the Iron Fortress coughed blood from their mouths and noses.
Both holy swords trembled.
Had it not been for the power of the Lord of Thunder, our bodies would’ve exploded right then and turned into part of the Primal army.
Which is why we stop him here.
If he reaches the refugee line, they’ll all die in seconds—and his army will grow even larger.
If we just buy time, the Azure Star and the Lord of Thunder will reveal their prepared countermove. So…
Just as I placed my finger on the regulator pin, Hyrcan pointed his greatsword toward the bottom of the gorge.
「A ki b dum.」
No… that’s impossible…
And yet I saw it.
The Primals began crawling down the steep slope of the gorge—on all fours like beasts.
And the Bone King… he clicked his skeletal jaws, as if laughing.
As if this entire massacre—this slaughter, this butchery—was nothing but a game.
And at that moment, something inside my head went cold.
“You bastard…”
