Chapter 56
South of the Red Mountains, the Letan Ridge.
March 29, 1698, Year of the Primordial Force.
Right after the subjugation of the Bone King, I was able to board the 6-15B large rail vehicle and reunite with the main force.
Most of the railway had been destroyed during the battle at the Bone King and Um Hee-baek’s fortress, so the usable routes mostly went through tunnels.
Whenever the rail vehicle emerged above ground, the mountain peaks spewing lava painfully captured my gaze.
“It used to be such a beautiful place…”
Seira sighed beside me, full of regret.
“The power of the Abyss is starting to stretch its reach even to the Red Mountains.”
They said the king’s Abyss brought evil changes to all of nature. Perhaps even the sacred grounds of the old Red Dragon Corps could not withstand it.
Now, the mountains, covered in black smoke and lava, looked merely sinister.
The Red Mountains have fallen…
And we, the fake heroes, are…?
I had to shake off the creeping thought that the fall of the Red Mountains felt like a shadow of the future.
Twenty-six hours later, the rail vehicle reached the temporary outpost south of the mountains.
South of the mountains, the area was buried in sandstorms mixed with volcanic ash, and the stench of the world rotting and melting filled the air.
“Look at this railway, Kaisen. You can see the signs of it being rushed.”
So, while we were desperately fighting, Cheongseong was working on this. Perhaps because, unlike mortals who barely survive day by day, Cheongseong exists differently.
At times, even with human perception and understanding, I could only admire Cheongseong’s plans.
‘Crush your subordinates on three fronts simultaneously, and before Neigalas can prepare, strike them by surprise. This is the only way to seal the old king…’
As Seira said, the framework of the railway clearly bore signs of being hastily constructed.
The rail vehicle stopped at the airstrip.
In front of the outpost, Roberis waited under a parasol, shielding against the volcanic ash.
“Seira, you and Cheolsung need to go two more stations. Your assignments are different from Cheolsipja.”
“Yes, senior. It’s really nice to see you again.”
“Flattery is increasing. Now that I’m the only senior left to flatter, it’s pointless. Go on now.”
After watching the rail vehicle carrying Seira disappear westward, Roberis turned to me.
“Kaisen, we’ll catch up later. There’s no time to rest. During our operation, the Black Rose has been escorting the engineers and laying the railway.”
“Yes, I’ve been informed.”
“But Neigalas isn’t an idiot either. He seemed to sense something was wrong. He said we need to be deployed immediately to escort the railway construction and the sealing stones.”
“Understood.”
Though we had been separated for only about two weeks, meeting my senior Feyquarie alive again felt awkward, as if we had been apart for far longer.
Walking silently side by side, the volcanic ash and gravel crunched beneath our boots.
Roberis suddenly stopped and looked up at the ash-filled sky.
“Kaisen, Gorgotia is dead. She was sacrificed when sealing Um Hee-baek with the elder’s power.”
Only after seeing the mix of unspeakable emotion and unspoken words in her eyes did the connection feel real again.
In the face of close death.
In the sorrow of a familiar death.
Perhaps it was the sense of shared existence as fake heroes walking the same path in the same world.
I barely responded:
“Isla died the same way.”
“Yes. That’s why I prayed to the gods that at least you would survive and return.”
Roberis’ words sounded surreal.
Like a mundane “welcome back” when you say “I’ve returned,” her words felt like the distant sounds of ordinary life.
Now, like a small but precious memory somewhere in a lost past routine…
“…The gods.”
“Do you doubt their existence?”
“In a situation like this, I can’t even be sure if I can believe in them myself.”
Roberis resumed walking.
She placed the parasol over me, and despite my repeated offers to carry it, she refused.
“I felt the presence of the gods in this moment—seeing you return alive and speaking with me again.”
“…?”
“This is something one of the heroes of the ‘Black Summer’ told me long ago. A truly remarkable priest. Well, that person is dead too, now.”
Somewhere… in some distant past, I felt I had heard those words. Though my memory was unclear.
“I’m also glad to have survived and met you again, senior.”
“Yes, thank you.”
The brief rest ended there.
A familiar sensation, like sunlight hitting the brain directly…
At the same time, the tangled threads of multiple voices began weaving inside my mind.
[Kaisen, you’re alive.]
Translation — “Stepping Stones of Blood and Corpses, The Forgotten King Neigalas Subjugation (1)”
“Ria.”
[Yeah, it’s me.]
“You’re making a name for yourself. Assistant to the Commander-in-Chief, right?”
[It’s a title I don’t deserve. The Prosperity City has fallen and Lord Cheongseong is concentrating on recovery, so…]
All through the conversation they never spoke of Isla’s death.
Not then. Not ever after.
But from that day onward, under the surface of every conversation between them, the memory of their comrade’s death seeped like a stain.
“Yeah, you must have had a hard time, too.”
They thought it was ordinary small talk. Whistles and teasing jokes drifted in from this place and that.
[Heh, back and already dating?]
[Must be tough to be that popular.]
[The unpopular ones are already lonely, though.]
[Ah, um, sorry…]
Nobody knew why the apology was offered.
Clearing her throat a few times to steady herself, Ria spoke again.
[Paisen, sorry, but you need to go into action immediately. Split the Iron Cross Knights into five squads and send them out. Roberis-senpai is with you, right?]
“I hear you.”
[The Reptilians have sent scouting parties south of the mountain range. We were running a concealment operation with Arte’s hiding magic, but if the enemy gets too close they’ll detect it. So eliminate the scouting parties.]
Once again he led the 4th squad of the Iron Cross.
In barely half a month, the squad’s numbers had been cut in half. The reunion smiles were there, but the reality beneath was grim.
Most of the serfs and attendants were dead; those who remained were, for the most part, knights confident in their sword work.
[Paisen, contact with the 7th Engineer Battalion has been lost to the east and west from your current position. Rescue the engineers and resume the rail-laying operation.]
That day’s orders were to eliminate the enemy and to escort the railway-laying operation and the installation of barrier stones.
It was an exhausting, brutal assignment.
Perhaps because the king was so near, the Reptilians’ shells pulsed with molten “blessings of the king,” rippling like a protective lava shield.
“Peyquorier, enemy at two o’clock!”
“We’ll take this area! Escort the engineers!”
“Trolls! Get lost, you gorilla bastard!”
If it were the old days, would they have said “no one will be left behind, we’ll all fight together” at a moment like that?
Step-and-slash.
He advanced a step, tore the lava’s blessing with Aradamantel’s blade, and drove the naked, exposed body down into Gaumris—thinking as he did it.
“You really are incredible! Thank you for the help. There—there’s the barrier stone.”
[Paisen, I confirm the barrier stone is back online. Good work.]
“It’s safe here now; you can leave. Thank you, Peyquorier!”
The mission went on like that.
Far away, a volcano shuddered and, from the grim darkness that vomited lava greedily, they moved where the orders directed—slaughtering and moving on—a repeated cycle of marching to orders, cutting down enemies, and repeating it.
[Headquarters, this is the 3rd Engineer Regiment! The barrier stone site at No.19 is under attack by Basilisk riders!]
[Paisen, I’ll send the coordinates for the No.19 barrier site. Suppress the basilisks!]
“Ten-tier migratory formation! Form the web!”
As soon as they arrived in the operational area, orders were issued.
Soldiers immediately rallied behind Peyquorier and built ten concentric lines of the migratory formation (cheolsaejin). He signaled by raising his mother’s short sword high. In the dim light, the sword’s afterglow was more effective at signaling than hands.
“Wait, wait—now! Make a honeycomb.”
Basilisks.
Creatures of Neigalas’ blood—monsters that had existed since ancient times.
Once ranked S or A difficulty for old adventurers, they had become one that normal soldiers could inflict meaningful damage on thanks to the “Great Abyss Silver Bullet” developed during the “Black Summer.”
“Damn it, the basilisks are spitting poison!”
“When did those things start spewing lava?”
“Don’t act smart! The strongest Peyquorier in history is here!”
The lava spewed from above was neutralized by Gaumris’ photic-pressure destructive power.
‘And those whose patience was exhausted by this hail of bullets…’
They would dive down in a high-altitude charge, exactly as they did now—without knowing they were walking into the moment everyone had been waiting for.
One slash, two halves.
Screams tore through the air as the diving monsters, plummeting through the sandstorms, were bisected on the risen pure-blood blades that leapt from their sheaths.
Precisely, like measured with a ruler—split into two pieces centered on the skull.
The five pairs of severed bodies slammed onto the sides of the migratory formation, kicking up clouds of dust; cheers rose.
“Holy—insane! Truly amazing skill, Peyquorier!”
“Hey, you bastard. How does it feel to be on the ground? I’ll put a bullet in your skull.”
“Basilisks neutralized. Beginning the barrier stone purification work.”
“Basilisks eliminated. Thank you, Peyquorier.”
Most orders came from the Black Rose Legion, but Ria sometimes commanded in combat and then directions were relayed from Roberis.
[Paisen, reports say a Reptilian unit appeared at barrier site No.45. You’re the closest—go and wipe them out.]
“I’ll go right away.”
For two straight days—day and night—how many times did they repeat the same missions?
The problem came as the rail-laying neared completion.
With labored breaths as if about to snap, a day that had seemed like it would never end began.
[Headquarters, this is the 2nd Infantry Brigade. Requesting urgent support. Can you hear us?]
[We hear you. Speak.]
[The Reptilian main force discovered the temporary platform location! We’re taking cover but battle will start soon.]
[We’ll send support right away. Seira, go to the temporary platform and help the infantry, then board the armored train!]
[Cheolseong, acknowledge mission.]
[Engagement has begun! Dismantle the migratory formation! Fall back to the platform trenches!]
On a real battlefield, problems never came one at a time.
Problems, like the enemy, crept and probed, then when a hole opened, they poured in all at once.
That was always how it was on the battlefield.
[This is Armored Train No.1702. Socheon Peak has become a volcano and exploded! The lava will swallow the platform soon! You must depart immediately!]
[They’re everywhere on the ground! Haha, a hit! Hahahahaha!]
[Acknowledged. No.1702, depart immediately. Iron Cross 1st, 3rd, and 4th squads, this is Ria. Assemble and wait at barrier site No.7. Board the armored train during its brief stop.]
[Good—kill them all!]
[This is Mern, acknowledged. Iron Cross 3rd squad, move to barrier stone No.7.]
[Emergency, emergency! Requesting support!]
[3rd Armored Regiment, report your situation.]
[While moving toward No.1701, we were ambushed by the enemy! Immediate support requested! …Gyaaah!]
[3rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Regiment? Respond, 3rd Armored Regiment!]
[It’s already too late. If we sent reinforcements, we couldn’t even fit the reinforcements onto the train.]
[But Roberis-senpai…]
At the relay point, Kaisen—who had been preparing to board carriage No.1702—stepped down again onto the sand.
“I’ll go. By myself.”
