Chapter 45

“What… what is this?!”

“Something’s falling from the sky!!!”

“What?!?!”

Julian, at the vanguard of the Serpina Army, froze in panic as he stared upward. A rock – a burning, massive rock – was plummeting down with the sort of divine wrath that priests might describe in their sermons.

And that rock…

It slowly began to blot out Julian’s view of the heavens.

‘Oh no… oh no no no!’

Realizing the direness of his situation, Julian quickly discarded all thoughts and yanked hard on the reins in his hands. Simultaneously, his horse took off at full speed.

He had to escape!

Command be damned, if he didn’t flee now, he’d die!

Death!

Even a general renowned for taking countless lives on the battlefield would not face death lightly. If he were to perish heroically in battle, perhaps it could be seen as meaningful. But crushed under a random falling rock?

Surely history would remember him, but only as “the general who got squished by a meteor.” Not from an impossible fight or even some unlucky accident during preparation – just randomly flattened by a hunk of space rock!

“NEVER!!!!”

With that cry, Julian bolted, doing everything possible to get out of the blast radius. His momentary fear threw the command structure into chaos. Had he ordered everyone to flee when he realized the danger, things might’ve been different. But it was too late now.

And then…

“AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”

“SAVE ME!!!”

The massive meteor paid no mind to the plight of the Serpina forces and crashed straight into where soldiers and siege weapons were clustered.

BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!

The ground seemed to tear apart with the deafening sound. Amidst the smoke and fire spreading outward, the screams of the Serpina troops painted a gruesome picture. Then, just as the smoke began to clear, raindrops started falling, soon turning into a heavy downpour.

How much time passed? Becoming aware of the rain pounding against his forehead, Julian slowly raised his head.

“Guh… guh…”

Thrown from his horse due to the shockwave, Julian wiped the blood streaming down his face as he collapsed onto the soaked earth. Though he looked like a wreck, the fact that he was still breathing meant everything.

Pain coursed through his body, yet he managed a small smile of relief. Pain was fine; pain could be endured. Death, however, couldn’t be shrugged off. Once dead, everything you’ve ever done becomes meaningless.

But…

Julian couldn’t hold onto that sense of relief for long.

“Huh… wait… wh-what happened?!”

Only now did he fully take in the horrifying scene before him.

A giant crater in the middle of his army’s formation. The scorched earth around it. And the scattered remains of soldiers who hadn’t escaped in time.

“HIIIIIIEEEEK!!!”

He’d killed many men in battles before. He understood that sometimes killing was necessary to protect himself and his allies. On the battlefield, life was cheap. That was something he thought he’d come to terms with.

But THIS…

This unknown force, this incomprehensible phenomenon – a meteor falling from the sky, beyond anyone’s control – struck terror into even a seasoned warrior like Julian. He wasn’t some superhuman after all.

At that moment…

“…!!”

Julian turned his head to see the fortress wall nearby. Closer than expected thanks to his panicked retreat earlier.

Standing atop the wall was a white-haired man with his arm extended toward the fallen rock. From afar, his expression appeared calm and unshaken.

“What… WHAT IS THIS GUY?!”

Who wouldn’t be shocked by a meteor falling from the sky? Yet this man remained eerily composed, as if he’d known exactly what was going to happen.

Hadn’t this same guy been performing strange rituals earlier on the wall? Beating drums, shouting loudly – conducting some kind of ceremony?

At first dismissed as madness, these actions now seemed significant given the inexplicable events unfolding.

“Could it be… MAGIC?!”

Magic didn’t exist outside legends, surely. Even those tales never described magic THIS absurd.

But how else could one explain what just happened? What they had witnessed firsthand defied logic. Was it really so far-fetched to think this man summoned the meteor?

And then…

The man slowly looked down at Julian.

“M-MY GOD!!!”

Overcome by the icy gaze, Julian instinctively stumbled backward. It felt like being devoured by those steel-gray eyes.

Then the man frowned, as if asking, “Why are you still alive?”

“HIIEEEEEEEEEK!!!”

In that instant, Julian knew. This man had caused the meteor to fall. Whether through magic or some other means didn’t matter. Results spoke louder than process.

So who was this man?

“A GOD???”

Ironically, the very same person who mocked religious practices moments ago now entertained thoughts of deities upon seeing the stranger’s chilling stare.

Just then…

“General Julian!!!”

From behind came a soldier riding up to assist him, seemingly spared from harm due to their position further back.

“Are you alright, General?!”

“I-I… I…”

Trying to stand, Julian found himself rooted to the spot by sheer terror. This wasn’t ordinary fear; it was primal, fundamental dread.

Humans feared death because its mysteries lay beyond comprehension. No one could ask the dead, leaving religion as the only comfort against such uncertainty.

This fear felt eerily similar to that of death itself.

“S-Save me…!”

“General Julian…?”

“F-FLEE! ALL FORCES RETREAT IMMEDIATELY! IT’S THE GODS… THE GODS HAVE ARRIVED!!! RUN!!!”

“What… what are you talking about…?”

“My words aren’t reaching you? MOVE NOW! WE MUST FLEE!”

With no clear plan left, the soldier simply obeyed their commander’s desperate orders.

“Understood…!”

Helping Julian onto his mount, the two fled together. Despite immense pain, Julian urged his horse forward, driven solely by the need to survive. Without attempting to regroup the shattered remnants of his army, he rode away, seeking only to preserve his life.

* * *

“…Can’t see him clearly.”

Though curious about the figure near the wall, squinting revealed little detail. Approaching for closer inspection was tempting but ultimately abandoned due to fatigue.

Regardless, the Serpina forces appeared to be retreating en masse, abandoning their siege equipment in blind panic. Clearly, they were thoroughly terrified by the sudden meteor strike.

Fair enough, considering the circumstances.

“Phew…”

Relieved despite initial worries about lightning failing to appear, there had been no storm clouds forming either. Since thunderbolts required rain in this game world, that added extra stress when the enemy reached the fortress gates.

Still, even while scared of the siege weapons approaching, confidence remained high knowing ‘Hold the fort’ was always the correct strategy.

Not even the player anticipated a meteor though. During 10,000 hours of gameplay, meteors were exceedingly rare.

What astronomical odds brought one here today?

Fortunately, the fortress suffered minimal damage within the game’s set parameters. Observing the battlefield confirmed expectations but still reinforced gratitude for consistent game rules. For reference, any army hit by a meteor loses approximately 90% of its troops instantly.

Letting out a small sigh, tension finally eased but left lingering physical exhaustion.

Turning slightly, another presence became noticeable.

There stood Iren, wide-eyed and frozen in place, staring directly at me.

“Swoen… what… WHAT DID YOU DO?!”

Ah yes, from her perspective, this must look like some bizarre ritual involving altar construction followed by wild yelling before the meteor struck.

After pondering explanations briefly, simplicity won out.

“…Seems we successfully channeled celestial distortion…”

Wait… why is speech slurring? Vision blurs now too, consciousness slipping fast.

Ah, that’s right. Low stats mean low stamina. Despite knowing the outcome beforehand, witnessing death closely while performing bizarre acts drained immense mental energy. Now, relieved of tension, the strain catches up.

“Swoen!”

Iren rushed forward just in time to catch me as I wobbled precariously.

“Iren… as promised… for you…”

Managing those final words, my vision darkened completely…

And then… nothing.