Chapter 39 – Lord (4)
“Hurry and prepare for defense. Those, those monstrous bastards could invade our land at any moment!”
The Ogress Domain has completely collapsed. Their attempt to escalate the situation backfired horribly, and the forces they painstakingly sent out were annihilated, with only a fraction managing to return alive.
The orcs, who initially dismissed their foes as mere mana beasts, can no longer afford such arrogance as they had once proclaimed.
“The bastards keep coming endlessly, showing no mercy as they tear us apart.”
“The bastards are unstoppable. If they come, it’s all over!”
Moreover, the survivors, utterly terrified, have spread exaggerated and sensational rumors.
While based on fact, these tales portraying the enemies as embodiments of fear and death do nothing to maintain order or assist the ruler in governing.
“Those spreading false rumors must be strictly punished! Hurry and prepare the defenses—conscript and arm the troops!”
Lamia Viscount Rozalyn, a woman with a beautiful human-like upper body, ground her teeth while her scaly lower body writhed.
From her perspective, it’s as if she’s been struck by misfortune out of nowhere.
Certainly, when the Ogress Domain was collapsing, she thought it an opportunity to gain a piece of land under the pretense of offering aid, but the price she has to pay far exceeds the greed she indulged in.
“And hurry to reach out to the neighboring lords to form an alliance. We need to eradicate these monstrous bastards!”
“But, my lord, calm yourself. There is no guarantee that those fiends will attack our domain immediately, is there?”
Her servants glanced around nervously at her frantic words. After all, they didn’t yet know what the enemies would do after taking over the Ogress Domain.
“That’s right. Consider this. If the bastards launch an assault on Ludras’ domain with this momentum, it could be an opportunity for us. That simply means two annoying forces will weaken themselves fighting each other, right?”
Some even suggested sitting back and waiting. The argument was that instead of attacking their own distant territory, these monsters would likely assault Ludras’ domain first, being the nearest target.
It was certainly a reasonable point, and Rozalyn herself was momentarily tempted. Ludras, occupying the largest domain in the region, has been acting as a sort of barrier preventing the growth of other forces.
The notion that this bothersome barrier could be removed was certainly alluring to her.
“Milord! An incredible number of fiends are heading this way!”
However, that hope was shattered in just a few days. For reasons unknown, the enemies completely bypassed Ludras’ domain and made a direct attempt to attack Rozalyn’s instead.
“Hurry and gather the troops! Mobilize all available forces! And, call Urka. We need his strength!”
Pale with fear, Rozalyn began assembling her forces, yelling wildly as she mentioned the name “Urka.”
Urka’s faction was rapidly growing in power and reputation within Rozalyn’s domain. So powerful had they become in such a short time that even Lord Rozalyn had to tread carefully around them. It seemed only their intervention could help her overcome this crisis.
*
“Every move those fiends make is causing a stir among the neighboring domains. It’s understandable though. A Viscount-level territory has already fallen.”
Cruiger sighed as he observed the panicked atmosphere around him. It was like Rozalyn’s panic had spread, as the entire domain was gripped by chaos over the incoming invasion.
For mercenaries in the area, it was practically a gold rush. Lords were hastily doling out money to hire them. Cruiger and his group were no exception.
Currently, there were just two of them, but Cruiger intended to use this opportunity to gradually increase his numbers and expand his influence.
“Are you sure it’s safe?”
“Of course.”
Having decisively chosen to participate in the war, Cruiger glanced back at his only companion. She then smirked, her crimson eyes gleaming as she nodded.
‘She certainly looks human, but there’s something unmistakably inhuman about her.’
Having hastily asked Syla to name herself and now going by “Lia,” she appeared human to Cruiger’s eyes. However, appearances can be deceiving.
Cruiger’s keen instincts as a warrior continuously alerted him to her extraordinary nature.
“So where are the mercenaries positioned?”
“Likely in different places. Our destination is the city in the southeast part of the domain.”
Mercenaries who joined the fight were stationed wherever they were most needed. And she had a particular fixation on being stationed in this location.
The reason was quite obvious – the city would narrowly avoid being overrun in order to preserve its reputation.
‘If we manage to hold out while other places fall, it will enhance our standing.’
With that, they had officially commenced their work. A small provincial town could be disregarded without much consequence.
Of course, he didn’t plan to completely abandon it. Eventually, everyone left in the area would have to evacuate if everything else fell.
‘After that, I’ll engage in a proper match against the player faction. I have a higher chance of winning though.’
Her true target was the player faction growing in power within the Lamia domain. These players who had bolstered their own faction and driven Cruiger, their former successor, away, would eventually aim to take Rozalyn’s domain.
The Queen was determined to wipe them out first. As the players were the only variables beyond her control now, they presented the only obstacle to her conquest and domination of this world.
“This is surprising: the gargoyle domain has decided to participate.”
One unexpected development was Ikon of the neighboring gargoyle domain offering an alliance to Rozalyn, suggesting they fight together.
“Hmph, that guy must have been frightened out of his wits. Does he think our downfall will be followed by his?”
“My lord, please let bygones be bygones and accept this alliance offer.”
Rozalyn gritted her teeth over the gargoyle’s suggestion. Her relations with the neighboring gargoyles had never been good.
But those around her advised against stubbornness at a time like this, and Rozalyn herself knew that forming an alliance was necessary for now.
“In the past, the number of gargoyles was too insignificant to matter, but with a proper alliance and support this time, things should be different. The monsters can’t attack from the sky, after all.”
“That’s correct. If the gargoyles provide a proper attack, we can hold them off.”
It was a well-known fact that the enemies had poor anti-air capabilities. This was also why the gargoyles were confidently asserting that this time would be different.
Though Rozalyn found their arrogance distasteful, she needed their strength to protect her domain, so she allowed the gargoyle reinforcements to enter.
“Don’t worry. Those worthless creatures who have spent their lives crawling on the ground will be completely annihilated by us.”
“…Right. Very reassuring. I hope you continue to live up to that confidence.”
The commander who led the reinforcements stood before Rozalyn, displaying a proud and confident demeanor. When she inadvertently twitched her tail at the mention of “crawling,” it was because she herself had felt provoked.
“Spread your wings! No matter how many there are, it doesn’t matter this time. Minimize the numbers and return!”
As if to assert control from the start, the armed gargoyle forces immediately took to the skies en masse.
Their intent was to strike the approaching forces and boost their own morale. Given their previous battles, they believed the fiends lacked any means to attack from the air—so they expected to rampage and rack up accomplishments freely.
“Looks like our trials will come sooner than expected. All flying creatures, mobilize.”
But the Queen, observing all this through a clone, smirked as she watched the countless gargoyles soaring above her head.
The Legion evolves incessantly. Never resting, always moving forward.
That was their power and the given authority that enables them to conquer this world.
The moment the gargoyles revealed the superiority of their flight, the Legion had already devised and prepared their countermeasure.
[Total mobilized flying creatures: 4,233 units]
This was the result. The grand spectacle of countless winged beasts taking flight simultaneously was an immense force cultivated by the Queen, employing every ounce of the Legion’s capabilities within a few short days.
Their numbers, appearing like a vast swarm of birds or locusts, far surpass the gargoyles.
Only concerned with the ground below, the gargoyles had no idea as the countless monsters began ascending to higher altitudes, preparing to ambush them from above. It wouldn’t take long before the two massive formations would meet in the sky.
