The world was changing.
Sergio exhaled, gripped his spear, and stomped his foot. Three months ago, he was just an ordinary militiaman. But now, he had been sent to a deserted and godforsaken place to patrol this boring area everyday. He didn’t know what they were guarding. But he knew that the world was changing and becoming more unfamiliar each day. He heard news about the five Creator Dragons forming an alliance and working hard to change the destiny of this world. However…
What does that have to do with me?
Grabbing the spear, Sergio let out a helpless sigh. He was just an ordinary man who wished to find a quiet place to lead the rest of his life. The big shots often loved to come up with bothersome orders. Sergio used to live in a peaceful life in the village, but had to relocate his family just because the big shots said so. Without a choice, they left the village they had lived for a long time, arriving at this godforsaken place that was miles away. Not only that, but he had also been drafted into the army and had to patrol the area daily.
Wasn’t it said that a peace agreement was concluded between the five Creator Dragons? In that case, there shouldn’t be any more enemies around. So what exactly am I doing this for? What is the point of standing here in the chilly winds inside this simple and crude sentry post?
Forget it. It isn’t something people like me should know, anyway.
At this thought, Sergio curled his lips and turned to the town in the distance. As night fell, lamps lit up in the town one after another. No matter what the five Creator Dragons were plotting, he still had to continue living his life. As long as he stood at this sentry post, everything would turn out fine. But come to think of it, during this period, a group of strange adventurers had arrived in the town and gave him a headache. Although there weren’t many of them, they made terrible rackets and also spoke in a foreign language, troubling the nearby townsmen. Sergio wondered where the adventurers came from. They behaved like mercenaries, asking anyone they met for quests for them to accomplish. However, Sergio had to admit that they were really strong. As a member of the patrol team, Sergio once joined the capture of nearby monsters. In the face of several enormous monsters, the patrols had to act cautiously. On the contrary, the adventurers merely sent out a young lady who waved her arm and annihilated them in the blink of an eye. Sergio still remembered that scene clearly in his mind. The instant the young lady made her move, the ground beneath him trembled as though the world were coming to an end. Even if Sergio was uninformed, he could see that the adventurers weren’t an ordinary bunch. But now…
What exactly are they doing here?
Forget it. It has nothing to do with me.
Sergio shifted his gaze away from the town. At that moment, the adventurers must be performing amusing yet mysterious magical spells for the townsmen. He had to admit that the adventurers were truly impressive and a somewhat interesting bunch… But now, he just wanted to lead a normal life. He had made up his mind to propose to Irina after this trouble ended.
After wandering around on my own for so many years, it’s about time to settle down…
“Hmm?”
At that moment, he realized that his hound, which was traveling around him, had come to a sudden halt. Not only that, but it also stopped over, widened its round eyes, and stared vigilantly at the night sky. Deep growls escaped its throat from time to time as though it spotted a terrifying and dangerous predator.
What’s wrong?
Upon witnessing its behavior, Sergio raised his guard instantly. He grabbed the leash on his hound and stared at the darkness with widened eyes. The hazy moonlight illuminated the forest before him and pitch-black shadows swayed in the gentle breeze. At a glance, it made him feel really weird. But to a patrol who was on regular night watch, that wasn’t the only thing Sergio spotted. Instead… Something that shouldn’t be there was also lurking in the shadows.
“W-What is… That…”
One, two, three…
Scarlet lights glowed in the darkness, lined up in rows. It looked as though the shadows were given lives as they opened their innumerable eyes. The instant Sergio looked at the scarlet flashes, his hair stood on end. At the same time, the hound beside him was so terrified that it couldn’t let out a growl. It tucked its tail, curled up on the ground, and couldn’t budge as though it were shivering in the face of a menacing lion.
Move! Damn it! Hurry up!
Sergio stared blankly. He felt as though he were literally frozen to the spot and couldn’t shift at all. Under the moonlight, he clearly witnessed what those mysterious creatures were. Their tall, burly bodies were constructed entirely of pure steel and encased in an odd suit of armor, seemingly like a creature a mix of steel and human. And on their faces, Sergio noticed a round, scarlet eyeball swirling within the gap of the helmet. Then, the eyes stopped moving all of a sudden, locking onto Sergio.
Oh my goodness!
Just being stared at by those scarlet eyes almost made Sergio go crazy with fear. He tried to reach out for his whistle to sound the warning, but extreme fear had taken control over his body. He could only stand blankly on the spot and watch as hundreds upon thousands of steel troops marched toward him. Sergio knew their goal without even thinking. Apart from the town, there was nothing else here. And these creatures definitely didn’t arrive here for a tea session…
Move! Goddammit!
Although Sergio yelled in his head, his body just couldn’t move. He used all his strength to shift his arm, but his body was out of his control. Not only that, but he also shuddered inexorably out of extreme terror. The young guard gnashed his teeth, large beads of sweat emerging over his forehead. He wanted to survive. But he also knew he couldn’t escape death.
No…
“Woof! Woof!”
At that moment, the hound couldn’t hold on any longer. It howled, turned around, and dashed toward the back as quickly as possible. The moment the hound broke free, Sergio also regained control over his stiffened body, just like how all living creatures retaliated desperately in the face of death falling upon them. For a moment, he looked at the steel creatures before him and calmed down instead. In an instant, he reached for the whistle in his pocket and put it between his lips…
“———!”
The sharp, warning signal reverberated in the silent night sky. Almost at the same time, the steel creatures who were marching ahead came to a standstill all of a sudden. Then, they turned around abruptly with countless scarlet eyes staring straight at the young, helpless guard.
“I’m dead!”
Staring at the terrifying steel creatures in despair, Sergio’s heart sank. He knew he couldn’t go up against them. As a matter of fact, at that moment, he still didn’t know what they were. All he knew was that he was doomed! At that moment, he saw one of the steel creatures raise its right arm, which resembled a cannon barrel. Shortly after, a dazzling brilliance flashed. The blazing heat and explosion shrouded him completely.
“Huh?”
But to his astonishment, the lethal attack that was definitely enough to blast him into powder was resisted by a golden barrier that enfolded him. Dazzling flashes and scorching flames erupted and rolled, but couldn’t overwhelm the golden barrier. Shortly after, from the corner of Sergio’s eyes, a dozen figures appeared beside him all of a sudden.
“I didn’t expect an NPC to put up such a fight. I only just realized the presence of these bast*rds, and they are already starting their ambush? When did those Chaos creatures learn this move?”
“Cut the crap. If it weren’t for you being greedy and narrowing the alert perimeter, would we even fall to the point we were almost attacked by them? If others were to know about this, they would surely laugh their heads off! Come on, get ready. Activate your buffs and finish them!”
“Oh, crap. What in the world are they? Did Leader trick us? We are here to deal with Chaos creatures, but why are we taking on Zakus[1] and Megatrons[2] instead?!”
“No matter what they are, Leader has already given the command. As long as they come from outside the Order barrier, we will spare none!”
“This is…”
Sergio stared blankly at the crowd. Judging from their bizarre outfits, Sergio recognized them as the adventurers who came to his town. But now, they kept their smiles and seemed much more serious. Sergio watched as they raised their arms and…
A blinding array of magical radiances linked up as one.
This was a view that never existed even in Sergio’s wildest dreams. As the adventurers lifted their arms, mysterious, intricate, and gorgeous magical rituals emanated beneath their feet one after another. Shortly after, lightning splashed in all directions like rolling waves that engulfed the steel creatures. The steel creature instantly came to a standstill. Their massive bodies that were two to three meters tall shook inexorably and couldn’t resist the deadly attack. A wave of lightning flashed by, but before the steel creatures reacted, yet another whistling wind blew past. Sergio subconsciously lifted his head to look at the sky. Then, he widened his eyes in shock.
Dozens of large meteors burning in green flames penetrated the thick layer of clouds and smashed onto the ground. The land trembled and ruptured. Sergio lost his balance and flopped down on his bottom. He stared at the battlefield dazedly. The erupted green flames and shock waves from the explosions devoured the steel creatures. The barren plain had been demolished right before his eyes!
But this wasn’t the end yet!
Along with furious snarls, the steel creatures emerged from the conflagration. Even though they suffered gravely in this attack, those creatures of steel were completely fearless. They raised their arms and emitted scorching, powerful light beams that whistled toward the adventurers ahead. Not only that, but some of the wrecked steel creatures also raised their swords, charged through the flames, and pounced on the humans.
“Roar———!”
But it was a pity that before the steel creatures displayed their might, their true enemy bellowed and showed up before everyone. Green flames surged skyward and a gigantic, human-shaped creature consisting of blazing green flames and stones strode out. With a roar of rage that sent shivers down one’s spine, it swung its arms with force at the tiny steel creatures before it.
This is like a nightmare.
Sergio sat on the ground and watched the battlefield enveloped in billows of smoke and blazing flames. One after another, an endless stream of creatures several meters tall walked out of the darkness. Their lower bodies were that of terrifying scorpions and spiders. If it were Sergio taking them on, perhaps he couldn’t even defeat one of them. On the other hand, the adventurers weren’t afraid at all, even in the face of enemies dozens of times their size. Sergio observed the adventurers raising their arms and reciting an ancient incantation. Shortly after, another enormous creature like the giant creature burning in flames appeared in a tornado, roaring and clashing into the army of steel creatures. The knights emanating a golden brilliance from head to toe lifted their swords and charged into the battlefield like streaks of meteor, slashing the steel creatures into halves. Screams, explosions, and snarls filled the sky from time to time, enfolding the entire chaotic battleground. Thunder rumbled, while snow fluttered. Blazing flames and the ruptured land intertwined into a scenery like the end of the world.
Looking at this scene, Sergio felt his entire body shaking.
Are those the enemies they’re facing?
“Chaos has begun their attacks.”
Rhode leaned on the chair, crossed his arms, and narrowed his eyes at the crowd before him. A few moments ago, he received news that almost all the critical defensive borders were under attack by Chaos creatures. But fortunately, as he was well prepared, most of them were stopped. Besides…
“Chaos didn’t break through the Order barrier, but deployed the method of teleporting their troops over. Seems like they are just probing and harassing. Not really attacking yet.”
Rhode said, coming to a pause and looking at the other four around him. Upon detecting his gaze, Siena nodded slightly.
“That’s right. Chaos is sending in troops to harass us through unstable boundaries. If they truly intend to go all-out, their attack couldn’t possibly be to only this extent.”
“Yes. But we can’t let our guard down either. After all, no one knows what is going through their heads. Besides…” Rhode paused. According to news from the front, this time, Chaos didn’t send out ordinary Chaos creatures, but steel creatures instead. Rhode wasn’t unfamiliar with them as he encountered them in the Darkness Capital earlier. But back then, the enemies were a mixture of undead creatures and steel. And now, they seemed like products of living creatures and steel instead. The Darkness Capital was entirely devoured by the void storm, so logically speaking, nothing should be left behind. And now it seemed like… the mutated Chaos from Earth didn’t seem to be letting up at all. “… It seems like they have an ulterior motive. We need to be on high alert. This is a critical period for our plan. I don’t wish to face any unnecessary problems.”
Rhode said and couldn’t help but knit his brows. He expected Chaos to attack, but was surprised that it came so soon. Although he had already gotten his hands on the Book of Life and Book of Death, the most crucial Book of Elements was still nowhere to be found. There also wasn’t any good news from Nell and the Queen Elf. Meanwhile, Lapis also couldn’t find many records about the Book of Elements. This left Rhode depressed. Even though he had gotten Alice to use the ‘Historical Tracing’ ability to search for the Book of Elements’s whereabouts, she didn’t find any results. It seemed like the Book of Elements was like the Book of Life, hidden somewhere outside of the main plane of existence, and even Alice couldn’t locate it using her ability. And now, Rhode also didn’t have any other solution. He initially hoped to retrieve the Book of Elements before the war against Chaos commenced. But it seemed like he had to redeploy his resources.
“Don’t worry, Rhode. We will do our part.”
Detecting Rhode’s gaze, Erin smiled and responded. Upon hearing her answer, Rhode nodded and turned to the other side, where a young lady who shouldn’t be here for this solemn occasion sat on the seat of the Light Dragon.
“I will keep an eye on the Country of Light, Your Majesty Rhode.”
Facing Rhode’s gaze, Lydia stood up and answered.
[1] A fictional line of manned robots from Mobile Suit Gundam.
[2] A character from the Transformers franchise.
