On the vast plains of the battlefield, the sounds of soldiers clashing, weapons colliding, and battle cries reverberated between the heavens and earth. The air was thick with the stench of blood.
Both armies' commanders stood at the rear, watching the massive meat grinder of war churn slowly, consuming one life after another. Troops were dispatched in waves, either to press an advantage or to shore up a weakening defense.
Amid the chaos, the soldiers' differences were striking. Gai Kingdom's soldiers had a gruesome habit: after killing an enemy, they severed the head and tied it to their waists.
Thus, on the battlefield, it was common to see exceptionally fierce warriors with seven or eight blood-dripping heads hanging from their belts, making them look like demons crawling out of hell. Ordinary enemy soldiers, upon seeing such figures, were often so terrified that they lacked the courage to engage in combat.
While the lure of titles and rewards spurred the soldiers of Gai Kingdom to fight ferociously, one glaring disadvantage could not be ignored—the lack of powerful individuals.
Muria's reforms had driven out much of the old nobility, but his recruitment decrees had also attracted capable individuals, both domestically and from abroad. As a result, the overall national strength of Gai Kingdom had not diminished significantly and had even seen slight improvement.
Yet even with these changes, Gai Kingdom was at a disadvantage in fighting a three-front war simultaneously. Before Muria's reforms, Gai Kingdom would have struggled to withstand the combined attacks of three neighboring nations. Its resources and strength were comparable to those of its neighbors, and no single country in the region was capable of fighting off multiple invaders at once.
However, once Muria's personal combat power was added to the equation, everything changed.
As this war reached its decisive phase, and as the commanders of Gai Kingdom wrestled with the challenges of the conflict's trajectory, something strange began to happen in the sky above the battlefield.
The ongoing slaughter and bloodshed had caused the battlefield's air to become saturated with a red mist of blood. This mist floated upward, dyeing the clouds a pale crimson. When the clouds began to swirl and rotate, no one initially noticed.
But as the swirling clouds formed a vortex and began spinning slowly, the soldiers fighting below sensed the abnormality. The air around them grew hot, and the temperature rose rapidly.
It was as if the entire battlefield had turned into a massive steam pot, with the heat intensifying perceptibly. The grass on the ground, trampled and scattered by soldiers, began to wither and turn yellow as its moisture evaporated.
"Ahhh!!!"
A bloodcurdling scream pierced the air. One soldier's body suddenly ignited in flames, bursting forth from within and consuming him completely. In moments, he was reduced to a charred corpse.
This was only the beginning. One by one, soldiers on the battlefield spontaneously combusted.
After a brief moment of panic, the soldiers of Gai Kingdom calmed down when they realized that all the victims were enemy soldiers. None of their own comrades had caught fire.
Meanwhile, the sky's transformation had reached its peak. At the center of the colossal vortex that spanned the heavens, a figure descended slowly. This being had wings on its back and horns on its forehead, and dark red flames swirled around its body.
Golden-red chains of fire floated around it, leaving fiery trails in the air as they moved.
As this fearsome and majestic figure—like a demon god—descended, a suffocating pressure spread across the battlefield.
Under this oppressive force, Gai Kingdom's soldiers felt an almost irresistible urge to bow in worship. Yet, the impulse wasn't overpowering; most of what they felt was a deep sense of awe toward this being that had suddenly appeared from the sky.
For the invading soldiers, however, the experience was vastly different. To them, it felt as if a colossal mountain had crashed down from the heavens, crushing them under its weight.
Those who had survived the fiery onslaught found themselves involuntarily kneeling or lying prone on the ground. Their bones creaked and cracked under the immense pressure until, for many, they simply broke.
Countless enemy soldiers were crippled, rendered utterly incapable of continuing the fight.
"What is that!?"
The sudden and shocking events on the battlefield left most soldiers, officers, and even powerful individuals utterly stunned. Only the upper echelons of Gai Kingdom's military wore expressions of elation. They knew what Muria's awakened form looked like, and his appearance on the battlefield meant the tide of the war had turned in their favor.
"I am Arnold, King of Gai Kingdom," the demon god declared, his voice deep and commanding, brimming with authority and an aura that could shake the soul.
After his proclamation, the demon god raised a hand and struck toward the location of the invading army's commanders.
The blood-red sky, resembling a sea of fire, seemed to collapse as an endless cascade of flames poured down like a waterfall. The fiery torrent engulfed the enemy command center, obliterating it in an instant.
In one fell swoop, the leaders of the invading army were annihilated. The terrifying, god-like power left both the soldiers of Gai Kingdom and the surviving enemy forces in awe.
"Eliminate the remaining enemies!"
With a single command, Muria's figure slowly faded from the sky.
By his own estimation, the power of his current reincarnated body was sufficient to qualify as legendary even by the standards of Erathia's world. Against those beneath the legendary rank, his strength was utterly overwhelming, leaving no room for resistance.
In the span of a few hours, Muria traveled between the three main battlefields and destroyed the command structures of all three invading armies. After leaving the remnants of the enemy forces to his soldiers, he returned to the royal palace. His direct intervention had effectively ended the war.
He was confident that these three nations would not dare to invade Gai Kingdom again. In fact, they would now worry about being invaded themselves.
Similarly, the surrounding nations, which had been eyeing Gai Kingdom hungrily, were also deterred. This was the deterrent effect of overwhelming individual power.
In truth, Muria could have intervened earlier, when the three nations first dispatched their armies. He could have nipped the war in the bud.
But he chose not to. He needed the war to implement his military merit system, fundamentally changing the way his country operated. The conflict served as the crucible to transform Gai Kingdom into a ferocious beast, hungry for war and expansion.
...
As Muria expected, the three invading nations, terrified by the overwhelming display of power, quickly sent envoys to Gai Kingdom to request peace talks.
The rulers of these nations were utterly shaken by Muria's combat prowess. Such crushing strength could easily wipe their nations off the map.
Fortunately for them, Muria had no such intention—for now. In his view, Gai Kingdom was not yet ready to annex other territories. The nation's infrastructure was far too underdeveloped, and there were too many gaps to fill.
Expansion would strain the nation's already fragile logistical capabilities. Even basic communication across newly annexed regions would become a major challenge. Language barriers, cultural differences, and customs would further destabilize governance.
Moreover, apart from Muria himself, Gai Kingdom lacked enough capable individuals to maintain control over vast territories. The quality and quantity of the army were still insufficient.
A nation is a collective entity. Even with Muria's immense strength, it would be impossible to sustain such growth without a well-rounded foundation. He couldn't personally solve every problem that arose—it would make his position as king seem pitiful and undignified.
Given these constraints, Muria agreed to peace talks with the three nations. His goals for this war had already been achieved. However, he didn't let them off easily.
As the defeated parties, they had to pay the price for peace. Muria made outrageous demands: land cessions, reparations, and treaties with strict terms.
Although the envoys from the three nations tried to negotiate for lower compensation, their status as the defeated left them with little leverage. In the end, they were forced to give up land and resources to appease Muria and prevent retaliation.
Despite the extensive damage caused by the war, Gai Kingdom's gains from the reparations and resources far outweighed its losses.
After securing these benefits, Muria declared that Gai Kingdom was entering a period of recuperation and large-scale development.
He focused on building a strong, stable foundation for future expansion. By ensuring the nation could support itself and its armies, Muria laid the groundwork for an era of war and conquest.
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