Depression (1)
The army of hell split in two within the city that could be called the heart of Kashan.
Natasha and Zetta commanded the forty million troops heading for the central continent where the temple stood.
The remaining ten million, under Balkan's orders, surged toward Kashan's capital.
A grand party was held at Aganos, the imperial palace in Kashan, on the eve of the war that would decide the empire's fate.
All the leading nobles of Kashan had gathered in the grand hall where the bards played lively tunes.
Why hold a party at a time like this? Their faces were uniformly grim, and the rumors that filtered in through secretaries only made the mood heavier.
"Is this a human party?"
Kido swallowed as he looked over the long table piled with so many delicacies there was nowhere left to look.
"Where should I start?"
He wasn't picky—if it was edible, he'd bite and swallow it—so he wandered from one end of the table to the other, shoving food into his mouth with gusto. The nobles frowned.
"What is that goblin?"
"That's the Empress's pet."
"A pet? But it's armed."
Weapons were forbidden except for the guards, so Kido's spear was conspicuously out of place.
"Burp!"
He let out a long belch; the noblewomen pinched their noses and scattered in every direction.
"If you're going to die, you might as well eat first."
Even to Kido, tonight's banquet felt like a ritual.
He had no interest in politics, but the rumors said Kashan would fall within seven days.
'Is this some kind of Last Supper?'
Since following Uorin into the palace he'd seen with his own eyes how much the Empress possessed.
All of it could vanish in an instant—it was no wonder people were losing their minds.
"The Empress will enter!" The guards' cry stopped all conversation and every noble turned toward the doors.
The doors opened slowly, and Uorin entered in a black dress, her expression bright.
Adorned with diamonds and pearls, her face was so beautiful it left the nobles dizzy.
"Wow…"
Even Kido, whose sense of beauty lagged behind humans', was struck dumb by her for the first time.
'Beautiful.'
It was the first time he'd been captivated by a living form.
"Good evening, everyone."
Uorin's voice drew every eye.
"You might be wondering why we're holding such a grand party while the war rages on."
Kido glanced at the guard beside Uorin but couldn't read her expression.
"To put it bluntly, the situation at the front is not good. And we may… lose the war."
Something he'd eaten lodged in his throat.
"But do not worry."
Uorin gave a sweet, confident smile.
"Kashan will never fall. I will use every means to protect the empire, and we will continue our proud history forever."
It was a name—Teraje—that had never once failed since Kashan's founding, so the nobles believed her.
"Enjoy yourselves. Revel. We will show the world that we have no fear."
The nobles shouted in unison.
"Long live Her Majesty the Empress! Long live Her Majesty the Empress!"
The musicians quickly resumed, and Uorin walked among the nobles, meeting their eyes one by one.
"How is it? Enjoying the party?"
"What on earth are you thinking?"
Motivating people was important, but Kido felt this war was hopeless no matter how he looked at it.
"Well? What do you think?"
Kido frowned as he considered the only way he could imagine to spare Kashan from destruction.
"You don't mean—"
Uorin held out her hand.
"Shall we dance?"
Kido sniffed and turned his head at the sight of her small, delicate hand.
"Hah, a goblin dancing…?"
"Come."
Uorin grabbed Kido's wrist and pulled him into the dance; the nobles stared in shock.
"Is she really going to dance with her pet?"
Only Gando and Pungjang knew Kido's true identity. People wondered if the Empress had lost her mind, but no one could make Uorin's beauty fade.
"I don't know how."
Kido grumbled, and Uorin laughed and took the lead.
"It's easy. Just follow me and turn like this."
Concentrating on the dance for a moment, Kido lifted his gaze and glanced at Uorin.
"Are you afraid to die?" Uorin asked with a sad smile.
"If the army of hell captures Kashan, Havitz will come for me first."
Even Uorin, a scion of Teraje, couldn't imagine what kind of calamity he would unleash.
"Even if the end of my long life is death, I can accept that. But there are still reasons to live."
"Shirone?"
Uorin didn't answer.
"I don't mean to hand Kashan over for nothing. We'll have to negotiate. Even if it means Teraje's downfall, Kashan will not disappear."
"Then fight."
Kido caught himself feeling sorry.
"I'll protect you. No one will dare touch you, so don't be afraid—just fight."
Uorin shook her head.
"We can't win. It has to be Shirone. But Shirone won't fight for Kashan."
'It has to be Shirone.'
Those words cut into him like a knife.
Tormia Kingdom Magic Association.
Association head Lupist set down an urgent document on his desk and rubbed his temples.
'They won't be able to stop the crusade.' News had come that the army of hell had suddenly swung around and was heading for the central continent.
'They can't break through to Tormia too.' He was thinking that when a knock sounded at the door.
"Chairman, I've brought the candidate for the next chief secretary."
Since Jane's death the chief secretary post had been vacant, but with war breaking out he needed someone to assist him.
"Send them in."
The door opened and a prim-looking woman with blue hair down to her waist entered.
A certified level-6 mage, Lavide Plu.
"Good day. I'm Plu, captain of the third-floor guard."
Every detail about Plu had already been checked in her profile.
Her magic and judgment were excellent; she would be fit to be chief secretary.
There was only one concern to address.
"You heard that Gaold is active, right?"
"Yes, I have."
She had once been part of Gaold's personal guard that fought against Heaven.
"What do the Association and Zion and you prioritize?"
Plu paused to think.
That hesitation would normally hinder rapid promotion, but she showed no embarrassment.
"I still respect Gaold."
Lupist's expression didn't change.
"But as always, what matters to me is the welfare of the Tormia Kingdom. Personal feelings cannot get in the way."
'They're similar.' Lupist thought of Jane, who had already left this world.
If possible, while he remained association head he wanted the chief secretary seat vacant.
'There's no woman as capable as you.' In a world hurtling toward destruction, that name was missed all the more.
"How's your love life?"
At the out-of-the-blue question, Plu blinked and adjusted her glasses.
"Well, I can't say I've heard anything particularly bad."
Lupist snorted.
'Yes. In the end, we are all…'
We are appendages of the kingdom.
"Follow me. There's somewhere to go."
Since the sun had already set, Plu asked with a puzzled look.
"Where are we going?"
Lupist answered briefly.
"To the flower garden."
Earth Temple.
"Are you all right?"
Taeseong had been shaken for a while by the shockwave Gaold produced in the south.
Taeseong, the incarnation of a star.
Taking an attack with power beyond a planet's resilience was like being hit directly by magic.
"I'm fine."
Taeseong raised a hand and calmed the stars.
"Currently the south relies on a team of only three led by Gaold. The power of apostasy is as great as you've seen, but they alone cannot cover every region." The front screen shifted to show Havitz's army again.
"Gaia's ability lets us observe most of what happens on the planet. That will surely help in the war. But first there's something we must resolve."
Taeseong finally got to the point.
"Do you support erasing the existence of demons from this world?"
No one answered readily.
"Demons are beings created by human emotions."
Amanta of the Balance Department said.
"There is no need to forcibly divide humans and demons. To stretch the point, removing demons would be tantamount to removing humans."
Minerva added, "That said, if we leave things be the demons will seize the world. Our top priority must be war against the demons. We must mobilize the Ivory Tower's full capacity—"
"Kuku, what nonsense."
At the loud voice Minerva turned her head.
A man in golden shining plate sat with his arms crossed.
Fiverank Star of the System Inspection Department, Saint Zigmunt Fried.
True to his moniker "King of Greed," his armor was the only set of Oshinjang plate in existence.
It was cutting-edge magical equipment boasting a staggering sixty-five percent anti-magic.
"Nonsense?"
A glint of malice bloomed in Minerva's eyes.
"Come on. No matter how evil Havitz is, can you even compare him to Minerva in her prime?"
That was Minerva's sorest spot.
"You little brat talking about me—what do you know? Want to die?"
"One thing is clear. The reason you cling to Yahweh and wag your hips beside him—"
Fried pointed at Shirone and sneered.
"Only that runt can save you. You want forgiveness, right? What did you pay as the price? Huh? Tell us, kid. Were you really as hot-headed as the rumors say?"
As Minerva gripped Zett, Shirone let out a low sigh.
"Haa."
He slowly raised his head and spat out a single line.
"This is annoying."
Those few words carried a cold that could freeze any star.
'That one is of the Unified Cosmic Administration's Fiverank.' He'd heard Shirone had reached the Yahweh realm, but it felt different from what he'd imagined.
'What is this uneasy feeling?'
It churned in his gut like a time bomb about to explode.
But Fried, being the same rank, remained unfazed.
"Kuku, the emblem of universal love has a sharp tongue. What will you do if you're annoyed? Start a fight here…?"
Before his words finished, Shirone shot to his feet, grabbed the Photon Cannon, and hurled it.
"Hnng!"
Fried leapt back and planted his feet, but Shirone closed the gap in an instant with teleportation.
'Is he actually challenging me?'
Fried was the only one among the Ivory Tower stars who wielded both sword and magic, yet Shirone's speed left him no time to react.
'Even so…!'
The Oshinjang armor's effect activated and the Photon Cannon glanced by at some distance.
'So that's how it is!'
At the same moment they were at point-blank range and Shirone fired the Photon Cannon again.
The orb of light vibrated, piercing through sixty-five percent anti-magic, and Fried's eyes widened.
'How—?'
At that distance there was nowhere to dodge.
Before he'd finished thinking, the Photon Cannon slammed into Fried's abdomen.
"Grrraah!"
As pain like his abdominal muscles being torn rose, the shock vanished as if it had been a lie.
"Huh?"
Fried looked around and saw all the Stars frozen in the same motion.
'He snapped time back.' As if nothing had happened, Shirone was seated in his original spot, glaring at Fried.