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Aurelinople, one of the seven city-states that divided and ruled the territory of the old empire. Geographically, the city sat firmly on the watershed, where the Red Mountains ended and the Belisor River divided into two.

“As you can see from the map, Aurelinople held enormous geographical value for both humanity and the abyss.”

Great River Belisor split into two around Aurelinople and connected again at the southern part of the continent.

Since land and sea were connected in Aurelinople through waterways, the city was responsible for human prosperity.

It was Aurelinople that occupied the center of the old Inferno Line.

“For the demons, Aurelinople was a critical base for advancing to the north. Conversely, for humanity, it was a base for advancing south.”

Since it was a base of advancement for both camps, the battle there was bound to be horrific.

“In February 1698, humanity began to lay the foundation for the battle to conquer Aurelinople in order to connect the front lines with the dwarves.”

The most important process was to pave the way for the main unit.

To explain it clearly, in order to go down to Aurelinople, they had to remove the volcanic ash from above. For that purpose, The Heavenly Castle decided to send a reconnaissance unit with the most elite personnel to the south of the mountain range.

“Kaisen Alter Aradamandel was deployed with this reconnaissance unit. In February of 1698, the prelude to the battle to conquer Aurelinople began.”

* * *

The reconnaissance mission was chaotic from the start, and Kaisen’s heart pounded.

[This is Alidona. The scout team confirmed that they left the mountain range barrier.]

When they left the Red Mountains, everything became a whitish outline in the darkness.

[You left the mountains, right? Slowly, you will start to lose vision due to the volcanic ash.]

Volcanic ash was the power of the Old Kings. It wasn’t just a visual disturbance—it disrupted all perception of the area, such as sight and hearing.

For this reason, headquarters was unable to obtain information south of the mountain range.

“This is Mern. Volcanic ash is a problem, but it’s hard to open my eyes due to the sandstorm.”

Until then, the information was not needed because they were fighting defensively, but since a southward advance was predicted, the situation had changed.

[Sandstorm, huh? The power of the King of Lizards, Neigalas, is awakening.]

“Sand is building up on my tongue whenever I talk. I need to wear a helmet.”

[Report when the demon’s camp is confirmed, and you may have to solve the problem.]

Mern was the legitimate successor to the famous archery school, Drunken Archery, whose lineage was thought lost.

It was an undeniable fact that bows had several limitations compared to guns, but the sense amplifications, concealment abilities, and long-distance assassination skills that top-class archers possessed were qualities gunmen could never have.

[Ah. Don’t forget to insert the barrier stone.]

The headquarters organized 15 elite archers, led by Mern, into a reconnaissance group, and Kaisen Alter Aradamantel was assigned to the unit as the main vanguard.

“Yes. I know.” Mern handed Kaisen a leather package with something softly shining inside. “Is this your first time seeing one? Here, take it. It’s a wedge-shaped barrier stone.”

Dragon tongue wriggled on the surface of the wedge. Rather than the letters being engraved, it looked like the words had embedded themselves in the wedge.

“It can remove all the volcanic ash in a radius of 15km. The Heavenly Castle designed it, and Alidona mass-produced it.”

“It’s great.”

“If you know that, then handle it carefully. Embed one in the ground every time you move. Unlike you, if we get hit while embedding one of them, we’ll be off to the afterlife, so let’s go.”

Under Mern’s command, the archers descended the mountainside in perfect order.

Silence—

An eerie silence that seemed it would break at any moment hovered over the fog and ash-filled land.

Starlight shimmered in the volcanic ash like pale ghosts, seeming to watch him.

“It’s about here. Embed one first.”

He drove a wedge into the ground, and a halo of light shot up into the sky, burning away the volcanic ash.

The sky cleared, and the starlight felt weaker in the ash’s absence.

[This is Heavenly Castle Mirngadia. The barrier stone’s installation was confirmed. The disturbance from the volcanic ash disappeared.]

“Let’s keep moving.”

[Signs of Tuaki have been confirmed in the volcanic ash, so be careful. The coordinates are not accurate.]

‘Tuaki’, fear flickered in the archers’ gazes. Again, they entered the volcanic ash. Although they had open air on all sides, it felt like they were trapped.

“Enemy ahead. I’ll take care of it. 12 goblins. As expected, they deployed the little devils at night.” His breathing was distorted.

A suffocatingly hot air broke through the temperature control magic; beads of sweat formed all over his body and ran down, leaving behind an unpleasant moisture.

“I wonder how starlight can even make it through this thick volcanic ash.”

“They are the eyes of the Old Kings, evil stars. Alidona says that the Kings come from other stars.”

“Is that true?”

“Would a priestess lie? She may be a big smoker, but she doesn’t lie.”

Husks of villages sprouted up in every crevice of the gentle mountain landscape or at the edges of the curved river, but they were all left dry and abandoned.

Creak, creak, creak—

In the ruins of the villages, the hinges of the abandoned houses whispered their stories, long forgotten.

‘By now, my hometown…’

For a moment, Kaisen thought about what his hometown would be like, but all he could see was darkness.

Could he still call the land where his father, mother, and sister died and where he had left at a young age his hometown?

He wondered how far he had gone through the wriggling, seemingly alive fog when Mern suddenly crouched down. “Alidona, this is the scouting team. A fortress was spotted just as we were about to head to the front of the mountain.”

[Its size?]

“It’s four stories high and can easily accommodate three hundred people. What should we do?”

[If they have more troops, it will be a hassle. We haven’t reached the depths of the volcanic ash yet, so it’s okay to engage… if you have enough firepower.]

“It’s overflowing.”

[Hmm, it sounds like you want to show off your skills to our cute rookie by subduing demons.]

“Just go smoke.” Magic brilliantly intertwined above the arrow notched on White Spear Bow Serwebon.

It was too huge to be called an arrow and looked like a pillar.

The process didn’t even take 30 seconds, and it took less than three seconds for the arrow to pierce the fortress’s pavilion.

Drunken Archery Form, Thousand Deadly Whistles.

A screech like the cry of a thousand birds followed the blue light, tearing through the volcanic ash.

The technique, developed by Legendary Archer Saint Kies, who conquered the turbulent times of the 12th century, did not end with just piercing the target—countless stems sprouted from the arrow, tearing down its internal structure.

‘Amazing…’

The Thousand Deadly Whistles passed diagonally through the 2nd and 3rd floors, ripping through the structure and the enemies within.

The arrow created a circular hole about five spans wide, and a crack more than twice that size appeared where it exited. As the fortress tilted and collapsed, layer by layer, debris rained down on the beings on the 1st floor.

“!” Gray shapes ran out of the ruins. “GUAAAAAAAAAAA!”

They were one of the six major demon races, the force responsible for the armored power of the demons: trolls.

Their intellect was very low, but humans believed that brawn made up for their dumbness. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have trampled on humanity with their unrealistic strength and physiques.

Weren’t the trolls running towards them, mindless of the arrows loosed by the archers?

The trolls, whose backs were bent like hunchbacks and who ran while punching the ground with their huge arms, even enjoyed eating human flesh.

“Two trolls, huh? This seems to be quite an important fortress.”

Perhaps as a side effect of the technique, Mern shook her hand to get rid of the steaming magic fog rising from her palm and looked back at Kaisen. “I think they’re pretty angry, so you can take care of them and leave the small fry to us.”

Kaisen charged through the swirling volcanic ash and gripped his sword, which was crying for bloodshed.

The moment the magic power inside the scabbard reached its peak, it leaped toward the target.

Bright Lightning Strike.

A red bolt of lightning left an image of light across the sky. At the end of the bolt, fresh blood sprayed through torn skin and severed vertebrae.

The quick-draw technique killed two enemies, cutting off their heads with a resolute certainty.

Click—

The quiet click of the sword returning to its scabbard echoed over the area.

Like a thunderstorm, it was so vivid that it made ears ache, even amidst the heavy roar of the massive body falling over.

Beyond that clarity, a cloud of dust rose as corpses fell with their heads missing and covered the half-destroyed fortress.

“Wow, two trolls in one strike.”

“Poor guys, they attacked without even knowing the opponent was a monster that chopped up Daemons.”

After Mern reported the collapse of the fortress, the advance began again.

Sometimes, Mern would pull her bowstring out of nowhere and let an arrow fly into the darkness, and then they would hear screams and see several dead goblins.

Pulling the bowstring again, she stopped when they were about to embed the 17th barrier stone.

“An explosion…?This seems like a low-level spell. Priestess, is there a scouting team other than us?”

[No. Why?]

“We discovered a second fortress and see unidentified individuals who appear to be adventurers. They are engaged in a fight with the fort. What should we do?”

[Adventurers, huh…? It would be better than letting them die. Help them. Of course, if you can afford to. Don’t overdo it.]

Only after moving for a while did the rest hear the explosion that Mern mentioned.

Howling screams from all directions… Against the waves of screams, people were seen fighting using large shields and reciting spells.

“You bastards, get the hell out of my hometown!”

Mern and her archers rained down arrows to support them.

The head of a goblin leader, who jumped at a woman and tried to plunge his sword into her neck, was removed by Aradamantel’s blade.

When the battle ended through a similar process as before, a crowd of 12 people gathered. Sure enough, they were adventurers.

“With the Empire’s famous Bow Saint and Fake Warrior here, even the demons are no big deal.”

Adventurers were a militia force that appeared during the first period of turmoil in the 12th century.

They were challengers who subdued demons and conquered labyrinths while running their own groups, and they also solved problems that were difficult for the state to intervene in.

With the introduction of firearms and the beginning of the Age of Science, their power was greatly reduced compared to the old era.

“I’m not the Bow Saint now. What is this? Civilian entry into the Red Mountains should have been strictly prohibited due to the heat wave.”

“You want me to leave the task of reclaiming my hometown in the hands of others?” the adventurer asked.

“Where did you learn that?”

“The rumor already spread. The southern expedition is about to begin.”

“You know this is illegal.”

“Illegal? You well know there is only one law that applies to adventurers. Anything is legal as long as it satisfies one’s dreams.”

“Can’t you talk sense?” Mern sighed with a shake of her head.

Kaisen joined the conversation. “By order of the Heavenly Fortress, we are looking for a way to Aurelinople. Can you guide us?”

“Of course, the plains are dangerous, so let’s go along the mountain range. Are you the famous ‘Daemon Slayer’?”

“…”

“Damn, really? I can give you directions later, so please sign this.”

“This is a battlefield.”

“Don’t be so strict. You can just say you’ll do it later.”

The adventurers, who had lived without any ups and downs, were rude, but their directions were clear—they guided them along unfamiliar routes and explained various terrain features encountered along the way.

“What is this huge hole?”

“It’s not a hole. It used to be a lake. Alkave Lake.”

“This is Alkave Lake?”

“Yes. Can you believe I used to fish here with my father when I was little?”

Eavesdropping on the stories of the archers and adventurers, Kaisen inadvertently remembered the days he had spent with his father.

Memories of a world that had already died…

What would remain if they lingered on such memories? He closed his eyes to banish the fantasy.

“I never imagined Alkave Lake would dry up.”

“It’s been a year since Aurelinople fell, and this deathly weather has continued since then.”

Mern, who was at the forefront with an arrow attached to her White Spear Bow, stopped and looked back.

“I can see the wilderness more clearly now. What kind of road is this?”

“Everyone in this area knows this road. Thanks to the redwood trees, the air was very clean. All the trees have withered, so you won’t know一”

“Wait, it’s Tuaki. Take cover!”

As jumping out of a madman’s nightmares, a lizard with pale skin and a gaping maw torn into six parts screamed as it flapped its wings over the volcanic ash.

Tuakis… monsters called ‘Old Ones’…

Everyone stood still as the dead, feeling cold sweat pouring down their backs.

“Good. it’s gone. Now… hmmm?” Mern narrowed her eyes and seemed to be glaring beyond the ash; then she put her hands to her ears. “Alidona, a large, unidentified monster plant is growing. Uruks are standing guard around it.”

[A monster plant? Briefly describe what you can see.]

“It exhales dry breath that makes you suffocate. The branches are thick, and the leaves are like thorns. It has a rotten egg and sulfuric smell. It seems to be a vine plant at its root.”

[It can’t be… If what you say matches what I know, it’s a Primordial Plant.]

“A Primordial Plant?”

[The official name is ‘Rukungadon’, it takes away all the moisture in the area and turns it into a desert. That’s in Aurelinople?]

“It’s dangerous. We’ll take a detour.”

[No, it moves and even eats people. There is a high possibility that it will hinder the advance of large-scale troop mobilization. You guys should handle it.]

Following Mern’s instructions, the archers and adventurers settled down.

There was only one road, and when Kaisen stood on the road by himself, the uruk warriors burst into laughter.

Again, the dance began…

In the endless flashes of red, splashes of blood and cries of death intermingled.

“It’s a goblin firing squad. There are a lot of them. You guys, support Kaisen. I’ll handle them alone.”

“You bastards, get off our land!”

“Priestess, we are dealing with uruks and a large army of goblins. Reinforcements are still coming!”

The Primordial Plant, hit directly by the White Spear Bow’s arrow, began to convulse and sweep the ground with its vines.

It squeezed uruks and goblins like rags and swallowed their blood, which regenerated its wounds.

“Okay, that’s how you’re going to play it? This is fun! Let’s keep playing from afar until you kill all the uruks with your own vines!”

By the time nearly seven handfuls of uruks had died, everything was in order.

The Primordial Plant was hanging limply, a strange liquid flowing through the five or six holes created by the White Spear Bow’s arrows.

Around it, the enemies that Kaisen had not killed were lying in a heap.

‘This is like…’

It looked more like the corpse of a large reptile than a plant.

The suffocating heat… Was the sticky liquid that poured out when the plant died something like lava? A hot haze rose everywhere.

“Priestess, the Primordial Plant has been destroyed.”

[What is the enemy’s reaction?]

“About 300 uruks and five trolls appeared, but Kaisen took care of them, and there were no other special enemies. It was nice to see the thing they guarded so preciously end up eating them.”

[Move deeper into the volcanic ash. Make sure to embed the barrier stones. Our communication will be cut off. We need to obtain complete geographic information.]

“The adventurers say that there is a path to Aurelinople without having to go deep in the ashes. What should we do?”

“If you go straight this way, you’ll see it right away. You don’t have to go far.”

[That sounds good, okay. I’m telling you this again, but don’t forget to install the barrier stones.]

“Okay. We’re entering the volcanic ash.”

It didn’t take long for Mern’s voice, which had been filled with excitement of the mission’s success, to distort in bewilderment. “What the hell is that?”

[Communication was resumed due to the installation of the barrier stone. What happened?]

“I’m looking down at Aurelinople right now, and I’m not sure if you’ll believe me when I tell you.”

[Say it.]

“Primordial Plants are covering the city. Maybe that’s why the entire city turned into a desert. Great River Belisor dried up and looks like a long valley. Even now, it looks like the desert is expanding.”

There was an uneasy silence from the other side of the communication.

The silence was shared by the adventurers, who had returned to their hometown, as they exchanged despairing looks with each other.

Alidona spoke again. Not to Mern, but to the Heavenly Castle. [His Excellency, this is Alidona. I would like to report the situation in Aurelinople.]

The Heavenly Castle’s silence was not as long as Alidona’s—the decision was made right away.

Alidona conveyed his words as an order. [Finish installing the barrier stones there and then return. The headquarters decided to expedite the expedition. There won’t be much time to rest.]