[Vol. 8] Chapter 49: Divine Might
Fifty kilometers east of the Iron Ridge Fortress.
"Report! General, the vanguard has found a soldier from our army who survived the battle at Iron Ridge. He says he is Raymond, Commander of the Iron Ridge Garrison Unit No. 3 of the Valandia Army, and a First-Class Tiger-Rank Officer. He requests to report urgent military information to you!"
Inside the command tent, the Supreme Commander of the Lion’s Fang Army Group, Ferdinando, looked up from the military map he was studying with several officers. His sharp eyes fixed on the messenger who had just arrived, his expression changing slightly.
"You said… Raymond? That kid is still alive? Has his identity been confirmed?"
The messenger nodded respectfully. "Yes, General. We checked his personal items. He has the official seal of the Iron Ridge Garrison No. 3 and a military ID showing he is a First-Class Tiger-Rank Officer. We also compared his appearance to our records, it’s very likely he is who he says he is."
"Excellent!"
Ferdinando’s eyes lit up slightly. He exchanged a quick look with his officers and said with clear joy, "This is one of the best pieces of news I’ve heard lately! Hurry, bring Raymond here immediately! He’s the only survivor we have from the front lines. I must hear what he knows!"
"Yes, sir!" The messenger nodded and quickly left.
One of the deputy commanders, who seemed to know something, lowered his voice and said,
"General, according to the information from the Intelligence Bureau, the wild tribes have spread a terrifying corpse plague inside the Iron Ridge Fortress. It has become a city of death. Raymond returned alone from such a dangerous area… Something feels off. Should we isolate and examine him first…?"
Ferdinando frowned, then slowly shook his head after thinking for a moment.
After the Sainz Incident ended and they had to turn back from the outskirts of the Academy City, they quickly received new orders from the Imperial Capital and began moving non-stop toward the border.
The Emperor seemed to have access to some secret source of information and had spoken to Ferdinando directly, giving him a series of very important orders, plans that could shake the entire world. The Emperor also sent the most advanced magic-tech unit under his command. The information the deputy had just mentioned was collected through some special method by that unit.
Regarding the corpse plague currently spreading in Iron Ridge, Ferdinando had personally asked the leader of that magic-tech unit, who was also the Deputy Director of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau. The answer he received was to ignore it, to treat it as if it didn’t exist. The Intelligence Bureau had already prepared a safe solution.
This was why Ferdinando made his decision. Besides, the army was about to begin its battle with the wild tribes. They desperately needed someone who had actually experienced the Battle of Iron Ridge, not just second-hand reports from a special unit. To be honest, he always felt that…
"ZZzz~!!!"
But just then, an overwhelming and completely unexpected pressure suddenly filled the air!
"!?"
At the same time, every high-ranking officer and guard in the room swayed on their feet, their faces turning pale. They looked around in fear. In the corner, a magic device used to measure the amount of magical energy in the air began rising rapidly, so fast it was visible to the eye. In the end, it gave off a puff of white smoke and stopped working completely!
"What… what is happening?!"
"Protect the General!"
"Everyone, stay calm!!!"
Though he also felt the intense fear and pressure from the unknown force, Ferdinando was no ordinary man. As the commander of the powerful Lion’s Fang Army Group, one of the Austre Empire’s four strongest army groups, his experience, willpower, and strength were far beyond that of regular people.
He immediately drew his sword and used it to steady himself, then quickly rushed out of the tent!
Lifting the tent flap, Ferdinando saw chaos unfold outside.
As expected, the huge pressure wasn’t limited to just their main command tent. All across the central military camp, specially built for the coming war, soldiers were collapsing from the sudden force. Horses and magical beasts were trembling and lying flat in fear. Even the newly equipped [Graeme]-type machines brought for this battle were freezing up, falling over, and giving off white smoke like the earlier device, becoming completely useless for the moment.
"General, please be careful! What… what is this…?"
Only now did the senior officers who followed Ferdinando finally manage to get used to the heavy pressure and thick magical energy, as if gravity had been increased, and arrived slowly at the command tent. But Ferdinando didn’t turn to look at them, or maybe he just didn’t care to. Instead, he suddenly looked up, his pupils shrinking in shock.
He saw clearly above the clear sky, a giant dragon covered in shining golden scales, as if made from golden flames, was floating silently among the clouds. Even though it was thousands of meters away, its massive body still looked like it could block out the sun. Its cold golden eyes met Ferdinando’s from afar, and in just that moment, Ferdinando fell to his knees, shaking uncontrollably, his mind going completely blank.
A mortal... cannot look directly at such a being!
"General!?"
"Lord Ferdinando!"
"I’m... I’m fine! Send the order immediately! No one is allowed to look up at the sky!!!"
Holding back the urge to cough up blood from the shock and pressure, Ferdinando didn’t waste a single second. He roared out the command with all his strength.
He knew that although he might not be the strongest in the world, he was still a battle-hardened warrior who could take on hundreds alone. He had survived countless bloody battles and had a will as strong as steel.
But even someone like him had almost completely collapsed just from sensing the presence of that mighty being. If it had been an ordinary soldier or officer, the result would have been too terrible to imagine.
And yet, strangely… even though he expected some soldiers to accidentally look up and suffer the horrible consequences, no screams came. He waited and waited, but everything was strangely quiet. Instead, the soldiers around him, many of whom had started to recover, were suddenly raising their weapons, ready for battle.
"Who are you?! How dare you break into our imperial military camp?!"
"Soldiers! Step forward and capture her!"
"Wai—wait a moment!"
Ferdinando was shocked. He finally started to recover from the earlier shock, and with the help of his officers, struggled to stand up. He looked toward the figure who had somehow appeared right in front of them, now surrounded by rows of alert soldiers.
It was a girl. Or rather… a little girl.
She wore an elegant black dress. Her long, flowing hair was like burning golden flames. Two small, shiny horns grew from the sides of her head, and she had a long tail behind her. Her body was very small and delicate, with a flat chest. Compared to Ferdinando’s ten-year-old daughter back in the capital, this girl didn’t seem any more mature.
The most eye-catching thing was even though her stylish black dress looked very modern, her small feet were completely bare, not wearing any shoes at all. The only things she wore were two small bells around her ankles that gave off a soft ringing sound as she walked.
It was as if the wild power of nature and the calm intelligence of life had perfectly blended into her young body, turning her into something beyond all things, someone who naturally became the center of the entire world with every little movement she made. Words like “cute” or “beautiful” felt too shallow to describe her presence.
Yes, divine.
Ferdinando didn’t know why, but when he looked into her burning red-gold eyes and felt the coldness in them that made him tremble, a word popped into his mind, divine. And with it, he understood something very clearly. This young girl, who looked like she couldn’t even hold a weapon, had an identity that would make any living thing bow down in fear.
His instincts made him glance up at the sky again, and just as he thought, that majestic being he had seen earlier had completely vanished. So then… the one who had replaced it was…
The commander of the Lion’s Fang army held down the storm in his heart. He did not give the order to arrest the girl, even though the imperial soldiers around him were all ready to act. Instead, he quietly bowed his head, lowering himself into a respectful posture, even more humble than when meeting the Emperor.
After all, beings beyond human understanding should never be judged by appearances alone.
“I greet Your Divineness... I am Ferdinando, commander of the ‘Lion’s Fang’ legion of the Austre Empire. May I ask, why have you come here personally?”
[……]
The golden-haired girl glanced calmly at Ferdinando. A flicker of surprise passed through her glowing golden eyes, like burning fire, as if she hadn’t expected the commander of the Austre Empire’s army to act so humbly. It seemed her original plan was now pointless.
But she didn’t mind. She spoke in a calm voice.
[For the next seven days, none of your troops are allowed to move forward. If anyone disobeys, they will face the consequences.]
She gave no reason or explanation. It was simply a direct order. Yet, coming from her, it somehow felt completely natural.
Ferdinando frowned. He couldn’t fully accept the demand. After all, it meant making the entire army stop for seven days. That would ruin the important mission the Emperor had given him. But more than that, he didn’t dare anger the powerful being in front of him. So he tried to speak carefully.
“Your Divineness… Our borders are being attacked by barbaric enemies. Our soldiers are fighting hard, and innocent people are suffering. I was ordered to lead this army to help them. We’re almost there… but now you ask us to stop. Isn’t that too much? May I ask for permission to contact our Emperor first?”
Ferdinando stayed respectful and did not directly refuse her. But the golden-haired girl’s perfect, almost unreal face stayed completely still. She said coldly,
[I came to inform you, not to discuss. Mortal matters do not concern me. Seven days means seven days.]
“Stop!”
She turned to leave. But this arrogant action finally pushed the Austre Empire soldiers too far. Several officers quickly pulled out magic guns and aimed at her. Soldiers and armored beasts moved in, surrounding her on all sides with weapons raised, ready to strike.
“You little brat! I don’t care who you are or how strong you might be, or what kind of magic trick you used to mess with the air around here. But do you think you can just walk in and out of the Austre Empire’s central camp as you please?! This isn’t the old days when one or two strong people could decide the outcome of a war! You’re overestimating yourself, seize her!”
As the furious deputy gave the order, the golden-haired girl suddenly turned back. She looked straight at Ferdinando, who was still hesitating, watching, as if trying to understand more.
For the first time, her doll-like, noble face showed a gentle smile. But it made Ferdinando’s heart tighten. He instantly felt something was very wrong.
He quickly tried to speak, but before he could, the golden-haired girl raised one hand. Golden flames lit up like a sword from her fingertip. Her voice remained calm.
[If you want to test whether I really have that kind of power, or if I dare challenge your Empire. Then, mortal, have you thought about what the cost... might be?]
“Your Divineness, wait—!”
Ferdinando shouted in panic, but it was too late. The girl drew her flaming hand through the air, leaving a strange, burning trail behind.
The next moment—
In full view of everyone in the camp, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and countless civilians, far away in the Valandia province, the tall mountain peaks along the path her finger had pointed suddenly split apart, as if cut by a giant blade. Entire peaks, over a thousand meters high, were sliced in half and came crashing down in two clean pieces!
“BOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!”
The mountains shook, the earth trembled, and a terrifying wave of power surged across the land, far more terrifying than any pressure they had felt earlier.
Back in the camp, everything fell completely silent.
The soldiers who had tried to grab the girl suddenly backed away in horror, as if they had seen a monster. Even the bravest warrior could not feel any desire to fight after witnessing such impossible power. Soldiers might be ready to die in battle, but to be erased without reason or explanation? That was something else entirely.
The deputy who had just shouted at her was now pale and shaking. His magic gun fell from his trembling hands. He was barely able to stay standing, using all his willpower not to collapse.
“You… y-y-you… what are you… really…?”
But the being with such overwhelming power, far beyond human understanding, didn’t even glance at him. She gently tapped the ground with her bare foot, and golden flames exploded upward, wrapping around her. In the blink of an eye, the flames transformed into a giant, shining dragon. It spread its wings and flew away into the sky.
Above the camp, only her voice remained, echoing in the air.
[This… was just a small warning. Tell your master to behave better next time.]