[Vol. 8] Chapter 50: Before the Divine, All Living Beings Are Like Ants and Grass
As the overwhelming divine presence gradually faded with Her departure, Ferdinando let out a deep breath and took a step back, feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Several officers quickly rushed to support him.
Many soldiers who were quick-thinking or had some understanding of what had just happened also began to react. Some who were religious immediately dropped to their knees in worship.
“D-Dragon… Dragon God! Oh no, she’s the Dragon God!!!”
“What?! Then I was just pointing my weapon at a real god...”
“P-Pay our deepest respects to Her Divineness, the Dragon God!!!”
The senior officers all looked at each other in shock. In the end, everyone turned their eyes back to Ferdinando. After all, he wasn’t just the backbone of this army. He was also the only one who had spoken to Her, even calling her “Your Divineness” right from the start. Clearly, he had realized something others hadn't.
“General… is she really the Dragon God? How can a god look like a little girl?”
“Are you dumb? You can’t judge a god by appearances. To them, a body is probably just a shell.”
“But even if she is the Dragon God, are we really going to stay put for seven whole days like she said? What about the battle at the front lines?”
“…Haaah.”
Ferdinando took a few deep breaths, trying hard to calm himself down. He then shook his head to quiet the growing unrest.
“Don’t ask questions you don’t need to. Contact the capital immediately. This is a big deal… I have to report it to the Emperor and let him decide. Luckily, she only gave us a warning and didn’t go further. It seems she still has some concern…”
BEEEP BEEEP BEEEP BEEEP BEEEP!
Just then, a loud alarm rang from inside the central command tent. The already-nervous officers visibly tensed. But one of them quickly realized what it was, rushed inside, and brought out a black, metal box-like magitech device about the size of a brick.
“General! It’s an emergency call from the rear division!”
“The rear…?”
Ferdinando’s face showed clear confusion. The supply team was dozens of kilometers away, far behind the front lines, in a completely safe area, and was only responsible for delivering food and supplies. Why would they be urgently contacting the central army now, and using such a valuable communication device?
But then, his gaze shifted back toward the far-off mountains, the very ones that had just been sliced clean through by a distant divine force. Realization suddenly struck him, and his expression changed dramatically.
“No! Answer it, now!!!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Startled by Ferdinando’s sudden panic, the deputy commander jumped, but quickly began operating the magitech device. In just a few steps, it connected to the other terminal far in the rear. Before anyone could even speak, the device exploded with static and a panicked voice yelling on the other end.
“Report! Report! This is Rear Supply Army Commander, Lucenis Feller! Our forces were crushed by giant falling rocks that came out of nowhere during our march! Cough cough... We’ve suffered heavy losses!!!”
“The road has been completely blocked by an enormous boulder, and our entire transport unit has been split into several groups! The front and rear can’t support each other, and it’s unlikely we’ll reach our destination as planned! I beg General Ferdinando to delay advancing, and send medics and mobile [Graemes] back to help, our unit alone has already lost at least ten thousand soldiers!!!”
“General Ferdinando? Can you hear me?! General Ferdinando?! Hello?!”
“……”
The voice from the device kept calling out in desperation, but the commander of the Lion's Fang Legion, along with all the other officers, had already fallen into a silence even heavier than before.
By now, how could they not understand where that enormous boulder, which suddenly fell from the sky and crushed their supply troops, leaving them badly damaged and unable to move forward, had really come from?
They had thought the Dragon God was simply holding back out of fear of the mighty empire behind them, just showing off Her power as a warning. But in truth, it was never like that.
From the beginning, that Dragon God had a clear goal.
It was hard to believe, but She had somehow located the exact position of their rear supply troops from dozens of kilometers away and, with terrifying power like moving mountains and oceans, easily split an army of over a hundred thousand soldiers in two. And this... this was just what She called a "small punishment."
If She were truly angered and turned that godlike power toward the Austre Empire’s capital...
Anger, confusion, fear.
How could this be so unreasonable, so over-the-top?
The Empire had been the one attacked first, they were only trying to defend their land from invaders. Even if She was a god, what gave Her the right to suddenly appear and hand out such a strange and unfair punishment?!
Many officers and soldiers had similar thoughts in their hearts, but none dared to speak them aloud.
Because, power is truth. The Austre Empire had followed that iron rule for more than a hundred years. Now, they had simply run into someone even stronger than themselves, and it was their turn to be on the receiving end of "reason."
At last, unable to stand the silence any longer, one officer spoke up.
“General, what are we supposed to do now?”
“…Sigh.”
Realizing how foolish his earlier thoughts had been, Ferdinando gave up his last bit of wishful thinking. He let out a long sigh and weakly waved his hand.
“Send the order… Have the vanguard pull back immediately. Gather our strength and focus on rescuing and reorganizing the supply troops. Just as the Dragon God said, no part of our army is to go within 50 kilometers of the border for the next seven days. Anyone who disobeys will be punished under military law.”
“…Understood.”
Even though it was an order that felt like swallowing humiliation, not one officer in the Lion’s Fang, a force known for its fierce and proud military, spoke out against it. They all quietly left to carry out the command.
Ferdinando knew that after this terrifying experience, many of his soldiers would carry deep emotional scars. Some might never recover and leave the army early. But there was nothing he could do.
Even he had never imagined that a single person could possess such incredible power. Back when he saw the battle of the gods from afar in Sainz, it hadn’t felt real. He had even believed that, with the Austre Empire’s current level of magitech development, they might be able to fight back against a god if the whole country worked together. He thought that, powerful as She was, the Dragon God would still have to be careful about facing an entire empire alone.
But now… that idea seemed laughably naive.
He silently turned to look west, the direction of the Austre Empire’s greatest enemy in its strategic plans.
Yet at that moment, a far more terrifying thought crossed Ferdinando’s mind.
If the Dragon God is already this powerful... then what about the Nameless Goddess?
The one worshipped for a thousand years by the Holy Empire and believers across the world, said to be the embodiment of the Primordial Light Itself.
Can the Austre Empire… really win?
………………………………………
“…Praise the Goddess… what incredible power…”
At the Iron Ridge Fortress, watching the distant mountain range that had been split in a straight line as if it were tofu, the Judgement Saintess couldn’t help but speak from the heart.
There were very few beings in the world capable of something like that. And even fewer who could appear at this time and place.
After seeing the Dragon God descend upon the fortress, and then fly off toward the east, it wasn’t hard for her to guess who had just shown such divine power.