[Vol. 8] Chapter 198: The Third Party’s Plan
“What a profound sword aura… it has no form or trace, yet it’s unstoppable. Just a casual swing of the sword was enough to create such an incredible sword formation. The Sword Saint truly is extraordinary, no wonder he’s recognized as the Austre Empire’s strongest warrior…”
As he saw the large number of troops gradually gathering, Miles, Deputy Director of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, stood near the valley entrance. While looking at the invisible sword aura storm surrounding Chaos Magic Valley, he spoke in a low voice, then turned to the adjutant accompanying him on this operation.
“How’s the activity index inside the valley?”
The adjutant, dressed in plain clothes, gave a formal and precise report.
“Reporting, sir. The position of the tracking device hasn’t changed for a long time, which likely means the carrier has met with an accident. But starting last night, the activity index suddenly began to rise rapidly. It’s now close to the critical level. It’s likely that the scholars did something foolish and disturbed the sleeping Earth Magic Dragon.”
“No problem. This was within expectations. It was only a matter of time anyway. If they don’t value their own lives, then that’s fewer people we’ll have to worry about evacuating later. How much time do we have left?”
The adjutant glanced at the vehicle-mounted magic device not far away and quickly gave an estimate.
“At most… fifteen minutes before the Earth Magic Dragon Tartanos fully awakens.”
“Hmm…”
Miles simply nodded.
“Have everyone ready. As soon as the valley’s anti-magic field lifts, the entire army will move in. Follow the plan to capture the Earth Magic Dragon. There must be no mistakes.”
“Yes, sir!”
Months of planning… and now the moment had finally come.
Deep underground in Chaos Magic Valley lies a powerful magical beast that feeds on magic. The Earth Magic Dragon, a rogue dragon from among the seven dragon clans, originally of the Yellowrock Earth Dragon lineage, now hunted by its own kind.
Although Miles had never seen the creature himself, the information provided by His Majesty made it clear, the corrupted Earth Magic Dragon fled here, wounded, intending to recover using some kind of special method. But it was discovered by none other than the Austre Empire’s strongest warrior, Sword Saint Bevis Bernard, which led to an epic battle.
The exact outcome of that battle isn’t fully known. The only thing confirmed is that the Sword Saint couldn’t kill the dragon. After paying a certain price, he managed to suppress it and seal it beneath Chaos Magic Valley temporarily.
The reason Chaos Magic Valley became what it is today is because after Tartanos was sealed, his power and aura slowly corrupted the surrounding magical energy. But because of the Sword Saint’s seal, that corrupted energy couldn’t escape. Over time, the slow buildup turned into a major change, creating the valley’s unique environment.
The seal the Sword Saint used wasn’t perfect, and that’s why, even after becoming famous, he rarely appeared in public. He seemed to spend most of his time either training disciples or maintaining the seal, keeping the Earth Magic Dragon under control.
Of course, these details were just fragments of what Miles had heard from the Emperor. He didn’t know how His Majesty had come by such secret information, nor did he dare ask. As Deputy Director of the Intelligence Bureau, the more he knew, the more dangerous things became. Sometimes, keeping your head down and finishing your job was the only way to survive.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel there was more to the story behind the sealing of the Earth Magic Dragon, something deeper and more complex. Every time he thought about it, he found himself even more uneasy.
For example, what exactly did that Yellowrock Earth Dragon find in the first place that made it betray its own kind just to keep it for itself? And even after being sealed, how could it still affect the entire surrounding environment so much?
The Sword Saint clearly never told anyone about the situation in Chaos Magic Valley, so how did His Majesty know that the Earth Magic Dragon would soon awaken? And how was he able to prepare for months in advance and send them here for this mission?
And most importantly, those strange items that the Emperor said must be taken from the dragon’s body... what are they actually for?
There were too many details and doubts like these. Even though Miles was the highest commander in this mission, the truth was: he didn’t know many things at all. As the Emperor’s trusted aide, his job was simply to carry out orders, nothing more.
“Report! Deputy Director, all troops have finished assembling!”
A loud call snapped Miles out of his thoughts. He glanced sideways at the agent who came to report and nodded slightly.
“Have all the scouts stationed around the valley returned? Any unusual activity or signs the Church discovered us?”
“Yes, most of them have made it back. However, about ten percent failed to return. Based on the investigation, they either died in various accidents or were arrested by the Holy Empire’s Holy Knights for being mistaken as bandits. After all, the situation in Theo Province has always been chaotic. Our people had to move around in the most dangerous areas to avoid the Church’s eyes, so this casualty rate was expected. Should we try to rescue them?”
Miles shook his head without hesitation.
“We don’t have time for that. This mission is extremely important. According to His Majesty’s instructions, we must immediately return to the Austre Empire with the captured prize after killing the Earth Magic Dragon, we can’t afford any mistakes. And the long-distance teleportation scroll is a relic from the Mythical Era. It’s extremely rare, and the Emperor only gave me one…”
“Leave them behind. We gathered soldiers from the army instead of using Intelligence Bureau agents not just because of the wartime manpower shortage, but also because we expected something like this might happen. They’re not true agents. As long as they’re smart and don’t do anything stupid, they can at least stay alive.”
To put it bluntly, those people were meant to be pawns from the beginning.
As a member of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, the adjutant naturally understood how ruthless and result-oriented the organization could be. Hearing Miles say this confirmed what he had already guessed about those people's fate.
Unless something unexpected happened, those soldiers would probably have to spend the rest of their lives in the Holy Empire. Or… maybe one day, when the Emperor finishes his conquest and swallows the Holy Empire completely, then they might finally return home.
“Yes, I understand how to proceed,” the adjutant replied.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!
At that moment, within the ready Imperial formation, a loud, sharp alarm blared from the detection device mounted on one of the war chariots. Miles and the adjutant both stiffened, and the nearby technician quickly shouted.
“Deputy Director! The energy index just spiked again for no reason, it’s passed the critical level! The target has awakened!!”
Almost the moment he finished speaking—
RUMMMMMBBBBLLLE!!!
The ground began to shake violently.
It was no ordinary earthquake, it was something terrifying beyond description, impossible to measure.
Even the people far outside the valley could clearly see cracks ripping through the land like monstrous scars. Huge rocks tumbled, birds scattered in panic, and the mountains of Chaos Magic Valley began to collapse one after another, breaking apart like fragile houses crushed by an invisible force.