The vast Reberia Plain occupies the northern part of Parthia. In its center lies the capital, Babylonica, where Nero’s Great Expedition Army is currently stationed, preparing its forces.
Since the annihilation of the Braihan cavalry unit, it seems that the Crusader forces in the south have nearly retreated. They likely chose to withdraw immediately after the cavalry, which had been at the forefront of the southern invasion, was destroyed. After all, with no significant resistance in the vast land they had invaded freely, the Demon King’s army has now appeared. It would be unwise, and in a careless encounter, they could meet the same fate as Braihan.
The factions that had been scrambling across the plains, desperate to gain territory in Parthia, fled in fear to join Nero.
Thus, without engaging in notable battles, we advanced into the central region of Parthia. In the northern part of the central area, where the unnaturally steep rocky mountains are scattered, we made our frontline base at a location called Zigurat, overlooking the Reberia Plain stretching to the north.
Zigurat is the site of a gigantic ancient ruin, utilizing a distinctive and beautiful triangular mountain standing nearby as a landmark, traditionally serving as a relay point for nomads.
However, it has not developed as a crucial traffic hub; it’s merely a waystation for nomads moving across the plains in all directions. Therefore, various tribes set up their camps around Zigurat at their convenience.
Since several tribes are always present, some merchants have settled in Zigurat, forming a small market and a few settlements, creating a small town.
In this relay town typical of Parthia, tens of thousands of the Demon King’s army were gathering.
“It’s been a while, Brigit.”
“Likewise, it’s been a long time, Fiona. Since the banquet at Morrigan Temple, hasn’t it?”
On the 20th of Dawn Moon.
Dwarf craftsmen, having gained experience from the railway construction from the Blue Forest to Damascus, swiftly laid tracks to the Reberia Plain and reached Zigurat just a few days ago.
Even though the plains have minimal obstacles and little elevation, the distance is considerable, but they arrived with astonishing speed. When the representative of the project was rewarded by the Demon King for their excellent work, they casually remarked, “I think this is probably the fastest.” An incredible achievement.
In any case, thanks to the laid railway, Fiona, who had remained in Damascus, arrived early that morning, riding the magical locomotive to Zigurat Station.
When I went to welcome my fiancée after her long train journey, she opened with this:
“It seems you’ve been quite a handful for Chrono.”
“Oh, not at all! It’s I who have benefited from your kindness.”
Between Fiona’s cold glare and Brigit’s cheerful smile, sparks were visibly flying.
Recently, the ones by my side have been Brigit and Sariel. I understand why Brigit, having been in Fahren for a while, is eager to press in, and I also recognize that Sariel, now officially my fiancée, has become more bold during the nights.
Thanks to both of their enthusiasm, I have indeed been living a harem-like life, but… I can’t forget how Fiona is still concerned about last year’s Christmas tragedy. I understand she has her feelings about my relationship with the two, but… hmm, this is a bit heavy on the stomach so early in the morning…
“Don’t think I’ll always be just as I was back then.”
“If that makes you happy, my Lord Chrono, I’ll welcome it. Shall we serve together again?”
Even when faced with defeat, Fiona stands her ground without backing down, while Brigit wears a relaxed smile.
“It wouldn’t do to stand and talk here. Let’s go to the Command Center, Fiona.”
“Before that, is there a good place to eat around here? I haven’t had breakfast yet.”
“Would a food stall do?”
“That’s fine.”
Fiona should be like this, I thought, as I filled my belly with spiced kebab-like meat dishes before heading to the Zigurat frontline Command Center.
“Ruins, you say… do they lead to any dungeons?”
“No, there are no connections here. We’ve done some searching since we arrived.”
The Command Center was set up in the central part of the ruin, which still retains its temple-like structure. Otherwise, the only alternatives would have been to set up camps on the plains or rocky mountains.
Moreover, there is also a monolith here. It’s not large enough for teleportation, but it can be used for communication. That alone gives value to having a base here.
“From what I can see, there doesn’t seem to be anything unusual…”
Perhaps because she had just been exploring the ancient underground city of Damascus, Fiona’s observational skills regarding the ruins seem sharper than usual.
As she said, at first glance, it appears to be an ordinary ancient ruin one might find anywhere in Pandora. It’s rather unremarkable in style, just stonework with standing columns that an adventurer might have seen in a dungeon at least once.
The only indications that this is undeniably an ancient ruin are the ancient inscriptions scattered about and the presence of the monolith.
Although it’s quite spacious, Fiona’s scan didn’t reveal any new secret doors, entrances, or teleportation circles. Well, the centaurs of Parthia have been coming and going here for hundreds of years. Adventurers and researchers have likely examined it numerous times, thinking there could be something hidden.
If there is indeed anything here, I doubt it would be easily found overnight, and chances are there are some unlocking mechanisms involved. Until that becomes clear, this will forever remain just a ruin.
“Chrono, this ruins is probably Temen Nigru.”
“Of Karamala?”
More precisely, it is the central administrative office of Pandemonium, the castle of Lily.
A massive tower that symbolizes the city of desire, Karamala, stands in the heart of the city—its true identity being the control center of an ancient super massive colony at its surface.
“Given the structure, I believe it was a facility of similar scale.”
“So, is there something underground here as well?”
“Who knows… there are only the typical scattered ruins around, nothing particularly stands out. It’s possible that construction was abandoned at the foundation stage.”
“Given that Shelters are initially for dragon disaster countermeasures, it’s plausible that they simply ran out of time.”
Though we garnered more insights than anticipated, we couldn’t realistically investigate in-depth.
We were grateful for the ability to communicate via the monolith and proceeded with our plans to establish a base at Zigurat as planned.
After taking a stroll around the town with Fiona, we settled down in the Command Center within the temple hall where the monolith is located.
“So, how is the renovation of Shangri-La progressing?”
“It’s on schedule. Perhaps a bit too well; it seems they’ve started dabbling in various things.”
The Sky Battleship Shangri-La, a key strategic weapon boasted by the Empire Army, is undergoing renovations as a priority.
Thanks to Fiona, the liberation of Adamantoria was successful, thus allowing us to avoid relying on Shangri-La, but… having also liberated the underground city of Damascus in the process has shifted the circumstances.
With the discovery of a dedicated dry dock for the sky battleship within the underground city, there has been discussion about whether it would be more efficient to continue renovations here.
Many facilities not present in Pandemonium were discovered, ensuring effectiveness. However, the question remains whether it’s worth moving Shangri-La here during its renovations. How would we even fit it into the dock deep underground? The worst-case scenario is teleporting it back with “Emergency Teleport Return,” consuming a lot of energy.
There were indeed numerous issues… but as a result, Shangri-La has been decided to be relocated to the underground city’s dock. The critical factor for this decision was the discovery of a launchpad extending from the dock. It connects to a massive launch entrance in the middle of a desolate wasteland outside Damascus’s great wall, allowing the sky battleship to comfortably enter and exit.
“Can we manage it by the end of this month?”
“At this pace, it should be fine. Initially, they struggled with the new equipment, but now they’ve become quite adept. Many dwarves from Adamantoria have joined in as well.”
It seems enhancing both the facilities and personnel was quite significant. If satisfactory results don’t emerge from this, it would be a grand failure… but I believe it succeeded thanks to the efforts of Simon and the others rather than just luck.
“The decisive battle will be within this month of Dawn Moon?”
“That is the plan.”
“Time is not solely our ally, then.”
Given the situation, it was supposed to become advantageous as we were gathering time to bolster the renovations of Shangri-La and to gather the forces necessary. The Expedition Army was also weary from a series of defeats, and they wouldn’t easily recover.
However, it was recently revealed that the Crusaders had dispatched quite a significant number of reinforcements to Nero. This was just after annihilating the Braihan cavalry and finishing the liberation of the south.
With the invaders causing chaos in the plains gone, Kay and Garrison organized a large reconnaissance team, probing around Babylonica, where Nero was holed up.
Kay was originally an elite knight of the capital and is the son of Lord Hiram. With a solid status, he is a fitting person to connect with the scattered tribes.
On the other hand, Garrison, known for being a notorious gang member—rather, a rampaging criminal from the “Lysanders”—has gained a certain degree of notoriety. He may be an outright criminal, but that’s precisely why he has leverage in the underworld and is accustomed to negotiations.
Facing the imminent demise of Parthia, both the formal and informal sectors are cooperating without regard for appearances. After suffering catastrophic blows from Nero, they wouldn’t be able to muster even a decent number otherwise, yet I’m grateful to these two for successfully carrying out their reconnaissance mission.
“Hope it’s just regular reinforcements, but it seems the Crusaders are also deploying new aerial weaponry.”
“Still the aerial fortress?”
“No, it’s airships—those large things that float like blimps. They fly based on simple principles, so ancient magic doesn’t apply. They are completely new weapons developed solely with current magical technology.”
“I see… being able to mass-produce it in-house is troublesome.”
Indeed, that’s something even the Empire Army hasn’t achieved yet.
I have talked with Simon about airships, but like with the trains, there’s no way to allocate resources to that level. It’s optimal to focus resources on our ancient weapons that are crucial for our combat strength.
Fiona’s groundbreaking completion of the train was solely due to her extraordinary talent.
“Shall we start making them now? It seems easy to fly using the wind spirit.”
“No way we could do it from scratch this late. But once we get through this, we might need to dabble in that as well.”
I wonder how much power their airships will bring to them. If they’re just flimsy constructions, that would be fine, but I can hardly expect that.
Such a conspicuous new weapon was likely developed by the “White of Sacred.”
“Even if the airships are shabby, the strength of the armored units is real, and it wouldn’t be surprising if a battalion of Taurus like Galahad showed up.”
“Indeed, giant golems are troublesome. There’s also a possibility they may bring out some unknown ancient weapon.”
The Crusaders’ dramatic show of support alone is enough to warrant caution.
“The worst-case scenario would be reinforcements of new apostles…”
“All remaining apostles should be engaged in missions at Sinclair, but that’s from when I was last there.”
“Oh, Sariel had mentioned the same.”
Aside from the legendary First, the second to fifth apostles, currently the strongest active individuals, would not be making any moves from the Holy Capital Elysion.
Then there’s the seventh apostle, Sariel, alongside the most active operatives, from the sixth to tenth, five in total. Among them, Sariel has betrayed, and Ai is in Pandora, leaving three remaining at Sinclair… but naturally, Sinclair is currently executing a sacred invasion of Ark Continent. Generally, the remaining three are likely deployed on that front, so it seems difficult to easily withdraw them.
But if the White God tells them to disregard the situation and come for me, they would indeed act, right?
The Crusaders’ supreme decision-making is dictated by their deity, making it challenging to use rational human thought as a basis for their judgments.
“Even without new apostles, it would be problematic if the sea blockade of runes is broken. They still seem to be gathering ships for that purpose.”
The deployment for the decisive battle might be a distraction, and the real objective could be Nero’s return to Avalon.
Although that proud one prefers not to engage in such theatrics, it’s certainly possible they would emphasize the righteousness of reclaiming their homeland.
“Thus, I want to initiate the attack this month while our ground forces have fully assembled.”
“What if they strike first?”
“So far, there haven’t been any signs of such movements.”
They would likely desire a pitched battle to fully utilize their assembled troops. In that case, they should remain silent and wait until we arrive.
Unless they have some strategy capable of obliterating the forces quickly stationed at the front lines, there’s no incentive for Nero to move first.
“A pitch battle, huh… it sounds like it will be quite the spectacle.”
Fiona is right.
We’ll unleash a full-force effort with no reservations. And they will meet us with their full strength bolstered by the Crusaders’ new weaponry.
This battle will likely become a large-scale war surpassing the Galahad War.
Indeed, it’s a war of a new era, intertwined with ancient and new weaponry…
With Fiona’s arrival as the cue, the Empire Army began to gather in droves at Zigurat.
The increase in the Empire Army’s scale, swelling by the tens of thousands daily, astonished the centaurs residing here, but since it had been planned in advance, there weren’t any significant issues arising.
As for supplies, the existing railway resolved those matters. Naturally, additional tracks are being laid in advance as we head north towards Babylonica. The exact position of the actual battlefield will depend on the opponent’s movements, but we should be able to extend quite close.
Depending on the situation, we may have the opportunity to use that “Argonaut” as a conventional train cannon.
“This Command Center is becoming a bit cramped.”
Initially, it was an arrangement featuring three main forces: Sariel’s Dark Knight Corps, Brigit leading Fahren’s Winged Beast Knights, and General Amelia of Tempest. However, it is now bustling with commanders leading assembled troops, greatly increasing the numbers.
First, there is Kay, captain of the Empire Army’s vanguard, the First Assault Brigade.
This time, not just Captain Eliwood as his deputy, but Charlotte is also in attendance.
As for her first assignment, I’ve heard it via Lily. Though I think she’d be happier if she stayed out of it… this is an action taken with full awareness. Besides, with Lily’s approval given, I have no words left to stop Charlotte.
Next, the Giant Beast Corps, which also participated in the liberation of Adamantoria. Even a few of these already large beings take up a considerable amount of space. I sincerely apologize for using a human-sized room.
The Varna faction is participating too, along with Laila’s quadruped tank division. With mobility surpassing cavalry and armor and firepower exceeding that of armored units, having actual tanks assures strength, especially in the open plains without cover. Quadruped tanks are essential as a powerful cavalry force.
Furthermore, the Chaos Knights of Zenongart, having restored their strength, just arrived here yesterday. While they initially planned to come aboard Shangri-La once renovations were complete, they are instead making an early appearance just for the Chaos Knights, as the renovations will take a while to finish.
Zenongart seems to regard Simon’s requests seriously. Besides, those guys seem to have become quite friendly with each other… I can’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy about that.
This segment is notable for elite forces, and additionally, many rifle-equipped infantry trained in Pandemonium join. They comprise the main force of the Empire Army, and therefore the number of captains and commanders leading them inevitably increases.
At this point, I can’t memorize all the faces and names anymore. Lately, I’ve been relying heavily on the feature that displays a person’s face, name, and affiliation on the helmet’s display, thanks to Miria’s consideration.
Because of that, opportunities to showcase my true face among gatherings where I’m unfamiliar with everyone have decreased. At this rate, the Demon King’s face will likely be recognized as the “Skull Face of the Tyrant’s Armor.”
“Thank you for waiting, Your Majesty the Demon King—’Elroad Empire’s Thirteenth Black Dragon Brigade, Lagna Division,’ reporting in.”
“Thank you for coming. I’ve been waiting for you, Vincent.”
Now, the one who appears here is Duke Vincent of the Black Dragon. Small and unassuming, clad in the same plain black robe as when we first met, not a single ordinary person stands among the assembly gathered here.
“Ah, so that’s Lagna.”
“Indeed, you truly have the Black Dragon at your side…”
Before the leader of the renowned Lagna Principality, said to be the strongest in Pandora, everyone draws in breath.
Though it was widely made known that Lagna had submitted to the Empire, this appears to be Vincent’s first appearance in public. Facing the authentic figure may elicit such reactions.
“Well, with that, we have finally gathered.”
The ground forces of the Empire Army scheduled to assemble at Zigurat have now completely gathered. There’s no longer any reason to remain here.
All that remains is Shangri-La, but the sky battleship can easily catch up later. The air unit is set to regroup on-site.
“Let’s deploy—let’s defeat the Great Expedition Army and the Thirteenth Apostle Nero on the Reberia Plain.”