Chapter 267: |
Valgard looked at the Goliath squad outside the ravine.
It was an impressive size of over 100 units, but he felt no tension at all.
That was because he was a champion of Altema, and what he was riding was Goliath Albion, made by the dwarf master craftsmen.
There was no Goliath in the current Astera that could surpass Albion in output.
Except for the monster that was being made exclusively for Leobold, that is.
He would have been a beast that could devour all the gods and dragons even if he had appeared during the Great War.
He was an incredible creature that synchronized three super-high-output cores to extract ether.
‘And the king is getting stronger and stronger…’
He felt that he was at least on par with Altema, or even more, when he first met him, but now he couldn’t even guess how far he had reached.
‘Is he really trying to become a god? Why does he want to revive Altema then?’
It would be better to have as many beings as possible that could become his allies, but Leobold was far beyond that category.
He could hold the whole Astera in his palm, so why would he need Altema?
Maybe it was because of her uniqueness as the first dragon born by the Creator God Rasa.
‘Maybe he expected to find some connection with her, since there is a legend that she was the first dragon created by Rasa.’
In fact, Valgard could find the reason why Leobold wanted to collect Altema’s soul from Margareta’s notes.
Her notes contained various records of the Great War, and among them there was one written by someone who had directly talked with Altema.
According to the record, Altema’s goal was to dominate humans, but beyond that, she wanted to summon the Creator God Rasa.
He didn’t know how or by what means, but it seemed to be quite famous among the dragons at that time.
Zigaleon, who was an outsider, didn’t seem to know anything about it.
‘Was her purpose to sweep away the Demon Kings of another world…? She made a decision opposite to those cowards who chose to hide in fear.’
Her goal overlapped with Leobold’s, but it wasn’t exactly the same.
No one could be sure that the Creator God Rasa and the prophet he was looking for were the same being.
And Leobold didn’t want to ask anything from the prophet.
‘He just wanted to meet him… I wonder what he went through on Earth that made him become like a fanatic.’
Anyway, Valgard judged that Altema’s revival was certain.
He didn’t mean that she would revive physically, but judging from what he did with the branches of Yggdrasil, it seemed possible to collect her soul.
What should he do if she revived?
‘My contract is to serve her until her goal is achieved… So I can’t just follow the king when their goals clash…’
Fortunately, their goals might coincide, but there was also a high chance that they would differ.
In the end, Valgard had no choice but to follow Altema’s fate.
Even if Altema’s power couldn’t match Leobold’s.
‘That would be my repayment to Altema who gave me a new life. But before that…’
He wanted to finish off the descendants of Gram cleanly.
What did these bastards do?
They were divided into three families and fought each other. It was ridiculous.
Bagram was easy enough to subdue, but Gram’s family in Galisto had considerable power, and in Gram Kingdom they were even royalty.
He had a headache thinking about how to unite them.
‘I will reap what I sowed as an ancestor.’
He didn’t remember sowing anything and it was another world, but they were still people who had Gram as their surname.
He couldn’t stand seeing them tarnish his name.
‘To do that, I have to deal with these guys first.’
Valgard activated his ether heart and put strength into his whole body.
A faint golden aura covered Albion, which was almost his avatar, and intangible blades were formed on his horns, claws, and tail.
This ether blade looked inferior compared to Leobold’s, but it was a meritorious service that tore apart countless enemies during the Great War.
‘I don’t need weapons. My body itself is a weapon!’
He burst out ether and Altema’s roar echoed.
―Kwooooh!
The Galisto army flinched at the fierce roar that shook the ground, but they couldn’t stop at this point.
They would be afraid of what the king would say if they retreated after even participating in the High Knight of Zaium.
“There is no retreat! Don’t even have fear!”
“We will win! For the glory of Gram’s family!”
“For Galisto!”
The Goliaths rushed into the ravine, and Valgard Gram was enraged.
How dare these mongrels use the name of Gram?
The wings on Albion’s back flapped briefly and he showed a jumping power that was unthinkable for a Goliath, flying up.
Boom!
The Goliaths were swept away by the shockwave of his fall, as if they were paper.
Valgard attacked the surrounding Goliaths wildly and shouted.
“My name is Valgard Gram! Come out, you bastards who use the name of Gram! I’ll kill you!”
The Goliath’s heavy armor was torn apart like paper.
Dozens of Goliaths surrounded him.
***
“What…? All destroyed? All 100 units…?”
“Yes… According to the report, not a single one escaped.”
Palkus II collapsed as if he had lost his strength.
The officials around him hurriedly supported him, but he couldn’t get up.
Instead, he muttered in a dazed voice.
“How could this be… That was a unit that should never have collapsed… They were all elites…”
His words were true.
The 100 Goliaths gathered in the south were piloted by the best knights from all over Galisto.
Not to mention that many High Knights from Zaium were also mobilized, so it was a unit that could not afford to fail.
But they were vaporized by a single Goliath.
Palkus II was so shocked that he couldn’t even think of getting up.
“It must be Vandus’ doing… No doubt. Vandus broke his promise and showed up on the battlefield…”
The officials looked at each other’s faces and one of them finally stepped forward.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty. King Vandus was not in this battle. He was in Rozelon yesterday, receiving a special envoy from Zaium.”
Palkus II’s neck snapped back.
“Zaium? Don’t tell me he agreed to peace? No, that’s not the problem. What about that monstrous Goliath? Who did my knights fight against?”
“The last thing confirmed was the name Valgard Gram and… this one record.”
Palkus II didn’t even notice the name Gram as he looked at the dragon-shaped Goliath in the record magic.
“What is this? A dragon? No, it’s definitely smaller than that Zigaleon guy.”
“It is presumed to be a Goliath that mimics the combat method of a dragon.”
“Some people in the palace claim that it resembles Albion, a Goliath that was active during the Great War.”
Palkus II looked at him as if he was crazy at his absurd words.
“David of the War Generation? That’s just a legend made up by the losers.”
“Your Majesty, Valgard Gram is a distant ancestor of the Gram family. He was a royal knight of the Gram Empire and the champion of Altema.”
It was a logical statement, but it sounded like an excuse to the angry king.
“That’s impossible! The ones who lost in battle are just using legends as an excuse! We’ve already lost 100 Goliaths, how are we going to stop them? The Archduke is waiting for your answer!”
King Palkus II rambled on endlessly.
The situation turned in favor of Bagran after Galisto’s defeat.
The 100 Goliaths that were lost this time were, as King Palkus II said, the elite of Galisto.
The Hayston outpost was a strategic point that had to be captured, and they had invested their best troops there, but they were wiped out without a trace, leaving them with few remaining forces.
They still had 350 Goliaths, but most of them were outdated models that couldn’t even output normally, so they couldn’t expect much from them.
Meanwhile, the Gram Duke family in Galisto paid attention to the name Valgard Gram, who performed brilliantly in this battle.
“Is it really Valgard Gram?”
“Yes. His machine is confirmed to be Albion, a dragon-shaped model. The legend has finally revealed itself.”
“The champion of Altema…”
The Duke of Gram looked out the window and fell into deep thought.
Most of the records from the war era were incomplete, but the major families that were active at that time still had a legend or two.
The Gram Duke family even possessed a chronicle compiled by the empire at that time.
It would not be easy to get away with it if the royal family found out, but they couldn’t give up their roots.
They still remembered the glory of the Gram Empire in the past.
“Two hundred years ago, our family ruled the Gram Empire. We had influence over every part of Astera, and even those elves acknowledged us. But now, the Gram family is… ruined.”
“Your Grace, you are a hero of Galisto and also the commander of the capital defense. And aren’t you also respected by many nobles?”
The Duke of Gram shook his head.
“I’m nothing but a mere noble of Galisto. I’m not even a direct descendant of Gram, but a branch that was raised by someone who fell out and founded a country without any foundation.”
“Your Grace, that remark…”
The aides looked around nervously to see if anyone was listening.
The duke’s remark would not go unnoticed by the king’s ears.
Of course, they couldn’t easily dispose of him because of the prestige of the Gram family, but it would be a huge blow to fall out of favor with the king.
But the Duke of Gram didn’t seem to care at all.
“This war is over. This country will rise again with the Gram royal family at its center. We will rebuild the Gram Empire that once dominated the whole continent!”
At this point, it was hard to tell if it was delusion or serious.
It was clear that Galisto was no match for Bagran.
But behind Galisto was Archduke Pangral, and behind him was the Zaium Empire.
No matter how strong King Vandus was, he couldn’t face them all.
On the other hand, at the Zaium imperial palace, more serious and grave discussions were taking place.
Barak, who had just ascended to the throne as emperor, rejected Archduke Pangral’s proposal outright.
“He did not show up on the battlefield as promised, nor did he send out Zigarion. And yet he wants us to use Meteor Strike? That’s unreasonable.”
“Your Majesty, we must kill him here and now. If we don’t, he will surpass Zaium someday.”
“Do you think he will go that far…”
“The champion of Altema…”
The majority of nobles, including Emperor Barak, denied it, but according to the information they received, it seemed to be Valgard himself.
They didn’t know how a person from the past appeared, but it was hard to deny his thrilling combat power.
Archduke Pangral started to go crazy from then on.
He insisted that they had to kill King Vandus at this opportunity.
But Emperor Barak was skeptical.
“According to our envoy, he is satisfied with Galisto. So let’s stop here. He is still a loyal servant of Zaium anyway. It won’t be a big problem even if he becomes one with her.”
Archduke Pangral was furious at the emperor’s absurd perception of reality.
Where was the guarantee that he would be satisfied with Galisto?
The emperor must have been scared by the halo of Altema’s champion.
‘The next thing he’ll do after absorbing Galisto is me. I’ll kill him before that happens.’
He couldn’t use Meteor Strike right away because one of the reasons was that Leobold didn’t break his promise.
Unlike Elvrande, the procedure for activating Zaium’s mass-destruction magic was extremely complicated.
He couldn’t use magic with his will alone.
‘At least I need a pretext.’
For example, Countess Croitz…
The companion of Vandus, she did not return from Bagran despite the emperor’s order to return.
The core forces also disappeared and there were only servants in the territory.
‘If I attack Croitz’s territory, that bastard Vandus won’t be able to sit still.’
It was an old truth that no man could endure when a woman wetted her pillow with tears in bed.
They said it was a business relationship, but she was a bait to lure him out. And then he would drop Meteor Strike on Roseron.
It was a pity to destroy the prosperous city, but it was too strong to capture.
So he had no choice but to crush it.
Archduke Pangral cut off the communication with the emperor who called him.
He couldn’t back down any more.
The only way for him to live was to kill Leobold Vandus.
***
Delfina, who stole the artifact of God, headed straight to the palace of Bagran.
There was hardly anything rough for her, who had Nocton in her arms.
She broke through the strict security during the war as if it was nothing and wandered around the bustling streets of Roseron as if it was her own home.
But when she tried to infiltrate the palace, it was no joke.
‘Are you kidding me… What kind of magic did they put up like this?’
The ether she felt outside was enough to make her shiver.
Of course, she had Nocton’s power, which made her immune to such magic.
But she had to give up her mission when she saw Leobold, who accompanied Margareta as if he was her escort.
“That halo… It’s not magic or a trick. It’s proof that he has a divine nature.”
He was a monster when she met him on the coast of Vandus village, but now she didn’t even dare to touch him.
The ether that emanated from him warmed the people.
The citizens of Roseron cleared the way for him as if they were bewitched and knelt before him.
There was no gap, but Delfina gave up her mission after their eyes met.
“My life is more important than killing the princess.”
But why did Margareta look happy?
Surprisingly, she looked cheerful and light-footed by Leobold’s side.
She didn’t look like a princess of misfortune who was captured by a human kingdom.
Delfina gritted her teeth at her.
‘My people are wandering without finding a land to rest, and you, as a royal…’
Her smiling white face was hateful.
She wanted to ruin everything about her and then strangle her to death.
But if she jumped out now, she would be the one on the stake.
‘I can’t act rashly… The only way to kill him is to go back to the past.’
The possibility was low, but if there was no other way, she had to try it.
Delfina gave up on killing the princess and returned to Elvrandee.
Unexpectedly, Drizden didn’t scold her.
“You failed to kill the princess. Well, I didn’t expect much as long as Tirendell is there.”
“…It’s not Tirendell, but that Leobold guy who’s the problem. He clearly has a divine nature, and if we don’t do something…”
“That’s why we got the artifact of Terahawk, right? Give it to me.”
She hesitated for a moment and handed over the watch.
Once the deal was done, her fate, her people’s fate, and even the future were in Drizden’s hands.
He grinned with his aged face.
“Let’s start right away without wasting time. Come to the lab I designated.”
At a secret lab on the outskirts of Elvrandee, the process of contacting Terahawk’s soul began.
The white ether lump that appeared in the glass tube answered Drizden’s questions obediently, as if it knew its situation.
“Leobold Vandus. The name of the one we are looking for. O manager of time and space, how old is he exactly?”
―I don’t know… All I know is that someone came here 53 years ago…
“Here? What do you mean? Do you mean this Astera continent?”
―Astera is just a small continent in the vast space that surrounds us…
“So beyond that is the realm of gods.”
If there were dwarves here, they would have been happy to confirm their hypothesis that there was another space beyond the sky, but Drizden interpreted it differently.
To him, beyond the sky was a space that should not be approached.
“So his age is 53 years old?”
―All I can say is that it has been 53 years since he came here…
“What about before that? Where was he? How old was he?”
He guessed it was a human who kept asking about his age, so he wanted to send Delfina back to his childhood and kill him.
Even the champion of god and dragon couldn’t escape the problem of lifespan, and it was common sense for Drizden that human lifespan was very short.
He thought Leobold couldn’t escape that fate either.
But in fact, Leobold came from somewhere other than ether civilization and his current age was close to 125 years old.
Drizden didn’t know that and kept asking when his childhood was, but Terahawk’s soul refused to answer.
“I don’t know what he did or what state he was in 53 years ago. Can you turn back the clock before then?”
―That’s impossible… That space is beyond my power… Even if I borrow the power of Yggdrasil, it would only be a few months at most…
“Damn it.”
He asked a few more questions, but there was no information coming out.
At this rate, the name of god of time and space would be meaningless, but Astera’s gods were like this.
That’s why the elves who hated them became their guardians.
Drizden decided after some thought and turned his eyes to Delfina.
“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to go.”
“A few months before 53 years ago? Are you sure it’s okay without any certainty that it’s his childhood?”
“There aren’t many options left if you fail. Only then can Astera be peaceful and prosperous.”
The few options left were total war, Meteor Shower, and the end of the world.
He had to try everything he could to kill Leobold before it came to that.
Delfina nodded slowly.
Her future as a shadow elf was already decided.
Would she hold on to the slim possibility of settling in Elvrandee, or would she be swept away by the humans as they were?
“It’s okay. I’ll go back to the past and kill him.”
“Good. Then, go in here.”
His finger pointed to the Fountain of Souls.
She took off her clothes and went in, and the fountain and the surrounding area were filled with golden ether.
The whole lab buzzed and spat out light.
Delfina closed her eyes and felt her consciousness being sucked somewhere.
‘I’m dizzy…’
She wanted to vomit, but barely held it back.
After some time passed, the light that flickered on her eyelids disappeared.
She opened her eyes cautiously.
A space she had never seen before greeted her.