Chapter 47
In the Elemental Nation, a person belonged to one of four factions: Torg’s Solar Flare Legion, Rammy’s Warden Legion, Flynn’s Clearsky Legion, or Isabel’s Stormsea Legion. It all depended on what element your innate gift was.
No matter what industry, the legions controlled everything.
For example, of the few adventurer organizations, they were all merely affiliates of a particular legion, forced to pay high taxes on any loot they acquired.
The legions had a strict hierarchy, largely based on the level of your innate gift.
Between 1 and 500, you were a private.
Between 501 and 600, you were a corporal.
Between 601 and 700, you were a sergeant.
Between 701 and 800, you were a captain.
Between 801 and 900, you were a colonel.
Between 901 and 1,000, you were a general.
The majority of soldiers in the four legions were situated between corporals and captains. Very few were colonels, with less than a thousand being generals.
Torg, Rammy, Flynn, and Isabel were the only ones with an innate gift of level 1,000.
Torg had reached it hundreds of years ago, with Rammy, Flynn, and Isabel taking much longer. Though Frisk had reached level 1,000 in array crafting and it seemed like he was on even footing with Torg, there was a major difference between skills with manipulation in their names and those without.
Array Crafting was a skill with a narrow focus while Fire Manipulation encompassed a whole branch of skills. The difficulty to master Fire Manipulation was much harder than Array Crafting. Even after thousands of years of development, only four people from the Elemental Nation had succeeded in mastering their innate gift.
The power brought by a level 1,000 manipulation skill was immense.
It was so great that Torg was capable of singlehandedly toppling the previous government. In the Innate Nation, although Yara was secretly the ruler, she still acted with the Innate Nation’s best interest in mind.
Torg did not.
The purpose of the Solar Flare Legion was solely to serve his needs.
They were his spear and shield.
And now he directed them toward the Sin Dimension.
The borders of the Elemental Nation had long become infested by demons, frequently plundering whatever farmlands and mining operations they found.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Whenever the four legions appeared in an attempt to stop them, the demons would flee without a single fight. They would only engage when they had the upper hand.
The casualties were not comparable to what the Elemental Nation lost at the Blockade, but the constant pillaging had weakened their industries considerably.
It was time to put an end to that once and for all.
***
Not long after the meeting between the Elemental Nation’s rulers, the legions under their command, previously stationed at the Blockade, were now gathered outside the Capital City.
Though it was only half of each legion, they had around one million in number.
The legions were distinctly different, as shown by their armor, which matched their element.
Separated into four groups, they stood in rows, waiting.
Nobody spoke.
The sole sound came from the banners fluttering in the wind.
Just then, four figures flew over from the horizon.
Arriving above the legions, Torg and the others came to a halt without saying a word.
One side looked down and the other up as the atmosphere grew thick with killing intent.
They all knew why they were gathered here today.
Finally, when the tension reached a peak, Torg didn’t give a speech to boost morale.
There was no need.
Instead, he shouted, “KILL!”
And in response, the legions raised their weapons to the sky, roaring, “KILL! KILL! KILL!”
Torg pointed to the east. “Move out!”
At his command, the legions summoned their mounts and took to the air.
Cheers came from the capital city behind them as they flew eastbound.
Looking back, the troops saw countless citizens waving them off from within the city. The sight gave rise to feelings of glory. They would return victorious!
Inside the city, a nondescript middle-aged human woman stepped out of a restaurant, a frown on their face when they heard all the noise. Wondering what was going on, her figure flickered as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop until she reached the city walls.
Normally, only soldiers were allowed atop the walls, but nobody seemed to notice the woman. A patrol squad walked right past her, oblivious.
The woman’s eyes narrowed when she caught sight of the legions flying into the distance. Just then, she overheard a conversation between two soldiers in the patrol squad next to her.
“The demons stand no chance,” a young man spoke, excitement in his eyes. “I bet they won’t last longer than a week.”
The squad leader laughed. “A week? You think too highly of them!”
The woman looked back at the legions and squinted.
A second later, her figure vanished, and she appeared behind a lone man walking into a public bathroom. Upon entering, she attacked, grabbing his neck and pushing him up against the wall.
As the man struggled, the act of violence deactivated the woman’s Polymorph skill, revealing her true form: a scaled humanoid lizard.
Above the monster was a glowing name.
(Transcendent) Monster King Tyranus – Level 1,000.
The moment the man saw his attacker, his face turned sheet white.
Tyranus loosened its grip on the man’s neck and asked in a soothing feminine tone, “Why is Torg attacking the Sin Dimension? Did he abandon the Blockade?”
“N-no…” The man stuttered.
“Speak quickly or suffer,” Tyranus threatened.
Gulping, the man explained, “There’s a new dimension… I heard they took over half of the Blockade…”
Getting the information it needed, Tyranus snapped the man’s neck, killing him painlessly. A moment later, a woman left the bathroom and flew into the air. Leaving the city behind, they chased after the Elemental Nation’s army, deep in thought.
Tyranus knew an ununified Sin Dimension was no match for the Elemental Nation in a straight-up fight. That’s why it had never targeted the demons, maintaining a delicate balance between the Grandsky Realm’s forces. It hadn’t expected a new Dimension to emerge and alleviate the pressure at the Blockade.
Tyranus’s goal was simple.
It wouldn’t let the Elemental Nation secure victory without heavy losses.
It would follow in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
And when it did, someone would die.