Chapter 365: The King Who Kills Others, The God Who Kills Himself (19) |
Peru blamed herself for the lives she couldn’t save, but if anyone looked at it properly, she had saved far more people.
If she hadn’t liberated the city or drawn the Golden Lord’s attention, far fewer Dholes would have escaped.
Some were lucky enough to flee away from Peru and avoid the Golden Lord’s influence. Those wise enough to choose covered vehicles also managed to escape with their lives.
“This way! Everyone, form a formation with proper spacing!”
The Dominarch, Hector, was rallying the surviving Dholes.
Even in the chaos of war, his duties didn’t change.
While he was harvesting crops with the machinery bestowed by the Golden Lord, Hector was the first to notice something was wrong and gathered his subordinates.
They, who were often exposed to the Golden Lord’s crops, had zero resistance to his power.
Without Hector’s quick response, over half of them would have been absorbed without even understanding what was happening.
A newly formed path was heading somewhere.
Hector pointed in the direction and muttered.
“That’s… Claudia!”
The Golden Lord, now more ruthless than ever, was moving past the city towards Claudia.
Whether it was coincidence or intent, it was a dire problem either way.
If it was deliberate, it was even worse. It was proof that the Golden Lord had a clear objective.
Hector had sent a swift messenger to Claudia earlier, but the Golden Lord was too fast.
By the time word reached them, the Golden Lord would already be on Claudia’s doorstep.
Would Claudia, with its limited resources, be able to respond in time?
“Damn it! I should have sent someone sooner! I was too preoccupied with managing this disaster to notice!”
The peaceful life they once knew was gone forever.
The Dholes would now have to endure harsher nomadic lives to avoid this roaming calamity.
Of course, assuming Claudia could even be protected in the first place.
“If this path reaches Claudia, it’s over. We need to buy time somehow…”
“Mr. Hector!”
Blending in among the fleeing Dholes, I waved and called out to him as I approached.
Hector recognized me and looked stunned.
“You’re… from the Military State!”
“Yes, an envoy of peace from the Military State!”
Hector’s momentary confusion gave way to an outburst of anger directed at my cheerful face.
“Was it you who made the Golden Lord like this?!”
“How could a group beaten and chased out by the Golden Lord have done this? If anything, he’s the one who did something to us!”
My single retort left him speechless.
He hadn’t thought deeply about what he said—he just wanted someone to blame.
…Of course, it was my fault the Golden Lord went berserk, but that’s a secret no one needs to know.
“You’ve seen it for yourself, haven’t you? The Golden Lord declared war on the enemies of the Golden Empire. And, well, it seems the Fallen Dominion is included in that list! Ha! That’s what you get for rejecting peace!”
“Are you here just to mock us?!”
“No, that’s just a side mission. My main objective is something else!”
“I’m busy. Save the nonsense for later—”
“Even though you’ve effectively betrayed us, we’re still peace envoys! To bring peace, we’ll stop the Golden Lord for you!”
Hector stared at me with a mix of disbelief and hope.
I get it, the situation’s dire, but please don’t look at me with those glimmering, expectant eyes.
It’s unsettling and I feel a little guilty.
Time was short, so I quickly summarized the situation.
“The Witherarch is on her way. She’ll do whatever it takes to reach the Golden Lord, but she needs help from others.”
The battle’s outcome had become straightforward.
If Peru reached the Golden Lord and used her power on the Golden Bell, we’d win.
If not, we’d lose.
Victory meant killing the Golden Lord; Defeat meant losing everything.
It was a lose-lose situation, but life often works that way.
Even a zero-sum game would seem luxurious in comparison.
“Do whatever you can to ensure Peru reaches the Golden Lord. Distract him, pressure him, whatever works.”
Hector’s efforts might only buy a few seconds, but even those seconds were precious.
｢A meat shield, then. Wither… That child might stand a chance against the Golden Lord, but neither I nor the other Primarchs can. Alchemy belongs to him.｣
Hector deliberated, but not for long.
Lifespans depreciate just like anything else, and an old man often values his remaining years less than a younger one might.
Even the least patriotic among the Fallen Dominion’s people grow attached to their homeland over time.
Having lived his entire life as a citizen of the Fallen Dominion, Hector had long stopped distinguishing himself from his nation.
Compared to that, his dwindling life seemed insignificant.
With a heavy heart but a lightened resolve, Hector made his decision.
“Where’s the Witherarch?”
“Over there.”
I pointed toward a hill in the distance.
Hector squinted in the direction, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the area.
“…Hiding behind the hill? Planning to ambush when the Golden Lord gets close?”
｢An ambush would certainly be effective, but will the Golden Lord move towards them?｣
A hill, huh? If even Hector saw it that way, the plan was working.
Smirking, I replied,
“Just watch for a moment. You’ll see.”
Hector, half-doubtful, kept his eyes on the hill.
A few seconds later, he realized why I’d pointed it out.
The mound of earth was moving—writhing like a living thing as it advanced toward the Golden Lord.
The ground may appear as a solid mass, but in truth, it was a layered tapestry crafted over time.
Gaia, Mother Earth, spent millennia weaving these layers, stitch by stitch, layer by layer, to clothe her divine body.
The Regressor used Jizan’s power to peel back one of these layers, creating a space beneath to conceal the Golden Ark.
｢Urgh! Even with Jizan…! Lifting the earth is… no easy task…!｣
Using Jizan, the Regressor lifted a single layer of the ground, creating a gap beneath where the Golden Ark could move.
The Golden Ark, with its displacement ability, traversed the ground as if swimming through it—a feat possible only through this precise maneuver.
…Though, it was evident the Regressor was expending tremendous concentration and stamina to perform this task.
But the most pointless thing to worry about in the world might just be the Regressor.
The hill trembled and shifted, heading toward the Golden Lord’s path.
It looked like a massive mole tunneling through the earth, ready to ambush.
The moment these two trajectories crossed would be the critical moment for Hector to act.
｢The speed is nearly identical. At that distance, when will it arrive? If I start now…!｣
Finishing his calculations, Hector shouted urgently,
“Move out! Sound the horn!”
A subordinate standing beside him lifted a massive horn and Hector infused it with his Unique Magic.
Air flowed through its intricate internal structure, emerging from the pipe with a deep, resonating sound like the bellow of a ship’s horn.
- Bwaaaang.
The horn’s sound echoed across the field.
Hearing the signal, Hector’s subordinates mounted their vehicles, though confusion lingered.
“Move out? To where?”
“My Lord?! Where are you going?”
Though they feigned ignorance, everyone had a suspicion.
They just needed confirmation, driven by disbelief.
Hector started the engine of his Juggernaut, shouting louder than before.
“We’re buying time! We’re going to distract the Golden Lord!”
“What?!”
“Don’t ask stupid questions! There’s no time to convince you! All of you, attach the exhaust pipe!”
The Dominarch’s Unique Magic exerted pressure on metal and he primarily used pistons to convert this power into kinetic force.
His Juggernaut, the Steel Heart, operated on the same principle. Its thousands of pistons and cylinders roared to life as it vibrated.
“I won’t ask you to risk your lives for free. That’s not our way!”
Unusually, Hector’s Juggernaut was only an engine.
Its configuration depended entirely on his discretion—what was attached to it, whether it had wheels or legs, whether it cut grass with a scythe or fell trees with a saw, was all up to him.
The Steel Heart simply provided unrelenting power.
Until now, Hector had been using it to operate the corn harvester designed by the Golden Lord, but he stripped it down to its essential components.
With its core exposed, his aides rushed to fit in new parts: larger wheels, spring-mounted connectors, and dozens of exhaust manifolds.
The Juggernaut, now complete, had a rugged and menacing appearance, its crude frame emitting a thunderous roar from its exhausts.
“In return, I’ll give you your due! I’ll buy your lives with my fortune!”
- Vroom.
The Steel Heart exhaled streams of hot air, converting them into power.
A scorching wind swirled around the Juggernaut, propelling it forward with tremendous force.
The exhaust pipes belched fiery gales.
“To everyone who follows me, I will equally divide all the wealth I’ve accumulated until now! This is my word as the Dominarch!”
With those words, Hector unleashed the reins of the Steel Heart. The Juggernaut roared and tore into the earth with its wheels, carving the ground like claws.
It surged forward, becoming one with the wind.
The Dholes stirred. Most of them knew just how vast Hector’s wealth was.
As the Golden Lord’s closest confidant, he had amassed immense wealth by processing and selling food over the years.
Hector’s fortune was unimaginable, even after supporting nearly a thousand subordinates.
“Is this for real?”
“No way. The Primarch wouldn’t break a promise like that.”
Life was precious, but so was money—especially an amount so vast it could secure a lifetime of luxury.
“Hell, I don’t care anymore! Might as well take the chance!”
“This is a big one! If we pull this off, we can leave this damned country for good!”
“Are you stupid? Why leave? With that much money, you could live with luxury in Claudia!”
The Dholes, who had nothing to lose but their lives, shouted bravely as they mounted their vehicles.
They whipped their beasts—whether they were mules or horses—and fired up creaky engines.
Driven by the lure of unimaginable wealth, the Dholes followed in Hector’s wake.
“Let’s go! We’ve already escaped once. Surely we can do it twice!”
“We survived earlier, didn’t we? We just need to do it one more time!”
Their cries, almost like screams, filled the air as the Dholes rallied behind Hector, racing toward the inevitable confrontation.
***
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