Chapter 286: Auzria Preparing for Destruction and the Eastern Continent in Chaos (2)

Translator: Pai_

The place Iron headed to immediately upon returning to the central region was the Governor-General’s office.

“I greet the Supreme Commander!”

“……Right.”

An overly formal greeting.

He had already felt it at the Warp Gate, but the eyes filled with respect directed at Iron were burdensome just by being looked at.

Iron’s achievements as the hero of the continent and his complete conquest of the desert region had inspired not only respect but even religious reverence among them.

If Iron were to announce his ascension as Emperor right now, anyone would support him without hesitation.

Amidst their excessive attention, Iron arrived at the Governor-General’s office and headed straight for the Governor’s office.

“We received your message.”

Governor Chevara looked at Iron with a solemn expression.

It meant the situation was grave enough for someone who always greeted him with a bright smile to now welcome him with a hardened face.

“Is the Eastern Continent still hostile toward us?”

“Yes.”

At Iron’s question, Governor Chevara answered with a troubled expression.

“Perhaps already……”

“……Yes. There is likely a possibility that some have succumbed to the temptations of the demons.”

As Iron could not bring himself to finish his words, Governor Chevara continued, nodding as if he had already anticipated it.

Unlike Auzria, the Eastern Continent did not end with a human victory.

Therefore, no one could predict how things would unfold going forward.

Since it had not become the domain of the Lord God, it would face destruction in a completely different manner from the Auzria Continent.

“Since a hostile relationship with the Eastern Continent was already expected, wouldn’t it be of little concern?”

At Governor Chevara’s words, Iron let out a small sigh.

“If the demons, Hell Ghosts, or other Fallen Beings swallow up the Eastern Continent, it could become a very difficult battle.”

“Because of the restrictions……?”

“……Yes.”

At Iron’s words, Governor Chevara also wore a serious expression.

Fallen Beings that cross over to the Auzria Continent are subject to restrictions.

But the Eastern Continent?

“The Dimensional Shop said a barrier has been placed across the entire world, so it’s certain that their power will be somewhat restricted…….”

Even as Iron said this, he couldn’t shake off the anxiety.

“If they’ve formed an alliance or a similar contract like the Hell Ghosts or demons……”

“For at least those among them, there’s a high possibility the system’s restrictions won’t apply.”

“If the Hell Ghosts consume the Eastern Continent, it’s almost certain.”

At Governor Chevara’s words, Iron spoke with certainty.

The Governor then fully grasped the seriousness of the situation.

“This is…… more serious than I thought. But going to war with the Eastern Continent now……”

“It’s not feasible.”

At Iron’s words, the Governor nodded.

Just as he said, it was a situation where war was not an option.

“Recently, the Empire is experiencing rapid development in all sectors.”

The report brought by Governor Chevara revealed the Empire’s current situation.

Graphs pointing upward in all areas showed just how rapidly the Empire was progressing.

And on top of that, if the rewards from the Dimensional Shop were added?

“When will the Temples of the Three Goddesses be completed?”

“They will be completed soon. A report has come in that quests have already been assigned to the builders.”

At Iron’s question, Governor Chevara answered with a smile.

If the already fast-developing Empire received additional rewards from the Dimensional Shop, its development would accelerate even more.

For the Empire, now was the most critical moment to prepare for Destruction.

“Phew…… This is driving me crazy.”

Iron made a frustrated expression.

“Should I go to the Eastern Continent myself…….”

“You must not!”

At Iron’s murmur, Governor Chevara immediately responded.

“Absolutely not!”

The Governor emphasized again.

Iron’s current position in the Empire was not that of a mere Grand Master or war hero.

He was the very core of the Empire itself.

If something were to happen to Iron, neither Governor Chevara nor anyone else could possibly fill the resulting chaos.

That was why, if Iron tried to go to the Eastern Continent alone, they would have to grab onto his pants leg to stop him.

“……I’ll consult with the Eastern Commander for now.”

Iron, who returned to the Central Command after firmly assuring the Governor that he would not go to the Eastern Continent, immediately began a meeting with the Eastern Commander.

The Eastern Command, which had formed an agreement with the Merfolk, had recently been rapidly expanding its territory, and the military was also expanding swiftly.

They were preemptively increasing the size of the military in preparation for the upcoming battle with the Eastern Continent.

They had received approval from Central and were receiving strong support, so the expansion proceeded without hesitation.

Even so, it was not enough.

“Going as far as the Eastern Continent is too much.”

-……Yes. At the moment, it seems we’re already stretched thin just preparing for Destruction.

At the Eastern Commander’s report, Iron let out a sigh with a troubled expression.

In the end, time passed without being able to move in either direction.

[Temple for the Three Goddesses of Fate Completed!]

[Innovative technologies pouring out from the central temple! Leading the Empire to a higher dimension!]

[Ancient Magical Studies have elevated all mages of the Empire by one level!]

[All weapons, whether land, sea, or air, are being strengthened through applied advanced technologies!]

Around two months later, items embedded with the technologies pouring from the hastily constructed yet decent-looking temple began flooding throughout the Empire.

“There’s not enough time!”

“Ah! I really want to apply this technology… but there’s no time left!”

Ancient magical studies, magi-engineering from the Three Goddesses of Fate, and scientific technologies far beyond modern theories had been stacked up.

The problem was, it was the people of the present who had to apply them, yet there was no time.

Just a little over a month remained until Destruction.

Even now, the temple was continuously transmitting all kinds of technologies through the system window or as items, but most of them could not be applied in time.

Nevertheless, the Empire’s development was progressing rapidly.

They were searching for and preparing for all the Gates located across the Auzria Continent.

“If the number hadn’t been reduced by half, it would’ve been horrible.”

“Exactly.”

Even with the reward from the Dimensional Shop cutting the number of Gates in half and mobilizing the entire Imperial military to defend them, things were still tight.

Had Iron not received the reward from the Dimensional Shop, or if his contributions had been smaller, the outcome would’ve been disastrous.

“We’re really fortunate.”

At the words of a soldier, everyone nodded.

They once again felt grateful that all of this was thanks to Iron.

The military, which had become much more comfortable thanks to the reduced number of Gates,

The scholars who had come to know the technologies of the future,

The mages who had learned ancient magical studies,

The artisans who had gained knowledge of advanced magi-engineering,

And the many citizens of the Empire who benefited from all of it, everyone expressed their gratitude for Iron’s existence within the Empire.

However, at that very moment when everyone was feeling thankful to Iron, the one assisting him, Faulden, was treating him with an emotionless expression.

“This needs to be done.”

Faulden approached Iron unsteadily and dropped a mountain of paperwork into his arms.

“……Alright.”

Having dragged himself like a zombie into the training room to speak, Iron couldn’t bring himself to refuse and began working right then and there.

‘Hmm… That time suddenly comes to mind.’

As he looked at Faulden staring at him blankly like a zombie, Iron was reminded of the time he had just returned from the desert.

After Iron had left for the desert, Faulden had been drowning in work to the point of near death, and when Iron returned, Faulden had greeted him with a bright smile.

But when he heard about the situation and learned that Iron needed to resume training, Faulden had glared at him with a terrifying expression that would put even the Hell Ghosts to shame.

Back then, it seemed like he still had the emotion of anger, but now, he had no expression at all.

He just silently worked with a blank, machine-like expression.

As if his soul had departed…

That was why Iron couldn’t bring himself to refuse the piles of work Faulden occasionally brought him.

“This is driving me crazy.”

What Iron was currently looking at were all critical reports.

From reports submitted by each Command to those concerning cooperation between military branches, but the three most important reports were:

[New Weapon Development Report]

[Gate-Related Report]

[Military Restructuring Report]

None of the reports were unimportant- after all, Faulden had placed them at the very top, but Iron was personally paying more attention to one in particular.

It was the report related to the Eastern Continent.

The Eastern Command had recently expanded its reconnaissance range to the waters near the Eastern Continent with help from the Merfolk, and as a result, they had been able to deliver a more in-depth report on the region.

“This… If I go, Faulden might actually kill me…”

[Reconnaissance Report on Waters Near Eastern Continent - Expansion of Contaminated Zones]

As Iron read the report from the Eastern Command, his expression grew grim.

“Expansion of contaminated zones… Have the demons or Hell Ghosts begun claiming territory?”

Recalling what had happened in the desert region, Iron’s expression turned even more serious.

At that moment, Faulden, who had been staring blankly, suddenly spoke to Iron.

“If you’re going, take me with you.”

Iron’s eyes widened at Faulden’s words.

The light had returned to Faulden’s eyes, which Iron thought had lost focus and drifted elsewhere.

“You’re thinking of heading to the Eastern Continent, aren’t you?”

At Faulden’s words, Iron shook his head.

“Not the Eastern Continent… I’m thinking of going to that area in the middle.”

“The Mallorca Archipelago, you mean.”

Since Faulden had already seen the reports submitted to Iron, he was well aware.

It had been severely contaminated, much like the Black Lands of the desert region.

The contamination levels were so high that even the Merfolk, who lived in the sea, had difficulty approaching.

From Iron’s perspective, who had already received intelligence from the Eastern Continent, he wanted to personally confirm it at least once.

“This doesn’t feel right.”

“You suspect it’s because of the demons or Hell Ghosts?”

“Yeah. According to the intel, areas like this are rapidly increasing across the Eastern Continent. We need to confirm whether this is due to the Gates alone or because of the demons.”

At Iron’s words, Faulden gave a small nod.

“I will assist you.”

Iron wanted to tell Faulden to stay behind and handle the remaining work, but he swallowed those words that had risen to the tip of his throat.

If he said that now, Faulden might actually draw his sword and come at him.

“I’ll prepare the airship.”

“All right.”

At Faulden’s words, Iron nodded.

Normally, he would have moved by riding a Divine Beast, but at present, Iron didn’t have a single Divine Beast.

He could fly on his own, but using power was an annoying task, so he quietly boarded the airship Faulden had prepared.

“That’s excessive.”

“There’s no helping it.”

At Iron’s remark, Faulden sighed as he spoke.

Upon hearing that the Supreme Commander was moving, an Aerial Fleet had been mobilized for his protection.

Once they entered the territory of the Eastern Army, a unit directly dispatched by the Eastern Command joined as well.

By the time they reached the sea, even part of the naval fleet moved in formation with Iron’s aerial fleet.

“Isn’t this a bit much…?”

“We’re not going just anywhere; it’s a danger zone. There’s no other choice. And besides, you don’t have a Divine Beast with you.”

At Faulden’s response, Iron looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.

“I’m still strong even without one.”

“I know. But there’s always the ‘what if’... So there’s no avoiding it.”

From the military’s perspective, they wanted to eliminate any risk during what could be Iron’s most vulnerable time, simply because of that “what if”.

Thus, the result was this kind of overprotection.

In any case, once Iron, accompanied by multiple aerial and naval fleets deployed by the military, arrived at the danger zone, the first thing he did was use Divine Power.

Kuuwoong!

As a massive wave of light rippled out, enough to cover several small islands, the corrupt energy began to slowly vanish.

Just then, a familiar energy began to radiate toward Iron.

“This is bad.”

“Is it a demon?”

“No. It’s a Hell Ghost.”

Iron frowned as he replied to Faulden’s question.

The worst-case scenario he had imagined had come true.

“There’s still time left before Destruction…”

As Faulden said, there was still some time left before Destruction.

However, to Iron, it was as if Destruction had already begun.

Just like how a battle starts with skirmishes before the full war begins, the forces that followed Destruction had started their skirmishes to devour this world.

And the starting point was the Eastern Continent.

***

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