Chapter 289: Survive the Destruction! (2)

Translator: Pai_

The communication officers who entered Iron’s office all began reporting at once.

“This is a report from the Northern Command. It’s confirmed that Gates have opened in all anticipated areas. Among them, a few are stronger than expected, and there are reports that they are retreating to base areas!”

“The Western Command is the same. There are many unfinished temporary fortresses on that side, so the situation is more difficult.”

“Southern Command…….”

“Eastern Command…….”

“Central Command…….”

The urgency of the situation being reported from each region's command was palpable.

“What about the Special Defense Forces and the Mobile Field Army?”

At Iron’s question, Faulden shook his head.

“Not yet.”

Right at that moment, the Special Defense Forces and the Mobile Field Army came to report simultaneously.

“There’s no problem across the entire desert region.”

At the communication officer’s report, Iron looked at Faulden.

“Compared to expectations…….”

“Yes. It seems like it’s not a big deal.”

Even though they had prepared for the worst-case scenario, it felt like, “Is this all the damage?”

There was certainly damage.

Even now, the communication officers continued to report, and most of the reports were about damage sustained.

But to the extent of being called Destruction?

It definitely didn’t look like that.

“What about around the capital?”

“It’s safe.”

Could it be because the Auzria Continent receives the Lord God's power most strongly there?

Strangely, there were extremely few Gates in the central region.

Moreover, after the temples of the three goddesses of fate were established, the size of the Gates themselves had decreased.

Thanks to that, the central region was relatively safer than the other regions.

That’s why the most concerning area had been the desert.

The farthest places from the imperial capital were the desert and the frozen lands beyond the northern mountains, and it was expected that major problems would occur in those two places.

“No word from the Ancient Species?”

“Still nothing. Rather, it’s said they’re also flustered because too few Gates have opened there.”

At Faulden’s report, Iron frowned.

‘What is this? Am I missing something?’

Even as Iron thought that, he gave orders to proceed with the plan, as if to say, let’s do what we can for now.

He focused on blocking the Gates in all regions and dispatched scholars.

This was to find a way to safely destroy or block the Gates.

Since it was unknown whether normal Gates and Destruction’s Gates were the same, and Iron couldn’t personally destroy every Gate in all regions, this was the solution he had come up with.

“What about the two family heads?”

“They are already preparing to move.”

“Then I should prepare too.”

At Faulden’s words, Iron said that and stood up from his seat.

If they couldn’t find a way to safely destroy the Gates, Iron would have to pour out his overwhelming power and crush them himself.

The three strongest forces of the Empire were on standby for exactly that reason.

Just then, a system window appeared in the sky above the capital.

“What’s that?”

Iron looked out the window.

There, allies near the Gate regions were marked.

It was while he was staring blankly at it.

[You have cleared the condition of eliminating 100,000 Corrupted Beings!]

[With the condition cleared, the final story of Destruction has officially begun. A Main Quest is given to humanity trying to stop the Destruction.]

1. Close all Gates. If you fail to close the Gates in time, god-level beings will emerge from them.

2. Destroy the Seeds of Destruction hidden across the continent (each time a Gate is destroyed, clues will be revealed).

3. Collect the Sealing Stones located at the core of the Gates and offer them to the Lord God (each time a Sealing Stone is offered, the Lord God becomes stronger).

As soon as the system window popped up, Iron turned to Faulden.

“Contact each Command and tell them to enter the Gates immediately, even if it’s just a few of them!”

“Understood.”

While Faulden issued orders to the communication officers, Iron immediately gathered his weapons.

“Looks like I’ll have to go myself. Where’s the closest Gate to here?”

Just as Iron said that and was about to move himself.

“They say a timer has appeared above the Gate.”

“What?”

When Iron furrowed his brow, Faulden showed it directly through the video orb.

The footage sent from each command showed the timers floating above the Gates.

The problem was that the remaining time wasn’t uniform; each Gate had a different countdown.

“……Right. Of course it wouldn't be easy.”

Iron murmured as he gave orders to Faulden.

“Have them check the timers on all the Gates across the regions. Then sort out only the most urgent ones.”

“Are you planning to personally go to the urgent locations?”

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

“Contact the two family heads as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Tell the Commanders to dispatch Masters to any areas that aren’t too dangerous and have them clear the Gates early.”

“Understood!”

Faulden urgently nodded in response to Iron’s command.

Watching all the officers rush to deliver Iron’s orders, Iron also finished preparing so he could depart at any moment.

Kkiruk!

The Thunder Bird, having shrunk down, rubbed its head against Iron.

It was trying to ease Iron’s tension by sensing his mood.

“Phew…… Thanks.”

With a word of gratitude to the Thunder Bird, Iron looked at the map that was changing moment by moment.

The translucent map of the Auzria Continent floating in the air showed the entire status of allied forces.

Just then, a translucent window popped up on the map.

[The map can be upgraded each time you meet certain conditions. Try clearing the hidden conditions.]

“Is this a joke?”

Iron said that and frowned.

For humanity, this was a matter of survival, but to the system, it was merely a game.

It was informing them in a way that almost seemed playful, as if to prove that point.

“I think I can understand a little now why the outer gods made such a choice.”

The system was not on their side.

It merely needed a toy that would follow its orders.

Even someone like Iron, who had risen to the ranks of the continent’s strongest, was nothing more than a plaything to the system.

Even those who had reached the level of gods could not go against the system, it was that powerful.

Knowing that getting angry would solve nothing, Iron suppressed his discomfort and waited for Faulden.

And shortly after, Faulden, who had sorted out the most urgent regions, came rushing in.

“The Saintrea region is the most urgent one.”

“That seems to be the case.”

Most of the areas with less than three days left to clear the Gates were in Saintrea.

In contrast, the northern mountain range and the desert region, considered the most dangerous areas, still had months remaining, more than enough time.

Even regions that were formerly part of the Empire had relatively ample time.

“The regions around Saintrea, the old Southern Confederation capital area, and the eastern coastal region are the most dangerous.”

“That seems to be the case.”

“So Saintrea is the most urgent? I’ll go there myself.”

“Are you planning to handle it alone?”

When Faulden asked in surprise, Iron nodded.

“Tell the two family heads I’m asking for their help as well.”

“Understood.”

Since Iron would be heading to Saintrea, the eastern region would be assigned to Lioner, and the southern region to Terrion.

After assigning them to the closest locations to their respective areas, Iron immediately moved via Warp Gate.

He traveled to the furthest distance allowed by long-range Warp, then repeatedly warped again until he arrived in Saintrea in an instant.

The problem started from that point onward.

“We salute the Supreme Commander!”

The officers of the Western Army saluted all at once, and Iron accepted their salutes before urgently asking,

“Where is the most urgent location?”

“It’s 45 kilometers from here! We can guide you-”

“Just give me the coordinates.”

At Iron’s words, the senior officer quickly marked the location on a magic device.

Thanking him, Iron immediately set off for the most urgent Gate.

Arriving in front of the Gate in an instant, Iron was about to enter it alone.

At that moment, the Thunder Bird hurriedly tried to follow him in.

-Kkiruk!

“You stay here and help in any areas that start to fall back.”

At those words, the Thunder Bird showed a disappointed expression.

-Kkiruk…….

“Please.”

At Iron’s request, the Thunder Bird reluctantly nodded.

Though it had returned stronger than before, it wondered if Iron didn’t trust it.

As that thought reached Iron’s heart, he spoke firmly.

“It’s absolutely not because I don’t trust you.”

-Kkiruk?

“I have to minimize the damage to the troops. And one more thing, clean up the areas around the Gates with little time left, so I can enter right away.”

-Kkiruk!

With Iron’s heartfelt request, the Thunder Bird regained its spirit and nodded.

Having persuaded the Thunder Bird, Iron immediately entered the Gate. In response, the Thunder Bird returned to its original form and quickly took flight.

It was to fulfill Iron’s request to protect the lives of his subordinates.

Flying toward the area where the corrupted energy was strongest, the Thunder Bird summoned a lightning storm and began sweeping away the corrupted monsters.

As a result, the collapsing front lines were immediately stabilized.

“It’s the Thunder Bird!”

“That’s the Supreme Commander’s Divine Beast!”

“We’re saved!”

As the troops cheered at the sight of the Thunder Bird, it moved again toward another location.

Helping only the most dangerous areas, it quickly flew off to clear the way in front of the next Gate Iron would enter.

The Thunder Bird, whose lightning essence had become more powerful on Ghost Island, showed tremendous strength.

Almost as if to flaunt that power, the Thunder Bird annihilated large groups of monsters on its own, perfectly carrying out Iron’s request.

While the Thunder Bird was fiercely struggling, its master, Iron, was massacring corrupted monsters inside the Gate.

-Kieeeek!

“Filthy.”

The moment Iron murmured that, divine power surged out and completely purified the inside of the Gate.

As a bonus, the corrupted monsters charging at him turned to dust.

“Wraiths, huh……”

A shield once embedded with a holy cross emblem now emitted a cursed aura, and the decayed bodies, reduced to just bones, overflowed with corrupted energy.

Those who should have found eternal rest in death were attacking Iron in agony through corrupted energy.

Purifying them with overwhelming divine power, Iron broke through the Gate in an instant.

The constant outpour of divine power purified the entire Gate, turning the rushing souls and ghostly knights into dust.

And finally, he reached the core of the Gate.

-Do not interfere with the resurrection of God!

A corrupted knight, unleashing a massive wave of mana, attacked Iron.

He alone had been guarding the Sealing Stone and was overwhelmingly stronger than any opponent Iron had faced so far, but he still wasn’t enough to stand against Iron.

Fsssh.

Leaving behind the corrupted knight who vanished into dust, Iron approached the Sealing Stone.

“So this is the Sealing Stone?”

Murmuring to himself, Iron reached out and touched the Sealing Stone. At that moment, the system voice rang out in his ears.

[You have cleared the Gate.]

-Offer the Sealing Stone as a sacrifice to the Lord God.

-The Gate will disappear in 5 minutes. Please use the central portal to exit!

Following the system's instructions, Iron quickly used the portal and exited the Gate.

There were still many Gates Iron had to deal with, and there was no time.

As he was about to move to the next Gate without delay.

[You have cleared a hidden condition. The system map will be upgraded.]

[With the first Gate cleared, Sub Quests are now unlocked. From now on, personal quests will be assigned individually!]

[You have earned the achievement ‘First to Clear a Gate!’]

[You have earned the achievement ‘One Who Cleared a Hidden Condition!’]

The system’s voice followed Iron’s Gate clearance.

But this wasn’t the time to be concerned with that.

Immediately heading for the next Gate, Iron began clearing Gates in the shortest time possible, likely due to the tight time limits.

With the Thunder Bird clearing the surroundings, Iron was able to enter Gates directly and focus solely on clearing them. As a result, the Gates around Saintrea were cleared one after another in no time.

“Easier than I thought?”

These Gates had very little time remaining.

There were certainly tricky enemies, but even by absolute standards, the conditions weren’t particularly difficult.

That may have been due to Iron reaching the level of Grand Master, but even objectively, with the current state of humanity, a battalion-level unit would be capable of clearing some of these Gates.

Just then, Faulden contacted Iron via communication.

-Supreme Commander! A division from the Southern Command has failed to clear a Gate!

“What?”

***

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