Chapter 293: The Beginning of the Intercontinental War

Translator: Pai_

The Auzria Continent, which was stabilizing thanks to a single hero.

In contrast, the situation on the Eastern Continent was at its worst.

Not only had it allied with Hell, but it had also handed over part of its territory to the Demons and formed an alliance with them.

As a result, while the overall number of Gates had decreased, half of the continent had fallen into the hands of demons and hellish creatures.

“What about the Supreme Commander?”

“He is preparing to attack the Gate in the 300-day range.”

When Faulden asked while watching the continent gradually stabilizing in real time, his aide immediately answered.

“Alone?”

“Yes.”

Faulden pressed his forehead and furrowed his brow.

It wasn’t the first or second time Iron had overworked himself, but this time, Faulden was genuinely worried.

“Hoo... What about the Divine Beasts?”

“They seem to have already left for the desert.”

At the aide’s words, Faulden showed a somewhat relieved expression.

Because if Iron was with the Divine Beasts, he believed Iron would surely return alive.

In truth, Faulden still had anxiety lingering in one corner of his heart.

It was true that Iron was strong, but the level of the Gate was too high.

In terms of days, the Gate Lioner entered at day 295 wasn’t significantly different from the day 325 Gate Iron was entering.

The problem was the difference between the 200-day range and the 300-day range.

Just as the gap between day 99 and 101 was massive, the difference between the 100-day and 200-day range Gates was also significant.

Unlike the 100-day range Gates that the two Family Heads were able to clear without pushing themselves, the 200-day range Gates took much longer and required risking one’s life.

Proving this, the two Family Heads were still struggling and had yet to clear their Gates.

And now, it was the 300-day range.

No matter how strong Iron was compared to the two Family Heads, it was only natural to worry.

“He will definitely... come back.”

“...Yeah. I have to believe.”

Saying that, Faulden turned his eyes to the status board.

Though they had taken considerable damage, the Gates on the Auzria Continent were being cleared one by one.

Thanks to the recent ease in Gate assaults, the Masters were now gathering to clear even the Gates in the 190-day range.

The military’s final goal was to clear the early 200-day range Gates.

There was that much leeway.

The problem was the Eastern Continent.

“Was there any information from the Eastern Continent?”

“Not yet. However, there has been a report that demons have started entering our waters.”

“Hoo... So they’re not even doing the minimum level of management?”

The demons’ domain was at the far edge, opposite the major ports connecting the Western and Eastern Continents.

The fact that they were coming close to the nearby sea of the demons’ domain meant that the Eastern Continent wasn’t even doing the bare minimum to manage the demons.

“What about Hell?”

“Fortunately, they have not shown up yet.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Faulden looked at the map.

On the map displayed via the aerial projection above the capital, there were still many Gates left, and even worse, monsters were swarming all over the continent.

Though they were gradually pushing the frontlines in a base defense formation, full stabilization would still take a long time.

Moreover, things were still precarious. If something went wrong and a god was resurrected, then the Auzria Continent could also be in danger.

‘We don’t have the capacity to worry about the Eastern Continent...’

Even while thinking that, Faulden’s eyes kept drifting toward the map of the Eastern Continent.

Logic told him to focus on the Auzria Continent, but his instincts kept pointing toward the Eastern Continent.

Unable to make a decision, Faulden finally informed Iron of the current situation.

Iron’s response to the report Faulden had sent after much deliberation was concise.

[Do whatever you want.]

“Ha... Is this a joke?”

Faulden’s expression twisted as he read the reply he had received after agonizing over it.

But it was also proof of how much Iron trusted him, and in truth, Faulden had a greater repository of vast information in his mind than Iron, so it was only right for him to make the decision.

“What will you do?”

At the aide’s question, Faulden thought deeply before finally speaking with difficulty.

“For now... for now, let’s wait and see.”

“...Yes.”

“But tell the Eastern Commander to be prepared. To be ready to fight the Eastern Continent at any time...”

With that command, Faulden looked out the window.

The people of the capital could be seen moving busily, and countless supplies were being transported so they could be delivered to various regions.

At present, the Empire was pouring all its resources into preventing Destruction.

From his perspective, it would take more time before starting a war with the Eastern Continent.

“This is driving me crazy.”

Even though he knew that if the Eastern Continent was left alone, it would completely rot and later become a major threat to Auzria, there was nothing he could do.

In the end, Faulden chose to maintain the current situation by providing more material support to the rebels, and this decision was reported to Iron as well.

“I see.”

Iron nodded as he listened to the report from his aide.

With limited information, he had no choice but to trust Faulden's judgment rather than making a hasty decision.

And even in his own judgment, helping the Eastern Continent immediately was too much.

‘If we’re going to help, we have to go all-in.’

If they offered half-hearted support, it would only waste precious lives and supplies.

In that case, it was better to maintain the current situation and provide full support once the internal situation had stabilized to some extent.

“Tell Faulden that, since we don’t know how long it will take, he has full authority to make all decisions for now.”

“Yes!”

Ariel saluted directly at Iron’s order.

“Take care of the desert.”

With those words, Iron entered the Gate.

The Divine Beasts also followed him inside.

The Gate classified as AAA-grade.

Other than the 666-day-long S-rank Gate, this was effectively the most dangerous Gate in Auzria, and Iron's expression was grim as he entered.

A force pressing down on his entire body.

-Beep...

Even Phoenix let out a faint cry as if displeased.

The Divine Beasts, having shrunk their forms to enter the Gate, let out cries of discomfort from Iron's shoulders and head.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Puuuuu~!

With a tremendous tremor and the blare of a horn trumpet, the pressure around him intensified.

“Demonic energy...”

Powerful demonic energy surrounded the area and radiated hostile killing intent toward Iron.

Being able to manipulate demonic energy to this extent meant at least a Master Level or higher.

“Demon Dukes?”

He looked at the four demons standing before him.

They were beings occupying the highest ranks within the Demon Realm, and they were releasing intense fighting spirit toward him.

Either top-tier Masters or beings comparable to a Grand Master.

Such beings had gathered solely to block Iron.

And it didn’t end there.

Countless demons poured in behind them, leading enormous demonic beasts, and even high-ranking demons who had reached Master Level or higher, at least of Count-rank or above, had all come together.

They had gathered with the singular goal of stopping Iron.

“There sure are a lot of them.”

Iron said as he drew his sword.

Before he knew it, the Divine Beasts had also returned to their original forms.

‘It’s a relief they didn’t bring their full power?’

The system's restrictions and the Lord God’s restrictions were still in effect.

Even though they could use slightly more power inside the Gate, they still couldn’t exert as much force as they could in the Demon Realm.

That’s why all the demons joined forces to stop Iron.

Not only the prideful high-ranking demons, but even the Demon Dukes, each possessing overwhelming individual strength, had combined their forces.

“We don’t have time, let’s move.”

At Iron’s words, the first to move was Phoenix.

It soared high into the sky and began scattering a rain of flames, while the two beams of light from Two Moons pierced straight through the front.

Then, the Thunder Bird followed, striking down thousands of bolts of lightning, asserting its presence.

As the three Divine Beasts unleashed powers comparable to a Grand Master, the Demon Dukes responded.

“Hræsvelgr.”

-It’s a waste to use my strength on these guys... Can’t I deal with the one coming later instead?

When Iron firmly shook his head, Hræsvelgr clicked its tongue and took flight.

-Tch! Greedy bastard.

With those words, Hræsvelgr unleashed its true power.

The being that had always taken a small form returned to its original size.

Hræsvelgr grew to such a massive scale that even the Phoenix and Thunder Bird, called illusion beasts, looked small in comparison, and it soared up while generating a storm.

As a result, the remaining one Demon Duke and most of the high-ranking demons rushed in to stop Hræsvelgr.

As most of the demons who had gathered to block Iron engaged in battle with the Divine Beasts, a black pillar suddenly shot up from afar, and an immense wave of demonic energy spread out.

“Is it the Demon King?”

Just as Iron muttered that, a streak of black light suddenly fired toward him.

Kuuuung!

‘That’s strong.’

He hurriedly blocked it with a shield of Divine Power, but it wasn’t enough to fully withstand it, and he had to deflect it with his sword due to its overwhelming force.

-Apostle of the Lord God, it’s a pleasure to meet you.

“A demon...”

A black-haired man holding a dark book appeared with a smile.

-I am Dantalion, the seventy-first Demon King.

“…One of the original 72 demons?”

-You know well.

At Dantalion’s words, Iron frowned and said,

“So the 666-day Gate is also highly likely to be connected to demons.”

-Smart!

The black-haired man looked at Iron with excitement.

-Humans these days don’t know much about demons, but to think that an Apostle of the Lord God like you knows us this well, I’m truly moved!

“You’re the seventy-first, but you’re the one who came out here? So demons care about rank and seniority too?”

-Haha! That’s right. Because I’m lower in rank, I couldn’t group up with the others and had to come out alone. It’s truly unfortunate...

Dantalion said cheerfully.

“Unexpected. Where did the seventy-second demon go, and why did you come instead?”

Although one of the 72 demons, whom Iron knew well, had shown up, it made him tilt his head.

-Didn’t you kill him?

At Dantalion’s words, Iron furrowed his brow.

-He was part of the vanguard we sent, and you utterly slaughtered him.

“No way…”

Iron let out a dry laugh as he recalled the one who had tried to make a deal with him in the desert.

“To think even a fellow demon would be that weak... No, it just means the system's restrictions are that severe.”

-Correct.

Dantalion readily admitted it and explained just how severe the system’s restrictions were.

The restrictions placed on demons who crossed over before Destruction began were horrific.

For a human comparison, it was akin to crossing over in the form of an insect, the constraints were that intense.

Even so, the seventy-second demon had accepted those constraints and crossed into the desert.

“I shattered everything…”

-By the time you found it, it was already mostly completed. Huhuhuhu~.

Dantalion chuckled as he spoke, and Iron’s expression twisted.

-Don’t you have any more questions about demons? Out of the goodness of my heart, I’ll tell you everything. I can even share a bit about the system too.

As if he were doing Iron a great favor, he spoke generously, but Iron immediately created a white sword.

“Enough small talk.”

As he said that and swung the white sword, Dantalion stepped back with a disappointed expression.

-Oh dear… you figured it out?

At Dantalion’s words, Iron’s expression turned cold.

Though he had approached as if he were genuinely pleased to see Iron, it had all been to buy time.

“Is buying time here related to the 666-day Gate?”

Iron asked, recalling how the other Gates also seemed to be trying to buy time.

-…Who knows? If you talk to me a little more, I might tell you?

Instead of continuing the conversation, Iron responded by drawing out his full power.

But the hardened look on Iron’s face did not relax.

Because he instinctively knew that even at full strength, this battle would not end quickly.

Thus, with signs of a prolonged battle looming for Iron, and the two Family Heads still unable to return from the Gates, the Empire was struck with the worst possible situation, all Grand Master-level individuals were tied up within Gates.

“The demons from the Eastern Continent have attacked one of the Eastern Army’s bases!”

A single piece of news was delivered to Faulden.

It was a sign that the war between the Eastern Continent and the Western Continent was imminent.

***

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