The Military Chef of a Ruined World

The frozen world.

What had stopped this world was that golden energy.

That was why even the flow of time was being controlled by Avaritia, the owner of that energy.

“I was wondering what kind of conversation could possibly take so long.”

This land had never belonged to that creature in the first place.

Even if it appeared to be controlling everything at this moment.

The struggle for dominion was still being waged fiercely.

SHING.

Just as the sound of the prince’s heart had driven the energy that had invaded my mind away.

My shout set one person into motion.

A woman drew the sword she had been holding at her waist.

And then.

SLASH-

She swung that sword very lightly.

A dull and feeble slash that looked so slow even to my eyes.

To those who knew nothing, it would have looked as though a frail woman had squeezed out strength she did not possess and swung it.

Naturally, however, reality was somewhat different.

......CRACK.

A profound realization, even a fragment of which I could not properly comprehend.

A sword strike containing the principles of martial arts that had once reached transcendence was lightly swung.

And that was enough.

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!

The golden energy that had ruled the world.

The power of that law was cut apart.

“......That is.”

Frozen time.

“Those beasts’.”

Began to flow again.

***

The stopped time began flowing again.

And then.

[......Severe damage detected in the mana propulsion system.]

[Severe damage detected in the outer wall.]

[At the fortress’s autonomous discretion, mobile combat mode will be canceled and defensive posture will be initiated.]

The enormous fortress began to fall.

“......Giant David!!!”

“Run!”

“Cough.......”

The Legion members who had been thrown away realized that their bodies had begun flying from the tremendous impact.

The Legion had suffered damage bordering on annihilation in an instant from Avaritia’s attack.

Screams caused by that erupted from every direction.

'What a vicious bastard.'

It had deliberately attacked the Legion members before stopping time.

That had partly been to scatter that energy.

But now that I thought about it, there seemed to have been a rather insidious intention hidden within it as well.

Inside the frozen time, the Legion members were bursting apart, falling, and flying through the air.

It had invited me into the Alliance.

While doing so, it had partially interfered with my mind so that I would feel favorably toward them.

'......It must have wanted me to keep in mind what would happen to the Legion members if I rejected that invitation.'

By deliberately stopping time when they were on the verge of annihilation.

It had designed the situation so that I would have no choice but to look at that sight while deciding whether or not to accept its invitation.

Meticulous and vicious.

Had I been someone who worried about and cherished the Legion members, I might have hesitated after seeing that scene, which was practically a threat.

But.

There was one thing that creature had slightly misunderstood.

'I am not that worried about them.'

After all.

The Legion I raised.

My Legion.

“Ariella!!!”

The Legion I raised was not so weak.

That it would collapse from something of this level.

FWAAAAASH!!!

The enormous falling fortress, Bimana.

A shadow of tremendous size located beneath it.

That shadow began moving at an incredible speed.

And then.

The shadow rising from the ground positioned itself behind the flying Legion members.

THUD-THUD-THUD.......

“Ghk!”

“Grrk.”

“Cough.......”

It became a curtain that covered the world and gently caught the bodies of the Legion members.

“Master!”

At the same time, Ariella, who had been commanding the vampires at one section of the front, rushed toward me.

It seemed that even while supporting the troops with that black curtain, she had immediately tried to come protect me.

“That time just now.......”

Hearing Ariella’s words, I could not help flinching.

The fact that she had reacted the instant I shouted and covered the troops was one thing.

I had wondered if that might be the case.

“You noticed that time had stopped?”

“......I would not have been able to do it alone. But.”

I quickly realized what she was trying to say.

“Thanks to Isabella.”

The current Ariella was not as strong as that grand duke.

But Isabella, who had once been a grand duke, resided within her.

Through that help, it seemed she had somehow managed to maintain consciousness even within the frozen time.

“......But that will only work this once. If something similar happens again, I will not even be able to maintain consciousness.”

“I suppose not.”

Even Isabella’s ability ultimately amounted to nothing more than using Ariella’s existing power with greater skill.

If that golden energy seized control of the space once again, it would truly be the end.

She spoke with a worried gaze.

“You do not need to worry about that part right now.”

We had been helplessly struck down by the first attack.

But that was because we had not anticipated that creature had already created a body of sufficient quality.

We had assessed the enemy’s strength.

Then our strategy inevitably had to change as well.

“What are all of you doing?”

The woman who had swung a single sword strike began walking again.

And around her.

Swords and sabers, spears and axes, circular chakrams, a monk’s staff that looked like something used in Buddhism, and even vajras.......

All manner of weapons moved along with her.

“If my disciples remain like that, how am I supposed to preserve my dignity as their master?”

And beside her.

“Yes.”

“We apologize, Master.”

The other beastkin assembled.

***

To me, it felt as though quite some time had passed, but to them, it had only been a moment ago.

They were the ones who had been thrown away by Avaritia’s attack.

Even though they must have felt that overwhelming power, there was no fear in their eyes.

And.

I felt a strange sense of déjà vu from the way they stood.

The form was slightly different from what I had seen...... but the central axis was similar.

That was unmistakably.

[You have witnessed the ‘Martial Formation - Thousand Mountain Twelve Formations’!]

What those beastkin had shown when they fought against me.

That very thing.

When I had seen it, the formation had been performed by no more than four or five people.

But.......

'The difference caused by the presence or absence of even one more person was obvious.'

It was a formation whose power increased to an absurd degree with every additional person.

And now.

Excluding Miho, the martial scholar, and Woojin, the shaman, there were eleven disciples...... and Mirinae, who formed the axis of the formation.

All twelve people required to perform that formation had gathered.

[You have witnessed an extreme formation bearing fragments of transcendence.]

[Your advanced martial arts comprehend part of the enlightenment contained within the formation.]

[The principles of the formation affect your mental image!]

[You receive a bonus to actions performed through multiple connections.]

[You have gained a large amount of martial arts experience.]

A formation powerful enough to grant me a new ability simply by witnessing it.

At last revealed its true form.

“......Filthy beasts.”

As it watched them approach.

Avaritia also tried to release its golden energy.

“Cheonho! You take the most difficult direction, the hour of the Rat!”

“Yes!”

BOOOOOOOM!

The beastkin launched themselves forward.

The energy that had been about to swell began to be suppressed.

A transcendent being that had obtained a body capable of manifesting a certain degree of its power.

An existence fully capable of reigning as the ruler of an entire world in both name and reality.

CRRRRACK.......

The power of such an existence.......

Was being suppressed by merely twelve beastkin.

'That is insane.'

Mirinae’s power was restricted, and the others had not reached transcendence either.

The fact that such people could contend, even briefly, with an existence that had reached transcendence was enough to show how powerful that formation was.

It was truly an absurd miracle fit only for mythology.

But.

-You understand, do you not?

The one responsible for bringing that absurd sight into reality.

Mirinae’s voice entered my mind.

-At least that one’s body is not its own, so it can be restrained to a certain extent. But...... that creature is not the only one burdened by the limitations of its body.

If anything, Mirinae’s restrictions were even more severe.

Her body was currently at a level inferior to that of most Legion members.

The Legion’s highest-quality equipment had at least enhanced her lacking physical abilities.

-We will not be able to hold out for long.

To begin with, this Mirinae was not the Mirinae who had devoured countless stars.

She was Mirinae from the days when she had raised disciples as the master of Cheonsan Martial Hall.

Since that formation had also been created during that period, it was obvious that she would not be able to restrain Avaritia, a being comparable to the Celestial Emperor, for long.

“Yes. Even so, please hold it for as long as possible.”

-You make an unreasonable request as though it were nothing.......

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Regardless of her exasperated reply.

A battle on a transcendent scale erupted, collapsing the surrounding buildings and splitting the earth apart, while the beastkin somehow suppressed Avaritia’s energy.

But just as Mirinae had said, they would not be able to hold out for long.

'The time we have been given is short.'

Within that short time.

“Ariella. Bring the people here.”

“Which people?”

“Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok! Sergeant Lee Minjae! Shaman Chief Borjin!”

The collapsed front.

We had to gather the troops as much as possible and prepare to fight again.

SPOT!

“Loyalty! Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok!”

Ariella flew somewhere in an instant.

A short while later, Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok, caught by a giant pillar of shadow, dropped down in front of me.

“Lieutenant General Kim, gather the troops and reorganize the battle lines. Ignore the enemy’s other forces as much as possible and form a formation designed to face one powerful enemy.”

“Yes. Commanders in every area, gather as many nearby troops as possible! Staff officers! Assemble here immediately! Assess the collapsed battle lines and reorganize them!”

When Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok shouted.

The mana of his [Command] skill spread throughout the entire battlefield.

The injured Legion members moved busily, assembling beneath the field commanders scattered throughout the area, while the staff soldiers gathered around Lieutenant General Kim.

“I have answered your summons, Legion Commander.”

“Borjin. Join forces with the Legion’s mages and shamans and cast a barrier-like spell here. Suppress that creature’s energy as much as possible. You may use every bit of mana that can be drawn from Bimana.”

“......I shall try. Children of the tribe! Find the Legion’s spellcasters! To the place where the ley lines of this land are strongest!”

The next person dropped before me was Borjin.

After hearing my order, he ran off shouting with a grave expression despite his aged body.

He must have known that perfectly suppressing that energy was impossible.

But he also understood that now was not the time to speak of what was or was not possible.

“Loyalty, Sergeant Lee Minjae!”

And the last person to drop before me was Sergeant Lee Minjae.

I looked at him and gave a firm order.

“Gather the team leaders. Bring the squad leaders who were included in the operation as well.”

“......You mean.”

“That is right.”

Sergeant Lee Minjae’s gaze moved uneasily.

His gaze was directed toward the battlefield where the twelve beastkin were fighting.

A storm in which enormous golden light was trying to burst forth, while tremendous forces that forcibly suppressed that golden light raged around it.

It was a violent battlefield where it seemed impossible for anyone other than those twelve beastkin to even approach.

The buildings near the city from which Avaritia had walked out had already been reduced entirely to dust and disappeared.

A place where even a powerful awakened could not be guaranteed survival if caught within it.

“We must break through that place.”

“......Loyalty.”

Sergeant Lee Minjae used the radio and began gathering the soldiers.

Those who would move directly under my command as the true Legion Commander.......

Rather than under the command of Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok, who was currently fulfilling the role of Legion Commander.

“We were already informed, so our side should be able to gather and prepare quickly. What do you plan to do in the meantime?”

“Well, what I have to do has already been decided.”

I shrugged and shouted.

“Bimana!”

[Artificial Spirit Bimanar answers the lord of the fortress’s summons.]

The fortress had suffered massive damage from the enormous explosion.

As though trying somehow to prevent its fall, Bimana was releasing tremendous mana from its propulsion system.

“Open the lower fortress wall!”

[Warning. Signs indicate that large surviving enemy forces are approaching, and due to the impact sustained by this fortress, the loss of air superiority is a concern. Under these circumstances, temporarily opening the lower fortress wall presents a severe risk.......]

“Are you disobeying me?”

[As the lord of the fortress commands.]

BOOOOOOM.......

The fortress wall located along Bimana’s lower section opened.

[Assistant Chef]

I mounted the Assistant Chef that sprang from my shadow and flew toward Bimana.

In the distance, I could see monsters with gray wings rapidly approaching and beginning to charge toward Bimana.

I watched that scene and thought.

'Every member of the unit has their own role.'

Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok would reorganize the front.

Borjin would prepare countermeasures against Avaritia’s power.

Sergeant Lee Minjae would prepare the special assault force that would charge into the heart of the enemy formation.

It was only natural.

Lieutenant General Kim Hyeon-seok was a commander, Borjin was a shaman, and Sergeant Lee Minjae was a team leader.

And if that was the case.

'My profession is chef.'

......What I had to do.

Had practically been decided from the beginning.

SPOT!

After entering Bimana through the lower gate.

I quickly turned my gaze and searched for one facility within the enormous fortress.

An absurdly enormous and spacious fortress.

Even within it, there was one building whose size stood out more than anything else except the inner keep.

All manner of facilities existed within Bimana.

For some reason, this facility had been developed with far greater focus than most of the others, causing it to stand out on its own.

[Dining Hall Lv.13]

'Cooking.'

Toward the two chefs who should already be there.

I threw my body forward with all my strength.