Shortly after the Indomitable Grand Duke left, the horrific rumors that had been floating around the Empire disappeared as if they had never happened. Even the requests from the minor border lords that flew into the Imperial Capital daily asking for support abruptly stopped and there wasnât any more news about attacked villages.
âEach of the lords dispatched soldiers to search the vicinity, but they all said they couldnât find a single monster.â
The ancient monsters that had been disturbing the Empire disappeared as if they had never existed in the first place.
Of course, the monsters hadnât soared into the sky or disappeared into the ground.
âAfter talking to the people and chasing any traces of the monsters, we found out that all the monsters within the Empire have migrated outside the borders of the Empire.â
As if they had all been kicked out by something, the monsters had all fled from the Empire. Because of that, the Imperial Capital heard that the kingdoms that shared borders with the Empire were quite troubled.
âThereâs news that bigger and more powerful monsters are appearing as time goes on.â
It was already difficult for the kingdoms to deal with the headaches that were the existing monsters, but when new, larger monsters appeared and rampaged through the lands, the Imperial Capital heard that there wasnât a day when the countries outside the Empire didnât mobilize their armies.
Among those countries, the situation in Nocetain was more serious since most of the monsters that escaped the Empire had headed toward Nocteinâs territories.
âAll knights and mages, do your best to annihilate the monsters that approach the royal capital!â
Even Noctein couldnât continue to hoard their superhumans when they realized that the foundation of their country would be at risk if they remained watching the monsters rampaging through their lands.
The situation wasnât so different in the other countries, it was just a matter of degree.
Among those other countries, the situation in Griffindor was worse, not better, than the situation in Noctein.
âThe Behemoth that devastated the South is heading north, sir! At this rate, the royal capital will also be in the Behemothâs path!â
Even a thousand years ago, the terrible Behemoth had been called a disaster. Now, that monster was approaching the royal capital after having devastated the southern region of Griffindor.
âStop it! Stop it at any cost! The Behemoth cannot be allowed to approach the royal capital!â
In the end, the ruler of Griffindor declared it a state of emergency and decided to mobilize all available troops and superhumans to stop the Behemoth from moving north.
âWe alone wonât be enough to stop itâŚâ
Around this time, the Griffindor mages searched for past records on the great beast, and through it, they found out that the monster had once devoured a thousand knights and mages.
They came to the realization that even if all the superhumans in their country gathered in one location, they wouldnât be able to stop this terrible beast.
Some of the nobles decided to abandon the royal capital, promising to return after the Behemoth had passed. But the Griffindorâs ruler couldnât accept that.
âI cannot leave such a stain in my era as the ruler.â
The vain monarch didnât want his name to become a stain on Griffindorâs history and insisted on a decisive battle against the Behemoth to the bitter end.
In the end, all they could do was somehow change the direction of the monsterâs path and lead it out of the kingdom before it could reach the royal capital.
But even that wasnât easy. However, since their supreme leader was being stubborn, there was nothing else they could do.
âIf you pay a reasonable price, I will take care of the monster that appeared in your country.â
Under such circumstances, the message delivered through mage communication from the Adenburg Empire was like a ray of light in the darkness.
âIf you can deal with that nightmare of an ancient monster, then I am willing to pay any price!â
The ruler of Griffindor grasped the lifeline that appeared in their desperate situation.
âWe will discuss the price later, but you must never betray our trust ever again.â
Griffindor already had a history of breaking alliances during the war against Noctein and committing atrocities by having the Knights of the Sky attacking the Grand Duke. Griffindor was more than capable of thinking up petty tricks to get out of paying the price once their crisis was over.
âAs long as you deal with that monster, it wouldnât be a waste even if the royal familyâs vaults are emptied!â
âIf your attitude changes after the monsters have been dealt with, your country will face a terrible calamity that is beyond the monstersâ appearance.â
The Griffindorâs ruler snorted inwardly at the repeated warnings.
There was a barrier called Noctein between the Empire and Griffindor. He believed that even in the worst case, the Imperial Army wouldnât be able to cross Griffindorâs borders en masse.
But the Empire wasnât talking about a powerful army when they talked about a calamity that went beyond the monsters.
The Griffindorâs ruler only realized that fact after the first line of defense, that had been formed to stop the Behemoth, started fighting the monster.
âKnights, aim for the legs. Mages, slow down its movements! Be serious!â
Having taken command of the defense line, the Knights of the Sky attempted to slow down the monsterâs speed instead of attempting to defeat the mighty monster.
However, the monsterâs hide around its legs was too thick for them to cut it with a swordâs blade. Even the magesâ powerful concentrated attacks couldnât stop the monsterâs steps for a single second.
Whether it was a powerful superhuman or a massive wall, the monster trampled and smashed everything that stood in its way.
âItâs no use! It doesnât work!â
âM, move! Youâll get trampled!â
The knights and soldiersâ screams could be heard in all directions.
âHow could there be a monster like thatâŚâ
The Griffindorâs ruler and the Knights of the Sky turned pale as they looked at the hellish pandemonium from up high in the air.
Due to the monster being so massive, the troops on the ground couldnât see what the monster truly looked like. But it was different for the knights and the king who were riding on the Griffins.
They stared at the monsterâs true appearance from the sky, and they couldnât dare think about fighting against it.
Although the monster was receiving an onslaught of attacks from numerous knights and mages, it only seemed annoyed and bothered. Even when powerful magic spells fell in succession onto its head, it didnât react the slightest bit.
The king came to a realization as he watched this.
They were no different than ants to that terrible beast. And no matter how many ants gathered, in the end, they were merely ants. From the start, it was impossible to stop that terrible beast.
âHave the mages escape! That bastard is charging!â
As he watched the superhumans losing their morale and will to fight, the king could see the destruction of Griffindor in his mind.
âWhether itâs the Empire or anything else, itâs impossible for humans to stop that thingâŚâ
Just as the king said, human power would not stop the Behemoth. But there werenât just humans in this world. The reinforcements sent by the Empire werenât just mere humans.
Even in the midst of a battlefield full of screams, a clear sound penetrated into their ears.
At that moment, the monster that hadnât stopped even once despite the hundreds of magical spells fired at it and tens of thousands sword attacks suddenly stopped for the first time.
The monster let out a strange sound they had never heard before, then it started looking around with his short neck swiveling around. It looked like he was looking out for something.
Not long after, they could hear a sharp piercing sound, and then a platinum spear pierced through the clouds and fell from the sky.
Directly struck by something that looked like lightning, the monster screamed before tangling up with a whitish object.
âAre you the king of Griffindor?â
Before he could figure out what was going on, a soft voice spoke from behind him.
Startled, the king turned around and saw a man, who knew when he had come, riding a strangely massive Wyvern.
No wonder he thought the appearance and the flying dragon looked familiar. The king narrowed his eyes and glared angrily when he finally figured out the manâs identity.
âThe Red Devil of the Sky!â
Surprisingly, the man was the strongest knight that Adenburg was so proud of; he was Drachen.
âThatâs a name I havenât heard in a long time.â
Drachen spoke to the king with a slight frown on his face.
âWell, whatever the title, withdraw your troops.â
He had a dignity that was completely different from a monarchâs and the king couldnât respond.
âIf you donât want to see your precious knights and mages dying, hurry up. From here on out, itâll be a fight they wonât be able to handle.â
Drachen didnât wait for the kingâs answer. With that short sentence, he flew the flying dragon up towards the monster.
It was only then that the king properly realized what was attacking the monster. He was too stunned for words.
As if it wasnât a being of this world, the flying dragon with beautiful platinum scales was ferociously pressing down on the huge monster. He saw the monster struggling with all its might from underneath the dragon. Its massive body which had remained strong against the knightsâ swords and the magesâ magics was now covered in blood, and one of its thick legs was bent at an unsightly angle.
âIf your attitude changes after the monsters have been dealt with, your country will face a terrible calamity that is beyond the monstersâ appearance.â
Only after seeing the creature who was showing such overwhelming majesty against the mighty monster did the king realize what disaster the Empire had been warning him of.
And at that moment, he was unable to refuse the Imperial demands.
If he did refuse, then a winged calamity would most likely come upon the royal capital of Griffindor.
âWithdraw the troops!â
When the troops retreated completely, the platinum-scaled creature that had been trampling the monster underfoot flew into the sky, leaving the monster behind.
What replaced the platinum creature was a bizarre creature that rose from the ground with a golden flash.
âItâs the Indomitable Grand Dukeâs Drake!â
It wasnât difficult to recognize the deformed Drake of the Indomitable Grand Duke that had appeared in battle several times. But separate from that, they couldnât help but be surprised at the grandeur and size of the drake that didnât lose out to the monsterâs size.
The deformed Drake roared and charged towards the monster. Without losing, the Behemoth also roared as it rushed towards the Drake.
And so, a battle between monsters that could only happen in legends began.
Although it was the Behemoth that consistently overpowered the Drake, ultimately, it was the Behemoth who lost.
With a roar, the monster laid on the ground and didnât move anymore.
The Drake trampled on the lifeless body and let out a long triumphant roar. Soon after, a golden flash of light surrounded the Drake that was covered in blood, and then that massive body disappeared as if he was sucked into the ground. The Behemothâs body followed him.
The only thing left was the torn-up earth and a massive pit that was filled with blood.
âYou can discuss the payment with the Empress of the Empire later.â
Shortly after the Drake disappeared, the Indomitable Grand Duke flew up and disappeared into the sky with the Wyvern after saying that short sentence. The platinum-scaled being who had been looking down on the battle from the sky also disappeared without a trace.
As if he had been dreaming, the king rubbed his eyes several times with a dumbfounded look on his face.
The pit was so full of blood that it looked like a lake, and the earth that was cracked and jagged looking like an earthquake had occurred told him that the battle he had seen a while ago was not a dream. However, he had witnessed such an unrealistic sight that his sense of reality didnât return.
âYour Majesty! Please allow us to collect our wounded and retreat, sir!â
If one of the Knights of the Sky hadnât advised him to take control of the battlefield, the king would have continued to stare at it in a daze forever.
âTend to the wounded knights and mages.â
The surviving superhumans and soldiers began moving busily at the kingâs order.
âThe Indomitable Grand Duke displaced the Cyclops that appeared in the southern part of the continent.â
âThe Kraken off the coast of Iberia, destroyed after a battle against the Indomitable Grand Duke.â
âThe body of the Thunderbird that destroyed the Asrael Kingdom, found.â
Before he could even shake off the shock, news came from all over that the Indomitable Grand Duke had repelled the terrible monsters.
The slight resentment towards the Empire that remained in the ruler of Griffindorâs heart completely disappeared. The only thing that took the vacant position was fear and obedience towards the being that he didnât dare defy.
âIndomitable Grand Duke arrived at the southern base of the defense line!â
Not long after, a report flew in saying that the Indomitable Grand Duke, who had passed through Griffindor, had arrived in the Holy Kingdom.