Chapter 225

Chapter 225
## Chapter 225

Calcos Tribal Federation (3)

Beorsen was an urban center constructed around a vast desert oasis, serving as a vital transit hub that linked various territories across the southern lands.

Although outsiders from other quadrants frequently dismissed the south as a savage realm due to its cultural preoccupation with combat skills, it remained a functioning human society where trade and mercantile endeavors played a vital role in daily survival.

While it did not rank as a sprawling metropolis, it stood out as one of the premier commercial hubs bridging multiple territories, constantly humming with mercantile traffic through the day and night.

Such was the nature of Beorsen.

“…It also served as the birthplace and primary stronghold for Baltheon… and yet…”

Positioned behind a massive ridge of sand, a short distance from the settlement which was currently enveloped in a malevolent, shadowy mist…

“The state of affairs looks incredibly grim. It appears we arrived at the absolute final moment.”

Misty, who had acted as the guide for the group of champions, offered a quiet sigh.

She was a striking woman possessing vibrant, sun-kissed skin, dense dark-brown hair styled into multiple braided tresses, and deep black eyes reminiscent of obsidian stones.

An intricate, magnificent marking, indicating her elevated rank as a High Shaman, traced downward from her brow, running past her eyelid to her collarbone, though her gaze was currently heavy with exhaustion.

“…Are you holding up alright? You look completely drained.”

“I am far from fine, but there is no alternative. This situation left us with no other choice.”

Massaging her eyelids, she offered a weary groan in reply to Heinrich’s inquiry.

She truly had no alternative course of action.

Following her encounter with the champion’s group, she had strained her capabilities to ensure her combatants could be moved alongside them.

Despite being highly capable shock troops, they lacked the innate capacity to match the rapid transit velocity of the champion group without her supernatural intervention. They would have reached their destination completely spent.

“My utility in direct physical combat is minimal regardless. Consequently, I opted for the path of maximum utility. Our paths crossing must have been orchestrated by destiny.”

Reviewing the current circumstances, aligning with the champion group had clearly been the correct path.

Though their primary targets remained Baltheon and Hans, numerous roadblocks were bound to obstruct their advance.

High Shaman Misty had sustained her mystical incantations for a solid twelve hours, moving hundreds of combatants rapidly, silently, and in peak physical readiness.

“And our connection must similarly be dictated by destiny.”

…She murmured softly, pressing herself against Harley’s muscular arm.

“What?”

“Ah— these muscle groups… I have never witnessed such development. This grand bicep, this forearm… truly, your entire anatomy is an absolute masterpiece!”

“Bwahaha! You possess excellent discernment, young lady!”

Her unexpected behavior caused both the champion group and the nearby Southern Warriors to observe the pair with bizarre expressions, yet Harley simply roared with laughter, thoroughly enjoying the praise.

“My heart has been hammering uncontrollably ever since I rode upon your back. Your presence, your frame… You are the perfect male specimen of my wildest fantasies!”

Her tone had shifted into a reverie-filled, sultry cadence, her customary analytical composure completely vanishing.

Her physical actions matched her words.

She was now essentially anchoring herself to his bicep, pressing her face against the muscle.

“This is quite flattering! Bwahaha—!”

“Even your booming chuckle is incredibly masculine…”

Harley, the Southern Warrior who embodied the archetypal traits of the region more intensely than the native population itself.

While viewed as a terrifying brute in distant lands, in this territory, he was the ultimate object of adoration.

“Ugh, blast it all! Those attractive fellows receive female attention simply by existing! The world is entirely unbalanced.”

“Ah, Misty! The most precious blossom of our wasteland…”

“Hey, compose yourself. That individual is merely an attractive facade. Do not attempt to challenge him unless you desire to be ground into paste.”

The male combatants glared in their direction with intense resentment, whereas…

“Hmph! Their envy is entirely misplaced. He exists on an entirely different plane; trying to compete is pointless.”

“I was contemplating making a move myself, but Misty initiated contact before I could. Observe those limbs, I am incredibly envious.”

“I was under the impression men held no appeal for her… It turns out her criteria were simply exceptionally elevated.”

…The female combatants breathed sighs of regret.

“…So that explains why she kept her face buried in his spine during the entire trek.”

Isea, observing the display from a distance, spoke in a flat, bewildered tone.

When Misty consented to travel with their group, she had requested that Harley provide her transportation.

His frame was easily substantial enough to accommodate both women, and Isea had assumed the request stemmed from their shared regional background, paying it little mind…

Yet she had been nuzzling against his back throughout the journey, despite ostensibly directing all her mental faculties toward sustaining her movement magic. It was clear she possessed hidden motives from the start.

‘Yet she gave no indication of this previously… And why choose this specific moment to act?’

She did not appear to be the sort of person to lose her composure given the gravity of the situation.

Examining Misty more closely, Isea perceived that her gaze was not merely daydreamy; it was entirely vacant.

‘…It cannot be, is she performing this actions while unconscious?’

She had sensed something unusual from the beginning.

Isea cautiously closed the distance and gave Misty’s shoulder a firm tug.

Predictably, there was no initial reaction.

“Misty! Misty! Snap out of it! We cannot afford for you to be slumbering right now!”

She delivered a more aggressive shake, and at last,

“Huh? W-what? What is happening…?”

Misty’s eyelids snapped open as though she had suddenly broken free from a dream, and she scanned her immediate environment.

Every individual present was fixated on her.

“………”

She gradually traced her gaze down Harley’s bicep, locking eyes with him…

And her complexion flared into a deep crimson.

“…My deepest regrets. I appear to have lost consciousness for a brief interval.”

She abruptly relinquished her grip on his limb, retreated several steps, and pulled her fabric cowl low over her features.

An uncomfortable quiet settled over the gathering.

“Right— moving forward!”

Saintess Liesta, recognizing the social tension, swiftly stepped forward to redirect everyone’s focus.

“…What is our strategy? Night is falling. Engaging in conflict during the darkness is ill-advised, particularly when dealing with the Immortal King. Conversely, we cannot permit ourselves to squander additional time.”

Her inquiry highlighted a legitimate hazard.

Beorsen, blanketed by the creeping shadows, did not present itself as an inviting destination for a nocturnal assault.

Heinrich surveyed his companions.

They had been moving continuously, yet they were far from depleted.

They had modulated their velocity once the Southern Warriors united with their ranks.

Furthermore, owing to Misty’s magical amplification, the infantrymen remained in excellent physical form.

The solitary individual genuinely spent was Misty herself.

As he weighed their choices, a rapid telepathic consultation initiated within his consciousness.

-Harley: My blades are eager for conflict!

-Heinz the Second: Is a hasty approach truly required? The safer path involves delaying until sunrise.

-Hubert: It remains a grievance that our direct communication lines are currently severed. Delaying until first light presents fewer risks. I am confident Hans intends no lethal harm toward Heinrich or Harley, but my confidence drops regarding the rest of our force.

-Howard: My vote is to strike immediately! Does that scoundrel gain potency in darkness and diminish beneath the sun?

-Hugo: That logic holds… Yet we remain ignorant of his strategy. Would this course not place the infantrymen in extreme jeopardy?

-Hesperon:… In truth, we have no alternative but to strike this very moment.

The collective deliberation rapidly aligned with the perspective offered by Hesperon.

-Hesperon: Hans is likely executing a total takeover of the metropolis at this very hour. He is subverting the entire garrison, converting them into thralls.

-Hubert: And he will certainly not restrict his focus to the garrison forces. The civilian populace will likewise be utilized.

-Hesperon:… Precisely. And upon completing that task, he will advance to the adjacent territory, utilizing Baltheon as his puppet ruler. He will absorb the remainder of their combined military strength as well.

-Hugo: Recall that those troops displayed absolute deference to Baltheon. They lacked the capacity to offer resistance to the Immortal King.

-Heinz the Second: Understood. The corrupted miasma enveloping the settlement serves as confirmation that Hans occupies the interior.

-Hesperon: This represents our singular window of opportunity. Should Hans begin to reposition, tracking him will become impossible. We must deny him further preparation time.

The internal council concluded.

Their course of action had been decided the precise instant they recognized that blameless civilians were facing destruction.

-Heinrich: We advance immediately. Furthermore…

As Heinrich, their commander, voiced their collective intent, the remaining members signaled their assent.

The Southern Warriors, acting as their auxiliary forces, similarly prepared their armaments.

-Heinrich:… I will personally ensure my consecrated blade pierces that wretch’s core.

Heinrich, his stride animated by wrath and determination, spearheaded the advance toward Beorsen, where Hans waited.

—

“We will form the defensive line, Harley! We will guarantee that none of those wretches break past our position, even at the cost of our lifeblood!”

“That represents the extent of our utility, realistically.”

“…However, the primary concern is not the former High Chieftain. The involvement of the Immortal King behind these events was completely unforeseen.”

The Southern Warrior Trio,

Murmured to Harley as the army advanced toward the settlement.

They had uncovered the rationale for his presence during the course of their journey.

They had maintained communication channels with their kin residing in the southern territories and had discovered the alarming developments taking place across the land.

The three companions had articulated their mutual anxieties,

And subsequently, recognizing their thoughts were perfectly aligned,

They had deposited a written message for Harley at Hubert’s Trading Company,

Before turning their steps back toward the south.

“Ah, indeed! We recorded some highly sentimental sentiments within that text. Harley, it would be optimal if you simply incinerated it without examining the contents.”

“…Indubitably, that is the wisest path.”

They had crossed paths with Misty while she was fleeing from liquidation squads following her breakout from confinement,

And afterward, assisting her in assembling the surviving combatants who had declined to align with Baltheon,

They had ultimately arrived at this staging ground.

‘They have experienced quite a journey of their own.’

Naturally, it paled in comparison to the trials he had undergone.

Harley offered an approving nod and directed his gaze toward the primary entrance of Beorsen.

The town was protected by a formidable barrier constructed from sun-dried brick, given that predatory beasts remained a constant hazard within the wasteland.

A massive pair of doors, securely locked, barred their entry.

“…The entrance is secured, yet the battlements are devoid of sentries.”

Heinrich grimaced.

An undetected approach would involve scaling the masonry, but Hans was undoubtedly already aware of their arrival.

Consequently, they would need to breach the entrance dynamically…

Yet prior to any command being issued,

Harley, entirely ignoring any tactical planning, strode directly toward the doors…

“Hold on, Har…”

“Hrrraaggh—!”

And struck the structure with his fist.

Boom—!

He had bypassed his transformation state and abstained from manifesting his draconic shielding…

Yet his punch, moving at a speed exceeding sound, impacted the barrier.

Crack—! Shatter! Crash—!

The colossal, iron-reinforced entrance was propelled inward like a projectile from a siege engine, smashing into the structural walls located behind it.

A thunderous resonance reverberated from the interior of the town as structural elements fragmented and collapsed.

It was an incredible opening salvo.

“Screeech!”

“Grrr—!”

As though awakened by the shockwave,

Enraged growls and shrieks resounded from the depths of the settlement.

“Eh? Did someone utter my name?”

“…No, it is of no consequence. An excellent strike, Harley.”

Accountable to his spontaneous behavior, they now possessed confirmation that a multitude of adversaries lay in wait within the interior.

Furthermore, they were completely stripped of their sanity.

“Advance. We will occupy the vanguard.”

“Excellent! Let us begin!”

With the group of champions occupying the front line,

The host moved into the settlement.