◈ Episode 404. Holy War Alliance Commander-in-Chief

Newborn Chick Frostnax.

Technically, he’s not wrong.

Grandfell’s egocentric thinking.

‘In dragon years, I’m about three thousand years old, right?’

Considering the age difference…….

At best, Frostnax would be barely out of puberty.

Newborn chick wasn’t wrong.

‘By the way.’

I think about the weight of my burdens.

Let’s see, there are too many to mention, but the one that has been weighing heaviest on me lately is the title of Commander-in-Chief.

Keep your vicious mouth shut.

Frostnax expresses anger with black pupils.

As I faced him, I thought calmly.

‘How many lives am I standing on right now?’

Before the Cataclysm.

When Arcana continental was just a game. Think back to the number of players when Arcana was doing well.

I remember reading an article that said the number of concurrent users had exceeded 100 million…….

‘Wouldn’t the total number of players be several times that?’

Not all of them had awakened as players, but I dare say it was a lot. Most of those who did awaken as players are now in the Holy War Alliance.

‘For pride, for the sake of stepping foot on the Arcana continent.’

Yes, hundreds of millions.

Even among players, that’s a lot of people.

The Holy War Alliance was under my command.

I don’t think it’s a good analogy, but…….

This reminds me of my working life.

‘I felt burdened even when a junior came in.’

A guy like me is a shooter.

So what should I teach the junior?

To begin with, I am a freshman.

I still remember being so overwhelmed that I didn’t know what to do.

But.

“Look at this. A dragon may be tainted with evil and corrupted, but its skin never changes. You shouldn’t try to cut a dragon’s skin from the purest of minerals, silver.”

Now, I was upright even on the heavy weight of the player’s life.

Anytime, anywhere, in front of anyone.

Thanks to my unbreakable Grandfell pride?

‘Yes, thanks to it.’

But so am I, Lee Hoyeol.

I’ve decided not to look away anymore.

Let’s be honest.

Up until now, I’ve been avoiding it.

‘I’m embarrassed to say that I’m the Commander-in-Chief……!’

Why can’t they just call me Mr. Hoyeol like before?

I was even considering grabbing Nam Taemin and asking him for a favor.

But things have changed.

We can’t continue to be ashamed of our Commander in Chief’s title forever.

Cold and Warm.

As a result, Nam Taemin’s tattered skin was full of wounds. Nam Taemin, who had been knocked down by Frostnax’s tail, was suddenly standing next to me.

“Indeed, you’re not the same as Eunaxus.”

Hisagi could barely open his mouth, and his condition was beyond words.

He must have desperately swung and held onto the spear.

Several of his broken fingers looked like they were already fractured.

“……Huuu.”

Leonie, the Berserker, was also covered in blood. It wasn’t just the three of them. The players from the Holy War Alliance were looking at me, and only me.

I smiled bitterly.

‘How long can I ignore those stares?’

Me, Lee Hoyeol.

Make no mistake, I’m a subject matter expert.

I know that my fame and accomplishments, most of which are due to Grandfell, are also due to some ridiculous luck in some cases.

That’s why I don’t take it for granted that it’s because of Lee Hoyeol’s decision to allocate points to the [Luck] stages.

‘I know I’ve been struggling and foaming up a lot.’

Nevertheless, I was not alone.

There were others on the bubble.

When the bubble bursts, I don’t sink into the netherworld alone.

Players, reality, and the Arcana continent…….

I am aware that I will sink along with everyone else.

An honest realization?

If I were Lee Hoyeol, a small citizen, I might have gone crazy from the burden.

In that sense, I am grateful.

“Your first priority is to develop an offense that can pierce the dragon’s skin. If you can cut through a dragon’s skin, which is like armor, even a evil dragon is no different from a demon.”

No matter what, Grandfell never loses his composure.

Thanks to his ever-present mind.

I surveyed the situation through the eyes of a Commander in Chief.

Frostnax.

Twenty Holy War Alliance soldiers.

And me.

I thought of the best strategy I could come up with right now.

First, the ending of this battle does not change.

It ends with my death.

『The Ultimate of Healing Magic』, telepathically transmitted by Bellier.

The essence of healing magic is the manifestor.

I, myself, would be the core of the healing magic.

‘In theory, it’s worth a try.’

As I said, I was going to go all out against Frostnax. Frostnax, that’s the second time I’ve fought him. I wanted to see how much I had grown.

However, I was looking at the situation through the eyes of a Commander in Chief.

I opened my mouth.

“I’m going to ask.”

“……?”

“At this moment, are you capable of slaying a dragon?”

No answer.

It’s not that they can’t speak.

It’s because they realize the majesty of the dragon, the king of all things.

The situation is different from the time of Eunaxus.

The difference between the strength of an old dragon’s skin and the strength of a vigorous ice dragon’s skin is akin to the difference between heaven and earth.

Furthermore, the bombardment of magic from the senior mages of the Magic Tower had made Eunaxus’ dragon skin even more vulnerable to attack.

However.

‘You can’t be a good leader if you just swing the whip.’

I didn’t ask to be accused.

Shouldn’t I be leading by example?

Because I’ve been there.

Because it’s a wall I’ve encountered many times.

I’m going to give advice as someone who’s been through it.

I turned to the player next to me and said

“Can I borrow your sword?”

“You mean my, my sword?! Ah, yes, here it is, sir!”

It’s a temporary thing, but more is more.

Dragon skin cannot be cut with just a sword.

Dragons are [『Anomaly』] beings that can move freely between two completely different worlds, reality and the Arcana Continent. Without an anomaly, you can’t do any meaningful damage to a dragon.

“What you need is Sword Aura.”

“……Sword Aura.”

“More precisely, a fusion of Sword Aura and skill, or Anomaly.”

I looked at Nam taemin and Hisagi.

‘You two have already reached that realm.’

As proof, Nam Taemin tore through the dragon skin and plunged his greatsword into Frostnax’s tail. Hisagi’s Magic Spear technique succeeded in inflicting a scratch on Frostnax’s chest.

Flutter.

I wonder if it’s tired of listening to me with its mouth shut.

Frostnax spread its wings and soared into the sky.

Then it descended rapidly.

Swoop.

It swooped straight for me.

Considering the speed, this is an area where you can compete for a split second.

Even so, I spoke slowly.

“Anomaly is not the addition of different forces.”

It’s too bad it’s not an addition.

“Nor is it multiplication.”

Then, slowly, I straightened up.

“It’s squaring.”

It wasn’t a fancy pose.

Just a stiff back.

It’s not like I’m seriously fighting the battle.

As if I were giving way to a lowly minion.

Shhh.

I lightly raised my arm with my sword in hand.

quaquakuang!

The collision, the aftermath spreading out.

Crackle!

The dense coniferous forest collapses under the shock wave.

The piled up snow rises into the air.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, in a swirling blizzard.

I hear a voice calling out for me.

“Co, Commander!”

I answered.

“I can handle it, as you can see.”

“……!!!”

Sssss.

As the snow fell again, I answered calmly.

How does that image of me appear? It wasn’t even an Ego Sword, but at best it was a rare grade weapon that offset the dragon’s blow. I understand the surprised expressions.

However.

‘…… How many of these did I just take and glue together?’

It’s a feast of anomaly, just……!

As if my sword force wasn’t enough, I converted the unique stat [Tenacity] to [Strength].

Then, in a split second, I summoned my magic.

Strengthens the ground in contact with my stepping stones.

The impact of the sword was extremely suppressed by pure magic.

Not to mention the [Natural Enemy] that was activated earlier.

‘If only I was a little late……. Ride the properly, this one.’

At such a topic, my mouth twitched.

“This is why the power of Anomaly is called square.”

You’re on another level, Dragon……!

It’s too much to handle without triggering [Celestial Infant Solitude].

But it’s not like I can’t defeat you like I used to.

cheog─

Trembling arms.

The sword was pointed at Frostnax.

A clear scar left on the face, specifically between the eyebrows.

And around it, a trickle of blood.

“!”

Flutter-!

Frostnax leaps into the air, angered by the blood loss.

I returned the sword to the stunned player and spoke.

“For now, a single blow will suffice.”

Yeah, well, I don’t have to take it all on myself like some great Fallen Noble of some great family somewhere. It’s not like when I was on my way to destruction. If I look around, I’m sure I have allies.

‘Like now, for example.’

kkigigigig─

Quernberg Machine Tower.

It has detected the demonic scent in Frostnax’s blood.

It begins firing countless silver needles at Frostnax. The dragon’s skin is impenetrable, but now that its insides have been revealed, it’s a different story.

pupupug!

No matter how fast you are, you can’t dodge thousands of silver darts.

Hit.

It was the moment when Frostnax felt the pain of the silver needles.

I finished speaking.

“I think we’re done with your training.”

In fact, Frostnax was still twitching.

In Arcana terms.

I hadn’t even gotten past Phase 1 yet.

I hadn’t even taken a proper breath to begin with, had I?

‘Actually, I feel like…….’

I wanted to see it through, as I had promised myself at the beginning.

Me and Frostnax, since the first time we faced off.

I wanted to see who had grown the most.

But I saw it in the eyes of the Commander in Chief.

The gates closed tight.

The Arcanians, unable to return to Antonium, watching the rampaging Frostnax with concern. The Holy War Alliance, bruised and battered to the point where it’s a miracle they’re even listening to me.

‘Yes, well, the beginning is important.’

Aren’t there plenty of opportunities for guidance training in the future, Grandfell?

So let’s call it a day for now.

I replayed the procedure in my mind, searching, interfering.

The ultimate manifestation of healing magic.

Suddenly, light began to radiate from my body.

A message appeared before my eyes.

[Your body is transforming into a life force that has reached its peak].

Bellier said.

It said that the process of manifestation would be painful.

The Magic Tower’s records of Leras Till say that in the final moments, she screamed in agony and curled into a tight ball, as if she were a fetus.

‘And so she became a sphere of life force.’

But this stubbornness.

Where will uprightness go?

Yes.

I keep my back straight even in moments of extremity.

I didn’t look up, didn’t drop my gaze.

So I could see clearly.

The intense life force radiating from me.

I could see them begin to heal in an instant.

“What, are you hurt?!”

The target of the ultimate treatment was Frostnax, but I was spreading the effects of the ultimate healing magic around the area just by the sheer force of my influence.

It was enough for everyone to notice.

“……Commander in Chief?”

“What, you. What are you doing……?”

“Ho, Mr. Hoyeol. Your legs are disappearing, aren’t they……?”

Nam Taemin was right.

My body is becoming light and burning. My legs slowly began to disappear into the light. I say this repeatedly, but it is right to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

I’d like to tell you all about it, one by one……….

‘There is no time for that, and Grandfell is stubborn.’

All I could do was spit out the words I left to Bellier. As the commander-in-chief, and with the meaning that there is no need to worry about unnecessary things.

I added, in my best Grandfell style.

“The next guidance training.”

“……?”

“It begins in exactly four days.”

With that, my vision was completely bathed in light.

Leras Till.

Did you say that she became a sphere in the light as she curled into a ball.

[You are dead].

[Death penalty applied].

[Acquired experience decreases.]…….

……Even if it stays upright until the end, it won’t turn into a sphere.

.

.

.

Hoyeol’s guess was correct.

Hoyeol stood firm until the very end.

Like a ‘ray of light’ shining from the sky.

And that light pierced through Frostnax.

It pierced the sky.

It pierced the earth.

And further.

Into the basement of the Imperial Palace of Antonium.

The Warlord Library.

Penetrated the revelations of the emperors.

Parr.

The Emperor’s pupils tremble.

Claudi will lead the Arcana continent to ruin.

“What is this?”

The parchment spat out by the Warlord’s Library was engulfed in light.

Characters began to shuffle and correct themselves.

A whole new revelation emerged.

Infinitely deep darkness.

A ray of light.

Soon, the emperor’s lips trembled violently.

“It wasn’t referring to the same person……!”