The Paburu Mountains formed a towering barrier separating the Northern Lands from the Land of the East.
Though they did not pierce the clouds like the mountain ranges of the Western Lands, nor rival the spectacle of the northern volcano that spewed molten lava year-round, their changes in elevation were immense.
In some places, sheer cliffs rose at ninety-degree angles.
From a distance, they looked as though enormous blades had sliced through them, their majestic splendor making visitors feel as if they had stepped into an illusion.
Aside from traveling by sea, anyone heading east from the north had to cross these mountains.
In fact, there was a reason the island where the story of Claymore took place was divided into the Northern Lands, the Land of the East, the Southern Lands, the Western Lands, and the central region surrounding the Holy City.
At its root, these four territories were separated by natural barriers, leaving each relatively isolated.
Simply put, geography and extremely inconvenient transportation made communication between them difficult.
Even the Organization could not extend its reach too far, which was why the three Abyssals of the Old Era had each occupied a region as their own territory.
Now, however, this place had become a battlefield—a battlefield between Awakened Beings and Claymores.
To repel the Abyssals' invasion, the Organization had deployed every Warrior at its disposal to the villages and towns surrounding the mountains.
Only this could guarantee the safety of its rear.
Otherwise, given the Abyssals' terrifying destructive power, a breakthrough into the rear would spell utter catastrophe.
The terrifying speed and endurance of the awakened Silver King, Isley, were an especially persistent concern for the Organization's leadership.
After several rounds of fighting, the numbers of both Warriors and Awakened Beings had dwindled to dangerously low levels.
Both