Krokuun, May You Stay Strong

By the time Governor Hutton led Nathraxas Castle's defenders to the battlefield, the battle had already entered its true cleanup phase.

The Petrified Forest...

No, there was no Petrified Forest anymore.

The birthplace of the Eredar in the old governor's memories had become a sea of fire. Even the trees whose forms had been altered by elemental power could not keep growing stubbornly beneath the ravaging fel flames. At the heart of the forest, the terrain had been blasted into a rift, where visible fel energy churned and surged like magma.

The massive remains of demons could vaguely be seen lying within it. The terrifying stench of charred sulfur had turned this place into a living hell.

Collapsed demons still ran wildly across the battlefield, while enraged Eredar warriors hunted them down and exterminated them without mercy.

The routed demons tried to resist, but with their morale utterly shattered, even the fiercest demons found it difficult to organize another powerful assault.

"Gods, gods..."

Governor Hutton, mounted on a war talbuk, stared at the scene before him.

Even in his wildest nightmares, he could not have imagined a war like this. As they advanced toward the warriors' resting place, demon corpses were piled together with the remains of the fallen. Many Wardens still held their battle stances, their bodies propped up by their weapons, their eyes wide with fury—but their valiant souls had already left their shells behind.

They had burned themselves out.

The exhausted Jaide was leading several talbuk riders in gathering the warriors' remains. When he saw Governor Hutton approaching with his men, tears fell from the scarred face of the fierce Krokuun plains cavalryman.

As the commander of the Krokuun Hunt Riders, he felt that he had failed his father.

After successive bloody battles, fewer than one-sixth of the cavalry who had followed him into the Petrified Forest remained. It was as though he had personally led Krokuun's bravest warriors into hell.

Worst of all, he had survived.

Governor Hutton sighed.

He dismounted his talbuk, stepped forward, and patted his adopted son's shoulder. No words passed between them, but everything had been said.

Jaide wiped his eyes and handed the governor a bloodstained bag. It was filled with the Argus Hearts left behind by the fallen. Those pendants and rings carried the lingering smell of smoke and death from the battlefield, making them seem especially ominous.

Yet after receiving and unleashing the World Power at least once, these plainly shaped divine artifacts had also been bestowed with an impossible-to-ignore radiance.

The power of the Argus Star Soul had erupted through these mediums, and the residual material had been physically altered at its very foundation.

Hutton took out a ring and examined it closely.

The fragment of Holy Stone that had once been set into it now resembled a crystal flecked with starlight. It had fused with the Celestial Gold ring face, which bore traces of melting, and the two could no longer be distinguished.

More importantly, there was the aura contained within the ring!

It was an aura of weight and sharpness layered together, impossible to ignore. At last, it possessed the presence a divine artifact ought to have.

Considering the legendary outcome of this battle, there was no issue in calling this bag of the fallen's inheritance "Eredar Relics."

"Where is Diakum?"

Hutton carefully wiped the blood from the ring's surface and said to his adopted son:

"I need to speak with him."

"The Commodore is resting. Actually, he fell unconscious after killing Doom Lord Kazzak at the end of the battle. Captain Neri is taking care of him."

Jaide looked toward the demons fleeing at the edge of the battlefield.

His eyes brimmed with hatred and killing intent. He casually took a jeweled warblade from a fallen Warden, mounted his talbuk, and said hoarsely:

"I still have a task to complete, Father. I haven't met my demon-slaying quota for today. I still need thirty demon heads before I can rest, so I won't accompany you."

"Mm. Be careful, child. Take the warriors with you."

Hutton handed the soldiers he had brought over to Jaide and instructed him:

"These are all recruits. Spend some time tempering them."

"Let them fight first! If they survive, they'll naturally become veterans."

The cavalry commander's reply sounded somewhat cold. It seemed that the once hearty plainsman had completely transformed into a cold-blooded war maniac, yet the veterans under his command had no objection at all. They even looked fully approving.

Clearly, they believed this harsh selection process suited the rules of the Hand of Argus.

Hutton watched his adopted son lead the warriors into battle. Escorted by several guards, he crossed the deathly still and solemn battlefield and eventually reached the vicinity of the Fel Lava Pool, which had become a rift. He soon found Captain Neri amid the area filled with wounded soldiers.

Tramon, the Swordmaster among the Five Young Champions, stood guard beside Dick with his sword in hand. The Commodore was unconscious, and Hutton was shocked the moment he stepped closer and saw the severity of his wounds.

Beyond the burns from fel flames and the impact wounds left by explosions, Dick's already sturdy body seemed to have swollen by another size.

His skin was scorching hot, and his expression was pained.

Hutton hurriedly called upon the elements to heal him, but in this forest holy land, completely devastated by Kazzak's final self-destruction, even the remnants of elemental power had become weak and obscure.

"Dick has not suffered any fatal injuries, Governor. There is no need to worry so much."

Neri sat on a nearby stone, catching her breath.

A damaged sapphire hand cannon lay discarded by her feet. She explained to Hutton:

"Dick is unconscious because he endured the infusion of World Power for too long. That power is not something mortals can possess. His mind has been exhausted, and he urgently needs rest. Please be at ease. Imira just examined him and told me that the Holy Light is protecting Commodore Dick.

He is healthier than any of the other wounded on the battlefield.

If you still have strength to spare, you should help the priests and shamans treat the wounded."

"Your losses..."

The governor nodded, rose to his feet, and asked softly. Neri shook her head.

"Very few warriors truly died to demon attacks. Most of the fallen exhausted their lives and burned themselves out because they could not endure the infusion of World Power. The blessing granted by the World Soul was too powerful. We were almost wielding it with our lives.

But perhaps that is not entirely a bad thing...

Argus watches over us. I believe our World Soul will properly care for those brave departed souls.

In truth, if one could return to the world in such a manner during a war like this, it would not be such a terrible end for us."

"Do not think like that!"

Governor Hutton rebuked her:

"No matter what, you must persist. Until the final moment, you cannot choose death for yourself. That is not the Eredar tradition... I know the warriors need rest, but orders have arrived from Mac'Aree. Admiral S'fraelx's fleet will soon arrive at the Krokuun Coast. We are to evacuate by ship.

This land...

After the excavation of the Holy Stones and the forging of the Argus Hearts have come to an end, there is no longer any value in defending this place.

The civilians were all evacuated earlier. We are the last Krokuun people to leave."

"Are we abandoning it?"

Neri sighed, but she did not argue.

With all of Argus now under a full-scale demon invasion, there was indeed little point in deploying precious military strength to guard a frontier region like Krokuun.

She silently accepted the order, but made one request.

She wanted Governor Hutton to take the shamans into the complex cavern system where the Holy Stones had been found and locate a hidden place to bury the Hand of Argus soldiers who had fallen over the past ten days.

She did not want the warriors' remains to be desecrated by demons after their evacuation.

Such a reasonable request naturally had to be granted.

Several elder shamans immediately led people off to find a suitable resting place for the dead. With active, battle-eager elemental power aiding them, finding an appropriate area would not be difficult.

Hutton bent down and used his long sleeve to wipe the blood from Dick's face.

Looking at the child he had adopted and watched grow up, Hutton honestly had never expected the ordinarily gifted Dick to accomplish any great deeds. Yet the truth proved that one's fate depended not only on personal effort, but also on the tides of the era.

Argus's age of catastrophe seemed to have become a stage for heroes. The courage, strength, and command Dick had displayed in this war, like a brilliant rising star, proved that his child absolutely possessed the qualities of an outstanding hero.

"Krokuun will be proud of you, child. This useless old man shares in that honor."

With a trace of relief on his face, the governor rose and headed toward the wounded soldiers' camp.

Along the way, he saw the exhausted Twins leading several wounded Arcane Mages as they dealt with Doom Lord Kazzak's head.

The enormous demon head, simply piled there, resembled a hideous sculpture. Its ugly face still seemed to retain the fury and frenzy it had worn when it was beheaded. One of its massive black demon horns had been shattered, but the broken horn fragment, still pulsing with power, had been recovered from the battlefield by the warriors.

From what the Twins and the Arcane Mages said, this legendary material could be used to forge high-grade magical artifacts.

The Twins also suggested forging a weapon for Commodore Dick from the horn of this demigod, to commemorate his glorious achievements in Krokuun.

The other Arcane Mages agreed with the proposal.

The Eredar had possessed similar traditions since ancient times. Much like the infamous practice of phrenology, they believed an enemy's or elder's power could strengthen its holder through such an inheritance.

Of course, Kazzak's defeated head would first have to be purified with arcane magic before being brought back to Mac'Aree as proof to inspire morale.

Hutton looked at that damned destroyer of the stars with open disgust. He spat from afar at the Doom Lord's head, expressing his scorn and revulsion.

The governor had good reason for his disgust.

Before dying, that damned demon had completed its final revenge. The shattered rift nearby and the fel magma churning within it were the result of its final blow against Krokuun.

By listening to the elements, he had already reached a pessimistic conclusion.

This Fel Lava Pool would become the center of Krokuun's contamination, eventually turning the entire grassland and mountain range into a barren fel wasteland. Even in death, a Greater Demon at the demigod level remained a disaster for the world where it had fallen.

"Don't get up, child. Lie still. I will heal you."

Governor Hutton did not put on airs.

He crouched beside a wounded soldier, calling upon water elements to soothe the young woman's body, which was suffering from fel burns, while asking gently:

"Are you a veteran?"

"No, Governor. I'm only a recruit. I arrived here three days ago. Before this, I was a shepherd."

The girl clutched the Argus Heart on her chest and answered somewhat shamefully:

"My combat skills are poor. Although I fought with everything I had, even with the World Soul's help, I only killed seven demons before an Eredun knocked me down. With such results, I am ashamed to call myself a Hand of Argus veteran.

They said...

My captain, who died in battle, told me that recruits must take at least thirty demon heads in a battle before their companions will acknowledge their courage and strength.

I'm sorry, Governor.

I have disappointed you, Commodore Diakum, and our homeland."

"No, child. You did very well. This grassland we love will be proud of your courage."

Hutton said softly:

"Do not trouble yourself over what has already passed. You should recover as quickly as possible now. The demon spawn's heads are right there. You still have plenty of time to earn merit for yourself. War has never been easy. I bless you with glorious victory in the battles to come, but do not forget where we came from and where we are going.

Child, your sword should fight for your steadfast principles and faith.

Just like Diakum...

Take him as your example. He is an example to us all."

Dick did not awaken until a day later.

The moment he opened his eyes, he felt dizzy and muddled. The faint pain in his body was nothing, but the spasming sensation in his mind felt exactly like the exhaustion brought on by overworking one's brain.

This was not something he could recover from in just a day or two. After all, the Character Card before his eyes now clearly displayed the negative conditions [Soul Weakness] and [Self-Discipline].

The former was caused by the extreme infusion of World Power he had endured, placing immense pressure on his mind.

The latter was caused by repeatedly using high-level techniques like Divine Shield and Holy Light in a short time, techniques requiring massive concentrations of holy power. The Radiant Energy Pool within him had been completely drained, leaving him weakened.

This meant he would be unable to fight demons for some time, which was somewhat regrettable.

However, when Dick sat up from the bed, he suddenly noticed several new entries on his Character Card that caught his attention:

Name: Diakum Zastinus

Rank: Mortal → Legendary · Threshold (You have endured harsh trials and stand only one step away from becoming a legendary figure in both the biological and social sense.)

Primary Attributes (Unlocked due to imminent advancement):

Endurance: Current rank · Limit.

Strength: Current rank · Perfect. Can be increased again after advancement.

Agility: Current rank · High. Please improve as soon as possible.

Spirit: Current rank · High.

Intelligence: Current rank · Mid. (Not a required advancement condition for the [Warden] class; required for [Priest] class advancement.)

Force Paths:

Holy Light Force Affinity · High. Advancement requirements met.

Radiant Energy Pool · Limit. Room for improvement remains.

Power Recommendation:

[The Warden class has met the requirements for legendary advancement, but Priest class progression is insufficient. For the sake of combat power, please improve the Priest class's overall capabilities as soon as possible to ensure dual-class advancement.

Notice!

Upon becoming a legendary figure, the third class slot will be unlocked.

Upon becoming a legendary figure, legendary/heroic class slots will be unlocked.

Please prepare in advance.]

"Hiss..."

After reading the Character Card's notification, Dick immediately sucked in a sharp breath.

On one hand, he had only just discovered that his Character Card possessed such an intelligent attribute display. On the other hand, his intelligence was only "Mid"?

That couldn't be right! Was he an idiot?

No, that wasn't right. He clearly felt that he was fairly clever... Something had to be wrong somewhere!

Still, looking over his current Power Report, there were quite a few aspects he could improve. Perfect. Since he was under the [Self-Discipline] condition and unsuited for close combat with demons, he might as well use the remaining time to properly practice his spellcasting.

With that in mind, he endured the headache and left the room. The familiar stone corridor before him showed that he had returned to Nathraxas Castle.

Jaide and he had grown up here together. He knew this place well.

It was already late at night. Dick supported himself against the wall as he walked forward, then saw Captain Neri standing on the castle balcony and gazing into the distance. She seemed lost, merely watching the night in the distance without saying a word.

"What are you looking at?"

He said softly:

"As an elite ranger, you couldn't even sense someone approaching from behind?"

"If you were a demon, there would already be a Crystallized Explosive Arrow in your head. I have three more weapons like this hidden on me."

Neri waved the small jeweled hand crossbow concealed in her hand and said:

"How do you feel? Imira and Governor Hutton both said you should be resting. They said you nearly burned yourself out."

"Not bad. A little better than dead, but I shouldn't complain, because I'm still alive."

Dick stepped forward and stood at the balcony's massive stone railing.

Following Neri's gaze, from this high point of the castle on Krokuun Ridge, he could vaguely see the Petrified Forest at the far end of the Krokuun Great Plains. Even in the deep night, an eerie dark green radiance flickered there, like an evil bonfire that had been lit.

"This place is finished."

Neri said hoarsely:

"Fel energy is spreading outward from there. The elements cannot purify it, nor can the Holy Light. Kazzak's self-destruction injected fel energy into the magma beneath the mantle. The world itself is crying out. That contaminated magma is constantly surging out from the rift. We...

We can't stop it!"

"So, you think none of this has any meaning?"

Dick immediately understood why Neri was so downcast. He sighed and said softly:

"You think we sacrificed so many people, held the line there for ten whole days, slaughtered so many demons, and even killed a fel demigod, yet such a glorious victory still could not protect our land—just like the civilian rescues we are carrying out across the world right now.

You think that no matter how many demons we kill, Argus will still fall in the end, and we will still have to flee into the stars.

You think none of this has any meaning, don't you?"

"I joined the Assassin Court to protect the people, Dick, but I failed! I fought with everything I had, yet I could only watch helplessly as our homeland fell into enemy hands."

Neri's fingers clenched around the bricks before her.

She said:

"Can such a tragic outcome truly be called a victory? Maybe... maybe Sarkir was right?"

"Hey, Nathrezim hiding in Neri's soul, come out and talk!"

Dick reached out and knocked her on the head, making a joke of it. Neri glared at him furiously. The young ranger captain felt she was speaking from the heart, but this bastard Commodore kept fooling around.

"If none of this has any meaning, then why didn't we surrender from the start?"

Dick smiled and said to Neri:

"There's something I never told any of you because I was worried it would put too much pressure on you... What Argus gave us was far more than a simple Argus Heart artifact, Neri. On the day you received that blessing, you also came to bear a fragment of will from the Star Soul.

During these past few days of rest, haven't you kept dreaming of things that happened in Argus's past?

That is the resonance of the world's memories.

It means that fragment of the Star Soul's will is merging with your soul.

You don't need to deny it. I spoke with the others and confirmed that all of you have experienced something similar. It is the mark left by the World Soul upon our minds and souls. Unless we die, that fragment of will cannot be completely removed."

"Hm?"

Neri subconsciously touched her forehead.

She looked at Dick curiously. He did not keep her waiting long. In a gentle tone, he told her about his pact with Argus. Their many battles and shared brushes with death had already brought them beyond the bounds of ordinary friendship.

They trusted each other with secrets.

When she learned that the Argus Star Soul intended to preserve its mind through the spirits of the Eredar, preventing itself from being completely corrupted by fel energy into a monster, all the dejection in Neri's eyes vanished in that instant.

She finally understood why the two Grand Executors had been determined to send their people fleeing into the stars.

She finally realized that this was not merely an escape concerning individual lives and the current situation.

This difficult choice was not weakness in the slightest.

"We must protect our people. Every one of them is important, because every Eredar who leaves this world will be allowed to carry a small fragment of our homeland's Star Soul with them."

Dick raised his head and gazed at the sea of stars overhead.

"You are one of them, and so am I. One day, we will return here! We will return the treasure we preserved with our lives to our world and help It escape misfortune and disaster.

The reason I'm telling you this is so you know that all of this has meaning, little Neri!

Every compatriot we help survive gives our world a greater hope of recovering in the future.

We are doing the right thing!

Steel your resolve. Just as you swore when you joined the Assassin Court, every person deserves our utmost effort to protect them.

This will be difficult, Neri.

After we Set Foot On the sea of stars, every day will be hard. Every day will test our minds. The people need leaders to guide them through those thorn-filled swamps of darkness.

That is why Fire-Bearers exist.

You will become a Fire-Bearer!

You are destined to become a protector and a leader. Fate has chosen you."

"You know you sound exactly like one of those mystifying prophets right now, don't you?"

Neri complained:

"Just like the way Grand Executor Velen talks. Impossible to make heads or tails of."

"Well, of course. I'm a priest."

Dick took out his priest's badge and gave it a shake, making Neri's eyes go wide.

Good grief. They had fought side by side and faced death together so many times, yet she had never known he really did have the identity of a priest. She had always thought Dick had merely been joking around and playing at being a priest.

"How was that for eloquence?"

Dick asked with a smile. Neri curled her lip and said:

"Pretty mediocre. All I can say is... want to go for a walk? This may be our last night in Krokuun."

Smack!

A sharp finger flick struck Neri on the forehead, drawing a cry of pain from the ranger. Then she watched Dick leave at an unhurried pace with his hands behind his back.

He said quietly:

"The Eredar legal age for marriage is three hundred. Traditionally, the age at which one is permitted intimate contact with the opposite sex is two hundred. And you're only a little over a hundred, young lady. Don't get any strange ideas, and don't expect to send me to prison through some terrifying effort of yours...

I'm a Vindicator. I know all about this stuff!

Go get some rest.

We still have a long journey across the sea tomorrow."

"Tch, how boring. What era are we living in? Why are you still clinging to those antique laws? Grand Executor Velen abolished those regulations that hindered population growth thousands of years ago."

Amid Neri's complaints, Dick snorted and headed down the stairs leading deeper into the castle.

He had intended to speak with Governor Hutton about tomorrow's evacuation, but he unexpectedly found the governor in the city-state's archive, sorting through its texts.

The latter pushed a cart and loaded it with the parchments and stone tablets he had collected.

These were precious pieces of knowledge that had to be taken away. In the future, they could be used to tell the children about the customs and landscapes of the world of Argus.

"You were crying?"

Dick said quietly:

"In my memory, you've always been very strong."

"Bullshit! I've spent my whole life in Krokuun and planned to die here. But now I have to say goodbye to my homeland... So what if I cried? Don't I have the right?"

Hutton snapped viciously.

Dick carefully apologized and stepped forward to help the governor sort and pack the books.

As they left the archive, Governor Hutton stroked an altar from ancient times that he had unearthed years ago, one left behind by Eredar rituals.

He touched the rough stone and said nothing for a long time.

At last, beneath Dick's gaze, the governor patted the ancient rock as though patting and comforting a sleeping child.

He said softly:

"Be strong... We will return."

"Yes. May this land, these stones, and the elements still singing be as strong as we are."

Dick also reached out and left his own comforting touch upon the altar. He pressed his forehead against it and said softly:

"Wait patiently for our reunion in the future, Krokuun, my homeland. Good night."