Ch.1184I’ll Run Because I Can’t Stand It Anymore

The rock monkeys, or stone monkeys for short, had invaded with an army of ten thousand, claiming the Naga had stolen their food reserves.

The irony was that this “food” was nothing more than piles of rocks from the mines—a truly absurd situation from the Naga’s perspective.

I had assumed they were called rock monkeys because they wore rocks like armor and threw them as weapons. Who would have guessed they were actually monkeys that ate rocks?

The Naga might feel wronged, but…

‘Well, if they had any conscience, they should admit this was coming.’

Looking at the fundamental responsibility, the Naga were indeed at fault. Stealing something unknowingly doesn’t make one innocent.

“Order the warriors to stand by. This misunderstanding arose from our ignorance, so we should first send envoys to attempt an explanation.”

That’s why Elashaz and the priestesses wanted to resolve this peacefully through explanation and negotiation rather than sending warriors to wage war against the stone monkeys.

If they ended it here, it would just be a simple theft, but if they fought and slaughtered each other, it would become undeniable murder and robbery.

Besides, wasting strength on meaningless battles during these chaotic times would be a mistake that would bring losses even in victory.

‘But can this really be resolved with words?’

[I doubt it. Those seeking peaceful resolution don’t typically bring an army of ten thousand.]

Whether the stone monkeys would be receptive to this was certainly questionable.

Was negotiation even possible in the first place?

Even if the stone monkeys were surprisingly gentlemanly and moderate, promising to withdraw once their stolen rocks were returned, it would be difficult for the Naga to return them.

From what the priestesses said, the “food” taken from the stone monkeys had already been used to build the fortress walls.

Returning it would mean completely dismantling the fortress they had painstakingly built and inscribed with magical formations.

Moreover, considering the Naga needed to quickly rebuild the devastated Lairia, they needed more stone materials rather than having enough to return.

Elashaz and the priestesses seemed well aware of this dilemma, pondering what message their envoys could possibly deliver to resolve the situation.

“If we honestly apologize and offer to return it—”

“What about our safety afterward? In these chaotic times, if we lose our defensive and illusion formations…”

“Would they even leave peacefully? If they attack again after we hand over the stones, we’d have given up our walls for nothing.”

“Above all, just the materials needed for Lairia’s reconstruction—”

“Maybe we should just fight and win…?”

“That would plunge Naga-raja into dishonor. Besides, if we lose or suffer heavy casualties even in victory, it would be a serious problem…”

Yes, they had many concerns.

“Sigh…”

This was frustrating. I had intended to keep quiet as an outsider, but I couldn’t hold back any longer.

After watching them and heaving a deep sigh, I stepped forward and interrupted their discussion.

“This isn’t the time to waste on debate. If they breach the walls, they’ll obviously pour in. Whatever you do, you need to stop the attack first.”

I gestured toward the walls where the thunderous sounds were echoing.

Though I was being respectful before the priestesses and the Naga-raja, my words might have sounded somewhat rude.

But well, it was the truth.

– KWAAAANG!

The rock monkeys’ attacks hadn’t stopped with the first strike and were still continuing.

When the priestesses entered the audience hall to calm the startled Elashaz, and even now as the composed Elashaz discussed countermeasures with them.

So far they were only hurling rocks from a distance, unable to penetrate the defensive magic inscribed on the walls, but how long those magical formations would hold was uncertain.

Judging by the thunderous sounds, once the magic lost its power, those walls wouldn’t last long.

They would likely crumble instantly under the assault.

What would follow was obvious.

Street warfare against ten thousand troops pushing into the heart of the capital. A catastrophe with unimaginable casualties—or rather, Naga casualties.

Whether to return the stones or not could be decided later; first, they needed to stop that insane rock bombardment.

“Um… we understand your concerns, benefactor, but if we deploy warriors without a plan, there’s no way to avoid bloodshed…”

The problem, as expressed by the priestess speaking for Elashaz, was that deploying warriors to stop them might itself spark a bloody conflict…

“Ah, I made you misunderstand. This isn’t advice. It’s a notification.”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

Well, I never asked you to stop them in the first place.

I didn’t even expect that. With forces that seemed evenly matched—or perhaps slightly disadvantaged—how could they possibly stop this by intervening?

When similar opponents face each other, they typically refuse to back down and end up tearing at each other.

To calm and pacify those eager to fight, you first need to demonstrate such overwhelming force that they wouldn’t dare challenge you.

In other words—

– KWOOOOO…!

Ignoring the priestess who was about to ask what I meant by “notification,” I leaped through the open ceiling and charged forward, spewing Karma flames in mid-air.

I headed toward the army of rock monkeys surrounding the fortress, where large and small boulders were colliding, shattering, and scattering stone dust before the walls.

It had taken three days to get here.

Thanks to the rest, my strength had recovered about thirty percent—not completely, but enough to demonstrate overwhelming power against opponents who weren’t demigods.

As long as I didn’t overuse techniques like Heaven Slash or time-stopping, I could fight for quite a while even with my divine power activated.

Of course, I didn’t intend to forcibly silence them through combat. I’m not some thug or gangster.

[Hmm, you’re recovering faster than I expected. At this rate, killing them all wouldn’t be too difficult.]

‘Don’t say such crazy things.’

They’re just victims who are very angry, and by my standards, it wouldn’t be right to beat them half to death to silence them.

Unlike someone who immediately thinks of killing entire barbarian tribes, I planned to try persuasion first and stop at intimidation if things went wrong.

What if they still attacked despite my show of force?

…Well, let’s hope they don’t, for their own sake, not mine.

With that thought, I hurled myself toward the swarming monkey army like a comet falling at an angle.

– KWAAAAA…!

The Karma flames pushed me forward fiercely, blazing and leaving two distinct trails across the sky.

“What’s that?!”

“It’s a spell! The snakes are attacking!”

The rock monkeys finally noticed me, buzzing with commotion. It was a bit funny that they mistook me for an attack spell rather than a person.

– WHOOOONG!

Whatever they thought, they seemed determined to intercept and destroy me. Some of the rocks that had been flying toward the walls changed direction and came at me.

‘…They’re changing trajectory in mid-air? These creatures aren’t using catapults.’

Rocks of all sizes, from as small as my head to as large as houses, unnaturally curved in the air toward me.

This was evidence of a force other than inertia at work—a phenomenon similar to Nigel’s heroic tale that allowed him to freely manipulate floating metal.

Those boulders weren’t even gathered from somewhere. They were automatically emerging from the ground without the creatures touching the earth.

After the half-fish that controlled water, now half-monkeys that controlled stone? I was genuinely intrigued by these non-elemental beings performing elemental-like feats.

– WHIOOOOOO…!

…Well, intriguing as it was, they didn’t seem to pose any real threat to me.

“KYAAAAAT!”

Head-on, a house-sized boulder cast a shadow like a dark cloud as it flew toward me.

I drew Durandal and slashed it diagonally in one motion, then smashed, kicked, and shattered the other incoming rocks while charging forward in a straight line.

After a few seconds, I landed with the impact of a shell, completely overturning the ground around me.

– KWAAAAAAANG!

With the thunderous sound, dust shot up like a fountain, and the shaken earth groaned and cracked like a spider web.

Perhaps due to the residual heat of the Karma flames I had extinguished upon landing, the ground around my feet began to melt and turn mushy.

– CHIIIII….

Smoke from burning soil and stone swirled around me, and the melted lava slowly bubbled up, splattering heat-filled bubbles.

Oh, hmm. This will take quite a while to cool down… but that’s not my problem.

The lava wasn’t uncomfortable or dangerous to me, and eventually it would cool and harden again.

Anyway, I could finally observe these stone monkeys up close.

“…Impressive.”

I stood before a giant rock monkey who was clearly their king, towering at least two heads taller than the others.