Ch.408The Road to Mount Cabalaria (1)

Monsters.

Beasts.

Evil creatures that can never coexist with humanity.

The criterion that distinguishes monsters from ordinary wild animals is quite simple: the absence of reproductive activities.

Simply put, even without mating, they somehow keep appearing stubbornly from somewhere.

This is the handiwork of evil gods lurking in the deep seas, plotting the collapse of human civilization. In fact, during the Imperial Era, while land monsters were significantly weakened, the seas witnessed monster waves numbering in the quintillions each time they emerged, causing the navy tremendous hardship.

The Eclipse Era was truly the golden age of monsters. With public authority and legitimate governments completely evaporated, even with advanced civilization, ordinary people could only suffer one-sided massacres at the hands of monster hordes.

As the Eclipse Era gradually faded and local governments sprouted up everywhere, they began harvesting monsters like weeds to win public support. Yet even now, in the 1200s of the Extinction Calendar, most of the 13 continents remain occupied by monsters.

The fact that the vast majority of 13th century nations are city-states is because they must defend a single massive city along with the small villages, sawmills, mines, and ports that supply it with resources. Failure means extinction, and success leaves no room to expand territory.

“In that sense, Mount Kabalaia is a very unusual place. Monsters that protect humans…”

“Well, they too are ultimately remnants of the Empire, I suppose.”

Monsters are beings that kill humans. Even if they don’t eat them, most monsters view humans as hostile entities invading their territory and launch preemptive attacks. If not that, they come to human territories and wreak havoc.

Their very existence is harmful to humanity… that’s what monsters are.

One might argue that valuable materials like hides or organs can be obtained from monsters, but let’s not forget that during the Imperial Era, artificial synthesis methods for all these materials were already made public.

And no matter how good the hide, it’s inferior to plate armor, and no matter how potent medicine made from organs might be, it can’t match professional pharmaceuticals prepared by apothecaries. Only the poor who lack access to these rely on monster materials.

Just the number of genetically modified animals that were used for military purposes during the Imperial Era and later went feral exceeds 1,000 species, and even these alone are harmful enough to humanity.

Don’t make the mistake of underestimating wild animals. From nanomachine-level bacteria to biological heavy tanks weighing over 100 tons, their parameters are incredibly diverse.

And that’s why it was impressive that monsters, evil by nature, coexisted with humans, even if they had developed enough intelligence for minimal communication.

A temporary alliance that breaks within a few years would be one thing. But lasting 20,000-30,000 years means that both monsters and humans maintained at least minimal standards of conduct.

Humans respected monsters by not invading their territory, steadily offering tributes in exchange for protection, and serving as shields against other human forces foolishly attempting to subjugate the monsters. The monsters, in turn, respected humans by not interfering with their secular powers and serving as spears to kill external forces attempting to invade.

Isn’t that the ideal form of government? Yet even they couldn’t prevent their eventual disappearance into history with the death of the last monster.

“What a shame. I would have liked to meet and hear their stories.”

“Didn’t they say no one goes up the mountain?”

“We could make them come down, couldn’t we? Being gods, surely we could manage that.”

It’s somewhat hegemonic thinking, but if you load nuclear shells into the Sky Warden’s 460mm naval guns and tell the monsters “please come down,” they would have no choice but to comply.

With the precedent of cleanly “purifying” the heretics’ nest called Long Legs, execution wouldn’t be too difficult.

Fortunately(?) such a thing never happened due to the extinction of the monsters.

Knock! Knock!

While having such grim thoughts, a knock sounded at the captain’s quarters door.

“Enter.”

The one who opened the door and came in was the commander of the honor guard.

“My lord. We will leave Ortolan’s airspace in two hours.”

“Ah, yes. Stay alert just in case. Those who mobilized such forces in international waters… we don’t know when they might attack again. Within territorial airspace, it would be a diplomatic issue, but…”

“In unclaimed territory, they can act freely.”

“I will not tolerate another ambush like the last one. Understood?”

“Of course, Your Majesty. I will not disappoint you.”

“Good. You may go.”

At the sun’s dismissal, the commander saluted, closed the door, and left.

Two hours later, the Sky Warden exited the airspace and entered unclaimed territory, where it detected enemy forces.

*

“Below! Enemies on the ground!”

On the bridge, along with the radar operator’s near-scream, the main screen displayed enemies lying in ambush on the ground.

Without delay, the enemies’ positions were identified, coordinates calculated, and the lower gun batteries began tearing up the ground.

BOOM! Ratatatatat!

The missile batteries and rocket pods hidden on the ground were blown apart in tremendous explosions. Realizing their ambush had failed, the enemies quickly launched fighter aircraft toward the Sky Warden.

“Maximum thrust to the propulsion system! Break through the front line!”

“Anti-aircraft batteries, commence engagement! Prioritize transport ships!”

With thunderous sounds of Gatling guns and small missiles, aircraft approaching from both sides fell like flocks of sparrows.

No, perhaps they should be compared to swarms of locusts since they’re falling?

“Enemy numbers?”

“Still unknown, sir. Ground personnel estimated at around 6,000.”

“Only 6,000… Open the lower decks and send out the soldiers. Secure the ground! We don’t know what strange equipment might appear.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Whoosh…

The lower flight deck opened, and transport ships filled with soldiers descended one by one to the ground.

Because it was a densely forested area, heavy equipment couldn’t be deployed, but they already had the blessing of the Sky Guardian. The lower gun batteries alone were enough to sweep away the enemy ground forces.

Clank! Swoosh…

“Execute all these insolent ones who dared turn their guns on His Imperial Majesty!”

“Long live the Sun!!!”

Against these sinners who committed sacrilege by turning their weapons against their lord, weapons imbued with the sun’s divinity flashed.

With blades falling faster than screams could be uttered, arrows and bullets striking quicker than one could run, the hired men began to collapse helplessly.

Being human after all, when uniformed soldiers charge at them with “Die, heretics!!!” while radiating killing intent, they naturally become terrified. And when 155mm naval shells rain down from the sky, at least one limb gets blown off.

“Fuck! This operation is ruined! Run! Run if you want to live!!!”

“Where do you think you’re going, you insolent creatures!”

“Please spare me!”

While pursuing the routed soldiers whose tongues twisted in extreme fear, a fierce battle raged in the air.

The enemy had deployed airships, and the 460mm naval guns, which hadn’t had much opportunity to shine lately, began spewing fire, mercilessly piercing through the enemies’ weak armor.

BOOM! KABOOM!

CRACK! CRASH!

Like crumbling cookies, fragments of armor scattered as several airships burst into flames and crashed. Seeing how easily they caught fire, they must have been filled with flammable hydrogen instead of expensive helium.

“Don’t kill them all! Leave the wounded! We need to find out who’s behind this outrageous act!”

“Yes, sir!”

At the commander’s order, the routed soldiers, now lower than earthworms crawling on the ground, were struck with rifle butts and fists before collapsing like grubs. Medics with contemptuous gazes evacuated them into the Sky Warden.

“Now kill them all! God demands blood!”

“Let’s bring news of victory to our master!”

“The faithful shall go to heaven! The blasphemous heretics shall be cast into the depths of hell!”

“Long live Emperor Victor!”

With the fanatics’ roaring voices echoing through the forest, the pursuers outnumbered those fleeing. Eventually, the ground forces couldn’t withstand the overwhelming might of the Sun’s army and were annihilated, while the air force was torn apart so thoroughly it was puzzling why they had deployed airships at all.

“Combat duration: approximately 38 minutes. I hereby declare the cessation of hostilities as of the current time.”

And so the enemies, without inflicting a single casualty, met their fate as unsightly corpses fertilizing the forest.

Poor things…