episode_0083

Gabriel appeared before Ryke and Targon.

No—Gahu.

With leisurely composure, she waited for the two generals’ reactions, her face relaxed into a smile.

—

“Have you finally lost your damn mind?! Ryke absolutely can’t do this!” “Just because you succeeded once, you think the Imperial Palace is a joke now, huh?”

The reactions from the two generals were far from enthusiastic. No, “disastrous” would be more accurate. There was only one reason they recoiled in horror and refused.

Because Gahu’s proposal was utterly absurd. Her suggestion was simple: attack the Imperial Palace once more and take it for themselves. As the two stared in disbelief, Gahu, still smiling, tilted her head.

—

“Why the hesitation?” “Because attacking the Imperial Palace is impossible! That place has the Undefeated Under the Heavens! I don’t wanna fight Reina, dammit!!”

Ryke trembled violently just mentioning Reina. Her martial prowess was already rumored to be unrivaled in the Empire. After assassinating(?) Black Dawn, she slaughtered 4,000 soldiers single-handedly before walking away unscathed.

Moreover, Ryke and Targon would have to besiege the Imperial Palace. With Old Sebastian executing Black Dawn’s remnants on sight, their forces were already weakened. And guarding the palace were Reina, the Undefeated Under the Heavens, along with Athena Cartar and other formidable generals.

No optimism could conjure a path to victory. Yet Gahu merely smiled, raising three fingers.

—

“There are over a hundred reasons we must wage war now. But lacking wit, this insignificant woman can offer only **three decisive ones**.” “Hah! Ryke ain’t buyin’ this crap!”

Ignoring Ryke’s tantrum, Gahu folded her first finger.

—

“Old Sebastian is slaughtering every last remnant. Even high nobles are being executed—so tell me, do you really think this girl, much less you, will be spared? Even if we flee, no noble would welcome traitors like us. Do you intend to sit quietly and wait for death?”

Her first finger carved an inevitability: **fight or perish**. If even legally protected nobles were being executed, what hope did commoners like them have? And escape wasn’t an option—even if they succeeded, no noble would shelter known rebels.

Gahu folded her second finger.

—

“Right now, the Imperial Court lacks talent due to Old Sebastian’s purges. Legitimacy, strategic minds, and veteran powerbrokers have all been erased. Few remain who can wage war. If we seize the palace now, unlike Black Dawn, we’ll truly **control** it.”

Her second finger presented **reward**. Black Dawn’s failure stemmed from untouchable high nobles obstructing his grip on the empire. But Old Sebastian, in his “generosity,” executed even high nobles as traitors. With the Imperial Court stripped of seasoned bureaucrats, Ryke and Targon could carve their path unchecked—unlike Black Dawn, they could **take the throne** if victorious.

After dangling sweet temptation, Gahu folded her last finger.

—

“And third… I hold a way to defeat the Undefeated Under the Heavens.”

She revealed the final piece: **how to prevail over Reina**.

—

──────

Confined in a cell, Gahu sat alone. Her life was collateral—if her plan failed, Ryke and Targon were to execute her on the spot. Fortunately, the kinder (or perhaps naïve) Ryke, worried she’d grow bored, had gifted her a chess set. Moving pieces in solitude, Gahu soothed her isolation—though the board was sparse.

White: King, Queen, one Knight, one Rook. Black: Two Knights and a handful of pawns.

—

“No need to take the Queen, Knight, or Rook.”

She advanced the two black Knights.

──────

1.

Ryke, leading roughly 100,000 soldiers, began the siege. Desperate to survive, Black Dawn’s former troops fought viciously. Old Sebastian, enraged despite never having seen battle, barricaded the palace gates.

—

“Those damned traitorous scum—!!” “Milord, it’s dangerous!”

A soldier tackled him as an arrow struck where he’d stood. Brushing off his savior irritably, the old man gnashed his teeth, glaring at the rebels beyond.

—

“Grand General! Deal with those wretched traitors at once!” “Huh? Me?” “Who else, you fool?!”

Reina blinked, pointing at herself like this was news. Shouldering her halberd, she explained patiently to the war-illiterate elder.

“Nah. No reason to go out.” “Excuse me?!” “Our walls are impenetrable. Why bother?”

A veteran of countless battles, Reina refused.

──────

2.

In her cell, Gahu toyed with the chessboard. She placed the two black Knights amidst white’s clustered pieces.

“If the two generals besiege here…”

Tapping the white pieces thoughtfully, she smirked at the King and Queen. A King that moved one square at a time—weaker than a pawn. A Queen who roamed unchecked.

“An incompetent King and a hotheaded Queen. Who truly holds power?”

She lifted the King, toppling the Queen onto the two black Knights.

“Naturally, the King.”

──────

3.

The clueless elder fumed at Reina’s disobedience—doubly so as Ryke and Targon’s troops pillaged the capital, mocking the Imperial Palace.

—

“Deliiiicious! Ryke’s gonna be rich!!” “Hahaha! The coffers pile up—was this a piggy bank, not an empire?”

The suffering populace meant nothing—humans bred like rabbits. But insulting the throne? Unforgivable.

“Set out NOW—!!”

Reina blew a raspberry. Usually, she’d ignore him—but Old Sebastian funded her wars and secured her status. With a sigh, she hefted her halberd.

“Ughhh, fine, you goddamn nag!” “I’ll overlook that vulgarity. Crush them utterly!” “Haah… Hey! Athena! Cartar! We’re moving!”

The Undefeated Under the Heavens marched: Reina, Athena, Cartar—an army that **could not lose**. As the gates opened, Ryke’s forces cheered, mistaking this for surrender.

—

“Haha! C’mon out! Taste Ryke’s—”

Ten soldiers’ heads vanished mid-step. Beyond the gate stood Reina. Her halberd flashed—men dropped dead without resistance.

“H-Hey, cheat much?! Final boss right away?!”

Casualties mounted. Even Ryke fled in tears.

──────

On the board, the white Queen moved. Obedient to the incompetent King, she bulldozed with pawns and Knights in tow. Smiling, Gahu slid the black Knights.

Ryke’s Knight fled. Targon’s Knight, lurking safely nearby, advanced.

──────

Reina’s army pursued Ryke. At the brink of capture, Targon ambushed their flank—only to find Reina, Athena, and Cartar waiting.

—

“Hey, long time.” “Still a monster, I see.” “Yeah, that’s me.”

Targon raised his greatsword, fearless.

“I challenge you to a duel!” “Hah?!”

Reina scoffed—but refusing would wound morale.

──────

Gahu circled the white Queen, pawn, and Knight with her black Knights—teasing, never engaging.

“Face her head-on, and we’re annihilated.”

Targon baited. Ryke harassed their rear, whittling numbers. A rudimentary tactic—but Reina’s troops weren’t the real target.

“Further… just a bit more.”

The Queen, frantic to preserve forces, wouldn’t notice her army straying deep into enemy terrain. Too busy carving through fodder to remember the **rules**.

──────

Reina crushed Targon in three blows. His knights intervened, sparing his life but shattering morale. As they fled, a grating voice echoed behind:

“RYKE’S BAAAAACK~☆” “Goddammit—”

10,000 vs. 100,000—unenforceable control in urban guerilla warfare. Every time they routed one pest, the other resurged elsewhere.

“AAH! RUN AWAAY!” “Fuck’s sake…” “Oi, IQ-trading bitch!” “KNOCK IT OFF—!!”

They couldn’t lose battles. Victory piled upon victory. But at 9,000 slain, Reina grew drunk on triumph—until a courier arrived.

“…Oh, you gotta be kidding.”

The message: the Imperial Palace had fallen. Old Sebastian, emptying the palace of troops, had left it defenseless. Ryke slipped back and took it.

“How am I this unlucky with masters?!”

──────

Grinding her teeth, Reina wheeled her army around.

──────

Gahu lifted a black Knight, placing it near the myopic King. Her smirk widened as she reviewed the match.

“No matter how peerless, Reina is just a chess piece. When the King falls, the game ends.”

How to defeat the Undefeated? Most sought martial supremacy. Gahu saw wider.

Was Reina a warlord? No. Could she wage war alone? No. Did she truly follow Old Sebastian? No.

His wealth funded her wars. His influence validated her rank. If he died… would she still fight?

“Not a chance.”

They’d lost battles—but won the **war**. Gahu toppled the white King with a flick.

“Checkmate.”

──────

Returning, Reina found Ryke atop the palace walls, waving Old Sebastian’s severed head.

“Heyaaa! Your sugar daddy was weak!!” “……”

She’d lost the **war**. No master meant no legitimacy, no funds, no way to sustain 100,000 troops. No siege equipment to reclaim the palace.

From her saddle, Reina gripped her halberd—then hurled it with a roar.

**-BOOM!** “Eeek—!!”

The halberd missed Ryke—but obliterated the severed head of her third master, Old Sebastian. As it spun back into her hand, she turned her horse away.

“Fall back!”

Athena jogged alongside, hesitant.

“Um, Commander… Why’d you destroy Old Sebastian’s head…?”

Reina snorted.

“Goldhelm, Black Dawn, Sebastian—all trash, right?” “…Yes?” “So **I’ll** do it myself.”

The Undefeated Under the Heavens tightened her grip on the reins.

“So damn frustrating! Why couldn’t they manage this simple shit?!” “Commander… What does that mean…?”

Reina exhaled sharply—then declared:

“Starting today… I’m becoming a warlord too.”

The **last warlord**. Peerless might incarnate. The final piece of the age had arrived.