That which is solid will maintain the order of the world.
At the heart of the Metalum Empire, Oruka.
The fortress located there was no longer the fortress it had once been.
Its outer walls, newly clad in black metal, gave off a cold sheen, and the slowly rotating iron watchtowers surveyed every direction amid a thick tension.
Sharp pillars rose from the center, and the outer wall that had once encircled it now spread out symmetrically in four directions.
The ground was covered in heavy metal plates, and each step sent a dull resonance spreading throughout Oruka.
At its center rose a colossal spire of steel.
It was neither for surveillance nor for defense, but a symbol.
It was Metalum’s declaration that they were harder than anything else.
The fortress’s reconstruction was not a simple physical expansion.
Automatic defensive walls that operated by sensing the flow of energy, internal circuits that optimized the production lines of the core assembly room, and even the central control room newly outfitted with cutting-edge equipment.
Everything had been designed for tactics and survival.
Oruma was quietly walking around the fortress.
Without a word, without issuing a single command.
Yet his footsteps spoke of a resolve heavier than any words.
“At last, the reconstruction of the fortress is complete.”
When Kraso spoke in a firm voice, Oruma, who had passed through the long metal corridor, came to stand beside him.
Oruma gazed at the fortress for a long while, then slowly nodded.
“Excellent. As the heart of steel, the fortress has been reborn once more. From this moment on, the order of our great Metalum Empire becomes even more precise.”
Oruka had now taken on a completely different form.
A fortress of iron, without emotion, without anxiety, without unpredictable variables.
That was the form of balance Oruma had desired.
Once the reconstruction of the fortress was complete, the barracks immediately entered a new stage as well.
Under Oruma’s orders, the barracks underwent further training and maintenance, and it was no longer merely a place that produced simple throwers.
Metal pillars and gears interlocked and rotated, and along mechanical lifts, steel weapons and armor began to be distributed in order.
At last, from the newly reconstructed barracks, a new unit type called the “Steel Knight” made its first appearance.
They had been welded into crude breastplates, their entire bodies encased in silver metal.
The plate armor added over their bodies overlapped in layer upon layer, greatly enhancing their defensive power, and they held heavy hammers in their right hands and broad shields in their left.
They were not troops that relied simply on offense, but a core force of shield tactics capable of cutting off the enemy’s advance at its source.
Agnon lined up dozens of Steel Knights in front of the barracks and shouted in a deep voice.
“Steel is only complete when it has been forged! From this moment on, you are Metalum’s shield and hammer. Do not waver. Do not bend. Do not break. You will bear the weight of this land!”
“Loyalty!!”
Clank, clank.
Without a single soldier falling out of line, they knelt and bowed their heads to the sound of metal striking metal.
Amid that heavy, solid weight, their loyalty hardened in an unyielding form.
Belkar checked the deployment of the Steel Knights and approached Oruma.
“This unit primarily employs a strategy of advancing in formation with shields to the front. We focused on density and durability rather than flexibility. They are not fast, but they will not collapse easily.”
Listening to Belkar, Oruma silently watched the ranks of Steel Knights. Each and every one of them moved as if they were a single machine.
“Good. Now we, too, are prepared to take another step forward.”
At his words, Belkar bowed his head and asked a question.
“Do you believe this will be enough to take revenge on Ignis?”
“For now, prepare as many soldiers as possible. We will also need to reconstruct the research facility little by little in accordance with the barracks.”
Oruma left a somewhat ambiguous instruction in response to Belkar’s question. Then he slowly left the barracks and quietly headed into the new fortress.
Night descended over the fortress of Oruka.
In Metalum’s sky, the boundary between day and night was blurred.
During the day, and even at night, the faint metallic light spilling from the fortress’s watchtowers illuminated the steel land.
Oruma stood at the edge of the fortress.
Metal structures lined the ground, and in the distance, the mountain range of the Terra Empire revealed its dim outline.
Even in this situation, complex calculations were taking place inside his mind.
“Hmph. The center? Balance…?”
Oruma fixed his gaze toward Terra and muttered in a low voice.
“Balance without weight is an illusion. There is no such thing as a center that does not move. One day, even the center must move.”
Oruma’s eyes flashed even in the darkness.
The reason he had reconstructed the fortress and trained his soldiers was not merely for revenge against the Ignis Empire.
In truth, he was looking toward a wider world.
Revenge against Ignis was only one insignificant step; he now harbored a vast ambition toward the very order of this world.
“Terramont… You said you preserved balance from that position called the center. But the world is entering a new phase. You chose silence and observation. And the result brought about by that choice is the present.”
With footsteps that seemed to press down with the weight of solid iron, he began descending the stone stairs.
Thoom. Thoom. Thoom…
The iron plates beneath his feet gave off a low vibration.
Following the sound of his own footsteps, Oruma spoke quietly.
“I am not the center. But I am the counterweight that sets the center right. Balance is not something to be adjusted; at times, it can only be restored through a solid impact.”
The next morning, a heavy vibration that crossed over piles of rock rang through the heart of the Terra Empire.
A man clad in sturdy breastplate with a reddish sheen was slowly walking between the rocks.
No troops followed behind him.
Only his footsteps struck the firm earth as he advanced without wavering toward the goal he intended to reach.
Terramont, emperor of the Terra Empire, already knew he would come.
In front of the entrance to Montera Fortress, Oruma faced Terramont.
The two rulers stared at each other in silence, several steps apart.
Silence lay between them like a colossal boulder.
“What brings you here this time?”
Terramont was the first to ask him.
“I thought about that balance you say you pursue.”
Oruma’s voice was low and hard, like metal striking metal.
“And what did you find?”
“I found that balance is not as easily maintained as words make it sound.”
Oruma slowly looked around over the land as he continued.
“The world is in turmoil right now. Aqua and Silva have joined hands, and Ignis is presumptuously interfering here and there. But what they have in common is that the moment they feel uneasy, they draw their weapons. Of course, the same could be said of you and me.”
Terramont still stared at him without speaking.
Oruma continued.
“I will move. Because now is the time to do so.”
He gazed at Terramont.
“I will move to stop Ignis. Part of it is because of revenge. But now, that is no longer the only reason.”
He raised his head slightly and looked at the top of the fortress.
“Balance is not maintained simply because the center stands still. If the surroundings move, the center must move accordingly. What have you done so far for the sake of balance?”
For a moment, wind brushed over the land. Even that wind moved heavily and slowly.
Terramont spoke in a low voice.
“The center endures even when it shakes. The range within which I move is limited to the center. If I leave the center, then it is no longer the center.”
Oruma glared at him again.
“That sounds like you. But is that truly so?”
He took one step forward.
“The center, by nature, must have weight. Balance requires weight. Frankly, the world has already changed too much for you to maintain balance at the center alone. What do you think of me playing a role in holding that balance? I am saying I will become that counterweight. Someone must shoulder the weight.”
At Oruma’s words, Terramont was shaken inwardly.
But Terramont did not show that emotion.
“A counterweight… An interesting word.”
Terramont murmured softly.
Oruma now left his final words.
“I have said what I came to say, so I will return to moving. Will you still merely watch? If you find you have something to say, I hope you will come to us again.”
And he turned around.
Terramont watched his back until the very end.
Only the sound of his footsteps rang out, as though the massive iron armor clashing against itself was engraving his existence into the earth.
Immediately after Oruma returned to Metalum, tension once again lingered in the fortress conference room.
Agnon approached him and bowed his head.
“Your Majesty, more than three hundred Steel Knights have been produced so far. But statistically speaking, we cannot guarantee victory.”
Belkar then spoke as well.
“The Steel Knights are certainly strong, but since Ignis holds the advantage in elemental opposition, we cannot be at ease. We may need a new type of unit.”
Agnon again followed up in a heavy voice.
“A full-scale war should not be fought now. It should be fought when we can end it decisively in a single stroke.”
The gazes of the retainers turned toward Oruma.
Oruma had not yet responded to their words.
After a while, Peron appeared and spoke.
“Your Majesty! As soon as the reconstruction of the fortress was completed, abnormal signals were detected in two locations!”
At that moment, all eyes shifted from Oruma to Peron.
Oruma asked briefly.
“What do you mean?”
Peron answered.
“One signal appeared to the southeast, and the other to the due east. They are in the directions of Ignis and Silva, respectively. Moreover, the signal in the direction of Ignis is far larger.”
After hearing Peron’s words, Oruma and his retainers all fell silent.
Only the sounds of the barracks in operation filled the surroundings.
Oruma slowly began to speak.
“What in the world are those Ignis bastards doing right now? Wait, come to think of it, they stole our Metal Core. They are undoubtedly doing something with our core.”
Saying that, Oruma snapped his head around.
However, he did not act yet.
He was thinking about what the best measure would be.
“It is unfortunate, but advancing toward Ignis now will be difficult. We must not move rashly. And even if we assume that explains the signal from Ignis, why is a signal appearing from Silva?”
After a brief silence, Belkar answered.
“That, too, may be Ignis’s doing. Silva is currently allied with Aqua, but since they were already allies before Ignis attacked us, it does not seem to make sense for the signal to be detected so weakly. Rather, I believe the cause may be that Ignis has approached Silva recently.”
This time as well, Belkar’s guess was only about half correct.
After hearing his words, Oruma looked north.
“This will not do. If that is the case, does it mean Silva has not only joined hands with Aqua, but with Ignis as well? For now, we must approach Aqua again. Even if it wounds our pride, there is no other way. That is what a counterweight must do.”
“A counterweight…?”
Agnon tilted his head and followed behind Oruma.
The pulse of the earth was trembling.
The long silence that had maintained balance was gradually beginning to reveal its limits.
Now the world was forcing Terra to make a choice.