The earth moves toward the world once more.
Montera, the heart of the Terra Empire, atop the fortress.
Emperor Terramont looked out in all directions from the center of the world.
“Gold, slime, ember, crystal, and iron ore……”
He spoke slowly, lost in thought.
“With this, the existing dual-attribute cores number five in total.”
He then looked down at the area surrounding Montera.
Traces still remained from the recent incursion all the way into Montera by the combined assault of the Aqua Empire and the Silva Empire.
The citizens of Terra worked without rest, rebuilding the collapsed walls of rock and smoothing out the torn-up terrain.
“Wow…… I was really so surprised.”
On the southern plain of Montera, a pebble spoke to a boulder.
“I saw them. Some kind of dark, blackish shapes all over. Sometimes they flowed like water, and sometimes they became solid like us. To think they came all the way here……”
The boulder answered.
“Yes, they call those things slime.”
“Slime? Is that what Aqua and Silva made……?”
“That’s right. A substance formed by combining water and wood. Sometimes like water, sometimes like wood. They say it takes four Aqua cores and four Silva cores each to create a single slime core. That is why they are beings stronger than most soldiers.”
“Ooh, then what about the other cores? Gold cores, and things like that……?”
“That’s right. A core created by fusing two different energies is stronger than a core with only one kind of energy, but among themselves, it cannot be said that any one is especially stronger than the others.”
“Hmm……”
The pebble rolled around nearby.
“I’m curious what the other cores look like, but I don’t want to see them inside this land. Are we not going to make things like that?”
“At the very least, Terramont does not seem to have any such intention. Fortunately, Metalum is guarding the center in our stead, so it seems that is why.”
“Metalum is amazing too, when you think about it. They must be busy protecting their own land.”
The pebble rolled over beside the boulder.
“As expected, we have to keep watching, don’t we? I’m curious how the world will keep changing from now on.”
The boulder laughed soundlessly.
He seemed as though he had some idea of what was to come.
Back at Montera’s fortress, in the underground core storage chamber.
Inside the core storage chamber were not only earth cores, but also one each of Aqua’s wave core, Silva’s life core, Metalum’s metal core, and even the iron ore core that Oruma had handed to Terramont.
Each of the cores radiated a different color.
The wave core shone dark blue, the life core green, the metal core silver, and the iron ore core gray.
Terramont quietly gazed at the light of the cores.
At his side were Gaia, Gorban, and Latos.
“There are still many things not in here.”
Latos said.
As if responding to his words, Terramont continued.
“Fire has opened two paths. Gold and ember. Water and wood sought change through slime, and metal, too, attempted its own transformations through crystal and iron ore.”
He fell silent for a moment, then looked at his own earth cores accumulated around them.
“We were the center. But now, everyone seeks to become the center.”
Gorban spoke quietly, as if worried.
“Aqua and Silva attacked us as well, but should we perhaps be watching Metalum most closely instead? Even now, there are voices of discontent from those who see Metalum’s soldiers walking through our territory and ask whether this is Metalum’s land.”
At that, Gaia answered back.
“However, if they had not been here, it is possible that we alone would have been insufficient to defend against the slime infantry. For now, it would be best to view this positively. Though it is true that the cause was our attacking Aqua first, even if we had remained still, there is no guarantee that the slime would not have invaded us.”
Terramont still said nothing.
Latos asked him.
“Do you intend to continue supporting Metalum from now on?”
Terramont looked up at the ceiling for a moment.
A ceiling made not of sky, but of soil and rock.
He was reading the direction.
“We must trust the place where there is weight.”
Terramont slowly opened his mouth.
“Metalum is performing its role well. Especially roles that we cannot yet fulfill.”
He looked toward the still-empty place for the Ignis Empire’s flame core.
“And once more, we shall act. To do so, we must become even stronger.”
He then gave Latos a brief order.
“Upgrade our fortress.”
From the foundation zone of the fortress, a heavy vibration rose from beneath the earthen floor.
Latos raised his hand.
“Beginning fortress upgrade to Stage Four.”
The fortress was already solid.
But that solidity was no longer merely for support; it was transforming into weight for a defense that could push back.
The tremors rising from below the ground did not cease.
It was a rumble like the continent beginning to breathe again.
Stones interlocked, and pillars and walls rose upward.
“At last, Stage Four.”
Gorban muttered to himself.
Among the five empires, Terra was the first to begin constructing a Stage Four fortress.
It was the result of having silently collected only earth cores while the other empires researched and fused dual-attribute cores.
Latos said.
“Now this place is no longer a building, but something like a continent unto itself.”
The fortress, now even taller than before, had greatly increased its defensive power and could even nullify enemy attacks.
The fortress had transformed into something sturdier than any other fortress at present.
As soon as the fortress upgrade was complete, Terramont gave Latos another order.
“Now, can the barracks also be upgraded by one stage?”
Latos nodded.
“Yes, of course. Shall I proceed immediately?”
“Do so.”
“Yes, I shall obey your command.”
Latos turned and headed toward the barracks.
Gaia and Gorban silently followed behind him.
The Steel Knights of the Metalum Empire stationed within Montera murmured among themselves as they saw the new form of Terra’s fortress.
“They remodeled the fortress to be even bigger?”
“They are ahead of us in that regard.”
“Hmph. So they are the center after all. Their stubbornness, at least, is worth acknowledging. While everyone else is fusing dual-attribute cores.”
“We even have two kinds of those cores. And yet we still have enough leeway to protect another country.”
Another Steel Knight also spoke.
“If the fortress has been remodeled, that means they will soon produce a new troop type from the barracks too, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose so. Just what is going to come out?”
Just as they said, the interior of Terra’s newly upgraded Stage Four barracks was busily in motion.
Gaia, Gorban, and Latos watched the barracks tensely.
Inside the barracks, two thick pillars were erected.
Each pillar was enormous like a boulder, and compressed soil clung to the surface of the pillars.
On top of this, other rocks were piled layer upon layer, forming a single shape.
It was the form of a giant hand and arm.
The hand, as if clenched into a fist, was likewise made of enormous rock.
Upon the two pillars from before, rocks the size of small buildings gathered and piled together.
Then the two arms were attached to either side of that mass of rock, and another boulder was placed on top of it.
Thud, thoom, thoom……
Once its assembly was complete, it came to life and began to walk.
At last, the doors of the barracks opened, and it revealed itself before the citizens.
“Oooooh……”
“Wow……!”
“Th-that’s……!”
The citizens looking upon that form each cried out.
The three retainers were just as astonished.
Gaia said.
“To think we could create this! It cannot even be compared to the previous troop types!”
“What is the name of the new troop type?”
When Gorban asked, Gaia answered in a low voice.
“The Mountain Titan.”
It grips, pushes, and crushes.
The Mountain Titan, whose body was about twice as large as an Earth Guardian’s, was designed for heavy forward advance.
The Mountain Titan was finally complete, and as its form passed through the barracks doors, several Steel Knights also turned their heads toward it.
“Could that be……?”
“That is Terra’s new troop type?”
“Indeed……”
Though they held back their words, they could not take their eyes off it.
“It is slow. Though I suppose that can’t be helped. But even as it is, the pressure it gives off is strange.”
“It could walk over most things.”
Thoom…… thoom……
The Mountain Titan took its steps.
Citizens and soldiers moved aside from its path.
Astonishment, awe, intimidation……
Each watched it with different emotions.
Meanwhile, at the northern border of Ignis.
The air, which usually shimmered with heat, felt strangely heavy that day.
Several citizens of Ignis sensed some odd phenomenon from afar.
“What is that?”
“It feels like something is coming.”
What entered their sight were two Mountain Titans moving while raising clouds of dust.
The citizens of Ignis froze.
“What is that?”
“Could it be from Terra?”
“What are they planning to do to us?”
And that was not all.
Behind the Mountain Titans, a unit of Terra’s Earth Guardians quietly advanced in time with the giants’ footsteps.
“Wh-what……?”
The Crimson Flame Knights of Ignis also discovered them and took up guard positions.
However, Terra’s army paid them no heed at all and harvested flame cores from Ignis territory.
“What do you think you’re doing! Stop!!”
The Crimson Flame Knights shouted, but they had no way to stop Terra’s forces.
When fire burns, it creates ash.
That was the relationship between fire and earth.
The same was true of gold, the fusion of fire and metal.
“Wait! We can subdue you as well! Withdraw at once!”
Soon, the Carbonized Infantry moved out toward Terra’s forces.
Only they, who contained the energy of wood, could inflict harm upon Terra.
However, even the Carbonized Infantry could not deal much damage to the Mountain Titans.
The two Mountain Titans silently roamed Ignis territory, focused only on collecting flame cores.
Their steps were like a wordless resolution.
“D-damn it……! They’re too tough!”
“How can beings like that exist……!!”
The forces of Ignis felt powerless before the Mountain Titans.
After taking as many flame cores as they pleased, Terra’s forces leisurely left Ignis territory and headed for Terra.
The Crimson Flame Knights had no choice but to stare blankly at their retreating backs.
Ignis had suffered at Terra’s hands exactly what they themselves had done to Silva.
The news that Terra had invaded Ignis territory and seized flame cores reached Emperor Vulcanus as well.
“What?! What do those bastards think they’re doing!!”
Vulcanus’s entire body blazed red.
He clenched his fist tightly.
“This is utterly intolerable. Have they lost all sense of fear now that they have allied with Metalum? We absolutely cannot simply endure this!”
The relationship between Ignis and Silva at the time Ignis had seized Silva’s life cores was different from the current relationship between Terra and Ignis.
The Ignis of now had troops with which to oppose Terra: the Carbonized Infantry.
Ignis decided where the next blaze would be directed.