At last, a great upheaval occurred at the center.
The capital of the Terra Empire, the citadel of Montera.
The citadel had already been raised to Stage 4 ahead of the citadels of the other empires, and the barracks had also been upgraded, producing mountain giants.
Yet even now, that citadel did not stop.
The heaviest structure upon the earth was trying to change its weight once more.
Emperor Teramont and his retainers stood around the citadel, and behind them, countless citizens of Terra were watching it as well.
Gorban said in a low voice,
“Already, so much has been accomplished… At last, we’ve come this far.”
Gaia also spoke.
“A historic moment has arrived. As expected, we are the center of this world.”
Master Mason Latos and his masons set to work.
Teramont said in an impassive voice,
“The center does not wish to move. But once it does, that movement is never insignificant.”
The surroundings, which had been quiet, soon changed into the sound of the earth drawing breath.
Then Teramont, too, walked toward the rock that composed the citadel.
As if performing a rite, Teramont reached his hand toward the rock.
At first, there seemed to be no response.
But soon, the rock embedded in the earth began to tremble, as though trying to rise even higher.
Ssssss… Rumble…
Along with the vibration, a low resonance spread.
That tremor, which began from the rock before the citadel, slowly transferred to the citadel itself.
“Hmm…”
“Oh…”
“Wh-what is that?”
The citizens, too, quietly watched their work.
On the day the citadel underwent its final upgrade, they were together with the citizens.
Now the tremors spread wider and wider, until eventually the entire citadel began to shake like a single living being.
The walls made of rock rose little by little.
Latos and the masons piled soil and stone atop them, building the walls even higher.
“The current progress of the upgrade is roughly half of a half.”
Teramont said,
“There is still a long way to go, but there is no need to hurry. That is the earth.”
The citadel, whose main space had been underground, was now expanding its scale above the earth as well.
The top of the citadel would rise even higher, and the structure of the soil and rock supporting that summit would also change in complex ways.
Teramont moved his steps.
“We will leave for a while.”
Gaia and Gorban looked at him.
“Is there somewhere you must go?”
“Yes. First, we shall enter the core accumulation chamber.”
The retainers, excluding Latos, followed Teramont into the citadel that was in the midst of being upgraded.
Inside the core accumulation chamber, there was a newly placed core.
It was none other than the flame core of the Ignis Empire.
Now, all five types of single-attribute cores had gathered here.
Gaia said,
“Incredible. To think you obtained all the cores of the empires.”
“Some of that is also Metalum’s achievement.”
Gorban looked around at the arranged cores and carefully asked Teramont,
“Do you perhaps have some purpose in mind? When Ignis attacked us last time, Your Majesty seemed to stand by for a time and allow them to take our core. Are you trying to induce them to create a new dual-attribute core?”
Teramont answered,
“There is no core in this world that is unnecessary. This world is constantly moving forward. Though we do not yet know what lies ahead.”
He then pointed to the flame cores piled in one place.
“What we must do now concerns those. Their destination has already been decided.”
“Metalum?”
“Yes. Once we deliver them to Metalum and return, the citadel’s upgrade should be finished as well.”
“Th-then…”
“We shall move at once.”
After thinking for a moment, Gaia picked up the flame cores.
They soon left the citadel and headed west with the soldiers.
The Metalum Empire was still noisy with all manner of sounds.
Dozens of Teramont’s party crossed Metalum’s border and entered its interior, then headed straight for the capital, Oruka.
The nearby citizens of Metalum paused their training and turned their heads toward them.
“What’s this? Isn’t that Terra?”
“Last time, they came from Aqua.”
“Hm, as long as it’s not those Ignis bastards, I don’t really care. But why are they here now? His Majesty the Emperor isn’t here at the moment.”
At present, Oruma and his retainers were absent, having advanced toward Sylva.
They continued to watch Teramont’s party as they passed by.
“Didn’t His Majesty go to Terra? There’s no way they wouldn’t have met him there.”
“Wait.”
One citizen noticed something.
“Isn’t that an Ignis core?”
In their eyes, flame cores could be seen in the hands of Terra’s soldiers.
“Looks like they’ve come to give us something again.”
When Teramont’s party reached the front of Metalum’s citadel, they stood still on the spot.
“Oruma should be heading east by now. Then who remains here?”
A moment later, someone revealed himself.
It was Commander Robic.
“What brings you here? His Majesty is not present at the moment.”
As Robic approached, Teramont and his soldiers placed the flame cores on the metal ground without hesitation.
The flame cores glowed red, with sparks scattering from them.
Robic’s eyes flashed.
“These are… Ignis cores?”
Teramont answered,
“Yes. We brought them from them. We have no need for them, so I hope you will make good use of them.”
Robic looked at the flame cores and hesitated for a moment.
“I would not dare decline, but why go this far?”
Teramont answered quietly,
“The world turns and turns, maintaining its balance. As the surrounding empires clash with one another, their cores, too, are moving to other empires. Aqua and Sylva are our enemies, so the only empire that can take these is yours.”
Robic, who had been silently looking down at the flame cores, looked back at Teramont.
“I will relay your words as soon as His Majesty arrives.”
“Very well. By the way, what is your name?”
“I am called Robic.”
“Good to know. And since I have come, I will add one more thing…”
Teramont seemed to turn away, but after a short pause, he continued speaking.
“At times, it is necessary to look behind oneself. Arrogance is poison. If it had not been me who came here now, but Ignis, what do you think would happen?”
Robic looked up at Teramont.
“We have already prepared for that much. That is precisely why His Majesty entrusted this place to me. There is no need for you to worry.”
“So that is how it is. There is no need to relay these words to him. When the time comes, he will realize it on his own.”
Teramont, his retainers, and his soldiers turned their backs and left the place.
Robic quietly watched their retreating figures, then headed somewhere.
“Could that have been a warning…?”
On the road as Teramont’s party returned to Montera.
The ground was still quiet, and in the air, the deep vibrations of the earth faintly lingered.
But when he arrived at the outer wall of the citadel, everything had changed.
“It seems the citadel has been completed.”
The heightened walls were no longer simple soil and stone.
A structure that connected smoothly like a mountain range rose toward the sky, and atop it stood a massive spire made of rock.
The entrance to the underground citadel, which had once led directly into the underground interior, was now split into two paths—one leading aboveground, and the other leading underground.
“Your Majesty, you have arrived?!”
Latos appeared from within the citadel.
Teramont asked him,
“Is the upgrade complete?”
“Yes, it is! Now no one will dare invade this place!”
“You have truly worked hard.”
Together, they descended underground.
The interior was dark, but that darkness was a silence that seemed to cradle something within it.
The underground space had become deeper and wider, transforming into a place where one could directly feel the living breath of the earth.
In one space where the cores were stored, a large quantity of earth cores still remained.
There were no unnecessary decorations in Terra’s citadel.
For that reason, it was more than perfect as a symbol of the earth itself.
Latos said confidently,
“Our citadel is perfect in terms of defense as well. It has been designed so that when it receives an attack from outside, the impact may be sent back.”
Teramont nodded.
“Good. Next is the barracks’ turn to be upgraded. Begin at once.”
“Yes, understood.”
Teramont emerged aboveground and lifted his gaze to the top of the spire.
There was no wind there, and no light flowed.
Instead, only the center stood there.
Gaia and Gorban each spoke a word as well.
“From the very beginning, we have been the center, and we will remain the center henceforth.”
“That is so. Lately, it seems Metalum has been eyeing this place, but now they, too, will have no choice but to acknowledge it. The master of this center does not change.”
Teramont, still looking up at the spire, said,
“The movement of the earth has not yet stopped. When our barracks, too, are finally raised to their final stage, what will appear in this world?”
Latos and the masons moved diligently.
Following the fully upgraded citadel, the next building to be upgraded was the barracks.
Gorban shouted as he looked at the barracks in the midst of its upgrade.
“Th-this is…? It’s a different method from before. Isn’t the barracks completely changing form?!”
The floor inside the barracks had disappeared.
Instead, in its place, a huge spiral entrance had opened.
The upgrade of the barracks did not take very long.
Existing earth-type troops could still be trained, but the new barracks could give birth to a new troop type not through training, but through summoning.
“At last…!”
Something was rising from deep underground within the barracks.
The first thing heard was the sound of breathing.
No, that sound was closer to the sound of weight pushing the air aside.
And when its form revealed itself, the retainers, the soldiers, and all the citizens of Montera stopped moving.
“My word…!”
Its body was made of yellow rock and earth, and dazzling light seeped through the gaps as if alive.
It raised its head and walked out of the barracks.
Though it had been born inside the barracks, its size rivaled the barracks itself.
That form looked around as though it had only just been born into the world.
“Oooooh…!!”
When it appeared before the citizens, its appearance became even more striking.
A long form, made of yellow rock and earth gathered together.
It was looking down at Teramont.
Teramont said,
“This one’s name is the Yellow Dragon (Huanglong), Montanus.”
“Montanus…”
Gorban muttered.
Teramont looked at Montanus and said,
“You know for yourself why you were born into this world.”
A moment later, as if in answer, Montanus turned its head and looked toward the northeast.
Montanus moved step by step toward the border between Aqua and Sylva.
“Montanus does not move by command. It will move on its own.”
The enormous, long form passed beyond Terra’s defensive wall and continued advancing.
Soon, a war that would plunge both Aqua and Sylva into shock was about to begin.
The south grew quiet once more.
The flames merely burned in place.
But at a certain moment—
Suddenly, the flames surged high.
It seemed the flames had already decided on their next target.