The forest in chaos, the trees swaying in the wind……
The fortress of the Silva Empire was thrown into shock.
It was not only because of the appearance of Montanus, the Yellow Dragon.
At the same time, it had been confirmed that the army of the Metallum Empire was approaching from the Terra Empire, and in addition to that, Empress Nereia of the Aqua Empire and her retainers were drawing near from the northwestern border, while some group from the Ignis Empire was approaching from the southwestern border.
“All three at once……? What in the world is going on……?”
Bramir’s voice trembled.
He had not misread the wind.
To be precise, including Montanus, the other four empires besides Silva were all heading toward Silva at the same time.
They each had different purposes, but the timing of their arrivals was nearly identical.
“……Metallum is the greatest threat.”
Drian spoke quietly.
“Their troop density is the highest, and their route is a straight line. Their purpose, of course, is invasion.”
Bramir asked her,
“What should we do about that form that appeared from Terra? For now, it does not seem to be approaching quickly, but…….”
“We will have to respond in the order they arrive. We should meet Aqua first.”
Bramir replied,
“Ignis will probably arrive at the same time. If that happens…….”
“Nereia herself seems to be coming from Aqua, so I will meet her in person. You deal with the Ignis side yourselves.”
Tarban asked cautiously,
“Will that truly be all right? We have no idea what business Ignis might bring. I am not sure whether we will be able to respond properly…….”
Drian calmly prepared to leave the fortress.
“Aqua is more important. I will face Nereia. Whatever Ignis demands, maintain the position that it must be postponed for now.”
Tarban and Bramir looked at each other, then answered,
“Yes, we will do so.”
“We will move at once.”
Drian headed north, while her retainers headed south.
Each of them was to receive one of the two empires that stood in opposition to them.
Where the forest met the coastline.
Drian went alone to the border.
A short while later, Nereia and her retainers appeared above the surface of the water.
“What brings you here?”
Drian asked her softly.
Nereia answered,
“We must move together again.”
Inwardly, Drian was pleased by Nereia’s stance as well.
But for the moment, she did not show it.
“Is it because of Terra?”
Nereia nodded.
“That being’s name is Montanus. It is also called the Yellow Dragon. It is an entity that appeared in the final stage of Terra’s barracks. It is not coming directly for us, but toward this place—the point where we meet. Terra’s purpose is to block our communication. Together, we must drive Montanus away from here.”
As soon as Nereia finished speaking, three Storm Beasts approached from behind her.
Their enormous bodies were visible even to Drian’s eyes.
“What are those?”
“Storm Beasts. Our tier-four unit type. Can you prepare yours as well?”
Drian nodded quietly.
“We can begin right now. Though we will need a little time.”
Between them, a silent agreement was made to temporarily stop producing troops with slime cores.
Instead, each intended to resist Montanus with their own forces.
Drian continued,
“I have heard your opinion. We will join forces and fight Montanus. However, we have one more problem.”
“Metallum, you mean?”
Drian nodded without a word.
Nereia’s expression turned somewhat apologetic.
“Regrettably, we have no way to stop them.”
“That is fine. We will try to stop Metallum on our own. I will return as soon as the situation is settled.”
Drian paused briefly, then turned her head and looked at the light beyond the forest.
“When our roots grow again, what grows above them may differ, but the flow will gather into one.”
There was no handshake, nor any oath.
Simply standing face-to-face again was enough.
Drian, having found the Life Barracks, placed her hand on it.
“The power of tenacious growth. Against iron, we shall become harder still.”
The tree trunks that formed the barracks grew, creating an even larger structure.
New leaves blooming from vines and branches covered the outer walls.
Now Silva’s barracks had grown to tier four as well.
Though Silva and Aqua had been apart for a time, they were matching the rhythm of their growth with one another.
“Your Majesty, we have returned.”
Tarban and Bramir approached Drian and bowed their heads.
Bramir said,
“A small group of soldiers from Ignis came and left. But they had no particular business.”
Drian asked,
“What does that mean?”
“They delivered several ember cores to us.”
The two retainers held up the ember cores that the Ignis soldiers had given them.
Tarban said,
“According to them, it was repayment for the life cores we supported them with last time…… but we still do not know what their intention could be.”
Drian frowned slightly.
“It seems the situation will only become more complicated. Are they perhaps trying to reach out to us?”
Tarban asked,
“Would it be best to use these cores now?”
Drian shook her head.
“No. Even if we used them, the effect would not be very good. I have just grown the barracks, so we will now produce a new unit type. As I said, thanks to the growth of the fortress, our life cores are being produced in greater numbers. We will defend against Metallum with that unit, and then face Terra’s Montanus.”
A short while later, from within the newly grown barracks, a single form emerged.
Armor made of giant trees, Silva’s emblem engraved at the center of its body, and defensive vines growing from its arms and back.
The name of that unit type was Guardian Dryad.
Possessing a body as massive as a Storm Beast, the Guardian Dryad did not fall easily.
It could root itself in any ground and hold fast to defend against outside invasions, and it could also break apart rock and earth with its sturdy branches and roots.
“Oh……”
Bramir looked up at the Guardian Dryad.
“It is truly dependable. It must have required many life cores to summon, but fortunately, thanks to the vitality supplied by the fortress……”
Drian nodded slowly.
“Nereia just showed me a unit type of similar size as well. Soon, we will defend against Montanus together with them.”
Tarban asked,
“Is Metallum not the more serious problem right now?”
“Of course it is. But Aqua cannot stop Metallum. We must defend against them with our own power, but we will be able to hold out.”
Thud, thoom, thoom.
Rumble, thud.
Several more Guardian Dryads appeared, leaving marks upon the ground as they moved their roots.
Drian gave them an order.
“I will place my trust in you. Hold back their iron to the very end. You are strong enough not to be cut down by steel.”
Rumble, thud-thoom.
Thud, thud.
The Guardian Dryads moved toward the western border, where Metallum’s army would come crashing in.
The remaining soldiers began to move after them.
The western border of the forest.
The soldiers of the Metallum Empire were drawing closer and closer.
They were gathering at the same place where they had invaded before.
“Wind turbulence rising sharply. Metallum army approaching……”
Before Bramir could finish his report, a loud metallic clamor rang out from ahead.
Clank, clank, clank.
Metallum’s Ironclad Infantry led the way, and behind them followed the Steel Knights.
Tarban shouted,
“Deploy the defensive line in two layers. Place the Guardian Dryads at the front!”
They collided head-on.
The weight of steel pressed forward as if crushing the breath of the forest beneath it.
First, three Guardian Dryads stepped to the front and blocked the charge of iron with their enormous bodies.
Crack! Smash! Splinter!
Thwack! Kwaang!
Heavy iron armor struck the dryads’ trunks, and the dryads answered by bringing down thick branches upon the Ironclad Infantry.
Kwaang, kwaang!
The power of the Guardian Dryads was formidable.
The armor of the Ironclad Infantry was crushed by wood, rendered useless.
“We can win! Hold them back with all your might!”
Tarban shouted again.
Then the Forest Warriors advanced as well.
The Forest Warriors, their entire bodies wrapped in vines, collided with the soldiers of Metallum using their sturdy frames.
But the steel kept surging in without pause.
In the end, one Guardian Dryad could no longer endure and collapsed.
The other dryads were still defending against their attacks, but their strength had been greatly weakened.
“No……!”
The morale of Silva’s soldiers fell.
How had they managed to gather so many troops?
No matter how much support they had received from Terra, they were still far too strong.
It was enough to make one wonder whether they had mobilized every soldier they had.
Another dryad, covered in wounds, collapsed.
Silva’s defensive wall was finally breached.
The soldiers were pushed back all the way to Driandel in an instant, and the Brush Infantry and Vine Archers retreated into the valleys of the forest.
“The forest, the forest is collapsing!!”
Bramir shouted.
Drian, too, was at a loss for what to do.
“Soldiers—send in more soldiers!!”
Metallum had a reason for invading Silva.
What they wanted was Silva’s life cores.
Rather than invade Driandel, the heart of Silva, they began destroying the surrounding regions one by one.
Not only soldiers, but civilians as well fled in utter panic.
“Heavens…… the damage is too great……!”
But then, Metallum’s Ironclad Infantry and Steel Knights suddenly halted their advance.
As if they had received some signal, they looked back, and from afar, they slowly began turning around and retreating.
“Huh?”
Tarban, Bramir, and the surviving soldiers stared silently at their backs.
“Have they already achieved their objective?”
Even if Metallum’s goal had been life cores, the farther their invasion progressed, the more life cores they would have been able to obtain.
Yet they vanished in haste, as though some urgent problem had arisen.
“What happened?”
The forest grew quiet once more.
But that quiet was not the peace of victory.
Leaves were torn everywhere, and even the single Guardian Dryad that had barely maintained its life was gravely wounded.
Tarban lowered his head, and suddenly, certain words came to mind.
“It seems Metallum is coming this way now, and we may be able to help.”
Those were the words the Ignis soldiers had spoken when they handed the ember cores to Tarban and Bramir.
The two retainers had not taken their words seriously.
But considering the current situation, in which Metallum had retreated on their own, there was a possibility that Ignis had somehow intervened in this battle.
Drian said,
“Unfortunately, we still have no time to rest. Now it is our turn to defend against Montanus. This time we will stop it together with Aqua, so it should not be a difficult fight. Let us move at once.”
What in the world had happened to the Metallum Empire?
What had made Metallum’s army retreat?
That problem had occurred not in the Terra Empire, but in Metallum’s own main camp.
Their arrogance had made them pay the price themselves.