At last, the center moves the world.
The heart of the Terra Empire, the southern plains of Montera.
From a crevice in the dark earth came a slow voice.
“It’s finally quiet.”
A boulder was talking to itself.
Just then, a stone rolled up in front of the boulder.
“Wow, Grandpa! I think I’ve gotten bigger again!”
The stone, once called a pebble, had now grown to the size of a fist.
The boulder laughed.
“Hoho, little one, as the years pass, you too are being reborn. Especially if you stop rolling around just anywhere and stay still in your place, you can grow even faster.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The moment the stone stopped speaking, it drew up beside the boulder.
Still swaying in place, the stone looked around.
“Do you think it’s calmed down now? The ground was shaking so much recently.”
“That it was. I wonder why so many have business with this center.”
“The citadel was upgraded twice in an instant. To think Terra would grow this quickly…”
“Yes. It seems Terramont will finally take on the role of the center.”
The stone stood upright on one end.
“Isn’t it really amazing, Grandpa? That thing called Montanus or whatever suddenly appeared and turned everything upside down! Where do you think it’s gone now?”
After a moment, a voice echoed from within the boulder.
“Judging by the fact that it headed northeast, it seems to have gone to keep Aqua and Silva in check. It has been a very long time since the center stirred this much.”
“Ooh…”
The standing stone rolled over with a clatter.
“Then what happens now? Is the center moving somewhere else?”
“No. The center will still be here. It has only now revealed itself.”
The stone tilted its head.
“Everyone already knows Terra is the center, don’t they? Is it because another nation is trying to covet the center?”
“Most likely…”
A wind swept around the boulder.
The boulder’s voice continued on that wind.
“The center is always only the center. But whether one acknowledges that or not is a different matter. Ignis to the south, Aqua to the north, Silva to the east, and Metallum to the west—each of them has invaded Terra, this center, at least once, haven’t they? Metallum may call itself Terra’s ally on the surface, but only they know what thoughts they harbor within.”
“Oh, even Metallum, perhaps… But where did Metallum go now? They suddenly disappeared.”
“Hmm. I hear Oruma of Metallum sent his army back. It seems the shock was considerable, because Ignis invaded Metallum while Metallum was attacking Silva. For now, they seem to have decided to stop aiming for the center for a while and focus on defending their own territory.”
“Ah…”
Still unmoving, the stone stared at the empty surroundings.
“It feels quieter now that Metallum is gone. But we have Montanus, so we should be safe, right? Will Montanus be leading us soon?”
The boulder laughed quietly.
“Hmhm. Most likely. Now everyone will follow it.”
Meanwhile, in the underground conference room of Montera’s citadel.
Emperor Terramont and his retainers were looking down at a map carved into a table made of stone.
Gorban said,
“Montanus continues to move northeast. It is not cutting straight across, but moving slowly, as though surveying the world.”
The northeast toward which the Yellow Dragon Montanus was heading was the border between the Aqua Empire and the Silva Empire.
However, its destination lay slightly closer to Aqua’s side.
Terramont nodded.
“It seems to be going to Aqua. Silva does not appear to be the target yet.”
Gaia said,
“The reason it chose to move northeast rather than due north is clearly not simply to keep Aqua in check. Its purpose must be to obstruct communication between Aqua and Silva. However, for us, keeping Aqua in check will be easier than Silva, so it appears to be heading toward Aqua.”
Gorban then spoke confidently.
“Although Montanus seems to be moving freely, perhaps because we have not given it direct orders, they still do not seem prepared to respond. Even now, we are the only nation in this world to have upgraded our citadel to the final stage, and we are the only ones to have summoned a dragon. They will have a very hard time because of Montanus.”
Terramont silently stared only at the map, lost in thought.
Soon, Ratos gauged their expressions and opened his mouth.
“Um, if I may? It seems we are now walking down a path from which there is no return. Until now, for the sake of the world’s balance, we have not deliberately taken actions to harm other nations, but now I truly feel as if we have entered the battlefield alongside them. The surrounding nations on all sides will come at us even more fiercely. How should we respond from here on?”
Terramont slowly rose and answered.
“They were the ones who crossed the line first. Because they aimed for this center, we are giving them our answer. All of you need only follow my commands. Fire, water, wood, metal—they are still moving exactly as I expected.”
Then he gave an order to Gaia.
“Train troops to support Montanus. Send a unit composed of Mountain Giants and Earth Guardians to where Montanus is.”
“Understood.”
Only one Montanus could be summoned.
Therefore, the army that followed it had to be composed of other unit types.
Gaia asked Terramont once more.
“The role of the soldiers is to protect Montanus, correct? Is there no need to invade Aqua?”
“Montanus will lead the soldiers. Advance according to its movements.”
“Understood.”
No one spoke.
The conference hall fell quiet again, and Terramont was looking up at the ceiling, gazing at something.
Even after Metallum’s army withdrew, Terramont showed no agitation whatsoever.
As though he had already calculated every situation—even Montanus’s actions.
Heavy tremors continued to spread through the earth.
The ground shook each time Montanus took a step.
Four Mountain Giants and a unit of Earth Guardians hurried after Montanus, and before long, they met at the border of the Aqua Empire.
“So we’ve finally arrived.”
Gaia spoke in a whisper.
Before their eyes, Montanus was slowly moving forward.
Gaia ordered the soldiers.
“Mountain Giants, to the front. Earth Guardians, establish a defensive line around Montanus.”
The Earth Guardians moved with heavy steps and lined up on both sides of Montanus.
Not a single soldier went ahead of Montanus.
They simply kept pace with Montanus and moved together.
“Huuuk!”
Montanus made the sound of drawing in a breath.
It was staring at Aqua’s coastline ahead.
Boom, boom…
As though it had resolved itself, Montanus walked toward it.
“It’s here…!”
One of Aqua’s soldiers shouted.
They too possessed a unit type known as the Storm Beast.
But their opponent was the Yellow Dragon Montanus and the Mountain Giants.
Montanus was the first to set foot into Aqua’s sea.
“Grrrrr!!”
With a monstrous roar, Montanus swung its foreleg at the Storm Beast standing before it.
Splash!
Montanus’s foreleg struck the Storm Beast’s body, sending up a burst of spray.
“Charge!”
With Montanus’s preemptive attack, the Mountain Giants and Earth Guardians behind it also began their assault on Aqua.
Swaaaaash!
Paat, splash!
Montanus entered completely into Aqua’s deep sea, and the flow of the waves was blocked by earth and stone.
Terra’s army covered Montanus while attacking Aqua, acquiring Wave Cores.
The Storm Beast faced the Mountain Giants surrounding Montanus.
However, due to their opposing attributes, the beast was pushed back by the giants.
The condensed crystallization of water was dispersed by stone.
“Hold them back with your lives! We were waiting for this!”
Naus, Aqua’s naval tactician, shouted.
Tidal Warriors and Deep-Sea Spearmen also stepped forward, focusing their attacks on Terra’s army.
Terramont, who appeared from behind, watched the performance of Montanus and his army.
Montanus’s movements were slow.
But its power was immense.
Countless Aqua soldiers collided with Montanus, but Montanus showed no sign of falling, and only sprays of water scattered in every direction.
“Your Majesty, you have arrived!”
Gaia discovered Terramont and bowed her head.
Terramont said,
“The situation is not bad. Continue protecting Montanus. There is no need to advance in haste. How is the progress?”
“The two regions located along the border with Silva have been blocked. If we keep advancing like this, Montanus will split them apart.”
“Have you secured their cores as well?”
“Yes, of course.”
While Terra’s army fought the battle, Gaia transported the Wave Cores seized from Aqua’s camp.
The number of Wave Cores secured was twenty-six, and that number was expected to increase further.
Terramont nodded.
“I will take these. You focus on protecting Montanus.”
“Yes, understood!”
Terramont turned back with several soldiers carrying the secured Wave Cores.
Some time later, Terramont and the soldiers returned to Montera with the Wave Cores.
This was Terra’s third invasion of Aqua.
Around the citadel, Gorban and Ratos were waiting.
Gorban said,
“Your Majesty, you have returned?”
Terramont immediately instructed his retainers.
“Now we go to Ignis.”
“Yes?!”
Gorban and Ratos were startled.
“Why Ignis, of all places?”
“It is simple. Because while we, Metallum, and Silva possess Aqua’s cores, Ignis does not yet possess them.”
There were seven types of dual-attribute cores that had appeared so far, and the fusion of fire and earth, as well as the fusion of wood and metal, were also scheduled to appear soon.
However, neither Ignis nor Aqua had yet conducted research on each other’s cores.
“Is this what you call balance…?”
Ratos asked, holding the Wave Cores in his arms.
Instead of answering, Terramont raised his head and looked south.
As though making a declaration, he said,
“The world is moving. They are moving of their own accord, but they also move by our hands. We will move them as well.”
The army of the Ignis Empire returned after attacking the empty main camp of the Metallum Empire and gaining no small profit.
The embers subsided for a moment, and the flames of Ignis grew quiet once more.
Vulcanus, Emperor of Ignis, was silently staring at the heap of Metallum’s Metal Cores piled up inside his citadel.
Then, beyond the northern border, a firm shape standing upon the dark-red earth came into view.
Like a slowly moving mountain, an enormous being was crossing the border of Ignis and approaching.
“What is that, Terra?”
Vulcanus’s gaze wavered for a moment.
From a direction he had not expected, with footsteps quieter than he had imagined, it arrived before the citadel along the flames.
The ring of tension around the center began to be pulled taut once more.