A single dragon headed toward the center.
The one who ruled the center intended to face it himself.
The southern plains of the Terra Empire.
A stone rolled up before the boulder that still held its place.
Beyond Terra, the war between the Ignis Empire and the Metallum Empire was still underway.
“Wow……”
The stone looked up at the boulder.
“Grandfather, it looks like the war still isn’t over. Metallum and Ignis, I mean.”
A voice echoed from deep within the boulder.
“I see. It is a war between the strong, so it can only drag on.”
“But from the way things look now, Ignis seems to be in danger. Metallum has a dragon, after all. Fire should have the upper hand, but they’re being pushed back before a dragon.”
“Hmm.”
After a brief silence, the boulder replied.
“Dragons are not beings they create. They are beings they call. They summon into the world the beings that live within legends. To put this world, fallen into chaos, back in order.”
“What?”
The stone rocked its body from side to side.
“Is wiping out Ignis what it means to put the world in order? Ignis does have a rather violent side, but did they really think it should be erased from this world? Even that legendary being thinks so……?”
“Who can say.”
The boulder did not move.
And yet the boulder was looking out over the world.
In a weighty tone, the boulder answered.
“It is quite unexpected that Aureus would move to such an extent. To think it has now approached even the heart of Ignis.”
“What will happen to Ignis? Is it over now?”
“It is still too early to say. Ignis’s embers are still alive even now. This is not something that can already be decided.”
The stone spun once in place.
“Can Ignis survive even in this situation?”
“Hmm. If Ignis also summons a dragon, then it would be possible. But Ignis is not yet prepared to summon its own dragon. It seems far too late to begin preparing now.”
“Ah……”
The stone rolled once to the side as well.
“Then…… it’s over, isn’t it? How can they possibly stop Metallum’s dragon?”
“A dragon is not invincible simply because it is a dragon. If it continues to be attacked, it will inevitably fall one day. If it has suffered many wounds along the way, they might be able to bring it down and barely avert the crisis.”
“Mm……”
The stone fidgeted, rolling about in place.
The boulder asked the stone,
“Are you perhaps worried about Ignis? Because it truly seems like they will be destroyed?”
“To be honest, a little.”
The stone lifted itself back up.
“I think there is no being that ought to disappear. Even if Ignis must take responsibility for what it has done, I still don’t think it should be gone from this world. Whether it’s fire, water, wood, or metal, aren’t they all necessary to this world in their own way?”
“Hohoho……”
Laughter rang out from deep within the boulder.
“You truly think deeply. Yes. There is nothing in this world that is unnecessary. If even one thing disappears, the others will not be able to endure for long. That is harmony, and balance.”
“Well, I was just…… thinking about it on my own.”
The stone rolled its body as if embarrassed.
The boulder and the stone were silent for a while, then the boulder asked the stone,
“Do you know this, by any chance? That a dragon has appeared in Silva as well.”
“What? Ah…… I heard about it, but I’m not sure. Maybe because it hasn’t been long since it appeared……”
“The world is truly turning in an interesting direction.”
Lying still on the ground, the stone asked,
“Another dragon has appeared…… That makes me uneasy. Will it go attack another empire like Metallum did?”
“It does seem to be drawing closer little by little.”
“What?!”
The stone sprang up.
“The dragon is coming this way? Is it coming to attack us?!”
“Who can say. Whatever its purpose, if it encounters us, a clash will be unavoidable.”
“Wh-what should we do……?”
The boulder paused for a moment before replying.
“We cannot know yet. And there is no way Terramont is unaware of that fact, so the fate of this center rests with him. I still believe he will do well. Let us believe in him too.”
The sky was calm, but the tremor in the air had grown heavier than before.
At present, two dragons were moving at the same time from different locations.
No one yet knew what fate that would bring upon the world.
The war between the Ignis Empire and the Metallum Empire was also a chief matter of concern to the Terra Empire, the center.
In an underground conference room, Emperor Terramont and all his retainers gathered and sat at the table.
“The war is continuing longer than expected.”
Gorban began to speak.
“As the side with the advantage in the opposing relationship, Ignis appears to be holding out against Metallum, but thanks to the exploits of the white dragon Aureus, Metallum is not retreating at all. In fact, they are steadily pushing deeper into Ignis.”
Gaia carefully opened his mouth.
“It is too early to jump to conclusions, but at this rate, Ignis may be destroyed. Is it truly all right for us to stand by and watch?”
Ratos said to him,
“Were we not once allied with Metallum? If we interfere with their movements here, I believe they will regard even us as enemies.”
“Hmm.”
The retainers could not speak easily.
Terra was in no position to take either Ignis’s side or Metallum’s.
Ignis was currently in crisis, but to support them would be the same as declaring that they were turning their backs on Metallum completely.
“Aureus has gone too deep……”
Terramont slowly opened his mouth.
“Ignis must certainly have provoked Aureus’s wrath. This is a somewhat abnormal course of action.”
Gorban looked at Terramont.
“Do you mean the fact that Ignis invaded Metallum four times?”
“That can be called one reason, but judging by the current situation, there must be a more direct cause. A reason that made Metallum’s white dragon reveal its anger.”
The retainers’ gazes focused on Terramont.
After thinking for a moment, Terramont continued.
“The golden core.”
“Golden……?”
Ratos murmured.
“The golden core, a fusion of fire and metal. That seems to have provoked Metallum’s dragon. Ignis stole the energy of metal and used it for themselves, so Aureus could not forgive that.”
Terramont’s voice was as solid as stone.
The retainers felt they understood why he had not personally stepped forward to fuse cores.
Gaia asked him,
“Then is the white dragon truly moving in order to seize Ignis?”
“That is not it either.”
Terramont shook his head.
“A dragon does not truly desire conquest. Just as Montanus did not actively attack Aqua. A dragon reads the world, then sets out on its path to do what it must.”
Gorban, who had been lost in thought, spoke.
“The white dragon must have remembered. What Ignis did to Metallum. At first it was vengeance, but it seems that has now changed into anger.”
“That is why I thought it strange. That it had penetrated deeply enough to threaten Ignis’s existence. But once that anger subsides, Aureus may change direction. Aureus will not seek to destroy Ignis.”
Gaia still seemed concerned as he spoke.
“Even if the white dragon stops attacking, Metallum’s army will not stop. On the other hand, Ignis likely has few troops left now. At this rate, Ignis’s fate may soon come to an end.”
Terramont made no further mention of that war.
He changed the subject.
“That is enough about that matter. Are you aware that another dragon has recently appeared from another direction?”
The retainers looked at Terramont.
Gorban answered first.
“Yes, we are aware. We have been keeping a close watch on that side as well, but judging by its movements, it seems to be coming this way.”
Gaia then added,
“However, it does not appear to be heading precisely toward the center. The dragon is moving toward the southeastern border of our territory, and it is possible that it is moving to avoid the rocky ridge region in the east.”
Terramont spoke with his arms crossed.
“The dragon’s identity is the azure dragon, Nemorensis. A dragon formed of the energy of wood. We will have to watch that side as well.”
Ratos asked in an uneasy tone,
“Come to think of it, is the azure dragon not the truly important problem? The white dragon has no reason to come to us, but the azure dragon possesses the energy of wood, so it could be a threat to us, could it not?”
Gaia joined in as well.
“If it is drawing closer to us, we should make preparations immediately. But there is something I do not understand. Why is the azure dragon coming toward us? Is it perhaps revenge for Montanus? But Montanus attacked Aqua, not Silva……”
Terramont slowly rose from his seat and looked up at the ceiling.
“Something surprising may happen before long.”
The retainers could not understand Terramont’s words.
Gaia asked him,
“Is this not a serious matter for us? It seems we too will soon be caught up in war.”
Terramont answered in an indifferent tone.
“That may be so. If you are anxious, you may prepare defenses. Gather the army at Nemorensis’s projected point of arrival.”
“Is it time to resummon Montanus?”
“No. There will be no problem even if we do not call that being now. Instead, I will greet Nemorensis myself.”
The retainers did not understand Terramont’s intentions, but no one questioned him further.
He walked out through the conference room entrance, and the retainers bowed their heads toward him.
Gaia moved the mountain giants and the earth guardian unit to the southeast.
Before long, Silva’s azure dragon Nemorensis was expected to arrive there.
“What in the world does His Majesty intend to do?”
Gaia asked Gorban beside him.
Gorban also could not answer easily.
“I do not know either. We can only follow His Majesty’s words.”
Most of the soldiers and retainers of the Terra Empire, as well as Emperor Terramont, gathered at the southeastern border.
Terramont walked ahead.
“Let me see for myself. What sort of being you are.”
After some time had passed, at last, a certain sound could be heard in the distance.
“Swaaaaa……”
Terra’s army focused on the sound.
Soon, its form was revealed.
As expected of a being that symbolized the energy of wood, Nemorensis’s entire body was covered in green leaves and vines.
Terramont spoke to the army.
“Do not move. Hold your positions until an attack comes.”
Behind Nemorensis, who had emerged from the Silva Empire in the east, followed guardian tree spirits and warriors of the forest.
They too began to grow tense when Terra appeared before their eyes.
“Wait……?”
Tarban, Silva’s officer in charge of military tactics, stopped walking.
On Terra’s side, only Terramont had stepped forward.
Nemorensis was approaching him, but as Terra’s other soldiers waited in the distance, Silva’s army also halted in place.
Terramont and Nemorensis faced each other.
Terramont spoke in a low voice.
“Go to the place you are meant to go. We have no business with you.”
A moment later, something happened that astonished everyone.
Nemorensis moved past Terramont.
For a moment, Gaia was at a loss for words, then opened his mouth.
“It passed us by?”
The direction Nemorensis was heading was not Terra’s southeastern border.
Rather, it was moving away from Terra.
Silva’s army also seemed to hesitate for a moment before following Nemorensis.
“Nemorensis has gone.”
Terramont said as he returned to his army.
“Wh-what happened?”
Gaia asked, but his answer was brief.
“Its destination was simply not here.”
Nemorensis’s destination was not Terra.
There was another direction it wished to go.