The approach of earth that blocked the flow of water, and yet the guardian deity of water did not respond.
Marinus, the black dragon of the Aqua Empire, still moved in silence.
Its body drifted upon the surface, creating currents of the deep sea, though at times it would stop as if asleep.
The greatest incident to have occurred recently was the battle between the Metalum Empire and the Ignis Empire. In that battle, Ignis had been driven to the brink of collapse, and two dragons had even been sacrificed.
And yet, once the battle was over, the world fell into silence as though buried beneath the earth.
Empress Nereia, her retainers, and the citizens all had some idea why Marinus was showing no particular movement.
With the two empires that had been so clamorous falling quiet at the same time, there was nowhere for Marinus to intervene.
At the same time, there were citizens who were curious.
If the battle between those two empires were still going on now, how would Marinus have acted?
“Who would it side with? Obviously not Ignis, so would it be Metalum in the end?”
“They said Metalum was winning anyway, didn’t they? Is there any reason to go out of our way to give Metalum even more strength?”
“On top of that, the dragon from Silva’s side actually sided with Ignis, didn’t it? Would we end up fighting among ourselves?”
“Silva helps Ignis, and we attack Ignis… How confusing.”
The citizens gathered and voiced their thoughts.
“It’s fortunate our dragon wasn’t there back then. If Marinus had had to make a decision in that war, it would have been in a rather difficult position too.”
“You mean like how Silva’s dragon went to help Ignis regardless of Silva’s own will?”
“I don’t know. And now it’s so quiet it’s almost boring.”
“Both sides must have taken tremendous damage. It feels like we’re finally getting a rest for once.”
The world was quiet, and Marinus remained docile accordingly.
Marinus had not gone up onto land recently.
It merely drifted upon the surface, guarding Aqua’s sea.
“We should take this opportunity to establish a defensive line around the Deep Sea.”
Empress Nereia spoke within the fortress.
“Right now, no empire is making any major moves. It is precisely at times like this that we must not let our guard down. We do not know when or what may happen again, so we must prepare thoroughly.”
Levian nodded.
“Yes, that is so. Considering everything that has happened to us so far, Terra in particular is the most likely to act unpredictably. We must keep watch over them constantly.”
Naus thought for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“Come to think of it, one matter comes to mind that has never quite sat right with me. When the dragon appeared in Silva, at first it seemed to be moving toward Terra. But before Terra’s border, the dragon changed direction and headed for Ignis. Was it originally trying to approach Terra, only to change its decision at the last moment? I am somewhat curious as to what happened back then.”
Levian answered Naus’s question.
“According to what we heard from Silva’s side, Terra’s emperor, Terramont, personally faced their dragon. For Terra, which is at a disadvantage in its conflicting relationship with Silva, and for the emperor himself to stand before a dragon, Silva’s highest-tier unit, was a highly unusual situation. Perhaps Terramont knew that Silva’s dragon would not attack them.”
“And after that, the dragon moved toward Ignis?”
“Yes, that is what they said. The armies of both sides were also facing each other at the time, but when the dragon changed direction, the armies ultimately went their separate ways without clashing.”
Sian reacted as though he could not quite understand.
“It seems Silva had no plan to attack Terra then, and perhaps they still don’t now. But did Terramont say something to the dragon at that time? Why did it move that way…?”
“As far as I know, they did not face each other for very long. They said the dragon looked at Terramont for a short while, then moved toward Ignis.”
Nereia, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, let her voice ring out.
“It is not for us to dare fathom the direction of a dragon. However, it is also true that Terramont’s existence is highly questionable. There are no small number of things in Terra’s conduct thus far that make it difficult to discern what lies in his heart, so many that it would be hard to list them one by one. If, by any chance, Terramont knew of that dragon’s behavior, behavior that even we, and even Silva’s Drian, could not understand, and if he had even predicted it… then the being we are dealing with may not be on the level of a mere empire.”
At Nereia’s words, the retainers all fell silent at once.
It seemed even she felt a vague, subtle fear toward Terra.
At that moment, Levian lifted his head with a grave voice.
“Wait… I sense some kind of signal.”
Soon, he slowly turned his head and looked toward the southwest.
“Something is approaching us…”
Nereia and the retainers all looked in the same direction.
Nereia’s eyes shone blue.
“That is… Terra.”
A group composed of Terramont and a small number of troops was approaching the boundary of the Deep Sea.
Sian shrank back.
“Why… why are they coming to us…?”
Naus spoke in an urgent tone.
“What scheme are they trying this time? It seems we must prepare.”
Levian said to him,
“But we have Marinus. We should be able to repel a threat of that level.”
At his words, Sian looked at Marinus floating above the Deep Sea.
Marinus still showed no particular response.
Even though the troops of the Terra Empire were gradually approaching Aqua, Marinus was merely staring at them.
“Why isn’t it moving…?”
Sian muttered in a small voice.
Levian was somewhat flustered as well.
“Does it simply think this is not a serious matter? In truth, Terra’s scale as we see it now appears rather small if their purpose is to invade us…”
Nereia said,
“There is no harm in being prepared. Even if Marinus does not move, it would be best for at least us to move.”
Levian bowed his head.
“Yes, understood.”
After the retainers hurriedly left the fortress, Nereia looked at Terra, which was still drawing closer.
She discovered someone among Terra’s group.
“So that man is Terramont…”
A being among the many who possessed an especially large frame and intense eyes.
Nereia now beheld Terramont, emperor of the Terra Empire, for the first time.
“Just who in the world is that man…? Following Silva, now even with us, why do the dragons take no action against him…?”
Just what kind of existence was Terramont, emperor of the Terra Empire, to the dragons?
New soldiers began to be produced in the Slime Barracks.
The slime-type units Aqua possessed were slime infantry and flexible warriors.
Having entered a state of tension for the first time in a while, Aqua once again prepared its troops from the dual-attribute core.
In front of the Slime Barracks, where Levian, Naus, and Sian had gathered together, Naus was the first to speak.
“I heard Silva created a new unit… Have you perhaps seen it in person?”
Levian answered.
“Was its name ‘Bio-Absorber’? I have not seen it, but it seems some strange stories are circulating about it. They say even its appearance is abnormal. Naturally, its power is said to be formidable as well.”
Sian opened his mouth while gauging their reactions.
“That is why, honestly, I am uneasy. Since Silva created it, it should be on Silva’s side, and if we deepen our barracks, we too could obtain that unit… but if it is excessively powerful, it may instead invite disaster.”
Levian said,
“It is not as though I have not had such thoughts, but if we use it only for the purpose of defending our Deep Sea, it should be fine. Neither we nor Silva are particularly fond of invading other empires, are we?”
“If only that proves to be the case, that would be a relief.”
Two types of soldiers were being produced in the Slime Barracks.
Masses made of turquoise liquid slowly took form.
Naus spoke to himself.
“Just what do those Terra bastards take us for? Whatever scheme they try, it won’t work anymore. We will only grow stronger…”
Levian spoke to the slime soldiers.
“You are to follow our commands. Terra is currently approaching from the southwest. There is no need for us to attack them first, but if they attempt to invade our sea, I want you to drive them out without fail.”
The slime infantry and flexible warriors stood side by side without a word.
Levian looked toward the southwestern coastline.
“Terra is drawing even closer… We should move as well. Advance.”
The slime soldiers moved forward along the waves upon the surface.
Flexible like liquid yet maintaining their shapes solidly like a solid, they certainly appeared powerful compared to Aqua’s soldiers.
Their might had already been displayed in the previous joint battle with Silva.
Terra, which had been an enemy nation at the time, had also managed to defend against the slime troops through its alliance with Metalum by good fortune, but the slime soldiers had reached all the way to Montera, the heart of Terra.
And Terra was developing alone while keeping its distance from Metalum, which had once been its ally.
Thanks to Metalum defending Terra’s territory in its place, Terra had been the first to upgrade its fortress to the final stage and the first to summon a dragon.
At present, Terra appeared to be expanding its territory and maintaining its center without using the dual-attribute core at all, but since they were not conducting research into single-attribute soldiers, let alone the dual-attribute core, it remained unclear whether they could still defend their center from Aqua or Silva.
That very Terra was now approaching Aqua with only a small number of troops.
“Just what are they trying to do…?”
Levian advanced to the boundary of the Deep Sea together with the slime soldiers.
The other retainers moved after them as well.
From within the fortress, Nereia also quietly watched the scene.
A short while later, Aqua’s slime troops floated upon the surface in a formation close to a semicircle.
And beyond the sea, the figures of Terra’s troops gradually began to emerge.
Two Mountain Giants, a few Earth Guardians, and Emperor Terramont and his retainers.
“Surely they don’t intend to pick a fight with us with troops of that level?”
Levian said as if speaking to himself.
Naus shook his head.
“Even so, we must not think lightly of them. We should assume that we still do not know their intentions.”
A moment later, someone came into the three retainers’ field of vision.
A being with a massive body formed of earth and rock: Terramont.
“Terramont came all the way here in person…?”
Naus’s voice trembled.
“Unless it is for an alliance or a neutral relationship, I cannot imagine an emperor personally visiting. Are they not an enemy nation to us?”
Levian said,
“For now, it would be best for us to only watch as well.”
Sian turned his head and looked toward where Marinus was.
Marinus still showed no particular response.
Even though Terramont, emperor of the Terra Empire, had come all the way to Aqua’s border.