The earth that observed the world, and the legendary being that gazed upon him.
The party of Teramont, who had been moving northwest, and the small force of the Terra Empire changed direction and headed north, toward the Aqua Empire.
Gaia asked Emperor Teramont.
“Why, why are you going in Aqua’s direction?”
Gorban also spoke with concern.
“Aqua still has a dragon. If we are careless, we may provoke its ire.”
Teramont did not give any particular answer.
He merely spoke briefly.
“There is nothing to fear. We will not fight Aqua.”
The retainers were uneasy, but they decided to trust Teramont.
Of course, even if Teramont had no will to fight, the waves of the deep sea, sensing the presence of their elemental opposite, might surge over them.
However, Nemorensis had once passed by Teramont before as well.
Could they truly pass by this time without a major clash?
As Teramont’s party drew closer to Aqua, Aqua’s sea came into view.
“It seems we have come quite close.”
Gorban said, looking out at the sea.
Because Silva’s footsteps had not reached this place, there were no trees, but in their stead, earth and stone met the water and formed a coastline.
Here and there, underwater reefs revealed themselves beneath the surface.
And countless beings of water appeared as well.
Even groups that did not mix with water.
“As expected, it seems they knew in advance that we were coming.”
Gaia said.
Just as he said, Aqua had already noticed Terra’s approach and prepared an army for defense.
However, most of their army consisted not of soldiers of pure water attribute, but of soldiers produced from slime cores.
“There’s no need for them to welcome us quite so warmly.”
Teramont said calmly as he looked at Aqua’s slime forces waiting along the coastline.
“It appears a considerable number of their troops are made up of slime.”
Latos said after examining Aqua’s formation.
“In the current situation, the empires capable of continuously producing dual-attribute cores would be Aqua and Silva. After all, they are continually sharing each other’s cores.”
Gaia seemed somewhat surprised.
“So they have decided to compose their forces solely of slime they created themselves? That army is proof that their relationship with Silva is solid.”
“Since the water attribute is inherently weaker than ours, they would need Silva’s help to prepare against us. It seems Silva is providing Aqua with quite a lot of support.”
One of the ways to confirm the relationship between two empires when they formed an alliance was the presence of fused troops between them.
Terra was clearly aware of that point as well.
For when they had once been allied with Metallum, a considerable number of armored infantry produced from iron ore cores had been stationed in Terra’s territory.
After severing ties with Terra and losing its supply of earth cores, the Metallum Empire had also stopped producing iron ore cores.
Latos spoke again.
“Seeing those reminds me of something else. I heard recently that Silva produced a fourth-stage unit type with slime cores, but I don’t see any among them. Perhaps Aqua’s slime units have not developed to that extent.”
“It seems being allies does not mean their speed of development is the same.”
Gorban muttered to himself.
Teramont silently watched them.
With the border of the Aqua Empire between them, the two groups faced one another.
Teramont and his soldiers came to a stop while maintaining their formation.
They stood firm like stone pillars, yet their eyes cautiously watched beyond the surface of the water.
And opposite them, atop the surface of the deep sea, Aqua’s slime soldiers were mingled with the dark blue waves.
They floated on the surface as though they were mixing with the water and yet not mixing with it, but an unknown tension and sense of alienness hung over their forms.
Both sides were silent.
None of them moved.
There were no battle cries, no sound of weapons clashing.
Only the sound of waves striking the rocks spread through the surroundings between them.
“They aren’t moving easily either.”
Gaia said in a whisper.
“They’re only watching us as well.”
Gorban also spoke in a low voice.
After a moment, Latos said,
“It feels a little uncomfortable that Aqua has also recognized us. Of course, from their perspective, they must think we are up to something…”
It was only natural that Aqua, too, could do nothing but watch Teramont’s party.
Teramont’s party had not yet attempted an invasion, and Aqua’s troops were stronger upon the water.
Teramont remained silent.
His gaze stayed fixed on Aqua’s formation.
As if he were searching for something.
The retainers exchanged glances, and Gaia was the first to speak.
“Your Majesty, what should we do now?”
Teramont did not answer his question.
Then, after a moment, he slowly opened his mouth.
“There is still one being I do not see.”
Teramont seemed to be waiting for something.
The moment that being revealed itself, Teramont would also move.
How much time had passed?
At some point, Aqua’s formation began to move busily.
Teramont’s party could perceive that sight as well.
“What is happening…?”
Gaia murmured.
And soon, the waves of the deep sea began to surge a little more violently.
Kwaaaa…
Swaaaa…
The waves grew higher and higher, and the seawater rushing toward the land became fiercer.
Aqua’s slime soldiers split to either side, as if forming a path for something.
Chwaaaa…
At last, the silhouette of a colossal being emerged above the surface.
Behind Aqua’s forces, beyond the mist of the seabed, a single enormous silhouette was slowly approaching.
“Ah…!”
Gaia flinched in surprise.
“Th-that is Aqua’s dragon…!”
“Marinus.”
Teramont said firmly.
“Aqua’s black dragon, Marinus. It has finally begun to move.”
Marinus did not move quickly, but its presence overwhelmed every soldier gathered in the area.
Not only Teramont’s party, but Aqua’s soldiers as well focused their gazes on Marinus.
Aqua’s army seemed poised to follow Marinus’s decision.
Latos spoke to Teramont nervously.
“Y-Your Majesty, should we not be careful now? That dragon appears to have seen us…”
Teramont still said nothing.
He merely watched Marinus while holding his position.
The retainers could no longer say anything either.
They themselves were well aware that retreating or fleeing upon discovering Marinus before them would not be conduct befitting Terra.
Fortunately, perhaps, Marinus, which had recognized Terra’s approach, did not immediately show any aggressive action.
Having stopped moving among Aqua’s army, Marinus also merely stared at Teramont’s party.
“Hmm.”
At that moment, Teramont took one step forward.
“Y-Your Majesty…!”
Gorban shouted to Teramont, but Teramont did not turn his head.
“I must see it from a little closer.”
With firm steps, Teramont walked toward Marinus.
The soldiers watched Teramont’s back in tension.
His figure from behind, like earth and rock, was not shaken by the waves of the sea.
Teramont alone separated from his retainers and army and approached the sea of the Aqua Empire.
Aqua’s side also knew who that being was.
The emperor of the Terra Empire, located at the center of the world—Teramont.
It was similar to that time.
When Silva’s blue dragon, Nemorensis, had been approaching Terra’s border, Terra had gathered its army and gone on the defensive.
But in the end, on Terra’s side, only Emperor Teramont had stepped forward alone before Nemorensis.
And contrary to everyone’s expectations, Nemorensis had not attacked Teramont, but had turned away.
Now, too, Teramont alone was walking toward Marinus.
Aqua’s army, unable to understand Teramont’s intentions, still did not move.
When some slime infantry and flexible warriors reacted, Aqua’s Guardian of Currents, Levian, blocked them.
“Hold your positions. It is not yet time.”
Following Levian’s command, the slime soldiers stopped moving once more.
Of course, he too felt the same vague fear toward Teramont.
Teramont did not waver.
And his gaze remained fixed on Marinus.
As though the Aqua forces surrounding Marinus were not even in his sight.
Teramont drew closer and closer to the coastline.
When he had approached Aqua’s border to a certain extent, Marinus also began to move slightly.
“Swaaaa…”
Crash, craaash.
Marinus’s feet created currents upon the surface of the water.
“It’s moving…”
Levian said.
But what would happen still could not be predicted.
Would Marinus truly reveal hostility toward Teramont?
Marinus’s eyes were like the eyes of the sea.
Its gaze, too, was fixed on Teramont.
As Teramont approached, Marinus also advanced from the sea toward the border.
Teramont’s eyes held neither fear nor anger.
Only deep, ancient judgment lay within them.
When Marinus’s form became clearly visible, he came to a stop.
He did not raise a weapon, nor did he take a defensive stance.
Instead, he stood firmly on two feet and looked straight into Marinus’s eyes.
“What, what is he trying to do…?”
Levian, as well as the other retainers of the Aqua Empire, observed Teramont.
No one on Aqua’s side moved from their place, and only the black dragon Marinus traveled over the surface of the water toward Teramont.
At last, Teramont and Marinus stood facing each other, alone.
With the waves between them, their eyes looked into one another’s.
“It seems no role has yet been given to you, has it?”
Teramont was the first to speak.
Marinus showed no reaction to his words.
It merely looked down at him.
The emperor of the earth and the guardian deity of the sea.
And the powers of earth and water watching over them.
It was an even more tense moment than when Teramont had faced Nemorensis in the past.
Those around them could not know what conversation was passing between them.
“It will be all right… won’t it?”
Gorban quietly opened his mouth.
Gaia answered.
“His Majesty would not have stepped forward recklessly. It must be similar to last time.”
Latos added a word as well.
“Somehow, it seems our emperor only ever faces hostile opponents… I still do not know.”
Both Aqua and Terra carefully watched the scene.
One unusual thing was that, despite being so close to each other, they were not taking an aggressive stance.
While tension drifted through the north of the world, in the south, a spark was kindled once more.
That spark was being newly revived upon the power source known as wood.