Episode 852 New Year (2)
Roughly a few thousand years ago, dwarves were not concentrated in volcanic regions as they are today, nor did a collective system called clans exist.
Dwarf Dynasty.
A single king, based on lineage and legitimacy like humans, ruled over the dwarves of creation and metal.Built on a majestic rocky mountain, the sophisticated and practical fortress, unmatched by any other race, symbolized the selfishness of the dwarves.
The dwarves did not use their exceptional craftsmanship for the benefit of other races. They did not mass-produce creations but valued individual uniqueness.The diverse weapons thus produced were used by themselves, or, at best, exclusively for the dwarf race.
It’s a scary story.
Since the Dwarves’ technological prowess was always far superior to the average of the era, it was no exaggeration to say that they were ahead of their time.For example, the latest human fortress walls crumbled helplessly against Dwarf siege weapons.
A species with a bad temper, and since it is dangerous to make enemies with them, you don’t want to get involved with them for no reason.
That was a dwarf.
[Modern dwarves are much more moderate compared to back then. At the time, they were just crazy dwarves who would shoot massive crossbows at dragons flying overhead if they judged their territory had been invaded. Because of that, we had to take the long way around for no reason.]
“A dragon?”
[Hmph. There’s no need to get your claws dirty just because bugs are annoying, is there? Those dwarf castles are pretty sturdy, so it’s a hassle to destroy them anyway. Tsk!]
Aerodon clicked his tongue.
[Of course, even those dwarves didn’t dare touch the Ancient Dragon. They didn’t know if the castle could withstand an Ancient Dragon-level breath. They attack tenaciously when they have the upper hand, and evade when they are at even the slightest disadvantage. That is how shrewd dwarves are when it comes to dealing with the world.]
Emperor Geracle stroked his short beard.
The dwarves in the volcanic region weren’t quite like that.
[Their temperament has weakened as the environment changed. Humans, dwarves, and beastmen naturally move back and forth depending on where they settle, don’t they? That is why they are not considered inferior races.]
Elves.
[You are asking the obvious. Then and now, the backbone of the Elves is undeniably the World Tree. So nothing has changed. We are still just an inferior race, though… … Hmm? I’ve strayed off topic. Ahem. Let’s get back to the main point.]
Aerodon picked up a glass and gulped down the wine inside. A smooth drink is indispensable when telling old stories.
[In any case, the dwarves weren’t ambitious, but they were narrow-minded because they cared only of themselves. That is why their orthodoxy was firm, and their territory was rather small. They were a race that became quite docile once an environment satisfying them was established. But that fellow shattered that trend.]
Aerodon’s pupils reflected the distant past.
[A dwarf anomaly among dwarves, a mad blacksmith whose selfishness is satisfied solely through destruction, the last king of the Dwarf Dynasty… … ‘The Worst Dwarf on Earth’.]
Emperor Geracle picked up a cookie to eat, using it as a talking point. It tasted quite good, having tried it like this at the World Conference.
“That’s terrible tinnitus. It looks like you’ve driven the world to ruin quite a bit.”
[It’s not just a catastrophe. As if being the most skilled and creative of all the Dwarf kings in history wasn’t enough, he started mass-producing a weapon of epic proportions. And he sold them off indiscriminately, regardless of race or land. Can you imagine the immense impact that had on the world?]
The Dwarf Dynasty merely disliked the mass production of creative works, but did not strictly regulate them. The same applied to the indiscriminate sale of such works.Furthermore, since it was a tradition to fundamentally obey the Dwarf King’s commands, most dwarves did not stop working despite their dissatisfaction.
The result was war, war, war.
Having acquired new power—humans, in particular, were captivated by the Dwarf King’s new weapon. Who could get their hands on more weapons of war became the tide of the war.
War of conquest.
The peace of the Eastern Continent crumbled, and the thick stench of blood reached beyond the sea.
[The more his weapons of war devastated the Eastern Continent, the more satisfaction he gained. It was tantamount to proving his existence. Having thus acquired human funds and resources, the worst dwarf on Earth mass-produced new weapons of war. He repeated this, and repeated it again. Until he needed another customer.]
As the number of customers in the Eastern Continent rapidly dwindled due to its immense destructive power, the worst dwarf on earth immediately turned his attention to the Central Continent.
And to open up new markets, they incited the nations of the Eastern Continent. They equipped them with new weapons and sent them to the Central Continent.
War is like a spark.
At first, it may seem weak enough to be extinguished by a breath of air, but once it starts to burn properly, it cannot be put out even by a fierce storm.
[However, there was an obstacle that even the worst dwarf on earth had never encountered. A new Beast King, who had killed the previous one and seized the throne, was running rampant across the Central Continent.]
Aerodon spoke in a low voice.
The obstacle was the ‘Beastman of Massacre,’ who led a horde of beastmen into an all-out war between the two human empires after a long conflict, annihilating the two emperors and hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
The Emperor and hundreds of thousands of heads…….
Emperor Geracle smirked as an emperor and moistened his lips with wine.
“It was an age of madness. Seeing that we still have the present era after that, I cannot help but marvel at the continent’s resilience.”
[It’s more of a self-purifying mechanism than a self-sustaining force. The worst dwarf on earth and the beastman of carnage could not coexist. They soon collided between the Eastern and Central continents. Look at that map over there.]
Emperor Zeracl fixed his gaze on the map of the continent installed in the middle of the wall.
[As you know, there are currently two land routes directly connecting the Central Continent and the Eastern Continent. The Upper Beastmen Tribe, the Isthmus in northern Delharun, and the Demon Realm. However, in the past, there were a total of three. Do you see the island over there, to the lower left of the Principality of Liviant? The one that looks a bit like a crescent moon.]
Are you talking about the one located between the Silpera Autonomous Region of the Central Continent and the Larian Magic Tower of the Eastern Continent?
[Oh, that is exactly the spot. It is where the third land route between the Central and Eastern Continents was located. Back then, the forces of the worst dwarves on earth and the beastmen of carnage waged an all-out war right there.]
Power and tools.Body and weaponry.
The beastmen, whose physical ability was everything, and the dwarves, whose dexterity was everything, were polar opposites, and the battle was as close as that difference allowed.
The Beastmen could not avoid severe bleeding despite bringing along humans they had enslaved, while the Dwarfs had their customers from the Eastern Continent hunted down.
It was desperate.
Filled with madness, the Beast King and the Dwarf King laughed maniacally and continued the war.Even as the troops each brought were nearly annihilated and the surviving remnants deserted in bloodlust, neither of them stopped fighting.
With a vision that could see everything under the sky, Aerodon witnessed the spectacle of the beastmen of carnage and the war machines of the worst dwarves on earth killing each other.
[It finally came to a conclusion when the one-armed Beast of Carnage tore off the dwarf’s lower body… … and then the Worst Dwarf on Earth burst into laughter and pressed something. And.]
Aerodon clashed the tips of its claws together and spread its arms wide.
[Boom—every single weapon of war he created exploded without exception. Everything was destroyed, too. With explosive power capable of wiping that isthmus off the map, even the Beast of Massacre was blown to pieces. It was the most powerful self-destruction I have ever seen.]
“They said they destroyed part of the continent.”
[huh?]
Aerodon and Emperor Xeracle turned their heads at the same time. Before they knew it, Grand Duke Rivandale had entered the room and was listening to the conversation.
[You’re so rude. Make some noise when you come in.]
“How does the transcendent beings of the present era compare to the realms of those two?”
[Uhuhu. As expected of a transcendent being, you seem to be curious. But such things are meaningless. After all, isn’t the Arnak Empire what you value most? Let me explain by comparing it to that.]
Aerodon assured him.
[If the Empire allows the Prisoner of Carnage to invade its borders, or gives the worst dwarf on earth time, it will experience an unprecedented hell. Perhaps destruction will be unavoidable?]
“…….”
[Anyway, that’s how it is. End of story!]
Aerodon’s eyes gleamed as he grabbed Emperor Xeracle’s sleeve and shook it.
[Now it is time to keep your promise. Hurry up and tell me what happened at the World Conference. Hurry!]
As they watched the fellow urging for information, the two recalled the glory of the dead they had encountered at the World Conference.
Indeed, is the strength of the ancient king… … greater than that of the beastman of massacre and the worst dwarf on earth?
* * *
The head of the former king was successfully secured and handed over, but destiny was not yet complete. At that point, an unexpected variable arose once again.
“The thread of fate has snapped…….”
Dantel closed his eyes as he muttered the urgent news delivered by his messenger.Living a passive life in a world that had begun to change actively felt like an indescribable disconnect.
“Verden.”
It occurs to me once again, but I have no idea where on earth it originated. Even though quite some time has passed, it seemed that even the higher-ups hadn’t figured it out.
Of course, it had no meaning.
Hehe.
He lightly struck the reins and increased the speed of movement a little more. Two coffins, one large and one small, were loaded on the old wooden cart.
Dantel headed toward his destination along the mountain path where death and fog had settled.
* * *
The second servant of the glory of the corpse──── Lunesica Anternoa pressed her hand firmly against the table.The models of the ancient king’s body fragments placed on the old map shook.
“We were complacent. Whether we struggled against a mere Bone Dragon or not, we shouldn’t have underestimated it. We should have sought it out and killed it long ago, before it awakened.”“…….”“That crimson magic…… It nonchalantly ignored the laws of magic and reached my main body. It must be entirely his fault that Landerk died sooner than expected. If he can kill the main body through his clones, there is no way to counter Landerk’s pathogens.”“…….”“We now have a stumbling block comparable to the Saintess and the Necromancers of the era. Even the Provider, who had been merely a bystander until now, is showing signs of action. Whether intentional or not, the division of the international community has become much more difficult than anticipated because Verden has become the center of the world.”
At this, the first servant said.
“As His Majesty’s resurrection draws near, a backlash must be at play.”“Commander, is that your answer?”
The Animus—the desire to manipulate souls fixed to the ceiling in Lunesicaa’s stature—reacted. The first of the six legends.The souls stirred greatly inside the sphere reaching tens of meters in height.
“I already conveyed what was discussed at the world conference. Do you have no plan?”“The only problem is the power shortage. So, we just need to replenish it.”“Replenish it?”“That faction sent a message.”
That that that drama.
The sound of a heavy box dragging across the floor echoed through the hideout.Soon, an unidentified man clad in a robe emerged from the darkness. In his hands, two coffins suspended by ropes were being dragged along.
Lunesica opened her eyes sharply.
“The Transcendents… are they those guys?”
A strange force whose purpose was completely unknown, whose location was revealed by the ancient king’s body parts scattered across the continent in the Glory of the Dead.This was the first time even the servants had come into direct contact with it like this.
The man, Dantel, tossed the rope.
“The heads of the ancient kings are ready. Since you must have realized where the stage is through the World Council, revive these with the Animus to replenish your forces.”“What?”
Lunesica twitched her eyes at the somewhat commanding tone, but the first servant stopped her with a hand gesture.
“I didn’t know you knew about the Animus. Where did the corpse in that coffin come from?”“I don’t know. I’m not interested. I just act on orders.”
A moment of silence fell.
Kugugung.
The first servant pulled the two coffins and removed the covers. Inside each coffin were ‘the arm of a prisoner’ and ‘a small, thick hand’.
‘… … ! This corpse.’
The trace of existence is impressive.
Although it cannot be judged with certainty, it must have been a truly formidable being in its lifetime. It is undoubtedly the remnant of a powerhouse comparable to a transcendent being.Moreover, these are beings from the ultra-ancient period, far more distant than the era known as the Ancients.
Lunesica also opened her eyes wide.
“Beastmen and dwarves… their soul vessels are deformed. Where on earth did you obtain something like this?”“As I said, I am merely acting on orders. Then.”
As Dantel was disappearing silently, the first servant asked forcefully.
“Who are you?”“They told me to pass this message if I asked that.”
He whispered quietly.
“Fate is everywhere.”
Dantel concealed his presence. The two servants briefly gazed at the vanished spot of the unofficial transcendent being who had never revealed himself to the world.
“Can you trust those guys?”“I think I told you last time. As long as His Majesty’s resurrection succeeds, nothing else matters. Besides, I can control the owners of the corpses with the Animus.”
The first servant closed the coffin again.
“Activate Animus immediately.”“……Understood.”
Lunesica opened the magic. Just as she created the Bone Dragon in the Republic of Beldirn, she drew out the souls residing in the Animus.
Kyaaaaaaah.Aaaaaaaah.Kuaaaaaaah.
Screams are rampant.
The first servant stood between the two coffins and kept reciting something. It was the language of the dead, not the language of the living.Then he took out a gauntlet crafted from a part of the animus and put it on.
Whoosh.
The souls that escaped from the Animus by the power of Lunesica swirled and slowly settled into the First Servant’s Gauntlet.
Life to death, and death to life.
A deep shadow completely covered all the light in the hiding place.
Come back.
Reversal of life and death
The first servant grabbed the coffins on the left and right as if striking them. The souls contained in each began to flow into the corpses inside the coffins.As soon as all the souls in the gauntlet were consumed, the light returned.
It was then.
……thud.
At the same time, the coffins opened, and the owners of the corpses inside came to life and rose to their feet. The beastman and the dwarf, who had been sitting still for a moment, quietly opened their mouths.
“What era is this?”“What?”“Ah, it’s just as I heard. I’m back.”
Without even waiting for the first servant’s answer, they recognized each other, having truly and madly killed and killed thousands of years ago.
“Hehe…….”“Hahaha…….”
Prisoner of Massacre.The Worst Dwarf on Earth.
“Kha“Uha
A crazy past has arrived.
