“There were a few materials left over...”
Vulkan scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Please take a look.”
“I will.”
Kang Chul-In nodded.
The item’s options were as the following:
[Invincible] Iron Curtain
Equipment type: Defense (belt) / Consumable good (once)
Application limits: Nothing
Special functions: Nine Lives
*The item Iron Curtain will be destroyed as soon as the “Nine Lives” function is used.
“Iron Curtain… nine lives? What is this?”
“Lives.”
“Lives?”
“This special function will save your life when in danger. After all, your defensive equipment was so bad...”
“...”
“Of course, because you’re very strong, so you probably won’t be in danger, but… you never know. Danger is never expected.”
“You’re right.”
Kang Chul-In nodded.
“Death is really like that. It always wavers around us and comes when we least expect it.”
“Haha! You speak like someone who has died before!”
“Maybe.”
Kang Chul-In had a mysterious smile on his face.
I did die.
It was the truth. Even when he exuded the aura of a demonic god ruling over Pangaea, he crumbled easily under Aleister’s betrayal. Kang Chul-In was someone who knew well that life was a bundle of surprises where no one knew when they were going to die.
“Anyways, thanks.”
“It’s nothing.”
Vulkan shook his head.
“I wanted to make you a perfect suit of armor, but I didn’t have any materials. So instead, I just provided a temporary solution...”
“...”
“My only regret is that I can’t repay your generosity enough...”
Strangely, Vulkan’s attitude was extremely polite. It was hard to imagine that they had just had an intense battle.
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
Kang Chul-In asked.
“I expected you to hate me...”
“Of course not!”
Vulkan shouted with urgency.
“No way!”
“...?”
“I wasn’t able to tell you before, but you’re the true savior of my life!”
“Why?”
“I-I… gave in to the temptations of my youth...”
“Of your youth?”
“I was a blacksmith of darkness who created magical soldiers.”
“Mm.”
“I created all kinds of evil weapons because of my desire to become the greatest blacksmith and spread them across the continent...”
It was a fancy past.
“I even worked with dark magicians to summon demons into the weapons I created… I even...”
“...?”
“While creating Kaiforce… I… I don’t know why I did that back then...”
Vulkan looked down.
“What happened?”
“There’s a saying that your tail will be stepped on if it’s too long. One day, when I was trying to create the masterpiece of my life, even greater than Kaiforce… someone burst into my smithy with Kaiforce in hand.”
“It must have been the Emperor of Blood and Iron.”
“Yes… I made my own bed.”
“I see.”
“So I was punished. I had to spend a thousand years here at the peak of Mt. Hephai. It was more painful than death...”
That was a great length of time… a whole one thousand years. To some, it’s just a thousand years, but if one had spent all that time alone...
“I think I went crazy about 20 times...”
“Mm… so is that why you were in the lava? The Emperor of Blood and Iron...”
“That’s not it.”
“Hm?”
“It was like an act of repentance… my body couldn’t be destroyed after being cursed, but I could still feel pain. But after about 500 years, I became used to the pain of lava and...”
“...”
“Haa...”
Vulkan scratched his head.
“Anyways, I’m able to escape from here now… wait!”
“...?”
“Sir?”
“What?”
“Why… other than your eyes, you look exactly like the Emperor of Blood and Iron...”
The moment Vulkan said that,“Huk!”
“It’s not natural, so it doesn’t have effects like increasing mana, but it’s better than most supplements. You look tired, so try this.”
“Thank you, sir!”
“Also,” Kang Chul-In added on, “I think you repented enough.”
“Huh?”
“Enjoy the rest of your life.”
“S-Sir Savior!”
Vulkan’s eyes started to become misty.
“Men don’t cry. I’ll be on my way now, but don’t see me off. Let’s go.”
Kang Chul-In led Dorian and Hecate out.
“Savior… good… bye...”
Vulkan waved his hands at them. Their first meeting was violent, but it was a fairly touching goodbye.
***
About 3 kilometres away from the port-city Venetz, in Hartum River...
“Kang Chul-In’s military is the symbol of victory, huh?”
In the strategy room of the ship [Poseidon], Neptune Spear, who had become the King of the South Sea, had a cruel smile on his face as he looked at Ventetz.
“Today, I’ll crush that ideal.”
He had a confident smile. Neptune Spear wasn’t scared of Kang Chul-In’s military in the slightest, and that was understandable. All of the battles over Pangaea had taken place over land, and not only Kang Chul-In, but most Lords didn’t have experience with naval battles. The Gullveig Alliance only now realized the importance of the Hartum River and was growing its fleet. On the other hand, Neptune Spear was different. He was an experienced man when it came to fighting on the sea.
Naval battles? He could do those with his eyes closed.
“Kang Chul-In… I’ll teach you what true defeat is...”
It was well-founded confidence. Kang Chul-In had never lost before, but those were all things that happened over land, so it didn’t matter much to him. Neptune Spear was also someone who hadn’t lost naval battles.
[Your Majesty, the first squad is done loading the cannons!]
Just then, a soldier reported to Neptune Spear.
[Should we shoot?]
“Of course.”
Neptune Spear nodded.
“Don’t stop shooting until the ports and fleets of the enemies are completely destroyed! Shoot!”
[Yes, your Majesty!]
As soon as his command fell,
Pew, pew! 150 cannons shot at Kang Chul-In’s naval fleet.
“Weak land bastards… I’ll show you what the military from the south is like.”
Neptune Spear muttered to himself in a confident voice.
***
Pew, boom! The firepower of Neptune Spear was incredible.
“Aaaack!”
“W-We’re falling!”
“Hey, you sons of bitches! Stop shooting! I said to stop!”
In Venetz, the soldiers of the Valhalla Kingdom couldn’t do anything other than curse their enemies.
“Dammit!”
James grounded his teeth.
“Our allies! When are our allies arriving!”
“N-Not yet!”
“And the barrier?”
“I don’t think it’ll last for too long!”
“Shit!”
They were between a rock and a hard place. Neither Kang Chul-In nor Kwak Jung had anticipated Neptune Spear’s participation, and Venetz wasn’t ready to take an attack on this scale. The moment that the magic barrier surrounding the entire city broke, Venetz would be reduced to ashes by Neptune Spear’s attack.
“S-Sir!”
Just then, James’s secretary came running towards him with an urgent report.
“What is it?”
“Our allied magicians who have been retaining the barrier are exhausted!”
“...!”
“If this keeps up, it’ll be safer to throw the city away and leave...”
Kashing! James pulled out his sword like lightning and held it towards his secretary’s neck.
“Don’t say that again.”
“...!”
“If you say that again, I’ll kill you.”
“Commander James!”
“The moment we lose here, don’t you know that our entire kingdom will be in danger?”
He was right. Venetz was in the perfect position to attack the heart of Pangaea, Esmeralda, and the moment it was taken, the kingdom would be driven into a corner. Of course the Gullveig Alliance would want it.
“Even if you and I die...”
James growled.
“Even if all our soldiers and our citizens turn into ashes from the attack of our enemies...”
“...!”
“There is no retreat!”
That was James’s resolve.
“Do you want to put our kingdom in danger just to save our lives?”
“N-No! I made a mistake!”
Just as his secretary was apologizing,
-Kwoooo…!
A loud roar shook the ground they were standing on.
[You’ve done well enduring until now, soldiers.]
Kang Chul-In’s voice began to ring out.