novelThe Beast of Revelation (4)
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The central square was partially destroyed due to the confrontation between the swordsmen representing the Hebrion Empire and the Kingdom of Divide, who between themselves represented the majority of military might for the entire continent.
All of the buildings within a dozen meters had collapsed."..."
At the end of that confrontation, Brepon was the one who surrendered.
Immediately after he was defeated, the battle between the Side Guard and the Janissaries concluded.
It was the Side Guard's victory.
The Janissaries and Brepon were bound by chains that obstructed their use of aura. 'Was it all for nothing?'
Despite comprehending many exquisite principles of the sword, and polishing his techniques for decades, he was not able to overcome the highest wall on the continent, the Sword Grand Master.
Brepon smiled self-mockingly at this fact.
Raphaello kept nodding while communicating with someone.
It was an easy guess that he was liaising with someone about how to deal with the Janissaries, now defeated.
*Click*
They seemed to have reached a conclusion: Raphaello approached Brepon.
The sword that he was holding reflected sharply in the dawn light.
'As expected. '
To the Allied Forces, Pittsburgh was the center of the enemy territory. One could not drag prisoners around in this kind of place. 'It could be worse. '
Meeting his death as a result of confronting the best swordsmen on this continent, the Sword Grand Master, with all his might was more than ideal.
He closed his eyes and lowered his head.
'I probably subconsciously expected such an ending from the moment I overlooked the Outsiders taking over...'
*Swish*
The sword swung as expected, but what the sword cut out was completely different from his expectation.
"Why are you freeing me?"
Raphaello's sword has precisely cut the chain that was binding Brepon.
Pointing to the city of the palace, Raphaello answered.
"Look over there." "......?"
Brepon turned to look as he was told to do so, and was not able to hide his bewilderment. It was because the unbelievable was happening.
The sky had been cleaved in two, and an enormous arm was stretching out from the gap."Wh-What the hell......?!"
"That is the result of you blindly following orders."
An unprecedented disaster was unfolding before them. The faint sound of screaming was carried by the wind, and no doubt dozens were dying by the minute.
The gigantic arm was unreservedly transforming their city into a blend of dust, screams, and flesh.
'How come this kind of monster is in Pittsburgh...?'
Brepon glanced at the Side Guard and looked at their reactions.
The Side Guard were usually cool-headed, but there was not a trace of that right now.
They had either tensed up and frozen or they were visibly flustered with their mouths hanging wide open, unable to think of what their next move should be.
At least this was not the work of the Allied Forces. 'Then surely, this must be the Outsiders doing. ' Unsurprising.
Brepon had suppressed his frivolous feeling that the Kingdom of Divide and the Outsiders were secretly establishing a relationship. But since he was unaware of Pierrot Mask's abilities, he could only assume that the king was somehow connected to the Outsiders, and that Clora Baldershu still had the country's best interest at heart.
When such a monster appeared, and not even the Commander of Divide's army knew about it, Brepon realized that he had been used.
Therefore, he reached the only logical conclusion.
"It seems like the Outsiders are planning to eliminate both the Allied Forces and Divide by using that creature."
*Boooom*
A thundering noise echoed.
As if it was proving what Brepon mused,
Thunderbolts suddenly carpeted the area, destroying everything indiscriminately.
"If your loyalties truly lie with the Royal Family of Divide, I believe there's no reason for us to fight anymore."
"Are you saying we join forces and eliminate that monster?" Raphaello nodded to Brepon's question.
Brepon sprung out of his seat.
Impossible.
Brepon swallowed the words that found their way to his throat.
Many Divide soldiers, including the wyvern army, had been annihilated by the Allied Forces. It was a hundred times better to die gloriously than to join forces with the enemy who killed his subordinates.
However, Brepon was unable to refuse Raphaello's suggestion immediately. The reason was simple.
It was because a part of him acknowledged that Raphaello's claim was reasonable. 'There are still hundreds of thousands of unevacuated civilians in Pittsburgh...'
If that gigantic monster fully emerged from the crevice, there would certainly be an unimaginable number of casualties and damage.
He could not turn his back on them.
Brepon pulled himself together.
In fact, there was no choice for him in this matter. The choice that had to be made, the choice that could solve the current situation, was already decided.
"Have you made your decision?"
Raphaello asked. Brepon nodded in response."Killing that thing takes priority."
Brepon finally opened his mouth.
"Divide's army will cooperate with the Allied Forces until then."
* * *
The sound of weapons colliding had stopped and only the sound of footsteps filled Pittsburgh. Divide's army, aided by the Allied Forces, were evacuating the city while doing their best to maintain order.
At the same time, some soldiers were moving amongst the rubble of nearby houses. Among them, complaints began to surface.
"Seriously? Why are we destroying our own buildings? These are the pride of Divide!" "I know."
Despite the considerable amount of dissatisfaction they had at the fact that they had to follow orders they did not understand, they moved diligently.
Even though the order to cooperate with the enemy, whom they had been fighting with until now, could have been considered outrageous, there was less chaos than expected.
"Cooperate with the Allied Forces, that's the order from the Commander. Just follow the orders we're given."
One could say this was only possible for a kingdom like Divide, whose very governing order had been built on top of a military-like system. Even in chaos like this, the chain of command was distinct and well-managed.
'With this, the first preparations are complete. ' Desir looked at the busy soldiers and felt at ease.
He had entrusted Raphaello with Brepon's reconciliation, but he held doubts on whether it was actually plausible. It was incredibly difficult to forgive someone who took your comrades' lives, let alone work alongside them.
However, it was successful. It was not the case where there was no opposition presented, but due to the circumstances they found themselves in, they formed a partnership in silence, quietly complaining the entire time.
'We can probably make it on time. ' *Crrrack*
*Crrrrrrrrack*
The crevice in the sky had enlarged.
Fortunately, the crevice wasn't expanding particularly quickly, so they had plenty of time to evacuate citizens and begin preparing.
"Desir."
Desir turned his head."You've finally arrived."
There were three people approaching him from behind. They were Raphaello, Adjest, and Brepon.
Desir offered his hand to Brepon.
"At this moment, let's set aside any ill will and do our best for the citizens of Pittsburgh." "... That's what I was hoping for."
The commanders of Divide and the Allied Forces shook their hands.
Desir looked at all of the people gathered while he spoke.
"I'll get to the point as our situation is dire. We need the three of you to undertake very important missions."
Immediately after, Desir operated his communication pad and displayed a map.
Using this map, Desir began explaining the plan that he made in order to destroy the Beast of Revelation.
"......!"
The three of them listened quietly to his explanation. Each of their facial expressions were rather amusing as they continued to morph as they listened to Desir.
Brepon displayed the most change in his expression.
In the beginning, Brepon had nothing but doubt in his heart.
Not only had Desir been his enemy up until now, but what little he knew of the plan didn't seem particularly well thought-out.
To be honest, it was not an exaggeration to say that he did not trust him at all."That is all."
However, when Desir finished explaining, Brepon could not help but open his mouth.
He was aware that this was not the kind of demeanor he should have in front of someone who was once his enemy, but he was unable to hide his amazement.
He opened his mouth cautiously.
"Is this all coming from a credible source? How the hell would you get this kind of information......?"
"Adjest and I faced that monster in the Shadow World. This information is what we figured out from that encounter."
To those who do not understand the situation, it was a convincing answer.
"You've already detailed all its attacks. Your ability to gather information and plan is something else Desir. It's like you've killed it before."
Raphaello pat Desir on the back.
"Thanks to you, our job will be much easier." "I just did what I had to do."
Desir flinched for a second and smiled bitterly.
"... Incredible. With this kind of information, killing it is definitely possible."
While Raphaello and Brepon were admiring Desir's plan, Adjest alone remained silent. Adjest gazed at Desir in silence.
The corner of her mouth flinched as if she were hesitating."......"
It was at that moment when she, who had been hesitant to speak, opened her mouth. *Crash*
The crevice rapidly unfolded, blotting out the sky: the Beast of Revelation had arrived.
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