Chapter 196

Chapter 196

“Joins, don’t stop the aerial assault!”

“High Elves, soften the ground to slow their movement speed!”

Fifty kilometers from the Temple of Elatra.

Something as massive as a mountain moved slowly.

The Tranfeion Alliance of races relentlessly unleashed attacks, desperately trying to slow the colossal mass’s pace.

“Those without treasure-grade weapons, fall back! You’ll only increase unnecessary casualties!”

“We must stall them here at all costs! The temple’s supplies are being transported by the dwarves!”

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-

A thunderbolt struck the slow-moving giant, halting its advance momentarily.

Then, three shadows shot toward it.

Dojae’s Black Golems.

Gonggol, Banggol, Mangol.

Whoosh-.

Thud-thud-thud!

But when the massive figure casually swung his arm, the three black golems were sent flying without even getting a chance to fight back, crashing into the ground.

“It has already absorbed too many lives…”

“Our strength is insufficient…!”

“At this rate, the core won’t hold out, let alone obey commands.”

The scattered black golems gathered together, gazing at the massive figure.

Countless beings of other races had sacrificed themselves to halt its movement.

So you delayed?

We did delay it.

But it was never their will—that colossal form simply moved slowly on its own.

– Just when I was getting full… Where did it go? Haa….

A voice drifted slowly from the giant form.

As I let out a sigh, something like a scream mingled with it.

The creature suddenly seemed annoyed, glaring and swiping wildly at the sky.

“Kyaaah!”

“Aaargh!”

The Jo-in tribe members soaring through the sky and the elves casting spells in midair were swept up by the giant’s palm and arm, crashing headfirst into the ground.

The lucky ones died instantly where they fell; the unlucky ones writhed in agony.

But that agony didn’t last long.

Gurgle-.

A translucent substance gushed from the mouths of the barely surviving creatures.

Like will-o’-the-wisps, they rose into the air and were sucked into the giant’s nostrils.

Thud-.

Thud-thud-thud-.

Thud-!

As the giant creature took a few more steps forward, one of its legs sank into the ground up to the calf.

It had fallen into a spot where magic had turned the ground into a swamp.

The elves, capable of magic, wasted no time in hardening the ground solid.

Thud-thud-.

Gugugung-.

As the giant struggled to pull its foot free, the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.

But the elves used bush binding magic to entwine the giant’s body, halting its movement.

Thud-.

– Ridiran… Bedaya… Havik… Is Havik dead?

The giant thumped his butt on the ground, muttering the traitor’s name.

Yes.

He was Balang, the Beast King.

The renegade with the strongest physique.

– Annoying.

Balan’s ability, his physical strength, manifests by killing his opponents and making their stolen lives his own.

In other words, the more he kills, the stronger he becomes, and this increased strength makes killing even easier.

However, the downside is that it makes him increasingly lazy.

“Now! Attack!”

The non-humans, wielding dwarf weapons worthy of being called treasures, launch an all-out assault on Balran, who lies fallen and shows no sign of rising.

Shashak-! Tang-!

Some attacks landed, but the rest failed to even leave a scratch.

Even the hits that connected barely made a mark on his skin, leaving doubt whether they could inflict any pain at all.

“Sarrieta, hold back everyone except the mage! For now, a swift retreat is the right move!”

Magol shouted as he soared into the sky.

Having mastered hundreds of spells and dragon incantations from Herteias, Magoli was the most powerful mage among all present.

Swish-!

Nevertheless, Magoli used a binding spell instead of an attack spell, enveloping Balan’s massive body.

Even after blocking Balaan here and unleashing countless offensive spells, they hadn’t inflicted any significant damage, so their priority was to stop it from moving.

“Got it!”

Sari drew an arrow, placed it against the nock, and whispered quietly.

Then she shot her bow toward the sky.

Whoosh-.

Pah-!

The arrow halted in the sky, emitting bright beams of light. These beams seeped into the minds of all the non-human races gathered here.

“It’s Sarieta’s voice! Everyone retreat!”

“High Elves, gather near the Black Golem!”

“Dark Elves, cast curses to put them to sleep!”

Everyone began retreating, except for the four Black Golems and the elves skilled in magic.

The Grey Elf Hamar sprinted from afar and approached Sari.

“Chief, leave this to me and return to the temple.”

Sari looked around.

All the gathered races here were people Sari had personally recruited through her own efforts.

Sari was their spiritual leader, and they needed a commander capable of leading them from the temple of Elatra to the temple of Eurabia.

“I understand. I’ll leave this to Hamar.”

In the past, Sari would have insisted on staying.

But now, she had grown enough to read the situation and understand Hamar’s heart.

“Then, I’ll see you later.”

“I wish you luck.”

Hammar vanished again toward the mages.

Sari watched her retreating figure for a moment before turning away and plunging into the moving crowd.

***

“Hey, you! Pack up quickly and hurry up!”

“But it’s a spear made by the Elder… a masterpiece of the Dwarves…”

“Master craftsman or not, do you want to die trying to find the old man? Load it onto the cart now!”

“Yes, sir…”

Osun scolded the village blacksmith, who was handling a spear with extreme care.

Of course, it was far too beautiful and magnificent a spear to be carelessly stored mixed in with the others, but time was far too short for that.

This was because the location of Balran, relayed in real time, was getting closer and closer.

“Brother Osun! The combat unit is returning!”

Osun rushed out of the temple upon hearing the report.

Rushing to the outer wall of the fortifications, he could see the Centaurs charging from afar, kicking up a dust storm.

“What’s happening?”

Osun asked the long-haired centaur who had arrived fastest.

He was the chieftain of a combined force of several tribes.

“We’ve come to help!”

“Help? What do you mean?”

“All the other races, except the mages, are coming after us! If we move our combat forces along with supplies and bases, we can move faster. Chief Sarrieta sent word to say so.”

Centaurs arrived one after another.

The Centaur Chieftain awaited Oson’s command.

“Understood. You lot pull the wagons!”

The chieftain nodded.

He raised his sword high and dashed toward the rear of the temple.

Unlike before, the current temple had grown several times, even dozens of times larger, now nearly the size of a small kingdom.

They had firmly established a stronghold capable of easily repelling invasions by large monsters, but that area was the size of a mountain.

It was clear that just a few swings would lay it waste, so reluctantly, they had no choice but to abandon it and leave.

“Damn it!”

Thud.

A small hole appeared in the outer wall from Oson’s fist, punched in frustration.

We had prepared diligently and achieved some success.

The synergy was tremendous when the scattered non-humans gathered together. They even formed a special unit to hunt monsters.

But moving to a new location would undoubtedly bring trouble and sacrifice.

After all, news had already reached them that Titans and Dwarves were clashing at the unfinished Eurabia Temple.

“If only my master had been here… Ugh.”

Osun wondered what it would have been like if Dojae had been here at a time like this.

Mysterious artifacts, powerful golems, and even the power of the Seeker.

With Dojae, even the strongest enemy seemed like he could be easily defeated.

And before he knew it, Oson was recalling the peaceful days of traveling together with Sari and Tahul.

“Are you thinking of that man from another world?”

His father, Puson, approached his side.

“Father…”

“Osun, Tranfeion is our land. That man from another realm is merely a stranger. How much do you think he truly cares about Tranfeion?”

“The master will protect Tranfeion!”

“Are you certain?”

Osun fell silent for a moment.

Come to think of it, Dojae had only acted according to his purpose; whether he liked or loved the continent of Tranfeion was impossible to know.

But Osun chose to believe.

Though Dojae was often eccentric and unpredictable, he was someone who valued those around him.

Such a man would not stand idly by and watch Tranfeion’s destruction.

“I’m certain.”

“Really?”

“I, Ohson Ironhammer! Dare to declare to my father! Our master is one who will do everything in his power to protect Tranfeion!”

Oson showed unwavering resolve.

Puson looked at Osun with admiration.

“You’ve made a good friend. I understand.”

Puson left the room.

Osun flung open the outer gate wide and shouted, spotting Sari moving within the distant group.

“Everyone, hurry up and move! We’re abandoning this base today!”

***

Clang-.

Whoosh-!

Space split apart.

Bright light burst forth.

And within it, a man and a woman revealed themselves.

“This is the continent of Tranfeion, another dimension…”

Dojae stopped mid-sentence as he tried to explain Tranfeion to Eunhee.

The surroundings were too quiet, eerily so.

“Did we get here correctly?”

Eunhee also looked around and asked.

Briasilius and Herteias had clearly set the coordinates for Elatra’s temple. They had also adjusted the time, calculating backwards from the period Dojae had crossed, to ensure they didn’t stray too far from the correct era.

Yet neither Sari nor Osun, nor any other alien race, was in sight.

Thud.

“That’s the temple of Elatra. Judging by the surroundings, we did establish a base as I mentioned before returning… but why is no one here?”

Dojae, surveying the area near Elatra’s temple with Eunhee, wore a puzzled expression.

The buildings touched by the dwarves’ hands weren’t simple, disposable structures meant to be discarded; they were sturdy, durable buildings that could withstand long-term use without issue.

Yet, there was no one inside or outside.

“Still, there are signs they lived here until recently.”

Eun-hee wiped down one of the tables inside the building with her hand.

It was spotless, not a speck of dust in sight.

Looking around a bit more, traces of a fire were still clearly visible.

But there wasn’t a single piece of tableware like bowls or cutlery.

“Then it means they abandoned this place because of some problem. Let’s head to the temple first.”

Dojae led Eunhee toward the temple of Ellatra.

Eun-hee looked curiously at the scenery, which had an atmosphere completely different from modern civilization.

Squeak-.

The door to the temple of Elatra opened.

After checking inside, Dojae tilted his head in confusion once more.

“It’s completely empty…”

Dojae gazed at the utterly empty interior of the Elatra Temple.

If it was cleared out this thoroughly, it meant they hadn’t fled but had relocated their base somewhere else.

“Looks like they’ve moved elsewhere. Should we head that way too?”

“Yes, we should move now. Something might have happened.”

Dojae concentrated as he and Eunhee exited the temple.

He was searching for the mana of the four Black Golems whose mana connection had been severed for a long time.

Pfft.

Bang-gol’s mana flashed past Dojae’s temple.

And in that instant.

“Eunhee!”

Do-jae pulled Eun-hee into his arms and dodged to the side.

Kwaaang-!

Bang-gol narrowly missed Do-jae and Eun-hee, smashing through one side of the temple.

Do-jae could sense the overwhelming surge of Gelahan’s energy.

“The traitor… Eun-hee, we have to leave now!”

Dojae wrapped his arms around Eunhee’s waist.

Simultaneously, he thrust Banggol into the sub-space and soared skyward.

Puhwaak-!