The days passed quickly, and the tension across the Six-Faced World rose with them.

Little by little, the sense that something enormous was taking shape spread across every continent in different ways.

On the Demon Continent, where most nations already revolved around the Kingdom of Gaia, all major forces were on full war footing.

Not only within their own territories, but everywhere. The Kingdom's great advantage lay in its Teleportation Circles and Magic Words; with them, movement and communication were far faster than they had any right to be.

On top of that, many Demon Kings and powerful subordinates had been directly recruited for the war mobilization and were already moving toward the deserts of the southern continent, with the Immortal Demon King Atoferatofe standing out among them alongside her loyal subordinate, Moore.

In the depths of the Ringus Sea, the Sea Race also answered the call. Warriors were dispatched to support the campaign in Begaritt, with Crab Warrior Ku serving as their immediate leader.

Unknown to most of them, the infamous Pistol Shrimp had also been sent out on a unique and secret mission, known only to Aisha and Jogord.

Farther south on the Central Continent, especially in the King Dragon Kingdom, the commotion was just as intense.

Too many foreigners and dangerous warriors were crossing those lands at the same time, causing every kind of trouble imaginable.

The young King Richard Kingdragon, now sixteen years old, had only just consolidated his position and political influence with the help of the Iron Legion, so handling that chaos without stepping on the toes of some major power was a delicate task.

Even so, without question, the Continent of Gaia was undoubtedly the main focal point of that large-scale mobilization.

That was mainly because most of the powerful affiliated warriors and fighters currently lived in the Kingdom of Gaia.

But there was also the current Dragon Knights Division, stationed very close to the Kingdom's capital, with more than a hundred dragons in its ranks—young and adult, blue and red, of every size.

Each one of them was a powerful beast of Rank A, or even Rank S. Since the start of the mobilization, dozens of dragons had been cutting majestically across the skies above the capital of Tinaver at high speed, and more than ten flew toward Begaritt every single day.

The ports and seas were also more agitated than ever.

It was not every day that a great maritime power launched such an absurd number of ships into the sea, arriving from every direction along the deserts of Begaritt and, to make matters worse, openly declaring with the utmost arrogance that entire cities would be evacuated without prior notice.

If any other Kingdom or Empire had tried the same thing, it would have been logistically impossible.

But Gaia's Legions arrived with mass transport, supplies, escorts made up of powerful warriors, and enormous, ferocious beasts that, to them, looked more like household pets.

Even when some local power tried to resist out of sheer stubbornness, there was never enough strength to offer any truly meaningful opposition.

And it was precisely that way of operating—efficient, militarized, forceful—that stirred surprise, anger, shock, and even admiration among the peoples of the Begaritt Continent.

Especially because the reason for the evacuation sounded far too absurd.

The "invaders" claimed that they were in danger of total extinction.

It was hard to take that well.

How was anyone supposed to react when an army arrived at their city and calmly informed them that their entire continent might disappear?

Seen from that perspective, a full-scale war between both sides would have been perfectly understandable.

But there were fundamental differences between them, and those differences kept that kind of escalation from happening so easily.

In terms of logistics, order, routes, supplies, and security, the armies of the Kingdom of Gaia were vastly better equipped.

Whether through special magical items or Mages capable of using Chantless Magic.

But the main difference—the one that truly made many peoples yield without too much resistance—was the combination of strength and unity.

The Begaritt Continent was the second most dangerous continent in the world. Its monsters were powerful, and only a handful of cities and villages were scattered across its territory, precisely because of the creatures and the hostile desert climate.

That made any serious alliance or real unity between different peoples incredibly difficult. Many spent their entire lives within their own cities without ever taking a single step beyond them.

And even setting all those difficulties aside, one of the biggest factors that convinced the natives almost immediately was the way large evacuation divisions from the Kingdom of Gaia crossed those deserts with barely any casualties or real difficulty at all.

The most impressive part was that they were not even accustomed to the desert.

Many locals were shocked by the sheer lack of basic desert survival knowledge shown by a number of soldiers from the Iron Legion.

In many respects, they were practically ignorant of it, and that made the natives seriously wonder how such a group could survive in an environment like that, much less thrive in it.

Many remained skeptical. At least until they began to witness, with their own eyes, things that grew more absurd with every step of the evacuation escort.

An enormous Blazing King Salamander, a Rank S beast over fifty meters tall, attacking a convoy, only to be killed instantly by a single shot from a massive mobile Ballista, the bolt punching through its skull without resistance.

On another occasion, a pack of Rank B Humerus Wolves attacking in large numbers, only to be cut down by a single apparently ordinary human swordsman.

Was the convoy thirsty? No problem. There was a Magical Jug of fresh water that seemed to hold the water of an entire river without ever running dry.

The gap in strength, understanding, technology, confidence, and the mysterious, unshakable might of their "captors" ended up crushing resistance far more effectively than any speech ever could.

Faced with all of that, many desert natives simply accepted the evacuation orders far more easily than they would have under any other circumstances.

Of course, it was not without difficulties and obstacles.

But that was exactly why the mobilization was so massive.

In the entire world, there was only one civilization that remained completely untouched by the conflicts, regardless of any tension outside.

The high mountains of the Heaven Continent.

Their isolationist policy was still serving them very well, after all.

----

Inside the Silver Palace of the Asura Kingdom, standing before Queen Ariel Anemoi Asura, was one of the Kingdom's Seven Knights.

A young knight with blue hair and eyes of the same color.

The Water Emperor, Isolte Cruel.

Beside Ariel stood another of Asura's Seven Knights, and also their commander: Sándor Von Grandeur, the Second North God.

Ariel, besides seeming even more charming and mature than she had years ago, had not changed in any essential way.

Her charisma remained the same, just as dazzling as when she had first taken the throne. In truth, it was easier to say that she had only grown more enchanting with time.

Then, with a voice as soft as a siren's song, she spoke across the Hall:

"Have you made your decision, Isolte?"

The young knight held Ariel's gaze for a moment longer before giving a slight bow of her head.

"I have, Your Majesty. I'm leaving tonight."

Ariel sighed.

Beside her, Sándor laughed loudly.

"Hahahah! Young people really are reckless these days! Well then, good luck in your fight, Lady Isolte. Now that that woman is young again, I really understand that expression she always uses—'vigorous as a bull'! Hahaha!"

Ariel's eyebrows twitched at once, and she turned her face toward Sándor.

He stopped laughing immediately and tried to compose himself into a serious expression.

Ariel had a headache coming on.

Her most dependable personal guard was leaving.

Not because Isolte was the strongest among all her knights. But in terms of defense, she truly was the most effective, precisely because she was a master of the Water God Style.

And the problem was that Ariel could not stop Isolte from leaving, even if she wanted to.

Before anything else, Isolte had remained in the Kingdom to serve her of her own free will, driven by a noble and burning desire to help her own people in their darkest hour.

And throughout all the years she had served, that was exactly what she had done.

Now, the Kingdom was far more stable and far more firmly under Ariel's control.

And Isolte, as a Knight, had played an enormous role in that, both through her strength and by serving as a symbol of integrity and righteousness among the Kingdom's soldiers.

Ariel already considered herself grateful that Isolte was not planning to desert.

Because of that, she could not truly stop her from pursuing her goal.

Even so, she made one last attempt to dissuade her:

"Are you sure you can defeat Reida Lia? She holds a very high position even within the Kingdom of Gaia. Claiming the title of Water God won't be so easy... and there's also that new young man at the Sword Sanctuary, what was his name again...?"

She looked at Sándor inquisitively.

He answered at once:

"Ajax, Your Majesty. He appears to wield a Demonic Magic Sword and uses Chantless Magic together with Sword God Style swordsmanship. No confirmed affiliation, but extremely strong."

Ariel nodded slowly.

"What I mean is, even if you defeat your grandmother, there's still no guarantee you'll be able to take the Sword Sanctuary from that young man and return it to the Water God Style..."

Isolte merely blinked, expressionless.

Then she repeated the same answer as always:

"Whether I can defeat them or not, I'll know when I get there. But I've already made my decision, Your Majesty."

Sándor smiled and looked at Ariel.

The queen still seemed hesitant, but after a few seconds, she finally gave up pressing the matter.

"Very well. Have a safe journey..."

With that, Isolte gave a slight bow.

Then she left the Hall without waiting for anything else.

Her footsteps gradually faded away until only Ariel and Sándor remained.

As soon as she was gone, Ariel leaned back against the throne, and her expression turned more serious.

"What is the situation in Begaritt?"

Sándor answered calmly, his hands behind his back:

"Lord Rudeus, Lord Ruijerd, Lady Sylphiette, and Alek are currently exploring the Ever-White Labyrinth. Relying on the Demon Eyes of Lord Ruijerd, Lord Rudeus, and Lady Sylphiette, they are avoiding any traps or major conflicts. Even so, they have reported an ever-growing and uncontrollable gathering of adventurers in the surrounding area. According to rough estimates, at least seventy percent of all adventurers and mercenaries on the Begaritt Continent have mobilized because of the Resurrection Stones, not even counting those who came from outside."

Ariel thought for a moment.

"And what about the armed forces of the Treasure Mage?"

Sándor frowned.

"That is the strangest part. The troops under his command are far more numerous and powerful than they should be, and their loyalty is unusually strong. Kensai does not have that level of influence, even as a King-Level Mage, so he was probably aided by Lord Orsted's enemy, Hitogami."

He thought for a moment, then concluded:

"A large portion of the powerful armed forces scattered among mercenaries and adventurers was quietly absorbed by the Treasure Mage over the last few years. So this is an old and extremely well-prepared plan."

Ariel began tapping her fingers thoughtfully against the armrest.

Her eyes drifted over the shining ornaments, the long curtains, and the details of the Throne Room as she thought.

Then she sighed once more.

"Well, we've been helped up until now, so we have to return the favor. You should go to Begaritt as well."

Sándor was surprised.

"I should, Your Majesty?"

Ariel looked at him and smiled.

"I am not that defenseless, Sándor, nor do I think I am that important on this board between Gods. Besides, Doga will still be here, and I have an entire army to guarantee my safety if he isn't."

Then she rose from the throne and continued, with that same calm composure as always:

"This is the moment when we must make our wager. I have a good feeling about this. Rudeus believes this operation may be the final offensive against that so-called Hitogami, and from that point onward, we will have Lord Orsted completely on our side..."

Ariel then turned her gaze toward the window.

Outside, the light streamed through the Silver Palace.

"After that... we'll still have to deal with mediating between the Beast God and the Dragon God... how frustrating. He seems so easy to deal with, and so difficult at the same time."

Then she concluded:

"Well, in any case, keep me informed constantly. Don't let Alek do anything stupid..."

With those words, Ariel left the Throne Room.

Sándor did not follow her.

If that was her order, then he would carry it out immediately.

----

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