One Piece: I am Imu-Chapter 313: A Continent on the Brink

The Halkeginia continent is completely in chaos due to Amatori Biba.

This 'zero magic world' has not experienced a world war of this scale for thousands of years.

This is evident from the fact that despite nearly six thousand years of development, both magic and technology remain underdeveloped, and even the population has not grown significantly.

After all, war is often a catalyst for the progress of civilization.

According to Tucker's research, there are three main reasons for this stagnation.

The first reason is the unity of faith.

The second reason is the rigid class structure of magic.

It appears that only those with a certain bloodline connection to the 'Founder' Brimir, namely the nobles, can master the power of magic, making it impossible for commoners to challenge them.

The third reason is that, among the five kingdoms of the present continent, the ancestors of three royal families are children of Brimir, while the first Pope of Romalia was a disciple of Brimir.

In other words, only the Kingdom of Germania was established later.

Of course, there are also many principalities and marquisates on the continent, but their territories are too small and their national strength too weak to be worth mentioning.

Given this situation, for a long time, the so-called international affairs were entirely the internal matters of the 'Brimir family.' Even when conflicts arose, they never escalated into full-scale wars.

Even if some reckless individuals emerged over time, the popes of each generation were responsible for mediating or punishing them.

Thus, this world was extremely oppressive and despairing for commoners, as the nobles provided no opportunities for social advancement.

The highest position a commoner could achieve was that of a captain in the army.

Becoming a knight or general was out of the question.

...

Holy Romalian Empire.

"Your Holiness, why are we allowing those kingdoms to destroy each other?"

Julio looked at Pope Vittorio, who sat on the throne, with a puzzled expression.

This young man with blond hair, dressed in white robes and a blue cloak, but with one red and one blue eye, was actually a void familiar summoned from another world, much like Hiraga Saito.

And the Pope, of course, was also a void user!

"Hey, Julio, I have told you before that our world is on the verge of doomsday, and the only way to save our people is to reclaim the 'Holy Land' occupied by the elves, open the 'World Gate' there, enter another world, and secure land for survival."

Pope Vittorio spoke slowly with a heavy expression, while Julio stood silently at the base of the grand hall, listening intently.

"But the elves are incredibly powerful. Their magic and warships far surpass those of our human kingdoms. To achieve our first step, and even the second step, we must unite all the kingdoms' forces."

"I originally planned to convene an alliance meeting, but the actions of the Kingdom of Albion made me think of another possibility!"

Pope Vittorio gazed intently at Julio.

"That is to let one kingdom unify all the human nations on the continent. This would concentrate all our forces and create a more cohesive structure than a loose alliance."

Upon hearing this, Julio suddenly understood the Pope's reasoning.

"But Your Holiness, doing so will result in countless casualties, and a kingdom that unifies all nations will undoubtedly pose a threat to Romalia's status."

When the power of the king surpasses that of the church, will he be content to remain subordinate to theocracy?

However, Pope Vittorio calmly responded, "The world is on the brink of destruction. Why does that matter?"

"This..."

Julio was speechless, then heard the Pope lower his voice and say: "As for the sacrifices required for unification, they are a necessary evil. Otherwise, everyone will face death. We must choose to save the majority."

Julio could not refute this, for he knew that the 'Wind Stone Disaster' was real.

In some parts of the continent, the ground had already cracked and begun to float into the sky.

It was only a matter of time before the phenomenon worsened, breaking the entire continental plate into fragments, reducing it to floating islands much like the Kingdom of Albion.

The natural ecosystem would be utterly destroyed, and the death toll would far exceed that of the current wars!

After a moment, Julio asked again with uncertainty: "If that is the case, why don't we assist a particular kingdom?"

"Because we are a religious nation, a neutral country, and I cannot yet determine which kingdom will unify the continent. It is better to let things unfold naturally."

Pope Vittorio responded in a detached tone before giving Julio an order.

"But I need you to go to the Kingdom of Tristain and ensure the safety of the void user named Louise. Whether for opening the 'World Gate' or for conquering another world in the future, her void magic is essential!"

"Understood."

Julio nodded, then swung his blue cloak and strode out of the magnificent cathedral, where golden and emerald-encrusted architecture gleamed in the light.

"Honorable 'Founder' Brimir, please have mercy on your descendants, and grant us success in securing a future in another world."

Pope Vittorio closed his eyes and silently prayed countless times.

As one of the only two individuals aware of the impending apocalypse, his burden was unimaginable to others.

For he was the Pope, responsible for saving all people.

Even if it required sacrificing tens of thousands, even if it meant invading another world, it was a necessary price to pay!

...

In the coastal area about 300 kilometers west of the Kingdom of Tristain.

The deafening roars and shouts of battle filled the air, and the continuous sounds of artillery fire and magical bombardments followed one after another.

Looking down from the sky.

You could see two large and powerful magical armies, with the vast ocean as the backdrop, fiercely clashing on both land and in the skies.

But the fighting styles of both sides were quite different.

Most of the soldiers in the southern army were heavily armored, wielding swords, and charging bravely.

Meanwhile, in the northern army, lightly armored soldiers held peculiarly shaped long-handled muskets, using walls made of earth magic as cover while continuously firing outward.

On their left and right flanks, shield bearers raised their shields overhead to block the arrows raining down from the sky.

Behind them stood magicians gripping long staffs, ready to counter incoming magical fireballs or shells.

Further back, a formation of cannons—numbering up to two hundred—stood at the ready.

With each deafening cannon blast, surging flames erupted, unleashing a sky full of bullets upon the enemy forces.

Each time a shell landed, smoke billowed, and blood and flesh were sent flying.

From a broader perspective, ignoring the magical warships and dragon knights in the sky, it didn't seem like two magical armies were clashing. Rather, it looked like an ancient cold-weapon army was facing off against a hot-weapon army reminiscent of the First World War.

Magic had become a supporting role on the battlefield.

This was the main battleground between Gallia and Albion, the two great powers!

The large-scale use of artillery by the Kingdom of Albion shocked the high-ranking generals of the Gallia side.

The Kingdom of Albion had not only produced such a vast number of cannons, but their number of magical warships had also exceeded the norm.

However, the most shocking—and even terrifying—thing was the widespread use of the long-handled muskets among enemy soldiers. The range, firing speed, accuracy, and power of these muskets far surpassed any firearms they had known.

Although their own infantry corps was brave and fearless, they kept falling in rows under the rain of bullets, dying meaninglessly in the charge.

This left the generals in a panic. freewebnøvel.com

It wasn't out of pity for the civilian soldiers who were dying—it was because they recognized the immense threat these long-handled muskets posed to them, the magicians.

If these muskets became widespread, then civilians could form armies capable of confronting magicians head-on.

"They must die! The Kingdom of Albion must be destroyed!" The Marshal of the Kingdom of Gallia had a resolute face. His fear and disgust toward the muskets made him look particularly menacing.

He was a staunch defender of the aristocracy.

"Yes, King Wales could not have been unaware of the consequences of these muskets, yet he still produced them—and in large quantities. This is a betrayal of the aristocracy!"

"Kill him! Destroy all the muskets and their design blueprints! Every craftsman involved in their production must die!"

The surrounding generals, both high-ranking and lower-ranking, were equally furious and alarmed.

Previously, the war had been sparked by Wales and Henrietta's marriage violating the rules of the aristocracy.

Even if the Kingdom of Albion and the Kingdom of Tristain were ultimately defeated, their rulers would not be harmed—at worst, they would be forced to separate.

But now, the nature of the war has changed.

It had transformed into a war to protect their own class, and class struggles were brutally unforgiving.

This shift rapidly intensified the war.

Gallia's offensive grew fiercer at an alarming rate, and many generals with exceptional swordsmanship and magic skills began leading dragon-mounted assaults.

In addition to the common fire dragons, their ranks included green wind dragons and light-blue water dragons.

Not only were they physically stronger than ordinary dragon knights, but they were also clad in full-body armor made of refined steel.

This was the power of the great noble houses!

Their presence on the battlefield exerted significant pressure on Albion's magical fleet.

These noble generals—draped in full-body fine-steel armor covering both themselves and their dragons—were barely fazed by ordinary musket fire. Bullets merely sparked against their armor.

Furthermore, they were all high-level mages who could pose a great threat to the mages on Albion's magical airships.

This allowed them to easily destroy one magic warship after another.

However, the overall advantage in the war still leaned toward Albion.

The brave soldiers of Gallia couldn't break through the relentless firepower network created by the muskets. The incoming bullet storm easily pierced their armor and shields.

For a while, screams echoed through the dense gunfire.

The vast plain was now littered with corpses, and the ground was gradually being stained with blood.

Although the Marshal was enraged by this situation, he was powerless to change it.

Until he received Sheffield's order to halt the offensive—

And saw the five colossal figures she had brought with her.

"Have everyone fall back. It's time for these 'Jörmungandr' to perform~"

Sheffield stood on the shoulder of a steel giant at the center, looking down at the Marshal with a cold, arrogant expression as she issued her command.

"Jörmungandr?!"

Everyone around was stunned, gazing in shock at the five steel giants—each over 20 meters tall—wielding massive black swords.

The eerie red glow within their armored visors sent chills down their spines.

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