Chapter 213: The Land of the Gods
“The time has come!”
A solemn voice echoed across the terrace of the grand temple, amplified by the magic of sound.
“The radiance of our Law God, Bok, shall henceforth illuminate the earth!”
An elderly man, clad in luxurious robes adorned with intricate black embroidery, raised his voice high.
“We have endured. —Time and time again. —For many years!”
Surrounding the towering sanctum of the temple, a multitude of people had gathered. There were tens of thousands, a black mass of humanity.
“We have persevered and spoken with words. We have continued to speak! But—oh, but! Until the very end, they refused to accept our salvation, Spasiyeni! They have continued to ignore the words of our God, Bok!”
The assembled faithful fell silent, yet they listened intently, their fervor palpable.
“Even our generous Law God has finally made a decision! I hereby declare— the Holy War, Svyataya Vayner!”
A tremor coursed through the air. The faithful began to chant their prayers, Maritova, in unison. The voices of tens of thousands surged like a great wave, resonating throughout the holy capital, Staritsa.
“Clerics, advance!”
Amidst the prayers, the Pope’s voice rang out unwaveringly.
“Let us vanquish our enemies, liberate the people, and proclaim the name of our Law God, Bok!”
“Yes!!”
The response erupted like thunder. The holy clerics, soldiers of the divine, were all magicians. Their combined amplification magic became a reply to the Pope.
“Annihilate them, Zistaloi!!”
“Annihilate them, Zistaloi!!”
“Deliver salvation, Spasimenya!!”
“Yes!!”
The great doors of the temple slowly swung open, and the lined-up clerics, fully armed holy knights, Ritsari, began their march.
Thus, the Holy War of the Law God Bok commenced, a campaign against all neighboring nations.
“Is the situation really that dire?”
“Yes. They refuse to surrender. The royalty and nobility have been slaughtered, and all soldiers and citizens who capitulated have been turned into slaves. Their properties have been confiscated, and most have been taken away as serfs.”
“Anyone who does not serve their so-called God is deemed an enemy of the divine, and in the name of the God, they are condemned to live their lives as slaves for salvation. That was the gist of it, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. It seems that such proclamations have been made to the surrounding nations for about ten years now. Our country received a messenger as well. Normally, no ordinary nation would accept such terms. They have been coming every year, but this time it was a final ultimatum.”
“Unforgivable.”
The Eternal Duke, Amagio Silverhead, sighed at the report from the diplomatic department.
“However, we cannot overlook this. Right?”
“Indeed. If their campaign continues, it will eventually reach our nation. With a large number of serfs at their disposal, their national power will significantly increase. Moreover, unlike an empire, they are ruled by clerics. We cannot expect them to weaken due to internal corruption or bloat. I cannot predict what will happen in fifty or a hundred years, but at least for the next ten years, they will remain unshaken.”
“That’s true.”
Religion can be troublesome, especially when it is an exclusive monotheism that blindly believes in its own righteousness.
“If we had just five more years, we would be ready.”
The army of the Kingdom of Repuitari was currently undergoing significant cuts, leading to a general weakening. The navy was strong, but their opponent was a continental nation. While there were cities along the coast, all major functions lay far beyond the mountains. Their naval artillery lacked the range to be effective.
“The modernization of the army will not be completed in time. Even with support, it might last a year.”
“It would be impossible with the northern nations. Their numbers are simply overwhelming.”
“Clerics who continue their eastern campaign while devouring resources—like locusts.”
“Indeed, quite so…”
Yet, they could not simply sit idly by. They needed to act swiftly to slow the enemy’s advance. If they could delay them even slightly, the lack of supplies would quickly lead to their downfall.
However…
“But they are too far away, and we lack the numbers. Even if we aim for their supply lines, they have no logistics to target, making it ineffective. We may have no choice but to encircle and crush them…”
Amagio Silverhead stroked his chin, tracing his finger across the map.
“Regardless, we do not have enough forces. We must find a way to buy time.”
Thus, the western part of the Northern Continent would be drawn into a quagmire of war.
“So, what exactly is the situation?”
“It is a large-scale invasion war by the Kingdom of Prava in the western continent. The surrounding small nations are being swallowed one after another. The Kingdom of Repuitari is close, but fortunately, it is separated by the sea. Their naval power seems almost nonexistent, so there should be no immediate impact.”
Analysis of satellite images revealed a massive military invasion occurring on the Northern Continent. The Kingdom of Prava was swiftly subjugating neighboring nations, and it seemed that no country could respond to their lightning-fast advance.
“Big Sister, shouldn’t we deploy an underwater base for intelligence gathering?”
“Hmm, that’s a good point.”
The underwater base for the Kingdom of Repuitari was operational, and they had accumulated sufficient know-how. If they operated above the skies of Repuitari, they could freely deploy drones without concern, ensuring communication coverage.
However, their opponent was a land-based nation. Approaching from the sea was somewhat inefficient.
“RINGO, do you have any plans?”
“Yes, Ma’am. It would be wise to establish an underground base on a mountaintop. If it is in a remote area, the chances of detection will be minimal.”
While it was likely that even a regular base would remain undetected, it would be ideal to find a mineral vein, though that was unlikely to happen.
“Hmm, let’s proceed with that for now.”
They would secretly construct an underground base and build an intelligence network around it. Once they could gather information, they could expand the underground base further.
“There are several candidate locations, but first, we will establish the underwater base. If we can secure it as a stronghold, we can then advance to the coastal areas.”
“Hey, Big Sister. Wouldn’t it be good to build a base in the Kingdom of Repuitari?”
“Since they are our ally, I think it’s definitely a possibility.”
Utsugi and Erika’s suggestions made Commander Eve ponder.
To be honest, she had considered that option.
“It feels a bit premature… asking that much of a sovereign nation is a bit much.”
The Kingdom of Repuitari was ruled by Amagio Salmon, a former player. Well, he was just one of the nobles and did not govern alone.
It felt inappropriate to construct a military base that could threaten their sovereignty in such a nation.
“Considering their national power, if we establish just one frontline base, they could conquer the entire territory…”
In the relatively rational Kingdom of Repuitari, RINGO’s simulations could accurately predict outcomes. If a frontline base standardized by The Tree were built in that nation, the results indicated that it could easily lead to the domination of their territory.
“Moreover, do we even need to intervene in this war?”
“Not only for the Kingdom of Repuitari, but the imbalance of power among the surrounding nations could lead to a decline in the overall economy. If possible, I would prefer to maintain a tense situation where they can mutually restrain each other.”
Eve nodded at Akane’s opinion. They were still trading with the Kingdom of Repuitari. At the very least, she did not want a situation that would disrupt the supply of imported goods.
“Hmm. Direct intervention is a bit… I wonder if there’s a way to intervene more peacefully.”
“Providing aid to the Kingdom of Repuitari would be the least controversial way to participate.”
For instance, if they were to launch a ballistic missile with a wide-area annihilation weapon, that alone would halt the invasion. However, from The Tree’s perspective, there was no particular reason to go that far. It would simply be an act of massacre.
This was a matter between nations. Outsiders should not intervene with arrogance. They were not aiming for world domination.
“I can somewhat understand the feelings of a time traveler struggling with whether to intervene in history.”
“…Big Sister, I think that’s completely different.”
“Is it?”
Nonetheless, it would be acceptable to provide assistance to the Kingdom of Repuitari.
It would likely lead to a significant national crisis. How would that nation respond? If they could humbly ask for help, she (Eve) would extend a hand through The Tree.
However, that would be tantamount to accepting control by a super AI.
Could Amagio Salmon accept that?
Chapter 7: The Land of the Gods has begun.
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