I am the Monarch

“Kuk!”

“Kuuk!”

Short mutters escaped from amongst the pillar of dirt, marking the beginning of a real battle.

Kwang! Kakang! Kukukung!

Sounds of steel and explosions continued one after another. Pillars of dirt were formed everywhere while the grounds revealed itselves. Rocks were broken and the ground had sunk deep.

“Back off!”

“Back off and reorganise yourselves!”

As soon as the commander of a 1000, Hedley shouted, the centurions under his post retreated back along with the soldiers. It was a quick retreat while caring for the injured, which reflected the level of training they had been receiving daily.

‘Good, now I can use my power to the fullest.’

Feeling the presences of the soldiers furthering away, Roan clenched hard. His muscles expanded while the mana in his mana hall fluttered roughly like the ocean waves.

Paaat!

Reddish-black light followed the Travias Spear into the skies.

Hwaruruk!

The light had soon turned into flames.

“Kneel!”

With a scream, Roan twisted his spear. The spearhead that had been pointing above spewed out reddish-black flames as it divided the dimension itself.

“Hmph! I’m the strongest in the world, General Gorg of Great Strength! No-one can make me kneel!”

Swinging his two hammers one at a time, he smote the flames coming off the Travias Spear.

Kwaaaang!

A deafening roar louding that before was created and at the same time,

Kukukukung.

The mountain that had been barely holding on couldn’t resist any more as it collapsed after a tremble. It was a landslide.

“T, this is not a battle of humans…”

Hedley that had fortunately retreated before the landslide occurred dropped his chin and shook his head. It was the same for the soldiers lining up behind him; lost in awe as they stared at the ground trembling, mountain collapsing and dimensions being torn apart.

“Cough.”

A rough cough sounded from within the cloud of dust. It belonged to none other than Roan.

‘He’s stronger than I thought.’

Wiping his lips with the back of his hand, Roan made a bitter laugh.

‘He’s the strongest out of all the foes I’ve faced.’

Simon Rinse couldn’t even be compared to this. The outraged Simon was strong enough to startle others but he was still readily suppressed after adding the powers of Flamdor and Travias into one.

“Uhahaha!”

Gorg let out a strange laughter and with his two hammers, he slammed the ground before him.

Kung!

Together with the heavy sound, the hammers dug into the ground.

“I heard there was no-one stronger than Roan Lancephil in the east side of the Grain Mountain Range but…”

His slender eyes unfitting of the build sparkled ominously.

“If you really are the strongest, then that’s too much of a letdown. I shouldn’t have said I would take care of the east side. The two empires on the western side would’ve been more interesting, uhahahaha!”

The mocking laughter echoed in the mountains, and that sound had reached clearly into the soldiers of the Western Army that had been standing in a far off distance.

“S, sir commander…”

“I, is his majesty in a peril by any ch…”

When several soldiers were about to say that with worried expressions,

“Shut your mouth.”

Hedley shut them down with a cold voice. Standing tall, he stared at the faraway Roan, and his eyes showed no signs of trembling. To ensure that the soldiers standing behind him could hear, Hedley bellowed in a large voice.

“His Majesty will be victorious.”

His face was filled with certainty.

“The Amaranth…”

The ends of his words quivered but it was due to a definite passion.

“Will never wither!”

His words were carried by the wind into Gorg’s ears as well.

“Never wither? What a joke.”

Staring directly at Roan, he made a strange smile.

“If it never withers, then I’ll trample on it.”

As soon as he finished, Gorg kicked off the ground with his unbelievably agile large body. His speed was obviously faster than normal soldiers and was even slightly faster than the Taemusas or knights that had trained in mana.

Uuuuung!

The two hammers bisected the dimensions with delay. Putting strength into his two feet, Roan made the Travias Spear thicker and at the same time, he pulled out his mana to smack at the handle part of the hammers.

Kwaaang!

Along with an ear-splitting sound, the two hammers strongly suppressed Roan and his spear.

“Resisting this, not bad!”

Seeing Roan taking in his power from the front, Gorg let out a strange laughter.

“Uhup!”

He breathed in deeply and inserted strength into his two arms.

Psssh

Roan’s two feet dug in deep into the ground as the outrageous strength that felt like it could squash the body fell on his head and feet. It was a truly unbelievable strength.

“Die!”

Gorg once again put more strength.

Kukung!

Roan’s knees were bent in half.

“Uhahahaha!”

Gorg’s laughter reached the eardrums but it was then that Roan freed his right hand from the spear, and due to that, the spear that had been barely holding up with two hands supporting was dangerously pushed back by the hammers.

His head could be squashed by the hammer in one second but Roan was slightly faster. Spinning from where he was standing, Roan stabbed Gorg’s side with his right elbow.

Slaaam!

The elbow dug into the side of Gorg who was not even wearing a single piece of armour.

“Kuuk!”

Feeling the pain from his innards trembling, Gorg clenched down and naturally, the power he had put into the hammers were gone. Quickly taking a step back, Roan retreated before stabbing forward with his spear. The flames that had risen along with the spearhead flew towards Gorg’s chest, but,

“Bastard!”

Gorg was a monster. Without being fazed by Roan’s attack, he swung his hammer again and once again, it collided with the Travias Spear.

Kwaaang!

Together with the roar, a cloud of dust rose up and the landslide occurred again. At the same time, one of the two men were flung back, and slammed hard into the rocks filling the mountainside.

Kukung!

The rocks were broken into pieces after a heavy noise. A heavy cloud of dust rose and silence fell. The place where the dust settled first was where the two had collided.

“Uhahahaha!”

As if he had been waiting, a laughter broke out and revealed Gorg keeping his spot after the collision.

“Ah…”

“Y, your majesty!”

The soldiers of the Western Army that had been watching had pale expressions as they let out sighs. Even Hedley who had been without a single doubt was filled with tension and gulped. His trembling pupils faced towards the rocks where Roan had crashed into, but it was difficult to locate Roan.

“Even the so-called strongest of the East, Roan Lancephil couldn’t withstand my two hammers, Pistuca!”

Screaming in a loud voice, Gorg swung the two hammers, Pistuca around.

“The humans of the East side! Tremble and quiver! As I, the General of Great Strength Gorg will lead my soldiers into…”

When he reached around there,

Tuduk, tududuk, tudududududuk.

The rocks and stones that had collapsed powerlessly quivered before being patted away.

“Hmm?”

Stopping his speech, Gorg stared at the rocks and,

Kwaang!

Bits of rocks flew in all directions. A light cloud of dust rose up but was soon dissipated by the wind.

“Ah!”

From the mouths of the soldiers escaped murmurs. In the midst of the remains of the rocks stood that person – the person whom they wanted to be safe over everything, Roan Lancephil.

“Huu.”

Heaving out a deep breath, he patted his clothes gently with his right hand. The rocks and dirt all fell on the ground.

“This is troubling.”

He whispered in a small voice before shaking his head.

“It seems that it would be impossible.”

A bitter smile was hung on his lips, and seeing that, Gorg broke out into a loud laughter.

“Uhahahaha! I was about to commend you for somehow surviving but you’ve given up already?”

He nodded his heavy head.

“Right, right. No matter how much you try, you would be smacked down every time. Give up instead and offer your neck cleanly. I will use my Pistuca with one strike to make your head into…”

He was about to continue further but unable to hold back, Roan let out a laugh while shaking his head.

“What nonsense are you saying?”

A bold yet soft voice.

“U, un? Nonsense?”

Gorg stuttered with a blank face while Roan cracked his head left and right before casually picking up the Travias Spear. Finally coming to himself, Gorg scolded in a strict voice.

“Bastard! Didn’t you talk about how it was troubling and impossible just then! Doesn’t that mean you would give up on fighting anymore!”

Roan made a faint smile in response.

“That, you see…”

With him as the centre, a strange wind started to blow out.

“I meant it would be difficult to capture you with all limbs intact.”

In that instant, Gorg’s expression changed at a visible rate.

“W, what?! Intact? Capture?”

Killing intent etched into his voice but then,

Paaat!

A strong wind started raging around Roan, resembling a storm.

“Huhup.”

Even the large, heavy Gorg was perturbed by the gust of wind.

“You heard I was the strongest of the East?”

Roan’s voice was carried by the wind. Holding his helmet in the form of a tiger’s skull down, Gorg glared deeply at Roan.

“That rumour is wrong.”

The voice became increasingly powerful.

“I am…”

A smile appeared on Roan’s lips.

“The strongest of the continent.”

As soon as his words ended, the fierce gusts vanished.

“Kuuh.”

Relaxing the legs that had been tense due to the storm, Gorg stared at Roan.

“You, that appearance…”

With a slight surprise, he stuttered his words. Gorg’s hammers pointed at Roan but with a soft smile, Roan responded by holding tightly onto the Travias Spear. Coincidentally, a gust of wind fluttered his hair – the hair that reached up to his waist unlike before, which reflected a peculiar reddish-black colour.

Even his eyebrows and pupils were the same. Throughout his body, a reddish-black light flowed past albeit faintly.

“This is the real appearance of the God of War.”

Without even consciously directing the mana, a breathtaking aura left from his entire body. It was literally the pressure of a monarch, a god of war.

“G, God of War? A god of war! A mere human calling themselves a god!”

Raising his two hammers, Gorg rebuked. He couldn’t stand what was happening right now.

‘This I, Gorg, am feeling pressured!’

He couldn’t admit it.

‘Kill.’

Vicious light entered his two eyes.

“So conceited after just changing the hair colour!”

No longer holding back, Gorg kicked off the ground. His movement was a lot faster and agile than before, and in an instant, he had reduced the distance, until he was right above Roan.

“Die!”

Gorg swung Pistuca without hesitation.

Uuuung.

A fierce ringing sound attacked the ears as the two hammers approached but seeing that, Roan made a faint smile.

“Sorry but you can’t kill me.”

In an instant, light flashed in front of their eyes. One strand of light divided the dimension.

Kagang!

Along with intense sounds of steel clashing, Pistuca was easily bounced off. Drawing light in its trail, the thin Travias Spear had reflected the hammers away.

“Kuuk!”

Gorg let out a moan from the intense weight felt from his hands.

‘Impossible! After just changing the hair colour, he’s gotten this much stronger!’

Clenching his teeth, he forced the Pistuca from bouncing off to the sides by pulling them in. The muscles in his arms screamed in pain.

Paat.

In that instant, Roan appeared before his eyes, with his same faint smile.

“From now on, the only things you can do is either dodge or block.”

A calm voice dug into his ears.

“Of course, that’s if you have the ability to.”

Extremely disgraceful words.

“This bastard…”

Gorg wanted to spew profanities without a stop, but seeing the Travias Spear flying towards his neck, he had no choice but to close his mouth. Somehow pulling back the hammers, he blocked the blade of the spear with one hammer.

Kaang!

An intense screech was made from the clashing of steels.

“Kuuk!’

His hand felt like they were being torn apart.

“Damn!”

Gorg fiercely swung the other hammer but,

Kang!

The other end was also blocked by the Travias Spear.

“Huu.”

Heaving out a deep breath, Roan made a strange smile and that was the starter.

Pabat! Kakang! Kakakakang!

The Travias Spear slashed dimensions apart and strands of light.

“Kuuk. Kuk!”

Gorg had to retreat while barely being able to block Roan’s attacks. From the situation, it looked like Roan was literally overwhelming Gorg, but

‘It’s indeed not that easy.’

Roan who had been raging attacks on Gorg was also feeling frustrated within. He had pulled out his real strength which he had sealed after the fight with Simon and yet was unable to have a firm grasp on victory. He was only relying on his relaxed expression and movements to trick Gorg’s eyes and was therefore impossible to capture him intact.

‘I must at least cut off one limb.’

Even that relied on luck and it was highly likely that it would end his life. Roan had to discard the idea of capturing and finding out his identity.

‘Can’t be helped.’

Clenching his teeth, Roan once again swung the Travias Spear.

Kagagagagang!

Screeches were made everywhere, flames erupted and the ground sunk in.

“Kuuk! Retreat a little further back!”

Heydley quickly relayed his orders to retreat because after Roan had released all his powers, the aftermaths and shockwaves of the fight were travelling further and further. The soldiers of the Western Army quickly carried their feet.

Kugung!

As soon as they did, the place they had been standing on collapsed after a few cracks.

Gulp.

‘God of War. A God of War indeed.’

It was not the thought of just one person and fear and revere appeared in the eyes of all men.

Then,

Kwaaaaang!

Along with a deafening boom, a pillar of dirt erupted up and Gorg who had been holding on tight was flung back.

Kugugugung!

He rolled on the ground before dropping down a cliff. It was a perfect hit from Roan as well as a great counterattack.

“Waaaah”

The soldiers raised their arms and cheered but Roan’s expression was still calm. He knew that the fight was still not over and as he had thought,

Tuduk. Tudududuk.

The entire cliff quivered before a large body appeared from the deep hole. It was Gorg.

“Cough.”

Red blood escaped along with a cough. He wiped his mouth with his hand and made a scowl.

“This damn bastard dares to injure the great Mr. Gorg?”

He clenched his teeth and met the ends of the two hammers in his hands.

Kung!

The two handles of the hammers were added together into one, and the handles that had already been as long as a spear were elongated much further. It looked like two hammerheads attached to both ends of a long spear, and showed off a bizarre appearance.

“I’ll pound you to dust!”

Grabbing on the part where the two axes had been put together with his hands, Gorg spun it greatly.

Uung! Uung! Uuuuung!

The Pistuca that had been merged followed Gorg’s head and body and quickly spun around him. With large waves of noise, sharp gusts were formed.

Tuduk! Tudududuk!

The rocks and stones on the ground rode on the wind and floated up into the air.

“Kuuk!”

“Lower your bodies!”

Even the soldiers of the Western Army in the distance had to gulp and lower themselves onto the ground. With one mistake, they might be the ones flying in the air.

‘Impressive.’

Staring at Gorg and Pistuca, Roan heaved out a sigh. His skin felt prickly and the intense killing intent threatened to suffocate him.

‘This will be the last.’

He could tell with his instincts. Holding onto the Travias Spear, Roan pulled up all the mana within his body.

Hwarururuk!

Reddish-black flames enveloped his body, and then,

“Die!”

Kicking off the ground, Gorg ran in towards Roan and following him, the crazy gust stormed in sharply. Roan too kicked off the ground as soon as he saw that.

Hwarururuk!

Fierce reddish-black flames reached the skies following the Travias Spear. The two of them jumped into the air facing each other and right before the final clash, Gorg let out the loudest scream he could afford.

“Turn to dust!”

On the other hand, Roan’s voice was very soft and quiet.

“I’ll bisect you along with that storm.”

And finally, the Travias Spear clashed with Pistuca.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaang!

Thunderous sound exploded as a tornado of reddish-black flames reached up with the two in the vortex.

Tududududu!

The rocks and stones that had flown up with the crazy gusts melted before the reddish-black flames.

“Kuuk!”

“Grab onto the ones around you!”

“Cross your arms together!”

Lowering his body as much as could, Hedley shouted and the soldiers followed by quickly sticking close to the ones around them and lowering their heads. They were in a situation where they could get burned by the severely hot wind anytime.

Kwagagagang!

The reddish-black tornado devoured the mountainside. As if trying to create a hole in the sky, it fiercely, frighteningly and insanely shot up. It was then,

Paaaaat.

Intense light escaped from the reddish-black tornado. At the same time, the fierce tornado that threatened to grind the heavens and the earths disappeared like an illusion, as if it had not been there in the first place…

“…”

The soldiers of the Western Army including Hedley did not dare to raise their heads. A strange silence fell until,

“Uwah! What’s all this about!”

A sharp voice of a woman interjected.

One of the soldiers peeked up at the direction where the voice was heard from, and found an impressive woman with short hair and thick eyebrows to be the owner of the voice. Beryn had just arrived at the battle.

Beryn’s gaze rested at the place where Roan and Gorg’s great battle had been at, and only then did the soldiers of the Western Army peek up at the place where the reddish-black tornado had been raging on. Hedley was one of them.

“Ah…”

In that instant, short murmurs escaped – mutters of relief and delight. At the end of the soldiers’ gazes, there was only one person guarding the spot standing. He had a black spear in his hand as his reddish-black hair fluttered in the wind.

It was Roan Lancephil.

“Kuuk. Kuk. I, impossible… I, this General of Great Strength Gorg, to a mere human… kuuk.”

At the ground in front of his feet was Gorg, collapsed and in great tatters. The only thing remaining was his upper body; under his waist it had all been completely torn apart as the large Pistuca had been dissolved into thousands of pieces.

Roan pointed the Travias Spear at his forehead.

“Reveal your identity.”

He wasn’t telling him to say ‘general of great strength of the dark regiments’ or something, but,

“Kukukukukuk!”

Suddenly letting out a laugh, Gorg soon opened his eyes wide.

“Without me saying it myself, you’ll get to know it soon!”

That was the end. After smiling brightly showing even his teeth, he raised his head in a flash.

Stab!

He had stabbed his own head into the spearhead of the Travias Spear. Tilting the spear, Roan pulled out his spear.

‘Although he was about to die anyway, he ended his life without a single hesitation…’

He still did not know exactly what the dark regiments were, but it was clear that they were not an easy foe.

“Waaaah!”

“Roan Lancephil! Roan Lancephil!”

“Amaranth! Amaranth!”

He could hear cheers and cries from the soldiers in the distance. With a faint smile, he retrieved the Travias Spear, and then, his body started to ache.

‘How many of these strong guys are there inside the dark regiments…’

When his thoughts reached that point.

‘Mhmm?’

Something touched his sensitive senses.

‘A group of something is approaching very quickly.’

It was hard to tell exactly what they were, but it was a fairly large amount. Roan quickly gestured to the soldiers of the Western Army.

“Huhup!”

“Align yourselves!”

“Align! Align!”

The soldiers that had been cheering with their arms thrown into the skies quickly aligned themselves when they saw Roan’s gestures. Beryn who had been slightly further away quickly ran in and joined the lines as well.

Focusing all his five senses, Roan slowly turned his body towards the Southwest. It was once again towards the Grain Mountain Range.

Gulp.

The soldiers of the Western Army gulped. They were worried that a monster like Gorg would appear again and that was the same for Roan.

‘My mana is almost at the very bottom.’

It was hard to guarantee a proper fight and it was then.

Paat!

Over the mountainside, the group showed themselves and at the same time, Roan’s face that had been stiff surfaced a bright smile. It was that of a great joy and happiness that others had never seen before. Seeing the group running towards them, Roan shouted from the depths of his heart.

“Aily!”

<Dragons (4)> End.

Translator: Lunargrasp

Proofreader: Deathwing