The legendary Moonlight Sculptor

Happy New Year's everyone!! Sorry for this *very late* release… you already waited for the one scheduled on Christmas but I couldn't get back my laptop in time 😦

Thanks to all proofreaders who worked on this part: Armada, Zeruon, Seb, TysonSlayer, PuszekSE, Seviper9, TysonSlayer and Auryum! And especially to Eternal for all his hard work on past year!!

"Woahahahahhhhhh!"

"Let's goo!"

"Ribbit. Ribbit."

"Cheuchachap, cheuchachap! Ugh. I'm from the Insect Porridge Unit."

"Hurry and run. There are Insect Porridge troops among us."

"Agh! It's insect porridge!"

What happened after overcoming Alkin's disease was an all-out race for the users.

They climbed over and pushed the Haven Empire, and fell from the sky like rain.

- Hwaryeong: So, surrender. I'll give you a lot of land as a new habitat for Griffon. I'm telling you, a wyvern is a comfortable ride.

Myul, the leader of the 2nd Division, was listening to Hwaryeong, who he had seen at a party on the Central Continent.

- Myul: I belong to the Hermes Guild.

- Hwaryeong: That's not how I see it. And if you keep going like that, things are only going to get harder for you.

- Myul: But I don't want to be branded as a traitor.

- Hwaryeong: If you switch over to the Arpen Kingdom, you'll be hailed as a hero.

Myul began to agonize over it, seeing that the users were happy on the Garnav Plains and that he had not actively participated in the battle.

'The Arpen Kingdom is more fun and its subjects are much happier than those of the Haven Empire.'

He really wanted to get revenge on Weed, but he wasn't all that fond of the Haven Empire either.

'And the tactics that the Hermes Guild prepared failed.'

Now, the flow of the battle fully favored the Arpen Kingdom.

- Hwaryeong: I'll pass on Weed-nim's suggestion. I think this will be the last time.

*Gulp*

Myul unknowingly swallowed some dry saliva.

- Hwaryeong: He said that if you fight for the Arpen Kingdom right now, you may continue to use the land in your current territory or that he would give away land from the Arpen Kingdom. But if you want to remain with the Haven Empire, you will never fly in the sky again.

- Myul: I won't be able to fly in the sky?

- Hwaryeong: Including Bingryong and Phoenix, we'll take action with sculptural lifeforms like the Baraags. They will follow and attack Myul-nim until the end.

"…"

Myul's griffon knight unit was powerful, but if they had to fight combat-oriented sculptural lifeforms like the Baraags, nobody could guarantee the results. In battle with other ground forces, griffon troops could fly in and out of the sky, but that would be impossible against aerial sculptural lifeforms.

- Hwaryeong: Weed-nim is going to order the griffon troops to be killed. He said he'd wipe the griffons off the continent. Especially, all captured griffons will be cooked half-fried and half-marinated.

- Myul: That's… that's way too cruel. Also, many users would criticize that kind of practice.

The public bashed them every time the Hermes Guild publicly ordered a killing.

It was obvious that the killings were one of the reasons why users turned their backs on the Hermes Guild.

- Hwaryeong: He says that life is a romance for him, but for others it's an affair.

- Myul: Hmm.

- Hwaryeong: He says revenge should be strictly enforced. He says poor compromises or forgiveness can get you in the back.

Myul realized it was time to choose.

Weed was not a kind or merciful character.

If he remained with the Haven Empire, he would be stupid rather than loyal.

- Myul: All right. I'll stand with the Arpen Empire.

- Hwaryeong: You've chosen well. But also, one more thing.

- Myul: What?

- Hwaryeong: It's not free to come over to the Arpen Kingdom. It'll cost you some money.

- Myul: You didn't say anything like that just a minute ago.

- Hwaryeong: That's Weed-nim. Don't do it if you don't want to.

***

At the end of the road, the Haven Empire fought well against the users. Not just one or two, they took out dozens of them.

"Hold on! We must win…"

Commander Draka's voice was weak.

The effect of the broadcast was huge, and they realized that the Alkin disease had disappeared in vain.

'Is our destiny to fight to the end and die? I thought we would unite the Versailles Continent… The end feels empty.'

Draka saw something huge approaching beyond the Northern users.

The mega sculptural lifeform troops that Emperor Geihar had given life to.

"What kind of monsters are those?"

Users poured down from the sky.

"The 2nd Legion is finally moving!"

At someone's cry, the Hermes Guild users looked up at the sky.

The sun rose and illuminated the bright blue sky full of griffons coming towards the ground.

"That's enough. I can finally rest."

"But still, they were too late!"

It was time for the 2nd Legion to ease their discontent. However, the griffons did not attack the Avians flapping their wings in the sky, but flew toward the Haven Empire troops. Then they focused on attacking the magicians and spirits.

"It's a betrayal."

"The 2nd Legion betrayed us!"

"…"

Myul, an important pillar of the Haven Empire, had betrayed the empire.

Draka realized that everything he had been working on was falling apart.

"It's done. Let's fight bravely till the moment we die! Everyone, charge!"

The 13th Legion all took out their weapons and jumped into the Northern users.

They were powerful warriors but died one by one taking with them hundreds of users each.

***

"It's a disaster."

Heiller briefly commented on the current situation.

Not a single thing was going right, and the Northern users hurled a series of attacks.

'Somebody said it once. There is no war that is just winning. You will suffer defeat someday.'

Still, it was a satisfying life.

Royal Road had become one of the best games in the world and troops had become far stronger since the game's release…

'We didn't lose to the weak but to Weed. Against the one called the God of War… It's too bad that the conquest of the Versailles Continent was right in front of us, but we will have to accept it.'

Next to him, Crebulta let out a stream of curse words and commanded his troops.

"South! The southern perimeter is weak!"

They tried to collect the troops until the end and run away, but there was no hope at all.

The Northern users and the users of the Central Continent gathered together.

The users of the central continent had hesitated because of their fears of the Haven Empire but now that the Arpen Kingdom had the advantage, they drew their swords with renewed enthusiasm.

"All our fears have finally been swept away!"

"Let's kill everyone from the Hermes Guild!"

Level 200 and 300 users attacked from all directions.

The Arpen Kingdom's power was more powerful than ever, and the war's result was completely solidified.

"Are you the commander?"

Geomchi5 appeared in front of Heroid.

He held an axe in each hand, with broad shoulders and a long beard.

"I am Geomchi5. Let's fight."

Under normal circumstances, Heroid would never accept a challenge like this.

'Isn't he quite a celebrity too? I saw on air that he was a close friend of Weed's.'

As the war seemed lost, members of the Hermes guild at least wanted to look good in the broadcasts.

"Okay. Let's fight."

"Keukeukeu. Yeah. Like a man."

Geomchi5 jumped in while twirling the axe in his hand.

Heroid regretted it at that very moment but attacked by swinging his weapon from less than a meter away, if that, and caused a huge slugfest.

*Swing! swing! swing!*

Axes flew wildly in front of their eyes.

Heroid's attacks were blocked or missed, while Geomchi5's struck all the right spots.

"Mana Sword!"

He tried to cast his sword skill quickly, but rather hit his own foot.

Geomchi5 continued his attacks without seeing the sword strikes and dodged by instinct.

"What is this!"

Heroid shouted.

Whenever Geomchi5 dodged or pushed away the sword he had called, he was sent flying like a whirlwind.

"If you depend solely on skills, you will never get stronger. A man rushes forward."

Geomchi5 read Heroid's simple attack patterns and put pressure on him.

"I'm not one to die that easily!"

Heroid realized that there was a huge gap in their basic swordsmanship and used his skills at random.

They brought each other's health down, but the final winner was Geomchi5. His health dropped to the floor and even though a sword was stuck in his chest, Heroid died first.

"Hahahaha. I won!"

Geomchi5 smiled cheerfully and raised his axe high.

***

A giant sculptural lifeform in the Garnav Plains was flying in the sky. Weed placed a chair on its broad sturdy head and rode it.

"Good fight."

"Kkeu ehehet."

"You haven't decided on your name yet?"

"Yes. Master."

Emperor Geihar chose Weed as the owner of the sculptural lifeforms. Until the end, Weed was the only one he believed in.

"Let's call you Poro-bird."

"Strange name."

"You're big but you look cute. That's why you will be so popular at the doll claw machines across the country."

"Kkuet?"

"Of course, the young children, but also the adults' money… there's something like that anyways."

There was a fierce ground battle going on.

The combo of the Northern users' large number tactics and the giant sculptural creatures.

Even the Central Continent users were actively participating, and the Haven Empire was collapsing.

Weed watched the scene with mixed feelings.

"They once were the dominant force on the Versailles Continent. It's bitter to see such a fall."

The Hermes Guild's power was great when Royal Road was starting.

No matter which broadcast was on, stories about the Hermes Guild emerged and became bright like the sun in their conquest of war.

Watching that empire collapse was as if it was his own future.

"You really have to be good at being a dictator. Otherwise, you'll look like the Hermes Guild."

- Pale: All the remnants of the Haven Empire outside have been wiped out.

- Seasoned crab: Just got rid of Crebulta. I got a pair of gloves as the trophy. Hu hu hu.

- Python: The large-scale destruction of the 3rd Legion's spearmen has been completed.

- Ghoragoll: They're pushing. Really… Really… The Northern users are amazing. We will win this war for sure.

- Mapan: I've just opened a temporary stall and made some investments. As the Hermes Guild's loot is released, the price of luxury goods is expected to fall.

- Elkgoon: As I've said, we are brewing tons of alcohol. We're also preparing sides dishes. But can we really get ten times the usual price?

There were whispers going around among the various users.

There were reports of the war, but most were that they were fighting well.

- Geomchi: It's fun here, youngest.

Weed looked down at the ground.

Desert warriors rode camels and frantically broke through the Haven Empire army's formation.

Scimitars, knives, axes, hammers, clubs.

The thrill of swinging any weapon through the enemy lines!

The group was growing fast, with the swordsmen, masters, and trainees joining the powerful men of the Central and Northern continents.

At first glance there were hundreds of thousands.

Users riding horses and bulls were darting away together creating a huge cloud of dust.

"Well. It's time for the harvest. Let's go there too!"

(To be continued)

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