The moment the Human Emperor heard the Giant King's warning echoing from the distance, a sense of danger suddenly struck his instincts.
His eyes widened.
He tried to turn around as quickly as possible.
At the same time, he gathered every bit of power he could to protect his back.
But...
He was already too late.
The moment he turned, the mysterious figure appeared directly behind him.
Before the Emperor could do anything...
The figure struck him in the chest with a powerful palm strike.
It was no ordinary attack.
It was infused with a terrifying dark power.
That force surged through his body like a raging storm.
In the next instant...
The Human Emperor was hurled dozens of meters away, coughing up blood violently.
Even the air around him trembled from the sheer force of the blow.
As for the mysterious figure...
Clear annoyance appeared in his expression because the Giant King's warning had saved the Emperor from receiving the full force of an attack from behind.
It seemed that he had intended to deliver another strike before leaving.
But he never got the opportunity.
At that moment...
The Giant King finally made his move.
Gripping his colossal sword with both hands, he poured a tremendous amount of power into it.
Then he unleashed a massive slash large enough to rival a warship.
The cutting aura shot across the sky at terrifying speed, tearing through clouds and air alike.
The mysterious figure looked at the incoming attack.
One of his eyebrows rose slightly.
Then he suddenly raised his hand toward the heavens.
In the next moment...
The space above him split apart.
A strange and dark rift appeared in the sky.
From within it emerged dozens of grotesque and twisted creatures.
They were beings unlike anything anyone had ever seen before.
All of them rushed toward the incoming slash.
At the same time...
The mysterious figure wasted no opportunity.
A dense black aura enveloped his body.
Then he vanished from the sky at astonishing speed.
A few moments later...
The rulers of the races finally arrived at the battlefield.
They looked toward the creatures that had intercepted the Giant King's attack.
Their bodies were falling from the sky after being cut cleanly in half.
But the strangest part was...
They left no corpses behind.
As soon as they began falling, their bodies gradually transformed into black mist and disappeared completely.
As though they had never existed at all.
The Elven Saint looked toward the Human Emperor.
A slight frown appeared on her face when she saw his injuries.
Yet she said nothing.
Instead, she retrieved a small bottle from her storage pouch.
Then she tossed it toward him and said,
"Drink this."
"It will help you recover."
The Human Emperor caught the bottle.
He did not even bother checking what was inside.
He trusted the Elven Saint.
He knew she was an honorable individual who would never resort to underhanded methods.
A faint sarcastic smile appeared on his face.
After all, he knew very well that the only person present who might use such methods was himself.
He opened the bottle and drank its contents in a single gulp.
Immediately...
Glowing green markings appeared over the wounds on his chest and back.
His injuries slowly began to heal.
Although the treatment was far from complete...
It noticeably eased his pain.
The King of the Demihumans looked toward the Human Emperor.
Then he furrowed his brows and asked the question that had been on everyone's mind.
"Wasn't that person a member of the human race?"
Silence fell.
Everyone waited for the answer.
But the Human Emperor did not respond.
Instead, he simply looked at the rulers gathered around him.
Then he spoke in a low and dangerous voice.
"It seems there are traitors among our races."
"So we must be more cautious."
The moment he finished speaking...
He turned around and left immediately.
He flew back toward the fortress under his protection.
The rulers watched him depart in silence.
Then they exchanged glances.
None of them were fools.
They all understood what the Human Emperor meant.
Or rather...
What he was trying to hide.
He did not wish to admit that someone from the human race possessed such terrifying power and had become his enemy.
So he broadened the accusation to include every race.
As though he were saying that traitors could be found everywhere.
Not only among humans.
The Dwarf King curled his lips in amusement.
Then he said calmly,
"He doesn't want to admit how weak his control over his own people has become."
"So he's casting suspicion on everyone."
He shook his head with disdain and added,
"He's merely trying to avoid becoming a laughingstock."
Silence followed his words.
Yet no one objected.
Deep down...
Many of them were thinking the very same thing.
But the true question that remained unanswered...
Was far more dangerous than anything else.
Who was that mysterious figure?
And how had he obtained a power capable of forcing the Human Emperor himself to fight with everything he had?
More importantly...
Was he acting alone?
Or were there other forces hidden within the darkness, waiting to reveal themselves as the war continued?
The Giant King looked at the Dwarf King and slowly shook his head.
"But he wasn't wrong either, Dwarf King."
Then he added while fixing his gaze upon him,
"Make sure to determine whether there are traitors among your people or not."
The moment he finished speaking...
His powerful aura erupted.
His body vanished into the sky in a single instant as he returned to the fortress under his protection.
The rulers looked at one another.
Then each gave a small nod.
Every one of them had responsibilities of their own in this war.
A few moments later...
They all disappeared from the area.
The Dwarf King, however, did not leave immediately.
Instead, he caught up with the King of the Demihumans, who was preparing to depart.
Smiling slightly, he asked,
"What do you think of the tracking magical artifact I gave you?"
"Was it useful in your search?"
The King of the Demihumans paused briefly.
Then he shook his head with a look of annoyance.
"It seems the person I'm searching for isn't even on the Continent of Mira."
The Dwarf King furrowed his brows thoughtfully.
Then he nodded.
"In that case, this matter is more complicated than I expected."
Afterward, he waved farewell and said,
"If you ever need help, don't forget that we're allies."
"I'll assist you whenever you need me."
The King of the Demihumans nodded gratefully.
Then he departed as well.
Far from that place...
From the perspective of the Fallen Angel who guarded the island filled with treasures...
He suddenly looked toward the distant horizon.
His brows knitted together as he sensed a strange disturbance in the air.
Then he muttered in a low voice,
"Who is fighting and producing such powerful auras?"
"The war only began a short time ago."
"Have the world's great powers become this impatient already?"
He pondered the matter for a few moments.
But...
Suddenly, his expression changed completely.
He had sensed an enormous enemy approaching at incredible speed.
He quickly lifted his head toward the sky.
And saw something he had not expected.
A gigantic white horse with six wings.
It tore through the heavens at a terrifying speed.
And upon its back...
Sat a tall man.
He was nearly as tall as the giants.
Yet he lacked the overwhelming bulk of their massive bodies.
The giants were famous for physiques as broad and imposing as mountains.
This man, however...
Was tall and powerfully built.
His body was perfectly proportioned.
As though every muscle had been forged specifically for war.
The Fallen Angel was surprised by his appearance.
He had never before seen a race that looked quite like this.
But his curiosity did not last long.
Because he sensed something far more important.
He sensed danger.
Real danger.
The kind of feeling that only appeared when standing before one of the world's supreme powers.
He focused his gaze on the approaching man.
He saw a shining suit of armor that radiated majesty.
And a long spear emanating a dangerous power.
Lightning constantly danced around the weapon.
As though thousands of bolts were imprisoned within it.
Before he could finish analyzing the situation...
He saw the man suddenly raise his spear.
Then make a powerful throwing motion.
The spear shot forward.
It tore violently through the air.
Lightning exploded around it.
Until it looked like a meteor made entirely of thunder and lightning racing across the sky.
The spear hurtled toward the Fallen Angel at a terrifying speed.
At that same moment...
A mocking smile appeared on the man's face.
That man was Odin.
Odin looked at the enemy lurking near the Treasure Island.
Then he spoke in a cold voice filled with obvious ridicule.
"How dare you show yourself near the island..."
His eyes narrowed slightly as he continued,
"While the outcome of the war has yet to be decided?"
The lightning continued exploding around the spear as it closed in on its target.
As for the Fallen Angel...
He finally realized that the person standing before him was not merely a powerful warrior.
But one of the most dangerous beings in this world.
And perhaps...
One of the individuals that no sane person would ever wish to face alone.
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
🔍 Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]