"The monsters! Those monsters are here again!"
"What do we do?!"
"What's there to be afraid of? Fight them with everything we've got! We're doomed anyway if we run!"
---
Standing roughly three meters tall each, with fierce, hideous faces and bared fangs, their appearance instantly struck terror into the soldiers of the Land of Fangs, and their morale crumbled fast.
It wasn't that they lacked courage. It was simply that these creatures — wielding massive iron cudgels spiked all over — were enemies no ordinary soldier could hope to defeat.
With a single swing, a club taller than a man could clear a whole area. Anyone struck was almost certainly killed instantly; broken bones and severed limbs were the least terrible injuries possible. Even soldiers holding sturdy shields found them useless against such force.
And worst of all, these beast‑like monsters had no minds of their own, nor any concept of fear. Even if reduced to their last breath, they would continue carrying out their master's orders.
They also came in huge numbers — thousands appearing at a time.
Even if the soldiers gritted their teeth and fought until they were wiped out, more would simply appear the next time, as if they were endless.
Facing emotionless beasts you couldn't beat, couldn't kill off, and couldn't escape… who wouldn't be terrified?
While the Land of Fangs' spirits plummeted, the Land of Claws' troops surged with renewed confidence at the arrival of their "reinforcements".
The balance shifted instantly.
The Land of Fangs had fewer soldiers to begin with. Now that their courage and will to fight were broken, they were slowly but surely being forced back.
Once those beast‑soldiers fully engaged, their defeat was guaranteed.
Ishikura Yoshiakira's eyes burned red. Jaw clenched tight, he refused his subordinates' suggestion to retreat first.
He had made up his mind: today, he would live and die alongside his men.
Even if he fell, he would do so with honor worthy of his ancestors.
From the opposite side, Hiramatsu Takehiko, Lord of the Land of Claws, laughed aloud, seeing victory all but guaranteed. He even ordered his attendants to set up a banquet right there on the battlefield.
While thousands clashed and fought to the death just ahead, he sat feasting on rare delicacies and drinking fine wine.
He had dreamed of this moment for ages, but never had the chance — until now. Finally, he would witness the total destruction of the Land of Fangs.
"Grand Tutor, please — join me at the table."
The scholarly‑looking man accepted without hesitation and sat right below Hiramatsu — the only person worthy enough to dine alongside the Lord.
Truly, everything the Land of Claws had achieved today was thanks entirely to him.
Yet while they toasted and drank, each harbored his own secret ambitions.
Hiramatsu Takehiko, ruler of a nation, was hardly the type to trust anyone blindly.
He was simply a little more ruthless and cold‑hearted than Ishikura Yoshiakira.
To gain something great, you must be willing to sacrifice something great first.
But there was an old saying: When the rabbits are dead, the hunting dog gets cooked; when the birds are gone, the good bow gets put away.
Hiramatsu had always intended to use this Grand Tutor to conquer the world for him.
He had already decided: if the man remained useful and obedient, after swallowing the Land of Fangs, they would go on to conquer other smaller nations nearby.
But if he showed even the slightest sign of stepping out of control… Hiramatsu would find a way to have this "great hero" executed right where he sat.
Over time, through careful observation, he had already discovered the man's weaknesses.
Meanwhile, the young man known as Grand Tutor sneered inwardly.
His real name was Takenaka Kento. Once just a struggling, ordinary painter who earned his living doing portraits for others, he thought himself unappreciated and far too talented for his humble life.
Then, one day, his paintbrush had suddenly changed. Not only its shape, but it had gained incredible, miraculous powers.
For example: he could make anything he painted become real.
Overjoyed, he began studying and testing his brush day and night. Eventually, he realized these rules:
1. If you painted an inanimate object, it could be turned from fake into reality instantly.
2. Things brought to life this way didn't last forever. The more detailed and realistic the painting, the longer it remained — but it would always vanish eventually.
3. Living creatures in paintings required a living sacrifice to become real. Human sacrifices worked best — seemingly linked to the power of the soul.
4. He could give painted things special abilities, such as spatial doors connecting two places… but only by offering even more living people.
5. Any living being resurrected or created this way possessed no will or mind of their own, but would obey his commands absolutely.
Armed with his magic brush, he refused to be ordinary any longer.
But to truly unleash its full power, he needed vast numbers of living sacrifices.
How many people could he kill by himself?
So he set his sights on the two nations — the Land of Claws and the Land of Fangs — who had been at war for years.
Originally, he had favored the Land of Fangs. Unfortunately, its short‑sighted ruler had rejected him and thrown him out like a fraud.
That was why he had gone to the Land of Claws instead.
Learning from his mistake, he had staged a breathtaking, miraculous display using his brush — instantly impressing their Lord. He was immediately appointed Grand Tutor, and began his project to create monster soldiers.
With the full cooperation of the Lord, vagrants, slaves, and condemned prisoners were sent into the painted world, swallowed up by the magic brush.
And with every victory, Hiramatsu trusted him more and more, delivering even more people — many of them innocent civilians — to be sacrificed.
But this couldn't go on forever. Fearing discovery and scandal, Hiramatsu eventually refused to give him any more sacrifices — promising instead that once they conquered the Land of Fangs, ten thousand people there would be handed over to him to do as he pleased.
That promise was the only thing holding their partnership together.
Takenaka knew perfectly well: the day the Land of Fangs fell would be the day their alliance ended forever.
Ten thousand people?
Hah!
Without him, the Land of Claws wouldn't have been able to defeat the Land of Fangs even in ten years.
Offering only ten thousand was nothing but an insult — like throwing scraps to a beggar.
Very well then. If Hiramatsu wouldn't give what he wanted… he would simply take it himself.
He intended to seize both nations.
He would sacrifice every single person living there.
Once he did that… how powerful would he become?
Surely, that was what it meant to be an immortal sage.
Driven mad and corrupted by the influence of the magic brush, Takenaka was now capable of the most appalling crimes imaginable.
If Hiramatsu knew his true intentions, he would have killed him instantly — despite calling him his Grand Tutor.
But right now, Hiramatsu remained completely unaware.
In fact, he was dreaming of becoming the Sixth Great Nation thanks to Takenaka's power.
But just as both men were lost in their own fantasies, the situation changed again — more dramatically than ever before.
Suddenly, blood rain began falling from the sky.
It was a sign of terrible disaster and ill omen.
And even stranger… the rain fell only over that exact area, nowhere else.
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