Chapter 78: The Sixth Forest and the Start of War

After gathering the eagles and hawks and preparing to leave the nest, I sensed the presence of many approaching.

‘At least dozens of them.’

It was clear that a force had come to finish off the eagles and hawks.

I had heard who they were.

An alliance made up of those who followed the Lord of the Fifth Forest and those from the Sixth Forest.

Boom!

Boom!

With heavy tremors, the trees shook and birds soared into the sky.

I could see where the enemies were positioned.

As I saw the enemies closing in from all directions as if to encircle us, I created a portal.

A portal that allowed passage to and from the Dragon Lair.

A blue spiral portal opened, and one by one, the waiting troops crossed through.

Goblins trained in martial arts by Ropenheim.

Elves who crossed with Irellin.

Wyverns who crossed with the Wyvern King.

Hundreds of troops, all equipped with Dwarf-made gear, carrying Potions crafted by Witches.

‘Not bad.’

The Goblins exuded a heavy aura born of disciplined training.

The Elves gave off a sense of freedom, attuned as they were to the forest.

The Wyverns were wild in the rawest sense.

“Prepare for battle.”

At my words, the Guardians and troops who came through the portal replied.

[Nep!]

[Nep!]

[Nep!]

Short, concise answers.

“They’re coming.”

With my words, the troops moved.

Elves drew their bows and summoned spirits, climbing into the trees, while some Goblins mounted the backs of Wyverns.

The remaining Goblins drew their weapons and formed ranks.

And then, the enemies revealed themselves.

Crash!

A tall tree toppled helplessly, splitting apart like a reed, and a Giant appeared.

An incredible height, easily exceeding 50 meters.

Its limbs were as thick as dozens of trees bundled together. On its bald head, it wore leather clothing.

[Here.]

[Kill them.]

They moved with simple communication.

A foot, raised high, slammed down to the ground at tremendous speed.

Kuuuuung!

The earth cracked, a pit formed, and everything nearby collapsed.

[Activating Golden Dragon Eyes.]

[Giant Tribe Arun (S)]

• A warrior of the great Giant Tribe.
• Dying.
• Overall stats: S
• Potential: SS
• Possessed Item: Giant’s Leather Belt (S)
• Possessed Skills: Giant’s Strength (SS), Hard Leather (S)… (SS), Magic Immunity (SS).

There was a reason why the SS-ranked Sky Kings had lost to the S-ranked Giants.

Extreme incompatibility.

The Sky Kings’ Magic Immunity was useless against the Giants. Those beings excelled at physical attacks.

Conversely, Giants, with their Hard Leather and Magic Immunity, could block the Sky Kings’ attacks.

It was a fight that couldn’t be won from the start.

‘Overwhelming magic might break through, but…’

The limits of the five Sky Kings who ruled the skies were clear.

“Magic won’t work on those things. Keep that in mind.”

There were ten Giants in total.

Twenty Wyverns circling around the heads of the Giants.

With our current forces, it was more than enough to take them on.

“I’ll take care of the Wyverns, you handle the Giants.”

[Nep.]

Once we conquered the Sixth Forest, we would have to move immediately to claim the Fifth Forest.

It was best to gain some experience now.

Trusting Ropenheim and the Orc to command the troops well, I mounted the Wyvern King and soared into the sky.

“Let’s go.”

The Wyvern King flapped its wings, gliding at an incredible speed.

We moved toward the Wyverns circling the Giants’ heads.

There was no need to worry about confusing friend and foe.

Their skin was green, ours was gray. Unless the enemy Wyverns could change color, there was no way to mistake them.

[Wyvern?]

[That one’s size… it’s similar to the Lord’s, isn’t it?]

[The color’s different.]

[…Enemy. Attack!]

With the appearance of the Wyvern King, twice as large as a normal Wyvern, the enemy Wyverns scattered in all directions.

Then, all at once, they opened their mouths wide.

Red orbs formed within their jaws.

Uuuung!

Kwaaaang!

Red lasers rained down from all directions.

The Wyvern King performed extraordinary aerial maneuvers, dodging every beam.

At the same time, it closed in on an enemy and viciously tore out its throat.

Puh!

A head was ripped off in an instant.

The Wyvern King did not stop.

With gleaming eyes, savoring the taste of blood after a long time, it hunted the Wyverns.

As the enemy Wyverns realized they were no match and tried to flee, scattering, the Wyvern King moved with a sly grin.

Truly, it was speed at the extreme.

The Wyvern King was so fast it caught up to the normal Wyverns in an instant.

But, no matter how fast, catching all the Wyverns scattering in every direction was impossible.

“I’ll handle that side. You finish the rest.”

I used tracking magic on the Wyverns fleeing to the opposite side.

Sensed their locations.

Fired arrows made of mana.

Though not imbued with power, these target-seeking spells would leave a mark.

Whoosh!

Riding the wind, the tracking spell struck a Wyvern and left its mark.

The marked locations imprinted in my mind.

Using the mana from the Dragon Heart, I chanted a spell.

“Dragon Fang Spiral Spear. Gale.”

A gust at my toes formed into the shape of an arrow and shot toward the marked Wyvern.

Pang!

A barrage of arrows made from wind.

With a sonic boom, they shot forth at incredible speed.

So fast they were nearly invisible, the arrows streaked toward their target.

The moment the dragon’s fangs touched the mark.

Kwaaaang!

Sharp fangs devoured the Wyvern. Bone and hide burst and turned to dust. Not a trace remained.

The Wyvern vanished with the wind.

While the Dragon Fang Spiral Spear, having struck its target, devoured the Wyverns,

The Wyvern King, having flown to the other side, finished off the remaining Wyverns.

‘I’ve blocked their information from getting out.’

The Forest Lord now had no information on us and wouldn’t be able to prepare. As long as we took out the Giants, we could land a decisive blow.

I turned my gaze to the ground below.

Boom!

Boom!

Though the Giants were massive and powerful, their movements were slow.

The Elves climbed the trees, using spirit magic to obscure the Giants’ vision or to collapse the ground and restrict their movement.

Meanwhile, Goblins riding Wyverns flew over the Giants’ heads, swinging their swords.

Blades imbued with mana.

If one strike wasn’t enough, they slashed dozens of times, splitting the hide.

[Aaaaaaaah!]

[Everyone, move with the Wyverns!]

If a Giant reached out with both hands to grab them, they’d immediately retreat using Wyverns to gain distance.

When the Elves harassed the Giants again,

The Goblins closed in once more, targeting the wounds they had aimed for.

Puk!

Gaps appeared in the seemingly impenetrable Hard Leather, and the Dwarf-made weapons wielded by the Goblins dug in.

While the direct force might be weak,

If the weapons were coated with the deadly poison made by the Witches and Goblins, it was a different story.

The poison spread instantly, claiming the Giant’s life.

Kuuung!

The Giant fell to the ground.

One by one, the Giants fell.

A total of five Giants were brought down by the Goblins and Elves, and the remaining Giants fell to the Orc’s axe, imbued with fighting spirit.

Legs sliced cleanly, as if cutting tofu.

The Orc, with SS-grade stats, split the throats of the fallen Giants in a single blow.

‘It’s not a perfect victory.’

Some Elves and Goblins died or were injured in the process of subduing the Giants.

I landed to assess the situation.

Ropenheim relayed the casualties to me, reported by those leading the Goblins and Elves.

“Five dead. Still, for a first battle, I’d call this a decisive victory.”

“Are the wounded all right?”

“Most injuries will heal with Potion use.”

“We’ll recover the bodies of the fallen and make a grave near the Dragon Lair.”

Ropenheim nodded.

“I agree. But first, let’s finish what we started.”

“Yes, that’s for the best.”

“What’s the next plan?”

“I’m going to invade the enemy base and finish things. If we give them time, they’ll join forces with the Giants and come for our nest immediately.”

“We may not be much help to you.”

Ropenheim’s gaze drifted to the hazy Sky Nest in the distance.

All who lived in that forest had wings.

The monsters of the Sixth Forest could attack from ground or sky as they pleased.

Fighting them made it clear.

With my current forces, we couldn’t fight them properly. It was better to prepare for war with the Fifth Forest.

“So, I’ll go alone and strike swiftly.”

“Alone?”

“Yes.”

In the end, this war would be over once I killed the Forest Lord and took the shattered Tablet.

Once I became Lord, the others would submit on their own.

If any sparks of rebellion arose, the eagle and hawk who ruled the skies would put them out.

“Go back and prepare for battle with the Giants.”

“Understood. I’ll do so.”

Ropenheim took the battle-weary Goblins, Elves, and Wyverns and crossed through the portal.

Irellin and the Orc offered to stay and help.

I told them I’d call if needed and sent them through the portal as well. The Wyvern King tried to slip away, but I stopped him.

“Where do you think you’re going? You’re coming with me.”

[Hahahahaha.]

Riding atop the embarrassed Wyvern King, I soared into the sky with the eagle and hawk.

After confirming all allies had passed through the portal, I closed it.

“Let’s go.”

The Wyvern King, eagle, and hawk.

With these three, I headed toward the Sky Nest.

“Do you know roughly how many enemies there are?”

[At least several thousand.]

“With that many, their guard will be tight.”

[I doubt we’ll be able to infiltrate from above.]

Judging by the tone, it wasn’t entirely hopeless.

“Is there no way to sneak in?”

[There is. Just follow me, I’ll take you straight to their base.]

The eagle, full of confidence, flapped its wings.

The hawk stuck close behind the eagle.

When the eagle led the way using space, the hawk followed, showing exactly what to do.

Lastly, the Wyvern moved along the same path.

Beneath a towering tree,

We weaved through the dense woods of comparatively small trees, flying with acrobatic precision, delving deeper in.

[Impressive, huh?]

[Heh, this is nothing.]

The Wyvern King curled his lips at the eagle’s praise.

“Don’t get cocky. Focus.”

[…Yep.]

[We’re almost there, get ready.]

With the hawk’s signal, the eagle suddenly veered and soared straight upward.

The Wyvern King followed the eagle.

Leaving behind the leafy, branch-filled forest, the blue sky spread out before us, and massive tree trunks came into view.

There it was.

The enemy base at the Sky Nest.

Climbing swiftly up the tree trunks, we saw hundreds of giant nests occupied by the enemy.

[Intruders!]

[Tyrant?]

[There’s a Wyvern too? Aren’t they allies, not intruders?!]

While the enemies hesitated for a moment, we quickly ascended.

Then, a shrill whistle rang in my ears.

[PIIIIIII!]

[Capture them all!]

At someone’s command, the hundreds of Wyverns that had been watching us started to move.

All at once, they flew toward us.

As the eagle seemed to hesitate for a moment, I gave the order.

“Keep moving. I’ll take care of them.”