The Overlord of Blood and Iron

Chapter 261






The Valhalla army’s intentions are clear .


Kwak Jun spoke .


“Clear?”


What they need is time .


“ . . . !”


Isn’t there a cliché saying that attack is the best form of defence?


The crux .


Kwak Jun was tackling the fundamental reason behind this war .


The Valhalla army is not aiming for victory .


“ . . . !”


It hasn’t even been a year since the nation’s birth . Hence, its main priority would be to stabilize the domestic affairs and achieve harmony within . That alone takes time! The enemy would rather launch an attack first than to be attacked by a gigantic force called the Gullveig Alliance . And while its soldiers fight outside the nation’s borders, Valhalla plans to strengthen its cohesion .


“Yes, that’s right! You are right, Kwak Jun!”


Vilhelm nearly slapped his forehead in epiphany .


The Valhalla Kingdom has no interest in achieving victory . It would be good if they could, but it’s difficult to expect anything from its smaller-scale army . Moreover, the Supreme King of the West himself is not participating in the war .


“Does that mean…?”


Yes, the enemy only desires small victories or defeats . Consequently, Valhalla will try to sign an armistice after multiple small battles .


“Those sly bastards…! You think I will let you?”


You certainly will .


“Why would I? What do I have to lose…?”


Vilhelm stiffened up, but Kwak Jun quickly corrected his thoughts .


Isn’t the Gullveig Alliance similar?


“ . . . !”


A mob - that is the reality of the Gullveig Alliance . Great in number, but poor in quality .


That was the truth .


The Gullveig Alliance had comparable equipment and supplies to the Valhalla Kingdom, but the quality of soldiers was vastly inferior .


The soldiers of Valhalla were extremely well-trained through high intensity battle simulations .


In addition, they were proud to be soldiers thanks to Kang Chul-In’s policy which respected the veterans . The fact that they were part of the ‘unbeatable army’ also reinforced their morale .


To top it all off, the Valhalla soldiers possessed the most battle experience in Pangaea .


“Ahem…!”


Vilhelm cleared his throat . He didn’t feel comfortable listening to this “insult,” but it was a gesture that he agreed .


Tactician Kwak Jung is a scary man, but what made Valhalla so strong is the quality of its army . Strictly speaking, isn’t the Valhalla army objectively the greatest army in Pangaea?”



“ . . . ”


Our Gullveig Alliance is fighting against those men . If we do not achieve good results in this war, your Majesty would have to withdraw your army and sign the armistice . We would be running low on resources .


That was the reality .


The Gullveig Alliance boasted an incredible economic power, but that wasn’t enough to sustain through a long, tedious war .


“If that happens . . . ”


Yes, we would be playing by Kang Chul-In’s rules . As you know, the combination of the Supreme King of the West and Overlord Lee Chae-Rin is a threat . Power and money . What could be scarier?


“ . . . !”


With time, Valhalla will eventually be on par with the Gullveig Alliance in strength . And then . . . ”


“That must never happen!”


Vilhelm shouted .


“How could we ever let that happen!?”


Yes, that’s right .


Kwak Jun nodded .


That should never happen . Therefore… don’t be fooled by Kwak Jung’s tricks and just charge at the enemy with brute force . It’s wiser to deploy the whole army to conquer Deathwin .


“But . . . ”


Yes, Kwak Jung will do anything he can to stop this all-out attack . But do not be swayed by that . We can trample on the enemy soldiers with a sheer number of men, which is indeed the main advantage of the Gullveig Alliance .


Thump!


Vilhelm was shocked .


Brrrr!


Even his body trembled .


Right, why didn’t I think of this? I shouldn’t have been swayed by Kwak Jung’s schemes!


It was a simple but effective solution, as the Gullveig Alliance lacked the strategizing mind of Valhalla . Even if it was tedious, the best action was to conquer the land of Deathwin, which was situated at the two giants’ boundaries .


“Kwak Jun…!”


Vilhelm stared at the screen .


Yes, your Majesty?


“You are right . ”


I’m flattered . It’s just a trivial suggestion .


“No, I will follow your plan . ”


Your Majesty, please think about this carefully . If you just hastily follow my plan, you may end up in a sticky situation .


“There’s nothing to think about further . If we fail, the blame lies on me and my army, not you . I’m not an idiot who blames it on others . ”


In other words, Vilhelm had decided to heed Kwak Jung’s opinion fully, and attack the land of Deathwin .


“Kwak Jun, can you help me for a while?”


I beg your pardon?


“If you come here and command our alliance army . . . ”


I apologize .


“ . . . ”


His Majesty Vito Clemenza is currently very ill . I can’t leave Paramount at such a critical time .


“What a pity . ”


I, too, wish to help your Majesty to the best of my abilities . I apologize once again .


Kwak Jun bowed at Vilhelm via the screen .


Damn it!


Vilhelm was dying from anxiety .


He wanted to observe Kwak Jun’s abilities personally, but he had refused to join him in the war .


Vilhelm couldn’t threaten or kidnap him as well . Kwak Jun had a valid reason to decline .


I will make you my subordinate no matter what .


Vilhelm swore .


Kwak Jun .


He was the key to fighting against Kang Chul-In’s tactician, Kwak Jung .


***


“Wishing you the best for the war, your Majesty . ”


Kwak Jun told Vilhelm and ended the call .


“Now to hint to the other party… Kwak Jung, let’s see how good you are . ”


He mumbled to himself and began to write on a scroll .


The encrypted, confidential message was as follows:


[To: Kwak Jung, the tactician of the Kingdom of Valhalla . ]


Instigated Albrecht Vilhelm to launch an all-out attack . (You should know the reason)


Target: Deathwin territory .


Will be difficult to defend .


I will observe your decisions .


Good luck .


[Sender: Kwak Jun, the tactician of the Paramount territory . ]


***


Kwaaaaaa!


The magma breath from the fire turtle Cyamodus announced the start of Rothschild’s gold dragon raid .


Success rate… around 30%?


Kang Chul-In predicted .


It was a risky raid, indeed .


In fact, it was almost an impossible mission . There was a reason why everybody who got the awakening quest left it for later .


To attempt the quest immediately after hitting level 70 was a suicide call .


Well, whether they succeed or fail is none of my business .


Kang Chul-In grinned .


Indeed, it didn’t matter whether Rothschild could clear the quest .


All Kang Chul-In had to do was watch with some popcorn in his hands and make his move when the timing was right .


“Now, Rothschild! Hurry up, make my throne! Hahahaha~!”


Kang Chul-In laughed like a crazy man .


“Huh?”


Dorian intervened .


“What throne? Don’t you have a throne? The one made from mithril? I heard Ms . Chae-Rin gave you that as the dowry?”


“I do . ”


“Then why is Rothschild making you a throne?”


“Not all thrones are the same . ”


Kang Chul-In smiled and replied .


“Isn’t a throne made from a gold dragon’s skull the most befitting for a classy king like me?”


“I-I suppose . ”


“Of course it is . And it’s more comfortable too . ”


“How do you know that? Not like you’ve sat on one before!”


“I have . ”


“Huh? When? Where?”


“Very long ago?”


“You are lying!”


“Believe it or not . ”


Kang Chul-In grinned .


Lying?


Nonsense!


His throne in the previous life was made from a gold dragon’s skull!


Moreover,


“I will leave it to you again, Rothschild…! Hehehe!”


That throne was loot from Rothschild’s territory!


In other words, Rothschild had successfully hunted down a gold dragon in the past as well .


***


The battle was incredible to watch .


Roarrrr!


50 metres in length .


The gold dragon that had come out of its lair was magnificent, vicious, beautiful and mysterious at the same time .


Just think!


Those brilliant golden scales!


They were emitting light .


From its head to the tail, the gold dragon was covered in a brilliant ray of heavenly light .


“Holding, holding!”


Rothschild shouted .


“The chains, chains!”


“Magicians, cast your AOE binding spells!”


“Arrows!”


All the explorers and soldiers were doing their job .


Bang, bang!


Meanwhile, magic-engineered artillery fired shells at the gold dragon and Cyamodus the fire turtle unleashed its magma dreathe .


Not bad .


It was a sight to behold .


Dragon hunting was a rare occasion . Kang Chul-In was even munching on some popcorn while he watched .


About four hours passed .


The entire area was in ruins, but the battle between the humans and the gold dragon seemed to come to an end .


“Let’s go . ”


Kang Chul-In threw his half-eaten popcorn packet aside and began to move .


***


Grrr, Grrrrr…!


The gold dragon growled in agony .


A total wreck .


Its brilliant scales were drenched in fresh blood . Two of its three horns were broken, and its right wing was completely torn into pieces .


To top all of that off, its long tail had been chopped in half .


However,


Roarrrr!


Dragon Fear!


The gold dragon did not show any signs of weakness . Befitting the strongest creature in Pangaea, it never lost its dignity even in its final moments .


“Huff… puff . . . ”


Rothschild gasped for air as he stared at the gold dragon .


“Let’s…end this . . . ”


Rothschild pointed his epic-ranked sword, ‘Sigurd,’ at the gold dragon .


The sword was in a bad state .


It had chips and crack lines everywhere, making it practically unusable .


Flick, flick!


However, the sword still had a strong current of energy surrounding it . That was because Sigurd was a ‘dragon-slaying sword’ .


Dragon Slayer!


Sigurd added +50% damage on any dragon-type monsters .


Thus, it was releasing its final bit of energy to fulfill its duty .


Rothschild grasped Sigurd tightly .


With this… I will surpass Kang Chul-In!


It was the final moment .


Awakening!


A new world would open up for him the moment he sliced the gold dragon’s throat .


Psst!


Rothschild propelled himself forward .


I did it, I really did it!


Rothschild’s eyes gleamed in excitement . He had a juicy prize right before him .


“Thanks for the meal!”


At that moment .


An irritating voice could be heard .


“ . . . !”


Rothschild’s face crumpled in horror .


The corners of his mouth were curved upwards .


Kang Chul-In . His arch nemesis was stabbing Kaiforce into the gold dragon’s neck .


“N-Noooooooooo! You fuckerrrrrrrrrr!”


Rothschild screamed desperately .



Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.