The Overlord of Blood and Iron

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 .