Chapter 99: Great Naval War (2)

In fact, Crimson also wanted to give Iron a break. However, the mermaid’s movements were unusual so he had no choice but to bring Iron back after he had woken up. They were in a situation where the mermaids were moving as if they were going to do something big.

After their attack on Ghost Island failed, the mermaids’ movements changed drastically. It seemed like they were in a hurry. Seeing that they were moving in a hurry, the Eastern Command also moved busily. When the troops started to gather the mermaids gave up trying to get into Ghost Island. But once the troops got ready, they started coming to Ghost Island one by one. 

Because of this, the Northeast hurriedly sent their main troops out. All of the troops from the Northeast, with the exception of the Iron Wall Division and the Vanguard Corps who were left to protect the Northeast, prepared to go and support the others. The Mountain and Fog Corps moved to help the North while the core units of the Command, the Ranger Unit, the Knight Unit and the Drake Unit, gathered to help the East. More than half of their troops moved to support others but they received no attacks whatsoever in the Northeast. This was because most of the monsters had escaped the Northeast during the monster wave. They were also able to keep the monsters in check since they had properly managed the dimensional cracks. It was not evaluated as one of the safest areas in the Empire for no reason at all. 

“Is it that place?” 

Iron frowned when he saw the black fog over the horizon. Perhaps it was because he was a divine beast contractor that he could feel the contaminated energy from the black fog clearly. Since his divine power had increased, his senses against such energy had also become stronger. He felt like insects were crawling all over his skin from the horrible stench that the contaminated energy was emitting. He seemed to realize why the divine beasts naturally hated contaminated energy.

“It’s a rocky area! Everyone, be careful!” 

“We’ll arrive at the first strategic base soon! Everyone, get ready!” 

They arrived at an area that was made up of countless scattered rocks near the Puerh Islands. The area, just like Voghren’s Ghost Island, was covered in black fog. However, the contaminated mana was much thicker and more concentrated than in the Ghost Island. 

“Worthy of the name Ghost Archipelago.”

The captain couldn’t help but murmur his words as he stared at the scattered rocks. 

The place looked like a ghost would truly pop out at any given time. 

This group of rocks, which was discovered shortly after Voghren’s Ghost Island, was named as the Ghost Archipelago. They also called this area Devil’s Islands after it had sunk numerous ships and killed countless sailors. 

In addition to the thick fog, there were also countless sea monsters living in this area. This was the reason why even the Eastern Army had left it alone. They couldn’t deal with the fog so they had no choice but to leave it alone. 

However, the mermaids settled near this area after fully opening the dimensional gate. So, the Eastern Army was desperate to attack. But instead of rushing in hastily, they just tried to prepare and do it more perfectly.

This was how they wanted to move and operate…

Eastern Command ― Rear Command

↓

Ghost Island ― Mid-base

↓

Rocky Area ― Forward base

Fortunately, there was a place in the rocky area where the rocks were gathered densely. So, with the help of magic and airships, they were able to temporarily fill the area and turn it into a base. Because most of the troops were sent to the rocky area to work on the base, the Ghost Island was temporarily left with only the bare minimum troops to defend the island. That was when the mermaids staged their attack. Fortunately, the Ghost Island was not lost thanks to the Ghosts that stayed on the island. 

“Crazy.” 

Iron clicked his tongue as he watched huge amounts of sand and soil filling the area between the rocks. This was a feat that was quite difficult to achieve in his real world but he had no choice but to shake his head as he watched the fast pace of the construction as they took out the magically compressed soil and sand being out of their subspace. They were even able to make it into a fortress, even though it was only halfway done, in just that short amount of time. Once this fortress was completed, he was sure that they would be able to last a week without the help of the main fleet even if the mermaids invaded.

“Where did the money…” 

“The Merchant Association gave the money.” 

Gustav answered Iron’s unconscious answer. 

Seeing that his anger had eased, the Ghosts sneakily gathered one by one after seeing Gustav trying to talk to Iron. 

“The Merchant Association is paying for it?”

“That’s right.”

“Why did they…”

“If the mermaids stepped down, they would use this place as a stopover for their trading route in the future.”

Only after hearing Gustav’s words did Iron nod his head as if he understood.

“Are there routes connected to this place?”

“There was, but it became hard to traverse because of this area.”

Gustav looked at the black fog as he answered Iron. 

“Wouldn’t this still be the same even if the dimensional gate disappears?”

“The Eastern Army said that they would create a unit for this specific stop. Well, if the Eastern Army successfully establishes a base in Puerh Islands then establishing a route in this area will not be that difficult.”

From the Eastern Army’s point of view, they had no reason to refuse someone who was willing to give them the money that they lacked as long as they could make their base, weapons and ships. On the other hand, the Merchant Association saw this as an opportunity to create an attractive route for their future so they had no qualms on spending loads of money for this endeavor. In other words, it was a win-win strategy for both sides. 

As soon as Iron and the Northeastern troops arrived at the already half-fortified forward base, they began to attend tactics and operation meetings to target and attack Atlantis in earnest. 

The first thing they did was to check how powerful the mermaids’ army was. 

These were the forces that they had confirmed after their attack on Ghost Island. However, according to the recent information that they had received it seemed like the Eastern Army reconnaissance ship had spotted suspicious troops. There have also been many reports speaking of sightings of many mysterious creatures. Ranging from creatures that emit purple light at night to large creatures swimming strangely to transparent fishes showing their bones while emitting purple light.

And with the situation worsening like that, Crimson had no choice but to call for Iron and the Ghosts. 

“All of you must be curious as to why I brought Iron in a hurry.”

Crimson smiled bitterly as he looked at the Ghosts. 

He knew that he would be criticized heavily for doing this and he also did not feel comfortable bringing him in by force. However, Iron was extremely essential for this operation to work. 

Gustav was also waiting for Crimson’s words. It was as if he was yet to be informed about this operation. 

“Do you need a divine beast contractor?”

Crimson shook his head at Gustav’s question. 

“If it’s just a divine beast contractor, then there’s Kim Jungtae… did I pronounce it correctly?”

“Yes, sir.”

Iron smiled bitterly and nodded his head to confirm Crimson’s pronunciation. 

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter even if we have that friend. If it was just a matter of being a divine beast contractor then we wouldn’t have to call for you this desperately.”

Everyone tilted their heads in confusion when they heard the firmness in Crimson’s voice. It seemed like even if Kim Jungtae was present, he still wouldn’t be comparable to Iron’s presence. Perhaps it was because Iron was the most active person in the continent when it came to divine beasts. After all, rumors about Iron’s performance in Ghost Island had spread. In addition, a wizard, who installed a crystal ball in one of the ships, had confirmed the appearance of Iron’s divine beasts. So, his abilities with regards to divine beasts would have definitely been coveted.

However, Crimson did not call for him just because of his divine beasts. This meant that he did not want to put Iron directly on the field. 

“Then… what’s the reason?”

“It’s for your ability to purify.”

Iron and the rest of the Ghosts tilted their heads further at Crimson’s words.

If it was just about purification, then there were wizards. And even if it was difficult for the wizards, they could still go ahead and call for the priests. 

Since the dimensional gate had caused a great stir, plenty of priests have been deployed all over the continent. The Divine Nation, which did not involve itself in the affairs of the entire continent, opened its doors and intervened in the chaos that wreaked havoc in the continent. There were plenty of countries that suffered because of religion so the Divine Nation had to claim neutrality by isolating themselves. However, they had intervened on behalf of their cause so many priests would definitely flock to the East if the Eastern Army requested for their help. 

“Hoo… I already know what you want to ask. The priests and wizards have come here and are already doing a secret operation.” 

The Ghosts’ eyes widened in shock when they heard Crimson’s words.

“However, they confirmed one thing… their power was not enough.” 

“Then, wouldn’t it be more impossible for our youngest? Our youngest still hasn’t recovered yet. What can he do alone?” 

The other Ghosts nodded in agreement when Lintel bombarded Crimson with these questions. 

The Northeast and the Ghost Island.

The Ghosts had already seen their youngest sacrifice himself for them on these two occasions. From their perspective, they did not want to see Iron get hurt anymore. That was also the reason why they have been training harder recently. 

Crimson could only sigh quietly. After all, he clearly knew what they felt. 

“They said that their purification abilities and Lieutenant Colonel Iron’s purification ability are a bit different.”

“…Yes?”

Crimson sighed when Iron asked him foolishly. 

“They said that your purification ability is an ability that converts contaminated mana into a force that’s closer to nature.”

Iron couldn’t help but tilt his head once more. 

“Purification through magic is just artificially turning the contaminated mana into regular mana while the priests’ divine power only drives away unclean things with the power of God.”

“Then, our youngest’s purification different?”

Crimson nodded at Lintel’s question. 

“Lieutenant Colonel Iron’s purification has the power to return it to its natural purity. In other words, if the wizards purify it, then the mana will only thicken which in turn will create a mana core. If that happens, there is a risk of a second dimensional crack opening.”

“What’s wrong with the priests’ divine power?”

Crimson sighed at Gustav’s question.

“It will deteriorate.” 

“What?” 

“That’s literally what it means. They said that if they used their divine power to purify the archipelago by force, then it would deteriorate.”

“How…”  

Gustav looked at Crimson incredulously. He looked like he couldn’t believe that a power that could purify would deteriorate something instead. 

“Alright. Let’s say there’s an object. What do you think will happen if light forces the darkness away? What would be the backlash?” 

“…But I have never heard of a problem with sacred power in terms of purification…” 

“They hid it. Have you ever thought about why they left the dimensional gate open and left it as it is?” 

The performance of the priests in the dimensional gates recorded in history were clearly recorded. However, they have never heard about them destroying the dimensional gate through purification. 

“They said that it was only possible to completely ‘purify’ contaminated mana with their divine power if it was only under a certain level. However, when it comes to purifying something at the level of a dimensional gate… they said that there was a high risk of deterioration because of the backlash.” 

“Deterioration, meaning…?” 

“They are probably talking about the appearance of mutated beings like the ones that came out in the Northeast.” 

All eyes turned to Iron after Crimson finished speaking. Even Crimson was staring at him. His eyes were asking him about what he would do. 

Although he had heard about the situation, Iron could see that he was not given the right to choose. No, there wasn’t even any other option to begin with. The answer was already set for him and this silence was just them waiting to hear his answer.

“Hoo… I’ll have to do it.” 

“…Sorry.” 

“It’s alright since I’m not the only one fighting for my life. However, what will I do if I can’t do it with my own power…” 

“The purification itself will be done by them. However, you have to ‘coordinate’ with them.” 

Iron sighed at Crimson’s words. He already figured out what they were asking for. 

“So that it doesn’t deteriorate?” 

“That’s right.” 

“…I see.”

Crimson nodded lightly at Iron’s words before leaving. 

Not long after, the support units from the Eastern Command as well as the elite units riding on the drakes from the Northeast arrived one by one. The airships gathered here also rose to the sky with their weapons one after the other. 

All of the troops from the Eastern and the Northeastern Armies that could be gathered had already gathered. Even the other-worlders had arrived on merchant ships too. As the mercenaries, adventurers and other-worlders began to gather for the mermaid race’s treasures the preparations to start the Great Naval War was finally completed.

All that was left for them to do was to begin the last naval war in the Eastern seas.