Ra Gilmi Fis.h.i.+ga and his soldiers concentrated on carrying out various tasks as they tried to fill the moat.

“Fire!”

At Gilmi's behest, the goblins of Ganra let loose their bows, and countless arrows shot over the walls of colonia, giving rise to many screams.

They knew that a powerful counterattack would come right after, so…

“Retreat!”

Without even checking how much damage they've dealt, they ran back to an area near the forest. As soon as they did, an arrow as big as one's arm landed in the place they were standing at before.

“d.a.m.n, are the humans raising a giant?” Gilmi spat.

Gilmi had a platoon meant for sieging the colonial city, but the powerful attacks of the enemy kept them from putting their plans into action.

This was the goblins' first time sieging an enemy city. No matter how hard they racked their heads to find a way to siege the colonial city (colonia) while limiting casualties, they couldn't think of anything.

Even Gilmi himself who believed that the archers of Ganra wouldn't lose out to the human archers cowered before their giant arrows.

As a result, they have been fighting the humans like the waves of the sea, coming and going.

While they fought, the orcs would take their s.h.i.+elds and run for the moats, and they would try to fill them up.

“Support the retreating orcs! Proud goblins of Ganra, don't let these orcs prove themselves braver than us!” Gilmi said.

It was rare for him to say so much, but he needed to to encourage his soldiers.

As soon as he gave that command, the goblins of Ganra hiding in between the trees, crawled out and shot their bows at the humans.

Gilmi stood at the frontline to manage the horde that was made up of half their tribe.

“Fire!” Gilmi said.

The arrows flew above the walls once more.

“Over there! Run!” Gilmi said.

The goblins ran the opposite direction that the orcs did.

As they dodged the incoming arrows, Gilmi gave another order.

“Bows at the ready!” Gilmi said.

When everyone had nocked their arrows, Gilmi immediately gave his next order.

“Stop! Shoot!” Gilmi said.

After those two simple orders, Gilmi and his soldiers ran back to the forest.

When they got back to the forest, Fanfan of the tarpidae called out to him.

“The ants have a problem,” Fanfan said.

Apparently, the killer ants tried to dig a hole to fill the moat, but they ended up hitting a barrier that kept them from moving any further.

“Are the humans that meticulous?” Gilmi asked.

“Fanfan doesn't know. They felt like something made by a G.o.d.” Fanfan said.

“Hmm…” Gilmi became thoughtful.

—Does this have something to do with the unencroachable area dictated by the G.o.ds? Did the humans accidentally build their fortress on top of it?

Gilmi wasn't sure, but if the killer ants can't get through, then that's that.

“Got it. Thank the killer ants for us,” Gilmi said.

For the meantime, Gilmi decided to promise them food and rest, then he went to meet Bui.

“I've thrown the logs just like you told me too, but we just can't seem to fill those things,” Bui said.

“Did you suffer any casualties?” Gilmi asked.

“We have about 3 wounded,” Bui said.

“That's good then,” Gilmi said.

“Those giant arrows are a problem,” Bui said.

“Indeed, and here I thought we'd win for sure in a contest of archery,” Gilmi said.

Seeing Gilmi crying sour grapes, Bui couldn't help but raise his brows in his anxiety.

“How about using the lizardman?” Bui asked.

“There's water underground, but we can't quite figure out how to get it to flow into the moat,” Gilmi said.

It wasn't easy for the lizardman, who normally lived by the river, to go underground.

There was no way for them to reach that water source either.

As Gilmi sighed and Bui quietly listened, the latter came up with an idea.

“Then how about this?” Bui said.

After Gilmi listened to Bui's proposition, he decided to stop the attacks during the day.

◆◆◇

On the side of the humans, who were under attack by the goblins, Yuan and his men defended the village as they waited for Gowen's reinforcements.

“How are the ballistae doing?” Yuan asked.

“There are currently no problems, sir!” The young soldier replied.

Commanders like Yuan always had to act dignified lest they wished to make their soldiers anxious.

As someone who had studied under Gowen himself, Yuan did his best to stifle his own worries and act like a dignified commander.

“Keep up the good work. Those monsters won't cower just from something like this,” Yuan said.

“Understood!” The young soldier happily replied, and Yuan nodded.

Yuan's attention was focused on the distant west. They have been successfully defending against the goblin attacks thanks to the defensive weapons of the fortress, and the moats – despite having been slightly filled – were still alright, but it was curious whether they would be able to say the same in the hour of the night G.o.d.

The darkness belonged to the monsters.

Of course, Yuan had come up with a countermeasure himself.

For one, he's hired the adventurers staying at the colonial city for a long time and promised them a handsome reward. It was for that reason that he had them wield one part of the defensive weapons.

Having been designed to defend for perpetuity, the colonial city comes outfitted with bountiful fields.

The emergency reserves should hold even half a year later.

The knights, the soldiers, the farmers and tenant farmers all currently had high morale.

But even then…

Yuan gripped the hilt of his sword tight.

The memories of that night when that monster-like king of goblins sent him flying just won't leave.

Did I overlook something? Is everything really alright?

Yuan could not rid himself of his worries, so despite it being his free time, he could not help but inspect the defensive weapons, the farms, and various other places.

“Nothing seems amiss,” Yuan said to himself.

But although Yuan had checked for himself that nothing was amiss, when he want to the streets, his anxiety still weighed heavily on his shoulders.

“Hey, mister,” a voice said to him.

That voice belonged to a fearfully beautiful young girl with black hair that extended down to her waist. There was a faint blush on her porcelain-like cheeks, and her red tongue could be seen peeking out of her thin lips.

Her most striking feature, however, was none of these but her red eyes.

The girl was dressed in nothing more than rags, but for some reason, there was an aura of n.o.bility about her. It was enough to make Yuan want to kneel.

Who knew there was a girl like this in the colonial city?

“Ahh,” Yuan caught himself saying.

“Shall I rid you of your worries?” The girl said.

That haughtiness that was completely unlike how she was dressed and that soothing voice of hers made Yuan instinctively nod.

He could not even respond properly.

The young girl sweetly smiled, then as she closed her eyes, she muttered something.

When she opened her eyes again, she smiled with her mouth alone at Yuan.

“Don't worry. You won't die. At least, not here,” she said.

“What do you mean?” Yuan asked.

“Who knows?” The girl said.

As she sweetly smiled at him one last time, she turned around. It was almost as if she hadn't been talking to Yuan at all.

“W-Wait a moment,” Yuan called out to her.

He tried to chase after her, but a wind blew at him, keeping him from going any further. By the time the breeze had gone, the girl was nowhere to be seen.

“W-What just happened?” Yuan asked to himself.

He was so dumbfounded by what had transpired that he stood still in that same spot, looking blankly toward the direction the girl had vanished until the sun set.

Gowen sent a request for reinforcements to the north, the south, and the capital even deeper west. The north and the capital immediately replied, but the south's response was yet to arrive.

As Gowen readied the army at the west, he wondered what could possibly be keeping the south.

Ripper Knight, Sivara, and Sharp-Eyed Knight, Jize, were in charge of the south. Moreover, the boundaries to the east where the Holy Shushunu Kingdom was was safe. If so, then…

“Could the heretics have made a move?”

If there was one problem that the south might have it would be the adherents of the Kushain faith.

“Could the southern rebellion be making their way here?”

Gowen's predictions were half right and half wrong. The Ripper Knight and the Sharp-Eyed Knight were indeed at a loss on how to deal with the Kushain believers, but with their strength and the southern army, they were more than strong enough to swiftly eliminate the threat.

Unfortunately, they couldn't do so because of the people coming from the back. Among those were people who ran with only their clothes, merchants who took their wealth with them, and mothers who took only their babes… It was such a group that was currently making their way to the colonial city.

Such a group of people couldn't possibly be killed, so the Ripper Knight and the Sharp-Eyed Knight were unsure of how to deal with the situation.

Unfortunately, Gowen had no way of knowing that.

All he knew was that he couldn't expect reinforcements from the south.

“Regardless, even without them, we will still have 400 soldiers from the capital and 350 from the north.”

The army under the direct control of King Ashtal were inexperienced, but after having a.n.a.lyzed the new potions, Gowen decided he could safely leave the supplies and wounded to them.

The army coming from the north were under the lead of Gulland. Contrast the reinforcements from the capitals, the northern reinforcements were experienced in war. They're wild and crude, but their strength was first rate.

There was 3 days to go until the reinforcements would arrive.

Until then Gowen needed to gather his scattered forces and ready his army.

“Our defeat last year… I won't let you forget it,” Gowen muttered.

Gowen had originally planned to rebuild his forces in two years, but the monsters only gave him one.

Now, he has no choice but to train his soldiers during the war.

◆◆◇

“Lord Gi Go.”

In the northern region where cold winds blew, in the village of the barbaric sword tribe renowned as yugus.h.i.+va (snow demon), was a young maiden kneeling.

She called out to the sleeping goblin who had his hands on the curved sword that he carried on his back.

“Lord Gi Go, are you awake?” Yustia asked.

“Yes,” Gi Go said as he tried to sit with the curved sword in his embrace.

“Everyone is, gathered. They want to see, their supreme commander,” Yustia said.

“Hmm… So I'm the supreme commander, huh,” Gi Go said.

Gi Go found it puzzling, after all did he not decide to live solely for the sword? He was not a goblin meant to lead others in the first place, so why was he the supreme commander all of the sudden?

“This really doesn't suit me,” Gi Go complained.

Yustia had a look of doubt on her face as Gi Go stood up, but Gi Go just smiled at her, then he lifted up the curtains of the tent and walked outside.

The blinding light of the G.o.d of fire's body made Gi Go knit his brows. The land covered in white didn't help either, as it reflected the blinding light, burning Gi Go's poor eyes alongside the G.o.d of fire's body.

But that only lasted a few seconds.

Before Gi Go's eyes were the various yugus.h.i.+va tribes gathered.

Every one of them had the mask of a demon on, but Gi Go knew that the moment they saw him, they all gulped.

The various yugus.h.i.+va tribes had been gathered once more with Yustia at the center.

Most of the men had already died in the previous wars, but with a threat looming upon them, they had no choice but to rally their forces once more.

Them being able to stand again was thanks to Yustia's overwhelming support.

With her masterful sword arts and her beautiful face, she quickly became the genius yugus.h.i.+va swordsman that became the pillar of the yugus.h.i.+va tribes.

—Our chief is loved by the heavens!

The young boys and girls that made up the yugus.h.i.+va tribe believed in Yustia so much that it was almost religious. It was that faith that lit a fire in their hearts.

When Yustia appeared beside Gi go, the yugus.h.i.+va people cheered.

Yustia told them to keep quiet in the northern tongue, then she spoke to Gi Go.

“Lord Gi Go, I will translate, so please,” she said.

Hmm, Gi Go groaned as he looked at the yugus.h.i.+va people once more.

They might call him 'supreme commander', but their hearts were with Yustia.

Why does he have to say anything? Gi Go wondered.

“This war belongs to you,” Gi Go said.

Yustia's gaze remained unmoving toward the crowd even as she translated.

“So take back with your own hands the pride and glory of your ancestors that was taken!”

Silence covered the snow-blanketed lands.

“The time has come to seek the flag of your true master!!”

As Gi Go raised up his curved sword, cheers echoed throughout the yugus.h.i.+va tribes.

Gi Go turned around and withdrew behind Yustia.

As Yustia gave her orders, the yugus.h.i.+va tribes moved out.

Like this the snow-blanketed lands of the north were caught in the flames of war once more.