Chapter 15

★★★ The Red Gate Frontline of the Lev Magic Empire ★★★

When that colossal creature landed on the ground, what must the people who were fighting daily have thought?

Its roar thundered like lightning, announcing the presence of the End Fang to the surrounding area.

It was undoubtedly a tiger, with purple fur and black stripes. The stripes faintly emitted a purple magical aura, and a magical membrane covered its entire massive body.

It had six legs and three tails. It towered over the high-rise buildings of the Lev Magic Empire, and it seemed that six legs were needed to support this body, and three tails were necessary to maintain balance.

A mane of white fur flowed from the back of its head to its back, standing up not because of the wind but due to the rising air currents from the giant's sweating.

And then there was its face.

Its sharp fangs were long and black.

It had four large eyes, each looking in a different direction.

"What, what is that? I haven't heard of such a monster appearing..."

"Please calm down, sir."

In the Keithgran Federation's camp, the noble who commanded the entire army of 100,000 nearly fainted at the sight of the End Fang from a distance. His adjutant, standing nearby, skillfully supported him and helped him sit in a chair.

The top was a noble, and the adjutant was a general who had worked his way up—this was the norm for the Keithgran Federation when they went on expeditions.

The noble, who had no battlefield experience but desired merit, was appointed as the supreme commander, while the adjutant handled the practical matters.

This time was no different. The general, who was in his late 40s, still had a body capable of fighting on the front lines, and despite losing his right eye in battle, he sharply focused on the End Fang with his remaining left eye.

"Is, is everything alright... for our army?"

"Hah. No problem."

He answered immediately, reassuring the noble while calculating in his head.

They were deploying 20,000 troops at a time into the empire, rotating them. However, not all 20,000 were fighting. They stayed for three days at a time, including supply and medical teams, and were replaced by the 20,000 on the front lines.

Severely injured soldiers had to be transported back to this camp and would return during the rotation.

So far, there were about 1,000 dead and 3,000 severely injured.

Honestly, the results were not good.

—If we send 100,000 troops, the disturbance will end immediately.

King Gelfert, the head of the federation, and this general had both believed this. With 30 years of military experience, there was no monster that 100,000 troops couldn't handle.

However—monsters were still pouring out of the Red Gate in large numbers.

And now, this enormous monster.

"Is, is it really okay? I've never seen or heard of such a huge monster."

"Hah. No problem."

Answering mechanically without thinking, the general inwardly sighed. The young, plump noble was a distant relative of King Gelfert and was sure to gain attention in the federation's social circles. That's why King Gelfert himself had appointed him as the supreme commander.

But to the general, it was an "unknown world" and "irrelevant circumstances."

The noble had never even been to a monster hunting site, so it was only natural that he had never seen or heard of such a monster.

"However, I am concerned about the front lines, so I will go and check."

"Y-You, the general, will go yourself?"

"Hah. Please wait here, sir."

"But..."

"If you are worried, would you like to come with me to the front lines?"

"Ah!?"

The young noble shook his head vigorously when the general extended his hand.

"Then I will go."

Accepting the expected reaction as expected, the general started walking.

Could they really contain such a massive monster?

Generally, when a powerful enemy appeared, they relied on the "Black Pirates" of the Lev Magic Empire.

The general's pace naturally quickened.

In the Light Knight Kingdom's camp, Deputy General Otto, also known as Referee, witnessed the appearance of the End Fang.

"Hmm."

Raising an eyebrow, he thought.

When the Red Gate appeared, the Light Knight Kingdom had also obtained information that a giant goat's eye was seen on the other side of the crack.

While called knights, this country was known for its thorough information gathering and analysis. Compared to the Keithgran Federation, the country was much smaller, but it could deal with them on equal terms for this reason.

Of course, the strength of the Light Knight Kingdom still lay in its "knights."

"Is that Red Gate creating new monsters through some kind of magic... or is it the magic that connects spaces, which we've only heard of in myths and legends? Hmm. Perhaps I should have asked Lord Raze more about it..."

Otto headed to the top of a small hill where the army was stationed.

There, a giant man, standing at least two meters tall, stood with his arms crossed.

His full plate armor was painted white, with red and gold, the symbol colors of the Light Knight Kingdom, outlining it.

Two knights stood beside him, each holding a massive sword and a long spear, sizes that no human could wield.

"General, it seems we have a new enemy."

The giant man—General of the entire Light Knight Kingdom's army—was intently watching the End Fang.

His golden long hair flowed behind him, and his jaw, capable of crushing a stone, was split into two.

His deep-set eyes were blue, showing no emotion.

"Otto, I leave the camp to you."

The deep, low voice that shook like glass came from the general.

"...Understood, Lord Friedrich."

Otto bowed respectfully.

The supreme commander, Friedrich Berger, was in his early 30s, much younger than Otto, perhaps even half his age.

Yet, he was the general and supreme commander—simply because he was the "strongest" in this army.

The full plate armor weighed over 50 kilograms, but Friedrich walked with such light steps that it seemed he felt no weight. The sound of metal rubbing against metal mixed with the creaking of the powerful muscles under his armor.

Two knights followed him, carrying their weapons.

After Friedrich walked, only the massive footprints in the grass remained.

Grendel, the former top of the Kurvaan Holy Kingdom, was already at the front lines.

The frontline camp was built in the form of blocking a major street in the imperial city. The half-ruined buildings were still sturdy and could reduce the area that needed to be fenced off.

After finishing the morning battle and returning to the frontline camp for lunch, he heard the roar of the End Fang.

A gust of wind blew due to the sound wave, debris flew, and several tents fell.

All the soldiers stopped their movements and looked in the direction of the roar.

Someone let out a small cry.

It was natural, as a giant tiger was there.

"I thought I heard creaking sounds. That crack must have been forced open because it was too small."

Grendel, wiping his body and his weapon, a long spear, with a handkerchief, turned his wild, fierce eyes toward the End Fang.

"The Red Gate still has more tricks up its sleeve, I see."

He drank water directly from a water jug, then looked at the stunned soldiers.

"Hey, you! Don't just stand there! A new enemy has appeared, and I'll take the first strike!!"

Yelling loudly, the soldiers snapped out of their daze.

As Grendel mounted his horse and galloped away,

"Wait, wait, Your Majesty!? Everyone, protect the Holy King!!"

Although he was the former Holy King, many soldiers followed him, calling him by his old title.

Unaware of the commotion, the End Fang surveyed the new world it had never seen before.