Chapter 213: Chapter 183:

A few days ago.

The Lota Kingdom’s army had set out one step ahead of the Baltin Kingdom’s army.

It was only natural for the Lota Kingdom to move faster than the Baltin Kingdom, considering they had anticipated the war and acted accordingly.

While they were marching like that…

‘Wait a sec.’

Camille stiffened, realizing something was amiss.

‘This path does not lead to the Chergori Fortress.’

As soon as Camille realized that the Lota Kingdom army was marching in the wrong direction, he immediately approached Otto and asked.

“Your Majesty, it seems there has been a mistake in the instruction.”

“Who is it?”

Otto asked, his eyes twinkling.

“Who dared to misinterpret my orders? Was it you, Camille?”

“…Are you blaming others right away?”

“I gave the orders precisely.”

“You were the one who gave the wrong orders.”

“Me?”

“Our troops are traveling the wrong way.”

Camille unfurled a map and showed it to Otto.

“If we continue marching like this, instead of the Chergori Fortress, we’ll end up at the Kashmir Mountains. To be precise….”

“We’ll end up going to Lucerne, right?”

Lucerne is a small town nestled at the foot of Mount Kashmir.

It used to be part of the Roshan Kingdom’s territory, but now it has long been under the control of the Lota Kingdom.

It was here that Otto met Amukhan, the dwarves, and Quran.

“Yes, if we march on, we’ll get to Lucerne.”, Answered Otto while staring straight ahead of the ongoing march.

“We’re doing well then.”

“Huh…?”

“Yes, we’re heading towards Lucerne.”

“Why are we going there? Our army is supposed to go to Fort Chergori….”

Camille frowned.

“That’s a defensive position. Our mission is not a defensive one, it’s an offensive one.”

“Attack… We are? Us?”

“Yeah.”

“No way.”

Camille asked, just to make sure.

“Are we planning to cross Mount Kashmir and attack the Baltin Kingdom?”

“Hmm.”

“We can’t.”

Camille objected sharply.

Mount Kashmir is over 5,000 meters above sea level. No matter how well trained and disciplined their troops are, it is impossible for them to cross Mount Kashmir and attack the Baltin Kingdom.

“Right.”

Otto nodded his head.

“Any army, not just ours, would be foolish to attempt it. Attack? We’d all die trying to cross those mountains.”

“Knowing that, you still want to launch such an improbable operation?”

“That’s why we’re doing it.”

“…..?”

“We know our army can’t cross over the Kashmir Mountains, and the Baltins know it, because it’s common knowledge. But what if we could? What if we could cross over the Kashmir Mountains and hit the Baltins? What then?”

“If it is possible.”

Camille replied.

“The Baltin Kingdom would be completely caught off guard.”

“Isn’t that right?”

“So you’re saying there’s a way?”

“Yes.”

“What is it? What’s this method?”

“Well, you see…”

Otto whispered in Camille’s ear.

*Whisper*

After Otto finished talking.

“…Holy shit.”

Camille looked like he’d been hit over the head with a mallet.

Never would he have imagined such a thing.

“Oh? Here they come.”

Otto pointed beyond the distant horizon with his eyes tinged green.¹

*Neiiiigh!* *Gallop* Gallop*

The nomadic cavalry of the Haver Prairie, mounted on huge horses, were galloping toward them at a terrifying speed.

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The Lota Kingdom army didn’t cross the Kashmir mountains, they “went through” it.

However, it wasn’t as if they had dug tunnels through the 5,000-meter-high mountains.

Even in a world where magic exists, tunneling through a mountain is not something that can be done in a day or two.

It would take at least a decade to build a tunnel through an alpine mountain like Mount Kashmir.

But there wasn’t any magic involved.

The secret was simple.

Otto used a shaft that the Red Anvil Tribe had tunneled.

For centuries, the Red Anvil dwarves had been mining various minerals and rocks in the Kashmir Mountains, and the tunnels they dug extended into the territory of the Baltin Kingdom beyond the mountain range.

In other words, the Lota army didn’t have to labor to create their own path.

They simply had to utilize the tunnels already carved out by the dwarves to bypass the obstacles.

Without shedding a single drop of blood!

This was also one of the strategies discovered by gamer Kim Dojin through hundreds, even thousands, of plays of Otto de Scuderia.

‘I must have gone crazy too. Thinking about scouring every nook and cranny of this mine.’

As Otto passed through the tunnels, a smile mixed with self-deprecation spread across his face.

The amount of research he’d put into this was ridiculous, even to himself.

‘Well, I did. So much research, I guess I’m Otto de Scuderia, and Otto de Scuderia is me, and that’s why I ended up in this world.’

While entertaining such absent-minded thoughts, Otto passed through the tunnels and crossed the Kashmir Mountains.

*Clink* *Thump* *Clink* *Thump*

Leading the forces of the Kingdom of Lota.

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After passing through Mount Kashmir via the dwarves’ tunnels, the Lota Kingdom army immediately advanced on Fort Toorong.

Their advance was not unimpeded.

The Baltin Kingdom didn’t even notice the Lota Kingdom’s army until they were right at the doorstep of the Toorong Fortress.

Why?

The infiltration route of the Eota Kingdom’s army was through the hinterlands of the Baltin Kingdom, where their reconnaissance was virtually nonexistent.

“All units, advance.”

“Waaaaaaaaaa!”

Following Otto’s command, the Lota Kingdom’s army rushed toward the Toorong Fortress in unison.

“E-Enemies!”

“Shoot!”

“Enemies have appeared!”

The Baltin Kingdom’s army stationed at the Toorong Fortress was greatly startled by the surprise attack from the Lota Kingdom’s army.

The subsequent siege ensued.

*Crunch*

Otto stepped forward.

“Huu…”

Otto took a deep breath, opened his subspace inventory, and pulled out the Book of Carnage.

*Whiiiir!*

A steady stream of Void Dark Energy radiated from the [Book of Carnage].

‘Voice amplification.’

Thinking about what he needed.

*Flip* *Flutter* *Flutter* *Flip*

The book flipped on its own.

“मम वजनं वर्.”।

“अहं क्षुधार्तःअ.”स्मि।

Otto chanted an incantation.

Void energy flowed from the open book and wrapped around Otto’s neck.

“Enemies.”

Otto’s raspy voice crackled.

“Annihilate.”

Then something amazing happened.

“We are powerful!”

“We are invincible!”

“Wuuuuuuuu!!”

The combat power of the Lota Kingdom Army has exploded.

*Hwaaaaaa!*

A strong aura of energy even emanated from the bodies of the Lota Kingdom soldiers.

He utilized the power of the [Book of Carnage] to amplify the Barbarian’s Roar, which is a friendly buff skill.

Without having to yell.

“Stand up.”

Otto commanded the fallen soldiers to rise.

“Ho, I’m restored!”

“I will not fall!”

“His Majesty will protect us!”

The injured soldiers quickly recovered and with a burst of energy, rose to fight once again.

And so Otto directed the battle with verbal commands.

The Barbarian’s Roar is one of the Invincible Emperor’s powers.

Among them is the Warcry of Valor, which strengthens allies.

And the Indomitable Roar, which heals allies.

He amplified these two abilities using the power of the Book of Carnage!

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Otto led the Lota Kingdom’s army to attack the Toorong Fortress.

*Clink* *Gallop* *Gallop*

The cavalry led by Amukhan rode at a terrifying speed across the lands of the Baltin Kingdom.

And then, they carried out a series of raids, systematically reducing the strategic strongholds of the Baltin Kingdom to rubble.

The Baltin Kingdom was thoroughly ravaged and trampled by Amukhan and the cavalry.

As it happens, the Baltin Kingdom never imagined that Lota’s army would ever attack.

Ignorant of the existence of a passageway, they were blindsided and defenseless.

Thanks to this, Amukhan and the cavalry swept through the territory of the Baltin Kingdom as if it were their own, inflicting tremendous damage in just a few days.

And the news reached the ears of King Chech IV of Baltin.

“What! Are you saying that the cavalry of the Kingdom of Lota has been rampaging in our territory!”

“Yes, Your Majesty! It’s reported that two territories have already been reduced to rubble!”

“D-Damn it! How did they manage to enter the territory of my Kingdom!”

“The consensus seems to be that there is a viable alternative route! Your Majesty, you must lead the cavalry against them now, the damage is too great!”

“Damn it! Rally the army immediately and quell them! Hurry!”

Following the orders of King Chech IV, the Baltin Kingdom’s army began to pursue Amukhan and his cavalry.

Unaware that the Toorong Fortress had fallen…

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“Long live His Majesty the King!”

“Hooray!”

“Hail, Kingdom of Lota!”

“Hurray!”

Otto entered the Torong Fortress amidst the enthusiastic cheers of the Lota Kingdom troops.

However….

*Stumble*

Otto’s legs momentarily gave out, and he almost fell to the ground.

‘This is ridiculous.’

The toll of using the Book of Carnage was very high.

Simply using it to amplify the Barbarian’s Shout had drained him of his mana.

That wasn’t all.

The entire body was on the verge of exhaustion.

His hands were shaking, and his legs were wobbling.

*Swirl* *Swirl*

He was even experiencing extreme dizziness and his vision was spinning.

Such was the price of using the Book of Carnage.

It imposed tremendous strain both physically and mentally, draining life force, stamina, mana, and mental strength.

The Book of Carnage was a demonic artifact that could not only corrupt its owner but also drain them to death if used recklessly.

“I can’t show any weakness.’

In front of the cheering soldiers, Otto gritted his teeth and stood tall, refusing to falter.

He couldn’t rest yet.

There was still work to be done.

Time was of the essence in this war.

They had to accomplish the scheduled operations within the allotted time.

‘At this point, Amukhan must be wreaking havoc in enemy territory, leading the Baltin Kingdom’s army. But they won’t be able to drag it out for long.’

No matter how skilled Amukhan and the cavalry of the Haver Prairie are, lingering too long in enemy territory will inevitably lead to their demise.

‘We need to quickly tidy up here and advance. Otherwise, Amukhan will be in danger. Now is the optimal time when Amukhan is diverting the enemy’s attention.’

Time is of the essence.

Right at this moment.

Every minute, every second felt like gold.

“Camille.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Get this place under control and prepare to advance again. We’ll move again tonight. Until then, make sure the men are well rested.”

It was a forced march, but there was no choice.

Now, time was of the essence, so even if the soldiers were a bit weary, they had to push forward.

Wasn’t all that rigorous training and physical conditioning for moments like these?

“How many troops do we have left?”

Camille asked Otto.

“At least enough. It would be troublesome if we leave too many troops here. You know, our army’s biggest weakness is the shortage of manpower.”

“Then won’t the rear be insecure?”

Camille spoke with a voice mixed with concern.

“The moment the Baltin Kingdom army, which was attacking the Chergori Fortress returns….”

“They might take this place back again. Feeling an itch on the back of your head², You’ll advance to the Kingdom of Baltin without a care.”

“And even then, we’ll only leave a minimal force behind?”

“Yes.”

Otto nodded.

“The Baltinian army won’t be coming back, because I’m going to blow up the Serpents’ Path.”

“Then the Baltin forces attacking Fort Chergori will be stuck at….”

“They’ll be stranded in Punhill, unable to get anywhere.”

Otto looked back at Qasim with a wicked grin.

“Qasim.”

“Yes, I’m here!”

“Guic! Gwiiik!”

“Lead the magic swordsmen and destroy the Serpent’s Path.”

“Yes!”

With that, Otto led his army toward the Baltin Kingdom, having misdirected and isolated the Baltin forces attacking Fort Chergori.

** ** **

TL/N:

1. Whenever Otto used [Clairvoyance] a skill from the [Eye of Calypso] his eyes would be tinged or glow in the color green.

2. It suggests that Otto is unfazed by potential dangers and is ready to advance to the kingdom of Baltin despite minor annoyance.