A full sixteen hours had passed since the rift first appeared.
During that time, the Roble Holy Kingdom had been like a massive ship tossed about by raging winds and towering waves, plunged into chaos and turmoil at first.
However, thanks to its remarkable cohesion and highly efficient organization, it quickly regained its footing.
Yet the price paid over those seemingly brief hours had been devastating.
The Roble Holy Kingdom, once home to roughly seven million people, had lost nearly two million in this sudden disaster.
The sheer scale of the casualties was horrifying.
The Roble Holy Kingdom had long maintained a policy of universal conscription. Regardless of gender, every citizen was required to undergo a period of rigorous military training upon reaching adulthood.
Consequently, when the miasma spread and drove the populace into a frenzy, those capable of resisting its corruption and remaining clear-headed were mostly trained young adults.
By comparison, those most severely affected were the frail elderly and young children who had yet to understand what was happening.
Judging solely by the overall proportion of losses, the outcome might perhaps be considered fortunate amid such terrible misfortune.
But to the Holy Queen, who cared deeply for her realm and loved her subjects, even the loss of a single life brought unbearable sorrow.
As she gazed upon the devastation all around her, deep grief and compassion filled her beautiful eyes.
Within her heart, she silently vowed that she would lead the survivors out of this crisis and rebuild their homeland.
[But... does the Roble Holy Kingdom truly have a future?]
Inside the conference chamber, the Holy Queen, Calca Bessarez, could not help but sigh softly.
"I understand Your Majesty's grief, but the people are prepared to face what comes."
"In the past... ahem! I've forgotten what it was called, but during some battle or other, the Roble Holy Kingdom faced a crisis too. In the end, we still pulled through under the leadership of the Holy King of that era. This time will be no different."
A brown-haired woman spoke up to comfort her.
This woman was none other than Remedios.
Originally, she should have been burned at the stake by a mob of furious believers during that dreadful social incident in the Sorcerer Kingdom, consumed by raging flames until nothing remained but charred remains.
However, through the combined efforts of the Holy Queen and her younger sister Kelart, who served as Head Priest, the Paladin Order gathered what little remained of her body, and they used 5th-Tier Divine Magic to miraculously bring Remedios back to life.
Unfortunately, after everything she had endured, Remedios's strength had fallen considerably.
She had been forced to leave behind the Realm of Heroes she had once belonged to.
Hearing this, Kelart, standing nearby, gently shook her head. A trace of helplessness crossed her face as she tried to reason with her sister.
"It was the War of the Demon Gods, Sister! Could you please stop spending every waking moment training and thinking about nothing but fighting?"
"I know you're desperate to recover your strength and return to the Realm of Heroes as soon as possible, but even then, you could at least use your head once in a while and think things through properly."
Clearly, Kelart was worried by her sister's obsession with improving her combat ability at the expense of everything else.
She knew that Remedios was not doing it merely for herself. More than anything, she wanted to protect the Holy Queen and preserve the peace of the entire kingdom.
Besides, with the Roble Holy Kingdom suddenly facing such upheaval, powerful combatants were needed now more than ever.
Even so, as her younger sister, Kelart still felt compelled to discourage her from taking things too far.
"The general mobilization order has already been issued and is now fully in effect. Soldiers from across the Roble Holy Kingdom are gathering here, and all non-combatants have been properly relocated."
"Our most urgent task now is to fend off those monsters while searching for a way to seal the rifts appearing throughout the Roble Holy Kingdom."
"Hmm... Judging by the current situation, this disaster is no longer a crisis facing the Roble Holy Kingdom alone. It has become a catastrophe affecting the entire continent."
"That is why I propose we find some way to contact the outside world and urgently send requests for aid to the Slane Theocracy, the Empire, and the Dragon Kingdom."
It was a simple truth. If one nation fell, its neighbors would soon feel the consequences.
Although relations between the Roble Holy Kingdom and the Slane Theocracy had never been particularly cordial, and the matter of the Sorcerer Kingdom had only made things worse, both were still human nations.
At a moment when their very survival was at stake, surely the Slane Theocracy would not simply stand by and watch.
Likewise, if the Slane Theocracy took the initiative and offered aid, the Empire and the Dragon Kingdom would most likely follow its example rather than remain indifferent to the calamity consuming the continent.
"What about the Sorcerer Kingdom?"
"Hah? Your Majesty, you want to ask the Sorcerer Kingdom for help!?"
Kelart blinked in disbelief, as though she had just heard the most absurd suggestion imaginable.
Her expression practically screamed, Are you serious?
Never mind the numerous conflicts and disputes that had already occurred between the two nations.
The fact that Remedios had once died in the Sorcerer Kingdom was enough by itself to fill Kelart with hatred.
Although she appeared calm and composed on the surface, she had long since regarded the Sorcerer Kingdom as an unforgivable enemy.
All this time, she had been racking her brains for ways to take revenge and cause trouble for the Sorcerer Kingdom.
And now they were supposed to ask it for help?
The very idea sounded ridiculous.
"The duty of a monarch is to protect the nation and its people and preserve peace throughout the realm. If this disaster could threaten the Sorcerer Kingdom as well, I imagine they would not refuse us."
Calca considered the matter.
As a member of the clergy and the Holy Queen of the Roble Holy Kingdom, she naturally loathed the Sorcerer Kingdom on a personal level.
But if she set aside those feelings and considered the matter from the perspective of a head of state...
The two sisters looked at each other in front of the Holy Queen.
"Hmph! If the Sorcerer Kingdom is willing to help, then I suppose I could reluctantly accept it."
[I can put up with a little humiliation for the sake of the Roble Holy Kingdom.]
Remedios thought to herself.
Even now, she did not believe she had done anything wrong back then.
"Hold on... haven't we completely lost track of the point? The most important thing right now isn't arguing over who we should ask for help. We need to find a way to contact the outside world first!"
Kelart frowned, her voice tinged with impatience.
She clicked her tongue softly, annoyed with herself.
How did I almost get dragged off topic with them?
What am I doing?
Obviously, the first step was to establish some form of reliable communication with the outside world. Only after that should they worry about whom to ask for assistance.
Yet somehow they had skipped that crucial first step entirely and were already enthusiastically debating the second.
The thought made irritation surge through Kelart, and for a moment she wanted nothing more than to give both of them a thorough scolding.
In the end, however, she suppressed the urge.
She drew a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
At a time like this, maintaining unity and keeping a clear head were more important than anything else.
Yes. This was all the Sorcerer Kingdom's fault.
"So, do we have any ideas?"
"No. That's why we're discussing it!"
"For now, it seems all we can do is buy time and hope the outside world notices that something is wrong in the Roble Holy Kingdom."
After those words, all three of them frowned, their faces clouded with worry.
Considering all the hardships and dangers they had endured recently, it was only natural for anyone to feel weighed down.
Remedios, of course, was an exception.
The Holy Queen knew perfectly well that Remedios was only frowning because the other two were doing it.
Calca found herself remembering the day she had ascended the Holy King's Throne, the symbol of supreme authority.
Standing before her two closest friends, she had solemnly declared:
[I will do everything in my power to give my people peaceful, secure lives free from worry, and build an ideal kingdom where no one will ever have to shed tears in secret.]
In response to that ambitious declaration, Remedios had sworn without the slightest hesitation:
[I willingly pledge myself as your trusted aide. I will give everything I have to support Your Majesty in carrying out justice!]
From that day onward, Remedios had carried that vow deep within her heart.
To realize Calca's grand vision, she pressed forward more fearlessly than anyone else.
A brilliant light often shone in her star-bright eyes, something almost resembling fanatical faith.
Judging by that alone, Remedios could almost be considered an extremely dangerous person.
Yet Calca had never once thought of distancing herself from her closest friend.
Remedios longed for peace. She regarded the wicked as enemies, burned with the desire to help the weak, and turned that conviction into action.
It was precisely this wholehearted goodness in Remedios that had made Calca so fond of her.
More importantly, Remedios was straightforward by nature and never tried to conceal what she truly thought or felt.
She always spoke her mind without spending much time weighing or reconsidering her words. That blunt sincerity made it easy to know that whatever she said came from the heart.
To the Holy Queen, Remedios was like an oasis for the soul.
In this complicated world filled with schemes and deceit, the Holy Queen carried enormous pressure and responsibility.
Yet whenever she looked upon Remedios's pure and unwavering heart, she found a kind of invisible comfort and strength.
Remedios's kindness and unpretentious sincerity had become a source of support whenever the Holy Queen grew weary, reminding her that goodness and justice still existed in the world.
"In the end, we'll still have to rely on ourselves."
But how long would it take for the outside world to realize something was wrong?
One day? Perhaps that would not be enough.
Two days? There was no way to know.
Three full days, perhaps?
The Holy Queen had no definite answer.
That was precisely why their most important task now was to gather every bit of strength they had and hold out for as long as possible, until an opportunity finally presented itself.
The Holy Queen gently stroked the crown atop her head.
This was no ordinary crown. It was a powerful magical artifact containing the large-scale ritual magic [Last Holy War], passed down through generations of the Roble Holy Kingdom.
Although the soldiers of the Roble Holy Kingdom received stricter and more thorough training than those of other nations, they were ultimately still ordinary militiamen.
Under circumstances like these, maintaining morale was absolutely essential.
And when the decisive moment arrived, this wondrous artifact would surely prove immensely valuable.
Just then, the Holy Queen thought she heard the faint tolling of a bell.
She pushed open the tightly shut window.
The cool, fresh air of early autumn immediately flowed into the room.
It quickly mingled with the warmth created by the three people inside, gradually pushing the warmer air out through the window.
And carried in with that crisp, refreshing breeze was the faint sound of a bell she had heard moments earlier.
Its clear, resonant tone left no doubt that what she had heard was not tinnitus or some auditory hallucination.
No.
If only it had been her imagination.
As the Holy Queen's thoughts raced, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed down the corridor.
They grew louder and closer, as though someone were sprinting directly toward the room.
"Your Majesty, the Holy Queen!"
A loud cry rang out. A moment later, the door burst open with a heavy bang.
A figure shot into the room like a bolt of lightning.
Once she saw who it was, she recognized Orlando Campano.
He was the squad leader stationed at the Central Stronghold of the Roble Holy Kingdom's Great Wall Guard and one of the Roble Holy Kingdom's renowned Nine Colors.
He had once fought the Grand King, one of the Ten Great Demi-Humans, and successfully held out until reinforcements arrived. His considerable strength had already reached Adamantite rank.
"What happened?"
Holy Queen Calca frowned slightly as a sense of foreboding rose within her.
Orlando hurried toward her in obvious panic, his rapid footsteps and heavy breathing painfully clear in the room.
Before he could even speak, the Holy Queen could already tell from his expression that something terrible had happened.
Sure enough, Orlando gasped out his report.
"Your Majesty, the Holy Queen! The rift! That terrible rift has expanded again! Huge numbers of monsters are pouring down from the sky like a flood!"
"The troops promised by the Southern Nobles, the ones we were counting on for reinforcements, suffered a crushing defeat. The entire force was wiped out!"
"The monsters are now advancing toward the city. According to our preliminary estimate, there are at least twenty thousand of them!"
The moment Calca heard the news, a buzzing filled her head and her mind went completely blank.
The entire force was wiped out?
How could that be possible?
Yet reality was merciless, leaving her no room for doubt.
After only a moment of panic, her responsibility as the ruler of a nation forced her to regain control.
Her dignified expression as queen returned at once.
She drew a deep breath and issued her orders without hesitation.
"Avoid direct confrontation with the monsters. Everyone is to shift immediately into a full defensive posture. Do everything possible to buy us time!"
As Calca gave her orders, she silently considered how the situation was developing.
Faced with such a powerful horde of monsters, could the Roble Holy Kingdom truly hold out until reinforcements arrived?
The question weighed on her heart like a massive stone, leaving her uncertain and helpless.
No.
I can't think like that!
Calca sharply shook her head, crushing the moment of weakness that had begun to rise within her.
"To let my vulnerable subjects live in peace and prosperity, and build a nation where no one has to weep. That's what I promised, isn't it?"
Her soft murmur, almost like the words of someone dreaming, slowly echoed through the empty palace.
"Exactly! Your Majesty Calca!"
A bright, ringing voice shattered the silence.
Remedios stood there with a radiant smile, answering in a voice overflowing with passion and energy.
Looking at that familiar figure before her, the Holy Queen gently shook her head and sighed inwardly.
[She really hasn't changed at all.]
And perhaps that was exactly why she had been able to become such close friends with this straightforward woman, someone with whom she could speak about anything.
A faint smile appeared on the Holy Queen's lips.
As the ruler of a nation, carrying the hopes and trust of countless subjects upon her shoulders, how could she allow herself to feel lost?
Those brave soldiers had all marched onto the battlefield at her command, many of them never to return.
Now that matters had reached this point, she had to play her role perfectly until the very end.
Only then could the fallen believe that their deaths had meant something, that they had died with honor.
No matter what hardships or dangers awaited her, she would keep moving forward without wavering.
She would devote herself completely to the role of the Holy Queen whom all her people revered and loved, the supreme sovereign who stood above the realm.
Brother, I think this must be what you were always trying to teach me.
Thinking back, she had left so abruptly before that she had not even had time to say goodbye.
Once this was all over, perhaps it was finally time for the two siblings to open their hearts and speak honestly with each other.
For the sake of the Roble Holy Kingdom's future, she hoped that when the time came, he would still be willing to trust his younger sister one more time.
"Very well, everyone. Prepare..."
With that thought, the Holy Queen clapped her hands, her clear yet commanding voice echoing through the room.
But before she could finish speaking, something suddenly happened.
Without the slightest warning, the solid floor collapsed.
A vast, seemingly bottomless pit opened beneath them in an instant.
Before anyone could react, countless pitch-black, slick tentacles erupted from the hole like frenzied pythons.
Each one stretched several dozen feet in length, thrashing wildly through the air and carrying with it a foul, bloody stench.
In the blink of an eye, the tentacles swept toward them at an unbelievable speed.
No one even had time to cry out before the grotesque tentacles coiled tightly around them.
A moment later, every figure in the room vanished without a trace, as though they had never existed at all.
Once everything fell silent again, a man quietly appeared beside the pit.
He stared into the depths of the cavern and murmured to himself.
"The old shell shed by my god..."
"It seems there's no longer any need for me here. Still, just to be safe, I'll leave something behind to clean up the rest."
As he spoke, his lowered head slowly rose.
His gaze turned toward the enormous rift in the sky, and an invisible ripple spread silently from within his body.
The next moment, a hideous dragon-like Chaos Beast slowly emerged from the depths of the fissure.
The corner of the man's mouth lifted into a barely perceptible smile.
Then his figure gradually melted into the darkness, disappearing completely from the deathly silent space.