Chapter 178 - Volume 18 (1/2)

This has been brought to you by Grisia.

Explosions ripped the land apart and ice pillars formed and collapsed repeatedly! After the smoke and dust cleared, the Northern Alliance could see the results of their actions. In the area that was thoroughly devastated by magic, there stood Weed and the Death Knight. Only that one area was fine. Thanks to the Moonlight Sculpting, the trajectory of most of the magic was changed slightly. Thankfully none of the magic had been aimed at Weed directly when they exploded. Due to the different properties of the various magics, the result was quite destructive. The arrows shot by the archers had lost most of their attack power because of the aftereffects of the magical attacks. Even so, in the center of the explosions, it was a miracle that Weed and the Death Knight managed to survive. It was thanks to their vitality, endurance, defensive skills, armor, and the protection from the Moonlight Sculpting! With the Death Knight, they managed to prevent dying by dividing the damage from the explosion. However, the durability of the Ancient Shield fell by a staggering 25 points. It was not an exaggeration one of the best, unique shields but it could not be repaired. The durability of his Tallock armor had dropped severely and was now in rags, but thankfully he was lucky that it was not fully destroyed yet.

“My Ancient Shield…”

His precious Ancient Shield that he only wore sparingly! The durability had dropped by 25 and now only 261 was remaining. He felt unbearable anger that its price would fall. Weed was really angry.

“I would have rather died!”

He would earn back his skill experience but he could not get the durability that the Ancient Shield had lost back. Weed had 33% health left and 46% of his mana. Even if he wanted to cry, he could not stop now since he needed to break even. He had managed to survive the magic explosions.

‘As for the items….’

Weed had been ambushed by the Northern Alliance. Naturally he did not forget to take the items from those that had died.

“Heraim Fencing!”

At the moment, he began to fight those that were left. Weed was the hero of the battlefield. Everyone was watching him as they were intent on killing him. The Death Knight began to act and strike down enemies. The wizards and archers began to attack but it was not as threatening as the first strike.

“Let’s fight against those that wish to harm Morata with Weed-nim.”

“Kallamore Knights, let’s go!”

The Kallamore Knights were still fighting against the Northern Alliance. All of the high level users that went to fight Weed had died in the magical attack. Many of the leaders of the Northern Alliance had already died.

“Kill them!”

“We beginners will fight back against the oppressors.”

Geomchi and the beginners began to break apart the enemy. The King Hydra, Black Imugi, Phoenix, Bingryong, and Wyverns were earning him a lot. Weed to focus his attention towards making the Northern Alliance crumble from within just as he had hoped and intended for. A single death does not lead to a significant lead to victory. Since he killed and looted a lot of the enemy leaders, the army was disorganized.

“Beat them!”

“Kill them all!”

The balance was destroyed and could not revert back to normal. The Northern Alliance was stuck in a situation like that of a wildfire. They could no longer trust their allies after having been attacked by their own magic.

“I give up. Help me!”

“It is own defeat.”

“I apologize for declaring war on Morata.”

The Northern Alliance users began to drop their weapons to show their intent to surrender. There was speculation that once Weed had begun to sing that there were already people surrendering. Once the soldiers of the Northern Alliance put down their weapons, the siege came to an abrupt, expected end. The beginners lifted their rusty swords and their wooden shields and began to cheer.

“Uwa, we won!”

“Morata wins. Hurrah!”

Weed shook his head.

“You started this war so you can not be the one that gets to decide when it ends!”

He used to mana to give off a Yell. This was not the end of the war. He had spent a lot of money to recruit soldiers and other expenses that would mean an economic loss. Of course, a defeat in war was the side that had substantial damages and could ransom prisoners of war, but that was not enough for Weed. He had not earned enough money from equipment. There were still the Kallamore Knights, the beginners, the Geomchis, Pale and the rest of the party against 30 thousand weak and tired users. There was money and experience scattered all over the floor! To say that you wanted to end the war was nonsense. It was like donating all of your money to charity after having won the lottery!

“Uwaaaa!”

“We won!”

“The Northern Alliance declared defeat!”

To the beginners that were giving off their victory yells, they thought that Weed was just being proud to show his pleasure in the situation. Weed yelled back.

“These enemies dare to invade and destroy Morata! Do not leave a single person alive, kill them all!”

The beginners had to be stirred up.Without them there was no telling how much damage the Sculptures of Life and the Kallamore Knights as well as Morata’s soldiers would take. With the number of beginners they could exhaust the members of the Northern Alliance. The Geomchis would ninja in during the confusion and cut down enemies while the Kallamore Knights charged in unexpectedly. The shouting that the beginners gave off worked to lower the spirits of the users from the Northern Alliance. Weed the God of War had given off his infamous war cry and wanted  to wipe out the Northern Alliance. The users of the Northern Alliance raised their hands.

“Praise to Weed!”

“He is indeed the Count of Morata. We admit clear defeat and will not attack Morata again.”

“It is an honor to lose to Weed the God of War. We had learned from this. Thank you!”

Because it was so interesting, stations were broadcasting the war in Morata.

“The Northern Alliance seems to have entered Morata’s territory. Haseungtae-ssi, what do you think will be the outcome of this war?”

“It can’t even be called a war. The Northern Alliance has mobilized over 120 thousand units. The victory will definitely go to the Northern Alliance. The majority of the Northern Guilds had formed this coalition and it was successful.”

CHN Media decided that the Northern Alliance would win.

“The scale of the Northern Alliance is amazing and they have generously spent on military efforts to take over Morata.”

“There are a lot of siege weapons. Viewers are going to see the city of Morata covered in flames today.”

“Will Weed’s invincibility as the God of War end?”

“Unfortunately that is so.”

CTS Media came outright and said that Morata would lose. Weed would suffer bitter defeat and the Northern Alliance would win so that their viewership would increase. KMC Media took a different stance.

“The Northern Alliance, despite having a massive force, does not mean much to Weed.”

“Oh Juwan-ssi, what do you mean? Are you saying something like the Northern Alliance is not enough to Weed?”

“That’s right. It is because he is that much of a threat that the other guilds target him.”

“What do you think will happen in the war?”

“It looks like the Northern Alliance’s victory may seem obvious, but that is unknown until the war finally starts.”

“So you’re saying that Weed can win this war.”

“At this point it is difficult to say, but from the quests so far performed by Weed the God of War, there is no saying that he would definitely lose.”

Oh Juwan was watching the fight carefully. Morata was not expected to win, so KMC Media as Weed’s contractor would get reduced viewership. Still the Director was a dedicated fan of Weed and maintained his stance despite what others said. Then the stations showed the Kallamore Knights appear. There was not a single person there that did not understand the might of the Kallamore Knights!

“Do you think Weed brought them? Weed does travel a lot but I did not know that he had gone to the Kallamore Kingdom!”

“Kolderim is leading the knights. Kolderim is the Knight that directly leads the knights of the Kallamore Kingdom!”

“Is there some connection between Weed and Kolderim?”

The host of the station urgently raised his voice. Other than Maylon, the others did not know that it was Weed that had liberated Kolderim’s soul and were surprised. The Kallamore Knights were battle knights that could take any role in combat and had the power to stop any force. They would ruthlessly wield their maces and swing their swords like lightning while maintaining maneuverability so they were like undying demons. The Kallamore Knights were very dashing, so much that there was significant increase of aspiring knights. The Kallamore Knights assault made a huge impact on the Northern Alliance users. The fear could be seen in their eyes.

They had seen the Kallamore Knights’ destructive power on the television but now they were subject to it themselves. With the sounding of a horn, the Kallamore Knights charge in rapidly. Many chose to flee from fear. Then the Knights began to dodge the wizard magic that led to allied damages, and then Morata released their large number of beginners. A level 300 high level users could simply kill 100 beginners. However, as the slaughtering continued they would get more physical exhaustion. Even if they killed a few beginners, they were still surrounded on all sides. The Kallamore Knights would finish them off quickly or a high level Geomchi would briefly appear. The Northern Alliance users had already abandoned the idea that they were in the advantage. Mixed among the beginners were Morata’s mid and high level users. In the battlefield, the experience and melee combat skills of the individual were important. Weed then appeared with the King Hydra, the Black Imugi, Phoenix, Bingryong, and the Wyverns! It was true that the famous Weed the God of War would sing before a fight.

They had all noticed it in the battles with the Orc Karichwi.

‘The real war begins now.’

‘This is Weed’s war.’

The song was about looting the items that the high level users of the Northern Alliance were wearing! That was exactly what he was singing about. The battle then progressed and magic began to strike Weed! It was an intimidating sight to see him survive that magic explosion. The Northern Alliance lost their motivation to fight and began to surrender to avoid further sacrifices. However the Northern Alliance was a coalition of builds rather than a guild under a single person so they did not have military efficiency. Due to the fact that it was a coalition of many builds, once one guild surrenders then the whole alliance collapses.

“…”

“So what happened to the war.”

“Morata won.”

The hosts were at a loss for words. It was difficult for them to explain what had happened once the beginners had begun to pour out. There were enough posts on the Internet community to cause the massive lag. Once you posted our own comment, you had to check 20 pages to see it.

-So the God of War did not lose today.

-I didn’t think the Kallamore Knights would show up.

-He had the power to bring them.

-The Northern Alliance could not be called the main powers on the continent. It could not compare to the central and south eastern forces. However, after seeing the events of the war I am now unsure.

-How is Morata growing so rapidly? Last time I saw it was only on the level of a small village.

-Don’t forget to keep watching the broadcasts.

-They don’t see the broadcasts too often. Morata changes on a weekly basis.

-I started as a user in Morata. It’s a place where art, culture, adventure, religion, and commerce co-exist in harmony. The church of Freya can’t be ignored. The North isn’t lacking in anything. But they just keep growing.

-Weed is more than qualified to be Lord there. The Northern Users were just bad at developing their towns. He had built many huge sculptures and now isn’t there the Art’s Center Building? If that’s completed, I would be glad to stay there.

-I just finished eating my sandwich. Also Weed! He did not disappoint at all. It was a shame that he didn’t get to fight much but he fought well didn’t he?

-I am leaving with my friends to the North. There’s no point in trying to take over Morata anymore.

-Wait a minute, I’m coming too.

The moment the war ended, a window popped up for Weed to see.

-The enemy has surrendered -Loyalty of citizens in Morata has increased by 3. For showing off the city’s power, military influence in the area has increased by 15. Theft will disappear and bandit invasion will be reduced. Security has increased by 13%. Consumption will temporarily rise in Morata. People will not spare money to celebrate this victory. Morata’s victory celebrations begin voluntarily.-The Sculpting Guild will now produce souvenirs of this victory. 5000 gold has been consumed. The Bards Guild will now hold a music making competition in memory of this war. The prize will be 4500 gold.-Morata’s fame in the Continent of Versailles has increased by 75. Current repuation: 469 The higher the repuation of the region, the more famous the ruler is. Victory or defeat in war, as well as produce, trade, quests, expeditions are factors that work towards local repuation. With high repuation, users can get high quality quests and fame in Morata. The trading pose will purchase goods at better prices. -Increase in the fame of Morata’s specialties. -Reputation of Morata’s textiles and leather industries increase, Freya’s blessing and agriculture will increase local specialties. -Morata will become famous for wine if there are more wineries. -Morata has formed a speciality for superior cattle. -89 Teuriban villagers migrate to Morata. -85 Noroma villagers migrate to Morata. -3600 northern residents have switched faith to the Church of Freya.-Skilled craftsmen migrate! The craftsmen will come to the Northern town of Morata and teach children their trade. The children of Morata have great potential for the future.-The Ekoban’s town residents will now protest for 20 weeks. They blame their incompetent ruler for not being like Morata. If this condition persists, then Morata will become the lord of these towns.

Due to the defeat in the war, each of the towns were facing large scale resistance. It depended on the culture of each town and those that were defeated had to pay a huge penalty. Tears fell from those that were held in captivity.

-The warehouse manager hold the prisoner keys. Their families will want to come to Morata to see them within two weeks.

Each of the lords had the responsibility of maintaining the morale in their forces. However, the Northern Lords did not see that and suffered huge damages.

“Half of the town has already deserted.”

“Kerala doesn’t have any culture. All the farmers have left the harvest in the ditches and ran away.”

“Well, that much is evident.”

“Bankchester guild is barely holding their own.”

“Your town?”

“Us? There’s nothing to buy. Who knew that culture and are are things that were actually important?”

There was not much unrest in the continent since there were cultural centers. Each town and city fulfilled the basic need of cultural level so that they could maintain hostilities with neighboring kingdoms. Morata had exceptionally great culture. Lords did not understand the meaning of culture and people satisfaction or a sense of art. So the Northern Lords reduced art as much as possible. They did not think they would lose so much from the war.

“Do you think that this is because we failed to raise culture?”

“This is where the real frightening part begins…”

The war negotiations were not over yet. Weed had gathered the lords and the guild masters into a building to discuss war negotiations. Basically it was reparations for the war. The number of prisoners from the Northern Alliance was perplexing. They had taken over 70 thousand prisoner. Of those there were 14 thousand users. The war reparations was bound to put them at a significant disadvantage.

The Styrene Guild took the first move.

“Morata lord, Morata is a well respected place. I have admired Weed-nim since the Continent is magic.”

The beginners and POWs could witness the negotiations that were going on. With the amplification of sound magic the conversation could be heard from all over Morata. The stats were also covering the conversation live. They tried to smoothed over things politically. Weed saw that some of the players were on the Hall of Fame and were trying to make themselves sound professional. The Northern Alliance was at a huge disadvantage. However the Styrene Guild continued at Weed.

‘This much is just?’

There was a need to understand the personality and taste of the other party. So they tried to praise him as much as they could! They wanted to start the negotiations off with elegant lines of praise.

“The monsters of the Northern part of Morata are scatter out, this must be because Lord Weed is dependable. However, have you seen the extent of damage on the other villages?”

“…”

The Styrene Guild mention the loss of their culture and art.

“Even though we invested a lot of money, our villagers keep migrating to Morata which is a big loss for us.”

The Lords of the Northern Alliance nodded in unison since they were all sympathetic to the words being said. They did not have the kind of money for this and wanted to escape this suffering.

“The damage is done now and we will agree to no longer invade Morata. The defeat is ours and we would like our inhabitants back. So the point is, could you please consider this agreement and we will not attack Morata again.”

After the Styrene Guild finished, they finally noticed. Weed was the notorious God of War known as the worst of the worst. In the Continent of Magic, he would kill anyone that made noise in the dungeon and even those that ran away. Weed had no sympathy or compassion. He was burned into history as the unscrupulous user that kills and takes all! Weed had his arms crossed with narrow eyes. That much could show his attitude that he was not at all pleased.