Chapter 416: Castles Kartpa Hills – The Wilderness Answers the Call
The Kartpa Hills, a rugged expanse of rolling terrain nestled deep within the wilds, now bore witness to an unwelcome arrival.
Under the command of Lord Jese Swan—great Goblin warlord, Marshal Dolo’s most trusted subordinate, and hero of the Anzeta Unification War—the Empire’s vanguard marched southward. They had traversed the narrow Anzeta Corridor, braved the vast, snow-choked Anstica Mountains, and now stood at the threshold of the Kartpa Hills.
The Thrace Kingdom had kept its word—its forces had withdrawn from Kartpa. Yet, in their retreat, they’d dismantled the region’s sole fortress: Glenan Castle. Now, the Empire’s vanguard faced a barren, monster-infested wilderness, devoid of civilization, where only beasts and wild fury ruled.
They needed to establish a forward outpost—essential for the future southern invasion of the Ashen Empire.
This task seemed daunting, almost impossible.
But the Empire had prepared for this moment long before. Urban planning had already been finalized. The site was chosen. The blueprint was ready.
On the first day after arrival, under Baron Jese’s command, the vanguard marched to the designated location marked on the map. They burned the forest with fire, cleared the land with axes, pitched tents, erected wooden fences, and formed a rudimentary camp.
On the second day, the army’s mages began setting up beacons and inscribing rune arrays across the campsite.
From the third to the twentieth day, the infantry—composed of Tieflings, Great Goblins, and humans—launched a relentless raid across the surrounding dozens of miles. Every beast, every monster, was reduced to a sieve of flesh and bone. Their spoils—meat rations—sustained the army.
On the twenty-second day, the Empire’s Magic Ministry finally activated a permanent portal to the Kartpa region. With it, manpower and supplies flowed ceaselessly into the new frontier.
On the twenty-seventh day, Baron Jese led the Infantry Legion and the Dragonfly Legion in a devastating assault on the southern Orc tribe—eradicating them utterly.
On the thirty-eighth day, the Imperial Engineering Department dispatched dozens of seasoned Civil Engineering Players, led by the renowned figure known as 【Bucket Runaway】, to assist in constructing the new city.
Tahan City—named in the Dragon Tongue for “Conquer the South”—began to rise from the earth, brick by brick, stone by stone.
Now, it had been seventy-three days since the vanguard arrived.
The rough outline of Tahan City was complete. Players from the Empire—Ogres, Frost Giants, and others—moved swiftly and tirelessly, carrying materials, laying foundations, and shaping the future.
Massive engineering machinery, crafted by the Mechanical Divinity, arrived in disassembled components through the portal. Workers reassembled them piece by piece.
【Bucket Runaway】stood at the center of the construction zone, wearing a white safety helmet, arms crossed as he barked orders.
“Frost Giant on the left—no slacking off!”
“Stay alert, everyone! Newcomer—chisel that surface!”
“Ogre! I’ve told you a hundred times—don’t eat the concrete! What’s so tasty about that stuff?!”
Having endured a full year of construction in Isdalia City, these crews were veterans—seasoned, experienced, and battle-hardened in the art of building.
Standing atop the half-finished city wall, Baron Jese—his yellow eyes scanning the distant, rolling hills—spoke with quiet menace.
“Cunning humans,” he muttered.
“Think you could stop us by burning your cities, releasing monsters, and hiding behind the wilderness? How naive.”
“South… will belong to the Empire.”
He gripped his rifle—a sleek, compact pistol, newly released by the Ashen Armory. Small, elegant, and deadly—this was his favorite weapon, one he could never part with.
“Lord Baron!” A scout’s voice rang out. “We’ve discovered a Hill Giant nest in the southeast!”
“About 130 Hill Giants,” the scout added.
A sudden shadow loomed above. From the sky, a Crimson Scale Conqueror descended gracefully on a Wyvern, landing with perfect precision, bowing deeply.
This was the largest Hill Giant tribe in the region—infamous for devouring everything in their path.
Jese’s lips curled into a wide, feral grin. A plume of white smoke escaped his nostrils. His yellow fangs gleamed. The scales on his brow rippled slightly.
“Excellent,” he said, raising the pistol high, aiming it at the sky.
“Let these crude, brutish creatures experience the might of the Empire!”
BANG!
The gunshot echoed across the hills. All eyes turned toward the city wall—except for the Civil Engineers, still buried in their work, battling dust and sweat.
Jese stood tall, raising his hand again. Another shot. Then another. Three, four, five.
“For the Ashen Empire! For King Kai Xiusu!”
“For the Ashen Empire! For King Kai Xiusu!”
“Conquest! Conquest! For the Empire’s Great Blueprint!”
The monsters and humans within Tahan City roared in unison, celebrating yet another inevitable victory—before the battle even began.
This was the Empire’s tradition: to celebrate in advance. They knew—under the shelter of the Emperor’s Dragon’s Wing, every battle was a foregone conclusion. A crushing victory, effortless as snapping dry stalks.
Under Baron Jese’s command, the army marched in full formation, launching their assault.
But the Hill Giant tribe—unaware, unprepared—still slept.
Their massive, simple bodies sprawled across the wild hills. Clad in crude, untanned animal hides, stitched together with leather straps and coarse fur. Sweat dripped from their skin onto the stinking, rotting hides beneath them, releasing a stench that hung thick in the air. Bones and scraps of meat littered the ground.
Their chieftain, Bone Club—tallest and fattest of them all—clutched the thigh bone of his predecessor as a weapon. He snored deeply, kicking aside a nearby giant with a clumsy foot.
“Hnnngh…”
He groaned, slowly opening his eyes, turning his head toward the sky.
“What… is that?” he mused, unthinking, his mouth gaping open.
Before him, a massive metal sphere filled his vision—growing larger, faster.
Then—BOOM!
The explosion tore through his head. His skull burst apart in a spray of bone and blood. Shards rained down across the camp.
“GROOOOAAARRR!”
“Who?!”
The Hill Giants awoke in terror. Roars erupted from all sides. But their camp—once peaceful—was now a sea of fire.
Above, Crimson Scale Conquerors swooped through the sky on their Wyverns, dropping bombs and unleashing torrents of flame.
“Little insects!”
“They’re in the sky!”
The giants hurled rocks, screaming in rage—but the Wyverns were too high, too fast. The Empire’s aerial precision had grown flawless. Ordinary throws could no longer reach them.
Just as despair took hold, another sound split the air—crack! crack! crack!
Three more Hill Giants collapsed, roaring in agony, felled by the rifle fire.
The giants turned, stunned.
A deep, rumbling tremor shook the ground.
There—riding a massive, earth-crawling dragonbeast—came Baron Jese, drawing his long blade. Behind him, the Empire’s Dragon Beast Cavalry charged forward, a wall of armored flesh and scale, like moving mountains descending upon the helpless tribe.
“For the Empire!”
“Kill them all!”
“This land belongs to King Kai Xiusu! No one touches it!”
(End of Chapter)
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