A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

In that case, what's wrong with the empress protecting the people on her land?

This is an obligation, this is a responsibility.

Compared to the world and the nation, the nation seems very small.

In the post-apocalyptic world, people don't even have the concept of a "nation".

Really not? Of course there are.

If you can't even protect your own people, how can you talk about the world? Who's really joking?

To expect her to back down at this moment, just because the other party is a god? Sorry, she can't do that.

The Queen's fearless dignity and sense of responsibility led her to stand atop the city walls.

She may not have been a wise ruler, or an empress who could bring happiness to people.

If Dorothea decides to protect the people around her, she will naturally do so.

Regardless of who is in front of you, or whether you are a person who observes the precepts, the same applies.

"Step back, mortal." Ezos's voice resounded across the entire land without him uttering a word.

Everyone inside Snowwind Fortress could hear this sound.

Upon hearing this indifferent voice, people chose to give up resistance.

Can we win? Did we win? No matter how much I imagine it, I can't picture it.

The gods hold power over the world, while mortals have nothing.

"I refuse." Dorothea uttered these words calmly, as if the person before her was not a terrifying true god.

She suddenly waved her hand, and her mind unfolded like a world.

Countless flowers bloomed on the vast, empty land.

This is a garden.

At the same time, she changed into a magnificent and elegant long dress that truly belonged to an empress.

The blooming flowers seem to give people the courage to overcome fear.

Unfortunately, Ezreal expressionlessly gripped a sword that appeared out of thin air and slashed it towards the world.

The flowers in the garden were torn to shreds, their petals fluttering and disappearing silently into the air.

It seems that human courage, along with these flowers, has been extinguished.

The resilient heart felt as if the world had been ruthlessly torn apart, and the scenery reflected in Capras vanished without a trace.

However, Dorothea showed no surprise; she had expected this.

Her world was destroyed, but her long dress remained, fluttering in the gale.

Dorothea's long silver hair was also blown back and spread out in a mess.

The messy strands of hair were tangled together, as if they too were afraid of Ezreal's presence.

Dorothea gathered her disheveled hair with her left hand and gently flicked her right.

Countless weapons were lined up behind her.

One weapon after another was displayed, quietly awaiting the command of its master.

The sheer number of weapons, once arrayed, resembled a new city wall protecting the vulnerable Snowwind Fortress behind it.

With a flick of Dorothea's finger, all the weapons were aimed at Ezreal, who was hovering above.

Ezos remained unmoved; his unreadable eyes seemed to scorn the struggling Dorothea.

"What you see now—" Dorothea shouted, then pushed the vast sea of ​​weapons toward Ezos.

Each weapon seemed to be imbued with life, "fighting" Erzsus in its own way, rather than simply being thrown.

"Is it despair? Or fear?" The weapons were all blocked by Erzos casually raising his shield.

There were no fancy moves; the surrounding light and the weapon's own "light" all helped it.

Many weapons even switched sides because of this.

This mighty offensive suddenly appeared weak and powerless.

“I can’t see any of that.” But Dorothea’s voice remained clear amidst the sounds of clashing weapons.

As Ezos drew ever closer, the city walls inexplicably began to crumble.

“I only see a future where everyone lives.” Dorothea grabbed a spear, pointed it at Ezra, and said, enunciating each word clearly. “What do you see? Despair? Fear?”

"I only see the future."

If the above words had come from the powerful Dorothea, they would have been very convincing.

But what if this sentence came out of an ordinary person?

What if Eric said those words?

Eric, sprawled on the iceberg, used his remaining hand to get up and addressed the people in the capital.

His arm and part of his body were swallowed by nothingness, making him look very miserable.

I felt nothing about the lost part; it didn't hurt or ache, as if I had never had that part in the first place.

In his arms lay Alice, fast asleep, her body as incomplete as his own.

And it was more than what was swallowed up.

Eric looked up helplessly, gazing at the clouds that seemed to engulf the entire sky.

Was that really a cloud? Of course not.

What covered the entire sky above the capital was a golden seed.

Even without knowing the other party's name, the capital was gradually being eroded.

He did nothing but sleep above.

Human intelligence seems utterly powerless in situations like this, unsure of what to do next.

Courage is now like a candle flickering in the wind, easily extinguished.

Eric spoke inspiring words to the people in the capital, but even he himself didn't know how to "fight" them.

"Do you have the courage to challenge the enemy before you?" Eric took a deep breath and asked the crowd.

Standing at a high vantage point, his voice could reach every corner of the capital.

"Don't know how to answer?"

"Then I'll answer for you."

No! I know you don't have the courage!

"Me too! We're all cowards!"

Eric pointed to the group of people behind him who didn't dare to move and roared angrily.

"So what are you all doing? What are you all standing there for?!"

"Run! Run anywhere! Do whatever you want! It's better than you just standing around doing nothing!"

Eric knew that in everyone's eyes, he was still the sinner who caused the disaster in the Middle Kingdom.

No matter what efforts he made, that impression will never be erased from people's minds.

So if he says something exciting, nobody will believe him.

Eric said that he knew this.

Knowing that no one supported him, he chose to say something that would demoralize him.

However, in this situation, survival is more important than anything else.

"Run! Run away!!!"

"Ahhhh!"

Eric's angry shout served as a wake-up call for everyone.

People, terrified by the arrival of the golden seed, all fled for their lives.

Noticing people starting to flee, Eric sighed and looked at the cracked ring in his hand.

The ring that Gulid gave himself... I didn't expect it to be of such poor quality.

But it was thanks to this ring that Eric was able to create such a large iceberg.

This iceberg was not used for defense or offense, but rather to slow down the erosion of the surrounding area.

Without this iceberg, which is even larger than the Imperial Capital Safe Zone, the city behind us would have vanished without a trace, along with its inhabitants.

Eric felt that being swallowed by nothingness was far better than being weathered away.

At least it doesn't hurt, and even if a large part of it is lost, you can still live.

If weathering occurs, once a small part begins to weather, the entire person will inevitably disappear completely.

The "clouds" above seemed in no hurry to move or use their abilities, drifting leisurely as always.

Perhaps He didn't even have the desire to attack, but simply intended to enjoy the pleasure of returning to His "homeland".

But as a golden being, His mere existence is enough to destroy the weaker life around Him.

"These guys, at least they remembered to run away," Eric murmured, gazing at the iceberg beneath him that was beginning to shrink.

"No wonder you said you could see the future. As long as you survive, the future is there." A familiar voice sounded behind Eric.

Who could possibly climb such a high iceberg?

"You're only arriving now, Your Majesty," Eric said irritably upon recognizing Carrasco.

"I'm sorry, I'm feeling a bit unwell," Carrasco said apologetically.

Upon hearing Carrasco's words, Eric instinctively turned to look at him.

What came into view was a man who had lost one leg and whose head had been cut off a third of its length.

"Alright then." Seeing that Carrasco was in an even worse state than himself, Eric didn't say anything more.

"So, what can we, as a lower species, do next, Colonel Eric?" Carrasco asked quietly, standing next to Eric.

In this desperate situation, what can lower species still do?

"As you can see, escape." Eric struggled to his feet, carrying Alice.

Human intelligence and human resources have become very useless.

After all, it was a golden seed that could wipe them out of the world with just a thought, a god that people used to pray to day and night.

Why is God called God? Because He can do all kinds of things and knows all kinds of things.

Although we are still some distance from being omniscient and omnipotent, a truly omniscient and omnipotent being will never come into existence.

After all, "omniscient and omnipotent" is a contradictory term.

"Is running away the only option?" Carrasco sighed. In the end, being weak, they had no choice but to flee.

“You have your own talents to offer. You can uplift them, and only you can give them courage,” Eric said.

“Also, help me escape with Alice,” Eric said to Carrasco after glancing at Alice.

"This is what you can do now."

"And what about you? What are you doing?" Carrasco asked.

“I did nothing, just lay on the iceberg, waiting to weather away with everything around me,” Eric said in a very casual tone.

"You are not a person who gives up on yourself."

“If I’m here, He will be curious about me and won’t wander off.” Eric was avoiding any mention of “God” and didn’t want the other person to know what he was talking about.

It seems that as soon as God is mentioned, you immediately know who mentioned Him.

"..." Carrasco pondered for a moment, then nodded to Eric.

"Good luck."

"I've always been very lucky," the colonel boasted without any restraint.