The Cloud-Raised Brave Man's Travels

"You just now?"

"There were several magical beasts hiding beneath the ground at the city gate. If we opened the gate, they would have rushed in. The soldiers were already preparing to pull up the gate, so I resorted to some drastic measures."

"Is that so... then there's no problem."

thump -- thump -- thump --

"What is this bell sounding?"

"This is a sign of an incoming monster attack. I see. The monsters you sensed beneath the sand are probably the vanguard of the monsters, launching a massive attack. Hmm... This is really difficult to handle. The soldiers don't look like they can fight like this. Since this is your fault, Koya, how about you handle this wave of attack?"

"I see."

Although the number of soldiers affected was actually very small, less than a hundred, which was only a drop in the bucket compared to the huge number of troops on the Warcraft Front, the purpose of Koya and his men coming to the northern front was to ensure sufficient manpower as much as possible, so they naturally would not refuse Merlin's request.

"Oh right, can you transform into the dragon in the illusion just now?"

"Ok?"

Keya was a little confused about what Merlin was planning. The people around him were so scared that they were about to die, and he turned himself into a black dragon? Was he dissatisfied that they weren't scared enough?

"Hahaha, if the forbidden monster stands on our side, it would be a good omen! It's the magic needle that stabilizes the sea!"

Koya understood what Merlin meant. Although this was the second time he used the dragon form, Koya did not feel awkward. He used every bit of the Black Dragon's power as if it were his own arm. He completed the transformation in the air, and his shadow enveloped the soldiers waiting in formation below. When those soldiers looked up at the sky curiously, the dragon had already arrived.

How to describe the current mood of these soldiers? Perhaps the word "despair" is enough.

Koya's gaze was not on the soldiers below him. He was looking at the magical beasts pouring out of the forest like a swarm of crucian carp. His mind couldn't help but flash back to his actions in the Terra world. At that time, his control over the Black Dragon was not as proficient as it is now. If he did the same thing, would there be any difference?

Rays of destruction streaked across the sky above the battlefront. In the next second, the sky and earth lost their color, humans lost their hearing and vision, and the Warcraft lost their lives...

Koya looked at the dividing line he had drawn himself and nodded in satisfaction. This power was much greater than before. Back then, he had formed a line from a point, so the power at the very end of his breath was definitely insufficient. But now...

The dividing line formed by the lava completely blocked the monsters' attack route. Red thunder and flames burning out of thin air flashed above the lava. No monster could cross it.

"Oh my...isn't this a bit exaggerated?"

Merlin was stunned. He had never expected Koya to cause him such a commotion. He was already thinking about the consequences. With this 'lava defense' in place, the Warcraft Goddess would surely react. If she, fearing Koya's might, temporarily withdrew, that would be the best outcome. However, if the Warcraft Goddess stubbornly insisted on confronting Koya, that would be troublesome. Of course, Merlin wasn't worried about Koya being unable to defeat the Warcraft Goddess, but rather that he might accidentally kill her and cause Tiamat to awaken prematurely.

Even though Koya is extremely powerful, Tiamat follows a system. If no special means are used, no matter how many times Tiamat is killed, she can always come back in the salt water. Koya can't compete with her to see who will dry up the Indian Ocean first and use up his own magic power first, right?

Now Merlin can only pray that the Mother Goddess of Warcraft will be smarter.

The soldiers, waiting outside the city walls, were stunned at first by the sight of Koya's defensive line, then filled with joy. This dragon was on their side! This must be King Gilgamesh's backup plan. He must be a powerful being summoned by King Gilgamesh, just like General Ushiwakamaru and General Leonidas!

"Hmm? Rikka, you recovered so quickly?"

"It's okay. Although I was shocked at first, I felt relieved after knowing that the taboo was you."

"That's good."

Koya released his Black Dragon form and walked over to Tachibana, ready to pat her head like before, but this time...

"You, you let me take it easy. Although my mind tells me not to be afraid, my body hasn't recovered yet!"

Seeing Tachibana hiding behind Mashu and trembling with her, Koya found it a little funny, but he didn't care too much. After all, he knew that the image of the Black Dragon was indeed quite scary.

"This time I've experienced the might of the Black Dragon firsthand. When I return to Chaldea, I must defeat the Black Dragon in Monster Hunter with all the weapons I can get. Otherwise, I won't be able to calm my fear!"

"Lord Koya!! Thank you for your help."

"General Leonidas, long time no see."

That's all about the topic of defeating the Black Dragon in Monster Hunter~~~

"Hi~~ After relaxing, drinking a glass of milk and eating a bite of cheese is the best! Mr. Koya, would you like one?"

"Uh, General Leonidas, don't you drink?"

How can I put it? The image of this burly man holding a glass of milk is so incongruous. Shouldn't a man like him hold wine? And he has to hold a bucket of milk to suit his temperament!

"No!! Senior Koya, please don't give General Leonidas alcohol!"

"what?"

"Ahem, by the way, how is the battle going? Why does King Gilgamesh need to send reinforcements?"

Merlin cleverly changed the subject. Leonidas did drink, but he simply preferred milk to wine. If the topic continued, Leonidas would undoubtedly drink to prove his alcohol tolerance, but the result would undoubtedly be a complete churning. After all, Servants were projections fixed to a certain time period before their deaths, and their existence was set to remain unchanged. If Leonidas was said to be a churning drunk, no matter how much he trained, he would still be churning drunk!

"Let me answer that question. The situation on the front is stable. We requested assistance from King Gilgamesh because a scout team discovered survivors in the northern city of Nippur. We couldn't simultaneously defend the front and organize an army capable of breaking through the monster swarm, so we had no choice but to ask King Gilgamesh for help. However, with the defense line established by Lord Koya, unless the Monster Goddess herself intervenes, we believe no one can threaten it. We have enough manpower to organize a rescue."

"Hmm... Koya~~How many people do you think you can advance with a basket hanging from your body?"

"I don't have any objection to being a carriage, but I don't think there's any rope that can hang on me. My scales are very sharp, and my dragon form has them all over my body. Besides, can you find a basket that can hold so many people?"

"Oh my, what a shame."

Merlin's joking suggestion was rejected by Koya, and the depressing atmosphere was also diluted as Koya looked at the feasibility of the matter seriously. The final rescue plan was confirmed to be to dispatch troops. Just as Ushiwakamaru said, because of Koya's spontaneity, the number of troops that could be mobilized was much greater, and even if the rescue troops were discharged, the defense line would still be safe.

The only question now was whether there were any survivors in Nippur, and whether it was worth sending so many soldiers to risk their lives for a city that was likely to be completely deserted...

"Merlin, don't you have clairvoyance? Use it."

"Tachibana, I'm just a Servant now. Whether or not I can activate my Clairvoyance skill depends entirely on my fate. I'm already incredibly lucky to be able to witness the Three Goddesses' Alliance meeting."

"Tsk, no Merlin."

"Let me try. Does anyone of you have any coins?"

Taking the coin handed to him by Mashu, Koya flipped it ten times, and all ten times it landed on heads.

"Hmm? Is this some kind of Eastern divination?"

"No... just pure luck."

"what?"

This is a way of making use of his luck that Koya figured out during this period of boredom. His skill is described as follows: everything related to luck will develop in a good direction. So, does flipping a coin count as being related to luck?

As he flipped the coin, Koya wondered silently, "Are there any survivors in Nippur?" If so, the coin would land heads, if not, tails... and the result was that all ten tosses landed heads.

Under the puzzled gazes of Merlin and the others, Koya flipped the coin again, and this time, all ten times it landed on tails.

Because what Koya was thinking was that if there was a survivor, the back would be facing up.

"There are survivors in Nippur."

Chapter 166: The Rescue of Nippur

The rescue operation was simple. One thousand five hundred men left the city, led by Koya and Ushiwakamaru. Five hundred men, along with Koya, broke through the monster encirclement and blocked any counterattacks. Ushiwakamaru led a thousand men to search for survivors and escort them out. Tachibana and the others remained on the defensive, guarding against a surprise attack from the Monster Goddess.

Everyone knew Nippur was a trap. How could a lone city just outside the northern front survive the beast tide for six months? The only possibility was that it was a deliberate bait, but the question was why did the Warcraft Goddess do this?

"General Ushiwakamaru, we part ways here. If you need assistance, please fire a flare immediately and I will rush there as soon as possible!"

"I understand, Master Koya."

Crossing the special defense line Koya had drawn from the cliff, Koya saw the monsters hesitating behind the lava, and also saw them trying to climb the steep cliff. The most amazing thing was their number. From this point on, the lava defense line was filled with monsters, all looking like densely packed small dots...

Ushiwakamaru led his troops to wait on the top of the mountain, while Koya was about to start his work, tearing a passage directly to Nippur through the dense herd of beasts!

"The power of fire and dragon will hinder Ushiwakamaru and the others' actions, and the same goes for ice and lightning... Speaking of which, I've never used wind-attribute power once so far, so I hope it doesn't fail."

·Dividing line·

Himeko: [This strength is a bit exaggerated. He was just a level 3 newbie in Orarikoa, but when he came to Tachibana's world, he became a god fighting.]

Keqing [Is your fighting... serious? ]

Ji Zi [Keqing? ? Your account was hacked? ]

Keqing: [Not really, I'm just a little confused right now. Liyue's Geo King Emperor has passed away, having died at yesterday's Summoning Ceremony. Ningguang has now ceded all of the Emperor's power to the Seven Stars...]

Doctor: [Hmm? Isn't this a good thing for you? Haven't you always dreamed of human rule?]

Keqing: "But I really didn't expect this day to arrive so suddenly. And after talking with you, those of you living in a world ruled by man, I'm starting to doubt whether human rule is truly feasible in Teyvat. In nearby Mondstadt, the free God of Wind handed power to the people, only to have the nobles who once overthrew tyranny become the new tyrant. Hundreds of years later, Mondstadt is the weakest of the Seven Kingdoms, and even the envoys of the Solstice can boast before the leader of the Knights of Favonius. Will Liyue follow in Mondstadt's footsteps after the Emperor's departure?"

This was the first time that Keqing spoke so much in the chat group. Usually, she would only say a word or two when she saw a topic that interested her and then immediately get back to work. But now, Keqing poured out all her troubles in the chat group. It can be seen that the death of Geo King was indeed a big blow to Keqing.

Doctor: [Well... First of all, excessive concentration of power is bound to breed problems. Furthermore, the seven planets that hold power are all businessmen who control the economy. In our world, politicians are not allowed to engage in business, and neither are their immediate family members. Originally, with your gods watching over the seven planets, there were naturally no problems. But now, without the sword of Damocles hanging over your heads, your generation may be fine, but problems will definitely arise in the future. This isn't alarmist talk; it's inevitable.]

Jizi: "Since you've mentioned power, let's talk about strength. I'm not entirely sure what gods represent in your world, but they definitely symbolize force. The reason your continent of Teyvat doesn't experience national wars is largely due to the intimidation of the Seven Gods. After all, human armies are powerless against the gods. When a nation loses this power, it becomes a pushover in the eyes of others! Do you understand the difference between having a sword but not using it and having no sword at all?"

Keqing [I understand! I've decided. I'll bring Koya over to be our new god of Liyue!]

Kirisu Mafuyu [Huh?]

Keqing put the chat group aside and watched the live broadcast carefully -

"Koya is a dragon, and Emperor is also a dragon, so Koya = Emperor!"

·Dividing line·

On the other side, Ushiwakamaru had already arrived in Nippur along the passage opened by Koya. She swung the sword in her hand and cut the city gate open in an instant. There were many marks of sharp claws on the city gate, but it did not fall down. As the city gate fell, she saw a pale and skinny soldier in the house closest to the city gate, holding a spear and looking at her tremblingly - the soldier was not afraid, but simply had no strength to stand. After seeing the soldier behind Ushiwakamaru who was dressed the same as him, the breath he had been holding finally dissipated.

Bang! The sound of a heavy object falling to the ground brought Ushiwakamaru back to his senses.

Survivors, are there really survivors in this city?

"Search for survivors immediately and provide assistance on the spot! Quickly!"

"Yes!!"

Elsewhere, Koya stood alone among the beasts, not even having activated the first stage of his Brilliant Dragon Transformation. He wielded this sword of salvation as he slaughtered the beasts...

Although it is named as the Holy Sword, Koya always feels that the sword in his hand is a Demon Sword. That kind of Holy Sword will be excited by killing, and killing the enemy to benefit itself is exactly what a Holy Sword should do, right?

But no matter what, Koya really likes the sword in his hand. No matter whether it is a magic sword or a holy sword, the most important thing is that it is easy to use and powerful!

"Oh my, it seems the prey that bit the bait has made a slight mistake. That Chaldea's Master is hiding in the defense line. This is difficult to deal with, really difficult."

It was not until the voice appeared that Koya suddenly found a person appeared in his perception. Koya subconsciously looked up. It was a green-haired figure wearing a white robe, so beautiful that the gender could not be determined. He gave Koya a very natural feeling, as if he should appear in this place, like the land under his feet, it was natural for him to appear wherever he was.

"You are Enkidu? Hmm?"

Keya suddenly felt something wrapped around his ankle. Strange... When had his perception become so weak? If the enemy hadn't noticed, he could be considered a master of concealment, but now he couldn't even detect the enemy attacking him?

However... the thing wrapped around his ankle didn't seem to be very strong. Koya simply wrapped the Black Dragon's reverse scale around his legs, and the thing wrapped around him immediately broke into pieces.

"soil?"

"Oh, it's amazing! You are clearly wrapped in several divine powers, but the Heavenly Chains can't imprison you. If it were you, you would definitely be the best nutrition for breeding magical beasts."

"Nutrition... You're so brave to treat me as food."

"Aren't humans the food that the monsters need to thrive? Otherwise, why do you think the northern defense line still exists? You don't really think a wall of dirt can stop the monsters, do you? They just use this place as a hunting spot where the food will never run out."

"I see. That makes a lot more sense. Wild beasts in the jungle never wipe out a whole population of their prey, because they understand that food isn't limitless."

Koya gracefully slashed at the monsters that kept charging at him, while chatting with Enkidu. As a human, he was naturally quite angry at this behavior, but he also wanted to hear what this guy had to say. Koya didn't believe that he came to him just to chat.

"These children are only first-generation Magical Beasts. Their duty is to hunt and store food. So far, 'we' have never launched a serious invasion, because that is the duty of the second-generation Magical Beasts. Sigh, chatting with you Servants is tiring. If the Master of Chaldea heard what I said, he would definitely have a very amused expression on his face. Well, he might even angrily question me~~"

Enkidu's beautiful face suddenly turned ferocious, his tone became unusually vicious, and the look he gave Koya became unusually sharp.

"As an inhuman being with the form of a dragon, you should be a natural disaster! Why are you so complacently standing on the side of humans?!"

"Because I am a human being. No matter what my image is, I always think of myself as a human being who has gained special powers."

"Tsk, so boring. Hmm—"

Koya and Enkidu simultaneously looked towards Nippur. In the center of Nippur, there was a mountain more than 30 meters high. The temple of Nippur was built there. It was once the most sacred place in Nippur, but now it collapsed in front of everyone. The rubble rolled into the city and the houses were crushed into ruins. The smoke and dust completely enveloped the city like a sandstorm. The mountain was not tall, but its collapse was shocking enough.

"She really can't hold her temper..."

Enkidu was in no mood to chat any further and flew quickly towards the city of Nippur. The plan had not been completed and the threat had not been eliminated. 'Mother' should not be here!

Koya's perception worked this time. Although his eyes could not see through the smoke and dust, the huge magical reaction was as obvious as ink in clear water.

"Tiamat, the Mother Goddess of Monsters! Oh, if only killing her could solve everything. Listen up! Prepare an evacuation route to pick up the soldiers and survivors in Nippur! Send a rescue signal to the northern defense line!"

"Yes!"

Five hundred soldiers couldn't make a single splash in the beast tide, and Koya wasn't about to let them die in vain. They only needed to hold the evacuation route; there was no need for them to bravely fight the enemy...

"What a troublesome thing!"

"Mother, I'm delighted to see you awake today. Food has been prepared for you."

"Ah...it's Enkidu."