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When it became certain that the coalition was advancing towards Shalyh, Ismile gathered everyone. “An hour ago, news arrived that the enemy coalition attacked the front gate at the forefront of Shalyh.” Ismile marked a spot on the map and continued, “According to the reports, they aren’t merely subjugating it, but completely destroying it and burning it to the ground.”

“I wonder what’s the reason? There aren’t even troops stationed at the gate…” Apoline tilted her head. As she said, there were many gates surrounding Shalyh, but Ismile hadn’t dispatched troops to guard them. To protect all the gates, they would have to divide their forces, but in a situation where their numbers were already greatly lacking compared to their enemies, they’d only become easy targets for picking if they divide their numbers.

“They must be looking for blood,” Ismile answered clearly. “They were probably sharpening their swords this whole time, waiting for an opportunity to get rid of us completely.” He tapped the spot marked on the map as Shalyh and continued, “Their intentions are clear. They don’t want to leave anything here that might bother them in the future ever again. Not even the smallest remnant.”

“But it’s just one city…” Apoline still sounded like she had a difficult time understanding.

“It’s not just one city.” Ismile smiled. “Well, I actually thought the same as you at first. I didn’t understand why Big Choi so carefully set up gates around Shalyh. When I asked him, he simply answered with one sentence: to reinforce Shalyh.” Ismile shrugged and continued, “I didn’t understand what he meant by ‘reinforce’, so I turned off the automatic translation device and listened to him again. Do you know what I heard then?”

Ismile glanced sideways at Chi-Woo and said, “Shalyh is a place that a gailsoo must be set up.”

Gailsoo. Adding one more stone to protect an unstable territory. It was one of the strategies used in Baduk, and it meant putting another stone down to compensate for the weakness in one’s territory [1]. In other words, Chi-Hyun’s words could be interpreted as reinforcing and stabilizing Shalyh’s territory, but gailsoo had greater implications. Gailsoo could also be a strategy a player employed when they wanted to guarantee the capture of their opponent’s territory—they would expand their territory on the basis of the enemy’s land they had successfully claimed.

Chi-Woo let out a small groan because he could roughly guess his brother’s intention after listening to Ismile’s explanation. As Apoline said, Chi-Woo hadn’t known that Chi-Hyun had drawn such grand aspirations from just one city.

Shalyh was a city that emerged as a result of humanity jumping in between the League and the Demon Empire. The Demon Empire, which was defeated at Shalyh and forced to withdraw, were facing enemies on both fronts. In addition, the appearance of the White Horse General turned Shalyh into a sanctuary and even more of a bother for the Demon Empire. Still, the Demon Empire had thought it was fine and considered it a place they could easily subjugate if they really wanted to. Thus, they had waited for the right opportunity and invaded with a large force, but tasted defeat once again—and a disastrous defeat at that.

The Demon Empire, which had lost a considerable number of great demons due to their constant losses, decided that it was no longer possible for them to maintain their current vast frontline and withdrew on their own, thus reducing their territory. As a result, Shalyh was able to take a breather. The holy city had evolved from a mere thorn in the Demon Empire’s side to a strategic base that would allow them to conquer the surrounding areas and expand their territory. And it was from then on that the legend began to put down his stones. Installing gates around Shalyh could be interpreted as a declaration of his will to protect this holy city at all costs.

Were the gates there to merely protect Shalyh? The answer was no. The meaning of gailsoo was to utilize the territory claimed by taking the opponent’s stone and to expand one’s territory. Or in other words, humanity was going to destroy the Demon Empire and emerge as a new faction with this very holy city, Shalyh, at the center. This was Chi-Hyun’s true intention.

If it really turned out as Chi-Hyun intended, saving Liber would no longer be a pipe dream. The foundation would be established so that no one could dismiss it as nonsense. As such, it was possible that Chi-Hyun had hoped the construction of the gates would be seen as nothing but the manifestation of his desire to firmly defend Shalyh, but unfortunately, his wish did not come true. They didn’t know the exact details, but a faction had seen through Chi-Hyun’s intentions before it was too late for them by forming a coalition and raising their swords.

“Actually, not long ago, Little Choi secured a bridgehead that led directly to the Demon Empire, right?” As Ismile said, although it was done unintentionally, Chi-Woo’s achievements were exactly in line with Chi-Hyun’s plan. It was no wonder that the Demon Empire would be so infuriated and jump at the chance to destroy humanity. The Demon Empire hadn’t brought out twenty great demons for nothing.

“Anyway, that’s why they’re acting like that. From a certain point, things that they weren’t certain of are slowly becoming reality one by one, so it’s understandable that they’re making such a commotion.”

Silence fell on the office. It was only after they learned the legend’s reasoning that they fully realized the importance of this period of time. If only their enemies hadn’t advanced at this time—no, if only their timing had been delayed a little…

“It’s a shame. The gates that were built for a far future have…” When Apoline, who had finally understood the coalition’s actions, murmured in a tone of regret, Ismile nodded in agreement.

“I also think it’s a shame, but what can we do? On the other hand, gates can be rebuilt, and their construction hasn’t been completely meaningless.” He made a few dots on the map and then continued, “Looking at the movement of the enemies, it seems like they’ll only come to Shalyh after destroying all the surrounding gates. In fact, if they had marched day and night along the fastest path, the coalition should have arrived near Shalyh by now. There’s a reason why they have been moving slower than expected.

That further cemented Ismile’s speculation that their enemies were trying to completely destroy the foundation for humanity’s growth without leaving a single grain. Ismile continued, “Given they’re not trying to surround us, it seems like they’ll easily let us go if we run away, but…” Whether that was true or not, it was meaningless to contemplate the question. Fighting was an issue, but running away was also an issue; humanity couldn’t guarantee that they’d be able to gain a foothold to exert their influence in such a strategic position like this ever again.

“Then are they going to pass through all the gates and take over Shalyh?” asked Emmanuel.

Ismile immediately replied, “I also thought of that possibility, but I don’t think it’s a good idea no matter how much I think about it. The place where we’re going to fight the enemy coalition is—” Ismile tapped on a point on the map again and said, “Right here.” Then everyone’s eyes widened because Ismile wasn’t pointing at Shalyh, but the canyon closest to the city. He asked, “Does anyone know this place? Has anyone been here?”

Chi-Woo raised his hand because he had participated in the gate construction as training in the past.

Ismile was pleasantly surprised. “Oh, really? How was it?”

“I don\'t remember exactly…but I remember that the size of the construction was substantial.” Chi-Woo had clicked his tongue at the rough terrain then; it wasn’t an exaggeration to call it a natural fortress.

“That’s right. For your information, that’s the first place the legend has picked for a gate to be constructed, and it’s also the gate that took the longest and most effort to build. He said that even if we don’t build gates in any other places, we must build a gate there.”

Just by looking at the map, that seemed true because it was a central area that separated Shalyh from the outside. If the coalition passed through there safely, the rest of their route would be a smooth going. Since Shalyh was all wastelands and plains beyond that point, they could advance in a straight line without encountering any obstacles. Thus, the place that Ismile marked was the same as the front door that guarded the front yard of Shalyh.

“But why? Of course, the effects of the sanctuary also reach there, but isn’t it still better to fight in Shalyh?” Considering that the effects of the sanctuary worked best the closer to the White Horse General’s temple they were, Apoline had a point.

“Yeah, that’s true. The sanctuary effects of the White Horse General are certainly powerful, especially against the Demon Empire.” Its effectiveness had already been proven in the last defensive war at Shalyh. Moreover, it would also be effective against the Abyss; even though not as much as the Demon Empire, the Abyss members were also born from chaos.

“That’s why it’s even worse.”

“What?”

“Although the Sernitas have sent strategic weapons that cannot be underestimated, the main axis of the coalition’s powers are made up by the Demon Empire and the Abyss.” Ismile spun around and continued, “Will the Demon Empire, which has already tasted utter defeat, be easily beaten by the same tactic again?” He looked back at the attendees of the meeting. “There’s also the Abyss. Did they come all the way here with their most elite troops without proper countermeasures?”

When everyone stayed silent, he asked one more time. “What do you say? Do you really think so?”

Apoline became mute. This was not a neighborhood gang fight where a bunch of people gathered and beat each other up, and it wasn’t a small local skirmish, either. It was a large-scale war in which countless lives were at risk. Considering that the fate of three or four factions were on the line, the enemies must have prepared their own countermeasures based on information they already had. That should be the case unless they were utter idiots.

“Honestly, I’ve been keeping in mind that we may have to fight without the protection of the sanctuary. If it really comes down to that, fighting at Shalyh would be an extremely bad idea.”

Everyone nodded instinctively without exception. Shalyh was an open plain. Above all, while it was rebuilt as a military city, it could not be considered 100% suitable for military affairs since there were numerous residents. Therefore, it was a hundred times better to fight at a military camp at the canyon than to fight in the city while surrounded on all sides. Even if a problem arose where they couldn’t rely on the sanctuary effects anymore, they could take advantage of the geographical terrain. In other words, they would at least not have to deal with a situation in which they had to handle their enemy’s all-out effort at once. Of course, they’d have to deal with a constant wave of attacks instead.

“Even if they are to pass the other gates, we must not let them go through this one. Otherwise, I believe Shalyh is as good as doomed.” Ismile continued in a completely determined tone, “We’ll stop the enemy coalition at the gate in this canyon.”

Chi-Woo’s eyes shone as he nodded. The final meeting ended with Ismile’s resolute declaration. And a few days later, when news broke that the majority of the gates had fallen, a considerable number of troops set out from Shalyh and began their march—towards the last gate.

* * *

Chi-Woo exclaimed after arriving at the gate at the end of the march. First of all, the scenery had remained the same over the days. Even though it wasn’t to the extent of the Jianmen Pass, which might as well be a cliff, the surrounding mountain range was over 100 kilometers long, and there was only one way to enter.

The mountains on the left and right were not only long, but its steep elevation and sharp, closely spaced ridges that continued endlessly were reminiscent of an endless staircase; the terrain was extremely rugged to say the least. Their enemies would have to traverse at least dozens of kilometers if they were to go around the terrain. And the last gate protecting this canyon was built with the purpose of blocking the only passage that led up to the mountain. The topography was a sight to behold, but what surprised Chi-Woo the most was the gate. It was bigger than most castles. The wall alone seemed to be several times thicker than an ordinary castle’s walls, and even when he tilted his head far back, he could only barely see the top of the gate.

Considering the gate hadn’t been this big when he saw it last time, they must have been gradually reinforcing it over time. Even more surprisingly, the construction was still not finished. It seemed to have resumed recently, as there were signs of activities everywhere. Chi-Woo had wondered where Yeriel was these days, and he realized she had arrived earlier and was working on reinforcement with the buhguhbus. When Chi-Woo saw Yeriel shout at the buhguhbus at the top of her lungs, he also started moving. It was time to raise the wall by even one more level. He immediately jumped into the construction work.

When Chi-Woo stepped forward, the rest of Seven Stars followed suit. Then the other heroes and groups also rolled up their sleeves and jumped in. Everyone worked together to reinforce the last gate. Then a messenger arrived during this busy time; it was good news that the League’s reinforcements had arrived.

After hearing the situation, the League had come straight to the last gate rather than stopping by Shalyh. However, it was not the main force, but an advance team made up of the fastest members, handpicked by the Last Dragon. The rest of the message stated that the main force was on its way, and the backup force would immediately depart from the Cassiubia Mountain Range as soon as its formation was complete. Since humanity needed as many forces as possible, they welcomed the advance team with open arms.

While they felt reassured by the appearance of their allies, however, an unknown sense of anxiety ballooned because it felt as if the war that they had always talked about in words was finally just around the corner. Lying down after another hard day of work, Chi-Woo found it difficult to close his eyes. Unable to sleep, he went outside and looked up at the night sky full of stars. Although he had been conscious of the gazes around him and had put up the front of calmness, he was only human in the end. And he had never experienced a war of this magnitude before. It would be a lie if he said he had not even an inkling of anxiety.

‘…Will we be able to win?’ While looking at the night sky, he suddenly thought of his father and mother. He laughed at himself for thinking about them out of nowhere, but he really did miss his parents. He wanted to see them. However, he was now on Liber. He couldn’t blame anyone for his choices. Chi-Woo went back to bed and forcibly shut his eyes.

Finally, the d-day came. A messenger arrived in a hurry at dawn with the news that the coalition, which had already trampled and crushed all the other few remaining gates, would soon reach the last gate. The war was getting really close now.

1. Baduk is the Korean word for the game Go. ☜