Kw.a.n.g!

Something flew at a high speed across the sea and hit the s.h.i.+p.

The shock caused the admiral and Marcus to lose their footing roll around the floor of the Captain's room.

“Keuk…!” the admiral yelped in pain.

“What the h.e.l.l happened!” Marcus yelled out once he regained his footing.

“I-I don’t know! Maybe we b.u.mped into a blue whale…”

The admiral obscured his last words. Even he thought his conjecture was too fantastical.

A blue whale in the Strait of Isis…

However, considering the situation in front of them, no conjecture seemed to be out of the realm of possibility.

“Admiral! The s.h.i.+p has been damaged and we’re taking in seawater!” a deckhand shouted after opening the Captain’s room.

“In this state, we’ll sink in minutes!” another yelled out.

The sailors urgently poured into the Captain's room and relayed their reports.

The admiral stared out the window with a desperate expression.

‘What am I supposed to do in this situation?’

Jumping into the sea in this bad weather would be like suicide.

Therefore, it was probably best to change s.h.i.+ps, but the other s.h.i.+ps were being rapidly smashed at high speed by the pirate s.h.i.+ps and Kraken.

“… It seems that this landing operation will be a failure,” Marcus commented with a calm expression.

The milk had already spilled.

He had to cut his losses and aim for the next opportunity.

“W-Wait, are you planning to use the return spell?” the admiral asked with an expression of abject terror.

“You’ve worked hard, admiral. I will not forget your sacrifice,” Marcus replied.

He was able to teleport back to the Imperial Palace of the Theresian Empire at any time through the return spell.

As he disappeared, the admiral fell to his knees with a desperate expression.

“f.u.c.k…! d.a.m.n it…!”

The commander-in-chief of the operation had abandoned 100,000 soldiers! He only saved himself!

There was nothing left for the admiral, neither dream nor hope.

While the Admiral was cursing Marcus, the hull shook violently once again.

Kw.a.n.g!

It was such a violent shock that the people gathered in the Captain’s room lost their footing, momentarily suspended in air, before rolling on the floor.

“W-What the h.e.l.l was that?!” the admiral shouted.

“It seems to be a bomb!” a deckhand replied.

“What kind of bomb suddenly hits from under the sea?”

The admiral couldn’t even dream of knowing that the Nautilus was shooting torpedoes and detonating them under his s.h.i.+p.

As the Eastern Fleet gradually whittled down, Woohyuk made a satisfied expression.

“They’re really helpless,” he murmured.

“Hahaha! No fleet on the Eeth Continent can handle this level of maritime power,” Drake shouted as he laughed openly. He then turned the pirate s.h.i.+p’s steering wheel.

The dark pirate s.h.i.+p glowed orange as it swerved to avoid the incoming cannonb.a.l.l.s.

He was truly a skillful pirate.

Leifina and Woohyuk’s party expressed their appreciation.

“The Pirate King’s level of control is unparalleled.”

“I was initially concerned because our side only had two pirate s.h.i.+ps, but my concerns were useless.”

This maritime war was conducted in strict secret.

It was difficult for Marcus to expect this sudden attack and take countermeasures.

Thanks to this, Woohyuk was able to easily defeat 100,000 enemies.

“The Theresia Empire will have suffered quite a bit from this battle,” Woohyuk commented.

“But I don’t see any s.h.i.+ps running away. Wouldn’t Marcus be the commander-in-chief and retreat…” Leifina mentioned.

“He must have already run away. I believe there’s a teleportation device in the Imperial Palace of the Theresia Empire that he can use,” he replied.

Teleportation devices using magic engineering were useful, but they were so expensive that it was prohibitive for any organization to possess them unless they were large and wealthy, like the Imperial Palace or the Holy Pope’s Office.

And for security reasons, not everyone was allowed to use them, so only Marcus probably escaped using the device. The 100,000-manned troops were probably sacrificed.

Woohyuk had already sent out the two Homunculus to capture Marcus, but they couldn’t find him.

“I guess you’ll meet Marcus again. Not in the sea, but in the eastern region,” Leifina commented.

“I’m confident that I’ll beat him,” Woohyuk calmly replied.

Even before his return to this world, Lightlord Marcus was not his opponent.

However, he never did have the chance to eliminate Marcus because others, such as Alice the Queen of Thorns, Necromancer Logan, and Fire Dragon Lord Ivanov, had kept him in check.

Hearing the screams of the imperial army from afar, Woohyuk intently redoubled his resolve.

“Tremendous work, Hero King. I owe you in many ways,” Ophelia said appreciatively.

Upon arriving at the Croix Princ.i.p.ality’s Royal Palace, Woohyuk and his companions were greeted by Elf Queen Ophelia.

Woohyuk gave his party a break and followed her into her reception room.

“The Eastern Conquest expedition begins now. Your elven race has to pay attention to defending the Croix Princ.i.p.ality,” Woohyuk said, reiterating their plan.

“Regarding the epic dungeon, we’re thoroughly managing it. Emperor Tiberius is also dead, so no one will try to enter through our defenses,” she replied.

“You don’t seem to be interested in a Divine Throne seat. Your quite good at using pure magic, so I think it’ll suit you well if you become the Earth G.o.d,” Woohyuk stated.

“Our elven race lives in harmony with nature. To be sure, there are some amongst us who want to occupy some of the Divine Throne seats, but I’m reluctant.”

Ophelia was not very fond of her people fighting and killing each other over a Divine Throne seat.

Therefore, she readily accepted Woohyuk’s request to blockade the epic dungeon.

Woohyuk nodded his head because he knew her disposition.

“You’re not greedy and you like peace over war. I definitely like that about you,” he commented.

“Are you complimenting me right now? I’m embarra.s.sed to hear such words from you…” she said shyly as she turned beet red.

Contrary to her usual n.o.ble and official manners, she was innocent and pure in heart.

Woohyuk decided to tame her a little more.

“Why are you so shy? There are only two of us here.”

“That’s why I’m so sensitive. Didn’t you give me lemon jelly last time? Will you be offering more this time around?”

“Ah, so I did. Yes, I’ve brought some this time as well.”

Woohyuk handed over a transparent container filled with lemon jelly.

Ophelia’s face burned scarlet red as she accepted the container.

“T-This makes the situation so difficult. You already have a partner to marry…”

“This is just a token of my appreciation. Well, depending on how the situation unfolds, it may progress further.”

Woohyuk was becoming more proficient in inducing positive emotional responses. He truly was developing a golden tongue.

After forming a friends.h.i.+p (?) with Ophelia, Woohyuk returned to the Holy Aperian Empire.

Now, he had to earnestly make the final preparations for the Eastern Conquest expedition.

If he wanted to focus on the Divine Thrones, he needed to eliminate Marcus the Lightlord.

“Not only the Holy Aperian Empire but several of the other western kingdoms will also partic.i.p.ate in this expedition. They must also have a lot of dissatisfaction with the East,” Eleanora stated.

Empress Eleanora, wearing her ceremonial battle armor, explained her plans in the operation meeting room. She would conscript an expeditionary force.

A total of 300,000 troops.

Indeed, she understood the huge scale of this undertaking.

“The internal desires for expansion probably also played a part in the others’ decision. War is the best means to achieve the objectives in the recent quest as well,” Woohyuk responded.

“… Everyone wants to become a G.o.d. I still don’t know if that’s really possible,” Eleanora mentioned.

“Leave it to me, Eleanora. You just need to recruit an army.”

Indeed, it was Woohyuk who would be leading the fight as commander-in-chief of the Western forces.

After asking Eleanora to start drafting an expeditionary force, Woohyuk headed to Abyssal Island.

In connection with his expedition to the east, he was planning on fully utilizing the 72 Demon Kings.

When he took out Lemegeton, the 72 Demon Kings were summoned to Abyssal Island, where a storm brewed.

“Asura, you called?” a Demon King asked nervously.

“It hasn’t been long since we completed the civil engineering works on Abyssal Island…” another added on, obviously concerned about what further things Woohyuk would cheat them out of.

Woohyuk had worked them hard, so the 72 Demon Kings were quite ragged.

Utilizing the Abyssal Island as the central base, the Demon Kings had spread out throughout the continent, collecting information from each region and personally visiting any historical or important sites of interest…

Everyone was pretty much enslaved except for a few Demon Kings who had given him a good impression, like Agares.

“Everyone knows that I’m preparing for an expedition to the east, right?” Woohyuk asked aloud.

“Of course, we do. Will we also be involved in the expedition?” a Demon King asked.

“I don’t think the other races on your side will appreciate our presence…” another mentioned in a weak voice, hoping to find a way out.

The 72 Demon Kings were well aware that they were being used for the Game of Divine Thrones quest.

When they expressed their concerns, Woohyuk announced his plans.

“As the demonic camp, you will move independently of my expeditionary forces. The expedition will cross the Krobaichen Isthmus and the Strait of Isis, and you will cross the Black Sea, striking the eastern part of the Theresian Empire,” he explained.

“Oh, that’s a really good idea. No one in the east will think that someone would be crazy enough to cross the rough Black Sea,” a Demon King said flatteringly.

Whether it was because Woohyuk’s plan seemed less dangerous than they initially thought, the 72 Demon Kings responded positively to his plans.

At that time, Baal, the 1st rank Demon King, stood up and spoke to Woohyuk, “But who will be the general commander of the demon camp? If there’s no objection, it seems right that I should take the lead.”

“It’s likely that you’ll go overboard when attacking the eastern kingdoms. So, Agares will be designated the general commander,” Woohyuk said flatly.

Demon King Baal, who ranked first among the Demon Kings, was the representative of the hardline Demon Kings, and Demon King Agares, who was second in the ranking, was the representative of the moderate Demon Kings.

Agares, who was sitting still and calmly listening up to now, laughed as if she was satisfied. Baal frowned.

“Asura, in a war like this, our hardliners do better. Please reconsider…” Baal implored.

“Do my words mean nothing to you, Baal?” Woohyuk said before summoning Verserios and glaring menacingly at Baal with his relatively young eyes.

At the moment, the atmosphere of the island froze.

“Oh, no. How can I…” Baal stuttered.

“I will soon be seated atop the Demon Lord throne and obtain the ultimate power of the demon. Don’t be fooled and think I am weak by the fact that my current stature in the hierarchy is only as a demiG.o.d.”

Woohyuk was trying to tame Baal by dangling a carrot and hitting with a stick.

Now was the time to whip.

Baal still looked dissatisfied, but he soon succ.u.mbed.

“I will refrain and will accept your order.”

“It should have been that way from the beginning,” Woohyuk said as he lightly scoffed.

When Woohyuk beckoned with his hand, Dantalion, the 72nd ranked Demon King, stood up and played a dark blue flute…

Swah~!

From a distance, sailing s.h.i.+ps decorated with demon beast white bones broke through the rough currents.

It was the demonic fleet that was manufactured at Abyss Island. It was the civil engineering work that the Demon Kings had toiled over and completed not too long ago.

The 72 Demon Kings and their armies were going to use it to invade the east.

‘If possible, it would be better to look as if they were Eastern Conquest forces as much as possible.’

Woohyuk was thinking of using a historical Korean naval strategy that he’d read before during his time on Earth.

First, the demonic fleet would strike the eastern part of the Theresia Empire, making the defenders think that the main enemy forces were attacking from the east. Woohyuk would then lead the main Eastern Conquest Force to strike the western part of the Theresian Kingdom.

If he persuaded the frost giants there and induced them to go south, his win should be ensured.

“Asura, the demon fleet is ready,” Dantalion reported.

“Alright. Get on board with your troops,” Woohyuk ordered to the gathered Demon Kings.

The rest of the demonic armed forces could be summoned after opening an abyssal gap once they arrived in the Theresian Kingdom. They could then mobilize the demon army locally for the final blow.

When the demon fleet departed, Woohyuk summoned Hong Yuri.

“Did you train a lot of vampires, Hong Yuri?” he asked.

“Yeah. There were a lot of bad guys on the continent than I initially thought. Anyway, I made all of them part of my family,” Hong Yuri replied and smiled proudly, showing off fangs.

She had matured into a true Blood Queen.

At the least, her power level was now commensurate with a mid-ranked Demon King.

“I will take you on the Nautilus. Your target is the southern regions of the East. Enter in through the Vulkan or Kalmiru Kingdom,” he explained.

“Okay. I’ll do my best,” Hong Yuri replied, giving Woohyuk a wink. She then boarded the Nautilus that had come up to the surface.

Once she left, Woohyuk was left alone on the stormy island.

“Now, what will your move be, Marcus? You’ve been pushed to the edge of a cliff.’

Different forces from east, west, north, and south were expected to advance upon the eastern continent.

Woohyuk eyes lit up as he imagined the upcoming battle with Marcus the Lightlord.