LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 234: [FGO]: 234
Externally, Lugunica and its neighboring nations were eyeing the Vollachia Empire greedily, sharpening their knives against the weakened state. Internally, the sudden illness of the emperor plunged the empire into political turmoil. In this moment of grave peril for the empire, Princess Lamia stepped forward. With flexibility and deftness far beyond her years, she worked to pacify and balance the internal unrest. At the same time, she actively negotiated with Lugunica, led by Ryou, while aligning with Lugunica's neighboring countries, the Kararagi Federation and the Gusteko Kingdom, to pressure Lugunica. Graceful and adept, this imperial princess, only sixteen years old, truly deserved such praise. Had she been born in an era of peace, the Vollachian Empire might have risen to even greater heights under her leadership. Unfortunately, this was an era of ruthless war.
Ryou was unrelentingly tough, stating simply: "Not a penny less, or war!"
This was no mere threat—he meant it. He had Sky Garden bombard the Vollachia Empire's border fortresses while deploying the Deathwing Legion to invade imperial territory. Pressure from the Kararagi Federation and the Gusteko Kingdom? Completely ignored. If any foreign forces dared to invade Lugunica's borders, they were ruthlessly struck down. The attempted interventions only resulted in humiliation and significant losses for the two nations, including spies and elites. As the Deathwing's conquests advanced, it took only a month for Lugunica to capture an entire border province of the Vollachia Empire—an area nearly half the size of Lugunica itself. Forced to the negotiation table under relentless pressure, Princess Lamia had no choice but to accept Ryou's humiliating terms, agreeing to pay massive war reparations to Lugunica.
The Vollachia Empire suffered heavy blows. Rebellions erupted everywhere, leaving Princess Lamia, acting as regent, exhausted in her efforts to govern. Meanwhile, Ryou used the reparations to expand Lugunica's military. This time, he conscripted ordinary soldiers, aiming to stabilize the occupied territories. Ryou's intentions were obvious: Lugunica, a formerly decaying nation, was officially entering an era of expansion.
Five years passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Lugunica fully embraced its expansionist ambitions. The provinces it seized from the Vollachian Empire were gradually assimilated and incorporated into Lugunica. Simultaneously, Ryou employed various tactics to undermine Princess Lamia while launching fierce assaults on the northern Gusteko Kingdom. In five years, the remnants of Gusteko's population were driven beyond the Eternal Mountains. Other tribal peoples were either slaughtered or enslaved by Lugunica. These enslaved individuals, strong and well-built, were repurposed as laborers. After being brainwashed by the reformed Witch Cult led by Ryou, they transformed into religious fanatics and fierce barbarian warriors.
Ryou did not spare the opportunistic Kararagi Federation, either. With its deserts serving as natural defenses, he avoided confrontation. Instead, he wielded wealth as his weapon. Using Anastasia as a go-between, Ryou employed unprecedented commercial strategies to infiltrate and dominate Kararagi's merchant guilds. Having grown up in an era of information explosion, he was well-versed in every conceivable commercial tactic. The self-proclaimed commercial geniuses of Kararagi found themselves utterly outplayed. Before long, Ryou had gained immense influence in the Kararagi Federation. In just five years—he completed his northern campaign against Gusteko, driving the barbarians to the remote mountains while consolidating his power in the Kararagi Federation. By then, Lugunica's territory had more than tripled compared to five years earlier.
The only remaining adversary was the Vollachian Empire. Ryou, eager and prepared, set his sights on it. Having digested the Gusteko Kingdom and seized control over much of the Kararagi Federation, Lugunica's national power surged. Though its land area was smaller than the Vollachia Empire's, its overall strength surpassed the weakened and internally fractured empire. The Vollachia Empire's resources had been depleted by scheming dukes and incessant rebellions.
In 678 of the Imperial Calendar—known in later eras as Year 16 of the Goddess Calendar—Ryou launched an offensive against the Vollachia Empire, leading Lugunica's army across the border. The 100,000 elite imperial troops stationed at the border collapsed in their first encounter with Lugunica's forces. A fortress, painstakingly built with enormous resources, fell within a single day. The Vollachia Empire's army had hoped to defend against the Deathwing's ballista storms from within the fortress walls. However, Ryou unveiled a new weapon this time: Magic cannons, reimagined through the collaboration of witches Echidna and Pandora, combined with Ryou's innovative concepts. These upgraded Magic cannons boasted triple the range and five times the power of their predecessors!
In siege warfare, defenders typically relied on superior positioning and range, forcing attackers into grueling battles of attrition. But with Lugunica's new Magic cannons, the balance shifted dramatically. The attackers could bombard from beyond the defenders' range, leaving them helpless. After a relentless bombardment, the fortress walls were reduced to rubble, allowing Lugunica's forces to capture what was once deemed an impregnable stronghold with ease. Lugunica's army advanced rapidly, seizing two imperial provinces within a month and closing in on the imperial capital.
Desperate, Princess Lamia used her diplomatic skills to convince several dukes to unite their private armies under the empire's banner to resist Lugunica's invasion. For a time, the empire rallied. Morale soared as its people resolved to drive out the invaders. Genius commanders emerged, and the empire's forces assembled in strength. But it was all in vain. Just as the imperial forces prepared for a decisive battle, their rear command post was annihilated. Drawing on the Sky Garden's floating technology and the combined intellect of Lugunica's witches. Ryou developed magical aircraft to airdrop small units behind enemy lines, striking at their command center. Caught off guard, the empire's army was overwhelmed by a coordinated assault of Magic cannons and air raids. Without leadership, the imperial forces disintegrated into chaos, culminating in a disastrous defeat. Lugunica emerged victorious.
Faced with Ryoug's revolutionary warfare strategies, the empire's so-called military geniuses could only meet their end in despair. Despite her unmatched resilience and cunning, Princess Lamia could not turn the tide. Against Ryou's advanced tactics, the empire's outdated military was utterly powerless. In just two years, Ryou completely dismantled all resistance in the empire. When Lugunica's army stormed the imperial capital, the steadfast Princess Lamia drove a sword through her own heart. Though scattered resistance persisted, it was only a matter of time before Lugunica's iron heel crushed all opposition.
The most powerful empire in the world was crushed by Ryou, and nothing could stop Lugunica from unifying the world. What followed was essentially a waste of time; Lugunica didn't even need to deploy the Sky Garden and rolled over its opposition effortlessly. Ryou's principle was to avoid using the Sky Garden unless necessary. In this world, the Hanging Garden of Babylon was equivalent to a nuclear weapon—primarily a deterrent rather than a tool for casual warfare. A deterrent instills perpetual fear, but using such a weapon recklessly would label one as a world-ending terrorist, inviting desperate resistance. Thus, the early use of the Sky Garden not only eliminated the power disparity between the Vollachia Empire and Lugunica but also demonstrated its overwhelming might. Subsequently, it served purely as a nuclear deterrent, seldom deployed. The ever-present threat of the Sky Garden in the sky, combined with the crushing defeat of the Vollachia Empire, made subsequent conquests far easier—most nations surrendered as soon as Lugunica attacked.
Nuclear deterrence, paired with the promise of a better, more prosperous life, allowed Ryou to swiftly unify the world. Generous policies were rolled out, and the Witch Cult—now renamed the Goddess Cult—expanded its faith with astonishing success. In the end, over 60% of the world became adherents of the Goddess Cult, while most of the remaining population was friendly toward it. With such widespread support, Lugunica's policies were implemented seamlessly.
Emilia now sat atop the throne of the Sky Garden, rarely showing herself. The world was managed collaboratively by a council of fifty red-robed cardinals under her supervision. Under their governance, the world progressed rapidly, with significant improvements in living standards and happiness for ordinary people. Ryou fulfilled his promise to Emilia, and in gratitude, she offered him her purity. Thus, the fortunate prime minister Ryou claimed the untouchable, sacred Emilia—embodied with the dual auras of Elf Queen and Goddess—on the throne, taking her first. However, Ryou regretted that he could not take Emilia with him. The overwhelming faith of the world bestowed her with near-invincible power but also bound her permanently to this world.
Meanwhile, Ram and Rem, unwilling to leave their homeland, remained to assist Emilia. Despite her significant contributions to Ryou's conquest of the world, Pandora chose not to follow him either. Without her and Echidna's combined efforts in advancing their technological edge, Ryou's rapid unification of the world would have been impossible. Unlike the chaotic post-apocalyptic world of Kabaneri, this world had seen little major upheaval since five centuries ago. Though cold-hearted, Ryou was fair in his dealings. He granted Pandora her freedom. As for Echidna, her obsession with Ryou had turned her into a hopelessly devoted admirer who could no longer leave his side.
Having achieved his goals, Ryou, now feeling bored, returned to Chaldea with his companions, leaving behind a small trace of regret. His exceptional performance earned him the World Source from this realm. Absorbing the World Source into his body, Ryou felt a tremendous surge in power along with the sensation of reaching his capacity. As expected, the system notified him.
[Congratulations! Your base attributes have reached their limits. (Further progress requires advancing the level of existence.) The system has detected you meet the requirements. Would you like to initiate the advanced quest 'Path to Divinity'?]
Ryou stared at the large "YES" button, deep in thought. His current stats were:
[Name: Nguyen Ryou]
[Race: Human]
[Class: None]
[Level: Demigod]
[Base Attributes:Strength: 70+ (EX)]
[Agility: 70+ (EX)]
[Endurance: 70+ (EX)]
[Magic: 70+ (EX)]
[Luck: ??? +25 (For reference, an average human's stats, except Magic, are 10. Below 10 is F-, between 15 and 20 is E-, and so on.)]
[Class Skills:]
[Item Creation (D): 12%]
[Magic Resistance (EX)]
[Possession Skills:]
[Advanced Cold Weapon Mastery: 4%]
[Advanced Unarmed Combat Mastery: 99%]
[Mana Burst (B): 99%]
[Primordial Runes (B): 10%]
[World Ruler (EX): High mana cost]
[Flight]
[Adaptation to Harsh Environments]
[Language Proficiency]
[Divine Body]
[Shave (C): 43%]
[Noble Phantasms:]
[Reversal War God [True] (EX)]
[Brahmastra: O' Brahma, Cover the Earth (B)]
[Revelation (EX)]
[Machine Gun Blow (evolved from Swallow Reversal)]
[Source Powers:]
[Ocean's Dominion]
[World Separation]
[Death Command]
Aside from having all base attributes maxed at 70+, several of his skills had greatly improved. Among his gains, two stood out: After years of effort and through the King's Treasury mystic code, his Revelation skill finally reached EX rank. By absorbing the World Source, he acquired a new Source Power: Death Command. The system described Death Command as a terrifying ability to designate one or more targets for death. If the target's strength is lower than Ryou's, success is guaranteed. If the target's strength equals or surpasses Ryou's, the success probability decreases as the target's power increases. Essentially, it was a long-range AOE upgrade of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, reminiscent of the legendary Balor's Evil Eye that cursed anyone it gazed upon. However, this power came at a steep cost—it consumed Ryou's life force. If depleted entirely, he would die instantly.
Fortunately, after appraising the Root Gem obtained from Satella's demise, Ryou solved this issue. The gem, glowing with green light, contained inexhaustible life energy. Not only did it replenish the life force Ryou lost during his conquest, but it also healed his hidden injuries, restoring his body to its peak condition. The Apocalypse Gaunlet now allowed embedding up to five Root Gems, enabling more efficient use of their abilities with greatly reduced costs. Thus, with Death Command and infinite life energy in hand, Ryou was ready for his next challenge, pondering the system's invitation to ascend to divinity.