Chapter 263: Embarking on First Planet

[: 3rd POV :]

As Daniel declared the beginning of Vahl’Zareth’s first campaign beyond their home world, the atmosphere inside the Grand Hall became solemn.

No one hesitated and doubted the path before them.

One after another, the expedition leaders stepped toward their assigned portals.

The first to move was King Thrain.

The sturdy Dwarf King rested his massive hammer upon his shoulder before letting out a booming laugh.

“Hahaha! It has been far too long since my blood boiled like this.”

He looked toward Daniel and grinned.

“When I return, I’ll bring you another world.”

Daniel nodded with a faint smile.

“I’ll be waiting.”

Without another word, Thrain stepped through his portal, followed by hundreds of dwarven warriors whose heavy footsteps echoed throughout the Grand Hall.

Soon after, Beast King Kaelgor stretched his shoulders.

His muscles cracked loudly as a savage grin appeared across his face.

“I hope my opponents are stronger”

Ignivara smirked.

“You only want an excuse to punch something.”

Kaelgor laughed.

“And what is wrong with that?”

The two rulers exchanged amused looks before entering their respective portals.

Dragon Empress Sylthara elegantly walked toward hers.

The air around her shimmered with draconic mana.

She stopped briefly before Daniel.

“Our people will return victorious.”

“I know.”

Daniel answered without hesitation.

Her gemstone like eyes softened slightly.

Then she smiled before disappearing into the portal.

One after another…

The rulers departed.

Spirit Empress Sylvene.

Golden King Aurelius Solvain.

Summoner Emperor Eldric.

Holiness King Seraphion.

Beauty Queen Lily.

Azure Emperor Zephyron.

Phoenix Force Ignivara.

Void King Noctyrr.

Sir Galahad.

Each one received only a few simple words from Daniel.

Yet every conversation carried absolute trust.

Eventually…only a handful remained and among them…was Melira.

She stood silently before her own portal.

The portal behind her shimmered gently, patiently awaiting her arrival.

Yet…she did not move, instead, her eyes slowly drifted toward Daniel.

He stood only several meters away, tall, calm and confident.

His golden eyes reflected countless stars.

The young man before her no longer resembled the infant she once desperately searched for.

Countless emotions quietly surfaced inside her heart.

She remembered the day he disappeared.

She remembered the endless nights.

The hopeless searching.

The prayers that never seemed to receive an answer.

The guilt she had carried for years.

She had once believed she would never see him again.

Never hear his voice.

Never know whether he was alive.

Yet now…her son stood before her.

Not merely alive but standing at the very front of an army.

Leading an entire world toward the stars.

Her son…had become someone capable of conquering worlds.

Her vision gradually blurred.

A single tear almost escaped her eye…almost.

Melira slowly closed her eyes.

Then she took a quiet breath.

“No…”

She gently shook her head.

“This isn’t the time.”

Today was not a day for tears.

This was not a farewell.

No one here was marching toward certain death.

No one was saying goodbye.

Today…was a day a mother could proudly witness her son walk toward his future.

Daniel quietly noticed her gaze.

Their eyes met.

Neither of them spoke.

There was no need for words.

No lengthy conversation could ever express everything they both felt.

Daniel simply smiled.

A warm, gentle rassuring smile.

A smile that silently said…’I’ll be fine’.

Melira’s heart warmed instantly.

She smiled back.

It was a mother’s smile that was filled with relief, pride and love.

“…Come back safely.”

She whispered softly.

Daniel nodded once.

“I will.”

Those two simple words were enough.

Melira turned around without another glance.

She stepped forward confidently.

The portal swallowed her figure before quietly closing behind her.

Daniel watched the place where she had disappeared for several moments.

A faint smile remained on his face.

“I’m glad…”

He whispered quietly to himself.

“…that she could smile like that.”

Eventually, the final expedition teams also entered their assigned portals.

Aeriwen led her squad with calm elegance.

Riika waved enthusiastically before vanishing.

Kiel confidently walked forward without hesitation.

Manork laughed loudly while carrying his enormous axe.

Maiya excitedly skipped toward her portal before Aeriwen grabbed the back of her collar to stop her from rushing ahead.

“Slow down.”

“But I want to be first.”

“You’ll still arrive.”

“…Fine.”

Their small argument caused several nearby warriors to laugh before following them into the portal.

One after another…

Every portal emptied.

The Grand Hall gradually became quiet.

The bustling voices disappeared.

The footsteps faded.

Even the mana fluctuations slowly settled.

Eventually, only one person remained.

Daniel.

The enormous hall that had once been filled with countless people now felt strangely peaceful.

He slowly turned his head.

His gaze wandered across every corner of the hall.

The 15 thrones stood silently.

The towering pillars reached toward the ceiling.

The banners of Vahl’Zareth fluttered gently despite the absence of wind.

Everything felt familiar.

Yet everything had changed.

Not long ago…

He had been alone.

A single person struggling to survive.

Now…he possessed companions.

An entire world willing to follow him.

People who trusted him with their lives.

People who believed in his dream.

A quiet sense of accomplishment settled within his heart.

They had come much farther than he had ever imagined.

But…this was only the beginning.

His eyes slowly shifted toward the final remaining portal.

The portal leading toward the High Tier Planet.

The strongest world among today’s objectives.

Daniel took one final glance around the empty Grand Hall.

A proud smile slowly appeared across his face.

“We’ve finally taken our first step.”

His voice quietly echoed throughout the silent chamber.

Then…

Without hesitation…

Daniel stepped forward.

The brilliant light of the portal swallowed his figure completely.

Moments later…

The final portal slowly disappeared.

The Grand Hall became completely silent once more.

And far beyond the borders of Vahl’Zareth…

The first conquest of a High Tier Planet had officially begun.

The moment Daniel stepped through the portal, the surrounding space immediately twisted into countless layers.

Time had slowed as space folded.

The endless stream of stars stretched into brilliant rivers of light as dimensions overlapped with one another.

Countless worlds flashed past his vision in less than an instant.

Some worlds burned with endless flames.

Some were covered entirely by oceans that stretched farther than sight itself.

Others were frozen beneath eternal snow where not a single living creature could be found.

Yet Daniel’s expression remained calm.

The spatial current continued carrying him forward until the distortion gradually disappeared.

Everything became quiet.

Then…

His feet gently landed upon solid ground.

A cool breeze brushed across his face.

Daniel slowly opened his eyes.

“…So this is Ozamon.”

His golden eyes quietly observed the world before him.

It was beautiful.

A beauty unlike Vahl’Zareth.

There were no towering cities of crystal or floating continents sustained by advanced mana engineering.

Instead, the world possessed a primitive elegance.

Rolling green plains stretched endlessly toward the horizon.

Ancient forests covered enormous mountain ranges that reached above the clouds.

Crystal clear rivers flowed peacefully between valleys, reflecting the blue sky like polished mirrors.

Towering castles stood proudly atop hills, surrounded by enormous stone walls and bustling medieval cities.

Massive windmills slowly turned beneath the afternoon sunlight.

Countless farmlands surrounded every kingdom, their golden crops swaying peacefully beneath the wind.

Roads built from carefully laid stone connected villages and cities across the continent.

Horse drawn carriages traveled between settlements while merchants transported goods beneath the protection of armored knights.

Above everything else…

The sky itself seemed unusually vibrant.

Several floating islands drifted slowly among the clouds.

Ancient ruins rested upon those islands, their broken pillars hinting at a civilization that had existed long before the current age.

Occasionally, enormous wyverns could be seen flying through the distant skies before disappearing beyond the mountains.

Daniel silently admired the scenery.

“A medieval civilization…”

He smiled faintly.

“And yet they have already reached High Tier.”

That alone proved the Universe never judged a civilization by technology alone.

Strength came in countless forms.

Some worlds pursued science.

Others mastered mana.

Some walked the path of cultivation.

Others refined the soul.

Every civilization possessed its own road toward evolution.

Daniel slowly extended his senses.

Immediately…the entire planet unfolded before him.

Everything entered his perception.

The population of Ozamon was astonishingly vast.

Humans, elves, dwarves, dragons, giants, Spirits, Beastkin, Fairies, Merfolk and even Vampires.

Countless intelligent races coexisted upon this single world.

Despite their differences, they shared one common goal.

Survival.

Daniel could sense the countless kingdoms scattered throughout the continents, however, he could tell that those countless kingdoms had turned into ruins.

The Kingdom of Valoria.

The Holy Kingdom of Seraphel.

The Iron Mountain Empire.

The Emerald Elven Dominion.

The Frost Wolf Confederation.

The Crimson Dragon Kingdom.

The Kingdoms constantly formed alliances, traded resources, and occasionally fought over territory.

Yet despite their conflicts…

None of those wars mattered anymore.

Because they all faced the same enemy.

Daniel slowly raised his gaze toward the northern horizon.

His expression gradually became serious.

“…So that’s the source.”

Far beyond the kingdoms…

Beyond the forests…

Beyond the mountains…

An endless sea of darkness stretched across the land.

The earth itself had become black.

The rivers had turned crimson.

The forests had withered into lifeless skeletons.

Even the sky above that region was permanently covered by dark clouds.

Within that corrupted wasteland…

Countless monsters roamed without purpose.

Their numbers were beyond calculation.

Millions.

Perhaps even billions.

They were known throughout Ozamon as…the Ututh.

Daniel quietly observed them.

They possessed grotesque appearances.

Some resembled wolves with six legs and countless crimson eyes.

Others looked like enormous insects covered in black crystal armor.

Some had no recognizable form at all, existing only as masses of flesh, claws, and writhing tendrils.

Others towered over mountains like living fortresses.

Despite their different appearances…

Every single one shared the same characteristic.

They possessed no intelligence.

No civilization.

No language.

No emotions.

Only instinct.

The instinct to slaughter, consume and destroy.

Every living creature they encountered became prey.

They neither negotiated nor retreated.

Pain meant nothing to them.

Fear did not exist.

Even death itself failed to stop them.

Daniel watched as one enormous Ututh ripped apart another smaller one before devouring its corpse without hesitation.

Cannibalism.

Survival of the strongest.

Only endless violence existed among them.

Their very existence resembled a natural disaster more than a living race.

“They truly possess no sentience…”

Daniel murmured softly.

“Only endless hunger.”

His senses continued expanding.

Then…he saw the current state of Ozamon.

Every kingdom had already retreated behind its final defensive lines.

Gigantic walls surrounded the remaining cities.

Thousands upon thousands of soldiers stood atop those walls.

Knights wearing battered armor tightly gripped their swords.

Archers quietly prepared countless arrows.

Battle mages continuously maintained enormous defensive barriers.

Priests prayed desperately inside grand cathedrals.

Blacksmiths forged weapons day and night without rest.

Healers exhausted their mana treating the endless stream of wounded soldiers.

Every single person…

From children to elders…

Carried expressions filled with exhaustion.

This was no longer a war.

It was survival.

Daniel observed one fortress where countless injured soldiers sat against broken walls.

Some had lost arms.

Others had lost legs.

Some stared silently into the distance after losing their entire families.

A little girl tightly hugged her father’s cracked helmet.

The helmet was empty.

Nearby, an elderly woman silently distributed bread to exhausted defenders despite having almost nothing left herself.

Children who should have been laughing now carried arrows and supplies across the battlefield.

The entire planet had reached its limit.

Daniel quietly listened.

“…How much longer?”

“We only have enough food for another week…”

“Our barrier won’t survive another assault…”

“The western wall has already collapsed…”

“Three more villages have fallen…”

“The Ututh are multiplying again…”

“The next wave…”

“…will be the last.”

Every conversation carried despair.

Hope had almost disappeared.

Daniel slowly closed his eyes.

“So this is the world Mika selected.”

“It is not merely seeking protection.”

“It is standing at the edge of extinction.”

Just then…the ground suddenly trembled.

*Boom*

The sound echoed across the distant plains like the heartbeat of a giant.

Daniel slowly opened his eyes once more.

Far beyond the horizon…

A black tide had begun moving.

Not water.

Not shadows.

But monsters.

Countless Ututh surged across the plains like an endless ocean.

Their roars merged together until they became one deafening scream that shook the heavens.

Dust clouds rose into the sky as millions of monsters charged simultaneously.

Every kingdom sounded its emergency bells.

The heavy bells echoed throughout the continents.

“The Ututh are advancing!”

“Everyone to the walls!”

“Prepare for battle!”

“The final wave has begun!”

Panic instantly spread through every remaining fortress.

Soldiers hurried toward their positions despite knowing many would never return.

Parents embraced their children one last time.

Knights silently drew their swords.

Some prayed.

Some cried.

Some simply smiled bitterly as they prepared to meet death.

Daniel stood upon a high cliff overlooking the approaching apocalypse.

The wind gently moved his black coat.

His golden eyes calmly watched the endless tide of monsters.

Then…a faint smile appeared upon his face.

“I arrived just in time.”