Fled Without Realizing I Had Prevented the Apocalypse

The North.
It’s conveniently called that by the entire continent, but in reality, it’s larger than all the countries combined, including the Empire.
If we just look at the size, it should be called the Northern Continent and Southern Continent rather than just the North.
In fact, I heard that the barbarians of the North don’t call it the North as the continent does, but Bator, meaning their land.
Nevertheless, the reason continentals call that place the North is simple.
‘There’s hardly any place where people can actually live.’
The land of the North doesn’t embrace life. The lush green color is a luxury that only grows in the South.
The land of the North is white. Nothing survives except snow.

Even the barbarians of the North only settle in shallow lands where they can see soil, and they can’t properly utilize even 70% of that vast continent.
Why should land that exists but can’t be used be counted as territory?
That’s why the continentals simply call the land of the barbarians the North.
Of course, there might be added contemptuous names that disrespect the Northern barbarians, but…
“That doesn’t matter anyway.”
Muttering briefly to myself, I raised my body temperature by manipulating magic power.
I had been raising magic power to warm my body since I saw the ground covered in white, but the cold of the North seemed to sneer that it couldn’t be endured with just that.
Glancing at the cold air puffing out of my mouth, I slowly moved my feet.
Although I headed to the North due to the Emperor’s request that wasn’t really a request, her request didn’t stay solely in the North.
Thump. Thump.
The sound of footsteps heard due to increasing my senses while warming my body with magic power.
Although my sight still only showed a white land, my ears could hear hundreds, thousands of creatures stomping their feet in unison.
Not simply monsters stirring, but an act of announcing their presence using only their physical bodies.
It’s not something the continent’s monsters, who have lost their intelligence and only have wildness left, can do.
Those who are monsters but have intelligence, and call themselves warriors of the North.
I slowly climbed the snow-covered mountain range while listening to their footsteps.
“Woo! Woo! Woo!”
“Kwoooooooo-!”

Soon, I encountered colorful monsters covering the mountain range.
Despite having the appearance of monsters, they were looking at the wall blocking them while maintaining their ranks and files.
Although it was a clumsy formation compared to what humans on the continent would deploy, the fact that they formed such a formation itself was evidence that they had intelligence.
However, while human armies would restrain their spirit and move as if becoming one,
Gooo.
“Kekeureuk!”
“Gwaaak!”
Their army unleashed their spirit without reservation.
To induce fear in the opponent with this spirit.
They are the barbarians of the North.
This is the Northern army that had to be faced at the forefront when the Khan of the North threw down the gauntlet towards the continent five years ago.

“That side is like that…”
My gaze, after confirming the Northern army, turns to the opposite side.
There was a wall so long that its end couldn’t be seen, even though it had cracks and scratches.
A wall situated on the mountain range where they would descend, to block the Northern barbarians even before the war ended.
Because the barbarians’ greed towards the continent was endless even though the Khan had died, the wall was rebuilt even after being destroyed once.
It meant that the years engraved on this wall weren’t just five.

And between that long wall, there’s a castle standing proudly with a majestic appearance.
Winter Forest.
A castle inherited for generations by the Forest Count family, called the Margrave of the North.
Right in front of me was a graveyard that had buried numerous soldiers while bearing the duty of blocking the North from long ago, and a holy ground where numerous superhumans had thrown themselves to gain fame and enlightenment.
Out of respect for the Count who bore a duty incomprehensible by any political view, the family exceptionally held the position of Margrave, which is above Count and has rights equal to a Marquis, and at the same time.
Five years ago, Winter Forest was the frontline where Princess Arlea gained the alias of Divine Bow while facing the Khan’s invasion.
The reason I personally set foot in this Winter Forest was simple.
“They requested support, they say.”
Winter Forest is the only place in the current continent, where most big incidents have disappeared, where superhumans can fight with their lives on the line.
Superhumans who have reached 5th rank or above can risk even their lives to raise their own realm and honor, and Winter Forest can provide a battlefield for such superhumans, so it’s killing two birds with one stone.
Therefore, numerous superhumans gathered at that castle, and the rebuilt Winter Forest had never requested support from the continent.
But recently, the Emperor said they received a letter from Winter Forest requesting support from the Empire.
And it was from none other than the owner of Winter Forest, the current Forest Margrave.
If the Margrave personally wrote a letter, it means the state of Winter Forest is quite serious.
However, even if the Empire’s army prepares as quickly as possible, it would take at least a week to arrive in the North.
And a week is enough time for a castle to fall.
That’s probably why the Emperor sent me here.
I also planned to stop by Winter Forest to gather information before heading to the North, so I didn’t particularly refuse the Emperor’s request.
“Requesting support… It was warranted.”
The barbarians surrounding Winter Forest while emitting their spirit.
Most were at a level close to mere monsters unable to even handle magic power, but in between, monsters at a level that would be considered superhuman if they were human caught my eye.
The Northern barbarians already have a fundamentally different physique, and if they reach the level of superhuman, an ordinary superhuman of the same level can hardly win.
Moreover, what’s visible is already thousands, so who knows how many more are behind.
Of course, this probably isn’t the end of the reason for requesting support, but…
“Anyway, since I received a request.”
I muttered to myself while simultaneously moving the magic power I had been raising until now.
The magic power spread throughout my entire body had been protecting me from the cold, but it was also the foundation for chanting magic.
Pajik.
The magic power spread throughout my body slowly starts to spark. The light blue flame reduces its size on its own and soon changes into a faint line.
Pajijik.

The lines merge and separate, becoming electricity, and the electricity thus created soon began to envelop my entire body.
Chiiiik.
The snow piled on the ground melts from the lightning that instantly enveloped my body.
The lightning begins to affect not just beneath my feet but the surroundings as well.
When that lightning enveloped my entire body and I thought it had heated up sufficiently.
Tat-!
I kicked off the ground and flew into the air.
The Emperor asked me two things regarding Winter Forest:
To protect the castle until the Empire responds to the Forest Margrave’s request for support, and.
“To avoid announcing the appearance of the Heavenly Thunder to the entire North as much as possible.”
I took out the white mask the Emperor had given me from my bosom.
The black lightning mark engraved on the right eye of the snow-white mask.
It was the mask I used to cover my face when I was active in the North.
I put on that mask and gently looked at Winter Forest and the barbarian army.

While Winter Forest’s soldiers are quiet, the barbarian army is noisy.
They stomp their feet, let out beast-like cries, and announce their ferocity.
After listening to that noise for a moment, I soon came to a conclusion.
“If I kill them all, it won’t spread, right?”
And the next moment.
Kwagwagwagwang-!
Blue lightning struck right in the middle of the barbarians.
**
Kugwagwagwagwagwa!!!!!!
In an instant, the world turns blue.
For the cowards of the South, the world might be blue, but for the warriors of the North, the world was white.
The endlessly falling snow covered the earth and sometimes even obscured the sky. No, it obscured the sky more often.
Except for the darkness that naturally comes, the world was white for the warriors of the North.
That’s why.

Pajik, pajijik.
“What, is this…”
“Impossible.”
This sight was something the warriors couldn’t easily accept.
Their comrades who had proudly stepped onto the battlefield and declared their presence are being swallowed by that blue light.
The blue light, despite already having swallowed hundreds of comrades, seemed unsatisfied and greedily expanded its size.
The light that suddenly descended turned the world blue, and this meant that the land dominated by the North was being pushed back.
“Uger!”
“We are here!!”
“Protect the warrior’s honor!!!”
The warrior chiefs with five stars engraved in the sky stepped forward to block the light, but they were barely managing to block it, and the light’s domain didn’t decrease.
“Keu, keueuuk.”
“Guuuu.”
Rather, even though ten warrior chiefs with five stars engraved stepped forward, the light tried to expand its domain.
When everyone was terrified like this.
“Is it lightning?”
A warrior with gray skin and a wolf’s head stepped forward.
A stronger being than the warrior chiefs with five stars who had stepped forward earlier.

The third arm of the ‘Great Khan’. A beast-man said to be favored by the Lycan tribe chief.
“Wolfpang!”
“6-star warrior!”
“Our leader!”
When their leader who commanded their army appeared, the warriors cheered.
Although the warrior chiefs are strong, they’re on a different level compared to the warrior in front of them.
The wolf beast-man with six stars engraved in the sky, as if proving his reputation wasn’t in vain, quickly approached and swung his sword towards the light.

Kwang-!
With a huge explosion, the greedily advancing light stopped.
“Waaaaaah-!”
“Warrior Wolfpang blocked the light!”
The cheers towards the wolf beast-man didn’t stop because he had stopped the light that even ten people couldn’t block with just a swing of his sword, but.
Pajik.
“So you’re the leader.”
The wolf head flying through the air with a moment’s flash was enough to cut off such cheers.