Strongest Kingdom: My Op Kingdom Got Transported Along With Me

Chapter 399: Chapter 398: So It Begins

As though space itself struggled to endure its existence.

This was no ordinary weapon. This was a Tier 7 sword.

The kingdom’s greatest treasure.

Its final trump card.

A weapon passed down through generations of kings.

A weapon so valuable that entire empires would wage war to obtain it.

Charles stood before the pedestal.

For several moments, he simply stared at the blade.

His expression was complicated.

For hundreds of years, it had remained hidden.

Waiting.

Preserved for the day the kingdom faced extinction. And that day had finally arrived.

Charles slowly reached forward.

The moment his fingers touched the hilt—

BOOM!

A powerful wave of sword intent erupted from the blade.

The entire chamber trembled. The sword seemed to resist him. Testing him, and judging him.

Charles didn’t move. His eyes remained calm, and hand remained steady.

The pressure continued increasing. The sword intent grew sharper and sharper.

Enough to kill tier 5’s instantly. Yet Charles simply stood there, like a mountain.

Several seconds later, the sword suddenly became quiet.

The resistance disappeared. The blade finally acknowledged him.

Charles slowly lifted it from the pedestal.

A brilliant golden light flashed across the chamber.

The weapon let out a low hum. As if awakening from a long sleep.

Charles looked down at the sword, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Not one of happiness, or excitement. Only determination.

"The kingdom has protected you for centuries."

His voice echoed softly through the hidden chamber.

"Now it’s your turn to protect the kingdom."

The sword hummed once more. Almost as if answering him.

Charles turned around and walked toward the exit.

The sword rested quietly in his hand.

Yet he could feel the terrifying power sleeping within it.

A Tier 7 weapon.

The strongest treasure the kingdom possessed.

The kind of weapon capable of changing the outcome of a war.

As he walked through the hidden chamber, his grip tightened slightly around the hilt.

A trace of regret appeared in his eyes.

If possible, he would rather place this sword in someone else’s hands.

Someone stronger, and better suited to wield it.

Someone like Virtil.

The old knight was the kingdom’s greatest protector right now.

A Quasi-Tier 7 expert.

The only person left in the kingdom capable of standing against the enemy’s strongest generals.

If Virtil wielded this sword, his combat power would increase dramatically.

Perhaps enough to contend with enemies far beyond his normal limits.

Unfortunately...

That was impossible.

Charles stopped for a moment. His gaze lowered toward the blade.

The sword’s golden runes faintly glowed.

This weapon was not simply a powerful artifact.

It was the symbol of the royal bloodline.

A treasure forged centuries ago by the kingdom’s founder.

From the very beginning, restrictions had been engraved into its core.

Only those carrying the blood of the royal family could truly wield it.

Anyone else would be rejected.

Even a Quasi-Tier 7 expert would be unable to unleash its true power.

Charles remembered an event from many years ago.

A talented ancestor had once attempted to bypass the restriction.

He had allowed the kingdom’s strongest knight to use the sword during a great war.

The result had been disastrous.

The knight had barely touched the weapon before the sword’s energy exploded.

The man survived, but he lost an arm.

Since then, nobody had ever attempted it again.

The sword belonged to the royal bloodline, and the royal bloodline alone.

Charles let out a quiet sigh.

"Such a waste."

If Virtil could wield it, Charles honestly believed the old knight would become the kingdom’s strongest fighter.

Perhaps even stronger than the three Marshals.

But fate rarely cared about what people wanted.

The hidden door slowly closed behind him.

RUMBLE.

The sound echoed through the treasury.

Charles continued walking.

As he passed through the massive vault, countless treasures surrounded him.

Charles exited the treasury.

The four Tier 6 guards immediately bowed.

Their eyes briefly landed on the sword.

For a split second, shock flashed across their faces.

They recognized it.

Every high-ranking figure in the kingdom knew the legends surrounding that blade.

Yet none of them spoke, they simply lowered their heads even further. And Charles just walked past them.

His footsteps echoed through the corridor.

His expression remained calm. But deep inside, he understood something.

Tomorrow’s battle would likely decide everything.

----

The next day arrived.

Before dawn, the entire capital of the Alnera Kingdom was already awake.

Everyone knew what was coming.

The final battle.

The battle that would decide whether the kingdom survived or disappeared from history.

High above the walls of Luminaris City, countless soldiers stood in formation.

The massive city walls stretched for kilometers, packed shoulder to shoulder with archers, mages, and warriors.

Ballistae lined the battlements.

Tower shields had been erected along defensive positions.

Formation masters moved throughout the walls, checking the city’s defensive arrays one final time.

The atmosphere was tense, unnaturally tense.

Then someone spotted it.

Far away, beyond the plains. A dark line appeared on the horizon. At first, it looked like a black river. Then it grew larger.

Until everyone finally realized what they were seeing.

An enormous army. A million monsters.

The ground began to tremble.

BOOM.

BOOM.

BOOM.

The sound of synchronized marching echoed across the plains.

The vibrations could be felt even from atop the walls.

Many soldiers unconsciously tightened their grips on their weapons.

Some swallowed nervously.

Others stared in disbelief.

Even veteran soldiers who had survived countless battles felt chills running down their spines.

The army simply seemed endless.

Monster banners filled the horizon.

Massive beasts marched alongside heavily armored warriors.

Countless races moved as one.

An army composed of tribes that should have hated each other.

Yet now they marched under a single banner.

Alix’s banner.

The sight alone was enough to shake morale.

A human soldier standing on the wall spoke with a pale face.

"By the gods..."

"How many are there?"

No one answered.

Because everyone already knew.

Around one million.

And unlike ordinary armies, this force wasn’t made up of farmers carrying spears.

Most monsters possessed naturally stronger bodies than humans.

A Tier 3 monster was often physically stronger than a Tier 3 human.

That was one of the reasons monster armies were so feared.

The numerical advantage of the kingdom suddenly didn’t feel very reassuring.

The kingdom had more soldiers. Almost one and a half million.

But looking at the endless sea of monsters approaching the city...

Many people no longer felt confident about those numbers.

Meanwhile, atop the central wall...

Charles stood quietly.

Gone were his noble robes.

Gone was the image of the friendly duke.

Today, he wore the armor from his younger years.

The armor he had worn when he was still one of the kingdom’s greatest generals.

Silver and gold plates covered his body. A crimson cape flowed behind him. The Tier 7 sword hung at his waist.

His expression was calm.

But his eyes remained fixed on the approaching army.

Beside him stood Virtil.

The old knight looked toward the horizon. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then his brows slowly furrowed.

Charles noticed immediately.

"What is it?"

Virtil’s gaze never left the enemy army. His senses expanded outward.

Far beyond what ordinary cultivators could perceive.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"My Lord..."

His voice was unusually serious.

"I can feel a large number of Tier 6 experts."

Charles’ expression hardened.

Virtil continued.

"More than I expected."

His eyes narrowed.

"And among them..."

A faint pressure appeared around the old knight.

"...there are several monsters that are extremely powerful."

Charles immediately understood what he meant.

Strong enough to attract Virtil’s attention.

Strong enough for a Quasi-Tier 7 to consider dangerous.

Those weren’t ordinary Tier 6s.

They were likely peak Tier 6 experts. Perhaps even stronger.

Virtil slowly exhaled.

"I can clearly sense at least four, that’s stronger than a normal peak tier 6."

Charles froze slightly.

Four monsters powerful enough to make even Virtil cautious.

That alone was enough to send a chill through his heart.

A Quasi-Tier 7 wasn’t easily intimidated.

Yet now, among the enemy army, there were at least four.

Charles slowly looked across the endless sea of monsters.

If there were four monsters capable of threatening Virtil, then the kingdom’s chances were far worse than he had initially calculated.

Suddenly, the movement of the monster army changed.

A strange silence spread through the battlefield.

Even the marching gradually slowed.

Charles immediately noticed it.

"So it begins..."

Virtil narrowed his eyes.

The countless monsters at the front began moving aside.