190: Beginning Change

At the foot of the snow-swept Winter Mountain Range, Gareth walked alone through the knee-deep snow.

The camp behind him was warm and bright, holding his comrades who had faced life and death with him, and the fondest memories of the past decades. But he did not look back. Every step he took left a deep footprint in the snow, like severing a bond of attachment.

“Only a dozen years left...”

Gareth silently counted the suffocating countdown in his heart. For the long-lived races, this was merely a nap, but for mortals, it was enough to determine the life and death of a generation.

That behemoth known as the Human Federation was rapidly approaching from across the star sea—an unstoppable torrent of steel. Yet the nations of Mana Star were still warring over a few mines and rivers, nobles indulged in decadent banquets, and priests whitewashed the peace in their temples.

“If words cannot wake those pretending to sleep, then use pain to rouse them.”

Gareth tightened his grip on the massive sword wrapped in gray cloth. This was no ordinary weapon; it was the [Dawnbreaker], forged by the smart factory on the Wanderer using Kul Alloy combined with high-frequency vibration technology. In Illya's definition, it was merely an Individual High-Frequency Particle Vibration Cutter, but in Gareth's hands, it was a scepter capable of severing all old orders.

“Hey! You guy up ahead with the miserable face!”

A blast of wind swept in with snowflakes. Accompanied by the flapping of enormous wings, a massive crimson figure descended from the sky and landed heavily in front of Gareth, blocking his path.

It was the Red Dragon Klaus Difan.

The once arrogant giant dragon still wore that large leather bag around its neck, white steam puffing from its nostrils. Its golden vertical pupils held a hint of slyness and a complex emotion Gareth couldn't decipher.

“Klaus Difan?” Gareth frowned. “What are you doing here? Did Teacher Illya send you to bring me back? If so, even if it’s you, I...”

“Stop, stop, stop! Don't draw your sword at the drop of a hat. That broken sword of yours really hurts when it cuts!”

The Red Dragon impatiently interrupted him. It lowered its massive head, leaned close to Gareth, and exhaled a sulfurous breath.

“That she-devil... oh no, the great Lord Illya is too lazy to care where you go. She said whether an ant wants to move house, build a nest, or even wave its antennae at an elephant, she won't interfere.”

“Then what are you here for?”

“I’m here to help you, idiot!” Klaus Difan rolled its eyes, which looked strange coming from a dragon. “Aren’t you going to save the world? Aren’t you going to be a great hero? What, planning to walk across the continent on those two legs? By the time you reach the Ailan Empire’s palace, the day will be long over!”

“Help me?” Gareth was stunned. He looked in disbelief at the Red Dragon, which was habitually greedy, cowardly, and unscrupulous. “Why? That doesn’t fit your personality.”

“Hmph, I am a noble Red Dragon, do I need a reason to act?” Klaus Difan nervously averted its gaze and looked elsewhere. “I just... like the look of you, alright? Besides, I’m tired of being a porter on that cold, sterile spaceship all day. I wanted to get out for some air, and incidentally... if you’re going to war, can I get a share of the spoils?”

Of course, it didn't tell the truth.

Just half an hour ago, in the Wanderer’s laboratory, Illya was casually giving it instructions while tinkering with a pitiful Chimera specimen.

“Go on, big lizard, follow that fool.”

“I want to see how much of a splash a native individual, armed with strength and knowledge beyond his era, can make when facing a destined fate of destruction.”

“This is part of a sociological experiment. Remember to protect him; don’t let him die, or the observation sample will become invalid.”

...Gareth, of course, knew nothing of this background. He looked at the giant beast that had volunteered its service, and a warm current surged in his heart. At this moment, when he was abandoned by everyone, it was an alien race that offered him support.

“Alright!”

Gareth stopped being sentimental. He flipped onto the dragon's back, his movements swift as the wind.

“In that case, let's make this world tremble!”

“We’ll head to Blackrock Fortress, the border stronghold of the Ailan Empire, first!”

...Blackrock Fortress was the Ailan Empire’s primary strategic town guarding the north, garrisoned by thirty thousand elite Imperial Black Armor soldiers. Its walls were thirty meters high, covered in magic runes and heavy ballistae.

Normally, this place was an insurmountable barrier for any invader.

But today, as the setting sun dyed the sky blood red, a loud dragon roar shattered the tranquility of dusk.

“Enemy attack! It's the Red Dragon!”

The sentinel on the city wall screamed in panic.

Klaus Difan’s massive body plunged down from the clouds. Instead of breathing fire as usual, he swept over the city wall like a heavy bomber.

Gareth stood on the dragon’s back, the [Dawnbreaker] already drawn from its sheath.

Facing the dense rain of arrows and the rising magic shields below, he did not dodge in the slightest.

A faint, ethereal blue glow appeared on the surface of his silver battle armor, the [Embrace of the Stars]. That was the sign that the Individual Deflection Shield Generator had activated.

Clang, clang, clang!

Heavy crossbow bolts capable of piercing rock bounced off him like raindrops hitting glass, leaving not even a scratch. The dazzling magic fireballs and ice cones that struck the shield only created insignificant ripples.

“Wha... what kind of armor is that? A divine artifact?” The commander below the city wall stared dumbfounded.

The next second, Gareth leaped off the dragon's back.

He struck the drawbridge in front of the city gate with the force of ten thousand tons, like a silver meteor.

Boom!

The sturdy drawbridge instantly shattered. Gareth slowly rose from the dust, facing the half-meter-thick iron-plated city gate ahead. He gripped his sword with both hands and took a deep breath.

The Battle Qi within him perfectly merged with the armor’s power assist system. The high-frequency vibrating particle stream on the [Dawnbreaker]’s blade emitted a buzzing shriek, and the space around the edge warped due to the intense heat.

“Open!”

Gareth roared and brought his sword down.

There was no sense of resistance. The city gate, which had once driven countless Orc armies to despair, was sliced in half as neatly as cheese cut by a hot knife, along with the bolts behind it and several soldiers bracing the door.

The cut was smooth as a mirror, the metal having been instantly melted by the high temperature and then solidified.

The city gate crashed down.

Gareth held his sword and walked step by step through the gatehouse. Behind him, the Red Dragon Klaus Difan landed on the city wall, its massive claws easily crushing the ballistae, and opened its mouth in a roar of defiance.

“I am Gareth, once a hero, now... a Revolutionary.”

Gareth’s voice, amplified by Battle Qi, echoed throughout the city.

“I do not wish for slaughter, but I need this city, and I need your obedience.”

“Surrender, or die.”

That day, the Captain of the [Dawn] squad, the [hero of dawn], died.

A conqueror known as the [Dragon Hero], or called the [Rebel Tyrant] by the nobles, who struck fear into the entire Southern Continent, was born... Over the next three years, the Southern Continent of Mana Star plunged into an unprecedented bloodbath.

Gareth no longer attempted to lobby or reason with people. He understood a cruel truth: in this backward world, only the sword and fire could make people understand the truth.

Starting from Blackrock Fortress, he rapidly expanded his power like a snowball rolling downhill.

He broke the oppression of the nobles against the common people, opened granaries to distribute food, and abolished slavery. This garnered him the fanatical support of countless commoners. Tens of thousands of peasants, slaves, and destitute mercenaries gathered under his banner, forming a massive army called the "Salvation Army."

But this army was not a disorganized rabble.

Gareth utilized the organizational structure and training methods of the Human Federation army he learned from Illya to modernize this force.

He established strict military discipline, set up specialized staff and logistics departments, and even proposed assembly line operations to produce standardized weapons and equipment. Although the technological level remained in the cold weapon era, its organization and mobilization capabilities constituted a dimensional strike on this planet.

And he himself was the invincible tip of this army's spear.

That set of individual equipment from the interstellar age made him like a walking deity on the battlefield.

When attacking the capital of the Commercial Alliance, facing the Forbidden-level Magic [Thunderstorm] jointly cast by the hired Mage Corps, Gareth charged into the sea of lightning alone. The energy shield on his armor remained unshaken amid the lightning, and a single swing of his Particle Sword severed the base of the Mage Tower.

In the decisive battle against the Orc Royal Court, facing the Orc Sword Saint hailed as “the strongest below the Demigods,” Gareth needed only one move. The high-frequency vibrating blade instantly cut through the Orc’s prized Legendary Battle Axe, shattering the Protective Battle Qi he was so proud of.

“He's not human! He's a monster wearing human skin!”

“That is the devil's weapon! That is cursed power!”

His enemies screamed in terror, trembling under the iron hooves of the [Dragon Hero].

The Red Dragon Klaus Difan also enjoyed the conquest immensely. It was timid and submissive in front of Illya, but decisive and aggressive in front of these mortals.

It enjoyed the feeling of being revered by thousands, and even started to think that following Gareth was much more promising than guarding its pile of fake treasures... Aboard the Wanderer, Illya sat in a comfortable command chair, holding a bucket of popcorn and watching the battlefield footage being broadcast live on the holographic screen in front of her.

In the footage, Gareth’s army had just breached the Ailan Empire’s palace. The old king who had once arrogantly driven Gareth out was now kneeling on the ground, trembling.

“Tsk tsk, how crude.”

Illya tossed a piece of popcorn into her mouth and commented.

“However, his efficiency is quite high. In just three short years, he unified one-third of the Southern Continent and established a highly centralized military regime.”

“Captain, a significant change has been detected in the psychological assessment index of the target subject Gareth,” the Navigator’s voice sounded. “His empathy is decreasing, while his dictatorial tendencies and desire for control are increasing. However, his dedication to the goal of saving the world has reached its peak.”

“That is inevitable,” Illya said lightly. “To save a bunch of fools who don’t understand you, you must first become their tyrant.”

“He is turning himself into a monster who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, but he hasn't realized it yet.”

“What about the other four?” Illya asked.

“The other members of the [Dawn] squad are currently still working in your laboratory.” The Navigator brought up another screen.

Alice, Kent, and others were busy in the lab wearing white coats. They had fully integrated into this life of pursuing truth, and they expressed a complex silence regarding their former Captain, who was now causing chaos outside.

“They believe Gareth has gone mad,” the Navigator said.

“Perhaps,” Illya smiled. “In the eyes of the sober, those who cling to old dreams are lunatics; and in the eyes of the martyr, those who cling to life are traitors.”

“However, I am quite looking forward to seeing how far he can go in the end.”

Illya looked at the man on the screen, standing amidst the palace ruins, covered in blood, holding his longsword aloft and accepting the cheers of ten thousand soldiers.

His gaze was still resolute, but the purity he once possessed had long vanished, replaced only by bottomless loneliness and ruthlessness.

“He integrated resources, unified weights and measures, established an efficient mobilization mechanism, and began trying to popularize basic education...”

“He is doing what we want to do, just using the most primitive and bloody methods.”

“If he can unify the globe before our fleet arrives, perhaps... the Human Federation will save a lot of trouble when taking over this planet.”

...Ailan Palace. Gareth sat on the throne, which symbolized supreme power.

He felt no enjoyment at all, only that the chair was icy cold.

“Supreme Commander... no, Your Majesty.” A servant cautiously stepped forward. “The rebellions of the local nobles have mostly been suppressed, but the food shortage is still severe, and... news from the north states that Stedwick’s Mage Council has declared us Fallen Ones and is calling upon mages across the continent to form a coalition army to attack us.”

“The Mage Council?”

Gareth sneered. They were his next target.

He stood up, walked to the balcony, and looked north.

“They think they hold the truth.”

Gareth touched his chest, where he kept a data pad Illya had casually tossed to him, containing a vast amount of basic knowledge from the Wanderer’s database.

“But they don't know that the real truth lies beyond the stars.”

“Klaus Difan!”

“What is it now?” The Red Dragon, currently gnawing on a roasted whole ox in the palace garden, immediately looked up.

“Get ready. We’re going to Stedwick.”

Gareth's voice was cold as iron.

“Since they refuse to open their eyes to the world, I will cut their eyelids open.”

“For... survival.”