Battle of All Races: Lord of Fertile Lands! (Kingdom Building)

"Only three hours remain."

Kaiden opened the meeting with this sentence. His voice came out calm and steady, without rush or exaggeration. He wanted to give everyone a moment to absorb the truth before continuing.

He swept his gaze across the faces seated around the round table, and once he was certain everyone's attention was fixed on him, he continued in a more serious tone:

"After these three hours pass, the protective barrier that has shielded our Territory over the past days will be removed. And according to the information we have so far, the moment it disappears, the Beast Tide will begin... and we'll face a simultaneous attack from two hundred beasts."

A sharp intake of breath.

The sound echoed across the hall.

The attendees exchanged glances, shock plainly written on their faces.

Everyone had sensed some danger approaching. The counter hanging in the sky, along with the intensive preparations the Lord had ordered — building catapult platforms and stockpiling stones at the borders — had all pointed to a battle looming at the doorstep.

But...

No one had imagined the scale of the threat would reach this level.

Two hundred beasts attacking at once?

This was no longer just a Beast Tide — it was an entire army.

Even so, no one interrupted the Lord. Everyone quickly suppressed their shock, and calm returned to the hall, understanding that Kaiden had only revealed part of the truth.

Kaiden looked at them for a moment before speaking.

"Yes, two hundred beasts. But that's not the worst of it."

Silence fell once more.

"The information also indicates the Tide will include several beasts of Rare rank."

He paused for a moment, then added:

"I believe most of you saw Ibla fighting in the previous battle. The Rare-rank beasts possess a power level close to hers."

At that moment, the calm blanketing the hall collapsed.

Gasps of shock rose again, and the news hit the leaders of the Emerging Heroes hardest — they had fought alongside Ibla before, and knew exactly how powerful she was.

Facing a single beast of that level had already been difficult... facing several at once was an idea enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

"Several beasts with Ibla's strength...?"

Golan whispered, his throat suddenly dry, cold sweat beginning to bead on his forehead without him noticing.

Laura's expression paled, and she let out a slow breath as she took in the scale of the disaster awaiting them.

Even Josh, known for his love of battle and his unshakable boldness, found nothing to say. He simply furrowed his brow, an expression his comrades weren't used to seeing on him... the look of a man who understood the coming battle would be unlike anything before it.

As for Rob, he gripped the handle of his sword so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Without saying a word, he made a silent vow to himself: whatever the cost... he would defend the Lord's lands to the last drop of his blood.

Kaiden looked at the faces filled with worry and hummed inwardly with satisfaction — this was exactly what he wanted.

They needed to grasp the scale of the danger first... before he gave them the confidence needed to face it.

"That's right, the coming Beast Tide will be the greatest challenge we've faced so far."

He paused, then a faint smile appeared on his face.

"But that doesn't mean we're a bunch of chickens waiting for the slaughter. We're strong in our own right."

The tension began to ease slightly on the faces of those present, and Kaiden continued calmly:

"On top of that, we won't be fighting out in the open. The moment the protective barrier disappears, thick walls will rise, along with defensive structures and weapons that will stand between us and the beasts."

The moment the leaders heard this, the weight of worry on their faces lightened.

Fighting while relying on walls was completely different from facing beasts on open ground, and it also gave them a huge advantage in protecting the heart of the Territory and its residents.

Then he added another fact that raised morale even further.

"And we also have my three pet beasts fighting alongside us."

The attendees exchanged glances, and many of them felt a relief they didn't bother hiding.

Kaiden then laced his fingers together on the table and swept his gaze across those seated.

"All of you represent the core leadership of this Territory, and that's why I want us to discuss together the best way to handle the coming crisis."

He already had a preliminary outline of a plan, but he didn't want a leadership that only knew how to follow orders. What he needed were leaders capable of thinking, spotting gaps he might miss, and offering new solutions when needed.

Golan was the first to break the silence.

"My lord, do we know whether the beasts will attack from one direction or several?"

Kaiden nodded.

"An important question, and I've already thought about it. Unfortunately, we don't have any confirmed information. So we'll build our plan around the worst-case scenario — that the attack comes from all directions. If it ends up concentrated in one direction instead, it'll be much easier to handle, and we'll simply mass all our forces there."

Laura raised her hand slightly before speaking.

"And what about our fighting approach? Will we hold position on the walls, or go out to meet the beasts?"

"That's an important point too."

Kaiden took a small sip of water before answering.

"The ranged units will stay atop the walls to make use of their attack range, while the melee units will position themselves outside the walls, close by. That way they'll get support from the archers and mages, along with the defensive weapons mounted on the walls."

Then he added:

"As for the militia soldiers, they'll all remain atop the walls, and their job will be to support the battle by hurling stones and anything else usable against the beasts."

Casper spoke up in turn.

"My lord... and what about the Territory's residents?"

Kaiden smiled with satisfaction.

"Excellent question, Casper."

Then he continued without hesitation:

"We'll form a logistics team to handle moving supplies and ammunition during the battle, divided into four sections, each one supporting a different direction. You and the three administrative officials will be in charge of leading it, while everyone else will take shelter inside the Lord's Hall."

Casper nodded respectfully.

"As you command, my lord."

The meeting continued for over an hour.

At first, most attendees were reserved, only answering when asked directly. But as time passed, the invisible barriers between them faded, and everyone began freely offering ideas, arguing, and proposing suggestions, until the hall turned into a lively arena of debate.

Kaiden, for his part, listened more than he spoke, nodding now and then.

With this many minds gathered together, countless details he hadn't considered on his own came together, and his initial plan transformed into a cohesive, more mature strategy.

He smiled inwardly — this was exactly what he wanted. He wasn't just building an army...

He was building a leadership capable of thinking, one that would, over time, become one of his Territory's greatest strengths.

In the end, everyone settled on the initial plan.

The thirty-six militia soldiers would be distributed across the four sides atop the defensive walls, tasked with providing support and pelting the beasts with stones and anything else usable to slow their advance.

Kaiden himself would personally lead one of the combat fronts, taking with him thirty-one Elite Soldiers, along with the Emerging Mage Nora.

He deliberately kept the Elite Soldiers under his direct command so he could promote them immediately during the battle the moment they met the promotion requirements.

As for the fourteen Emerging Heroes, he split them into three groups to protect the remaining directions, with the mages distributed to provide support from atop the walls.

Meanwhile, his three pet beasts would serve as a mobile force to plug any gap or reinforce any front under heavier pressure.

This was the preliminary plan; once the Beast Tide actually appeared, forces would be redistributed according to the intensity of the attack in each direction, following the distribution principle they'd established.

The meeting ended, and everyone left the hall with quick steps to complete their preparations.

Kaiden stepped out in turn, then raised his gaze toward the counter hanging in the sky.

Only a little over an hour remained.

"There's still one last thing I need to take care of."

He murmured this, then set off without wasting a moment.

...

"Hey, Piedra... I know your master's been neglecting you."

He whispered through the mental bond linking him to the first pet beast he'd obtained.

Her wounds had fully healed, but his constant preoccupation over the past while hadn't left him time to properly care for her.

And yet, all he felt from her was joy.

Her mind was still childlike, only able to express the simplest emotions, but the excitement surging through the bond was enough to make him smile.

He didn't even need the bond to sense her excitement.

The moment she saw him, she began wagging her tail furiously, a goofy expression spreading across her face that made him laugh involuntarily.

He approached her and gently patted her forehead.

"I have a gift for you... so don't resist, okay?"

He pulled out the pet upgrade card he'd obtained as yesterday's quest reward.

The moment his pet saw it, she understood its meaning and activated the card without hesitation.

As soon as it activated, it turned into a stream of white light particles that enveloped her body completely.

The enveloping light gradually grew until it reached roughly three times its original size.

The upgrade process took only seconds.

Then the light faded.

Standing before Kaiden was a towering beast that radiated raw majesty.

Piedra's size had visibly increased, sharp spiny ridges now covering her back along the length of her spine, while a massive horn jutted from her forehead, giving her a far more ferocious look.

And before he could say a word...

A female voice, brimming with excitement, rang out in his mind.

"Thank you, my Master... for this blessing."

This was the first time Kaiden had ever heard Piedra's voice.

...

Only five minutes remained.

Kaiden stood atop the walls, with Rob, Laura, and Casper behind him, while the rest of the forces held their positions on the other sides.

A heavy silence settled over the place.

Kaiden didn't give a rousing speech.

There was no need for one.

The resolve he saw in his soldiers' eyes spoke louder than any words could.

The counter continued ticking down, second by second, until it finally reached...

Zero.

Crack!

A fissure...

Before everyone's eyes, cracks began spreading uncontrollably across the protective barrier that had surrounded the Territory for the past seven days.

The cracks widened rapidly, until they covered its entire surface.

Shatter!

And in the next instant, the barrier exploded like a massive pane of glass.

Its shards scattered through the air, but before they touched the ground, they turned into points of light that dissolved into the wind.

The barrier was gone.

For the first time since their arrival in this world...

Nothing separated them from the outside anymore.

That moment was the official announcement of the end of the age of protection, the end of the comfortable days.

And it stood as a declaration of the beginning of a far harsher, bloodier, and more savage era.

ROOOOAR!

A ROAR!

At that very moment, the restrictions placed on beasts of Rare rank and above were lifted.

All across Orandra, the land shook with the roars of beasts coming from every direction, until it seemed the entire world had awoken from a long slumber, baring its true fangs at last.

Kaiden stood firm on his barren land, unmoving.

His expression didn't change as he gazed toward the horizon.

The roars echoed without pause, and chaos filled the world, and from the tone of those cries, there was no doubt... the beasts were furious.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently.

A tremendous rumble rose from the depths, and then the thick defensive walls began carving their way to the surface, rising gradually to encircle the Territory from every direction.

And at that very same moment...

A familiar voice rang out in Kaiden's ears, just as it rang out in the ears of every lord, regardless of their race.

That voice... was the first thing they had heard when they first opened their eyes in the world of Orandra.

And now it had returned, to tell them something different.

**End of Volume One.**