The Expanding Frontline
Preface
One thousand years ago, the world of RODEM was consumed by the Great War between Mankind and Monsters.
The divine barrier that once separated the two races had already been broken due to overwhelming power unleashed by the Gods themselves.
Chaos spread across the world.
Kingdoms fell.
Countless lives vanished.
Among the eight Gods that existed in RODEM, only one chose to stand beside humanity:
The Fire God.
The other six Gods sided with the Monsters and brought destruction upon mankind.
And so, the greatest battle in history began.
The Fire God fought alone against six Gods.
A battle beyond human understanding erupted across the world. Mountains collapsed, seas split apart, and entire kingdoms disappeared beneath storms of divine power.
Despite facing six Gods alone, the Fire God continued fighting.
And during that impossible battle—
he managed to kill the Ancient God of Gravity.
But even the Fire God had limits.
After an endless battle against the six Gods, his body finally began to collapse.
Meanwhile, the six Ancient Heroes of mankind prepared the final barrier spell that would protect the last remaining kingdoms of humanity.
Before his death, the Fire God used the remainder of his divine power to help complete the barrier surrounding the six surviving kingdoms.
As his body turned into flames and ash, the surviving Gods watched him disappear.
But even at the edge of death—
the Fire God smiled.
Fearlessly.
Confidently.
Then he spoke his final words:
“When I am reborn…”
“I will kill you all.”
And the Fire God vanished.
The barrier was completed.
Humanity survived.
And the war came to an end.
One Year Later
After the Great War, peace slowly returned inside the barrier of mankind.
However, unknown to both humans and monsters, one God still remained in the world.
The final God.
The God who never participated in the Great War.
The God whose existence was erased from history.
No records spoke of him.
No kingdom knew his identity.
He lived quietly within the Mankind Empire as an ordinary person.
Unknown.
Mysterious.
Watching the world from the shadows.
Under the leadership of Imperial General Hutukami and the six Kingdom Generals, the Mankind Empire successfully reclaimed territories outside the barrier near its outer walls.
The Imperial Army and the Yugi Kingdom Army were stationed near the newly secured boundaries, preparing for future attacks against nearby monster-controlled kingdoms.
The Empire’s objective was clear:
Advance beyond the barrier and slowly reclaim the lands lost a thousand years ago.
To support the Empire’s advance, the five Hero expeditions were dispatched once again. Their mission was to strike the frontlines first and reduce the monster forces before the main army launched its full assault.
Meanwhile, inside the Kingdom of Pilipo, the Mankind Army prepared for defense against the massive monster force marching toward them.
The invading army came from the nearby Holino Kingdom.
More than five million monsters and demi-humans were advancing toward Pilipo under the command of Guardian Furino. According to military reports, the army would arrive within two days.
The soldiers of Pilipo strengthened the walls, prepared defensive formations, and gathered supplies for the coming war.
Tension spread throughout the kingdom.
Everyone knew a massive battle was approaching.
At the same time, Jorem’s expedition had already departed from Pilipo.
Their mission was to head directly toward Holino Kingdom and weaken the enemy forces before the Imperial Army began its next advance.
The expedition flew across the dark skies at high speed, unaware that the monster army marching toward Pilipo was directly connected to their destination.
As night fell, the atmosphere suddenly changed.
An overwhelming pressure spread across the land.
The members of Jorem’s expedition immediately sensed powerful enemies nearby.
At the same moment, deep within the advancing monster army, Guardian Furino sensed the presence of the Heroes as well.
The battlefield fell silent for a brief moment.
Then Furino’s expression darkened.
“The Heroes…”
Without hesitation, the Guardian used communication magic and called for reinforcements.
The monster army slowed its march as countless powerful auras began gathering in the darkness beyond the battlefield.
A collision between the Hero expedition and the monster army had become inevitable.
As the Hero expeditions advanced through the night skies toward Holino Kingdom, the Monster Council gathered once again inside the dark council hall.
The situation had become serious.
The Fire God had returned.
After receiving reports from Guardian Furino and the Second Calamity, the Monster King finally gave an order that shocked the entire council.
“Deploy the Five Calamities.”
The command echoed throughout the hall.
Immediately, portal gates were opened across different regions of the Monster Domain.
The Five Calamities were summoned from their own territories and resting places.
One was relaxing inside a ruined castle.
One was sleeping beneath a frozen sea.
Another was fighting powerful beasts for entertainment.
Each Calamity reacted differently after hearing the Monster King’s order.
Some smiled.
Some became excited.
Some remained completely emotionless.
But among them, the First Calamity slowly stood up and spoke quietly to himself:
“So…the Fire God has truly returned.”
A terrifying killing intent spread from his body.
“This time, I will kill him.”
Soon after, massive portals opened near the battlefield.
The sky distorted.
One after another, the Five Calamities arrived.
At the same time, Guardian Furino and his five million monster army continued their advance toward the Heroes’ location.
The battlefield was about to become a war beyond imagination.
On one side stood:
Jorem’s Hero expedition
The five Hero expeditions
The warriors of mankind
On the other side stood:
Guardian Furino
The Five Calamities
Five million monsters and demi-humans
The greatest battle since the Great War was about to begin.
Inside the Mankind Empire, the Imperial Council quickly received information about the enemy movements.
The Empire immediately responded.
The Mankind Army stationed in Pilipo was ordered to mobilize under the command of General Hikadu of Yugi Kingdom.
Thousands of soldiers began marching toward the battlefield while magic communication networks spread orders across the frontlines.
Meanwhile, the fourth-year students of the Imperial Academy and their seven instructors also joined the military movement.
For their safety, they would remain behind the main forces and observe the battle from the rear.
However, everyone understood one thing:
If the situation became desperate enough—
Even the students would be forced to enter the battlefield.
The Hero expedition suddenly stopped mid-flight.
Jorem and the five warriors stared ahead as five overwhelming presences appeared before them in the darkness.
The Five Calamities.
The air itself felt heavy from their power.
Even the surrounding land began cracking under the pressure of their presence.
Jorem narrowed his eyes before speaking calmly:
“Where’s CEE?”
The five warriors looked around.
“We’ll need him if things get worse.”
One of the warriors, Shantidope, stepped forward and smiled confidently despite the terrifying pressure.
“Yeah… they’re insanely strong,” he admitted. “But I still think we can beat them.”
The warriors prepared themselves for battle as the Five Calamities slowly approached.
Meanwhile, far away from the Hero expedition—
CEE was sleeping peacefully on top of a large tree.
Below him, a fire burned quietly on the ground while a massive fish slowly grilled over the flames.
Completely unaware—or perhaps simply unconcerned—about the terrifying situation nearby, CEE rested calmly beneath the night sky.
Back inside the Mankind Empire, tension filled the Imperial Council Hall.
The councilors had received reports about the battlefield.
Their expressions darkened immediately.
“This is dangerous…”
“The expedition may not survive.”
“Not only the Hero teams—even our main army could be destroyed.”
Fear spread through the hall as the reality of the situation became clear.
The Five Calamities had appeared.
And among them was the most terrifying existence of all:
The First Calamity.
According to ancient records, the First Calamity was believed to be the reincarnation of the God of Gravity himself.
The First Calamity stepped forward.
The pressure from his presence alone caused the ground beneath the battlefield to collapse.
His eyes locked onto Jorem.
For a moment, the entire battlefield became silent.
Then the First Calamity spoke in a cold and heavy voice:
“You killed me in the past…”
A terrifying gravitational force spread across the area.
“This time, I will settle the score.”
The warriors were shocked by his words.
Only Jorem remained calm.
The flames around his body slowly intensified as he stared directly at the First Calamity.
The ancient war between the Gods was about to begin once again.
