Chapter 157: Volume Two Simulation, Open
After Rome was taken, Noah spent several months stabilizing the situation. Then, as early summer arrived, he turned his attention toward the Huns.
Regarding the White Titan, he had heard about it from Odin and had his own understanding, while Mary also had some speculations about the White Titan.
"The exact time when the White Titan first appeared is unclear, but it was likely still the Stone Age."
"Its second appearance was during the Dawn of the Age of Gods. The White Titan that emerged during this period was something even the gods could not oppose—because its very existence was entirely targeted at civilization."
"Thus, all creations born of civilization could not harm it; they could only strengthen it."
"In the end, it was pierced by the first Holy Sword wielder using Excalibur."
"And this time, it is the third appearance..."
Noah and Mary arrived at the border where Rome confronted the Huns. Standing atop the city wall, he gazed at everything obscured by the fortifications and fell into a momentary silence.
Noah was no stranger to battlefields.
Whether against humans or magical beasts, whether with heavy casualties or few—having integrated numerous simulated memories, he had witnessed quite a few battlefields.
But he had never seen one so devastating... No, perhaps "devastating" was not the right word. It should be described as desolation!
Yes.
Beyond the towering city walls lay undeniable desolation!
Everything on the earth seemed scorched, the entire land blackened, emitting an unbearable burnt odor.
No corpses, no plants, no mountains, no rivers... not even insects!
The pitch-black scorched earth stretched as far as the eye could see, like an endless sea.
"This is the scar inflicted upon the star, created by that Scourge of God..."
"Not destroying for expansion, not destroying for slaughter, destroying what is not possessed, and destroying what is possessed as well... Though many have spoken of the terror of the Umbral Star's vanguard, without witnessing this firsthand, it is truly unimaginable what the Umbral Star's vanguard truly means."
As Noah sighed, Mary continued to share relevant information with him.
"Before coming here, I reviewed some intelligence. It is said that the Scourge of God does not appear frequently. Most of the time, what emerges are puppets seemingly born solely for destruction. These puppets are enormous, numerous, and from a distance, they look like a City of the Huns crashing straight toward you!"
"Moreover, according to the intelligence, these creatures leave no corpses after death, as if they dissolve into thin air. This gives the soldiers who have fought them here for years a feeling of exchanging real lives for nothing... Practically speaking, I believe these puppets are likely Incarnations of the White Titan's will and a crucial part of its revival."
Oh?
Hearing Mary say this, Noah was puzzled, and Mary proceeded to share her analysis.
"The White Titan can ignore damage inflicted by civilization and even convert that damage into power to oppose civilization—under such circumstances, has civilization truly inflicted harm on these puppets?"
"If, as Odin says, the White Titan will awaken, then my speculation is—these so-called golems are part of the White Titan. During the war with Rome, they deliberately avoided destroying Rome's frontier fortresses, instead continuously using this method to absorb the power of civilization from Rome."
"Then, once enough power has been absorbed, they return to the main body, endlessly providing energy to the White Titan in this way, serving as a means to awaken it."
Hearing Mary say this, Noah nodded.
"But if that's the case, then there shouldn't be any reason for that Hun king to appear, right?"
Hearing Noah's words, Mary also felt somewhat helpless.
"I'm not sure about that either. It's said that Rome's frontier has already retreated four times now, and each time it wasn't pushed back by those golems—it was that Hun king who advanced."
"Every time he arrives, Rome's frontier retreats a bit, and the territory given up is directly destroyed by him, turning into the wasteland outside..."
Absorption and destruction...
After listening to Mary's report, Noah nodded.
"If that's the case, then for now, don't let Britain's soldiers advance—otherwise, if we pour too much power into those golems at once, it might actually cause the White Titan to awaken prematurely."
"However, if that Hun king comes, I can intervene. At the very least, I can't allow her to continue completely destroying the frontier."
Hearing Noah say this, Mary had no objections.
But...
"Noah, if we only do this, we can't win, right? If it's you, who wields Excalibur, then if we awaken the White Titan early or find its location, couldn't we directly use the power of Excalibur to pierce through the White Titan again?"
"That's true... but let's wait a little longer."
Now, it was already early summer.
If the intelligence about the Huns had been fully organized in spring, Noah might have taken action immediately. But since it was only organized now, it was better to wait.
Moreover, those golems usually come in waves at the end of autumn, and sometimes at the beginning of spring—just a few waves each year.
When Britain declared war on Rome, Rome had just finished dealing with the autumn golems.
And this year, the golems didn't come at the beginning of spring.
Some considered this fortunate, but Noah also heard from some veterans that this might be a prelude to the Scourge of God taking action!
However, Noah merely listened to such talk.
If he were to truly make a judgment... he would have to see it with his own eyes first.
After all...
It was already summer now.
"Mary, let's head back first."
Noah said this, and Mary responded. Then they returned to the temporary palace built at the frontier in spring.
Mary continued using Clairvoyance to observe the situation regarding the Huns, while Noah lay down early today.
Then, before his eyes, a countdown slowly ticked away.
It was the Simulation System's countdown.
It had been a year since his simulation of the first volume.
So this was why Noah had asked Mary to wait a little longer.
Because starting from midnight tomorrow, Noah would begin the simulation of the second volume.
He wanted to see both the matter concerning the White Titan and that Scourge of God, as well as the girl who had vanished the moment he seized those nobles — Manaka Sajyou.
With this thought, Noah opened the update page.
On the page, the part that had previously displayed a question mark in the completion conditions for the second volume now appeared.
It was no longer a question mark.
Instead, it had changed from a question mark to — Manaka Sajyou.
Holding this thought, Noah waited silently.
Until today ended and tomorrow had just begun, the countdown before Noah finally displayed the number he had been waiting to see.