Global Lords: Building the Strongest Civilization with SSS Rank Talent-Chapter 159: Iron-Scale, the Supreme Commander

The western frontier of the Seventeenth Continent consisted of mountain peaks and dense, untamed forests.

Iron-Scale landed heavily on the roof of a dilapidated wooden hut as his clockwork grappling spools hissed, retracting their high-tensile wires back into the heavy leather belt at his waist.

He surveyed the settlement below to find it nearly empty, with only a handful of injured and starving beast-kin huddled near a dying fire in the central square.

He dropped to the ground, his interlocking metallic scales clinking sharply with every movement.

The villagers immediately recoiled from the terrifying shadow of the Vanguard’s supreme military commander.

He carried the Star-Iron scythe of the Inquisition strapped across his back and approached the eldest beast-kin by the fire.

"This territory belongs to the Sovereign now," Iron-Scale stated in a cold, precise voice. "The Bastion offers alchemical nutrient paste and absolute security, and you offer your strongest fighters to the Vanguard in return. However, your village is empty. Explain the lack of recruits."

The elder trembled under the Kobold’s slitted gaze. "Our warriors are dead because a mountain terror-beast claimed the high passes three weeks ago. It hunts our people every night, trapping us here."

Iron-Scale analyzed the mountains looming over the village. The Vanguard required capable recruits to prepare for the upcoming global war council, making the immediate termination of this rogue terror-beast a logistical necessity.

Furthermore, standing around in a desolate village gave him too much time to think about his empty personal quarters back at the capital.

He welcomed a violent distraction.

"Stay by the fire," Iron-Scale ordered before reaching over his shoulder to unhook his Star-Iron scythe.

He angled his hip toward the nearest cliff face and triggered his belt. The clockwork spool fired, sending a heavy metal hook biting deep into the solid stone. Suddenly, the internal mechanisms violently retracted, launching Iron-Scale into the air. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He zipped over the treeline and scaled the vertical drop with lethal agility. He fired his second spool right before the first one detached, swinging seamlessly across the jagged ravine while his bladed scales sliced effortlessly through the thick mountain brush.

He reached the summit in a matter of minutes as the air grew cold. Massive, clawed footprints marred the rocky soil, leading straight toward a dark cavernous opening near the peak. Heavy breathing echoed from the darkness, vibrating the ground slightly under his metallic boots.

"I am getting hungry. Let’s see how you look and if you are edible or not." Iron-Scale spun his scythe in his hands and let the blade rest at his side.

Iron-Scale stepped into the cavernous depths.

The shadows instantly shifted, giving way to a deafening roar as the mountain terror-beast lunged from the darkness. The creature was a towering monstrosity of corrupted muscle and over-grown bone plating, easily ten times his size.

It tore up the stone floor in its frantic charge directly at the Vanguard commander.

Iron-Scale triggered his right belt spool. The high-tensile wire shot upward, biting deep into the cavern ceiling. The mechanism violently retracted to pull him into the air right as the beast snapped its jaws shut on the empty space.

He swung smoothly over the creature’s back and brought his scythe down in a clean, sweeping arc, slicing effortlessly through its thick hide.

The beast howled in pain. It thrashed wildly and slammed its bulk against the cavern wall to crush the Kobold.

Iron-Scale released his grapple and dropped directly onto the monster’s spine. The close quarters made the long reach of his weapon impractical. He twisted the grip in a precise sequence, causing the long haft to retract instantly.

The metal folded inward with a series of sharp clicks until the curved blade locked perfectly into place as a vicious dagger. He plunged the weapon directly into the beast’s spinal column to anchor himself.

The monster shrieked and bucked violently, throwing Iron-Scale across the cave. He sailed through the air but twisted his body to land perfectly on his feet. The beast immediately charged again. It brought a clawed hand down to crush him into the dirt.

Iron-Scale dodged the sweeping strike by firing a spool at the ground near the beast’s flank. He zipped out of the impact zone in a blur of motion. As he skidded to a halt, he drew a sleek sword from his waist.

The creature turned and snapped its jaws at him, fully expecting the Kobold to retreat. Instead, Iron-Scale lunged forward. He fired both of his belt spools directly at the stalactites hanging above the beast’s head.

The dual mechanisms pulled him upward like a slingshot, launching him straight into the monster’s face.

The beast tried to bite him out of the air. Iron-Scale, however, tucked his body into a tight spin to counter the attack. His hardened, bladed scales deflected the creature’s glancing teeth in a shower of sparks. He carried his momentum right past the snapping jaws and landed squarely on the beast’s snout.

Before the monster could shake him off, Iron-Scale drove his sword straight down through the center of its skull. The blade pierced through the bone plate and buried itself deep into the creature’s brain.

The beast went entirely rigid. It let out a final gurgling breath before collapsing heavily to the cavern floor.

Iron-Scale pulled his sword free as the massive corpse settled into the dust. He flicked the blood from the blade and sheathed it neatly at his side. He then retrieved his dagger from the creature’s spine and twisted the hilt to extend it back into its original form.

Then, he descended the mountain path and returned to the village square. He tossed a massive, jagged bone-plate torn from the terror-beast into the center of the dying fire. Sparks flew into the night air as the heavy trophy settled into the ash.

"You don’t look edible. Rot here until the ants of the Spiral feeds on you," he said to the corpse of the monster.

The beast-kin elder stared at the bloodied bone in absolute silence.

Iron-Scale stood before the surviving villagers. His metallic scales reflected the flickering flames. The sheer predatory aura of his divine mutation pressed down heavily on the gathered crowd.

"The Sovereign of the Seventeenth Continent offers absolute salvation," Iron-Scale declared. His cold voice carried across the quiet clearing. "He provides endless alchemical grain and impenetrable walls. The Bastion stands eternal against the chaos of this world. In return, you will walk the path of the Spiral. You will pledge your absolute faith to his empire."

The elder fell to his knees in the dirt. He pressed his forehead against the cold ground. The remaining beast-kin immediately followed his lead, bowing in complete submission to the supreme military commander and the god he represented.

Iron-Scale surveyed the kneeling crowd. He pointed a clawed finger at a dozen young, able-bodied beast-kin trembling near the back of the square.

"Stand up," Iron-Scale ordered. "Gather your weapons. You belong to the Vanguard now. We march for the City of Spiral."

The newly recruited fighters scrambled to grab their meager belongings and formed a ragged line behind the Kobold. Iron-Scale turned his gaze toward the eastern horizon. The global war council was approaching quickly.

The Sovereign required a perfect war machine, and Iron-Scale would ensure the Vanguard was ready to answer the call.