The army moved like an endless tide, waves of dark figures stretching across the landscape.
Each step fell in perfect synchronisation, a silent rhythm, pulsing through the ground, the hills, and the barren land.
Watching from above, Mize couldn't help pressed his lips together, the wind skimming by, but the grand scene lingered and stretched beyond.
"How does Liam control all of them at once? Telekinesis?" There weren't any visible commanders, no orders being barked, no scouts running back and forth among the army.
Just a simple and yet seamless movement, it was as if they knew what had to be done from the moment they were summoned to this world.
A thought crossed his mind, "was it some kind of spatial communication? Or did these soldiers have a direct connection to Liam? A zerg like ability?"
He leaned against the armrest of his throne, propping his chin up while his other hand absently traced the intricate carvings. "H-hey Liam" Mize called out to the side, his voice a tone thinner but still managed to cut through the air.
"how do you even manage all of them without needing captains or messengers?"
"Wouldn't that make things inefficient?"
Liam rested his elbow on his own armrest, fingers tapping idly as he replied, "It's more like a hive system."
Mize's eyes lit up. "A hive?"
He perched forward, elbows on the armrest, his long hair trailing over his shoulder in silky waves.
Liam caught the motion, his gaze briefly flickering down before returning to Mize's curious expression.
"Yeah. I'm the center of it," Liam explained smoothly. "With a single thought, I can direct every soldier to follow my will. No need for complicated orders"
Mize's brow arched. "So they're basically just killing machines, huh?"
"Not entirely," Liam smirked.
"What, you're gonna say they have free will now?" Mize shot back, dragging his fingers lazily over the glowing map.
His tone was casual, but there was something behind his words, a question he wasn't fully asking.it
Liam only smiled, choosing to let the topic end there. Mize got the hint.
He wouldn't push further. As long as Liam didn't cross a certain line, he didn't care what methods he used.
Love makes people turn a blind eye to a lot of things.
Shifting his attention, Mize started observing the map again.
The army's name column hovered over them, a bright beacon visible to every Lord in the area.
The way the castle name and army names functioned felt too… polished, too game-like.
He clicked on the column above their army's icon. A small panel popped up, listing basic information, the Lord's name, the tier, and power, and the rankings since Liam was on the top 10.
For Liam, that last part shined gold, a small crown marking his rank.
[Ranked 6th in the Power Ranking]
Mize chuckled, nudging Liam's arm. "Look at this."
Liam glanced over, taking in the familiar display. He sighed. "Yeah, it's just how things work around here."
Mize zoomed out on the map, watching their army's slow advance. "So… stealth isn't even an option, huh? The moment we move, every Lord nearby knows."
"Exactly," Liam confirmed, drumming his fingers against the armrest. "Real-world battle tactics don't always apply here. The warp's warfare is… different, boring and yet highly efficient"
Mize gave him a skeptical look. "Different how? Like what, can we teleport castles directly onto enemy armies or something?"
Liam didn't say anything at first. Then, his smile stretched wider.
"Yes."
Mize froze. "...What?"
Liam nodded. "That's actually one of the attack methods available in this world."
Mize sat up straight, eyes wide. "No. Wait. Hold on. I was joking! That was a mechanic from some dumb mobile game I played years ago, clash of Lords or something. I didn't mean it literally!"
Liam met his gaze, amusement flickering in his eyes. "You mean The Clash of Lords?"
Mize's jaw went slack. "...You're messing with me."
"If you don't believe me, check the global chat," Liam said, his voice calm but teasing.
"There are some pinned messages that might… interest you."
Mize hesitated, his fingers hovering over the chat function.
Something felt off.
Liam reached out, placing his hand over Mize's on the armrest, his voice dropping to a murmur.
"Trust me. It's going to feel… very familiar."
Mize hesitated, Liam's words replaying in his mind like a scratched record.
His hand lifted, fingers hovering just above the chat panel, then, halfway through, it dropped back to his lap.
Liam watched him with that unreadable gaze, something half-amused, half-expectant in his expression. "Not doing it?"
Mize refused to look at him, eyes flickering to the horizon instead.
He shifted in his seat, crossing his arms like it would somehow block out the nagging feeling crawling up his spine.
This world... The more he thought about it, the less sense it made.
Everything had been screaming at him from the start, the game mechanics, the familiar systems, the ridiculous progression speed.
But he had let it slide, brushing it off as part of the warp's natural absurdity.
Now, it was getting harder to ignore.
Liam's voice came again, smooth, coaxing. "It's a crazy world, isn't it? Game-like, no?"
Mize's jaw tightened. Of course, he noticed.
"I-I'll check it later. It's not that big of a deal." He shrugged, forcing his tone to be casual, though his foot bounced slightly against the floor, betraying his nerves.
Liam didn't argue. He just hummed, stretching out lazily, his smirk never quite leaving. "If you do decide to check, make sure I'm right next to you."
Mize gave him a skeptical look. "And why would I need you for that?"
Liam tilted his head, fingers brushing over his chin like he was deep in thought.
Then his gaze slowly trailed over Mize, from the tips of his delicate fingers to the curve of his shoulders, lingering just long enough to make Mize's skin prickle.
Then, with a slow, knowing smile, he answered, "For your reaction, of course."
Mize's eye twitched. "Now you sound like a villain."
Liam chuckled, unabashed. "A villain or your husband. You choose."
Mize sucked in a sharp breath, but he didn't take the bait this time.
He just hummed, a soft, almost dismissive noise, though the slight redness creeping up his ears betrayed him.
Liam caught it, of course.
He always did.
As Mize turned away, muttering under his breath, "Sly bastard," a smug voice immediately followed.
"I heard that."
Mize ignored him and flicked his fingers, summoning his usual panels one by one, Lord's panel, character panel, summoning panel.
Trading, rankings, even Titrus's personal panel from the system.
His gaze drifted past the chat feature, intentionally skipping over it.
Instead, he focused on everything else.
Resources points.
Power gained through troops.
Town management.
Loot distribution.
Upgrade items.
The deeper he delved into it, the heavier his chest felt.
His foot tapped absently against the edge of the throne. His fingers drummed against his armrest.
Legs crossed, the fabric of his dress shifting slightly, revealing a glimpse of pale skin.
He didn't even notice the way Liam's gaze flickered toward the movement.
Mize was too focused on the quiet, sinking feeling that settled in his stomach, like a puzzle piece clicking into place.
Click.
A crack in the glass of his reality.
Slowly, he turned.
And just as he expected, Liam was already watching him, like a cat waiting for the mouse to notice the trap it had walked into.
Then, the inevitable words came.
"Now, all you need to do is read the pinned messages in the global chat," Liam murmured.
His voice was calm, steady, but there was a weight to it.
A final push for Mize to accept it.
Mize swallowed, his fingers curling slightly over his lap. "...And then everything will make sense?"
Liam just chuckled, low and rich. "Or, you can keep playing the denial game. Either way… I'm a whale in this server"
"Game terms"
Mize sighed, long and drawn out, like someone finally accepting their inevitable fate. "So now you're just throwing around game terms like it's normal, huh?"
Liam only smiled, patient.
With a flick of his wrist, Mize pulled up his Lord's panel again.
The cold blue light shimmered in the air, a thin, translucent film floating just before his eyes.
He had seen this same interface a hundred times already, yet today, it felt different.
"From the beginning," Liam's voice drifted in, calm and steady, "I never tried to hide anything from you about the warp."
"Yeah," Mize murmured, his eyes lingering on the panel, but his mind somewhere else. "I recall that."
He glanced up toward the sky. Thick, rolling clouds stretched endlessly across the horizon, tinged with the dim glow of the setting sun.
"It's cloudy," he muttered absently.
Liam followed his gaze, his voice light.
"Correct."
"And when I think about it again…" Mize exhaled a small chuckle, fingers brushing over his lips.
"This whole thing has been oddly familiar from the start."
"Correct."
Liam's affirmation barely registered as Mize's finger hovered over the global chat button.
One tap. That was all it would take.
The chat opened. Messages flooded the screen in rapid succession, walls of text from panicked lords across countless worlds.
Some were thriving.
Most were barely surviving, confused and scrambling for answers.
And a handful of them… were discussing something else entirely.
Mize's gaze slid upward, locking onto the pinned message. His lips pressed into a thin line as his finger hesitated just above it.
"If this message really says what I think it does," he murmured, voice quiet, "then that means the warp already existed in my original reality too… just in a different form."
A game.
His chest tightened slightly as his finger finally clicked.
The pinned message expanded.
Author: Liam.
Mize's eye twitched. Of course, it was him.
The message had billions of likes, an absurd number that made his stomach churn.
Not that Liam cared about things like that. The comments were even worse, top lords, marked with golden crowns, had all agreed with its contents.
A truth that had become undeniable.
His eyes flickered across the screen, scanning the text.
[The relation between Clash of Lords and this world, haven't you noticed it?]
[What? A game has some correlation to this place? Are you crazy?]
[Well, at least I am not stupid]
[Before the mass transmigration, every world suddenly had the same game appear overnight. 'Clash of Lords.' It became the hottest game within a single day.]
[No company name. No creator. No listed headquarters. And yet, it was fully functional, complete with in-game purchases and rankings.]
[Then, without warning, we were all brought here. The same mechanics. The same concepts. A near one-to-one copy of that game, except now, it's real]
[Still don't get it? We were playing as lords in Clash of Lords]
[Now, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the real game.]
[Welcome to death. Survive the best you can.]