Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 177

The End of Heaven (2)

* * *

The Book of the Main God,

Imperial Calendar 1322. Southeastern ridge of the Eculeus Mountains.

Before dawn, several figures gather above the hill where the army is stationed.

“Finally, today is the day.”

Jameson Overbay… Nichert, the leader of the rebels in the play, whose family was massacred by the Imperial Army, opens his mouth.

Hectan, an old swordsman leaning on his longsword like a cane, replies.

“Your voice is trembling. Is the one-eyed wolf afraid of a full-scale war with the Emperor?”

“Don’t talk nonsense, old man. Your remaining lifespan might be cut short right now.”

Nichert glares, his eyes turned white. As a main character who has been given significant attention, the actor is completely immersed in the raw character itself.

Hectan retorts with a sly tone.

“Now, now, wouldn’t our leader be disappointed to hear this? With a huge enemy in front of us, we should be gathering strength, not fighting among ourselves. There was a reason why the people’s sword has been dulled and broken for hundreds of years.”

“Who is the leader…”

“Soon it will be time.”

Nichert’s eyes widen as he gets agitated. He clearly didn’t hear a sound, but a man cloaked in a black mantle was standing in front of him.

“Ido!”

Ido, noticeably gaunt, throws the head of a monster he was holding onto the ground.

“It’s a sensory type. Even though the Imperial Army is right in front of us, it was only wandering around here.”

“The ones we saw in the north were the same. It seems that Caldwinn Airas, the mad tyrant, has used some trick.”

Seo Heedo, playing Jerin, the son of the Elf King, adds certainty, and the faces of those lined up become somber.

One year has already passed since the audience with the Emperor in the Pure White Castle… Kataram.

While Ido was destroying the Frost Giants in the north and reaching the Ice Queen, Hectan contacted the rebels and designed a joint front with Nichert.

Jerin also went to ask for reinforcements from the elves who had left and even the destroyed dwarf kingdom, but there were no significant results.

‘We must fight, Father!’

‘It is a foolish act. Our people have already left for the last great forest. The foolish dwarves and the wise dragons have also turned their backs on the continent.’

‘That is why we must gather strength. That Caldwinn Airas is negligent, intoxicated with his own power. If we unite the remaining races and march with that powerful wanderer….’

‘He is also human. How much blood has been shed due to the tyranny of those who are not long-lived? We can no longer sacrifice our people.’

‘Father!’

‘Go back.’

In the end, the Elf King’s reinforcements fall through, and the only forces scraped together are the rebels led by Nichert and some of the tribes scattered throughout the continent.

And so, the two armies finally set up camp in the Eculeus Mountains.

Jerin frowns, his golden eyebrows furrowed.

“Since the land and waterfalls have been corrupted, Eculeus has become a breeding ground for powerful monsters. Perhaps that is why the Emperor chose this place as the battlefield.”

Everyone now knows what was happening in the deepest part of the Pure White Castle…

The mad Emperor Caldwinn Airas was absorbing the divine power of the Sun God to gain the power to control monsters.

This is also why Ido and the Emperor did not attack each other during their last meeting. The ritual had already begun, and they realized that there would be no benefit in confronting each other in the middle of it.

Nichert twists his mouth grimly and asks.

“Wouldn’t it be enough to destroy everything? Monsters and Imperial soldiers, they’re all bastards who need to be killed anyway.”

“The difference in forces is too great. The elite soldiers directly led by the Emperor number 100,000, and if you add Commander Gale’s squadron, the total force reaches 120,000. We also have to take into account the beasts that could attack at any time.”

Nichert, who had been confidently stepping forward, closes his mouth after seeing the troops behind him.

He has led the rebels with boldness, aggression, and unparalleled talent, but the opponent is none other than the overlord of that empire.

In a situation where the lives of tens of thousands of rebels depend on a single choice, deep contemplation is inevitable.

“Ido, it’s not too late now. A preemptive strike is disadvantageous, but the terrain is favorable for retreating. If we set fire to the mountains and retreat, the Emperor won’t be able to chase us out of Eculeus.”

Jerin, who had quietly approached Ido, lowers his voice and whispers.

Unbelievable words from the son of the Elf King, a friend of the mountains and forests. But the war situation is not good.

Hectan nods heavily in agreement.

“The world may call us cowards, but a warrior must also know when to retreat. This may be our last stand.”

Over the past few weeks, the Imperial Army and the rebels have fought countless skirmishes and flowed to this place.

In a situation where they were inferior in armament, numbers, and even basic military strength, they were able to face an opponent more than ten times their size purely because of the strength of Ido and his party.

The damage inflicted on the Imperial Army was also significant, thanks to Ido’s solo guerrilla tactics and Jerin and Hectan leading the cavalry to strike.

However, due to the absolute difference in forces, the front line gradually retreated, and after repeated retreats, they ended up facing each other in Eculeus.

Moreover, according to legends passed down among the elves, there is an even greater danger beneath these mountains. If it were to awaken due to the humans’ fight….

“Hey, you decide. Whether we like it or not, you led us here. I and my soldiers will follow your choice.”

Nichert says with a grimace, but there is no answer from Ido.

He is just staring at the black and white peaks with emotionless and dry eyes, reminiscent of his former self.

‘Choice.’

The odds are… extremely low.

Until now, he has somehow managed to endure by utilizing his own strength, but a small dam cannot forever block a pouring tsunami.

‘We can fight. But most will die.’

The eyes that have killed hundreds, thousands of monsters scan his comrades who have shared life and death with him.

Jerin, Hectan, Nichert, and the adjutants and soldiers.

Unlike the past, when he tried to save even one more person, Ido has now become a monster comparable to the Emperor.

Someone who can discard human lives for the sake of a greater cause… even if it is himself.

“We will fight.”

With those words, the eyes of the people change.

“The battle will begin at dawn. We will attack their northwest side with the sun at our backs. Soldiers with low skills may be momentarily flustered.”

“What about us? Do we divide the forces, or do we all go together?”

Ido turns to look at Nichert.

“The main force will take the front, and Jerin and Hectan will each take half of the left and right flanks.”

“What about Commander Gale? He might divide his troops and strike the rear.”

“It’s within the expected range. It’s better to be wary of the movements of the beasts than the enemy’s commander.”

Hectan and Jerin also nod.

They have already engaged in countless battles with the Imperial Army. There is a basic organization in place, so it is possible to move as one body under Ido’s command.

Nichert, who was counting the number of adjutants, said as if he suddenly remembered.

“If I take the main force, what about you? Are you going to operate another special unit?”

“No.”

Ido answers immediately and looks up at the western sky.

“I will move alone. To where the Emperor is.”

*

Opening of the war.

Finally, the dawn of battle has arrived.

The rebels stand on the high ground, and the Emperor’s army is lined up in the valley below.

This is the largest-scale cut of all the scenes filmed so far, with the most manpower mobilized and hundreds of extras brought in.

“….”

Even though it is a low-temperature highland area, the air is hot with the heat emanating from those wearing armor.

Some parts will be filled with CG [Computer-Generated Imagery], but people are needed for a definite sense of reality.

Fortunately, local residents readily cooperated in the appearance, so the cost of manpower has been reduced. That production cost has been converted into detailed props and armaments.

“Standby— Cue!”

The one who shouts first, the shot that turns reality into virtuality, is the director’s role.

Peter Shawn, who shouted the cue, the cinematographers who grabbed the cameras, and all the staff who control the filming drones are nervous in their respective positions.

But….

‘Worth fighting… no, I can do it.’

The most nervous, all the actors and extras in the work are swept up in exhilaration.

It can be seen as a light state of awakening.

The anxiety that a huge resource will be re-consumed if you make a mistake even once?

The burden of never making an NG [No Good – a filming term for a take that needs to be redone] ?

That has long been erased from my head.

The magnificent nature of New Zealand, the clanging of metal, and the tension like an actual war breathe life into even ordinary extras.

In that way… the role and the actor, the acting and the reality, temporarily become one.

“Raise your swords!”

The leader of the rebels wearing a skull helmet cuts off the string of that taut tension.

“Raise your swords, look at the enemy! Today, this land will quench its thirst with the blood of cowards! At the end of a glorious death, may the god of the people bless us!”

Jameson Overbay, the forty-two-year-old Hollywood star who plays Nichert, shows without regret why he was cast.

Deliberately tanned in the sun and emaciated by losing weight, his eyes still spark. In ‘The Book of the Main God,’ the incarnation of struggle who has fought his whole life only for the people encourages the soldiers on horseback.

“All troops, advance!”

Boo-ooo-ooo—

As the huge horn used by the rebels echoes, the adjutants also wave their swords and shout.

“Fight, fight without retreating!”

“For freedom!”

“People! Glory to liberation!”

The sound of cavalry hooves and the sound of infantry running, the sound of humans trampling the ground fills the plateau.

Flash, light bursts out and fireballs fly from the Imperial Army’s side, but they are blocked by a bluish membrane and disappear.

Jerin’s protective barrier blocks the offensive of the Imperial Army’s mages.

By the time the first offensive is rendered useless and the next magic is prepared,

“Damn it, my eyes…!”

“I can’t see! Raise your shields!”

The light that bursts out from behind the rebels confuses the vision of the Imperial Army.

The cavalrymen who ran in take advantage of the gap and collide, and soon the two armies enter a melee where blood and screams run rampant.

“Die, traitor!”

The battlefield is violent.

As one Imperial soldier stabs a rebel in the back, another rebel appears and hacks the enemy with an axe.

“Who are you calling a traitor, you dog of the Empire… Keheok!”

The rebel, who was elated and shouting triumphantly in the excitement of the slaughter, is killed by another enemy.

Heads fly, sternums are pierced, and blood fountains pour out in the middle of the battlefield.

The high-flying drone cam captures one point.

Peobeobeobeong—!

The northwest side of the battlefield.

The sound of air bursting, which is hard to believe came from swinging a sword, eerily explodes. Then, a terrifying shockwave sends more than a dozen Imperial soldiers flying.

In the center of it is,

Ido, who has drawn a huge greatsword.

“Block, block him!”

“He’s just alone! I’ll cut you down if you retreat!”

Imperial Army officers shout here and there, but it’s useless.

Wearing a tattered cloak, he runs while cutting down all the Imperial soldiers he sees, but he cannot stop that advance.

Far from blocking him, look, aren’t the people in front of him flying up in a human vortex?

“Ack, euaaaaaack!”

“Run away, it’s a monster!”

The will to fight turns into awe and fear.

This is a scene that requires repeated attention even from outside the work.

The stuntmen who play the Imperial soldiers are flying here and there while hanging on wires, and other extras avoid the body in case of an accident.

‘Now and then, it’s the same tactic.’

Gun, who stopped for a moment in the middle of the battlefield that he had pierced in a straight line, recalls.

In the past, he used such ignorant tactics. Because an individual with formidable force plays a role equivalent to the main force.

However, the only difference is that if he tore the devil apart at that time, now he is matching up with the extras.

“Fall back, fall back! Don’t approach that gap!”

“Shield soldiers, maintain the encirclement and retreat little by little until the mages come!”

How many people did he cut down? Eventually, another order was issued, and a radial path was opened.

He created a lance charge that medieval knights used to break through formations with his own strength.

“The Emperor….”

Once again covering himself with Ido’s role, Gun raises his head.

The Emperor’s flag fluttering in the distance is now closer than before. As if to say, come and reach it if you can.

“You must be the wanderer.”

And finally, the gatekeeper who can stop this mad rush appears.

Koo Kwang!

The twin axes slam into the floor, creating a large crater.

The giant with gray eyes and red hair, nearly 2 meters tall, dusts off and says in a voice that echoes loudly.

“Stop here, I can’t tolerate it anymore.”

Ido cracks his neck expressionlessly and hangs his greatsword behind his back.

It is a unique posture that has appeared since the beginning of the work, before deploying the ultimate quick swordsmanship.

“I’m sorry but….”

The words he said to the angels who blocked the way to the high heavens flow out beyond dimensions.

“I don’t think that’s going to work.”

* * *