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Chapter 542.2: Commencement of War (2)

“It’s a Death Crow, a demonic beast that thrives on the souls of the deceased. I have a rough idea who our enemies are,” Grandar said with a deep voice.

The Fallens, particularly those whose history traced back to the ancient era, were powerful beings who fell into depravity under the Savior’s influence. Just like the Treant High Priest, most of them remained extremely powerful despite suffering from the senescence of time.

The Wingman Clan, also known as the Eaglets, were known for their flight prowess back in the ancient era. They shared many characteristics with their avian brethren, from their wings and sharp talons to their feathers. While they weren’t as proficient in using mana as the angels, there was no race who could match them in terms of flight speed and aerial maneuverability.

They were unquestionably the king of the sky.

Following the disappearance of Goddess Sia, the Sia Continent was divided between the leadership of the Savior and the Mother Goddess. As the clan closest to the sun, the Wingman Clan naturally sided with the Savior, who was otherwise known as the Sun God.

Unfortunately, their choice led to their succumbing to the Savior’s depravity and descending into madness. That effectively made them the Savior’s cannon fodder, dooming their clan to slowly spiral down the abyss of destruction.

“Only the wingmen guarding the Savior’s divine temple are able to tame the Death Crows. It looks like our enemies are the remnants of the wingmen,” Grandar said grimly.

Roel’s expression turned grave too.

He detested dealing with the ancient races, particularly since these existences had lived for thousands of years and were bound to possess means beyond the imagination of the current generation of transcendents. Most importantly of all, he knew very little about them.

The wingmen had to be powerful adversaries, or else the Collector wouldn’t have dispatched them here to deal with him. But Roel, who had the aid of his ancient gods, still had a chance of emerging victorious from this conflict.

What else did the Collector prepare to ensure my downfall?

Is it another divine artifact from the ancient era? Or is it some kind of spell I have never seen before?

Roel shook his head to clear away the heaviness in his heart. He turned his attention toward the ground and ordered his men to hasten the evacuation.

Thanks to his predecessors’ obsession with warfare, Ascart City had many defense measures in case it ever got invaded. There were so many bunkers installed throughout the city that they could house the entire population even after the recent inflow of people.

Roel turned his attention back to the sky and began channeling his mana.

It was already too late for him to shatter the divine domain in the sky, but he could at least re-establish his connection with Artasia before the battle began. Slowly, as he channeled mana toward his Origin Attribute, his passageway with the Witch Queen began to recover.

At this rate, I should be able to restore our passageway by late night, Roel estimated.

.

Behind him, an armored Alicia quietly sensed her peculiar condition once more.

“Lord Brother, the mana pulsations from the sky are growing stronger. It looks like the enemy will be making a move today,” she remarked.

“I think so too,” Roel replied.

“It won’t be an easy fight, but at least I’ll be fighting alongside Lord Brother.”

“Regarding that, Alicia, I hope to entrust the defense of Ascart City to you.”

“What?”

Alicia was confused. It took a while before she finally grasped the underlying meaning behind Roel’s words, and she widened her eyes in shock.

“Lord Brother, are you planning to head out of the city?”

“Mmhm.”

“That won’t do. It’s too dangerous! We have already invoked Ascart City’s fortress barrier. There’s no need for you to take such a risk…”

“Even the strongest of barriers have their limits. Besides, I won’t be able to let loose fighting inside the city.” Roel shook his head, showing no inclinations of changing his mind at all.

Alicia fell silent.

The fortress barrier, as powerful as it was, had a breaking point, and it was likely that the enemy could overcome this breaking point in the upcoming battle. Even if that wasn’t the case, they were bound to have ways to circumvent it.

It was too optimistic to think that the fortress barrier could protect Roel.

The Collector wouldn’t have taken such a huge risk by revealing his own whereabouts, only to be foiled by a mere fortress barrier.

In the first place, Roel had only activated the fortress barrier in order to protect his people. It was never his intention to hole himself up inside the barrier, especially since he would have his hands tied fighting inside the city too.

Alicia hesitated upon hearing Roel’s request. She understood that this was a logical course of action, but that didn’t make this move any less risky.

Roel stepped forward and embraced Alicia.

“They have gone this far to bring me down here; the barrier won’t be able to stop them for long. Rather than implicating our people in this fight, I might as well confront them outside. At least I’ll have more room to maneuver that way.”

“But if something happens…”

“If worse comes to worst, I’ll flee. I doubt that the enemy has the strength to stop me,” Roel said confidently.

Alicia lowered her head to consider Roel’s words.

Thus far, Roel had always confronted his enemies head-on, so she had instinctively forgotten about other possibilities. Indeed, he wouldn’t die just because he was outmatched by his enemy. There was much more to a fight than just that.

Grandar’s superior strength allowed him to barge through any obstacles. Peytra’s absolute control over the earth granted him the option to maneuver underground if he was cornered. If needed, he could also employ his Crown’s Stones to impede his enemy. His frost aura and dusk-yellow wind worked well as barriers.

In contrast, Roel would only be distracted by his own people if he stayed in the city.

From such a perspective, it seemed much more rational for Roel to head outside the city and do as he pleased. His chances of survival were much higher that way.

Weighing the pros and cons, Alicia eventually gave a consenting nod.

Roel breathed a sigh of relief as well, knowing that there was someone to take care of the city. He knew that he couldn’t afford to hold back against the Fallens. The Collector had a good grasp of his abilities; the people he dispatched for this assault were bound to be beyond his current means to deal with.

It was fortunate that the Fallens didn’t have much of an interest in anything other than the Kingmaker Clan, which meant that they were unlikely to go after Ascart City if Roel confronted them outside.

That put Roel’s mind at ease. There was no greater encouragement to him than the knowledge that the people he cherished could overcome the upcoming ordeal.

Time passed in a flash amidst the busy preparation. Soon, the battle finally commenced.

…

The people of Ascart City usually welcomed nightfall, knowing that they could finally enjoy a warm meal at home after a busy day at work. After dinner, they would either spend some idle time with their family or head to a nearby tavern for merrymaking.

Regardless, it was time for them to unwind and let loose.

But today, the people of Ascart City didn’t get to enjoy their precious moment of relaxation. They had been evacuated to cramped bunkers reinforced by magic, where they had no choice but to impatiently wait for news outside.

Not even the older folks who had spent their life in Ascart City had any recollection of the war alarms ever being rung. It had enjoyed peace and stability for so many years that the people had grown ignorant of the terror of war.

Yet, even with their dulled sense of danger, they vaguely understood that this was a peculiar situation.

Shortly after the ringing of the war alarms, they felt an inexplicable weight piling on their hearts. Instinctively, they understood that it was exerted by the pitch-black sky above them. It started with a thunderous rumble, followed by the roar of a furious tempest, and finally, faint eerie cries.

These faint cries could have been the squawks of a crow flock or the screeches of humans in pain. They echoed coldly inside the bunkers like the whispers of a specter, sending chills down spines. It dissipated the courage of anyone who considered checking the situation outside.

Panic gripped the hearts of the crowds squeezing inside the bunkers.

Meanwhile, in the sky above Ascart City, the pitch-black sky finally began flowing, revealing the true face of the enemies hiding within.

Boom!

A blood-colored lightning bolt zapped the dark clouds, signaling the completion of the ritual. Blinding light enveloped the world, dyeing the surroundings a bloody hue reminiscent of the scenery of sunset.

An intense blood stench choked the remaining people standing on the ground. A blood vapor slowly diffused across the city, further dyeing everything blood-red while distorting everything in sight. It was almost as if the world had gone crazy.

Before the soldiers could panic, a reassuringly composed order echoed from the city walls.

“Activate the barrier!”

Intense mana pulsations rippled across Ascart City, shaking the buildings and the streets ever so slightly. With a deafening rumble, a pillar of bluish-white light gushed into the sky and curved outward to form a hemispherical barrier around the city. It warded off the blood vapor.

The Ascarts’ soldiers heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing the barrier, but before they could recover from the shock, sinister cries suddenly filled the sky. A huge patch of cloud separated from the pitch-black sky and dived down toward the barrier.

On closer examination, the patch of cloud was actually a massive flock of creatures that bore resemblance to crows and hawks. What was eerie about them was that the sounds that escaped from their sharp beaks weren’t bird squawks, but the pitiful screams of all kinds of animals.

They were Death Crows, soul-siphoning birds that were widely feared in the ancient era. Backing the assault of countless such ominous creatures, a massive silhouette manifested in the sky.