Chapter 398 - 387: Prince William
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
For these ninety days, all was calm and peaceful.
Under the management of Colin and the others, Weisren Heavy Industry's business continued to expand in an orderly fashion within Hub City's commercial network, meeting no resistance from within the Association.
After his threat that day, Bark had made no further moves.
But Allen knew that Wizards had long lifespans. Bark could suddenly decide to cause trouble ten years from now.
He had Vera and Colin follow the rules in all their dealings in Hub City and report any sign of trouble immediately.
In the courtyard of Deep Blue Residence E-071, Allen performed a final check of the information on his personal terminal.
[War-readiness plan complete.]
[10 new standard Golem Legions created, formations complete.]
[50 new "Demon Eye" high-altitude reconnaissance units created and commissioned.]
[Gabriel II and Cyclops II have passed all tests.]
"All legions, switch to combat-ready status," Allen gave his final order.
"Order received, Commander." Jarvis's voice was as calm and steady as ever. "I wish you fortune in battle."
Allen closed the light screen, glanced up at the eternally azure sky of the Great Library Plane, and then headed for the Star Gate floating island at the Association's headquarters.
If anyone tried to cause trouble during his absence, he would let them experience the industrial passion of Cybertron. He could, after all, return during this long-term mission.
"Let's go." He stepped through, and the light of distorted space instantly swallowed his figure.
...
「Mora Plane, Aiselan Kingdom, Griffin's Reach.」
Three hundred miles east of the Royal Capital, an ancient ruin sat at the foot of the Broken-Cliff Mountains.
The main structure of the ruin was a semicircular stone pillar carved from massive, grayish-white boulders. It stood thirty meters tall, covered in ancient Runes that had long since lost their luster, exuding an air of desolation.
A young man dressed in silver full-plate armor and a sky-blue cape was pacing back and forth with some impatience.
He was handsome, with short golden hair that shimmered in the sunlight. The hilt of the Knight's longsword at his waist was inlaid with a large, wind-aspected Magic Crystal.
This was the eldest prince of the Aiselan Kingdom, William Aislan. At only twenty-two, he had already become a Level 4 Spirit Mage, making him the strongest of the kingdom's younger noble generation.
Behind him stood fifty Knights in equally fine armor, their expressions solemn. This was the Prince's Knightly Order, an elite unit handpicked from the Royal Army, all of them Level 3 Spirit Mages.
"Your Highness, it has been fifteen days," a Knight captain said in a low voice. "Will the Wizard really come?"
"The King said he would, so he will," William said with conviction, though a trace of anxiety flickered in his eyes.
Another young Knight couldn't help but add, "A being as powerful as Lord Maurice, someone even the kingdom's Holy Spirit Mages admitted was their superior, actually fell. The royal family's pact with the outsiders... could it have been..."
"Silence!" The Knight captain, Leon, snapped. "The royal family's pact has never failed since ancient times! While the power of a Wizard is far beyond our imagination, they are not immortal."
William stopped pacing and looked back at the unresponsive stone gate, his brow furrowed as he spoke.
"Lord Maurice died of exhaustion. In the battle two years ago, hundreds of thousands of Heart Eaters surged from the abyssal trenches. Three of the five divisions of the Royal Army were completely wiped out. He alone defended the Royal Capital's front lines, fighting for three days and three nights before finally being surrounded and killed by three Heart Eater Kings."
At the mention of that brutal battle, the Knights all tightened their grips on their weapons.
"A Wizard's power is indeed awe-inspiring, but we Spirit Mages are not standing still either."
William said in a low voice, "In ancient times, Spirit Mages struggled to even break through to Level 3, yet now we have Holy Spirit Mages. If we're given enough time, one day we will be able to drive those damned Heart Eaters back to the abyssal trenches with our own strength."
The Heart Eaters they spoke of were monsters that lurked in the Endless Sea north of the Aiselan Kingdom.
They were a horde of ferocious, fish-like humanoids—cruel, bloodthirsty, and fond of devouring the hearts of the Aiselans.
For a thousand years, they had been a plague that could not be shaken, constantly encroaching upon the kingdom's territory.
"What kind of being is a Wizard, anyway? To be even stronger than our kingdom's most powerful Holy Spirit Mage."
"Yeah! If I ever become a Holy Spirit Mage, I'll kill every last one of those damned Heart Eaters!"
"Keep dreaming. How many Holy Spirit Mages are there in the entire kingdom? It's an honor for our families if we can just break through to Level 4 and become a Spirit Master."
As the men murmured amongst themselves, a Knight at the very front of the formation suddenly shuddered. His eyes were shut tight, and a faint cyan mark appeared between his brows.
"Your Highness! There's a strong Spiritual Energy fluctuation from the direction of Creek Valley Town! It's Heart Eaters! A lot of them!"
William spun around, his gaze fixed to the southeast.
That was the direction of a commoner's town less than thirty miles from the ruins.
"How is that possible?" Leon's face went pale with shock. "We're over three hundred miles from the coastline! What in the world are the border guards doing? How could they let a large horde of Heart Eaters get this deep into our territory?"
"This is no time for assigning blame." William drew his longsword, the blade flaring with a blinding cyan spiritual light. "All troops, mount up! Our target is Creek Valley Town!"
"Your Highness!" Leon grabbed William's reins. "His Majesty the King's order was to defend these ruins to the death and await the Wizard's arrival. Even if the Royal Capital itself were under siege, we are not to take a single step away from here!"
William's gaze traveled over the mountains toward Creek Valley Town, as if he could hear the wails of his subjects.
His hand gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly his knuckles turned white.
'Should I wait here for reinforcements that might never arrive, or go and save my people from being slaughtered?'
The answer was obvious.
"My people are being devoured by Demons, and I'm supposed to stand here like a coward?"
William abruptly raised his sword, roaring, "Knightly Order, hear my command! Ride with me! Save our people!"
"But Your Highness, to defy the King's order..."
"I will bear all consequences!"
William swung himself onto his horse and, without a moment's hesitation, was the first to charge out.
The fifty Knights exchanged a look. A surge of hot-blooded valor washed over them as they drew their weapons in unison and galloped after him.
By the time the Prince's Knightly Order arrived, Creek Valley Town was already a sea of flames.
The town's walls had been violently torn down, and the corpses of the garrison were scattered everywhere. The air was thick with the rich stench of blood and burning flesh.
Dozens of Heart Eaters, each nearly two meters tall and covered in slick, wet scales, were rampaging through the town.
They used their sharp claws to rip open houses, dragging out the hiding civilians and gorging themselves amidst piercing screams.
"You bastards!"
William's eyes were bloodshot. The Spiritual Power in his body erupted, and he transformed into a streak of cyan light, instantly charging into the fray.
His longsword flashed with a vicious light, and with a clean slice, he sent a Heart Eater's head flying.
"For Aiselan!"
The fifty Knights roared, following their prince as they charged the monsters.
They were the army's finest, every one of them a Level 3 Spirit Mage. Against these ordinary Heart Eaters, they cut through them with devastating ease.
The battle erupted in an instant, a whirlwind of radiant Spirit Arts and the roars of Demons.
However, just as the Knightly Order gained the upper hand and prepared to surround and annihilate the monsters, a roar that seemed to echo from the abyss itself suddenly erupted from the center of town.
BOOM!
The clock tower in the town square collapsed, and a massive figure, standing over five meters tall and far more powerfully built than an ordinary Heart Eater, slowly rose from the rubble.
The surrounding air instantly grew humid and viscous. Puddles on the ground stirred without any wind, forming streams of water that coiled around the dark figure.
It was a giant Heart Eater that stood over five meters tall.
Its hard scales had a metallic sheen, and a row of sharp barbs ran down its back.
Its eyes glinted with a savage, crimson light, and every breath was accompanied by a deep, rumbling thunder.
"A... a Heart Eater Lord! It's a Holy Spirit Mage-level monster! Your Highness, retreat! We're no match for it!" Leon's voice was distorted with sheer terror.
The Lord let out a deafening roar and whipped its thick tail in a powerful arc.
"Form up! Defend!" Leon shrieked.
A dozen Knights quickly closed ranks, their Spirit Art shields linking together to form a thick wall of light.
CRACK!
The wall of light didn't even last a second. It was instantly covered in cracks before exploding violently.
The dozen Knights at the front were sent flying, men and horses alike. Their silver armor crumpled and dented, and the sound of shattering bones was sickeningly clear.
While still in mid-air, they vomited mouthfuls of blood mixed with chunks of their internal organs. By the time they hit the ground, they were nothing more than piles of gore.
"No!" William's eyes were bloodshot as he recklessly channeled his Spirit Core, unleashing a massive, ten-meter-long blade of light.
"Spike of the Wind King!"
The Lord raised an arm covered in dark golden scales and blocked the attack head-on.
Sparks flew as the blade of light shattered. The attack left only a white mark on the Lord's arm.
William's sword hand was trembling.
'The difference in our strength is too great.'
The Lord roared and charged straight at William, its speed so immense that it was impossible to dodge.
Just as William closed his eyes, bracing for death...
...an indescribably terrifying fluctuation suddenly appeared in the sky above the town.
The moment the streams of water coiling around the Lord touched this fluctuation, they instantly broke down into their base water elements and dissipated silently into the air.
At that moment, the light across all of Creek Valley Town suddenly dimmed.
Both William and the Heart Eater Lord couldn't help but look up.
There, in the dim sky, reddened by the glow of the inferno below, a behemoth that blotted out the heavens was silently tearing through the clouds, slowly descending.