Chapter 174: Aftermath of the Battle

The Eternal Night slowly began to fade.

The darkness that had covered the world for so long started thinning, and the black sky gradually gave way to a murky grey-black fog that spread across the battlefield.

Edgar sat on top of the broken Fortress wall and let out a long sigh.

He looked around quietly. The battlefield had been completely transformed.

Large sections of the outer wall had collapsed, several defensive towers were nothing more than piles of broken stone.

Trees had been uprooted and thrown across the field, while pieces of stone and broken weapons were scattered.

There were bodies everywhere.

The corpses of Nightmares covered the ground so densely in some places that it was difficult to see the earth beneath them.

Some had been crushed beneath Azhurak’s enormous body, others had been torn apart by the Soul Guardians, while countless others had fallen during the battle against Edgar and his Commanders.

The bodies of the Soul Guardians were scattered among them as well.

Edgar looked at them silently. Their deaths didn’t feel like ordinary losses.

Through the Soul Network, he could still remember the presence of every Guardian that had disappeared during the battle.

He eventually stood up and climbed down from the broken wall.

His boots stepped over shattered stones as he walked through the ruined battlefield, looking at the damage from different angles.

Smoke was still rising from several places, and the smell of blood mixed with the damp scent of the fog that had begun covering the land.

"Young master."

He turned around. Andrew was walking toward him.

The boy looked exhausted, but there was still a smile on his face.

He looked around at the destroyed Fortress before scratching the back of his head.

"There’s going to be a lot of work to be done."

Edgar looked at the collapsed walls and broken towers before letting out a soft chuckle. "On the bright side, we have a lot of Nightmare Stones."

Andrew’s eyes immediately brightened. He looked around the battlefield again.

Edgar wasn’t exaggerating. Nightmare Stones were scattered everywhere.

Some were lying between the corpses, while others had fallen from the bodies of stronger Nightmares.

There were white stones shining faintly through the dirt, green ones glowing with a deeper light, and several blue and purple stones that stood out among the remains.

Even from a distance, they looked like small pieces of colored crystal buried beneath the battlefield.

Andrew’s smile grew wider. "That’s true."

Edgar walked over and patted the boy on the back. "Start the work."

Andrew straightened immediately.

"Right." He turned around and hurried toward the Fortress. "I’ll gather everyone!"

Edgar watched him disappear among the ruined buildings before turning his attention back toward the battlefield.

He closed his eyes. His consciousness spread through the Soul Network, moving far beyond the Fortress.

He checked the subsidiary Fortress near the Han River first.

Everything there was fine.

Edgar then shifted his attention toward Soragon Bazaar.

It was also doing well.

The people there were continuing their usual activities, unaware of just how devastating the battle near Edgar’s main Fortress had been.

Edgar slowly opened his eyes. ’The Nightmare King really poured everything into attacking me.’

He had sent his generals, his army, and finally came personally.

Even Wavin had been placed inside the Fortress long before the attack began.

It seemed that the Nightmare King had been so confident that he would conquer Edgar’s Fortress that he had left almost nothing to his other interests.

Edgar walked toward the place where the Nightmare King had died.

The ground there was still stained with blood. He stopped and looked down.

There were two things he had completely ignored during the battle.

The first was a bright orange Nightmare Stone lying among the broken pieces of stone.

Edgar crouched down and picked it up.

The moment it touched his hand, a powerful energy spread through his body.

His eyes widened slightly.

Then he smiled. "This is the highest-grade Nightmare Stone I’ve gotten."

He turned the stone between his fingers, watching the orange light move beneath its surface.

It was much brighter than the stones he had collected before, and even without examining it properly, Edgar could tell that its value was extraordinary.

He put it away and looked at the second thing.

It was a blueprint.

Edgar picked it up and unfolded it. His expression slowly changed as he looked over the detailed drawings.

It was a blueprint for an advanced water irrigation system.

According to the design, the system could distribute water throughout the entire Fortress using a network of underground channels, storage tanks, pressure mechanisms, and automated water gates.

A status screen appeared in front of him.

----

[Advanced Water Irrigation System]

Type: Fortress Infrastructure

Grade: Orange

Coverage: Entire Fortress

Water Distribution: High

Efficiency: 92%

Special Effect: Automatic Water Distribution

----

Edgar’s eyes moved across the information.

"This will be useful."

The Eternal Rain would be coming soon.

Once it arrived, having a proper system to collect and distribute all that water would make managing the Fortress much easier.

Instead of allowing the rainwater to flood the streets and surrounding fields, he could collect it and distribute it wherever it was needed.

Edgar folded the blueprint as his gaze shifted to the Fortress.

He had seen the damage from outside but walking through the entrance made the destruction much more obvious.

Several houses had collapsed completely, while others had large holes torn through their walls.

Several buildings had been damaged badly enough that their roofs were leaning dangerously to one side.

The outer wall had suffered the worst damage.

Large sections had been destroyed, leaving enormous gaps where the battlefield outside could be seen clearly.

Some of the defensive towers had been completely demolished, while others had survived with deep cracks running through their foundations.

Edgar slowly looked around. The Fortress had taken a beating.

He drew in a deep breath. ’I can fix all of this.’

It would take time, materials, and plenty of work, but Edgar wasn’t worried.

He had built the Fortress from almost nothing before.

Compared to that, rebuilding what had been destroyed would be much easier.

Edgar turned toward his house.

He began walking through the damaged streets, stepping over broken stones as workers slowly started emerging from their shelters.

But when he reached the usual place where he expected to see Semele, he stopped.

She wasn’t there. Edgar looked around.

The spot where she usually sat was empty.

’Huh?’ His brows furrowed.

"Where did she go?"

---

Far away from the ruined battlefield, Semele walked through a massive hole in the earth.

The walls around her were covered in ancient stone, and faint traces of red light still remained between the cracks.

The deeper she went, the warmer the air became, until the sound of dripping water was the only thing disturbing the silence.

Semele eventually reached the bottom. A gigantic shadow was curled up in the darkness.

She smiled. "Azhurak."

The enormous serpent slowly opened its golden eyes.

The moment it recognized her, its enormous head lifted from the ground.

Despite its terrifying appearance, the ancient serpent suddenly behaved like an enormous beast greeting someone it deeply trusted.

It lowered its head toward Semele.

Semele reached up and gently placed her hand against one of its enormous scales.

Azhurak immediately leaned into her touch.

Its enormous golden eyes narrowed slightly, almost as if it were enjoying the attention.

Semele smiled warmly. "You did good."

Azhurak released a low rumbling sound.

Semele’s expression softened as she looked at the enormous serpent with motherly affection.

"You protected yourself, caused quite a bit of trouble, and even managed to survive all of that." She gently rubbed its enormous head. "I suppose I can’t complain."

Azhurak seemed pleased by the praise. Its massive tail shifted slightly behind it, knocking several large stones aside.

Semele glanced toward the movement.

Then her eyes shifted to the enormous chamber surrounding them.

Her smile slowly disappeared. The chamber was filled with treasure.

Ancient weapons were piled against the walls, some of them covered in dust but still carrying powerful auras.

There were chests filled with Nightmare Stones, strange crystals, pieces of ancient armor, golden coins, magical artifacts, and countless objects whose purpose even Semele couldn’t immediately recognize.

Some treasures were so old that they had become partially buried beneath the stone.

At the center of the chamber was a massive pile of Nightmare Stones that glowed faintly in the darkness.

Semele stared at everything for several seconds.

Then she sighed. "This is quite a lot."

Azhurak looked at her.

Semele crossed her arms and glanced around the chamber again. "How am I supposed to give all of this to Edgar?"

She looked toward the enormous serpent.

Azhurak simply blinked.

Semele sighed again. "You don’t understand the problem, do you?"

The serpent lowered its head slightly.

Semele smiled. "Of course you don’t."

She walked toward one of the piles and picked up an ancient golden object, examining it for a moment before placing it back.

"There is far too much." She looked at the endless treasure surrounding her. "And knowing Edgar, he is probably going to ask where all of this came from."

Semele’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

A faint smile appeared on her lips. "That might be the difficult part."

Azhurak released another low rumble.

Semele looked back at him.

"Don’t worry." She gently touched his enormous head again. "I’ll figure something out."