Chapter 236: Send in the Dawnwings

The prediction soon came true.

Dying, the Tyrant battered the formation without restraint. It even activated Bloodheated War Soul. The Legionnaires paled under the assault, but after drinking Clearwake Tonic, they kept the formation standing as their Aether recovered.

More holes opened in the monster’s body. Some pierced its chest and groin. Even then, the Legendary Troll refused to fall.

It took several minutes before it finally crashed to the ground, dead.

The live feed fell silent. Then messages flooded across it.

[What did I just watch?]

[They made that look easy!]

[Those cannot be ordinary Epics. I’ll eat my boots if they are.]

[Exactly. This isn’t only about skills. How did they overcome that gap in attributes?]

[Cassian must have advanced their stars again. He’s kept that quiet.]

[Why wouldn’t he? It’s not as though he needs more fame.]

The defenders had seen it too.

"Heartpiercing Touch. That’s impressive."

Darian flew to Cassian’s side. He had a Heartsense Sword himself and recognized its attack.

"But why are your Eclipse troops so strong? Even with my War Talent now at Grade A, my Epics couldn’t withstand a Legendary troop’s ordinary attacks like that. Have you advanced them again? When will the Chapterhouses get that?"

After reaching Rank XIII, Cassian had paid to bring the Eclipse Muster Hall to Level 13. Its Trial Tower had opened a third floor. His surviving veteran Legionnaires had completed the trial, and he had paid the Battle Essence to advance them from Epic Two-Star to Epic Three-Star. Their Levels remained at seventy.

Before the battle, he had also armed the rest of those veterans with Heartsense Swords from the Swordgrave’s output.

Their higher attributes and trained Aegis Fold let them withstand the Tyrant’s attacks. The swords supplied Heartpiercing Touch.

Cassian did not answer Darian’s questions. He was busy reading the reports Mira had collected.

The Stormlance and Golden Behemoths were locked in battle. Brienne Wren’s three hundred veterans held positions on all four sides. Divine Province’s War Lords were fighting magnificently, while Elara, Nessa, and Seraphine were astonishing newcomer viewers along their own sections of the line. Northbear and the reinforcements from other Crown Provinces were making a substantial contribution too.

Even with all that, several Domains had been breached in just twenty minutes.

Fortunately, their Lords had been commanding from a distance. None had died.

"Fine. Keep your secrets." Darian curled his lip when Cassian failed to answer. Then he asked, "You must have earned at least five or six billion Battle Essence during the Governorship battle. Add everything you’ve made since. Didn’t you recruit more Eclipse troops?"

"That Battle Essence?"

Cassian had made his decision. He smiled.

"You’ll find out soon."

Darian’s eyes lit up.

"I knew it. You’ve been hiding another force!"

He had. But it wasn’t more Eclipse Legionnaires.

A battlefield could change in an instant, yet twenty minutes of fighting had given Cassian enough information to judge the likely result. At the present rate, it would fall somewhere between mutual devastation and a costly Crown victory.

The Black Banner might also retreat after realizing how strong the defenders were. That was probably the likeliest outcome. The invaders had come for profit, not to die alongside the Crown.

Cassian wanted none of those results.

He sent Aurelia a private order.

"Dawnwing corps. Attack."

"Yes, Lord."

Her precise reply made him smile. They had become far closer, but she only occasionally showed that softer side when they were alone. In front of others, she was as strict as ever—perhaps even more reserved than before, as though determined to give no one a reason to gossip about them.

"So serious. It’s rather sweet."

A shout rose from below.

"The spatial barrier is running out of energy!"

Cassian looked up. The barrier had grown noticeably thinner, and parts of it had begun to flicker. He was about to replenish it when Darian called out.

"Need more Aether? I’ll pay!"

Five billion Aether burned away. The barrier grew solid again.

Cassian’s mouth twitched. As the Capital’s controller, he knew exactly how much Darian had just spent.

——

Third Realm. Highcrest.

By some unknown means, Edran and the two projected rulers had gained access to the live feeds. The images were rather blurred, but they could make out the fighting.

On one feed, Seraphine had just torn a Legendary troop apart. She wore a wild, delighted grin. Lyra swept her sword, turning a hundred meters around her into a frozen killing ground.

"According to my reports, those brats of mine weren’t this strong," the Valcrest founder said doubtfully.

His pride was impossible to miss.

The Caerwyn Sovereign had been watching the Stormlance fight the Golden Behemoths.

"I’m more interested in where that young man found so many Legendary Troop Souls in just a few months. He can’t simply have subdued them. If he’s strong enough to subdue a complete squad of Four-Star Extreme troops, then he’s much stronger than anything we’ve seen."

Edran sighed.

"I knew Riftward was a remarkable place. I didn’t expect its newcomers to grow this much, this soon."

"They’re calling it a Province of dragons," the Valcrest founder said. "You chose the right people to support. You should be proud."

He finally drew his attention away from his descendants.

"Still, aren’t they showing a little too much strength?"

Edran spread his hands.

"There’s no use worrying about it now. Fortunately, the Black Banner will most likely withdraw for the moment. That’s still within our expectations."

He paused.

"It seems I won’t need the backup I prepared."

The other two rulers had fought their way through mountains of corpses. They lacked Cassian’s full view of the battlefield, but the scattered feeds gave them enough to piece together the situation. Both nodded.

"Good," the Caerwyn Sovereign said. "As long as they’re evenly matched with the Black Banner, the Jade Court won’t pay too much attention. Once this crisis passes, we can fund Divine Province quietly and let it build its strength."

He had barely finished when the Valcrest founder pointed at one of the feeds.

"Just now... I think I saw something extraordinary."

Cries of astonishment began rising from the other feeds too.

Amid the distant voices, they could just make out one word.

"Dawnwings!"