Chapter 242: A Fortune in Spoils

No one knew what to say.

Nessa gazed at Cassian in open admiration. Elara and Seraphine looked little better. Only Darian managed to keep his amusement under control.

"Next time I visit the Homeworld, I’ll use my connections to get you an acting award."

Nerissa was shaking with rage.

[Nerissa Vaust: Cassian! That was clearly—you’ve made an enemy of every Lord on the Homeworld! Are you trying to betray us all?]

She was no fool. Galen was dead. The least she could do was use his death to turn the Homeworld against Cassian.

Darian sneered.

"Osric Vaust’s great-granddaughter. She thinks that makes her the Black Banner’s leading newcomer. You killed Galen despite her intervention. She’s furious."

"Their leading newcomer?" Cassian’s eyes brightened.

"In her own opinion. There are a few others who can match her."

"Good enough."

Cassian immediately sent an invitation.

[Cassian Vale: Lady Vaust, you’re welcome to visit my Domain.]

Nerissa stared at the message.

What was he playing at?

Had her beauty caught his eye? It was certainly possible.

Garran responded before her thoughts could go any further.

[Garran Ravenscar: Don’t fall for it! Cassian has a way to turn people into puppets. Varek Sorn and his two sisters have already committed terrible crimes under his control!]

Nerissa had nothing to say to that.

Cassian’s response had caught everyone off guard.

In Norman Province, Walter sighed. He disliked what Cassian had done, but he had little sympathy for the Black Banner after it had chosen this moment to start a war.

[Walter: What’s done is done. Let it go.]

Malcolm felt thoroughly humiliated.

[Malcolm: Lord Cassian, I will report your actions in full to the Homeworld Council. I hope you won’t regret them.]

Nerissa recovered enough to post again.

[Nerissa Vaust: Unlike the Crown, we put the Homeworld’s interests first. We’ll settle this after the Contest of Champions.]

[Garran Ravenscar: Well said. We lost this battle, but Cassian has revealed every one of his reserves. Once the contest ends, we will rule Tidecrown.]

Cassian was not troubled by their threats or their claims of virtue.

The Black Banner’s strongest invaders had all died here. After today, Riftward’s ordinary War Lords could clear out the remnants without him or his strongest allies lifting a finger. Another invasion would have to cross the endless sea from the Black Banner’s home Provinces—Vaust, Ravenscar, Durnhold, and the rest.

"No. We won’t even have to wait until tomorrow."

He opened the Province’s residency panel.

[Lord Otto Bellwick of Ashvale Marches has forcibly relocated out of Divine Province.]

[Lord Kofi of Keling Marches has forcibly relocated out of Divine Province.]

Hundreds, sometimes thousands, were leaving every second.

Before the battle began, Cassian had restricted migration in and out of the Province. These Lords could only use forced relocation now, paying its heavy penalties, including a reduction in Domain Rank.

"Wonderful."

He drew a deep breath. His next words carried over the battlefield.

"Leave no invader alive!"

"Yes!"

His fist had killed eight or nine out of every ten Lords in the enemy leadership. Those who remained fled desperately, with the Crown forces roaring at their heels.

"Now this is a battle!"

One of the veterans who had descended from the war sector ignored the enemy Lord begging on his knees. A single stroke split the man in two.

"Kill them while they’re young, before they grow into another generation of veterans!"

"Weller’s right!"

His comrade killed another fleeing Lord, then grew solemn.

"For our people who died in Clearautumn Marches."

Brienne Wren swept past them.

"No. This is only the interest."

The same scene played out across the battlefield.

——

Third Realm. Highcrest.

The Valcrest founder’s projection burst into laughter.

"A reckless little bastard. I like him!"

The Caerwyn Sovereign sighed.

"The Legion Contest really does concern the Homeworld’s future. In the long term, it even affects how many Lords can ascend to join us. That punch must have felt wonderful. But if losing a dozen or so Champions costs us even one place in the rankings, was it worth it?"

"They came to kill him in his own home," the Valcrest founder retorted. "You would have him let them walk away? That would be more humiliating than those marriage alliances of yours."

"What was wrong with our marriage alliances? We were trying to give Crown Lords room to develop!"

"Enough, both of you."

Edran was getting a headache.

The two men had come from different backgrounds. Their views differed just as sharply, and they could quarrel over the smallest point. Even someone with Edran’s temper often had to make peace between them.

"It’s done. Arguing won’t change anything. We should be deciding how to deal with the consequences for those youngsters."

He looked at the two projections.

"Fortunately, even if the Jade Court decides we’re backing Cassian and marks him as an enemy, it won’t dare start another war during the Contest of Champions. We have time to prepare."

They were rulers in their own right, but both respected his seniority enough to listen.

"Then let the old order break," the Valcrest founder said fiercely. "We’ve spent a century preparing in secret since Harmony Province. If it comes to a fight to the death, so be it. Leave the Jade Court in control for another few centuries, and the Crown’s foundation may be gone entirely."

"A war across the Crown’s entire Seventh Realm," the Caerwyn Sovereign murmured.

For once, he did not argue.

The upper Realms depended on Lords ascending from below. If the Crown lost its roots in the Seventh Realm, its powers in the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth would receive no new blood. However strong they were now, they would eventually die out.

Some Homeworld nations were pursuing that very strategy. Destroy the Crown’s lower foundation, and its ancient Realms would wither. The Beacon League, with no foothold above the Sixth Realm, was one of them.

Edran had never been indecisive. A hard light entered his eyes.

"Then we prepare."

——

The pursuit lasted from noon until late at night.

Hundreds of thousands of Black Banner War Lords had come with hundreds of millions of Heroes and troops. Fewer than one in ten thousand escaped.

"One point four billion Battle Essence."

Cassian reclined in his chair that night, counting his spoils.

"Fourteen Legendary Troop Sigils. Two Legendary Hero Sigils. Seventy-nine Epic Troop Sigils. Eleven Epic Hero Sigils."

The equipment list was even longer.

"Four hundred and fifty-four Legendary pieces. Fifty-two thousand, three hundred and fifty Epic pieces. Rare equipment..."

He smiled.

"Very nice."

Veterans from old sectors certainly knew how to equip themselves. Most of what they wore was Epic or better. With the Vein improving his drops, he had obtained tens of thousands of Epic pieces in a single battle. The Rare equipment was too much to count at a glance.

It took several hundred Eclipse Legionnaires to sort everything into categories. New types of swords went straight into the Swordgrave to produce Sword Souls. Useful equipment went to Divine Province’s leading Lords. The rest went into the furnace for materials.

As he finished, Mira completed her report on the battle.

His decision to deploy the Dawnwings had come in time. Most of Divine Province’s Lords had lost around a tenth of their forces while killing a hundred times as many enemy troops as they had lost.

The bonds between Lords and their Heroes and troops were another matter. Measured only in Battle Essence, however, the battle had brought an enormous profit. There was equipment as well, and the experience of fighting for their lives.

Sigrid arrived with the other Stormlance, dusty from the long pursuit. They stopped before him and bowed together.

"Lord. We’ve completed our task."

Cassian rose with a smile.

"You fought well today, Sigrid. All of you."

The Stormlance had never been inclined to talk around a subject.

"Lord, we can advance to Legendary Five-Star now. And there’s something else..."

As Sigrid spoke, his pleasure gave way to keen interest.

"The Mother River. A Mythic Troop Building, and the birthplace of the Stormlance..."

For now, Sigrid had only sensed its call faintly. It was too early to say more.

The immediate gain was that they could advance again. He had no shortage of high-Star Legendaries, but the Stormlance were a force he could use openly.

Cassian bought twelve Legendary Troop Souls through the Exchange and paid the Battle Essence required for the advances.

He raised a hand. Twelve streaks of golden light entered the Stormlance’s foreheads, one for each of them.

Their auras surged as they reached Legendary Five-Star. It took some time for their power to settle again.

"A training art?"

Amanda froze for a moment. Then she burst into delighted cheers.

"I have a training art too!"