Chapter 323: A Change of Ships

Holy Strike crashed down.

The last Nanite Warrior in the hunting party fell beneath Brigid’s attack. She looked up at the hundreds of Legendary troops approaching from the distance and gave them a contemptuous glance.

"Dawnwings, withdraw."

They rose together and flew away.

Dawnwings were not the fastest Legendary troops, but their speed was comfortably above average. Western Beacon’s relief force included swift wind Dragons. It also included lumbering Tyrants. Chasing at the pace of its fastest units would tear the formation apart and leave them exposed.

The Hero leading the force swore furiously.

"Those damned Dawnwings!"

He could do nothing but watch them leave.

Defending every hunting party, every hour of the day, soon wore Western Beacon down. The Skyreaver could rush support to a threatened squad or carry it away, while Aurelia and Lethria intervened when needed. The enemy’s defensive perimeter kept shrinking.

Not every raid went perfectly.

Sometimes an ordinary-looking hunting party turned out to be bait. Its Lords would produce hundreds of control scrolls at once, pinning down one or more Dawnwings before they could escape.

A few died that way.

The Fountain at home had sufficient Life Energy in reserve. Under the expedition’s prepared revival arrangements, it verified each fallen Dawnwing’s death and belonging, then consumed the required Life Energy and Battle Essence to rebuild her.

The same soldiers returned through paid links to registered Ghost Carriers outside the sealed waters. From there, they traveled back into the region by sea and air. The journey took only two days before they could rejoin the fighting.

"Lord, Western Beacon’s hunting parties are now staying within a hundred kilometers of the Gate."

Crystal Seven had returned with another report.

Cassian nodded.

"That will do. Tell Aurelia to maintain the pressure where it is."

The smaller the area an army defended, the more strength it could concentrate there. He had brought only Epic troops and above to keep his expedition mobile. Meeting ten million enemies in a direct battle would throw away that advantage.

Once their formations became entangled, withdrawing would be far harder. If Western Beacon caught the rear of his army, he would have to sacrifice part of it or risk far greater losses.

For now, both sides settled into an uneasy balance.

Eight more days passed.

Western Beacon’s Lords watched the seal’s remaining time with growing hope. Before it could expire, Cassian used another newly purchased pair of Legendary scrolls.

Fifteen days appeared again.

A third Spatial Lock. A third Communication Seal.

Six Legendary scrolls in all.

For the Lords trapped around the Gate, the sight was almost unbearable. They had marched in with ten million troops, expecting to crush Divine Province. Now they could barely leave the ground immediately around the Wonder.

Forget taking all ten places. Even first place might slip away.

"Who knows how many more times he can do this?" Gavin asked, his face dark. "We didn’t know he had a whole fleet of fast Legendary warships either."

He looked over the other senior Lords.

"More than half the ranking period is gone. We cannot gamble on his supply running out. If we want to secure our places, we’ll have to use numbers."

Their expressions changed. None offered a better answer.

Two months earlier, the ranking had seemed theirs to lose. Nobody had imagined it could turn into this.

Using numbers meant bringing in the weaker troops as well. Low-Quality or low-Level units died easily. One powerful area spell could destroy a great mass of them.

Yet those troops mattered. Most Lords kept only a few hundred principal fighters, supported by thousands of lesser units hunting for Battle Essence and guarding resource points. Losing them meant paying to recruit replacements, raise their Levels, and build their Loyalty again.

Cassian’s sixty thousand ordinary Eclipse Legionnaires served much the same purpose. Losing that entire force would cripple even his income.

Western Beacon was preparing to pay that price. Its plan was simple: keep sending troops until it had filled Windward Isle, leaving Divine Province less and less room to move.

When Cassian learned what they intended, he looked west.

"A contest of numbers?"

His gaze rested on the distant horizon.

"Then let’s give them something else to worry about. Lethria, I have a task for you."

——

Off an unremarkable stretch of Windward Isle’s western shore, the sea began to rise.

More than a hundred Ghost Battleships surfaced. Their shields lowered, and powerful troops took to the air from their decks.

The passengers had assembled through the paid routes to Cassian’s registered Carriers outside the sealed region. The Battleships had carried them the rest of the way.

Familiar Lords stood among them. Lana Whitmere. Ansel Fenholt, the old master from Dragon Tiger. Harrowmere’s Governor, Soren Hartwell.

Orion Valcrest had come as well, keeping quietly to the crowd as usual.

The other twelve Crown Provinces had sent their best available expedition forces, all Epic or better. Their Legendary troops could not compare with Divine Province’s, but support from several powerful rulers in the upper Realms had given them plenty of Epics.

Lana’s eyes shone as she approached Mira.

"We thought we had no chance in this ranking. Now look at us. Please tell Cassian how grateful we are."

"I will." Mira smiled, then became serious. "Windward is still sealed. While you’re here, all forces must follow Divine Province’s coordination."

Agreement came at once.

"Of course. We’ll follow your lead."

——

Far to the west, the Legendary Meridian cruiser sent from Sunhaven had reached the Black Banner’s outer waters.

Its speed, Phase, and Space Lance made it dangerous enough. Its detection systems added another advantage: they were particularly good at finding Mirage concealment.

Even the Ghost fleet had needed to overcome the protection of Phase when hunting Epic Meridians during the great naval battle. The Black Banner had far fewer means of dealing with a Legendary one.

This ship made no effort to hide.

The coastal Lords discovered it quickly. Most understood that Western Beacon probably intended a threat. They still tightened their defenses, and their leaders’ tone grew noticeably softer.

"We have always been Western Beacon’s closest ally. We ask our friends to remain calm."

"A trillion Aether is excessive, but there is room for discussion."

"Kestrel acted on his own. We are prepared to hand him over."

Strength had made their arguments far more polite.

They did not know Kestrel was dead. With the island sealed, confirmation of his death had not reached them.

Western Beacon’s officers were pleased with the change.

Aboard the Meridian, a lieutenant colonel reclined in a deck chair with a glass of red wine.

"They take everything we give them, then stab us in the back." He looked toward the coast with contempt. "Now they’ve remembered how to be civil."

Despite his words, he understood his orders. The ship had come to intimidate. An actual Peace Strike was unlikely.

There was not even a Peacebringer aboard.

The cruiser did carry a Gate. If the order came, it could bring the weapon through.

An alert interrupted his drink.

"Spatial Lock? Communication Seal?"

He sprang out of the chair.

"Who sealed these waters? Maximum detection power! Enter Phase!"

The cruiser responded to the orders. The Meridian slipped into phased space, its detection array searching the surrounding sea at full strength.

Nothing.

"Looking for me?"

A clear voice sounded beside the ship. Lethria’s great, elegant body emerged from concealment.

The two fresh scrolls Cassian had bought and provided for her mission had done their work. No Gate could bring reinforcements into this stretch of sea, and no message could escape.

"A Faerie Dragon?" The lieutenant colonel stared. "Why is it so big? Some kind of growth disorder?"

Lethria’s eyes hardened.

Sovereign Bindings appeared in the surrounding space. They caught the Meridian and dragged it bodily out of Phase.

Ship and Dragon both used spatial power. Only one was Mythic.

"A Mythic Faerie Dragon..."

The last color drained from the officer’s face.

The Bindings tightened around the hull. Metal groaned as they coiled over it, crushing the ship between them.

"No—"

The Meridian exploded.

Lethria had held nothing back. The Legendary warship disappeared inside a great mass of flame. Those aboard who survived the blast were pierced by the Bindings before they could get clear.

She stopped only after confirming that no one remained alive.

A short while later, another Meridian cruiser took the destroyed ship’s place.

It was Cassian’s own Legendary vessel, already prepared for the substitution. Bramrik had traveled through an unsealed Carrier link, with the passage paid, then boarded before the cruiser sailed into these waters.

Now the Peacebringer stood on its deck, his great cannon resting across one shoulder.

"The Lord has always treated us well."

His old Rocketier comrades were still at home. Bramrik looked toward the distant coast, his expression firm.

"We’ve spent the better part of half a year eating and drinking back in the Domain. This time, I’ll make that shot count. I won’t disappoint him."

As he spoke, the Meridian faded from sight and slipped into Phase.