“I believe it has been centuries since humankind’s Race Sovereigns last cooperated like this,” Holy Eminence John remarked as he felt powerful mana pulsations approaching from the distance.
Antonio and Friedrich exchanged looks before nodding.
“Our research showed that it’s a huge waste of fighting potential for Origin Level 1 transcendents to be gathered together, so the united army never bothered formulating a plan for us to appear on the same battlefield. This is a special exception,” Antonio analyzed.
“I have fought alongside Antonio before, but that’s a very long time ago,” Friedrich said.
Friedrich and Antonio had hardly been on the battlefield since taking on lofty positions, whereas Holy Eminence John had yet to recover from his previous battle. Even so, the three of them still chose to step onto the battlefield.
The three of them surprisingly shared the same reason behind their conviction.
“It has been my clan’s calling to protect the Kingmaker Clan all this while, but you ended up snatching our jobs.”
“Are you talking about Roel? You shouldn’t forget that he’s a student at my academy. It’s only right for me to take care of him.”
“Roel is a citizen of my Saint Mesit Theocracy, as well as my granddaughter’s childhood friend. I’m also obliged to stand up for him as his elder.”
At the cusp of the decisive battle, the three Race Sovereigns stated their connection with Roel, implicitly communicating the high expectations they harbored for the next generation. The consensus they had come to only further reinforced their views.
It might be possible for one of them to have misjudged Roel, but the chances were too slim for all three of them, who had experienced the vicissitudes of the world, to simultaneously misjudge the same person.
The realization that their counterparts shared the same thoughts prompted Holy Eminence John, Antonio, and Friedrich to further raise Roel’s importance in their hearts by a notch.
“We’re on the same page here.” Holy Eminence John chuckled mirthfully.
He felt gleeful about his granddaughter’s ties with Roel, especially since he was the first one to support the two of them.
Sword Saint King Friedrich was relieved too, knowing that the vow between Wilhelmina and Roel couldn’t be undone. The two of them were already firmly tied together.
Saving Roel didn’t just benefit humankind; it was also in their personal and national interest.
Meanwhile, Antonio looked at the two of them with a silent smile. Both Nora and Wilhelmina were Saint Freya Academy’s students; he naturally knew the relationship they had with Roel. However, the Country of Scholars also had its advantage in the form of ex–Twilight Sages Assembly member, ‘Academic’ Astrid Arde.
Fine, I admit that our Country of Scholars doesn’t have any princesses to betroth, but we have his ancestor here! Romantic feelings can change over time, but blood ties are eternal! Besides, you shouldn’t forget that Saint Freya Academy is Roel’s alma mater.
Such calculations allowed Antonio to remain calm, knowing that he wouldn’t lose out to the other two.
The three Race Sovereigns had a surprisingly pleasant time chatting with one another prior to the decisive battle. However, their joy didn’t last long. The three of them quickly reined in their smiles upon sensing three surges of mana swiftly approaching.
While their close relationship with Roel could benefit them in the future, that would only matter if they successfully saved Roel and ensured that humankind still had a future.
And that was exactly what the three Race Sovereigns were fighting for.
In the distant horizon, a gigantic aerial monster first arrived on the field amidst a bolt of lightning. It howled hoarsely, threatening to tear everything apart. In response, Holy Eminence John unfurled his light wings and rose into the air to face it.
“Break time’s over.”
“It was a good idea for us to temporarily regroup so that we can select our opponents.”
Friedrich and Antonio, who couldn’t engage in a prolonged aerial battle, sighed in relief. Meanwhile, Holy Eminence John, who had gotten into his battle mode, intently assessed his enemy as his mana pulsation grew stronger.
‘Thunderbird’, ‘Swordghost’, and ‘Behemoth’ were the aliases the united army had given to the deviants’ three Race Sovereigns. There were huge differences in their fighting styles, so it was wiser to choose an opponent they had an advantage over than to leave it up to chance.
Friedrich wouldn’t be able to properly unleash his attacks against the flying Thunderbird, whereas Swordghost’s power to breach most defenses and render recovery spells ineffective was a bad match for Antonio.
Thus, the three of them, after attracting the attention of the deviants’ three Race Sovereigns, chose to gather together to pick their enemies. They would then lure away the enemy they had chosen and battle separately.
The sky was inundated with lightning and holy light. The plains trembled under the astounding killing intent coming from two clashing blades. In the desert, a spatial magician confronted a humongous beast as they unleashed their strongest attacks on each other.
The battle among the Race Sovereigns had begun.
Meanwhile, Lilian, Nora, and Charlotte brought the united army toward the depths of the desert to confront the Deviant Sovereign and his massive armies.
…
What did it mean to have military prowess twofold of one’s enemy?
In the war against the deviants, it represented an absolute advantage.
The deviants had no fortresses, and the defensive structures they built were shabby compared to the humans’. As a result, they usually resorted to brawling on the battlefield. However, due to the differences in individual fighting prowess, humankind generally needed a military force 50% greater than the deviants’ in order to rival them.
For the Battle of Scorched Earth, the united army now had twofold of the deviants’ armies, and the bulk of them were humankind’s elites. That should have been more than enough for them to overcome the enemy that stood in their path.
Yet, Lilian, Nora, and Charlotte had terribly heavy expressions as they gazed upon the deviants’ formation. They could feel unimaginable pressure coming from ahead.
This was not the first time Nora, Charlotte, and Lilian had encountered a Race Sovereign. They had even participated in the Battle of Stanlos last year and witnessed the Race Sovereigns’ showdown. Yet, compared to the existence they were going to confront, the showdown among the Race Sovereigns didn’t seem like a big deal anymore.
The Deviant Sovereign exerted a pressure reminiscent of heaven’s wrath. He naturally cast a domain around him that he commanded jurisdiction over. Anyone who opposed him would be weighed down as if they were being rejected by the world.
It was not just Nora and the others who felt this sensation but the entire united army, which was why their morale felt subdued.
What further shocked them was the presence of another powerful aura in the enemy formation, aside from the Deviant Sovereign. In the middle of the deviants’ army, a brawny deviant warrior roared before the Deviant Sovereign as his body pulsated with powerful mana.
This was a sign that the brawny deviant warrior was on the verge of a breakthrough to Origin Level 1, yet this was no ordinary breakthrough, but a bestowment from a god.
Sinister black fluid flowed like a stream from the Deviant Sovereign’s hand to the brawny deviant warrior, enveloping his body. The latter roared in frenzy as his body absorbed the black fluid and began to mutate.
His muscles bulged as the intensity of his mana pulsation rapidly surged. A new head sprouted out of his neck, as his aura grew stronger than ever.
This transformation caught the united army’s attention. Nora and the others were dumbstruck, for they could tell that the Deviant Sovereign was artificially creating another Race Sovereign.
Most likely, the brawny deviant warrior would complete its breakthrough to Origin Level 1 once its second head finished growing. This was a nightmare for humankind.
“We can’t let him succeed. Attack!”
Nora and the others decisively issued the order to attack, but that was easier said than done. For instance, they couldn’t activate their long-range attacks at a moment’s notice.
While the united army was in despair, furious winds suddenly stirred from the very center of the deviants’ formation. Thick white fog appeared out of nowhere and swiftly expanded to conceal the sky. Slowly, the vague outline of a fortress appeared amidst the white fog.
The human soldiers cried out in alarm, whereas the deviants roared in apprehension. In particular, Nora’s sapphire eyes narrowed in disbelief.
The white fog then abruptly scattered, revealing a towering fortress that shook the hearts of everyone present.
Its name was Tark Stronghold.