Chapter 244: The Civil War in the Principality (9)

[Focus now.]

A violet symbol flashed on his forehead. As he activated the Superior Vision, a spell of the Original Magic, his vision first split into two parts, then four and finally into eight segments.

Swooooosh—!

Swoosh—!

The landscape quickly receded, as if it were being pulled away. Looking down, Israphil felt a dizzying sensation from the great height, but he reminded himself that the scene before his eyes was not his own; he was merely sharing it.

But despite realizing that, the wind he felt vividly caused him to tremble.

Flap, flap...!

The hawk, which had begun to glide by rowing its wings a few times, soared even faster into the sky.

“Phew...” Israphil exhaled a rough breath. He gazed at the landscape through the eyes of hawks, specially bred by the Flying Bow tribe of the Great Plains.

Although they weren’t bound by magical contracts, the hawks of the Flying Bow were actually superior to most familiars.

Nevertheless, sharing the vision of one hawk was quite challenging, yet Israphil was using his Superior Vision on eight hawks simultaneously. The concentration required was immense, causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead despite being absolutely still.

“Stop! Step back.”

A maid standing beside him tried to wipe his forehead with a towel, but Allen jumped in to stop her.

“Don’t touch him until I give permission. If you don’t want to see him hurt, that is. If you make a mistake, his mana could backfire.”

“...I-I’m sorry!”

The maid quickly retreated, kneeling and bowing her head to the ground as though she had committed a grave sin.

[...]

Allen, accustomed to such reactions, merely glanced at her for a moment before turning his gaze away.

And then—

“There’s no need to be so alarmed. Master is speaking more gently than usual,” Israphil spoke up, smiling with his eyes wide open. His previously ragged breathing had now stabilized.

“And as I’ve said before... there’s no need to attend to me like this. It’s fine, so please see to other tasks. Do inform the chamberlain of this once more.”

Israphil picked up the towel dropped by the maid and wiped his brow. As he blinked, his eyes seemed to split into multiple reptilian-like segments. Though not visible to the naked eye, in each divided section, Israphil witnessed a different scene.

“Hmm, so you’ve managed to perfectly cast Superior Vision in less than thirty minutes. It seems you’ve gotten quite accustomed to it. Once you become even more proficient, your mana should allow you to handle double the current amount. It won’t be easy, though.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Grandmaster.” Israphil nodded. Still, the title didn’t quite roll off the tongue, and he silently mouthed it a few times.

After learning Original Magic from Allen, Israphil realized he needed to change the way he addressed him. Though Allen had taught him magic, Israphil was originally from Antihum and a sorcerer of the Immortal Council, who had traditionally revered Nain Darhon as their master.

Since Nain also referred to Allen as his master, Israphil felt it was inappropriate for Nain to be considered on the same level, and thus decided to address Allen as Grandmaster instead.

Although Allen was indifferent to such worldly formalities and had told Israphil to call him whatever he wished, there was a subtle shift in Allen’s demeanor after they arrived in Tatur—a slight softness in his approach toward Israphil, perhaps showing some approval for Israphil’s respectful attitude.

“Are you upset?”

Israphil stretched his hand into the air, moving it here and there as if playing an instrument.

“What’s the matter?” asked Allen.

“Is it not because of me that you couldn’t accompany Lord Karyl?”

“Consider yourself fortunate. If I still didn’t have a physical body and remained in a spiritual form as before, I wouldn’t have been able to separate myself from that fellow. In that case, you might have found yourself in the middle of a battlefield, searching for a dungeon.”

“Haha... indeed.” Israphil nodded awkwardly.

Thanks to Duaat’s power, Allen had gained a new body, allowing him to move freely without needing Karyl. Of course, his mana was still bound to the soul contract he had with Karyl, so when using mana, he was subject to certain limitations.

Fortunately, Duaat’s influence had somewhat loosened those restrictions.

“The one who’s likely more disappointed would be the Dark Spirit King,” Allen remarked. “It seems there's something he wants to see in the principality.”

Being bound by a contract, Allen could instinctively sense some of Duaat’s emotions. The Dark Spirit King now needed Allen’s body to use dark energy. Although Duaat said nothing, whenever the principality was mentioned, Allen could feel a sense of longing for someone or something dear.

“Besides, I also have things to do here. I wouldn’t have been able to go to the principality anyway. Karyl gave me one last task before he left.” Allen chuckled lightly.

It seemed only natural for Allen to join Karyl’s campaign, so much so that people overlooked one crucial detail: his presence filled a critical gap in Tatur, something the city had always lacked before—a Great Sorcerer.

Although Tatur had many talented individuals, in the field of magic, it lagged behind other kingdoms in terms of growth. Indeed, Serica Lauren and Mikhail were in the picture, but it would take time for them to fully develop.

If Allen had remained a mere spirit, things wouldn’t have changed much, but now that he could move freely, Allen could serve as a significant pillar in Tatur as a sorcerer.

“The sorcerers of Azor that Karyl nurtured will gather in Tatur after completing their training in Antihum. And I will teach them.”

“You personally... will teach them?” Israphil asked in a quavering voice. Knowing exactly who Allen Javius was, he couldn’t help but wonder what those sorcerers would become under Allen’s guidance.

“Not just me, but you as well,” Allen explained. “Karyl is already preparing for the next war, so focus. We need to locate the dungeon so that when he returns, he can decide whether the next target is the empire or the Wooden Cloud. Though, whichever it is, they’ll get crushed all the same.”

“Understood.” Israphil nodded.

“...Huh?”

Then, it happened.

“How did that person...”

Through one of his eight fields of view, Israphil noticed a figure entering the dungeon, causing him to unintentionally raise his voice.

“...Why?”

His surprise quickly turned to confusion, and the strength in his voice gave way to a bewildered murmur.

“Hmm...”

Allen, who could see what Israphil was seeing, paused before a cold smirk crossed his face.

“Well, well... Things are getting interesting.”

***

“

Huff—!

”

As soon as Patun reached the wall, he drew the sword hanging from his waist. And just as he was about to thrust his sword into the crevice he had spotted earlier...

Booooooom!!!!

With a loud whir, a massive shield flew through the air and embedded itself into the wall, the fierce impact sending debris scattering everywhere.

It wasn’t just one.

Bang—! Bang—! Boooooom!

One after another, the shields flew like boomerangs, embedding themselves into the wall in a zigzag pattern.

“...”

Patun, who was gripping the wall, frowned deeply. If the shields had missed by just a little, his head would have been blown away.

“That bastard...” Patun muttered to himself as he turned around.

“How long would it take to climb up with a dagger? Consider it a gift!”

The shields had been thrown by none other than Kuntai, who stood far behind.

“...”

Looking at the shields embedded in the wall like steps, Patun gritted his teeth slightly and climbed onto them. Following him, the warriors of the Red Moon tribe quickly began scaling the wall.

“S-Stop them!!” someone shouted.

However, the archers on the wall were in disarray, having already lost their commander. Before they could pour boiling oil or hurl stones, Patun was the first to reach the top of the wall.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Swish!

Patun drew the two swords hanging at his waist. The twin swords of the Red Moon tribe were unique, one with a curved blade shaped like a crescent moon, similar to a harpe, and the other round, much like a chakram.

While most tribes used a single type of sword, or at least swords of similar design, the warriors of the Red Moon tribe were the only ones to wield two completely different swords at once—Crescent Moon and Full Moon.

“...!!”

Patun hooked the head of a soldier standing on the wall into the round groove of Full Moon, then twisted the handle, slicing through the soldier’s neck and head in a single motion, leaving the soldier unable to even scream.

Splash!

With a swift motion, he threw the blood-soaked Full Moon as hard as he could, and the sword flew in a straight line, piercing through four soldiers standing nearby before returning to his grasp.

Blood splattered everywhere. Patun dipped his fingers into the pool of blood at his feet, smearing it diagonally across his face, from his forehead to his cheek. The soldiers, seeing his demonic appearance, froze in fear.

“These guys are nothing but pathetic weaklings.”

Thud! Thud-thud!

Behind him, the Red Moon warriors leaped onto the wall, landing with heavy thuds. They licked their lips as they eyed their prey.

“Kaaahhhh!!!”

“Graaaaah!!!”

They pounced like beasts and proceeded to massacre the soldiers, using the foothold Patun had created as their base.

Boom—!!

Craaaaash—!!

As one section of the wall began to crumble, the entire structure was quickly painted crimson.

The tension on the battlefield had vanished completely, as if Moon Aether had been reduced to a mere stage for the immigrants to prove their might to Karyl.

However, Hashir gazed at them with a look of discontent and muttered, “They’re still young.”

All these warriors were leading and representing their respective tribes, but compared to the tribes still in the north, it was clear they still had a long way to go. They had the skills but not the experience to go with it, and Hashir was certain that their lack of experience would lead to mistakes of some kind.

“Hmm.”

Unlike the rampaging Tiger Shield and Red Moon warriors, the Jannabi tribe had yet to charge toward Moon Aether. It was as if they had read Hashir’s mind.

Thud!

The Tiger Shield warriors wielded their massive shields, held upright like battering rams, to shatter the gate. First wave, second wave, third wave... The shields swung in a rhythm, like the ebb and flow of the tide, and eventually, the firmly shut gates of Moon Aether shook and finally gave way.

“The gates are open!” Kuntai announced.

Indeed, they were carrying out a flawless siege, just as promised, without any siege equipment.

“Hahaha! We’re the first in! No need to leave it to those Red Moon bastards. The honor of taking the chief’s head belongs to Tiger Shield!!”

“Yaaaaah!!"

“Haaaaa!!’

Kuntai’s voice seemed to reach all the way back to the main camp. Following him, the Tiger Shields stormed through the gates.

“...”

Hashir watched as the gates of Moon Aether were breached and lowered his bow. Perhaps his unease was unfounded. Indeed, young warriors were often worrisome, but their fiery energy could make up for that.

And as he slowly nodded in approval...

“Aaaahh!”

“Aaagh!”

The soldiers and sorcerers on the ramparts, poised to attack the Tiger Shield tribe as they passed through the gate, fell with screams, blood spraying in all directions.

Assassins emerged from the shadows. To minimize any potential dangers, the Wolf-Fox tribe carried out their assigned tasks.

“When did they...?”

Kuntai and Patun’s eyes widened in surprise. Even they hadn’t noticed how quickly the Wolf-Fox tribe had scaled the walls, and now they were forced to acknowledge that the assassins had beaten them to it.

“Charge!”

“Don’t let them take the lead!”

The two warriors shouted, frowning as they urged their troops forward.

“This is too easy,” Karyl murmured as he watched the two warriors advancing into the fortress.

“Ah, yes. As you said, my lord, it seems it won’t even take a full day.” Hashir quickly nodded in agreement.

But Karyl shook his head, somewhat dissatisfied with his response.

“That’s not it.”

"...What?"

“There’s been too little resistance. The gates were breached far too easily. I’m not underestimating the technique of the Tiger Shields, but the fortresses of the Lurein Principality are known for their solid defenses. They’re not the sort that can be breached with brute strength alone.”

At those words, Hashir quickly turned his gaze to the Red Moon tribe scaling the walls and the Tiger Shields charging through the gates.

“Could it be...?”

“That’s right. It’s a trap. The gates didn’t break open; they were opened deliberately. Look closely. The walls of Moon Aether are double-layered. Even if the outer gate is breached, it’s not a significant problem. The enemy has turned the interior of the fortress into the battlefield,” Karyl explained calmly.

And at that moment...

Clang—!! Rumble...!!

“You foolish immigrants... I’ll burn every last one of you!”

As the machinery inside the gates whirred into motion, thousands of soldiers took control of the handles, directing hundreds of black cannons toward the gate.

“Magical artillery...!!”

Hashir realized that his earlier unease had not been misplaced.

Woooom—!! Wooom—!!

The sound of the charged artillery, which glowed red, resonated like the growl of a predator ready to pounce.

“Da-Dangeeeer!!”

Hashir quickly raised his hand to give orders to the warriors atop the wall, but he already knew they wouldn’t be able to react to the artillery. Just before the barrage was about to unleash its deadly force on the Tiger Shield warriors, who had nowhere to retreat...

“Wait,” Karyl, his expression calm, signaled to Hashir, who was anxiously watching Moon Aether.

“The fact that Moon Aether can be taken in a day hasn’t changed. It seems I’m not the only one who noticed the trap.”

“Fire—”

Before the artillery commander could even shout out his command...

Shiiiing—

With a chilling sound, the commander was split in half, from head to crotch.

Crack... Splat!

His hand was still clasping the batton, and his two eyes, now split apart, were fixed ahead. He hadn’t even registered his own death.

Flash—!!

Shadowy figures darted away as the heads of the artillery operators were severed one by one. When had they arrived?

Hashir let out a low gasp as he watched them, realizing they might have scaled the walls of Moon Aether even before the Wolf-Fox tribe, lying in wait all this time.

“The Black-Eyed tribe...”