Chapter 417: Preparing for the Assault

“Wait a second... Launching an assault on Pharel?! Are you serious?”

Following the annihilation of the First Tarak, the black clouds surrounding the Blood Cave had vanished.

After the Celestial Fortress returned to the capital, the people had barely enough time to enjoy the comfort of solid ground before Karyl issued his new command.

Though the city was still in the midst of rebuilding, the defeat of the Nephilim and the temporary respite from the Tarak had brought a sense of stability.

Some still claimed that Karyl was to blame for provoking the Nephilim and triggering the Tarak outbreak in the first place. But thanks to Kamma’s expertise in managing public sentiment, those rumors never gained traction in the streets.

“The Ten Godslayers... It’s got a good ring to it.” Mikhail’s eyes sparkled as he heard about Karyl’s announcement from Aidan.

“Wonder who he’ll choose?”

“I have no idea. I’m sure Lord Karyl already has someone in mind. Why, are you hoping to be one of them?” Aidan asked.

“Well...” Mikhail chuckled awkwardly.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Serica Lauren chimed in from behind. “The current you would just hold everyone back. You couldn’t even finish off one Tarak in the last battle. I got five.”

She threw cold water on his enthusiasm with her usual bluntness. Mikhail just shrugged and gave a sheepish smile.

“Right. And while you’re at it, make sure you don’t even think about fighting when that brat’s around. She’s a headache.”

Even Nain Darhon agreed with Serica, which made some of the others quietly realize that her presence had probably affected Mikhail’s performance in the last fight.

“Serica, how old are you again?”

“Turned sixteen this year.”

“Hmm. Then that means your coming-of-age ceremony is only a month away.”

Serica shot Aidan a confused look, wondering why he was asking such a thing, but he simply gave Mikhail a pat on the shoulder.

“Just hold off a bit longer. Only a few more months.”

“Huh...? Wait! What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Exactly what it sounds like, you idiot. Worry about pulling your own weight first. You’re in no position to help anyone.”

Mikhail tried to protest, but Nain Darhon piled on with even more scolding.

“So... what’s the main act doing while we’re all gathered here?” Nain Darhon leaned back in his chair, clearly tired of waiting.

The large training arena, once used by the empire’s knight orders, was now filled with an impressive crowd.

Miliana was there, along with her two sisters. Kinu Mukari, Kayla Spear, Beikan, Hashir, Hwarin, Lilliana, Patun, Kuntai, Greys Fanpinel, and Ganeth Avelant were present as well.

Warriors from the empire had gathered as well. Kuwell MacGovern stood alongside Serga, Zaken Bolton, and Kadin Luer, with Randol stationed behind them.

Though all of them now followed Karyl, the divide between the north, the south, and the empire still lingered. These people had gathered together, but they were still separated by invisible walls.

“The sheer mana gathered in this place is almost suffocating. Looks like every capable individual from the Free State is here. There’s only one reason for that.”

Miliana watched the entrance of the arena, waiting for Karyl to appear.

“Do you think he’ll announce The Ten today?”

“Probably.”

“Looks like we’ll bounce right back into battle... Lord Karyl can be very ruthless with how he handles people.”

“If you grow too comfortable with peace you didn’t fight for, you’ll just get weaker. That’s no different from handing your life over to the enemy.”

Unlike Nain Darhon, Miliana sounded almost eager to march onto the battlefield. It was only natural, as she had failed to land a decisive blow on Blood. That failure still weighed on her.

“You sound pretty sure you’ll be picked.”

“I don’t need to be humble. Tell me, who else here could take on the tower besides me?”

The others smiled faintly at her boldness.

“The spirited ones are the easiest to work with,” Nain Darhon said in a calm, indulgent tone, one that reflected an age his youthful appearance belied.

“We’ll see.”

Many of the people gathered here exchanged jokes and banter, but they mostly did so to mask their nerves. It was quite clear that tension was building inside all of them.

***

“Are you really going through with this?”

Even after receiving the report that people were gathered in the training hall, Karyl didn’t move immediately.

“Hmm.”

He sat at his desk, staring at a single sheet of paper he had placed there.

“This really is the best course.”

Karyl had been sitting there since early evening the day before, and even as dawn broke, he hadn’t changed a single name on the list.

“If you say so, then it must be. It seems you’ve already chosen who you want before even bringing it up.”

“Our time is limited. You’ve seen my memories, so you know. I can’t handle Hekqet, the second of the Ten Disasters, on my own.”

“Indeed... But even so, I wonder if they’ll fully understand your intentions.”

Allen Javius stroked his chin, nodding at Karyl’s words.

“Preparing for the Second Tarak is critical to our future battles. They need to be able to face Hekqet without me.”

It was clear that Karyl was planning something.

“It seems you’ve made up your mind.”

“If we just sit back and only respond to the Tarak crawling from Pharel, we’ll arrive at the same outcome as in my past life. We can’t just sit and take it.”

Indeed, they had successfully slain Blood, the First Tarak, but there were nine more invasions to come. For Karyl, knowing the future meant more than just preparing for the weaknesses of the Tarak and defeating them.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

In the end, the war will be fought on our land. We can’t avoid damage entirely, no matter how well we defend. The plan is to bring down Pharel before all Ten Disasters arrive.

That was the plan Karyl had devised.

And for that...

He looked over the list one more time before nodding firmly.

“These are the only ones.”

He folded the paper on the desk, then rose from his seat.

“But...” Allen spoke up just as Karyl reached for the doorknob. “I get why you’re not joining this raid, but can that Pharel encased in the Thousand-Year Ice Cave really be conquered without any of the original Ten?”

At that, Karyl gave an ambiguous smile.

“This is going to cause quite a stir.”

Seeing that smile, Allen shook his head in resignation.

***

“W-Wait, hold on a second...!”

As Karyl called out the final name from the list on stage, Miliana shouted up at him, her face twisted in disbelief.

“That’s it? That’s really the full list?”

“Yes, that’s the end of it,” Karyl said curtly.

“No way! Raiding Pharel isn’t just about glory! It’s one of the most difficult missions imaginable! And you’re telling me you’re sending in that bunch of nobodies?!”

Mikhail flinched as Miliana pointed her finger straight at him. He stared at her, startled.

“I don’t get it either,” Serica Lauren chimed in, clearly just as baffled. “You chose Mikhail and not me?”

“Watch your tone, Serica. Lord Karyl isn’t your buddy,” Aidan cut in, his tone unusually harsh and cold.

Of course, they were usually informal with each other, but when it came to Karyl, Aidan never crossed that line.

“Technically, this isn’t a raid,” Karyl went on. “I’m not talking about the Pharel that appeared on the continent, but the relic buried in the Thousand-Year Ice Cave. We don’t even know when the current Pharel will become active again, and we can’t afford to commit all our strength right now.”

“With all due respect, even so, this composition is hard to accept,” Mikhail intervened. “That dimensional Pharel buried in the Thousand-Year Ice Cave is still unknown to us. Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to send a more skilled team?”

“Do you not trust them? Every person chosen has fought beside us. Or is it that you don’t have faith in yourself?”

“...That’s not it.”

Mikhail couldn’t find an answer. Miliana, Nain Darhon, Aidan, Suan, Yurin Huygar—none of those formidable names had made the list, but his had.

What is Lord Karyl thinking...?

He looked around at the others. The team assigned to the Pharel raid included Hashir, Zigra, Beikan, Kinu Mukari, Lilliana, Hwarin, Kayla Spear, Thompson, himself, and a few other sorcerers.

The lineup was clearly unbalanced, as none of the members possessed mana aside from Randol MacGovern, the only imperial in the team. He himself seemed perplexed at his name having been called.

That wasn’t surprising. Opinions on him had always been divided, and even though he had sworn loyalty to Karyl following the empire’s fall, rumors had begun to spread.

When Kuwell MacGovern locked himself away in his mansion, Randol returned home, claiming he intended to persuade his father, but some believed he had simply abandoned Karyl, choosing the MacGovern family instead.

“Hwarin.”

Karyl turned to the strongest among the raid team, the woman he had chosen to lead them.

“Before you leave, I want you to think carefully about why I chose you guys specifically.”

“So there’s a reason, then.” Hwarin narrowed her eyes slightly.

Karyl gave a calm nod and turned away. “That’s all. Those whose names were called, go prepare your gear. Everyone else, remain on standby until I give further instructions.”

With that short announcement, Karyl stepped down, and the training grounds erupted into even more noise and confusion.

***

“Why did you call me here?”

The depths beneath the imperial palace were dark. This was the royal tomb, where past emperors of the fallen empire were buried. Only those with express permission were allowed to enter.

Even though the empire itself had collapsed, the bodies of its rulers remained well-preserved in this solemn place.

“There’s something I need you to do.”

Karyl had returned from the training grounds, but instead of going back to his room, he had come here to the imperial crypt. When he heard the voice behind him, he turned his head slowly, almost like he had been waiting.

“So you left me out of the Pharel raid for some other task in this dingy place?”

“Oh? I didn’t think you’d actually want to go to the tower, Kay Rothschild.” Karyl smiled faintly as he looked at her.

“What’s the job?”

“I need you to bring someone back.”

“You mean raise them as undead? If it’s just about adding one more fighter to your squad, wouldn’t Nain Darhon be better suited for that? Only the head of the Rothschild family can animate our puppets properly.”

“Sure, but unlike the slaves he creates, yours have will. They don’t just follow orders blindly. I’m not looking for a soldier. I simply wish to talk to him.”

“...So that’s what this is about,” Kay said in a steady voice, looking at one body in particular. Unlike the others, which were dried out like mummies, this one lay perfectly preserved.

“So you’re finally claiming that royal blood,” remarked Zarka Hochi from behind Kay. Unlike her, he remembered Karyl talking about this before.

“Can you do it?”

Kay didn’t answer right away. Instead, she stepped up to the body and raised her hand over it. As she began to chant, a deep violet glow bloomed in the darkness.

What she was uttering wasn’t an incantation or the runic tongue—it was the secret language of the Rothschild family.

“Rothschild puppetry isn’t the same as ordinary necromancy,” she said softly. “We don’t force the dead to rise. The soul has to accept the contract. Without its will, there’s no reanimation. So there’s no telling whether he’ll come back or not.”

“Don’t worry about that. He’ll want to see me, even if for the wrong reasons,” Karyl reassured, his voice sharp with certainty.

“Olivurn.”

At that moment, the pale body lying before them slowly opened its eyes.