Wandering Knight

Chapter 490: To the Frontlines

The massive shadow sweeping over the sky, followed by the roar of something cleaving through the air, arrested Damian's drifting thoughts—and the hands of the other merchants who had been chatting and hauling crates. Overhead, a great blue dragon glided past.Even though the creature had deliberately reined in its presence, the draconic might radiating from its enormous form still made the townsfolk shiver: not in fear, but in the primal, instinctive awe etched into the marrow of all living beings.

These dragons were now the guardians of Aleisterre, patrolling the kingdom by air to ensure the safety of every settlement. Aside from newcomers, most residents had grown used to the immense silhouettes that occasionally passed overhead. Truth be told, once they were certain these mighty creatures meant them no harm, the constant watch of dragons was rather comforting.

"Incredible... this is my first time seeing a dragon up close. I can feel how powerful they are. If one of them swatted me with a claw, I bet it'd flatten my finest armor, and me along with it!"

The dwarf was almost trembling with excitement. One might even think being mashed flat was some kind of honor among dwarves.

"Don't just stand there gawking. Go help the caravan finish unloading. You'll have plenty of time to explore this place later. Anything you haven't seen before, you can learn about slowly."

Damian clapped the dwarf on the shoulder. For once, he was the one doing the prodding. Every other member of the company was hard at work. It wouldn't do for the two of them to stand by chatting idly.

He had already grown accustomed to the faintly painful heat pulsing from the mark on his body. The seal that bound the god-slaying artifact did not inflict physical pain; rather, it provided a strange sense of direction, a whisper telling him just how devastating a single strike would be when the moment came.

"Easy for you to say," the dwarf grumbled. "You got to see all of Aleisterre's wonders before any of us. No wonder nothing fazes you anymore."

The complaint was halfhearted at best. Still, the dwarf trudged back to work. Dwarves were unmatched when it came to heavy labor.

"Hey, seeing it with my own eyes shocked me plenty too..."

Damian sighed and followed after him. He watched the dwarf casually hoist three heavy crates at once. Rubbing his palms together, Damian finally resigned himself to picking up a single crate with both arms, hugging it to his chest as he staggered toward the warehouse.

Life with the trading company was just settling into a stable rhythm in this remote border town of Aleisterre.

Far above them, far higher than mortal eyes could reach, a flight of dragons knifed through the clouds in tight formation. Their innate command of magic eased the drag of the wind around them without conscious effort; even with bodies the size of fortresses, their speed eclipsed that of nearly any spellcaster of other races.

At their head flew Miselyx, the chieftain of the white dragons. A hundred great dragons were in the flock, the strongest members of the surviving draconic clans. These were the dragons who would accompany the Archbishop of the Church of Nightfall to the front lines, forming one of the spears aimed at the very heart of Utopia.

"We are nearing the rendezvous point. Prepare to join Lord Wang Yu."

Miselyx's voice resonated through the Prayer Network. At their speed, they would soon arrive at their destination, the cursebinding spire.

"Understood. We're ready here. We can depart at any time," Aurelian answered.

"Mom, I'm heading out."

On the grassy plains before the spire, Avia embraced her mother, Mira, in a tight farewell hug.

Mira stroked Avia's head tenderly. Avia was still so young—at her age, Mira was still in a magical academy. Yet she was already stepping forward to face an enemy whose sheer power was difficult even for Mira to comprehend. How could any mother not worry?

"Go on. Give it everything you have."

She patted Avia's shoulder and pushed her forward lightly. Worry though she did, she understood that her daughter's abilities had already surpassed her own, and that there were things Avia could perceive which she herself could not. She wanted to respect her daughter's choice. Lingering sentiment would only weigh her down. Better to send her off with courage.

Mira looked up. Not far away, Wang Yu stood beside Aurelian in her human form, waiting patiently for the mother and daughter to finish their farewell. At that moment, Wang Yu's eyes met hers.

"Don't worry. Leave her to me."

He lifted a thumb in reassurance, his tone relaxed but earnest. If others had asked him if he thought he'd be able to handle the situation, Wang Yu might reply with a half-hearted "I think I can manage." But to his future mother-in-law, he offered an unhesitant promise.

"Mm."

Mira nodded, watching Avia run toward the two figures. No matter what happened, the sense of security Wang Yu provided was irreplaceable. He had proven himself reliable again and again.

Waving farewell toward her friends and family within the cursebinding spire, Avia stepped into the yawning rift of the void. Wang Yu climbed onto Aurelian's draconian back. The silver dragon soared upward, piercing the clouds as they sped toward the Ashen Wastes.

Aurelian was far faster than Wang Yu traveling alone. She was hardly as absurd as the "Harmony Express" that fired him like a living artillery shell, but this time, they were moving as a coordinated force. It wasn't simply about delivering Avia to the front.

"Lord Wang Yu, aside from the dragons assigned to defend Aleisterre, every other adult dragon capable of fighting has assembled here."

Aurelian kept to a moderate pace as the flight of dragons led by Miselyx caught up to them. Miselyx's voice echoed once more through the Prayer Network.

"My thanks to all of you. When the battle begins, stay close to me. I will use the Lady of the Night's power to shield this area and prevent Utopia's mental attacks from affecting you."

Wang Yu raised a hand from the silver dragon's back. The Chariot's power erupted outward and spread rapidly. It expanded again and again, ultimately forming a vast sphere, larger than any domain he had ever created to date, that enveloped the entire draconic host.

In the void, Avia tapped the Lady of the Night, who was lounging on her reclining chair.

"Lady Darkness, we'll be counting on you."

The Lady of the Night set aside her notebook. She did not rise. She merely nodded.

"Mm. Very well."

With her quiet reply, the immense Tree of the Night above the cubical space surrounding Wang Yu began to move. Its knotted, serpentine roots stretched outward, encircling the cube. From above, the fluid darkness that embodied her divine might cascaded downward, pouring into the domain, where it was seized and marshaled by the Chariot's power.

A soft hum thrummed through the air. In the material world, Wang Yu gathered the full authority of the Lady of the Night and wove it into the Chariot's force, projecting it outward. Countless strands of darkness unfurled across the sky, one by one linking themselves to the dragons flying around him.

There was no resistance or instinctive rejection to the incoming power. Because of that, the divine energy slipped naturally into the dragons' bodies, reaching their consciousness, coiling gently around them, and wrapping them in its protection.

This ability was not unique to the Lady of the Night. Any deity possessed it. The difference lay only in the nature of the god, which determined how the blessing felt to those who received it.

The protection of the God of Light manifested as a faint inner warmth, small and soft, yet steady enough to inspire a quiet sense of safety. The Night's protection, by contrast, was something almost imperceptible unless one deliberately sought it out, like a veil of fine gauze, like one's own shadow. It was difficult to feel, yet never absent.

The power of the night that Wang Yu had woven into his Chariot would ensure that the dragons here remained untouched by Utopia's mental assault. Among all the methods the organization commanded, their psychic attacks were, in Wang Yu's view, the most troublesome. Every other kind of attack he could block save for this. He could shield only a single person, or those who stepped into his domain floating in the void.

A message came through the Prayer Network from Charles. He was currently in Aleisterre's capital, handling the kingdom's affairs alongside the newly established Council of Aleisterre.

"Aleisterre is fully prepared to face any attack at a moment's notice. Wang Yu, just focus on crushing the enemy on your side."

"Oh, and One sensed the presence of Six and Two. You may need to be careful. We never learned where those two devils had been hiding. Looks like they might be aligned with the Utopia's forces."

"The devils Two and Six, huh? Understood. If I can take both of them out at once, that'd be ideal."

The news genuinely surprised Wang Yu. The Utopia had devils among their ranks? As Avia's research into the void deepened, both of them had gained a far better understanding of devils. The next time they met such beings, those so-called "authorities" the devils wielded would no longer work on Wang Yu.

"Anyway, don't worry about Aleisterre. We've got the ‘Captain of Aleisterre' on duty—hah! Hey—hey! Get away from me! Don't come any closer!"

Charles had barely finished two sentences before he started yelling. Judging from the outburst, Edward was probably standing right beside him.

"Don't mind Charles' nonsense. Aleisterre is in full defensive mode now, and we're perfectly capable of protecting ourselves. The decisive battle will be yours."

Edward's voice came through the Prayer Network as well. His meaning was much the same: Wang Yu didn't need to split his attention worrying about Aleisterre. They could hold the line. With their current strength, they had no place in a direct clash with the Utopia—but they could safeguard Aleisterre.

"Understood."

His reply was simple, and full of trust. More messages soon followed.

"Skyborne City is receiving war machines and supplies from the elven kingdoms. They've also asked us to deliver something to you."

"Mr. Wang Yu, Elder Gewen and the other elders of Liaheim discussed the matter and decided to send you Kasimir. They hope it will be of use to you. We apologize that we cannot go further and lend you the Holy Shield or the Crown of Life as well."

These were messages from a Skyborne City operator and from the elf Sif.

"Wang Yu, the calibrated Archangel is in position. All its launch systems have been replaced with magical arrays bolstered by draconic magic. As long as we have enough mana, it'll be able to fire at any moment."

And that message was from Noelle, the young red dragon. As Sieg's younger sister, she possessed extraordinary talent that had been honed by Sieg's and Avia's guidance. Coupled with the advantage of being the first to walk the path of hyperamagic, she had become a powerful fire specialist and alchemist. The Archangel's modification had been entrusted entirely to her.

"..."

The transmissions continued to arrive one after another. Meanwhile, before them, the world began to warp. The air filled with drifting shards of dark ash until the sky and earth blurred into haze. The rolling hills and ridges below vanished, replaced by a vast, pale, dead-flat expanse. Armies from other kingdoms were gathering upon it.

This was their destination, the site of the next battle against the Utopia: the Ashen Wastes.