Chapter 1454: Take Off
The Exploration Group sent its report back to Neverwinter immediately.
“It’s truly like the entire nest is out…” Roland set down the receiver. After a moment spent with the weight of it, he looked at Lightning. “The first direct collision between the two races. And possibly the last. Whatever the outcome decides everything — for humanity, and for the demons.”
“Can we… win?” Lightning’s voice was measured, but her hands were not. She’d come straight back without rest; her hair was matted and tangled, her clothes carrying the sharp smell of days without water.
Roland put a hand on her shoulder. “Of course. And not just win — a clean, decisive victory.”
The demons held the undisputed advantage in numbers, but that very fact revealed how much pressure the Sky-sea Realm had placed on them. The First Army’s technology had its own edge, but a battle of attrition was not an option. If the demon force crossed into the Four Kingdoms, the losses would be mutual ruin even in victory. Roland had no illusion about what an internecine outcome meant for humanity’s long-term survival.
Lightning exhaled, a small and private sound. Then: “Do I smell… strange?”
Roland laughed — genuinely, not diplomatically. “A little.” He brought his fingers to his nose with obvious theater. “But it’s the smell of adventure. In my opinion, that isn’t bad at all.”
Her face went red. She scooped up Maggie, who had been methodically sniffing the hem of her collar, and bolted for the door with her head down. “I’m going to take a bath!”
“Coo?” Maggie blinked, baffled at the sudden movement.
“Lightning. Maggie.” Roland called after them before the door closed. “It was hard on both of you. Rest well.”
“Yes…”
The door shut.
Roland reached for the telephone and dialed the Administrative Office. “Notify the cabinet — convene immediately. The time to move out is here.”
The meeting room filled with Neverwinter’s senior leadership arranged in a circle.
Roland pinned Lightning’s hand-drawn map to the wall behind him and repeated the Exploration Group’s findings.
“Two things are confirmed. First: the new Deity of Gods exists and is currently less than three hundred kilometers from the continental ridge, moving north. Second: it is transporting more demons than it can carry — the island cannot accommodate them all, which is why they’re marching on foot. An inefficient method, which suggests the scale of their deployment.
“The first point isn’t difficult to explain. To enter Everwinter and the Kingdom of Wolfheart, the demons built obelisks in the middle of the ridge and established a Red Mist supply line through the Land of Dawn. Flying along the mountain range prevents navigational drift and eases the supply burden. It’s a reliable route. The second — the specific number — we can’t confirm precisely. But if they’ve committed their full strength, I estimate the combat-ready demon population at around ten million, without exaggeration. At their current pace, they will reach the edge of the Four Kingdoms within half a month.”
The word “ten million” moved visibly through the room. Roland watched faces — Barov’s most of all. He couldn’t fault the reaction. Humanity’s survivors from two Battles of Divine Will hadn’t reached ten million. To minds accustomed to that scale, ten million enemies was an astronomical figure.
“This attack cuts off their own retreat. It is a battle that decides the fate of humanity. The Eleanor Skycruiser must move out immediately, advance to as close as possible to the Impassable Mountain Range, and stop the enemy’s advance northward.”
“But, Your Majesty…” Barov’s voice was careful, measured. “With an enemy of this size, and the force the floating island can deploy being limited — is it too great a risk to meet them head-on?”
“Holding the ground at Graycastle is the real risk.” Edith rose. She fixed Barov with a look that held no warmth, then addressed the room. “Gentlemen — do not be intimidated by ten million demons. If they cannot reach Graycastle, their numbers mean nothing. Consider: the Blackstone Region has harbored that many demons since the first Battle of Divine Will. The reason they never crossed to Graycastle was the Red Mist supply line. Our true target is singular.” She paused. “The enemy’s floating city.”
The atmosphere shifted. No one in that room wanted to admit to being frightened.
“Correct.” Roland kept amusement out of his voice. “Once they lose the Red Mist supply, the demons already in the Fertile Plains will be unable to advance. And moving out now doesn’t mean engaging immediately — we’ll be using the transit time to allow the army full preparation.”
He left one consideration unspoken. Sky Lord and Silent Disaster had returned to Sky City to consolidate their forces. Since the demon army was using the Western Front supply line, Hackzord could not be ignorant of King’s City’s new location. To the Demon King, Hackzord was a traitor — amassing strength was his only reliable insurance. The fall of King’s City would be his greatest opportunity, and he would not be indifferent when it came.
Roland turned to Tilly. “How has the take-off and landing training gone for the Aerial Knights?”
“Easier than I expected.” Tilly leaned back in her chair. “Landing on the floating island isn’t significantly different from landing on the ground. With permissive weather, the students handle it without difficulty. The remaining problem is navigation.” She tapped the table. “Before, we used the Impassable Mountain Range or the shoreline as landmarks for orientation. From here on, both sides will be continuously moving. The Fertile Plains offer little for bearing-finding. If a pilot loses the island, they may not find it again.” Her expression was neutral, already working through solutions. “It’s not an unsolvable problem — it only requires more fuel.”
Aircraft carrier operations — the same challenge, different technology. In a battlefield spanning hundreds of kilometers, small errors compounded into large ones. But unlike ocean operations, the land had forests, rivers, and peaks. Reference objects. Roland understood her approach: fly more, until orientation became instinct.
“They can fly for as long as you need,” he said.
The Aerial Knights were unquestionably the primary striking force in the coming battle. It was the aerial force, and nothing else, that gave humanity the opportunity to strike at the demons a thousand kilometers from home.
No further objections rose. Roland surveyed the hall.
“Then I announce the commencement of Phase Three of the Heaven Plan. We set out on the floating island. Our target: the northern regions of the Fertile Plains.”
Chapter 1454 - Take Off
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The investigation group immediately sent news back to Neverwinter.
“It’s really like the entire nest is out…” After listening to Lightning’s report, Roland sighed. This would undoubtedly be the first direct collision between both races and might even be the last. Regardless of the outcome, it determined the future for both humanity and demons.
“Can we… win?” Lightning asked with hesitation.
She was dirty from head to toe; her hair ends tangled and unruly, with the smell of sour sweat lingering on. Obviously after finding out about the demons, she had rushed back without any rest at all.
“Of course.” Roland acted relaxed and patted her shoulders. “Not only will we win, but we will enjoy a clean and decisive victory.”
It was evident that the demons held the undisputed advantage in terms of numbers, but this also showed just how much pressure the Sky-sea Realm had placed on them. The First Army’s technology had its own advantages, but since they could not afford to fight in a battle of attrition, it would be a Pyrrhic victory if the demons entered the Four Kingdoms.
By the same logic, even if the demons won, it was inevitable that they would suffer a tremendous loss. Roland believed that the best outcome was an internecine one if the demons were not stopped to the west of the Impassable Mountain Range.
Lightning heaved a slight sigh of relief, then suddenly became embarrassed. “Er, do I smell… weird?”
Roland chucked. “A bit… but it is the smell of adventure, so it’s nothing bad.” He deliberately pinched his nose. “To be honest, I think it isn’t bad.”
The girl’s face flushed red, immediately grabbing Maggie, who was sniffing down her collar, before rushing out of the office with her head lowered. “II’m going to take a bath!”
“Coo?” Maggie remained confused.
“Lightning, Maggie.” Just as the two were leaving, Roland called out to them. “It was tough on both of you; have a good rest.”
“Yes…”
Once the door closed, he immediately grabbed the phone and called the Administrative Office. “Notify the cabinet for a meeting, the time to set off is here.”
…
Inside the meeting room, the higher-ups of Neverwinter sat in a circle.
Roland pasted Lightning’s hand-drawn map behind him and repeated the exploration group’s findings.
“There are two verifiable points from this information, one being the existence of the new Deity of Gods located less than 300 kilometers away from the ridge of the continent and continuously moving north. The second point is that it is bringing along a large number of demons to the extent that the new floating island is incapable of accommodating all of them; therefore, they are resorting to such an inefficient method of movement.
“I think it isn’t difficult to comprehend the former—to infiltrate Everwinter and the Kingdom of Wolfheart, the demon army not only built an obelisk in the middle of the ridge of the continent, but they have even established a supply line through the Land of Dawn. By flying along the mountain range, not only does it prevent a deviation in course, but they are also able to ease the burden of Red Mist by using the supply line. It is considered a rather reliable route.
“The latter isn’t clear in the sense of the specific quantity, but since their full strength is out, I expect that the demons capable of battle numbers is around ten million without any exaggeration. According to their current progress, we can expect them to arrive at the edge of the Four Kingdoms in half a month.”
Upon the mention of numbers, Roland noticed the fear shown on many of their faces. But it could not be blamed; after going through two Battle of Divine Wills, humanity had suffered terribly and the survivors did not even reach ten million, not to mention their weakened army. To Barov and the others, the scale of ten million was no different from an astronomical figure.
“This enemy attack is one whereby they have cut off their means of retreat, and also a battle that will determine the fate of humanity. The Eleanor Skycruiser must move out immediately to rush to as close as possible to the Impassable Mountain Range and stop the enemy’s advancement northwards.”
“But… Your Majesty,” Barov said with much difficulty. “The enemy has an astonishing population, while the force the floating island can bring is limited. Is taking the initiative to meet the attack too risky?”
“Holding the ground at Graycastle is what’s most risky!” Edith stood up and gave the old director a glance. “Everybody, do not be intimidated by ten million demons. If they are unable to reach Graycastle, their numbers mean nothing. You will understand just by thinking about it—the Blackstone region had that many demons since the first Battle of Divine Will. The reason for their inability to travel all the way here in the past was because of the Red Mist supply line. So our true target is only one thing—the enemy’s floating city.”
Once her reasoning was out, the atmosphere in the room changed ever so lightly, since no one was willing to admit their fear of the enemy.
“That’s right,” Roland suppressed a laugh and added. “Once they lose their supply of Red Mist, the demons in the Fertile Plains will have difficulty inching forward. Additionally, us setting out now isn’t an indication that we are going into battle, we will be using this time en route to allow the army to have sufficient time to prepare.”
There was an additional point that he did not say—Sky Lord and Silent Disaster who returned to Sky City to bring together the troops.
Since the demon’s movement used the supply line at the Western Front, it was impossible for Hackzord to be unable to know of the new location of King’s City. To the King of the demon race, Hackzord was a complete traitor, so him amassing more strength was the best way for self preservation. The fall of the King’s City would undoubtedly be his best opportunity, and Hackzord would not remain indifferent at that time.
Upon thinking about this, Roland turned to Tilly. “Right, how’s the take off and landing training going for the Aerial Knights?”
“Far easier than I had imagined,” Tilly replied. “There isn’t much difference from landing and taking off on the ground. As long as the weather permits, the students are able to accomplish their tasks with ease. The only trouble is that we previously only had to use the Impassable Mountain Range or the shoreline for the pilots to roughly determine their location and from there, find the landing site. But from here on out, the enemy and us will be constantly on the move. Adding the lack of direction that the Fertile Plains provides, I’m afraid that there will be difficulty locating our point of departure. Of course, it isn’t an unsolvable problem, you only need to supply us with more fuel.”
This was also a difficult problem for aircraft carriers in combat—In a battlefield that spanned over a few hundred kilometers, any tiny divergence would accumulate to form a large error. The fortunate thing was that compared to the unvarying ocean, there were bound to be some “reference objects” on dry land that could be used to determine their location—for example, forests, rivers, mountain peaks etc. Roland was able to guess at her plans—if the pilots were unskilled with the maneuvering, they had to train more and fly more. Naturally, they would learn to be more aware of their own locations.
“Relax, they will be able to fly for as long as you want them to,” he promised.
In the upcoming battle, the Aerial Knights were without question the main fighting force. It was also because of this aerial force that mankind had the opportunity to attack and stop the demons a thousand miles from home.
Seeing that no one else had any objections, Roland surveyed the hall once more and gave the order. “With that, I shall announce the commencement of Phase Three of the Heaven Plan. We shall set off on the floating island, and the target is the northern regions of the Fertile Plains!”