Chapter 1471: Blood-colored Dawn
When the Divine Will’s light finally dispersed, the sky shed its layered dark clouds and opened again.
Tens of thousands of demons stood at a distance, silent witnesses to the duel of two senior lords.
The grasslands were gone. In their place lay scorched earth — craters meters wide, boulders cracked to powder, trees reduced to torches. The word destruction was barely adequate. Yet Blood Conqueror’s massive body had careened through the golden lightning as though the Divine Will were rain on stone. He, too, had left his mark: craters shaped by the tremendous strength he’d always worn as a crown.
He was the first to fall.
Silent Disaster’s attacks were not merely formidable — her speed matched Undeserved’s, and each pass left a wound. Magic power has limits; even a senior Lord of Hell’s recovery could not keep pace with the rate at which she opened him. When she brushed past him one final time, her blades sheared through his thick calf, and victory ceased to be a question.
“This is not a commensurate battle,” Death Scar murmured.
Blood Conqueror’s abilities mirrored those of a human Extraordinary. His magic stone acted on his body alone — rendering him invincible on the field, nearly impervious to both metal and magic — but in a contest of stamina he had no answer for Silent Disaster’s relentless culling, her sharp senses, the way she slipped past every blow that might have ended her.
“Not necessarily,” Hackzord said. “Watch.”
“Cough — cough… cough…” Blood Conqueror was lacquered in wounds, blue blood fountaining from a dozen openings. His injuries had long outpaced his recovery. He braced himself against his ax, but on his ruined face there was a look of baffling joy. “Not bad. As expected of a Charita genius. I’ve long wished to see who… cough… is the strongest warrior in the race.”
”…” Silent Disaster’s armor bore fresh dents, and one arm hung at a wrong angle, the bone snapped clean through. “Had I not faced a near-death battle recently, the outcome might have been less certain.”
“This is the joy of slaughter, isn’t it?” Blood Conqueror coughed a mouthful of blue. “Compared to surrendering, this suits me better.”
She steadied her breathing. She raised her sword in one hand and walked toward him.
“Cough… Final question. Are you going to be like those trash — kneeling to the humans with the fate of our race as your excuse?”
“No.” She stopped before him. “I’m doing this for Valkries.”
The sword came down.
Ripples of magic power swept through the Realm of Mind once again. No one moved to stop them. No one was willing. The ending had seemed written from the first moment they faced each other.
“What do we do next?” Death Scar asked after a long silence. “The Mothers of Soul that need transplantation are all on the Deity of Gods. We have only three Birth Towers still producing Red Mist, and the stronghold closest to the north will fall to the Sky-sea Realm eventually. Once Arrieta and your Sky City are gone, there is nowhere left to fall back to.”
“Much needs to be done.” Hackzord exhaled. “The troops retreating from the rear must be settled. A supply line between the two cities must be established. The legacy shard must be held firmly — kept far from both humans and the Sky-sea Realm. And the race needs a new King, so that future generations do not simply end.” He paused. “But the first thing that needs to happen is to negotiate with the humans.”
I hope Valkries didn’t make a wrong choice.
He turned and walked toward camp. The race parted before him, making way.
Sky Lord looked east, toward the blood-red dawn, and said nothing in reply.
Roland was awake early when word came that the fleet was approaching. He walked to the landing site.
He was not the only one. The First Army, the engineering teams, the support crews — everyone had poured to the surface, gathered on the tarmac, waiting for the Aerial Knights’ return.
When the first biplane touched down on the floating island’s runway — unstable, lurching, but down — a cheer erupted from the crowd like something long-held finally released.
He waited. Finally he saw the Seagull and the Phoenix. The glider looked much as it had when it departed. The Phoenix was mottled with what the sky had put it through, but it flew steady — it always flew steady. The two planes rolled to a stop before him.
He was already striding across the tarmac before the staircase was raised.
“Wait, wait —” Tilly stepped off and held out both arms to block him. “Don’t come near!”
“Why?”
“You said there would be dangerous contamination after the explosion. The Phoenix was far from the target, but there’s no guarantee it wasn’t tainted. If I’ve already touched it, and you come over —”
He pulled her into a hug before she could finish.
“Who cares,” he said, laughing.
The crowd had seen it. More people surged across the tarmac, arms open, pulling the returning Aerial Knights into embraces, lifting some of them into the air. The landing area became something other than a landing area.
“Didn’t you say they were supposed to undergo cleansing and inspection on return?” Nightingale asked, her lips curling.
Anna shook her head, amused. “It seems you set a poor example.”
“Apparently…” Roland pressed a hand to his forehead.
“Woo!” Lightning dropped out of the sky and flung herself at him. “We did it!”
“Coo! We won! Coo!” Maggie followed close behind.
The other Witches came forward.
“Aren’t you going to stop everyone?” Nightingale asked, a shrug in her voice.
Tilly considered it, then laughed. “Who cares!”
The landing area eventually returned to something like order. Per the Aerial Knights’ reports, the Logistics team sorted the returning planes into batches, assessing required decontamination based on their distance from the blast. The Fury of Heaven planes that Good and company had flown were immediately decommissioned — they had been too close to the Deity of Gods.
The First Army’s senior officers assembled the final count. A hundred and forty-six planes had returned safely, meaning Neverwinter had lost nearly a third of its aerial forces, the majority of those first-generation Fire of Heaven planes. The number of senior demons defending King’s City had been on an entirely different order than the Western Front’s army. Without the measure they had taken, this battle would not have ended so quickly.
Of the two other bombers, only Kun Peng returned. When Sylvie relayed Eagle Face’s last words, a brief silence fell over the room.
“Graycastle will not forget them,” Roland said. “When we return to Neverwinter, I will see that everyone remembers their names — those who were sacrificed, and those who survived. But before any celebration, we need to confirm the physical condition of every Aerial Knight.”
“Your Majesty, the Logistics team has already made preparations,” Iron Axe said.
This was part of the plan — tracking, observation, quarantine for the exposed. With Hero’s ability to transfer illness and Nana’s ability to eliminate it, radiation sickness was not beyond them. The process would take time and cost a great deal, but Roland had no intention of abandoning anyone.
“And before all of that,” he said, slowing his voice, “I give everyone leave to celebrate tonight. For a victory that did not come easily.”
Chapter 1471 - Blood-colored Dawn
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
…
When the Divine Will’s lights dispersed, the sky which was covered in layers of dark clouds regained its brightness.
Tens of thousands of demons stood a distance away, silently witnessing the battle of two senior lords.
The grasslands which originally stood there was gone, and replacing it was a scorched earth. Every time the Divine Will fell, it was represented by an indomitable force. Boulders would be shattered and trees would be set alit. Their trajectories leaving a wake of destruction wasn’t even enough as a description.
But Blood Conqueror’s massive body was barging about in the golden lightning as though unfazed by the damage the Divine Will brought to him. He similarly left countless marks on the ground—craters which were the length of several meters wide was the masterpiece of the tremendous strength he was proud of.
However, the first to fall was the latter.
Silent Disaster’s attacks were not only formidable, but it also had a speed which wasn’t inferior to Undeserved’s, allowing her to leave a wound on Blood Conqueror with every attack. There was a limit to the expenditure of magic power, so even the recovery abilities of a senior Lord of Hell was eventually unable to keep up with the expenditure. When Silent Disaster brushed past him, her blades sliced off his thick calf, making victory a given.
“This is not a commensurate battle,” Death Scar whispered.
Blood Conqueror’s abilities were extremely identical to human Extraordinaries. His magic stone mainly acted on his body, leaving him invincible on the battlefield. Regardless of it being a metallic weapon or a magic strike, he possessed extremely strong resistive abilities. Once he burst into an assault, few things could stop him.
As for Silent Disaster, she had excellent stamina. Her talent at culling could enhance her abilities and her sharp senses and figure allowed her to avoid potent, critical strikes.
In the battle between the two, it was naturally incommensurate.
“Not necessarily,” said Hackzord. “Watch.”
“Cough! Cough… Cough…” Blood Conqueror was covered in wounds as blue blood spewed out like fountains. Clearly, his injuries far exceeded his recovery abilities. He propped himself up with his ax, but his face wore a baffling look of joy. “Not bad. As expected of a Charita genius! I’ve long wished to battle you to see who… Cough… is the strongest warrior in the race.”
“…” Silent Disaster was not without injuries either. Her armor had several indentations and one of her arms was completely fractured, and it drooped down by her side. “If I had not experienced a near-death battle recently, I might not be too certain about the outcome of this fight.”
“This is… the joy of slaughtering, isn’t it?” Blood Conqueror coughed out a mouthful of blood. “Compared to surrendering, this suits me better.”
Silent Disaster calmed her breathing and held her sword with one hand as she walked towards her opponent.
“Cough… Final question. Are you also going to be like those trash, using the fate of the race as reason to kneel to the humans in submission?”
“No, I’m only doing this for Valkries.” After saying that, Silent Disaster swung her sword downwards, slashing straight into Blood Conqueror’s chest.
The ripples of magic power swept through the Realm of Mind once again.
No one dared to come forward to stop them, nor was anyone willing to stop them. It was as though the outcome of the battle had already been decided from the beginning.
“… What do we do next?” Death Scar frowned silently for a period of time before asking. “The Mothers of Soul which need transplantation are all on the Deity of Gods. Currently, there are only three Birth Towers which can produce Red Mist. Furthermore, the stronghold closest to the north will land in the hands of the Sky-sea Realm sooner or later. Once Arrieta and your Sky City falls, we would have no place to retreat to.”
“Many things need to be done.” Hackzord sighed. “You have to settle down the massive number of troops that are retreating from the rear. Then, you need to establish a supply line between the two cities. The legacy shard has to be held firmly in the hands of the race, as far from the humans and the Sky-sea Realm as possible. In addition, the race needs a new King, so as to ensure the continuation of future generations…” He paused. “Of course, the first thing that needs to be done is to negotiate with the humans.”
“I hope that Valkries didn’t make a wrong choice.” He turned to walk towards the camp as the race stirred to make way.
Sky Lord looked east towards the blood-red dawn without giving a reply.
…
Roland had woken up early and entered the landing site when he learned that the fleet was about to land.
In fact, he wasn’t the only one. The First Army, the engineering team, the support crew… Everyone ran to the surface and awaited the moment of the Aerial Knights’ return.
When the first biplane unstably landed on the floating island’s runaway, a resounding cheer erupted from the crowd.
After waiting for a long while, Roland finally saw the Seagull and Phoenix. The glider didn’t look too different from when it first set off while the latter appeared mottled. However, it was in stable condition like it usually was. Soon, the two planes landed in front of him.
Before the staircase was raised, he had already taken wide strides towards the runway.
“Wait, wait—” Tilly rejected his extended arms when she landed. “Don’t come over!”
“Why?”
“Didn’t you say that there would be dangerous contamination after the explosion? Although the Phoenix was rather far from the target, there’s no guarantee that it wasn’t tainted. Now that I’ve touched it and with you coming over—”
Before Tilly finished her sentence, she was pulled into a hug by Roland.
“Who cares,” he said with a laugh.
The crowd soon noticed this scene. Following that, more people surged towards the tarmac and opened their arms to hug the returning Aerial Knights. Some even threw them high into the air!
The landing area immediately erupted into a sea of cheers.
“Uh, didn’t you say that they have to undergo cleansing and inspection once they return,” Nightingale asked with her lips curled.
Anna shook her head in amusement. “It looks like you’ve set off a bad example.”
“Apparently…” Roland could not help but hold his forehead.
“Woo!” At that moment, Lightning descended from the sky and pounced onto him. “We succeeded!”
“Coo! We won! Coo!” Maggie followed closely behind.
The other Witches also came forward.
“Aren’t you stopping everyone?” Nightingale asked with a shrug.
Tilly thought about it before laughing. “Who cares!”
After quite a period of buzz, the landing area finally returned to normal. According to the reports of the Aerial Knights, the Logistics team split the returning planes into batches. They determined the degree of cleansing based on the planes’ distance from the explosion. As for the Fury of Heaven planes which Good and company flew, they were immediately decommissioned due to their close proximity to the Deity of Gods.
The higher-ups of the First Army quickly obtained the final tabulation. A total of 146 planes returned safely, which meant that Neverwinter lost nearly a third of its aerial forces, with a large number of them being first-generation Fire of Heaven planes. Clearly, the number of senior demons protecting King’s City was completely on a different level as the Western Front’s army. If they had used normal measures, this battle would probably not have ended in such a short period of time.
Out of the other two bombers, only Kun Peng returned safely. When Sylvie mentioned Eagle Face’s last words, the meeting room fell into a brief moment of silence.
“Graycastle will not forget them,” said Roland heavily. “When we return to Neverwinter, I will make everyone remember their names—be it those who sacrificed or the warriors who survived. But before our celebrations, we need to ensure the physical condition of the Aerial Knights.”
“Your Majesty, rest assured. The Logistics team has already made preparations,” Iron Axe said.
These were part of the plan which included tracking and observation, so as to quarantine the exposed. For Hero who possessed the ability to transfer illnesses and Nana who could perfectly eliminate illnesses, radiation
sickness was not something that left them helpless. Even if the process might take some time, and the cost was significant, Roland had no intention of giving up on anyone.
“Of course, before that, I permit everyone to have a mini celebration tonight.” He slowed down his tone and smiled. “For the victory that didn’t come easy.”