Chapter 143: A Force for Glory Battlefield

A golden portal had appeared in the square at Forgotten Shrine along with the announcement. It was the entrance to Glory Battlefield.

The opening time was noon tomorrow. Everyone had one day to prepare.

Entry was voluntary. A Lord could bring a combined number of Heroes and troops equal to his own Level.

Cassian was still Level 7. As things stood, he could bring seven.

The participating races made that limit worth taking seriously. The Divines ranked among the top hundred races. Humans had placed 5,825th on last year’s Racial Ranking, in the lower half.

That was the ranking for the entire Human race. The Homeworld was only one of its civilizations. Others had built their strength through advanced technology or cultivation, and their results were included too.

Even the Demons and Machines stood far above Humans, before the Divines were considered.

Discussion erupted across the Channels.

[Anonymous Lord: Battle Names! They increase attributes by a percentage!]

[Anonymous Lord: If only I could finish in the top thousand and get one.]

[Anonymous Lord: Wake up. With Divines in there, even the great Houses’ heirs will have to fight for the top thousand.]

[Anonymous Lord: I thought we’d have until the Contest of Champions before we faced other races. I didn’t expect it this soon.]

[Anonymous Lord: Think carefully before you enter. Run into a Divine Lord, and you might never come back.]

Cassian opened a video conference with Riftward’s leading Lords.

"Glory Battlefield is a huge opportunity," Elara said. "It’s dangerous too. What are you all planning?"

Seraphine laughed. More than ten days of hard hunting had done nothing to dull her appetite for a fight.

"They say most Divines are Warbound Lords. With a chance like this, of course I want to see what they can do."

"House Frost doesn’t turn back because the road is difficult," Darian said.

"Count me in!" Tobias sounded just as eager. He had taken Life Essence, and he had two squads of Epic troops behind him. He had good reason to feel confident.

"Southreach Province was selected too," Nessa said excitedly. "That’s where my family is. I’m going!"

Their enthusiasm caught Elara as well.

"Then I’ll join you. I can’t let everyone else go alone."

She was making the choice sound more desperate than it was. In the past few days, she had paid Cassian’s five-hundred-thousand fee and the Royal Hall’s recruitment cost for the newly available Hill King. With Brogan, two Legendary Hill Kings, twenty-three Epic Storm Guardians, and her Eclipse troops, her force was second only to Darian’s among their fellow Lords.

"What about our Commander?" Darian asked. "You’ve been quiet."

Cassian smiled.

"If everyone else is going, I might as well join you."

A Battle Name was far too rare to ignore. Especially the Gold Battle Name for first place. If he let this chance pass, there was no telling when another would come.

He usually preferred to make sure of a win before acting. Apparently, even he could be tempted into an adventure.

For all his strength, a hundred Divine heirs attacking him together would still be dangerous.

"With dragons like yours, boss, the top thousand should be certain," Tobias said. "You’re bound to get a Battle Name."

"You’re underestimating him," Darian said. "Who knows what else he’s hiding? He might surprise everyone and reach the top hundred."

"Don’t put too much pressure on him," Rowan said. "We’re talking about Lords from the Divines, Demons, and Machines this time."

"If only it were a naval battlefield," Mara said regretfully. "With your fleet, boss, the top hundred would be within reach."

After receiving his honorary rank, Cassian had told her to stop addressing him as her commanding officer in their conversations. She had followed the others in calling him boss instead.

"The top hundred?" Nessa objected. "Cassian is going to take first place!"

"There it is again," Darian said, amused. "Nessa’s complete faith."

She hesitated, then lifted her chin.

"Well, even if he doesn’t take first, the top ten won’t be a problem!"

The others smiled. They believed in Cassian’s strength, but none of them dared expect a top-ten finish against these races.

Darian’s own target was the top hundred.

By the end of the conference, everyone in the group except Mira and Mara had decided to enter.

Cassian closed the call.

"If I’m going, then my target is the Gold Battle Name. First place. Why not?"

The thought of its bonuses filled him with energy.

"Level up."

The Marches Ranking was over. There was no need to keep his Level down any longer.

Cassian selected Level 45 in the growth panel and confirmed the Battle Essence cost. Light washed over him again and again, carrying him from Level 7 to the Domain’s current limit.

[Cassian Vale]

[Level: 45]

[Aptitude: A]

Strength filled his body. The increase in his base attributes was so large that even Warbody Foundation’s gains now made up a smaller share of his power.

And he was still wearing the Seven-Star set he had equipped at Level 7. A set of Level-40 Legendary equipment would push him farther still.

Cassian let out a quiet breath.

The air rolled outward for ten meters around him.

He paused, feeling the strength that had escaped with that simple movement. The increase had come so quickly that he could not yet control it perfectly.

There were deep-sea beasts whose breathing could stir small tides. He was still far from that, but he was beginning to understand how a body could hold that kind of power.

It took him more than ten minutes to bring his strength fully under control.

Now for the force he would take with him.

"Level forty-five. Forty-five companions."

Aurelia, Celia, and Liora took three places. His twelve Stormlance and nine Praetorians were obvious choices as well. That left twenty-one.

He had too many strong troops for an easy decision.

"The original twelve Crystal Maidens are already Level forty-five. Take them. Harriet and Heloise for support... and seven more Maidens from the second squad."

At the same Level, the Dawnwings offered better attributes. But most were still Level 25. Raising a large force of them would demand more Battle Essence than he could spare.

With the selection settled, Cassian opened the troops’ growth panel and confirmed the upgrades. A large sum of the Battle Essence earned during the hunt went into the chosen force.

The twelve Maidens with Crystal Dragon forms kept their Level-45 strength. Every other selected troop was now Level 40; Sigrid had already reached it.

Next, he opened the Eclipse Muster Hall.

[Muster Fortune: 331,850]

More than three hundred and thirty thousand. Cassian smiled at the figure, then selected Veyra and his nine Praetorians for training.

"Rhea. Advance Mistveil March and Aegis Fold."

[Muster Fortune consumed: 500. Rhea — Mistveil March: Proficient.]

[Muster Fortune consumed: 2,000. Rhea — Mistveil March: Mastery.]

[Muster Fortune consumed: 20,000. Rhea — Mistveil March: Accomplished.]

[Muster Fortune consumed: 500. Rhea — Aegis Fold: Proficient.]

More notices followed as he paid for the remaining stages and moved through the group. Veyra already had Mistveil March at Mastery; her next stage cost twenty thousand.

By the time he finished, all ten had reached Accomplished in Mistveil March and Mastery in Aegis Fold. The completed training had cost three hundred and twenty thousand Muster Fortune.

[Muster Fortune remaining: 11,850]

[Mistveil March — Accomplished]

[Training Art Attributes: Physique +1,200 | Aether +1,200 | Spirit +720 | Load +720]

Cassian looked over the new bonuses with delight. Even Veyra’s Mastery bonuses had doubled. For the Praetorians, the improvement was greater still.

"Having an Eclipse Hall is wonderful. I almost envy its people... for having a Lord as good as me!"