Chapter 144: Into Glory Battlefield

For a moment, Cassian almost wanted to join the Eclipse line himself.

He shook his head and put that odd thought aside. There was still equipment to arrange.

Through the Exchange, he bought an Epic Nebula set at Level 40 for each of his nine Praetorians, then a Level-45 Epic Dragonblood set for each of the twelve original Crystal Maidens to wear in human form. The equipment cost a hundred and fifty million Aether altogether.

Levels, training, and now equipment. The Praetorians’ Combat Ratings reached an astonishing twenty-eight hundred stars, surpassing even the Legendary Stormlance.

"I can’t say the Gold Battle Name is certain," Cassian said. "But keeping myself alive should be easy enough."

The rapid increase in his forces’ strength had drawn attention.

Aurelia and Liora came through the Gate. Veyra came out from the Hall, and even Celia put aside her training and joined them.

"Has something happened, Lord?" Veyra asked at once.

Cassian nodded and gave them a brief account of Glory Battlefield.

"I’ve seen what Demons can do," Aurelia said, a fighting gleam in her eyes. "These Divines are supposed to be stronger?"

"Divines. Machines." Liora looked intrigued. "I’ve never encountered either. I’d like to see them for myself."

Celia raised her chin slightly.

"My Sword Intent has reached Lesser Perfection. Three point two times the cutting and penetration for my sword attacks. I wonder how many Divines could withstand Lifeless Sword Arc."

Cassian looked from one confident face to the next.

"I don’t know how strong the enemy will be either. Don’t underestimate them."

"Yes, Lord."

He turned his attention to his friends. Elara had enough strength behind her to put his mind at ease. Tobias and Rowan each had two squads of Epic troops as well.

Nessa had her Chapterhouse, but she was short of anything stronger than its regular troops.

She was trusting, good-natured, and far too easy to fool. He did not want anything to happen to her.

Cassian searched his Inventory. Before long, his eyes brightened.

"That will do."

He sent her the equipment through the Exchange with a message.

[Cassian Vale: Nessa, keep this with you for now. Use it if you need to save yourself in Glory Battlefield.]

Her reply arrived almost immediately.

[Nessa Fenwick: Legendary equipment! And it summons troops! Cassian, if you give me something this powerful, what will you use?]

[Cassian Vale: Take it. I know what I’m doing.]

Nessa accepted that without another question.

[Nessa Fenwick: Thank you, Cassian! If I meet my family from Southreach, I’ll introduce you. They’re all grown women. Even Susie, the youngest, is nineteen.]

[Cassian Vale: That sounds like trouble.]

——

In Ashvale Marches, more than a dozen Black Banner Commanders had gathered again.

"Every Lord can only bring a few dozen Heroes and troops into Glory Battlefield," Galen Tervain said excitedly. "Cassian is no exception."

He swept a hand across the gathering.

"No Domain. No invincible fleet. No army of Eclipse troops. He’ll have those twelve Dragons, and little else we need to worry about. This is our best chance to kill him."

A mustached Commander frowned.

"According to the rules, we’ll appear at random locations on the lowest floor. I don’t like admitting it, but Cassian is more than a promising newcomer now. He’s strong. Perhaps the strongest Lord in Tidecrown."

He looked around at the others.

"Even with only a few dozen troops, he could kill any one of us. Whoever finds him alone will just be delivering a reward."

"Ravenscar, I’ve checked the records," Tervain said patiently. "Large Opportunity Instances like this allow us to spend points to locate other Lords. We can use that to gather first."

He leaned forward.

"And if we earn enough points, we may be able to exchange them for a Dimensional Lock. Bring Cassian straight to us."

"But gathering and spending those points will hurt our own Rankings," Ravenscar said.

"Let’s be honest. There are tens of millions of Black Banner Lords in Tidecrown, but fewer than a hundred have any chance of getting a Battle Name." Tervain smiled coldly. "Besides, the military has sent Spiritbound Lords to support this operation."

At last, Ravenscar relaxed.

"With Spiritbound Lords involved, those Dragons should no longer be a problem."

A young-looking Commander with a refined face spoke up.

"Leave the operation against Cassian to me. I’ll give up my chance at a Battle Name to organize it."

"An admirable sacrifice, Lord Sorn," Tervain said solemnly.

Roderic Sorn’s reasons were not entirely public-spirited. Tervain knew he had long coveted his two cousins, Ysel and Maera. Now the women and their brother Varek had thrown in their lot with Cassian.

Whatever Cassian had done to win them over, their allegiance seemed absolute.

Roderic probably imagined Cassian had already taken the two women to bed a hundred times. The thought alone was enough to make him hate the man.

"Rest assured," Roderic said through clenched teeth. "Glory Battlefield will be his grave."

——

Third Realm. Highcrest.

"Divines?"

Edran Frost rose abruptly with the report still in his hand.

"Darian is in the same Glory Battlefield as the Divines?"

The Divines were enemies of the Human race, of the Homeworld, and of House Frost. To hold them back, Edran had spent more than half his House’s resources on a Mythic defensive Building, the Wall of the Void. His eldest son, the one he relied on most, commanded its defenses.

Now his nineteenth son was about to face the same race, far earlier than he had expected.

"Their natural Aptitude is far above ours," Merrick said. "Lord Darian is too important to risk like this. Give the order, my lord. Stop him from entering."

Edran was silent for more than ten seconds.

"When I last returned to the Homeworld, Aphra played me a song. One line stayed with me. Nothing worth achieving comes without hardship."

He looked down at the report again.

"My son is not a flower raised under glass. If this road claims his life, then that is his fate."

"My lord is wise," Merrick said smoothly. "And Lord Darian is exceptionally gifted and fortunate. He may well finish in the top ten and bring back a Silver Battle Name."

Edran snorted.

"Enough flattery. With Divines in the field, even the top hundred will be difficult for him."

His gaze hardened as it settled on the steward.

"And the last task I gave you? I told you to buy him command of the Marches. You couldn’t even manage that."

Merrick lowered his head in alarm.

"Cassian refused to appreciate your generosity, my lord. He even used Lord Darian to shield himself. The man deserves death."

"Enough." Edran waved him away. "Go."

"Yes, my lord."

"Wait."

Merrick stopped.

"When the final scores are available, check Cassian’s position. If he reaches the top hundred, bring the result to me immediately."

"...Yes, my lord."

Merrick kept his expression under control until he had traveled more than a thousand kilometers from the palace and returned to his own residence.

Then his face twisted.

"So that commonborn brat has caught Lord Edran’s attention. Because of twelve Dragons?"

His anger settled into something colder.

"He dared make me apologize. I can’t touch him now, but once Darian completes the Ascension War and enters the upper Realms, we’ll see who protects him."

Merrick clenched his teeth.

"When that day comes, he’ll wish I’d simply killed him."

——

Before departure, Cassian made one more purchase through the Exchange: a compatible Echo Crystal Bat Sample for Crystal Seven.

She absorbed it and recorded the new form. Its Echo Survey could read the terrain and detect life-signs, including creatures beneath the ground. It would give his hunting groups a way to find their next targets quickly.

At noon the next day, the golden portal became a swirling vortex.

Cassian left the Domain’s daily defenses in Veyra’s hands, then confirmed his selected force.

"Aurelia, Celia, Liora, the Stormlance..."

All forty-five companions were on the list.

"Enter Glory Battlefield."

The vortex spread outward, enveloping the group. Then it contracted sharply.

Cassian and the forty-five with him stretched into long streams of light and vanished into the portal.