Chapter 375: A Founding Writ

A possibility took shape in Briallen’s mind.

She had seen Cassian’s troops flying in Dragon form before. Had he just advanced one of them to Mythic?

That would explain the sudden appearance of a Dragon King. But a Mythic Troop Soul was hardly something a Lord found lying beside a forest path. The most likely way to obtain one was to kill a Mythic enemy.

And the only Mythic anywhere nearby was...

Briallen scarcely dared finish the thought. She looked toward Cassian with a new depth of respect.

Void Sanctuary lasted little more than a dozen seconds before its black holes slowly faded.

In that brief time, more than a hundred thousand Orc troops had been ground to pieces. There were no wounded among its victims. Nothing remained of their bodies.

Above the forest, Nine hung her tongue out and panted.

"I’m exhausted! If I hadn’t drunk more than a dozen bottles of Life Water, that would have drained me dry."

Ten looked at her with envy, though her voice was teasing.

"Look at you. Panting like a tired hound."

Cassian patted Nine’s head.

"If you have enough Life Water, how soon can you use Void Sanctuary again?"

She thought for a moment.

"At the same strength? About an hour, my lord."

He nodded. Powerful skills placed a heavy burden on the caster. Aurelia’s Skyblade Descent had been much the same. Replenishing Aether did not remove the need to recover from that strain.

Of all his fighters, perhaps only Celia could keep unleashing powerful sword energy at Transcendence without such a long wait between attacks.

The Orc general was already dead. Cassian sent in the Dawnwing corps, and within an hour, the million-strong army collapsed.

He had no interest in chasing every scattered group of survivors.

"General Briallen, I’ll leave the rest to you. There are other Orc armies to deal with."

"Yes, Lord Cassian." She bowed solemnly. "Thank you again for saving us."

As he departed on Nine’s back, Briallen watched him go.

"A Mythic Dragon for a mount..." she murmured. "Her Majesty certainly knew how to choose."

Cassian divided his army into two forces.

He led the visible force himself, taking Aurelia, Celia, the Dawnwings, the Stormlance, and the Crystalkin flying in Dragon form, along with some of the other Crystal Maidens.

Liora commanded the second force. The Faerie Dragons, Kinetic Mechs, Flamecallers, Blood Emperors, and the rest of the field Crystalkin went with her, striking elsewhere out of the public eye.

There was no need to show everyone all his strongest troops. Nine’s new skill was spectacular, but its greatest value lay in destroying masses of ordinary enemies. Powerful opponents could still break free. The strength One could bring to a direct clash would cause a very different sort of shock.

A few hours and several smaller Orc armies later, Cassian finally met up with the Crown Lords.

Darian was directing their force against another enemy formation. The Crown army was small by the standards of this war, but every troop in it was Legendary—fifty thousand of them. They were handling the battle comfortably.

"Nine. Your turn."

Void Sanctuary descended on the Orc ranks. Whatever balance remained in the battle vanished beneath its pull.

Once the fighting was over, Nine swooped down and hovered above the allied army.

"Elara! Look at me! I’ve reached Mythic!"

Nine was already well known in Divine Province. Astonished cries rose from below, and she basked in every one of them.

Whenever she had no assignment, she liked to visit Elara’s Domain. The two had become close, and Elara’s happiness for her was entirely sincere.

"Congratulations, Nine!"

With Cassian beside them, the Crown Lords no longer had to pick their way cautiously around the larger Orc formations. Even a million-strong army was an enemy they dared to face head-on.

Soon, word of his return had spread throughout Pandora Forest.

Then came another report.

Vargul, the Blood King, was dead.

At first, most people dismissed it. A Level-115 Mythic Lord? Killed by Cassian?

But one day passed. Then two. Then five.

The Beast Emperor never appeared again.

The Elves’ spirits soared. Across the thirteen Crown Provinces, Lords fought with fresh confidence. Their enemies reacted very differently.

Once the Black Banner, Western Beacon, and Jade Court confirmed the news, their leaders looked as though the blood had drained from their faces.

"He really is dead..." Nerissa murmured. "How did Cassian do it? Did someone besides Pandora help him?"

She suddenly straightened.

"Wait. If Pandora defeats the remaining army, the Realm could rule that Cassian destroyed the Bloodmaw Court. It could give him a Founding Writ!"

Those last two words brought everyone to attention.

Preventing Divine Province from founding a Nation had been the one result they all agreed was essential.

Only days ago, they had thought that result secure. Their reports placed the Bloodmaw Court among the stronger powers in the Outer Realms. With a Mythic Lord ruling it, the Court was a terrible target for anyone merely seeking a Founding Writ. Cassian ought to have chosen a weaker kingdom.

They had celebrated far too soon.

He had chosen the Bloodmaw Court anyway. Now he stood one step from success.

"There’s no need to panic," Gavin said loudly. "Destroying the Royal Palace and killing Vargul both required help from another powerful force."

He spoke with an assurance he did not feel.

"Perhaps a great Lord from an older sector intervened. Perhaps someone from one of Humanity’s upper Realms. Lucan Merrow of the Ninefold Sanctum has been friendly enough with him."

Gavin looked around the gathering.

"Under the rules, the Realm won’t award Cassian a Founding Writ for that."

The others relaxed a little. None noticed the fear he was trying to hide.

A new sector ordinarily needed more than two years before its Lords could found Nations. If Cassian accomplished it now, he might break the Homeworld’s record yet again.

And if Divine Province gained the power of a Nation, what room would remain for its enemies in Sector 666?

——

More than ten days passed swiftly.

With Cassian in the war, the balance kept shifting toward Pandora. By the time the Orc army had lost nearly half its troops, even its commanders had to accept that they were losing. They began considering a withdrawal from the forest.

The Elves had suffered heavily too.

Cassian, meanwhile, was becoming impatient. The settlement of the third Provincial Ranking was drawing closer, and the Court had still not been formally destroyed.

Over the last few days, he had sent Divine Province’s strongest Lords into the Grimward Steppe to demolish Orc Domains and hasten the result.

On the open grassland, a hundred and twenty Golden Behemoths surrounded one such Domain. Their massive fists hammered its defenses until the whole place became a field of ruins.

"That’s more like it!" Darian shouted.

After reaching Rank XVIII, he had immediately used the waiting Sigil to recruit his Golden Behemoth Hero. He had paid to bring the expanded Behemoth force up in Levels as well. With their new Hero’s Grade-A Command added to that growth, their fighting strength had nearly doubled again.

Even within the Bloodmaw Court’s territory, few enemies could stand in their path.

Darian was about to order them toward the next Domain when a notification sounded.

Three long notes. Two short ones.

He had chosen that pattern for Realm announcements.

"Another announcement? There should still be a few days until the ranking settles."

He opened the Homeworld Channel and read the golden message pinned at the top.

His eyes widened.

"A Founding Writ?!"

For a moment, he could barely get the words out.

"Divine Province... Divine Province actually got a Founding Writ!"