Chapter 218: The Lily of the Valley’s Longing

The great Human-Demon war lasted for exactly half a year. During this half a year, the students of the St. Aetherwing Magic Academy took turns participating in battles, and during their free time, they followed their instructors to study and hone their magic.

Perhaps because human potential is stimulated during moments of crisis, the progress of the majority of students participating in the war was higher than their study progress at the academy.

It could be considered hitting two birds with one stone.

But the casualties brought by the war were also immense. The academy concentrated its students in the Western combat zone, protected by high-tier mages dispatched by the empire and the Magic Tower, plus this wasn’t the main direction of the Demon race’s attack, so the casualties were extremely low.

But other combat zones weren’t so lucky.

In just six short months, the number of mage casualties had reached hundreds of thousands, and that wasn’t even counting the civilians hit by surprise attacks.

Right when the Human race and the Demon race were in a stalemate, Griffin’s (Humidith Rhine Monovis) group, who had entered the Wasteland Abyss, transmitted a piece of good news using a secret art, bringing hope, the hope for peace for the entire Human race and even the wraiths.

Adding the six months of the great war, Griffin’s group had been gone to the Wasteland for exactly seven months.

During these seven months, no one knew what their progress was, or whether they had encountered danger.

But in the message transmitted back this time, the progress at the Wasteland was detailed.

The medicinal effect of the new type of Restoration Solution, after undergoing a round of extraction and refinement by them, had reached the God tier, and could indeed completely evolve the mutated and deformed magical beasts in the Wasteland, including high-tier magical beasts from seven stars to tier nine.

As for the ten-star Annihilation-tier magical beasts, it still couldn’t be confirmed.

After all, this type of magical beast was even rarer than a tier-ten mage. It currently hadn’t emerged yet, and might not ever.

This was considered a breakthrough piece of good news.

But there was also a new discovery.

It could be considered a piece of bad news.

That was, only mutated magical beasts within one hundred thousand years that still retained a sliver of their remnant souls could use the new type of Restoration Solution to revert to their normal forms, thereby regaining a short lifespan.

As for the magical beasts exceeding this range, there would be no more chance to turn things around.

Because their souls had long turned into nutrients and been devoured. Even if their bodies successfully recovered to their initial state, the dissipated souls had no way of being found again.

It could be said that the Mermaid Emperor Azure—the creator of all these things—fundamentally never thought of giving them a chance to gain autonomous consciousness. Being able to retain a sliver of vitality for the magical beasts within one hundred thousand years now was already the limit.

Even within one hundred thousand years, the number capable of recovering wasn’t even ten percent of the total.

But compared to all of them becoming puppets, this ten percent was already considered a sliver of new life.

Currently, the empire had dispatched even more mages to the Mialans continent, and Griffin’s group had also transmitted the research data for the upgraded Restoration Solution back to the Sylvanor continent.

With the current progress, in no more than a month, the magical beasts in the Wasteland would completely dissipate, leaving only the portions restored to their initial states.

And this type of medicine also had a countering effect on the deformed mutated magical beasts researched by the Demon race, capable of directly destroying them, thereby giving the Human race a temporary upper hand.

What completely turned the situation around was that, a month later, Griffin… no, it should be said the heir of the Ancient hidden clan—Young Master Humidith Rhine Monovis—had returned.

The Demon race could manipulate wraiths, thus holding an advantage.

But what everyone didn’t expect was that Griffin not only could strip the top-ranking Palace Master of the Demon race of the right to manipulate wraiths, but could even purify the wraiths, and even… command everything lifeless yet possessing spiritual sentience.

For example, ghosts, demons, resentful spirits, etc.

With Griffin’s personal presence, the battlefield situation instantly reversed.

The Demon race lost the power of the wraiths, and what the Human race gained wasn’t just the assistance of a wraith legion.

But what terrified people more was that Griffin’s Mark was actually Holy Covenant 01, and rumor had it he also had a hidden Supreme Mark.

As for what it exactly was, I fear aside from himself and the current head of the Monovis clan, no one could know.

And the series’ exclusive ability of Holy Covenant 01 was: Spirit Control.

[Spirit Control: The soul can possess others and arbitrarily manipulate the souls of others. Just by seeing them, levels are ignored, arbitrarily manipulated. Price to pay: Unknown.]

The sheer power of Holy Covenant 01 was enough to terrify people.

Therefore, since ancient times, no matter what faction it was, none dared to offend those possessing a high-tier Mark.

What terrified people even more was that Griffin’s current realm was… tier eight, seven-star.

The only existence on the continent to have reached tier eight before passing the age of twenty-five, even about to break through to tier nine.

Let alone other people, even Jeremy’s group who had been attached to him for a long period, upon hearing this news, was also extremely astonished.

They knew he was strong, but never thought… he was outrageously strong to such an extent.

Griffin had previously said that because he was forced to leave the clan, he was considered a traitor. Jeremy originally wondered why the Monovis clan would let him act as a normal instructor at the academy.

Looking at it now… it wasn’t letting him be, it was fundamentally being unable to control him.

But on second thought, whether it was their Instructor Griffin or Young Master Humidith of the Monovis clan, they were both the same person.

Simultaneously, he was also one of the saviors who reversed the tide of war, making the entire Human race proud.

And the heroes who sacrificed their lives in this campaign would also forever be remembered by the people of the world.

After finishing dealing with the matters in the Wasteland, the returning high-tier mages simultaneously joined the battlefield. The Human race, originally neck-and-neck with the Demon race, now having extra assistance, naturally was like a tiger growing wings.

In less than a month, this war drew to a close.

The Demon race lost the war and surrendered. The Demon King, wanting to preserve the Demon race, voluntarily allowed himself to be sealed.

The few surviving Palace Masters of the Demon race swore an oath with the Human race: within a thousand years, they would not ignite war. If violated, divine punishment would descend for breaking the oath.

The reason they didn’t comprehensively eradicate the Demon race wasn’t because they didn’t want to, but because they couldn’t.

A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. If they truly forced the Demon race into a corner, with their nature, it would be a miracle if this continent wasn’t completely destroyed.

The current ending was already the best answer at this time.

The war lasting nearly a year completely ended, and the Wasteland also restored its name Mialans, regaining its vitality.

Currently, the empire had dispatched some personnel to reform the ecological environment, while simultaneously retaining a portion of the training ground to provide for the students of the St. Aetherwing Academy.

But for Mialans to return to its original state would require a very long period of time. However, humans could wait, and the Mialans continent could also wait.

The empire spent a month handling post-war issues, and this year’s New Year had also long passed amidst the war.

But the nationwide celebratory banquet after the war ended also replaced the New Year’s banquet.

After the banquet concluded, everything returned to a peaceful track.

But those who had departed would from now on never return.

Before the densely packed graves resembling mountains, the wailing was ceaseless.

“Mommy, will we never be able to see sister again?” A clear, innocent child’s voice rang out, carrying a sliver of fear not clearly recognized.

The woman lowered her eyes, her fingertips gently stroking the child’s hair, suppressing the bitterness in her throat: “That’s right… Your sister has turned into stars. From now on, we will visit her often, okay?”

“…” Jeremy’s group stood beside the woman and child, placed bouquets in front of the tombstones of their teammates, and after executing the Spirit Asking spell, they quietly stood there for a while before turning their backs to leave.

Many people died in this battle. They met each other on the battlefield, yet in just a few short months, they had to face the final parting of their lives.

The lily of the valley flowers fluttering and falling with the wind were a longing, and also a blessing.