Shin sat alongside his fellow comrades among the elites stationed on Deus Citadel, ardently watching the Tree of Darkness and the Nine Payircis that surrounded it. A greyish-black barrier shrouded the structures that represented the whole force of the Black Masks, giving Shin a poor view of what's inside. No birds flew overhead, and no animals dared to roam near the sphere of death. Mythpoint Reach, once the most desired land in the world, was now a hub of evil and eerieness. However, Shin didn't feel rattled at all.
Based on the plan, the six Spirit Saints would lead the assault while the rest of the Alliance supporting them from the rear. There were Spirit Venerates from all three superpowers. Thousands of powerful mercenaries from the Mercenary Guild. Hundreds of Senior Healers, and of course... Shin and the rest of Guardian Sword.
Shin had temporarily left the saving of villages to Elyse, Fionn, Ryner, as well as a plethora of Guardian Sword's weaker division. Why? He had to bring the elite division up north to join up with one of the greatest forces ever assembled and to possibly end the war against the Allfather and the Black Masks once and for all.
"Tense situation, huh?" Isadore remarked from the side.
Shin nodded: "We still have to wait for the Alliance's Intelligence before we can strike. Aunt Tian says that here Future Sight isn't able to peer into the barrier. So the Spirit Saints are going to take it one step at a time."
The worst possible outcome of this final raid was the utter annihilation of the Alliance's forces. There were six Spirit Saints, over twenty Spirit Venerates and many more high-levelled cultivators present. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that if this force were decimated, the whole Alliance would come crumbling down and the Allfather would likely win the war. Therefore, everyone wanted to only move on bulletproof intel, lest their entire force was wiped out.
"Do you think that the Allfather would emerge?" Isadore asked.
"It's hard to say… On the one hand, we don't know how much energy he had expended to trigger the Worldquake that decimated the Terre Continent. However, based on Senior Zishen's knowledge, we can safely assume that the Allfather should be severely weakened. Not to mention, he's been hiding in Mythpoint Reach ever since… If the Allfather isn't crippled, then I'll be shocked." Shin replied with a certain degree of confidence.
"If what you say is true… We could be witnessing the final battle of this stupidly long war, huh?"
"I sure hope so," Shin nodded. He thought back to Justin, the young boy whose village was utterly destroyed by the Worldquake, drastically changing his way of life. Shin had once thought that only he suffered the most from the Allfather's relentless assault on civilisation. However, after his journey to save the commoners, he'd realised… The ones that suffered most from the war weren't those that sat upon their thrones. But those on the ground who had nothing to do with the war.
"The Allfather is a menace to the world that has to be eradicated..."
The scene of the Allfather confronting Shin after Junius' death sprung right into the young man's mind. When he'd explained his rationale for waging war, Shin was beyond incensed. He just wanted to create chaos and to hopefully breed conflict on the innocent lands. In the Allfather's mind, a boy like Justin didn't matter. Heck, the Allfather would willingly toss Justin into the incinerator if it meant that another talent could rise from the ashes.
To the Allfather, those that deserved to live were those that had talent. Weaklings such as Justin and the random villagers that were killed by the Worldquake were better off dead anyway. To sate his own selfish desire, to bridge his lack of talent, the Allfather needed an adversary. One powerful enough to take him to the next step. And the Allfather believed that mass conflict was the only way to achieve that.
Well, in a sense, he was right. Shin was a product of the Allfather's artificial manoeuvrings, and there was no denying that many more geniuses had become far stronger at a staggering rate. However… It would all end today…
"We have to kill off the Allfather before he causes more damage to society," Shin growled.
"Hmmm, it's easier said than done though… No knows how powerful a Rank 99 Spirit Saint is, particularly one with his back against the corner. If he'd planned to destroy the Terre Continent, he must have anticipated that we'll arrive here as well?" Isadore theorised.
"The Allfather is cunning, I will give him that. However, my bet is on him miscalculating," Shin shrugged his shoulders with a counter. "I bet that he'd expected our Alliance to fall apart the moment the Terre Continent split apart. After all, in the mayhem, who would dare send their Spirit Saints out of the country?"
"That makes sense..."
Shin folded his arms as he continued: "However, now that we have six gathered here, we'll most likely take him down with far more ease. Not to mention… No matter how good the Allfather's foresight is, I doubt he could foresee the creating of the new Aether Cannon."
Shin glanced to his back and gestured to the colossal structure that stood behind him. There was a metallic tube, potentially a hundred metres long and fifty metres wide. On it, there were countless of contraptions and gears, many of them were foreign even with Shin's vast knowledge pool. After all, Shin was a cultivator first. If one were to ask him about cultivation, combat arts or even about medicine, Shin would be able to answer it within a heartbeat. However, the complexities of the Aether Cannon, the Blacksmith's League new weapon, was far outside the realm of his capabilities. Though Shin was familiar with the core component that was powering this weapon.
"The Blacksmith's League had fulfilled their end of the bargain and created a deadly weapon using the Paradise Heart. The problem is, I can't tell how effective it really is." Shin had heard bold claims about what the Aether Cannon was capable of doing. The Alliance was even planning to use it to destroy the impregnable barrier that protected Mythpoint Reach. However, they were all hearsay. Shin didn't know if the Aether Cannon was indeed that powerful.
"We have to trust the Blacksmith's League's engineers I guess..." Isadore shrugged his shoulders. "Hmmm, why don't the Hall of Science hire some experts from the engineering department to help? That way, we won't be that reliant on foreign intelligence."
"I doubt Elrin would be happy about the additional expenditure though..." Shin frowned. "Last time I asked her for more supplies, she'd claimed that all our finances had been tied up in other engagements and we barely had any left to spare."
"And you took her word for it? What if that imp tries to embezzle some gold?"
"Hah! Even if she did, I doubt that I could stop her! You of all people should know how valuable she is as the Hall of Gold's Master." In terms of their hierarchy, Shin was undisputably higher than Elrin. However, when it came to financial matters, even the almighty Prince of Water had to listen to the money-hungry merchant that dominated her field.
"Also, I trust her… Elrin wouldn't do such a thing."
"Hah… I guess you're right." Isadore sighed.
All of a sudden, a siren wailed, breaking the duo from the casual conversation. Before either of them could question anything, two hefty guards rushed down the spiral staircase and called out to Shin and Isadore: "Your Highnesses! The Alliance Head have given down the order. The attack is to commence in thirty minutes! You have to vacate the premise of the Aether Cannon immediately!"
"That soon?" Shin was obviously confused. There still hasn't been any confirmation about the Allfather's state and the inner workings of Mythpoints Reach was still mostly unknown. It didn't make sense to rush the whole thing when they still had ample time to do reconnaissance.
"There has been a change in the battlefield!" One guard hollered, his face still red as can be. "The Primordial Beast… The Leader of the Nine Coloured Noble Beasts… Kuro has emerged from Mythpoint Reach!"
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