Chapter 1568 - 1568: Ignite My Mana Heart
Archer watched the legion building a massive fortress on the bank of a river that bordered the Green Sea. His eyebrow rose when he saw the Drakeguards throwing spears at monsters, trying to attack the builders. Without saying a thing to Maeve or Ashoka, he waved his hand, and dozens of Mana Bolts appeared and sliced through the air, hitting every creature in sight.
Explosions lit up the dark, covered landscape, shocking the women, causing the Tigress to question. ”What was that for?”
”Monsters were trying to eat the soldiers because they were busy.”
Following that, Archer vanished only to appear next to the river, sensing even more beasts coming this way, to do some hunting. He chuckled before creating a dozen giant stone slabs using Mana Manipulation and dropped them into the water, building a massive wall to stop the monsters from approaching.
Maeve and Ashoka used the dragon tattoo to materialize beside him as the orange-haired woman commented. ”Ah, the river monsters, the scouts reported about these things. They said they were vicious and kept trying to hunt our soldiers when they arrived here.”
‘Those things won’t be a problem,’ he revealed. ”I’ll summon some Swamp Drakes to deal with them.”
Archer waved his hand and several enormous crocodiles emerged from a portal, crashing into the cold water below. He chuckled as all the beasts turned to him, waiting for their orders. ”Clear this river, take it over, and make sure my armies don’t get attacked again.”
The Swamp Drakes let out loud grunts before vanishing into the dark water. When the women saw this, their eyes widened in awe as Ashoka questioned. ”Are those the things that scare everyone away from the rivers and lakes in the Domain? I remember Halime mentioning that hundreds of monsters have gone missing.”
He chuckled at her words but nodded. ”Yes, I had to beat up the leader years back to get him to stop hunting everything like greedy fuckers, now I use them to clear out waterways.”
Following that, Inara joined them with a big smile as she revealed. ”The enemy armies have retreated to the other side of the river; my legion is guarding the crossing until the wall can be built.”
”Why aren’t we moving forward, husband?” Ashoka curiously questioned.
”There are several Pseudo God level monsters lurking in the Green Sea, and I don’t want to lose any more soldiers,” he answered, sighing. ”The casualties have been horrible during the invasion; those sneaky ambushers keep attacking and then vanishing.”
Just then, a horde of monsters appeared on the opposite side of the river, causing Archer to narrow his eyes before taking a deep breath and releasing a stream of violet fire that washed across the water and slammed into the monsters, forcing most of them to run, but the ones who were caught turned into ash.
”They won’t be able to keep attacking now that my dragon fire blocked the way forward,” he informed the women. ”But I need some time alone, I have a lot to think about.”
As the trio heard his words, they each kissed him softly before returning to their tasks. Archer stood alone, gazing into the dark water, haunted by months of dreams foretelling his death. He knew a looming threat to everything he cherished: his family, his children, the empire he had built.
Yet, the question gnawing at him was whether he could sacrifice his life for them. Just then, the air around him changed as a powerful aura suddenly appeared, putting a smile on his face. ”Hello Tia, it’s been some time since you’ve come to visit me.”
”Would you die for them, Arch?” Tiamat questioned without answering him.
Archer nodded with a warm smile. ”Of course I would, they’re my everything, the reason that I’m happy, especially now with my son and daughters being born,” he honestly replied.
”Just like the boy I met so many years ago,” she muttered, violet eyes sparkling. ”If you do that, how can I come down here and be together?”
”I don’t know Tia, but I’d happily die before letting anything happen to my girls and harem,” he declared. ”I never had people who loved me in this life until I met them. If sacrificing myself against a world-ending power means they can live, then so be it. I would have done my bit as a husband and father.”
Tiamat beamed at this and stepped closer, hugging him tightly. ”Carry on, my love.”
”Why should Freya or any of the other children live in fear? When I’m strong enough to wipe out the Terravians for good if I ignite my mana heart.”
The Dragon Goddess shivered at those words, as if she already knew something he didn’t know but didn’t mention it. ”A time will come when two choices appear, and I know you will pick the right one.”
Archer glanced at the white-haired woman with narrowed eyes and warned with a low growl. ”You gods and your games, I know of the dreams someone’s sending my women, even little Freya, and whoever better stop it because you’re making my little girl panic.”
When Tiamat caught the tone in his voice, she nodded, her cheeks flushing red as she spoke. ”I’ll do my best to rein them in, but they’re a restless bunch and enjoy teasing my lover since I regained my old power.”
”Well, the only one I won’t hurt is you then,” he revealed, grinning ear to ear. ”Because I’ll become a god soon enough.”
The Dragon Goddess shivered in delight before she started kissing his neck. Archer couldn’t help but groan while her hands traveled across his chest and toward his abs. Moments later, she nibbled on his ear, whispering. ”Looks like we’re close to being together, my love.”
”Why do you keep putting us through this?” he asked in frustration. “Just come down to me, Tiamat. Forget the Gods’ Laws, damn their rules! We could turn our backs on all of it and just be together, you and me, right here, right now.”
Tiamat’s laughter was soft, like a song carried on a breeze, as she leaned closer, her lips brushing against his ear. ”Even I, a goddess, am bound by the universal laws, my love,” she murmured, her voice full of affection. ”Those ancient rules govern divine life. But be patient, it’s only a few more years, a mere heartbeat in the span of our lives. Then I’ll come to you, and we’ll live together, free from the weight of celestial rules that bound us.”
Archer calmed down, nodding. ”Alright, Tia, but I won’t wait much longer until claiming my Dragon Goddess,” he revealed.
The beautiful woman trembled at the resolve in his voice, her eyes full of pride. After a moment, she composed herself and offered a gentle farewell. ”I must depart, handsome,” she said softly. ”A council of gods and goddesses awaits, and my presence is required. Hold my heart until we meet again.”
”See you soon, Tia,” he replied as the goddess faded from view, leaving him staring at the dark waters.
Archer sensed dozens of monsters on the other side of the wall and kidnapped them all into the Domain, filling up the rivers, lakes, and seas of his realm. Once that was done, he teleported to the top of the ramparts that gave a good view into the Green Sea a few miles away.
An endless sea of grasslands unfurled before him, stretching to the horizon, broken only by scattered woodlands that dotted the expanse like islands in an emerald ocean. Gazing out, he muttered with a sly grin. ”I wonder where those Orcs are lurking. Perhaps it’s time I visited them.”
At that moment, Ari emerged, cradling Antonia gently while feeding her from one of the bottles he had crafted. A warm smile spread across his face as he conjured a shimmering shield around them for protection, then greeted the duo. ”Hello, my radiant Elemental, and you, my little bundle of joy.”
Antonia let out a little babble after pushing the bottle away, making the couple laugh as the older woman commented. ”She is wonderful, Arch, this little girl is far different from any of my previous children, it’s shocking.”
”What do you mean?”
”She’s smarter than most babies,” Ari lifted the little girl, beaming as she continued. ”Antonia is very curious and mana already runs through her veins in amounts that shocked me, but it makes sense as she’s your daughter.”
Archer smiled before scooping up the little white-haired girl with big pink eyes. Her little legs were dangling as he held her in the air. ”Hello, my little darling, enjoying your life with your siblings?”
Antonia squealed, her tiny arms and legs flailing around in a burst of excitement as she babbled with all the might of her little lungs. His smile widened at her happiness. Leaning in, he blew raspberries on her chubby belly, his own laughter erupting in a joyful shout that echoed her happiness.
This scene made Ari happy as a big smile appeared on her beautiful face. ”You treat them all the same, no matter who the mother is,” she suddenly commented.