Legacy of the Dark Sage

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Before the pact binding the Armakea Knights to the Armakea King, there had already been some subtle changes happening in the confrontation between the puppets and the knights.

The most prominent but not easily noticed change was the knights’ formation.

Because the knights did not have the time to devise a plan before they were released from the sphere and saw they were surrounded by puppets, they fought side by side with their teams and leaders.

At first, they believed their number advantage could easily overwhelm the puppets. However, they were proven wrong when they realized that a team of ten knights could barely fight three puppets.

The higher-ranked knights noticed this and slowly communicated with the team leaders to team up with others. Since they had the number advantage, they proposed three teams of ten knights to team up and confront as many puppets as they could.

The change in their defensive line saw an improvement at once. They no longer struggle to deal with a group of puppets. But they soon realized that, though they no longer struggled against the puppets, they also could not get the upper hand.

For short, their confrontation was practically in a stalemate.

The high-ranking knights were the first ones to notice this and found it inconceivable. Ultimately, they believed that the reason behind this was that the level of the puppets likely could not be gauged according to their standards. Meaning the level of their weakest member might be the same as the lowest-ranked knight in their ranks.

Unfortunately, there was no way for them to confirm the levels of the puppets. Nonetheless, they were not deterred. Fighting a war with zero information against their enemies was not an uncommon thing. Thus, they immediately adjusted their formation once more.

Considering this, the high-ranking knights decided to adjust their formation once more. They created teams that could observe the puppets and determine their levels and capabilities by comparing their performance against the knight they were fighting.

However, while observing, some of them noticed something strange about the puppets— their movements. It was not that they were following a set of patterns when they moved, but it was similar. Wanting to confirm this, they informed the high-ranking knights.

Most of the high-ranking knights were gathered at the center of their formation, where they created a makeshift command center. They had scouts continuously sending them updates from the outer formation, and they, at the center, would adjust their strategy according to the updates they received.

This was the second unnoticeable change to the knights’ side. They were slowly reorganizing their formation and adjusting their strategy while creating an effective mode of communication for the high-ranking knights to properly command their defensive and offensive lines.

In any case, because they established a good enough communication network, the scouts managed to inform the high-ranking knights about their discovery.

It was one thing to receive an update regarding the strange movements of the puppets from one scout, but they started receiving the same observational report from other scouts. The high-ranking knights considered this and even asked them to perform a test and confirm it.

However, before the knights at the outer defensive and offensive lines could execute the high-ranking knights’ suggestion, Armak, Breira, and more automatons joined in the fray.

With the addition of two aides to the King— rather, two traitors to Armakea— they had to adjust their strategy once more.

Ultimately, the equilibrium between the two sides was shaken with the addition of Amtrak, Breira, and the automatons. After a short while, this equilibrium collapsed, with the puppets’ side gaining an advantage when Filren also appeared.

Although Filren did not join in the fray and only observed the situation, his presence alone put a huge pressure on the high-ranking knights commanding the knights.

Moreover, the knights had the number advantage, but their supplies were limited. Unlike the puppets, who would still fight even after receiving a fatal injury, the knights had to take their injured members to the safety of the central line and recuperate.action

Honestly, the knights would have gotten the advantage sooner or later if the damaged puppets had remained damaged as they fought bitterly to their end. Unfortunately, the massive array covering the battlefield supported them in such a way that they appeared to be immortal beings— inexhaustible and undefeatable.

The high-ranking knights were finally forced to come out from the central line and deal with the newcomers.

But it was at that moment when they felt a burning sensation filling their chest.

Not long after, they sensed their connection to King Aran breaking.

When this happened, those veteran knights who had been serving King Aran for more than ten years found themselves at a loss.

Those newly appointed knights and those who had been in service for less than ten years, probably because of their low tenure and their attachment to the king had yet to be established, were not completely at a loss. Nonetheless, they were dumbfounded at suddenly being free from the pact.

By the time the knights recovered, Filren and the others, along with the puppets, rounded them up. After this, he told them that his master had no intention of killing them and asked them to surrender.

The high-ranking knights were initially reluctant to surrender. But soon, they saw King Aran being carried by Mo, who apparently willingly surrendered.

The rest of the knights followed suit, seeing Mo’s example.

To ensure that no one would have any funny ideas, Kyran marked all of them. The mark he placed upon them was similar to the one he gave to Vera, albeit a little lenient because it did not include them getting killed just by the mere thought of them wanting to attack him.

In any case, Kyran would remove the mark after sorting the whole ordeal.

As for the knights who offered to help but ended up becoming bystanders, they were the first ones to offer allegiance to Kyran.

This surprised Kyran. But he did not ask for their reason. Not because he was uninterested but because he would know the reason after he turned them into his Sigils anyway since most of their recent memories would be passed onto him.

With the confrontation at the northern forest of Armakea coming to an end, Kyran could finally focus on other important things, such as treating Malek, contacting Akim and the others, rounding up the rest of the Royal Family members who wanted to take advantage of the current situation in Armakea to enact their own rebellion, check on Chrysanthemum and her people— who seemed to still be gathering the exquisite spirit stones— and lastly, confirm the situation outside Somuli.

Frankly, the latter was a pressing matter because Kyran had just killed two Sovereigns. It was one thing if they were regular members of a Sovereign faction, but they were the faction leader and deputy. There was bound to be a big flood about to fall in Somuli.

A temporary solution could prevent this, of course, if the Abbot completed his ascension soon.

Alas, this might take a while, especially because the Abbot had once forcefully stopped his ascension because he was concerned about the Eidums’ safety.

Kyran created a temporary base in the northern forest and let Filren deal with orienting the knights of the possible future of Armakea. He also arranged an area to serve as an infirmary where Cyneah could treat the wounded. As for her helpers, Kyran asked Armak and Breira to guide Nahir and his group there. He gave them transmission scrolls to ensure they could return to the base as soon as possible.

When Kyran settled most of the things in the base, he checked on Noir and the others who were preparing a transmission array, which they would connect to one in the Armakea Border. This way, Gael and the others from there, especially the Eidums, could arrive and assist in treating the wounded.

Of course, Kyran would not have agreed to the transmission array’s creation if he had not confirmed the situation at the border. But with Gael confirming that the situation in the border had been resolved, including those knights who were suddenly at a loss after being freed from the pact, Kyran ordered them to prepare and wait for the transmission array on his end to be connected to theirs so they could come to the base.

Kyran also received news from Akim.

According to Akim, he and his father, Ravan, along with the rest of his uncles and aunts, came to an agreement. They agreed not to interfere with Kyran’s plans, but that did not mean they would concede the Armakea without understanding his future plans. They then asked to meet Kyran,

Kyran agreed, giving Akim the temporary base’s coordinates so he could bring his family there.

Because of Larkring’s condition, Akim and his family could not go there immediately. Ravan, being an honorable servant of Armakea, wanted to ensure the safety of the citizens first.

Kyran did not mind. Instead, he asked Akim to round up all other Royal Family members as well as the knights scattered around the city.

Because Kyran let Filren handle the knight’s situation, he had nothing else to do. Thus, he helped Cyneah in the infirmary, with Malek’s treatment being his priority. When Gael, Kesiah, and the rest arrived, the Eidums who came with them did not dally and immediately went to assist Cyneah and Nahir in the infirmary.

Overall, the temporary base was bustling with activity as they dealt with the aftermath.

By nightfall, Kyran received dire news from the female spirit. Apparently, the other leaders of the Magical Beast Community overheard her and Chrysanthemum’s conversation about gathering the philosopher’s stones, and a conflict erupted among them.

Currently, Chrysanthemum and her people were sent to the community’s underground prison after sealing their ‘Divine Armaments.’ Meanwhile, they tortured them into spilling the location of the philosopher’s stone’s mine. In the end, those who could still muster their magic could only help the female spirit escape and enter the temporary world to inform Kyran of the situation.

When Kyran heard what happened, he felt his head throb. Initially, he did not want to involve the Magical Beast Community in his conquest, but because of what they did to Chrysanthemum and her people, he changed his mind.

Not wanting to waste time, Kyran asked the female spirit for the community’s coordinates and warped there directly.

What happened next was nothing worth mentioning.

The other leaders initially laughed off Kyran’s arrival, but when they ordered the beasts to attack, none of them dared to.

Kyran then summoned the three magical beasts he tamed previously and let them deal with the rest. After that, he saved Chrysanthemum and her people before sending them to the temporary base to be treated.

In the end, Kyran felt aggrieved as he was left to mine the spirit stones. What was the point of asking others to gather the stones when he would end up doing it anyway?