Chapter 179: A Nine-Star Hero

Wave after wave of light rose from Celia. Even Aurelia and Liora stared.

Liora had received the same kind of lavish investment on Glory Battlefield, but she had only reached Three-Star. How many times had Celia advanced now?

At last, the light faded.

Celia was already a formidable fighter. It took her only a short while to settle the enormous new strength within her.

"Lord, isn’t this a little extravagant?" she asked. "Those resources could have done more for the others."

[Celia Morcant — Legendary, Nine-Star]

[Level: 55]

[Combat Rating without equipment: 17,136 stars]

Five stars for Rare. Seven for Epic. Nine for Legendary.

The eight Souls and three hundred million Battle Essence had taken Celia from Level 35 to Level 55 and the limit of her current Quality.

"Seventeen thousand stars," Cassian said with satisfaction. "Enough to stand beside a Level-80 Legendary monster. And that’s before equipment."

For ordinary hunting, his Heroes had long possessed more killing power than they needed. A Nine-Star Hero could not even kill twice as many monsters as a One-Star Hero when finding the next target took longer than the fight. However strong she became, she could not be in two places at once.

Investing in his weaker Eclipse troops could have been a hundred times more efficient. With money always short, raising his Heroes’ stars had stayed near the bottom of the list.

Now veterans from an older sector were coming. He needed someone strong enough to meet whatever they brought.

With his Gold Battle Name and Seven-Star Release, Cassian could reach that level of power himself, but he could not sustain it. The cut he had taken in the Swordheart Instance was another reminder. Against an unknown enemy, letting his people fight first was safer.

Celia would give him that strength in the field. Veyra’s improved Art would strengthen the defense at home.

[Mistveil March — Greater Mastery]

[Training Art Attributes: Physique +3,600 | Aether +3,600 | Spirit +2,160 | Load +2,160]

Those bonuses alone were worth the entire attributes of a Level-50 Legendary troop.

Unless a Mythic opponent appeared, Celia’s new strength made her all but invincible at the current level of the realm.

Only one thing disappointed him. Nine Stars, and her Hero Command still had not advanced.

"A Mythic Hero Soul," he murmured. "Or a special place like the Hero’s Ancient Road. That’s what it would take to go farther."

Next, Cassian paid to raise the Levels of his main force.

The twelve Stormlance Valkyries and nine Eclipse Praetorians reached Level 55. So did the original twelve Crystal Maidens—the same twelve who could take Dragon form. The other twelve Maidens reached Level 50.

Among his hundred and fifty-six Dawnwings, Harriet and Heloise reached Level 50. The other hundred and fifty-four reached Level 40. He also brought seven hundred of his existing Epic Eclipse Legionnaires to Level 40.

For Crystal Seven, Eight, and Nine, he made another purchase: twenty-four Legendary Troop Souls and two compatible Echo Crystal Bat Samples, forty-eight million Aether altogether.

Eight and Nine absorbed the samples and recorded the form Seven already knew. Cassian then spent four hundred and fifty million Battle Essence and the twenty-four Souls to advance all three Maidens to Legendary Nine-Star.

Their Combat Ratings reached sixty-six hundred stars, with Spirit above ten thousand each. They were still far below Celia in direct combat, but that was not why he had chosen them.

In Echo Crystal Bat form, their survey could now cover a radius of two thousand kilometers. Their flight was swift enough to make them ideal scouts.

By the time the upgrades were complete, the reserve of more than two billion Battle Essence he had accumulated over the past days was gone.

"Plenty of Aether for the moment. Never enough Battle Essence."

Cassian sighed.

He earned Battle Essence a hundred times faster than an ordinary Lord, but his high-Quality troops consumed far more than a hundred times as much.

"I hope these veterans brought plenty of high-Quality Heroes and troops."

Before long, he stood on Crystal Nine’s back as she carried him toward Riftward’s western transit point in Dragon form.

From above, he could see more than a hundred Domains arranged in layers around the entrance. The Region’s spatial barrier lay to its west. Walls and defenses filled the other three sides.

Joining Domains into a single defensive line was the most basic tactic in a Regional defense battle.

Elara’s Domain stood at the front. Thunder Towers, Thornspike Walls, Poison-Mist Bunkers, Sabertooth Barricades... Unusual defenses crowded the ground inside and outside her walls. Few Lords could have supported the resource demands of so many Buildings.

Cassian estimated that the troops below numbered at least a million. More than ninety-nine percent were Elite or Uncommon, but it was still an imposing sight.

Cheers rose as the twelve Crystal Dragons approached.

"Everyone," Cassian called from above. "The Dragons give us the advantage in mobility. I’m going out to scout and attack the enemy on the move. It should take some pressure off the Region."

The Lords below were alarmed.

"We don’t know what those veterans have! What if they can pin you down?"

"If we hold the four entrances, they can’t get in. We should stay here!"

"There’s no need to risk yourself, Commander!"

Cassian waved a hand. Crystal One broke away and landed before Elara’s Domain.

"I’ll leave a Dragon to help guard this entrance."

The other eleven plunged through the Region’s transit point and vanished.

He had already assigned seven hundred Eclipse Legionnaires, his twenty Rocketiers, and his lone Hill King to help defend the entrances.

Gareth stared after him, moved.

"He’s going out there himself, and he still left us one of his strongest troops."

Elara looked worried too. She knew Cassian had three Legendary Heroes, but no one knew how strong the enemy would be.

"Come back safely, Cassian."

——

Once outside, Cassian sent Crystal Two, Three, and Four around the Region to guard its other three entrances.

Aurelia, Celia, and Liora had come through the Regional entrance with him. The remaining eight original Maidens joined the Dawnwings, Stormlance, and Praetorians waiting outside. Those troops had moved out before the Spatial Lock took effect. The second squad of Maidens had stayed to defend the Domain.

Crystal Seven broke away and shifted into her Echo Crystal Bat form to scout ahead.

Before long, her message arrived.

"Lord, there are tens of thousands of them," Crystal Seven reported. "They split into ten detachments after entering Riftward. They’re sweeping through the Regions along the route. From their direction, they seem to be heading straight for us."

"They split up?" Cassian smiled. "They really don’t think much of us. Good."

With tens of thousands of strong enemies gathered in one place, even victory might not let him kill them all. A single survivor could carry word of his hidden strength back to the Black Banner.

"Give me the closest detachment’s coordinates."

"Yes, Lord. Due west of our Region, about fourteen thousand kilometers from your position."

"Fourteen thousand..."

With space sealed, even the Commander had to travel the old-fashioned way. This was why he had been reluctant to begin a war between Marches before obtaining the Governorship.

A battlefield spanning tens of thousands of kilometers could turn one fight into half a month of work, most of it spent on the road. What a waste of time.

Fortunately, he had brought powerful flying troops. Even the slowest could cover five hundred kilometers in an hour. With both sides moving toward one another, he reached a point three hundred kilometers from the enemy by noon the following day.

Cassian bought a Legendary Communication Seal Scroll through the Exchange for ten million Aether and took it out.

After a moment’s thought, he opened the management group to warn the others first.

[Good news. The enemy has split its force. Each Region will face less pressure.]

[I’m going to seal communications across the Marches to interfere with them. Don’t panic when it happens. Hold the Regional entrances.]

Nessa sounded doubtful.

[I’m not very good at this, but does a Commander have that permission?]

Elara had a better idea of what Cassian could do.

[A Legendary Communication Seal Scroll?]

Cassian smiled and tore the scroll open.

The entire Marches fell silent.

The killing began.