Chapter 181: The Dawnwing Corps

Aurelia led from the front.

Thunder Crown flared as she raised Folded Sky Ward and plunged into the middle of the enemy formation like a falling star.

The impact tore more than a dozen Spiritbinders apart.

The Black Banner Lords flinched. None had any attention left to spare for the origins of Cassian’s army.

"How can one Dawnwing be that strong? Starseers, bind her with Star Chains! All other ranged troops, concentrate fire!"

Dozens of shining chains lashed around Aurelia, wrapping her from every direction.

Huxley had barely begun to smile when her tightly gathered Ward expanded to ten meters across.

The chains snapped one after another.

Grade A, Lesser Perfection. With Aurelia’s attributes behind it, Folded Sky Ward made her all but untouchable by this barrage while her Aether held.

As she cut through the enemy’s center, the Dawnwing corps descended after her.

"Holy Flame!"

"Angel’s Sword!"

"Sacred Strike!"

Light and fire poured from the sky.

Cassian’s Battle Essence had not been enough to raise the entire corps to its current limit. Harriet and Heloise were Level 50. The other hundred and fifty-four Dawnwings were Level 40.

Even with their Sacred Sets, the Gold Battle Name, and Hero Command supporting them, the ordinary Dawnwings were still somewhat weaker than the enemy’s Level-55 Epic troops.

Huxley noticed. Relief loosened his face.

"Don’t be afraid! Those Dawnwings are Level forty-five at most. We can handle them!"

He had never seen what a properly organized Dawnwing force could do.

"Mind Link."

Harriet raised a hand. The minds of the twelve Dawnwings in her squad joined the link.

Orders followed in an instant.

The six Vanguards raised their swords together.

"Heaven’s Guard!"

Protective light covered each of them. They reached the enemy Swordmasters just as their defenses took hold.

Six sacred blades struck together. Two Swordmasters, both stronger than the Dawnwings facing them, fell dead.

"Damn them! Concentrate fire on those Dawnwings!"

The Swordmasters’ Lord cried out in anguish.

He had started with an Elite Hero. Three years of work had finally earned him two squads of Epic troops, and two of them had just died in an instant.

Hundreds of attacks converged on Harriet’s squad.

The Marshal remained calm. Her instructions flowed through Mind Link without the delay of spoken words.

*Brigid. In 0.3 seconds, move five meters southwest, at thirty-six degrees. Look for an opening with Athena to kill that Swordmaster.*

*Modesty. In 0.2 seconds, reach the point 4.8 meters due south of you. An 81% chance those two Swordmasters will block this volley with their bodies.*

*Lorraine. You can’t evade from there. Take the attack. The weakest fire is three to four meters west.*

*Adela. Holy Conversion on the thirty-second Chunin from the left. Try to have him kill the two Starseers beside him. Disrupt their rear.*

Hundreds of commands passed through the link, arriving in a form each Dawnwing understood at once.

The twelve moved together with extraordinary precision.

Explosions burst around them. Blades struck. The enemy’s massed fire failed to stop the squad, while Brigid and her companions cut down another Swordmaster.

The six Vanguards crossed and covered one another, keeping up their attacks while spreading the damage and conserving their strength.

Ten seconds.

Seven Swordmasters dead.

Before Heaven’s Guard collapsed, Harriet pulled her squad out.

They had driven into a much stronger enemy formation, killed its troops, and returned intact.

Cassian had told them to avoid casualties wherever possible. Harriet had managed the entire maneuver without using either Damage Link or Resurrection.

[Your troop Brigid has slain a Swordmaster. Battle Essence +550,000. Phoenix Song Sword (Epic) ×1.]

More reward notices followed.

Cassian watched with satisfaction.

"Their attributes aren’t exceptional for Legendary troops, but that coordination is vicious. To break a Dawnwing corps, you’d need something strong enough to crush them outright. Stormlance Valkyries, for example."

Celia looked interested too.

"The Praetorians should spend some time learning from them after this battle. It would do them more good than going straight to Clearjade Pool whenever they’re off duty."

She glanced at Cassian.

"Lord, if we get more Absorption Stones, could we try to obtain a Mind Link Skill Book?"

That was a good suggestion.

"I’ll look for more Stones on the Exchange," he said. "It’s worth trying."

The hundred and fifty-six Dawnwings were already giving the Black Banner Lords more than enough trouble.

Huxley still believed they could fight back. He and his deputy each had a squad of Legendary Sword Saints. If the Dawnwings were all Cassian had, those squads could turn the battle.

Then the Stormlance and Eclipse Praetorians struck.

Lightning crackled over Sigrid as she activated Storm Body. One Thunder Step brought her before a Sword Saint, her spear driving straight at him.

The old man’s breath caught.

"Help me!"

He knew from the pressure alone that he could not stop her.

Two Sword Saints struck from either side to help him. Three swords met the lightning-wreathed spear.

The clash boomed across the battlefield.

Sigrid paused in midair. All three Sword Saints staggered back several steps.

At Level 55, Sigrid was still Legendary Two-Star. Her Combat Rating was below five thousand stars, but her Physique had reached nine thousand. The Gold Battle Name pushed it past ten thousand.

The Sword Saints could match her overall rating. They could not match the strength behind her spear.

Sigrid sneered and moved to follow them.

A figure flashed past her first.

Rhea’s blue-green wind wings swept through the air. Her polearm cut across a Sword Saint’s neck, sending his head flying.

"Rhea! There are enemies everywhere. Why take mine?"

"Plenty of enemies," Rhea replied. "Only two dozen or so Legendaries."

The two squads of Sword Saints had become the most desirable prey on the field. They could hardly have imagined anyone competing over who would kill them.

Huxley felt dizzy.

What were these troops?

An illusion. It had to be. The Hero who had hidden them must know illusion magic too—

Eira stepped in front of him.

His eyes widened. Her palm struck, and the world went black.

Cassian had ordered the Lords taken alive for the moment. Soul Tablets, Spirit Lamps—there were plenty of ways to learn whether a Lord was alive or dead. He did not know which the enemy had prepared, and he would rather not give them a warning.

The other Black Banner Lords finally understood what was happening.

"Cassian is far stronger than we thought! We split into ten detachments. He could destroy us one at a time!"

"That’s why he sealed the Marches!"

"Scatter! We have to warn Commander Tervain and the military!"

Their will to fight broke. They gathered what troops they could and tried to force their way out.

The Crystal Maidens had already spread around a perimeter more than a hundred kilometers across.

The attempts to escape caused a little extra work. They did nothing to change the result.

Half an hour later, the battle was over.

Celia had not drawn her sword. Liora had not used an offensive spell. After the opening Black Holes had been countered, even the Crystal Maidens had done little more than catch fugitives on the outskirts.

Four thousand one hundred and eighty-two enemy units lay dead.

All ten Lords were unconscious, just as Cassian had ordered.

During the pursuit, he had worried that one of them might kill himself to warn his comrades. In the end, their fierce words had proved much stronger than their courage. When death came close, they wanted to live.

"Liora. Your turn."

Liora nodded. Ten green beams shot from her blue staff toward the captives.

"Mental Prison."