Chapter 334: The Real Target

Ilyse’s reassurance left the Channel seething. Most Lords kept their anger to themselves.

Darian did not.

[Darian Frost: If Humanity’s interests come first, why not let everyone hunt? We’d gain strength faster together. You want to take all the points and be praised for it too?]

Lords across the gathering stared at his message. No one from a lesser Realm had spoken to one of the great commanders so bluntly.

There was a brief silence.

The Homeworld again.

Ilyse was beginning to wonder whether it produced anything but troublemakers.

[Ilyse Ardent: What do you understand? If the twelve leading Realms cannot strengthen our forces quickly, who will protect Humanity? Your Homeworld?]

Before Darian could answer, Elara spoke in their private group.

[Elara Vayne: Let it go. We’re clearing the Labyrinth on our own anyway.]

[Seraphine Valcrest: Calm down, Darian. We shouldn’t make permanent enemies of all the greater Realms. Once the Racial Gates open, they might come looking for us.]

[Darian Frost: That doesn’t give them the right to treat the rest of us as expendable.]

[Nessa Fenwick: Cassian, help us talk him down!]

[Cassian Vale: Why? He’s right.]

Darian’s mood improved at once.

[Darian Frost: Exactly! Enough of this. Back to hunting. I’ve cleared all three first-stage Domains. Time for the second stage.]

[Nessa Fenwick: You make that look so easy.]

[Cassian Vale: Nothing to it. He’s a stubborn man. Tell him he’s right and he calms straight down.]

[Darian Frost: Drop dead.]

Cassian smiled and closed the exchange as his force reached the third checkpoint.

It was still a Rank-XV Domain, but Epic Heroes had begun appearing among the defenders.

Two hours later, he had cleared every Domain in the third stage.

A dead-end branch had reduced the total to twenty-four. Together, they had brought him more than a million Labyrinth Points. Most of the time had gone into traveling between them. Liora could move troops in small batches, but she could not carry entire armies in a single Teleport.

"Seventy-two Domains in the fourth stage, if there are no more dead ends. We can manage that."

Eight hours later, the fourth stage was finished.

The actual count had been sixty-six Domains. They yielded five million Labyrinth Points.

Over the following day, Cassian divided his forces again and swept through all one hundred and eighty-four Domains in the fifth stage. Those battles also earned him twenty-three million Battle Essence.

Behind one of the cleared Domains, he found a portal.

He suspected it led to a place where he would encounter Lords of other races. There were already more monsters in his own branches than he could comfortably clear. He left the portal alone.

Another day passed.

"Two hundred and sixty-one Domains in the sixth stage..."

Cassian let out a breath and checked the countdown.

[00:23:12]

"That will have to do. Even with Liora casting Teleport constantly, there’s a limit."

Each new layer of the Labyrinth sent the routes farther apart. Returning to a shared junction meant covering longer and longer distances. The Crystal Maidens could locate the targets easily; reaching them was another matter.

If Aurelia wanted to rejoin him now, her Dawnwings would have to return to the original junction and travel hundreds of kilometers around the branches.

The sixth-stage Domains were also growing formidable. Six separate forces were as far as he could divide his army without risking serious losses.

His Labyrinth Points had reached sixty-four million. The overwhelming share came from kills.

Cassian gave the order to attack.

Faerie Dragons and Crystal Maidens surged toward the Dwarf Domain before him. Its defenses fell, and the whole Domain collapsed under their assault.

[Seventh checkpoint cleared. Labyrinth Points +600,000.]

[Find and destroy the eighth checkpoint within 24 hours. Failure will end this attempt and return you to the Human Hall.]

[23:59:59]

With a fresh day on the clock, he opened the Homeworld Legion Channel.

[Cassian Vale: How is everyone doing?]

[Darian Frost: Quite well. I’ve finished all the fourth-stage Domains. Working on the fifth now.]

[Nessa Fenwick: I only managed thirty-eight in the fourth stage. There wasn’t enough time!]

[Elara Vayne: A few more than Nessa, in my case.]

Those results were about what Cassian expected.

Darian’s Five Elements Formation had earned him tens of billions of Battle Essence during the Legion Contest. His army had grown rapidly afterward, supported by the daily hunting of his Eclipse troops. With more than two thousand main combat units, he could easily fight along three routes at once.

The other Homeworld Lords were less prepared for what they were reading.

[You’re joking, surely?]

[The Fivefold Heaven Lord leading our team only destroyed eighteen fourth-stage Domains.]

[They must be splitting their forces.]

[Then their points must be over a million already. They could even move their Domains into the Labyrinth!]

Lana joined in.

[Lana Whitmere: What about you, Cassian? How far have you reached?]

[Cassian Vale: A little farther.]

[Nessa Fenwick: Your idea of "a little" frightens me.]

While he talked with his friends and continued hunting, a very different battle was approaching on the distant Homeworld.

——

A middle-aged Black Banner Lord with a narrow mustache studied the latest intelligence.

"They moved the Provincial capital into Riftward? All the remaining Lords of Divine Province too?"

Even with Cassian and more than a dozen of the Province’s strongest Lords away at Race Ascendancy, the coalition had taken no chances. Legendary Shades had infiltrated Divine Province in large numbers to gather reports.

Earlier defeats had cost them dearly. Three War Marshals from the older sectors were already dead. No one wanted to repeat their mistakes.

This time, the news was excellent.

"Confirmed, General Sorel," the intelligence officer said. "They’ve abandoned even Ironwake and Greyfen, Regions with more than a thousand Fortune. It appears they intend to concentrate everything in Riftward and hold until Cassian’s group returns."

Lieutenant General Marius Sorel of Sector 632 smiled.

"How considerate. That saves us a great deal of work."

He turned from the report.

"Seal Riftward immediately. Inform General Ashcombe of Western Beacon."

The thought of the coming victory made him laugh.

"I’d like to see Cassian’s face when he comes back and finds a year’s work in ruins."

——

Third Realm. Highcrest.

"Those bastards!"

The Valcrest founder’s projection had been cursing for some time.

"Divine Province’s strongest Lords are out fighting for Humanity, and these people choose that moment to stab them in the back!"

He turned toward Edran.

"Nearly ten War Marshals this time. Even if Cassian were still there, he might not be able to stop them. Only Southreach’s Fenwicks have gone to help. Are we really going to sit here and watch?"

Edran seemed to be in an excellent mood. He had even made a pot of Enlightenment Tea.

"Intervene?"

He took a small sip, then smiled.

"You may, if you like. I don’t intend to."

The founder stared at him. That was confidence, not indifference. What could Divine Province possibly have left that would justify it?

Beside him, the Caerwyn Sovereign’s projection suddenly stirred.

"Could it be... that World Wonder we discussed?"