Chapter 353: Six Wings and a Crystal Crown

"Harriet. One. Come here."

The two troops arrived soon afterward and bowed.

"Lord."

Cassian nodded. With a wave of his hand, he sent a three-colored sphere of light toward each of them.

Harriet stared for an instant, then dropped to one knee, joy lighting her face.

"Thank you, my lord. Wherever your will leads, my blade will follow."

Even Crystal One’s usually impassive eyes brightened. The desire for strength ran deep in every race.

Cassian had considered the choice carefully. Lethria already gave him a Mythic caster. For these two Souls, he had chosen a physical specialist and a master of tactics. They would strengthen different parts of his army.

What abilities they would gain was beyond his knowledge. He could only make the best choice he could and see what happened.

The two Troop Souls dissolved into them.

[Your Dawnwing Marshal, Harriet, has advanced to Dawnwing Throne.]

[Your Crystal Maiden, Crystal One, has advanced to Crystal Princess.]

Three-colored light surrounded both women. The unmistakable pressure of Mythic power spread across the square.

"Crystal Princess?" Cassian smiled. "Not quite a queen, but it has a good ring to it."

Six wings burst open behind Harriet.

Sacred energy rolled outward with such force that he took several steps back. Three pairs of wings stretched through the shining air—the first six-winged Angel in his army.

He opened her basic attributes.

[Harriet]

[Race: Angel — Dawnwing Throne]

[Level: 85 | Quality: Mythic One-Star]

[Physique: 166,000 | Aether: 188,000 | Spirit: 190,000 | Load: 88,000]

[Equipment: Sacred Set]

[Combat Rating: 158,000 stars]

[Skills: Sacred Scepter / Mind Link / Damage Link / Resurrection / Heaven’s Battle Array]

"A new formation skill... Grade S?"

Cassian drew a sharp breath.

Among Mythics, Harriet’s personal combat strength was respectable rather than exceptional. With Aurelia’s Command and his Domain, Battle Name, and title bonuses, her rating could reach roughly three hundred and thirty thousand stars. She had no Extreme attribute.

Heaven’s Battle Array was another matter.

Once formed, the Dawnwing army could defend itself from every direction, much as the Eclipse corps did with Aegis Fold. Harriet could also gather the Angels’ combined power into a single attack: Heaven’s Judgment.

An attack far stronger than Aurelia’s Skyblade Descent.

That was an extraordinary addition to an already formidable army.

Cassian turned to One.

Her appearance had barely changed. He gave her enough Golden Radiance Crystal to use the new, finite Crystal Load opened by this Mythic advancement. She absorbed the material, adding the conversion to her existing Physique allocation.

When she finished, he examined her attributes.

[Crystal One]

[Race: Crystalkin — Crystal Princess]

[Level: 85 | Quality: Mythic One-Star]

[Physique: 396,000 | Aether: 132,000 | Spirit: 132,000 | Load: 0]

[Combat Rating: 132,000 stars]

[Skills: Crystal Assimilation / Crystal Shaping / Crystal Ray / Crystal Storm / Crystal Metamorphosis / Crystal Convergence]

"Nearly four hundred thousand Physique before bonuses. Seven hundred and twenty thousand with them."

His smile widened.

"And this new skill looks promising too."

[Crystal Convergence — Grade A]

[Merge with other Crystalkin units to increase your attributes temporarily. The increase depends on the units joining the convergence.]

"Let’s try it. Crystal Convergence."

Several Legendary Nine-Star Maidens stepped toward One. The instant they touched her, their bodies softened like warm wax and flowed into hers.

Her features remained the same. Her height began to increase.

By the time she reached five meters, Cassian was staring at her attributes.

"A million Physique."

He looked up at her.

"Can you take more?"

"Yes, Lord."

More of the waiting Maidens joined her. Golden crystal flowed across her body, then settled into the same familiar shape at an ever greater size.

She stopped growing at nine meters.

"This is my limit, Lord. Any more would interfere with my coordination."

"Good. Very good."

One million two hundred thousand Physique.

Even against Vaurak, she should be able to hold for a while. In this form, the Crystal Princess had become the strongest fighter under his command.

Cassian examined the connection more closely. Every Maiden who had merged with her still had an individual panel. Their consciousness had simply fallen dormant within the combined body.

"Only Crystalkin could make that look so easy," he murmured. "Their minds are so clear. Give Humans the same bodies, and we’d still struggle to think as one."

After a final look at her attributes, he nodded.

"That’s enough. Release them."

One inclined her head. Masses of golden crystal slipped from her body, each taking the form of the Maiden who had entered it. As the others separated, One returned to her usual height.

His original thirty-two Crystalkin stood before him again. One Princess, thirty-one Maidens. No one was missing.

Cassian was delighted.

Two more Mythic troops, both with powerful new abilities. Even the pressure of Fivefold Heaven felt considerably lighter now.

He turned to the last two Mythic items.

[Minotaur Greataxe — Mythic]

[Level: 105. Upgradeable.]

He lost interest before he reached the rest of its attributes.

Level 105. It could be half a year or more before anyone in his army could equip it. Besides, none of his Heroes or troops specialized in axes.

He was tempted to sell the enormous golden weapon.

"When I need the money," he decided. "It wouldn’t fetch a proper price now anyway."

The second item was more interesting.

[Thousandfold Seal — Mythic]

[Use to receive one opportunity to challenge the Thousandfold King.]

A brief description, but it immediately brought Vaurak’s words back to mind.

"So if I win the challenge, I might become the new Thousandfold King. What would that give me?"

He had no answer yet.

Both items belonged to a future he was not ready to approach. He put the axe and Seal into storage.

——

Sector 666 already held the attention of powerful factions in the upper Realms. Cassian’s rise, the Homeworld Legion’s victory, and two World Wonders had seen to that.

Now the news of Humanity’s Paragon spread among them as well.

Edran considered the latest report with growing interest.

"Humanity’s Paragon. That young man becomes harder to judge every day. I should have Darian secure our connection while there’s still time."

Elsewhere, a ruler of the Varronian Dominion sighed.

"Ever since the Fourth Realm, each generation has achieved less than the last. If only Cassian were one of ours."

The Golden Lion’s response was more direct.

"Send my words to Divine Province. If Cassian joins the Golden Lion, I will name him my thirteenth Knight of the Round Table."

Across the Realms, powerful Lords began considering what his success might mean for them. Some had already started to act.

In Sector 632, a woman stood holding a report.

"Cassian won Humanity’s Paragon?"

Her armor shone red and gold. A crimson spear nearly three meters long rested in her other hand. Her features were graceful, but her narrow, sharply focused eyes held a martial intensity few people could meet for long.

That familiar composure was gone now. She read the news again, scarcely able to believe it.

Half a year ago, she had ambushed the Black Banner’s General Hale and left him badly wounded. Even that victory had not shaken her as much as this report.