Chapter 408: Welcome to the Homeworld

[Your Eclipse troops have slain a Solar Ascendant — Mythic.]

[Battle Essence +9,500.]

[Obtained: Grade-S Skill Book — Sunfire ×1. Mythic Troop Soul ×1.]

A Mythic Skill Book!

Cassian stared at the report. Killing another Lord’s troops offered only a tiny chance of an item drop. Usually, the victor received nothing of the kind. Yet this one kill had given him two Mythic prizes, including a Skill Book that was rare even among Mythic treasures.

The hundred thousand premium-grade Aether Crystals burned in that charge had been worth every last crystal.

He almost cheered. Fortunately, everyone around him was too excited to notice how much effort it took him to keep his smile under control.

"We killed a Mythic before he could do a thing!" Seraphine laughed. "Now that felt good!"

"Your fist hadn’t even reached him when he died, Seraphine," another Valcrest pointed out. "What exactly felt so good?"

"Being part of it. Is that a problem?"

Alwin looked at Cassian, still amazed.

"Boss, wasn’t sending all of us against one Ascendant a little excessive?"

"Even a lion gives its full strength when it catches a rabbit." Cassian grinned. "We weren’t going to stay and fight. What would we have gained by saving our skills?"

At that range, Rhea and the Eclipse corps alone could have killed the Solar Ascendant. Fire specialists were hardly known for their defenses.

But his entire raiding party had only one ship. A moment’s delay, one chance for the Covenant to pin it down, and everyone aboard could have been lost. He had no intention of taking that chance.

"I wonder when I’ll get to fight a Mythic on my own," Dain rumbled.

His Spectral Halberd had arrived too late as well. Their target had already been torn apart. For all the satisfaction of the victory, Dain had barely begun to enjoy himself.

Laughter spread across the deck. Cassian opened two jars of wine, and the celebration began.

——

"The Solar Ascendant... is dead."

Ilyse sounded as though she could not quite believe her own words.

He had been the strongest of their six Ascendants.

A cry broke from Rothen Cindrel, the Fire Chapter’s prodigy.

"My Ascendant!"

All around him, stunned murmurs swelled into furious shouting.

"How could that ship move so fast? Did he burn a mountain of premium crystals?"

"Those Homeworld peasants played us for fools!"

"Two hours! He spent two hours making us lower our guard, then drew us to one side and struck the other!"

That last shout brought Evander sharply back to himself. He spun toward the fleet’s left flank.

"Kill the physical Hero! Don’t let her escape!"

They had already lost an Ascendant. If Cassian recovered his Hero as well, they would have nothing at all to show for it.

He was too late.

Within four or five seconds of the Solar Ascendant’s death, One had swept past the left flank. Two blades hundreds of meters long severed every vine holding Lysette. The pair broke clear and flew away together.

Evander’s chest tightened so violently that he nearly choked.

When he had stationed the six Ascendants around the fleet, he had considered the danger of a concentrated attack. Then two hours of unbroken defense had dulled that concern. The chance to kill one of Cassian’s finest Heroes had done the rest.

And even if he had remained perfectly alert, how was he supposed to guard against a ship that could accelerate like that?

Barely ten seconds earlier, he had been mocking Cassian.

Once again, he was the fool.

Why did he keep having to add "again"?

"Clearspirit Spell."

The calming magic settled over him. He forced his breathing under control. There was no time to work out how Cassian had driven that ship to such a terrifying speed.

"All Lords, strengthen your watches. Oren, take the Wood Chapter and set a Verdant Wood Array around the fleet. Three kilometers in every direction. No gaps."

He handed over the remaining reserve.

"Ten billion mid-grade Aether Crystals and two million high-grade crystals. They’re all yours to use. Don’t hold back to save fuel."

Then he turned to Ilyse.

"Cover a hundred kilometers with Water Mirrors. Watch that ship constantly. The moment it does anything unusual, sound the alarm."

"Yes!"

Neither dared delay. At this point, Evander could no longer afford to worry about the cost.

Soon, Water Mirrors filled the surrounding sky. Ilyse looked into one of them, and her hands began to shake.

Other Lords crowded around. Curses followed.

"He’s gone too far!"

Ten tables stood on the Skyreaver’s modest deck, laden with food. Cassian and the Divine Nation’s fighters were passing cups and celebrating their victory.

As though he had noticed the mirror watching him, Cassian looked up. Smiling, he raised his cup and mouthed a few words.

"What did he say?" Evander demanded.

A Lord who could read lips hesitated.

"Welcome to the Homeworld. Enjoy our hospitality."

The mirror shattered.

Evander stood panting over the scattered water. Several seconds passed before he could speak again.

"Make another mirror. Keep watching him!"

——

"One more, Boss?" Seraphine asked eagerly.

Cassian shook his head.

"No. Too much risk for what we’d gain."

There was another reason he kept to himself. Ilyse’s background was already clear enough. The other four prodigies were unlikely to have ordinary families behind them either.

Killing all five would be rather like killing five Darians and then dealing with the families they left behind.

He was enjoying himself. That did not mean he had lost his head.

"But we have other targets."

The people around him thought for a moment. Then their eyes brightened.

Evander had taken only Legendary ships with his main force. Plenty of smaller groups of Epic ships were still trying to escape through the surrounding waters. So long as a group numbered fewer than two hundred vessels, Cassian’s party could wipe it out.

Dain set his wine cup firmly on the table. For once, even drinking could wait.

"When do we leave?"

Half an hour later, he finally had somewhere to put all that unused strength.

An Epic warship lay in pieces behind him. He had torn it apart, killed dozens of Legendary troops and hundreds of Epics, and still carried a fierce light in his eyes.

Nearby, Seraphine drove a fist through another vessel. Its hull burst beneath the blow.

"A billion Battle Essence in one punch!" she laughed. "That’s more like it!"

The Covenant detachment had only a little over fifty ships. Before long, none remained.

"Next group," Cassian said.

The hunt continued for five or six hours. More than a thousand powerful vessels and over a million Epic troops would never leave those waters.

That was only the destruction Seraphine and the others had seen. With the Faerie Dragons and Blood Emperors hunting in secret, the true number of ships lost was far higher.

Cassian opened his Battle Essence balance.

[Battle Essence: 1,732,800,000,000.]

More than a trillion earned in a single day.

"Good thing the Covenant refused my terms," he murmured. "Where else would I have found all this?"

Once his Lord’s Hall reached Rank XIX, he now had enough Battle Essence to raise all his troops to Level 100.

He should demolish more enemy buildings and take their resources too. The sooner he could complete that Hall upgrade, the better.

Satisfied, he left the Sunfire book and Mythic Troop Soul untouched for the moment. He raised a hand.

"Head back."