Chapter 409: An Invasion by Other Hands

A gate a thousand meters tall stood on a mountaintop in Fivefold Heaven.

It was one of the Racial Teleportation Arrays awarded when Humanity entered the top hundred in Race Ascendancy. The arrays appeared at random locations, with their numbers varying according to a Realm’s size. Twelve had been found in the Homeworld. Fivefold Heaven had more than ten times that number.

As quasi-Mythic structures, they possessed one particularly valuable property: spatial seals could not shut them down.

Without that, the Covenant’s retreat would have been far harder.

Evander stood before the gate, his expression dark. Ten hours had passed since his return. Fewer than five thousand ships had made it back, and every vessel still missing was beyond contact.

"Let’s go," he said flatly. "The others aren’t coming."

The faces around him fell.

Before today, none of them would have believed such a result possible. The Fivefold Covenant had marched from an upper Human Realm with every confidence of victory. Now more than half its force was lost, and even an Ascendant had fallen.

"Mobilize all five Chapters," Ilyse said bitterly. "Send them to the Homeworld. Ask the Elders to intervene as well. We must avenge everyone who died!"

The Covenant had deep reserves.

Whenever a new sector opened, it selected more than ten thousand Lords from older sectors to enter and form an Elder Council. Giving up their old Domains cost those Lords the attribute bonuses from their former levels. It did not take away the Aptitude, arts, skills, wealth, or experience they had accumulated over long lives.

They were far beyond ordinary newcomers.

For reasons the Covenant did not explain, those Elders stayed out of the new sector’s rankings and even its routine administration. Their role was to intervene when the Covenant faced a serious crisis. Otherwise, they devoted themselves to recovering and increasing their strength.

Ansel Fenholt of Dragon Tiger Province was a familiar example of what an old master could bring into a new sector.

"No," Teren said, frowning. "A war between two Realms would take a year at best. It might take several. We’ve only just finished our third Provincial Ranking. An Outer Realm Invasion could be close. This is no time to spend all our strength on the Homeworld."

No one hated Cassian more fiercely at that moment than Rothen. The man had just killed his Ascendant. Yet even he understood which danger came first.

"Teren is right. We can take our revenge later. A thousand native nations are watching Fivefold Heaven’s borders. Let us survive their invasion, then deal with Cassian."

"Our enemy is Divine Nation, not the whole Homeworld!" Ilyse protested. "The Beacon and Jade Court are our allies. Destroying Cassian would be easy!"

"Wait."

Evander cut across the argument and looked at Teren.

"What did you just say?"

Teren paused.

"I said that however much we hate Cassian, we should concentrate on the Outer Realm Invasion—"

"The invasion. Yes."

A light entered Evander’s eyes. Then he laughed.

"Why should we destroy the Homeworld ourselves? Why should we even need to kill Cassian with our own hands?"

He turned toward the Western Beacon envoy, who had been trembling in a corner.

"I want to speak to the people who sent you."

The envoy stared for a moment, then hurried to answer.

"Of course, Lord Ardent. I’ll contact them at once."

——

A special communications link brought Evander into a virtual meeting room.

Gavin Roswell greeted him respectfully.

"How may we help you, Lord Ardent?"

Piers Haldane, Corven Talcrest, and Nerissa Vaust were there as well. All wore careful expressions. Beneath that courtesy lay a mixture of fear and anticipation.

Had Evander come to vent his anger on them after losing to Cassian? Or had Fivefold Heaven finally decided to commit its full strength?

His first words lifted their spirits.

"I have a way to kill Cassian. At the very least, it will destroy Divine Nation. I will need your cooperation."

"Tell us what to do," Corven said at once. "If it means Cassian’s death, the Jade Court will spare no effort."

Neither the Black Banner nor the Western Beacon wanted Cassian dead quite as badly as the Jade Court did. Everyone could see where his growing strength would eventually lead. The Jade Court stood in the Crown’s way, and Cassian would remove it as soon as he could.

Evander nodded, pleased. He laid out his plan without further delay.

The eager faces around him slowly changed. Excitement gave way to disbelief, then alarm.

"The Covenant helps us found nations quickly," Gavin murmured. "Enough nations for the Realm to withdraw its protection and open the Homeworld completely to the Outer Realms. Then the invasion begins..."

"Exactly."

Evander spoke with complete confidence.

"I’ve calculated it. Three more nations, and within a few months the Realm will judge the Homeworld ready for an Outer Realm Invasion. Your borders will open fully."

He looked around the room.

"Cassian founded his nation a month ago. That already unlocked higher level limits for the native Lords beyond your borders. Their fighting strength at this stage is greater than in any previous year."

The listeners grew still.

"Let him be strong. Can he defeat hundreds of nations whose highest Lord’s Halls are Rank XXIII, or even Rank XXIV and above? Remember, Rank XXV is already the minimum needed to establish a Realm."

"But..." Corven’s voice faltered. "If the Homeworld falls, we’re finished too."

"What alternative do you have?" Evander asked. "If Cassian lives and Divine Nation survives, you will all be finished sooner or later."

Corven shuddered.

He was not the only one. A chill had spread through the entire room.

Every new sector had to endure an Outer Realm Invasion. Sooner or later, Lords arriving from other worlds had to face the native Lords surrounding them. Only after surviving that war could the Homeworld truly establish itself in the new sector.

Evander intended to force that trial on them early, simply to destroy Cassian.

He was willing to bury the whole Homeworld with Divine Nation.

Suddenly, Nerissa began to laugh.

"Yes. Let everything burn together!"

There was a wild edge to her voice.

"If the Homeworld is destroyed, where will Cassian hide? We should do more than bring the invasion forward. We should guide the Outer Realm Lords in ourselves. Let them call us traitors!"

The Black Banner had already been wiped out in Sector 666. As Nerissa saw it, destroying everyone else’s foundations would put them all back on equal footing. Cassian would die, and the advantage his enemies had lost would cease to matter.

What more could she ask for?

The others said nothing.

Until now, they had always claimed to be acting for the greater good, however hard they pressed Cassian. Carry out this plan, and that excuse would be gone. Their names would be cursed long after they were dead.

Gavin forced a thin smile.

"Lord Ardent, the consequences are considerable. We need time to think."

"Think, then. But my patience has limits."

A Nation-Founding Writ appeared in Evander’s hand.

It was the only one Fivefold Heaven currently possessed. The Covenant was not yet ready to establish its own nation, and it certainly did not want to raise the level limits of the native Lords on its borders.

For this purpose, however, the Writ would serve very well.

"The first person to agree can have it."

Eyes fastened on the item in his hand. Evander’s voice remained calm.

"I have only one condition. If Cassian somehow survives, you will hand him over to me. Whether in the Main World or on the Realm Battlefield, I will decide what happens to him."

——

Cassian sneezed.

"Who’s plotting against me this time?"

He rubbed his nose and put the question aside. He had a much more pleasant problem to consider.

After returning to Breakwater Isle, he had assigned the Divine Nation’s next tasks. Only then did he take out the finest spoils of the battle.

The Mythic Sunfire Skill Book. The Mythic Troop Soul.

He had so many powerful followers that deciding who should receive them was proving surprisingly difficult.