Chapter 424: Five Days to Go

[Your Domain has advanced to Rank XX.]

[Domain Rune acquired: Valor.]

[Base Domain area increased to 4,500,000 square meters, before national ruler bonuses.]

[Valor: Physique of all Domain units +10%.]

"Valor!"

Cassian laughed in delight.

"A combat Rune—and one of the most useful. That’s exactly what I wanted."

Countless golden runes sank into the Domain. As their power took hold, he felt another surge of strength through his body.

He had been half afraid of receiving something meant for farming or entertainment. This suited him far better.

The notices continued.

[Under the influence of Celestial Haven’s enhanced Folded Sanctuary, your Valor Rune has mutated.]

[Valor: Physique of all Domain units +20%.]

"Twice the effect again. Excellent!"

For Liora, Sylvara, Seven, and the Faerie Dragons, more Physique would be useful without greatly changing how they fought. For Lysette, One, the Eclipse Exemplars, and the Stormlance, it was another substantial increase in combat strength.

Cassian raised his hand.

"Main force. Level up."

Eighty percent of his accumulated Battle Essence disappeared as he paid for the upgrades. His surviving combat Heroes and troops advanced to Level 105.

The native Lords were growing too. But with Cassian seizing resources at this pace, they could not match his speed. The Level gap kept shrinking.

Together, the new Levels and Valor Rune brought Lysette’s normal Physique to 2.4 million. With Crystal Convergence, One’s approached five million.

With that Physique, she could meet even a Level-120 Mythic head-on.

After a moment’s thought, Cassian took out two Legendary Spatial Lock Scrolls and used them. The seal covered tens of thousands of kilometers, including Blackcrag Region itself.

He sent his next command through the Lord’s Heart to Rhea and the forward Eclipse force.

"Straight for their capital. Take Blackcrag Region."

"Yes, my lord!"

This was the Ogre Court that had once trapped more than ten thousand Western Beacon War Lords and turned them into food.

Cassian had not chosen it to avenge the Beacon. Ogres were tough, but their offensive power was relatively weak. That made them a safer enemy.

Half a month later, Blackcrag Palace collapsed.

Another Court had yielded three trillion Battle Essence, a hundred and five National Fortune, and hundreds of millions of items.

[Outer Realm Invasion countdown: 45 days.]

"A month and a half..."

Cassian checked his Battle Essence reserve, considered the expense, and made up his mind.

"Veyra, prepare another two thousand Eclipse Exemplars."

Three trillion was an enormous harvest. His army’s consumption had become enormous too. Higher Levels and greater numbers made every round of growth more expensive than the last.

He calculated quickly. Two thousand more was the limit for now. Any more, and raising the whole army’s Levels later could become a problem.

Veyra was delighted when the order reached her.

"Of course, my lord!"

She had only recently encouraged the women who missed the first selection. She had not expected to make good on those words so soon.

"Rank XXI will take about another month," Cassian murmured. "There won’t be another major change in my strength for a while."

He considered his next target.

"In that case, let’s try the Divines’ Twilight Court."

——

Two hundred thousand kilometers west of the Homeworld, Divine Nation’s allied army had just taken its second Court.

This time, it had chosen the Skyfeather Court, a nation of Wingfolk. Their race stood below Humanity on the All-Races Ranking, but it had a place on that list all the same. Among the hundred races of the Outer Realms, the Wingfolk ranked near the middle.

Divine Nation’s leaders gathered in a great command tent. Cassian was the only one absent.

"At this rate, we can destroy one more Court at most," Lana said, frowning. "And the closer we get to the opening, the less the Outer Realm Courts fight one another. They’re starting to cooperate. Every attack we make will become harder."

No one could dispute that.

Then Alwin drew a sharp breath.

"I... Cassian just made me a Titled War Champion."

He stared at his panel.

"Sixty percent to all my personal attributes. Skyfeather only gave us a little over ten National Fortune, didn’t it? Using so much of it on me... I don’t know that I’ve earned this."

He need not have worried.

The other eleven Governors had gone equally still.

After a long pause, Lana spoke.

"I’ve become a Titled General. Thirty percent to all attributes, for every unit in my Domain."

"Me too," Soren said.

Silas looked up from his own notice.

"And me."

They compared their panels in growing amazement. All twelve Governors had received one of the new titled offices, each suited to their path.

"Where did we get this much National Fortune?" Benedict asked.

"Wait." Alwin’s expression changed. "Surely Darian should have received an office like this first. With his Golden Behemoths—"

He stopped.

The Behemoths had grown noticeably stronger several times lately.

When he looked over, Darian spread his hands.

"The five of us received our appointments a little while ago."

For a moment, no one seemed to know what to say.

"More than a hundred National Fortune. How does he do it?"

"Has he destroyed a whole Outer Realm Court by himself? No, even that wouldn’t explain it. A Palace gives you twenty percent of a nation’s Fortune at most."

"An Artifact? Does he have something that collects National Fortune?"

Darian, Elara, and Nessa exchanged a glance.

Each of them now had a Fountain of Life. Elara’s and Nessa’s had followed Darian’s, built with the Blueprints and materials Cassian supplied. He had covered the construction costs as well.

If the others knew that all three possessed one of the finest Legendary Buildings, what would their faces look like?

Perhaps it was better to give them time to recover from the offices first.

Seraphine stood, full of confidence.

"We have twelve more titled officers. Darian’s reached Rank XX, and his Golden Behemoths are Level 105. Why don’t we choose one of the five great races next? Ow!"

Alwin had reached over and tapped her on the head.

"Getting carried away, are you? Every one of those five has more than a million War Lords. Even their weakest troops are Rare. They may have Mythics too—above Level 120. Are you trying to get us killed?"

Darian nodded.

"We can take on someone stronger, such as the Goldkin or Blue Demons. Attacking one of the five great races is another matter. I wouldn’t try that even if Cassian brought his army to join us."

"I suggest the Goldkin," Elara said. "Gilded Overlords have fairly ordinary attributes overall, but they’re among the best Legendary troops for taking punishment. We’ll be fighting a defensive war soon. More of their Troop Sigils would help a great deal."

Seraphine had realized that her excitement was getting ahead of her judgment. She gave an embarrassed laugh.

"It was only an idea. No need to take it so seriously."

None of them, even in their wildest guesses, imagined that Cassian was already making his way toward the Divines’ Twilight Court with his own force alone.

——

Forty days passed.

[Outer Realm Invasion countdown: 5 days.]

That was the notice shown to Homeworld Lords.

For the native Lords of the Outer Realms, it read differently.

[Homeworld opening countdown: 5 days.]

Seen from far enough away, the Homeworld stretched across millions of kilometers beneath a vast membrane of light. Any Outer Realm creature passing inside it suffered Level suppression.

In five days, that membrane would disappear.

Thousands of kilometers beyond it, Domains were gathering in numbers too great to count. Their formations stretched to the horizon.

Angels. Machines. Dreadborn. Elder Buddhas. Ghosts. Undead.

More than a hundred races had assembled to destroy the Homeworld.

A humanoid figure over ten meters tall hovered above them, staring toward the light with open hunger. His upper body was bare, its knotted muscles gleaming like adamantine.

Eight arms spread from his powerful frame. Each held a different weapon: a saber, a spear, a sword, a halberd, an axe, a broad-bladed war axe, a hook, and a forked lance.

The oppressive aura of a Mythic rolled from him.

"Strange."

He drew his gaze away from the Homeworld, a trace of doubt entering his eyes.

"Only five days until the Homeworld opens. Why haven’t the Divines from the Twilight Court arrived?"