Chapter 91: Rank 2? You Invaded Northwatch, So I’ll Slaughter Duskmoor

Once the Communication Seal turned Northwatch quiet on the inside, the outside only became louder.

The Shattered Marches Channel could not see the Northwatch battlefield.

All anyone could see were Lord statuses turning gray one after another.

Seven at first.

Then more than ten.

After that, people stopped counting—because Garrick Thorne’s name had gone gray too.

[Anonymous Lord: Garrick is dead?]

[Anonymous Lord: Wasn’t he commanding Black Banner’s Northwatch force?]

[Anonymous Lord: How many people does Northwatch even have left?]

[Anonymous Lord: Wait.]

[Anonymous Lord: If Northwatch is the one counterattacking, why are Riftward’s Kill Points climbing?]

The Channel stalled for a beat.

The Communication Seal could hide battlefield messages.

It could not hide the Ranking itself.

Riftward’s daily placement had not refreshed yet, but anyone watching the points closely could see who was gaining them.

Black Banner offered no explanation.

Northwatch stayed quiet too. Mira had her people keep their mouths shut, not because Cassian had given another order, but because after this battle she knew very well what needed to be said outside—and what did not need to be said for someone else.

A little over ten minutes later, the Second Regional Ranking refreshed.

The golden list unfolded again.

This time, many people did not look at Sable March first.

They looked for Riftward.

Third.

[Rank 3 | Sable March]

Black Banner still held one of the high positions it had occupied for days.

Then the second line appeared.

[Rank 2 | Riftward]

The Shattered Marches Channel went empty for one beat.

Then messages exploded across it.

[Anonymous Lord: SECOND?!]

[Anonymous Lord: Wasn’t Riftward Rank 10 yesterday?]

[Anonymous Lord: How many Black Banner troops died inside Northwatch?]

[Tobias Reed: I have one question.]

[Tobias Reed: Who was it that said Northwatch couldn’t be saved?]

[Rowan Ashford: Don’t climb too fast.]

[Rowan Ashford: I still have shipping orders open.]

[Tobias Reed: Why do you always say that at times like this?]

The top line lit last.

[Rank 1 | Ironwake]

Darian Frost. Warbound.

Riftward climbing to second in a day had not knocked him off the top.

And the public interface did not break the gap down into a number Cassian could settle immediately.

This was a daily refresh, not the final settlement.

There was still time before the Second Regional Ranking ended.

Inside the Riftward Regional Channel, the tone had changed completely.

[Anonymous Lord: SECOND!]

[Anonymous Lord: From ten to two?!]

[Anonymous Lord: Did the Warden really lead people to Northwatch himself?]

[Tobias Reed: He’s not even back yet.]

[Rowan Ashford: So don’t hold the victory banquet for him.]

[Anonymous Lord: Then why are you still online?]

Rowan stopped answering.

——

Mira was coming down Northwatch’s northern stone ridge when she saw the Ranking too.

"Second."

"Mm."

"So that’s why you came to Northwatch."

She gave Cassian a look.

"It really wasn’t only about saving us."

Cassian did not pretend otherwise.

"I said it before I left."

"Northwatch had to survive."

"And I wanted the points."

Mira let out a quiet breath.

"At least you didn’t wait until I was about to die to tell me."

"That would’ve looked too much like raising the price after you were cornered."

"You know that?"

"I do."

This time Mira actually laughed.

Only for a moment.

Then she looked back down the mountain, and the brief ease disappeared with it.

"Garrick was from Duskmoor."

Cassian looked up.

"Ronan Greaves too."

"I know."

Ronan had brought a Spatial Lock into Riftward.

Garrick had brought another army out of the same Duskmoor and into Northwatch.

Cassian pulled the two gray records up side by side.

The same Region.

The first time, Duskmoor had delivered a Spatial Lock all the way to Forgotten Shrine’s doorstep.

The second time, it had delivered its direction, its route, and one of its strongest high-Quality forces into Northwatch.

Before yesterday, Duskmoor had been nothing more than a name somewhere beyond Cassian’s map.

Now the scroll was in his Inventory.

The route was in Mira’s hands.

And the strongest force Garrick had taken out was dead.

Other people would see revenge.

Cassian saw a window that would not stay open forever.

"Which direction is Duskmoor?"

Mira was silent for two beats.

"You’re still going to fight?"

"Northwatch is safe."

Cassian closed Garrick’s death record.

"Now I hit back."

"That means you’re choosing to enter another Region and start the war yourself."

"I know."

"All of Duskmoor?"

"Mm."

Mira studied him.

"For Garrick?"

"Garrick is already dead."

Cassian’s voice stayed flat.

"I wouldn’t walk this far for a dead man."

He closed Ronan’s and Garrick’s records together.

"Duskmoor put an opportunity I couldn’t reach before directly in front of me."

"They sent the war out twice."

"This time I’m following the road back and collecting the whole account."

Mira looked at him for several seconds. Then she stopped arguing and pulled up Northwatch’s old route map to the southwest.

"No exact coordinates."

"Garrick first appeared from this direction."

She marked a farther stretch of the Outer March.

"Keep going southwest and the Monster Levels start dropping."

Cassian looked once.

"Enough."

"They should know Garrick is dead by now."

"Yeah."

"They won’t wait for you."

Cassian looked toward the sky. The twelve Crystal Maidens had already transformed back into Bloodcrystal Bats.

"I wasn’t planning to let them."

——

Northwatch’s Spatial Lock was still active, so Cassian did not force a Gate through it.

The twenty Rocketiers returned first through an outer Waypoint to the Fountain. After two consecutive Overloads, their part in this battle was finished.

The twelve Bloodcrystal Bats kept searching southwest.

When Cassian returned to Forgotten Shrine, Veyra asked only one question.

"Going out again?"

"Mm."

"Duskmoor?"

"If we find it, we go."

"Garrick is already dead."

"That’s why now is the time."

Veyra’s gaze stayed on his face for two beats, then shifted to the death record from Duskmoor.

"The main force died outside. The route is exposed."

"Mm."

"I see what you’re counting now."

She did not ask anything else.

"Stormlance stays."

"Nine Praetorians and one hundred Legionnaires go with you."

"I’ll keep the other hundred Legionnaires here."

Cassian nodded.

"Enough."

A little over two hours later, Crystal One’s scouting record found the first road that had clearly been maintained for a long time.

Then artificial Boundary Markers.

Farther in, a black-and-gray Region marker appeared.

[Duskmoor]

At the same time, a new Waypoint outside Duskmoor lit on the Rank VI Warden Gate map.

The last uncertainty disappeared.

Position.

Route.

A place to land.

And the Spatial Lock Duskmoor itself had delivered was still sitting in Cassian’s Inventory.

Cassian looked once.

"Open it."

The Gate unfolded.

Cassian, Aurelia, Celia, twelve Legendary Crystal Maidens, nine Praetorians, and one hundred Legionnaires crossed in sequence.

The Rocketiers remained at the Fountain. The Stormlance and the other hundred Legionnaires stayed in Riftward.

——

By the time they emerged on the other side, evening was already settling in.

Duskmoor’s Boundary Marker was visible in the distance. Several Waygates glowed farther inside.

Garrick’s death had clearly reached them. Several Domains were already pulling their lines inward. Others were concentrating around the main Transit route.

Cassian did not move immediately.

He opened the Shattered Marches Channel first.

[Cassian Vale: Ronan Greaves brought a Spatial Lock out of Duskmoor and into Riftward.]

[Cassian Vale: Garrick Thorne brought troops out of Duskmoor and into Northwatch today.]

The Channel slowed.

Cassian sent only two more lines.

[Cassian Vale: You invaded Northwatch.]

[Cassian Vale: Then I’ll slaughter Duskmoor.]

Inside Duskmoor, several Waygate lights immediately intensified.

Some people were trying to leave.

Some were moving troops.

Others had already seen the Gate glowing in the wasteland and the Riftward battle line walking out behind it.

Cassian opened his Inventory.

A scroll that had been sitting there for a long time appeared in his hand.

[Spatial Lock Scroll | Rare]

The last time, Black Banner had carried it all the way to Forgotten Shrine’s doorstep.

They had never gotten the chance to use it.

Cassian held the scroll and looked toward the Transit lights rising inside Duskmoor.

"You like locking doors."

He stepped forward.

"This time..."

"My turn."