Kyran did not make a move when the three magical beasts started their attack because he already sensed the old man at the border. Given the situation, he did not think the old man would keep his hand while his people were slaughtered.
Showing up like that would end their facade, but that was the least of their worries at the current flow of things.
Besides, Kyran only suggested the old man leave the scene in the pretence of getting abducted because he wanted to give the Eidums time to breathe from the Nobles' harassment.
Whether the old man returned to the scene at a later date did not assure the Nobles would stop their harassment, especially after the news Dusk provided.
He said Flos's side was already preparing to negotiate with the fake Somuli Sovereign. More than a week had passed since then, and chances that the two sides had already made contact were high. Considering this, the fake Somuli Sovereign and the Nobles might be occupied right now and could not be bothered by the Eidum's situation. But once Flos and the fake Somuli Sovereign came to an agreement, they would definitely come for the Eidums. Or, to be precise, the Saint.
Before that, Kyran would have already initiated his plan to conquer Armakea. For now, though, he had to resolve the matter at hand.
Kyran felt his heart sank as his fear came true.
Earlier, he had begun to wonder how Cyneah managed to keep the mirror under control. He thought of several possibilities, but only one really stood out, especially if he considered her current situation and location.
Cyneah had been absorbing the souls of the fallen beasts and complete beings to feed the Macabre Glacier.
Kyran would not have realized this because not everyone could actually see souls. He could not see them either. What he could see were auras of death.
He rarely used this skill when enhancing his sight using Draconic magic. But because of this skill, he knew Cyneah already had her foot in death's door back when they first met.
Kyran did not use this skill because he thought Cyneah still possessed that aura. Rather, he used it to check if the death aura below was attracted to something.
But when he did look, Kyran was surprised at what he saw.
The battlefield, even amidst the slaughter, had little death aura. Moreover, the little death auras he could see were closer to the edges of a specific spot.
Others would not notice it, but in Kyran's view, the difference was too glaring. It was almost blinding.
It was thanks to this that he found Cyneah. She was at the center where there was zero death aura. Kyran could not see her per se. But he could feel her. The feeling he got was not similar to how he would if he were using magic sense. It was more of an instinct.
Having a better look at the location, Kyran reckoned Cyneah was hiding somewhere below because it was the spot where he landed with a drop kick from the previous raid.
The Armakea forces and Eidums avoided that area because there was a huge crater, and fighting in such ground could be tricky.
Kyran wanted to rush there and pull Cyneah out because the location was deep within the enemy ranks and was even close to where the three magical beasts were and the cargo.
If those three or Lady Chrysanthemum made a significant movement, Cyneah could be in danger.
Still, sneaking into that location would not be easy with all the beasts nearby- not to mention three magical beasts.
Kyran knew they would not sense him because of the Shaiha's protection, but there was another way for them to sense him.
His smell.
No matter how powerful the Shaiha was, it could not mask his scent. This was its limitation. But it rarely posed a problem because few people possess a very high keen sense of smell.
On the other hand, beasts with such a keen sense of smell were fairly common. It was considered one of their natural abilities.
Kyran knew if he wanted to get to Cyneah, he could only warp to where she was. But doing so might expose his identity- not to the Eidums, but to those watching the war from afar.
That was right.
Representatives from different Sovereign factions had already arrived and observed the battle between Armakea and Eidum.
Kyran closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to decide soon. If not, the Eidums would suffer even more.
Just now, when the Comodo unleashed those spikes, Kyran knew it was Cyneah who protected the Eidums on the battlefield. He did not know how, but he somehow sensed her magic at work.
But that attack was only the beginning. She could not protect them all the time.
Kyran even felt that Cyneah exhausted a lot of her magic energy from that move, which could spell trouble over her control of the Macabre Glacier. If she got exhausted and the mirror had not completed its absorption of the death aura on the battlefield, the mirror might start absorbing the souls of those near-death individuals.
Kyran had three choices: warp to where Cyneah was and risk exposing both of them to those beings observing from afar; make another grand entry as 'Nar' and direct everyone's interest solely to him; or stay put and let things unfold by themselves.
Kyran would never consider the latter because he did not believe in fate. Besides, not doing anything when you obviously could do something did not sit well with him. The former was the easiest to do but most messiest. Easy because all he had to do was warp, but messiest because once he warped himself and Cyneah, he would leave a trace behind that could attract those beings.
It should be noted that the Shaiha could mask his aura, and presence, even his magic fluctuation, as long as he was there. But once he left, and the magic fluctuation had yet to disappear, it would become his footprint. When word of his appearance in Somuli reaches Flos, the situation there would take a 360-degree turn for the worse— especially when a certain Sovereign Kyran wanted to avoid also joins the fray.
Ruin.
Kyran had time to prepare if it was only with Flos, but Ruin had an essence nearby. Although the latter was not among the beings watching the battle between Armakea and Eidums, he would surely come once he heard the news of Kyran's appearance.
Kyran opened his eyes and looked at the battle below.
The other two magical beasts moved after the Comodo unleashed those spikes.
The Basilisk raised its body and spat out a blue acid-like breath that instantly disintegrated everything within twenty meters of its range. It was fortunate that there were no Eidums close to it, and even Nahir's group, who were the closest, had already retreated a good distance.
On the other hand, the Dryad summoned thick black vines with angry-looking red thorns that slithered their way in all directions. They attacked everything in their path.
Looking at the scene of carnage from above, others would think that the three magical beasts were actually helping the Eidums reduce the number of their enemies. However, those who witnessed how the situation unfolded would know that the ones getting attacked were the Armakeans only because the Eidums had started their retreat. Apart from that, the Abbot's protective shields protected the retreating Eidums.
Kyran then looked at those Armakeans lined up behind the cargo.
The Armakean forces behind had yet to make their move. They simply watched the scene of carnage happening before them without a care that the ones getting massacred were their own.
Kyran felt disgusted by their attitude. Nevertheless, a sudden disturbing feeling came over him as he looked at Lady Chrysanthemum.
Lady Chrysanthemum already had her eyes opened. She waved her hand every now and then, and the magical beasts responded with an attack.
Looking at her movement, Kyran surmised that she could only control the magical beasts to attack the Eidums. Yet she had not done anything of the sort.
'Could it be…?'
Kyran's eyes glowed silver as he looked at Lady Chrysanthemum. Suddenly, he felt a cold sweat trickle down his spine as he realized something.
'Neah, you…'
Once again, Kyran regretted not asking what happened to Cyneah when she arrived in Somuli. If he had, he would have done everything he could to prevent her from doing something like this.
While Kyran struggled at the things he was witnessing, the subject of his anguish was quietly sitting cross-legged on a hollowed space fifty meters underground.
A gray, misty figure loomed behind her as black mists whirled around them.
The gray figure leaned toward her and whispered something, to which Cyneah replied with a cold voice, "Absorb those souls as much as you want, but I forbid you to touch the Eidums."
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