Chapter 459: Preparations For War
The night slowly began to fade.
Far beyond the walls of Silver Shield City, the horizon turned pale beneath the first traces of dawn, dark skies giving way to a cold gray light. The battlefield below remained ruined and silent, vast stretches of shattered earth still filled with water from Sofia’s attack. Mist drifted slowly across the broken plains while fragments of destroyed golems lay buried beneath mud and stone.
No new enemy movement had appeared through the night.
That silence alone felt unnatural.
Razeal stood atop the wall with the others, his gaze fixed outward, unmoving since the battle ended. The wind moved lightly through his silver hair while the city behind them slowly awakened not to peace, but to preparation. Bells rang in the distance. Soldiers shifted positions. Civilians were already being evacuated deeper into the inner districts.
The kingdom had understood.
War was truly coming now.
Sofia remained silent beside him for a long while before finally speaking.
"Do you really intend to fight this?" she asked quietly. "Are we truly serious about staying?"
Her eyes remained on the battlefield below.
"Because this might be the last chance we have to leave."
"I am staying," Razeal answered simply.
He did not even turn toward her.
Sofia narrowed her eyes slightly toward the pale horizon.
"This is no longer the same situation if a Supreme truly enters the battlefield."
Her tone remained calm, though genuine concern lingered beneath it now.
She slowly folded her arms beneath her chest.
"And... I still have not fully adapted to this atmosphere. I do not know how much of my strength I will actually be able to use if things become serious."
Only then did she finally turn toward him directly.
"And even though..." A faint pause followed. "I am still confident in surviving."
Several nearby soldiers stiffened slightly after hearing those words spoken so casually.
"But thats not our concern."
Sofia’s expression hardened faintly.
"The real problem is that even if all of us combine our strength together..." Her eyes swept briefly toward the others gathered atop the wall. "What do we have? Fifteen Great Saints at most? Some additional forces. Some strange powers."
A faint breath escaped her.
"Against a Supreme... that is nothing."
Nobody interrupted her.
Because no one there truly disagreed.
"Not to mention," Sofia continued calmly, "We are not simply fighting. We also need to protect the kingdom itself while doing so."
Her gaze shifted briefly toward Silver Shield City behind them.
"If the battle reaches the city, people die regardless of who wins."
Then she looked back toward the ruined battlefield again.
"And we still do not know how many Great Saints stand on the other side. Whether only one Supreme is coming... or more."
The wind blew softly through her ocean-blue hair.
"And even if our only objective became killing that Supreme..." She shook her head faintly. "I still would not call that likely."
Her words were blunt.
But truthful.
Silence settled briefly atop the wall afterward.
Then finally
Razeal turned his head toward her.
"Who said all of you are fighting?"
The words immediately drew everyone’s attention.
Sofia’s brows narrowed immediately.
"You mean... you alone against the entire army?" She pointed first toward him, then toward the shattered battlefield beyond the walls where mist still drifted above ruined earth and drowned craters.
Razeal only shrugged.
That answer alone made several expressions tighten around him.
Sofia stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head faintly.
"Have you ever actually fought a real war before?" she asked. "Not a duel or a battle. But a war?"
Her voice remained calm, though disbelief had begun creeping into it now.
"I admire your strength," Lord Kael said from the side as he stepped closer, heavy armor shifting with each movement. "But she is right." His expression remained grim. "War is not something one man carries alone."
He looked toward the distant battlefield.
"Even if all the Great Saints within this kingdom stood together... even if every available force gathered here..." His jaw tightened slightly. "Holding back a Supreme would still be nearly impossible."
The old warrior’s gaze returned toward Razeal.
"Her concerns are justified."
Razeal listened quietly.
Then finally
"Not that i am looking down at you all or anything but.. You all would only get in my way," he answered simply. "And get yourselves injured if I allowed you all to enter battlefield."
The words came without arrogance in his tone.
Which somehow made them even more irritating.
Sofia slowly looked at him.
"But you are looking down on us."
"Well," Razeal admitted after a brief pause, "True."
A vein visibly twitched near Sofia’s forehead.
Several others looked no better.
Even Maria’s expression twitched faintly after hearing such a straightforward answer.
For a brief moment, the urge to strike him crossed more than one mind standing atop the wall.
Still
Nobody acted.
Mostly because all of them knew he genuinely believed what he was saying.
Sofia slowly inhaled through her nose, calming herself.
Then crossed her arms again.
"You think i can get injured simply from the aftermath of your battle?" she asked carefully now.
There was a dangerous smile slowly forming on her face.
Razeal nodded honestly.
"Yes. Certainly"
That answer nearly caused another collective reaction around him.
Even Lord Kael looked briefly speechless.
Sofia left eyes twitched badly..
"How about," she said slowly, "You explain exactly how you intend to protect this kingdom... hold back millions of enemies... deal with whatever Great Saints arrive..." Her gaze sharpened directly on him. "And fight a Supreme at the same time."
The wind moved softly around them.
"Explain it to me in a way that actually makes sense."
For once
Razeal nodded immediately.
As though he found the question reasonable.
"I only need proper preparations."
His eyes moved toward the city behind them briefly.
"What do you think I was doing these last few hours?"
Maria frowned slightly and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"Preparations?" she repeated. "What kind of preparations?"
Razeal looked toward her.
"Yes."
Then his gaze moved slowly across all of them standing atop the wall.
"I’ll show you."
A brief pause followed.
"But before that..." His expression remained calm. "How about I leave the kingdom’s protection to all of you?"
Several brows narrowed slightly.
"You all should be capable enough to handle that much." He looked toward Sofia specifically now. "Though honestly... I doubt you’ll even need to move much."
That sentence only made Sofia’s dangerous smile deepen slightly.
"Leave it to me then," she said calmly. "I’ll do you that favor."
Then she lifted her chin slightly, arms still crossed.
"But now you have to show me properly."
A faint challenge entered her eyes.
"And while we’re at it..." she added, "how about we make a little bet?"
"What kind of bet?" Razeal asked, finally turning toward Sofia properly, faint curiosity visible in his expression.
Sofia’s lips curved slowly.
"If you fail to hold this war by yourself..." she said calmly, "Or if you need any of us to step in and protect you..."
Her ocean-blue eyes glinted slightly beneath the rising dawn.
"...then we go on a proper honeymoon next."
The entire wall fell silent.
Even the wind seemed to pause for a moment.
Maria’s eyes widened instantly.
You.. you what?!
The scream remained entirely inside her head, though outwardly her face only twitched once near the corner of her lips.
Nancy immediately covered part of her face with one hand, ears visibly reddening beneath her pale hair.
These people are so lewwwwdddd...
Even the soldiers nearby suddenly became very interested in staring toward the battlefield instead.
Lord Kael coughed roughly into one fist.
Nyssa calmly turned her face away as though she had heard absolutely nothing.
Grace simply blinked several times in complete confusion before awkwardly lowering her gaze.
Razeal himself looked at Sofia strangely for several seconds.
Then finally
"And if I win?" he asked, raising one eyebrow slightly. "If I don’t need anyone’s help at all... what exactly do I gain?"
Sofia’s smile widened faintly.
"Anything you want." She winked at him.
The silence somehow became worse after that.
Several people along the wall immediately pretended to focus elsewhere with renewed intensity.
Razeal stared at her a little longer before slowly extending his hand.
"You’re going to regret saying that."
Sofia placed her hand into his without hesitation.
"And.. I sincerely hope it becomes that kind of regret," she replied smoothly.
Then intentionally
Her fingers traced lightly across his palm before she released him.
Razeal immediately pulled his hand back and gave her a strange look.
Sofia looked entirely satisfied with herself afterward.
Maria’s expression darkened even further.
Nancy quietly lowered her face into her hands again.
Razeal ignored all of them.
"Anyways..." he muttered, turning back toward the battlefield, "let me show you what preparations actually look like."
A faint grin appeared on his face now.
"I learned hundreds of dark trap spells for situations exactly like this."
He walked toward the very edge of the wall while speaking.
"Traps?" Sofia frowned slightly as she watched his back. "You think traps will hold a Supreme?"
There was no mockery in her voice now.
Only genuine concern.
"Not to mention an army."
Razeal did not answer immediately.
Instead he looked down over the battlefield below while the morning light slowly spread across the ruined plains.
Then finally
"Have you ever fought someone whose strength even comes slightly close to supreme?" Sofia asked quietly behind him. "Not a duel kd strength. An actual battle where the other person genuinely intends to kill you."
Her gaze remained fixed on him.
"And no," she added before he could answer, "I’m not talking about your duel with the Guardian of the Sea. That was still a controlled duel."
The atmosphere around them slowly grew heavier again.
"Because If you had actually experienced a real Supreme-level battle..." Sofia continued calmly, "You wouldn’t be standing this confidently right now."
Razeal finally turned around slowly.
His crimson eyes met hers directly.
"I’ve faced things far worse than you can imagine," he said quietly.
Several people atop the wall exchanged uneasy glances after hearing that answer.
Sofia narrowed her eyes slightly.
"And have you fought them in battles where they truly wanted you dead?"
Razeal remained silent for several moments after hearing that.
Then
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I have even died," he said casually.
The entire wall went still.
Nobody spoke.
Even Sofia’s expression paused briefly.
The sentence itself sounded absurd.
No one could even properly understand what he meant by it.
Razeal simply shook his head afterward as though the reaction bored him already.
"Anyways..." he muttered. "Just watch and learn. If you all can."
Then he lowered one hand toward the stone beneath the wall.
His palm pressed lightly against the cold surface.
Darkness spread outward instantly from beneath his fingers.
"Great Bone Wall," he whispered.
——
Sorry guys for the short Chapter and the messy writing style... sigh, I just wasn’t feeling it today. Been feeling kinda heavy and off.
Sadly, my girlfriend’s best friend passed away today... she took her own life. So yeah, everything feels weird right now.
Still, as heartless as I think i am or maybe am, I wanted to upload something anyway. Dumb world sometimes.
Rest in peace.
——
