Chapter 316: 316:Endurance of the attack?
The realization spread through the battlefield almost instantly.
"This isn’t the main attack."
Atheline’s voice was calm, but those nearest to him could hear the urgency beneath it. Helther followed his gaze toward the eastern wing of the palace, where dark smoke continued to rise into the clear spring sky.
"They’ve divided us. They wanted every powerful cultivator gathered here."
The high king turned toward one of his attendants who had remained close throughout the ceremony.
"Send word to every commander. Double the guards protecting the inner palace."
The attendant bowed immediately.
"At once, Your Majesty."
Before he had taken three steps, a grey spear pierced straight through his back. The man’s eyes widened in disbelief before he collapsed onto the white stone.
The High King’s expression froze. Another cultist emerged from among the fleeing guests.
"So there were still more hidden among them," he said quietly.
He raised his hand and roots shot out from the ground and wrapped around the man. One stabbed through his heart.
The battle resumed with renewed intensity. The defenders now fought to keep the palace itself from falling.
The Royal Knights immediately split their forces. The High King raised his sword.
"No one enters the inner palace alone!"
His command echoed across the gardens. Groups immediately reorganized.
The Beastkin General took command of one assault group, Prince Lucifer another, Solaris gathered the royal guards, Helther joined the High Elven knights, and Lilith and Atheline naturally found themselves leading the largest force.
More cultists poured from every direction.
Although the breach in the barrier had already begun sealing itself, enough enemies had entered, far more than anyone had anticipated.
They fought with frightening discipline, even those suffering fatal wounds continued attacking until their final breath.
Atheline loosed another volley of arrows. Wind whooshed through the battlefield. The first arrow curved unnaturally around a fleeing noble before striking a cultist directly between the eyes.
The second exploded into countless shards of ice, forcing another group to halt their advance.
The third carrying lightning, leapt from one attacker to another before finally fading. He barely had time to breathe before another enemy had already reached him.
The sound of metal clashing rang throughout the battle. His sword intercepted twin daggers aimed toward his ribs.
The cultist smiled.
"Your death will begin the new age."
Atheline frowned.
"I hear that far too often."
Fire erupted along his blade. With a single swing, he forced the attacker backward before following with an earth-enhanced kick that shattered several ribs. The cultist fell and never rose again.
Nearby, Lilith, who was clearly enjoying it, had become almost impossible to follow. Every shadow cast across the battlefield belonged to her. One moment she stood beside the High King, the next she emerged beneath an attacker standing twenty metres away.
Her dagger slashed once and another enemy fell. Three more rushed together. Black chains erupted from their own shadows, binding their limbs before dragging them violently into the ground. The earth itself seemed to swallow them.
Watching her fight felt less like observing a swordswoman and more like witnessing darkness itself take form.
A young High Elf knight cried out as a hidden blade pierced his shoulder. Before the cultist could finish him, a massive white shape crashed into the attacker.
The fox.
Its enormous body moved with astonishing grace despite its size. It slammed the cultist into the ground hard enough to crack the stone before releasing a freezing roar.
The surrounding air instantly became a blizzard. Snow began falling despite the warm spring morning. Several attackers found their legs frozen solid.
Royal Knights immediately capitalized. The fox looked toward the injured knight. The young soldier stared for a moment before bowing his head.
"...Thank you."
The fox huffed proudly.
Prince Lucifer’s laughter echoed across the gardens.
"Come!"
His hammer swept through another group of enemies.
"I’ve barely started!"
Dark flames erupted outward the heat affecting everyone around him. Cultists were thrown into the air.
One attempted to attack from above but the prince caught him with the hammer’s haft before driving him into the ground.
A nearby Beastkin commander shook his head.
"You enjoy this far too much."
Prince Lucifer grinned.
"I enjoy winning."
The commander snorted before launching himself at another enemy.
Despite that, the cost slowly became apparent. Bodies covered the once-pristine gardens. Many belonged to cultists but there were still some who were their own.
Several Royal Knights lay motionless beside shattered pillars. Priests who had been protecting civilians no longer moved. A dwarven envoy had fallen shielding two young attendants.
Victory, was beginning to look expensive. Atheline noticed it too. Everywhere he looked, someone had paid a price. Then, a deafening horn echoed from the palace walls.
Every defender looked upward. The barrier surrounding the palace glowed brilliantly once more, and a wave of Aether could be felt pouring into the barrier
One of the palace archmages shouted from the western tower.
"The barrier has been completely repaired!"
Cheers erupted among the defenders.
"No more can enter! We’ve contained them!"
The morale of the palace surged instantly. The cultists noticed it as well. Their leader slowly lowered his weapon. He looked around at the battlefield; at the dead and the surviving defenders.
Then... He smiled. It was the smile of someone whose purpose had already been fulfilled.
Atheline felt unease settle in his chest.
"...Why is he smiling?"
Lilith narrowed her eyes.
"He shouldn’t be."
The cultist raised both hands. His voice carried unnaturally across the battlefield.
"You celebrate too early. Our lives..." He laughed. "...were never the objective."
Several defenders hesitated.
"What does he mean?"
The High King stepped forward.
"Capture him alive!"
The order had barely left his mouth when every remaining cultist suddenly stopped fighting. One after another, they placed a hand over their own chest.
Before anyone could react, the first body exploded into a cloud of corrupted Aether then another and another. Dozens of explosions erupted across the gardens almost simultaneously.
The blasts themselves were not especially powerful but the clouds they left behind spread rapidly through the battlefield.
Priests immediately began purifying the corruption before it could reach civilians. Royal manipulators formed barriers. The High King unleashed a brilliant wave of Aether that dispersed half the cloud in an instant.
Even so, the confusion lasted precious seconds. Seconds during which no one noticed, one man dressed in simple dark robes quietly walked away from the battlefield.
His face remained hidden beneath a hood which a presence that seemed strangely forgettable. Everyone’s attention remained fixed upon the dying battlefield.
He walked calmly through a side corridor leading toward the most sacred section of the palace where the way to the sacred grounds beneath the World Tree was located.
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