Chapter 600: 600:The Aftermath
The consequences of the terrifying battle spread throughout the world at an unbelievable speed, and almost every major force had already received news about the clash that shook the heavens.
However, the biggest problem was that no one truly knew what had happened.
People below the Mythic rank were not even able to properly see the blurry figures fighting in the sky, and most of them only witnessed distorted shadows moving across the heavens while mountains collapsed and endless shockwaves tore through the skies.
To ordinary people, it looked as if the wrath of gods had descended upon the world itself.
Some believed it was divine punishment from the heavens, while others claimed ancient gods had awakened after countless years of silence.
Rumors spread across kingdoms and empires rapidly, and fear spread even faster than the rumors themselves.
But among the true powerhouses of humanity who had actually managed to glimpse fragments of the battle, the atmosphere became far heavier because they understood just how terrifying the situation truly was.
Inside a quiet palace far away from the battlefield, two men stood upon a large balcony while staring toward the distant skies where the horrifying clash had taken place earlier.
Cold wind continuously swept across the balcony, but neither of them moved, and the atmosphere around them felt heavy and oppressive.
One of the men tightly grabbed the railing before him while veins bulged faintly across his hand, and his expression looked dark and tense while his eyes remained fixed toward the distant horizon.
Then slowly, he spoke through gritted teeth.
"We lost."
A deep sense of hollowness lingered within his words, and the atmosphere around the balcony became even more somber after he spoke.
Beside him, the second man lowered his gaze slightly before answering in a quiet voice.
"Yes... we did."
Silence lingered briefly between them while the cold wind continued blowing around the palace.
Then suddenly, the first man slammed his fist against the railing angrily.
BANG!
"I can’t believe he planned all this only to get his ass beaten," he said coldly while frustration filled his face.
"Bullshit... utter bullshit and useless."
The more he spoke, the more frustrated he became, and his expression slowly twisted with anger and disbelief.
"Decades of planning..." he muttered bitterly.
"Decades... only for everything to fail like this."
He turned slightly while clenching his fists tightly.
"I really want to pounce on those guys and ask them what the hell they were even planning," he growled.
His breathing became heavier while anger continued building inside him.
"Shouldn’t they all be ashamed?"
The second man quietly listened while keeping his gaze fixed toward the distant heavens.
Then after several moments, he finally let out a soft sigh before speaking calmly.
"You can’t just blame him," he said.
"Did you forget the other expert who made a move from the background?"
The moment those words were spoken, the anger on the first man’s face stiffened slightly.
The flute.
That mysterious figure carrying the flute.
Even remembering that strange melody caused a faint chill to crawl across both their backs.
The two men slowly looked at one another for a few moments before silently shaking their heads.
Because deep inside, both of them understood something terrifying.
That battle had not simply been a clash between strong experts.
It was a confrontation between beings who stood far beyond the understanding of ordinary people.
And now...
One side had fallen.
The atmosphere became quiet again while only the cold wind continued sweeping across the balcony.
Then finally, the second man spoke once more in a low voice while looking toward the darkened skies.
"It seems... the end is near."
As expected, it did not take long for news about the war stopping to begin spreading throughout the world, and the moment the announcement was made public, countless reactions erupted everywhere.
Some people cried in relief.
Others cursed in frustration.
And many simply remained silent because they still could not believe that the brutal war which had lasted for years was finally coming to an end.
The declaration spread rapidly across empires, and battlefields one after another, and soon every major force learned the outcome of the negotiations.
Humanity had lost.
Or at least...
That was how most people saw it.
Under the ceasefire agreement, several territories conquered by the Demon Alliance would remain under their control, and the human alliance was forced to step back from many disputed regions after suffering enormous losses during the war.
Among all the human empires, Arcadia had suffered the heaviest blow.
After all, Arcadia had stood at the very center of the conflict since the beginning, and most of the brutal battles had taken place upon its lands.
Countless cities had been damaged.
Several prefectures had fallen completely.
And the losses among soldiers and resources were enormous enough to make many nobles feel despair.
Inside taverns and markets across the Empire, discussions about the ceasefire spread endlessly.
"So after all that fighting... we still lost territory?"
"What else could we do? People were dying every single day."
"I heard entire armies disappeared during the last few years."
"At least the war is finally ending."
Many commoners looked conflicted while discussing the matter because although humanity had failed to fully push back the Demon Alliance, the truth was that people were simply too exhausted to continue.
Too much blood had already been spilled and took many families had been destroyed.
And now that peace was finally within reach, most ordinary people no longer cared about glory or pride.
They only wanted the fighting to stop.
However, despite the heavy losses and damaged reputation, it was not as if Arcadia had become helpless.
Far from it.
The terrifying years of war had tempered the Empire greatly, and countless experts had emerged from the endless battlefield during the conflict.
The military power of Arcadia had grown far sharper than before, and although the Empire lost territory, the strength hidden beneath the surface had not weakened as much as outsiders believed.
In fact, many experts who survived the war had become far more dangerous after years of constant battle.
The Empire itself also still possessed terrifying foundations accumulated over countless years.
And most importantly...
Arcadia still had the Emperor.
That alone was enough to make many surrounding powers remain cautious despite the outcome of the war.
