Chapter 100
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The sheltered capital city of the North, Almdalir, was unlike anything in the continent in terms of its construction. It was not an issue of how it was built, but rather where it had been built.
Iliyun, the largest mountain in all the North, was what the Moon King had chosen for his capital. Defying common sense, he had not built Almdalir on top the mountain or beneath it at the base, but rather inside of it.
Instead, he carved out an enormous cavity within the side of the mountain. The capital had been built inside of that massive cavity, where it would be protected by the mountain itself in almost all directions except the front.
As a result, Almdalir had a natural form of defense against the elements and wildlife. It was, in essence, a fortress city nestled within the heart of a mountain.
Such is the reason why Northerners sometimes referred to their capital as Iliyun's Heart, rather than by its given name. It'd become the mountain itself, rather than just a city.
Like the mountain, Almdalir would endure whatever life threw at it and would stand tall in the face of adversity.
It stood as a testament of the North's will.
That they, who had been damned to live in the godforsaken frozen wastelands of the North, would survive, no matter the odds…
"My, my, isn't this surprising. I've never had the distinct honor of being visited by a ghost, haha… Not to offend but I thought you died," said Haydn Kingscrown in a depressed tone.
Violett smirked and said, "What'd I tell you, fool? Make sure to cough up my money by the end of the day." She was on cloud nine as she held Reed in her embrace.
It didn't feel very nice though, as Reed got the impression he was being treated like some kind of golden lamb, rather than himself.
Were they betting… on whether I had died? Are these guys serious? I can't even…
Reed shrugged Violett off of him and said, "Yeah, I'm alive. Thanks for the concern, you two. But that's not why I'm here. I've come here to inform you that we have a major disaster on our hands. It concerns the safety of the North."
Haydn and Violett looked at each other and then said, "What did you do?" to Reed in unison.
Reed really wanted to laugh. If only it were as simple as that.
"The Reef has probably been wiped clean if it hasn't already been overrun by now," said Reed.
Haydn's expression darkened when he heard Reed's ominous prediction and said, "What do you mean by that, Reed? Are you implying that—"
Don't have time for this, Reed. Get a move on.
"I'm serious about this. Just follow me, you two. I need to show something important," said Reed. He tore open a spatial tear and beckoned them to step inside. He had to show them — it was the fastest way to convince them…
When they returned, Haydn hurriedly said, "…I need to go and inform Father about this immediately. I leave the preparations to you, sister."
Violett nodded and said, "I've already started. Daedalus Base has been notified of the situation. They're telling me Second Fleet's still undergoing maintenance, but the Fourth and Fifth Fleets are ready. The emergency summons has already been sent to every available contender and conqueror, as well."
Haydn tore a spatial tear open and said, "Keep me posted. I'll let you know when Father and the High Council give us the green light."
Will that be enough? I don't know. The longer we wait, the more time we're giving the Infestation to grow and spread.
The Reef alone has millions of people living inside of it. And it's all but guaranteed that we've already lost them. There's no time to waste…!
Reed had done the best he could do. Everything rested in the hands of fate now. He was confident they would probably succeed but wasn't sure what it'd cost them.
The entire eastern half of the North? What of their fighting forces? How many contenders and conquerors would they have left after the fight?
He didn't want to even think about it.
Reed tapped his foot nervously as he stared at the bustling city outside. He envied the common folk down there, who were completely unaware of what was to come. To be free of the burden of having power…
"What's the matter?" Lu'um gave Reed a piece of chocolate and said, "We've been through worse, you know. We'll kill it all the same, in the end."
"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about how much we'll lose. Can the continent afford the loss? That is what concerns me," said Reed.
Violett patted one of Reed's shoulders and said, "People will die today — that is an inescapable fact. But they go into the cold, howling dark of their own volition. To protect the continent and its people. That is not a loss but rather, a life well spent."
"They will have accomplished the duty they'd been tasked with the moment they became Chosen…"
Daedalus Base had gone mad. The influx of contenders and conquerors quickly filled the place up until it could hold no more. As a result, it had become a chaotic, unmanageable mess. It was only natural, though.
No one could have ever expected what had happened. Daedalus Base had been unprepared because it never would have guessed that it would one day need to prepare for something like a surprise attack within their own home.
The last time an Infested had stepped on Mulia's soil had been thousands of years ago. Since then they had never needed to gather every Chosen for an operation.
It was a trying experience for everyone involved but eventually, the war fleet had been assembled, at the expense of Daedalus Base's workers. The mechanics, engineers, and staff members had been pushed to their limits making last-minute repairs, adjustments, and checks on the war fleet.
The Fourth and Fleets had set out to war, accompanied by a total of 1,095 contenders and 1,440 conquerors.
The leading fleet, the Fourth Fleet, had been assigned to handle the forward push into the fight. It'd been reorganized. The fleet now had a total of four Majestic-class supercruisers, each one easily over 2,000 meters in length and heavily equipped to handle extreme levels of damage.
In addition, they would be supported by the Kingscrown family's flagship, Silver Winter, which was even larger. It came equipped with an experimental shield generator based on Ancient Mulian technology, unlike conventional warships that relied solely on their armor plating for defense.
The Fifth Fleet would follow behind with six Crown-class supercarriers and five Sword-class frigates to accompany them. They would be tasked with taking care of the long-range bombardment during the initial phase of the assault.
Together, the two fleets represented the North's current operational forces at home. The Second Fleet had sustained serious damage during a fight in the Shadowlands would not be able to participate in the coming battle.
The rest of the fleets were currently outside in the Shadowlands, patrolling the Heavenly Barrier's borders, searching for Ancient Mulian artefacts, or performing other tasks…
Reed felt a great unease. He and Lu'um stood inside of the Silver Winter's bridge as they stared out at a large holo-map of the North.
They had tried to contact the surrounding cities near the southeastern border of the North but had not received a single response from them. It was the same for a vast majority of the smaller towns in the vicinity.
They'd gone dark.
Reed had marked the cites that had not responded with a red marker and continued his attempts to hail them on all available frequencies, to little success. Almost all of the southeastern part of the North had gone radio silent.
When he added their populations together, they totaled a staggering sum of 3.8 million people.
Add in the Reef's population and you easily have a total surpassing 6 million…
Can the combined forces of Four Empires handle this? This is NOT what I had expected.
"Had we waited a couple more hours, they would have probably taken the entire eastern half of the North for themselves."
Haydn sighed and said, "I've received a report from the West that they encountered an Infested horde near their border when their fleets set out. They're working fast to take care of the situation, but it seems that they get delayed because of it."
Violett stared at the map and said, "The East and South are reporting that they're on their way and will arrive on time, so we'll have to make do with them for the beginning. Our scouts have also sent word that they cannot observe the Reef at the moment."
"Why not?" said Reed.
"They say that an enormous Anima storm has covered the entire region around the Reef. The Infested have sealed themselves inside of it. We don't know what we'll find once we get inside…"
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The sheltered capital city of the North, Almdalir, was unlike anything in the continent in terms of its construction. It was not an issue of how it was built, but rather where it had been built.
Iliyun, the largest mountain in all the North, was what the Moon King had chosen for his capital. Defying common sense, he had not built Almdalir on top the mountain or beneath it at the base, but rather inside of it.
Instead, he carved out an enormous cavity within the side of the mountain. The capital had been built inside of that massive cavity, where it would be protected by the mountain itself in almost all directions except the front.
As a result, Almdalir had a natural form of defense against the elements and wildlife. It was, in essence, a fortress city nestled within the heart of a mountain.
Such is the reason why Northerners sometimes referred to their capital as Iliyun's Heart, rather than by its given name. It'd become the mountain itself, rather than just a city.
Like the mountain, Almdalir would endure whatever life threw at it and would stand tall in the face of adversity.
It stood as a testament of the North's will.
That they, who had been damned to live in the godforsaken frozen wastelands of the North, would survive, no matter the odds…
"My, my, isn't this surprising. I've never had the distinct honor of being visited by a ghost, haha… Not to offend but I thought you died," said Haydn Kingscrown in a depressed tone.
Violett smirked and said, "What'd I tell you, fool? Make sure to cough up my money by the end of the day." She was on cloud nine as she held Reed in her embrace.
It didn't feel very nice though, as Reed got the impression he was being treated like some kind of golden lamb, rather than himself.
Were they betting… on whether I had died? Are these guys serious? I can't even…
Reed shrugged Violett off of him and said, "Yeah, I'm alive. Thanks for the concern, you two. But that's not why I'm here. I've come here to inform you that we have a major disaster on our hands. It concerns the safety of the North."
Haydn and Violett looked at each other and then said, "What did you do?" to Reed in unison.
Reed really wanted to laugh. If only it were as simple as that.
"The Reef has probably been wiped clean if it hasn't already been overrun by now," said Reed.
Haydn's expression darkened when he heard Reed's ominous prediction and said, "What do you mean by that, Reed? Are you implying that—"
Don't have time for this, Reed. Get a move on.
"I'm serious about this. Just follow me, you two. I need to show something important," said Reed. He tore open a spatial tear and beckoned them to step inside. He had to show them — it was the fastest way to convince them…
When they returned, Haydn hurriedly said, "…I need to go and inform Father about this immediately. I leave the preparations to you, sister."
Violett nodded and said, "I've already started. Daedalus Base has been notified of the situation. They're telling me Second Fleet's still undergoing maintenance, but the Fourth and Fifth Fleets are ready. The emergency summons has already been sent to every available contender and conqueror, as well."
Haydn tore a spatial tear open and said, "Keep me posted. I'll let you know when Father and the High Council give us the green light."
Will that be enough? I don't know. The longer we wait, the more time we're giving the Infestation to grow and spread.
The Reef alone has millions of people living inside of it. And it's all but guaranteed that we've already lost them. There's no time to waste…!
Reed had done the best he could do. Everything rested in the hands of fate now. He was confident they would probably succeed but wasn't sure what it'd cost them.
The entire eastern half of the North? What of their fighting forces? How many contenders and conquerors would they have left after the fight?
He didn't want to even think about it.
Reed tapped his foot nervously as he stared at the bustling city outside. He envied the common folk down there, who were completely unaware of what was to come. To be free of the burden of having power…
"What's the matter?" Lu'um gave Reed a piece of chocolate and said, "We've been through worse, you know. We'll kill it all the same, in the end."
"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about how much we'll lose. Can the continent afford the loss? That is what concerns me," said Reed.
Violett patted one of Reed's shoulders and said, "People will die today — that is an inescapable fact. But they go into the cold, howling dark of their own volition. To protect the continent and its people. That is not a loss but rather, a life well spent."
"They will have accomplished the duty they'd been tasked with the moment they became Chosen…"
Daedalus Base had gone mad. The influx of contenders and conquerors quickly filled the place up until it could hold no more. As a result, it had become a chaotic, unmanageable mess. It was only natural, though.
No one could have ever expected what had happened. Daedalus Base had been unprepared because it never would have guessed that it would one day need to prepare for something like a surprise attack within their own home.
The last time an Infested had stepped on Mulia's soil had been thousands of years ago. Since then they had never needed to gather every Chosen for an operation.
It was a trying experience for everyone involved but eventually, the war fleet had been assembled, at the expense of Daedalus Base's workers. The mechanics, engineers, and staff members had been pushed to their limits making last-minute repairs, adjustments, and checks on the war fleet.
The Fourth and Fleets had set out to war, accompanied by a total of 1,095 contenders and 1,440 conquerors.
The leading fleet, the Fourth Fleet, had been assigned to handle the forward push into the fight. It'd been reorganized. The fleet now had a total of four Majestic-class supercruisers, each one easily over 2,000 meters in length and heavily equipped to handle extreme levels of damage.
In addition, they would be supported by the Kingscrown family's flagship, Silver Winter, which was even larger. It came equipped with an experimental shield generator based on Ancient Mulian technology, unlike conventional warships that relied solely on their armor plating for defense.
The Fifth Fleet would follow behind with six Crown-class supercarriers and five Sword-class frigates to accompany them. They would be tasked with taking care of the long-range bombardment during the initial phase of the assault.
Together, the two fleets represented the North's current operational forces at home. The Second Fleet had sustained serious damage during a fight in the Shadowlands would not be able to participate in the coming battle.
The rest of the fleets were currently outside in the Shadowlands, patrolling the Heavenly Barrier's borders, searching for Ancient Mulian artefacts, or performing other tasks…
Reed felt a great unease. He and Lu'um stood inside of the Silver Winter's bridge as they stared out at a large holo-map of the North.
They had tried to contact the surrounding cities near the southeastern border of the North but had not received a single response from them. It was the same for a vast majority of the smaller towns in the vicinity.
They'd gone dark.
Reed had marked the cites that had not responded with a red marker and continued his attempts to hail them on all available frequencies, to little success. Almost all of the southeastern part of the North had gone radio silent.
When he added their populations together, they totaled a staggering sum of 3.8 million people.
Add in the Reef's population and you easily have a total surpassing 6 million…
Can the combined forces of Four Empires handle this? This is NOT what I had expected.
"Had we waited a couple more hours, they would have probably taken the entire eastern half of the North for themselves."
Haydn sighed and said, "I've received a report from the West that they encountered an Infested horde near their border when their fleets set out. They're working fast to take care of the situation, but it seems that they get delayed because of it."
Violett stared at the map and said, "The East and South are reporting that they're on their way and will arrive on time, so we'll have to make do with them for the beginning. Our scouts have also sent word that they cannot observe the Reef at the moment."
"Why not?" said Reed.
"They say that an enormous Anima storm has covered the entire region around the Reef. The Infested have sealed themselves inside of it. We don't know what we'll find once we get inside…"
The sheltered capital city of the North, Almdalir, was unlike anything in the continent in terms of its construction. It was not an issue of how it was built, but rather where it had been built.Iliyun, the largest mountain in all the North, was what the Moon King had chosen for his capital. Defying common sense, he had not built Almdalir on top the mountain or beneath it at the base, but rather inside of it.Instead, he carved out an enormous cavity within the side of the mountain. The capital had been built inside of that massive cavity, where it would be protected by the mountain itself in almost all directions except the front.As a result, Almdalir had a natural form of defense against the elements and wildlife. It was, in essence, a fortress city nestled within the heart of a mountain.Such is the reason why Northerners sometimes referred to their capital as Iliyun's Heart, rather than by its given name. It'd become the mountain itself, rather than just a city.Like the mountain, Almdalir would endure whatever life threw at it and would stand tall in the face of adversity.It stood as a testament of the North's will.That they, who had been damned to live in the godforsaken frozen wastelands of the North, would survive, no matter the odds"My, my, isn't this surprising.I've never had the distinct honor of being visited by a ghost, haha Not to offend but I thought you died," said Haydn Kingscrown in a depressed tone.Violett smirked and said, "What'd I tell you, fool? Make sure to cough up my money by the end of the day." She was on cloud nine as she held Reed in her embrace.It didn't feel very nice though, as Reed got the impression he was being treated like some kind of golden lamb, rather than himself.Were they betting on whether I had died? Are these guys serious? I can't evenReed shrugged Violett off of him and said, "Yeah, I'm alive. Thanks for the concern, you two. But that's not why I'm here. I've come here to inform you that we have a major disaster on our hands. It concerns the safety of the North."Haydn and Violett looked at each other and then said, "What did you do?" to Reed in unison.Reed really wanted to laugh. If only it were as simple as that."The Reef has probably been wiped clean if it hasn't already been overrun by now," said Reed.Haydn's expression darkened when he heard Reed's ominous prediction and said, "What do you mean by that, Reed? Are you implying that"Don't have time for this, Reed. Get a move on."I'm serious about this. Just follow me, you two. I need to show something important," said Reed. He tore open a spatial tear and beckoned them to step inside. He had to show them it was the fastest way to convince themWhen they returned, Haydn hurriedly said, "I need to go and inform Father about this immediately. I leave the preparations to you, sister."Violett nodded and said, "I've already started. Daedalus Base has been notified of the situation. They're telling me Second Fleet's still undergoing maintenance, but the Fourth and Fifth Fleets are ready. The emergency summons has already been sent to every available contender and conqueror, as well."Haydn tore a spatial tear open and said, "Keep me posted. I'll let you know when Father and the High Council give us the green light."Will that be enough? I don't know. The longer we wait, the more time we're giving the Infestation to grow and spread.The Reef alone has millions of people living inside of it. And it's all but guaranteed that we've already lost them. There's no time to waste!Reed had done the best he could do. Everything rested in the hands of fate now. He was confident they would probably succeed but wasn't sure what it'd cost them.The entire eastern half of the North? What of their fighting forces? How many contenders and conquerors would they have left after the fight?He didn't want to even think about it.Reed tapped his foot nervously as he stared at the bustling city outside. He envied the common folk down there, who were completely unaware of what was to come. To be free of the burden of having power"What's the matter?" Lu'um gave Reed a piece of chocolate and said, "We've been through worse, you know. We'll kill it all the same, in the end.""That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about how much we'll lose. Can the continent afford the loss? That is what concerns me," said Reed.Violett patted one of Reed's shoulders and said, "People will die today that is an inescapable fact. But they go into the cold, howling dark of their own volition. To protect the continent and its people. That is not a loss but rather, a life well spent.""They will have accomplished the duty they'd been tasked with the moment they became Chosen"Daedalus Base had gone mad. The influx of contenders and conquerors quickly filled the place up until it could hold no more. As a result, it had become a chaotic, unmanageable mess. It was only natural, though.No one could have ever expected what had happened. Daedalus Base had been unprepared because it never would have guessed that it would one day need to prepare for something like a surprise attack within their own home.The last time an Infested had stepped on Mulia's soil had been thousands of years ago. Since then they had never needed to gather every Chosen for an operation.It was a trying experience for everyone involved but eventually, the war fleet had been assembled, at the expense of Daedalus Base's workers. The mechanics, engineers, and staff members had been pushed to their limits making last-minute repairs, adjustments, and checks on the war fleet.The Fourth and Fleets had set out to war, accompanied by a total of 1,095 contenders and 1,440 conquerors.The leading fleet, the Fourth Fleet, had been assigned to handle the forward push into the fight. It'd been reorganized. The fleet now had a total of four Majestic-class supercruisers, each one easily over 2,000 meters in length and heavily equipped to handle extreme levels of damage.In addition, they would be supported by the Kingscrown family's flagship, Silver Winter, which was even larger. It came equipped with an experimental shield generator based on Ancient Mulian technology, unlike conventional warships that relied solely on their armor plating for defense.The Fifth Fleet would follow behind with six Crown-class supercarriers and five Sword-class frigates to accompany them. They would be tasked with taking care of the long-range bombardment during the initial phase of the assault.Together, the two fleets represented the North's current operational forces at home. The Second Fleet had sustained serious damage during a fight in the Shadowlands would not be able to participate in the coming battle.The rest of the fleets were currently outside in the Shadowlands, patrolling the Heavenly Barrier's borders, searching for Ancient Mulian artefacts, or performing other tasksReed felt a great unease. He and Lu'um stood inside of the Silver Winter's bridge as they stared out at a large holo-map of the North.They had tried to contact the surrounding cities near the southeastern border of the North but had not received a single response from them. It was the same for a vast majority of the smaller towns in the vicinity.They'd gone dark.Reed had marked the cites that had not responded with a red marker and continued his attempts to hail them on all available frequencies, to little success. Almost all of the southeastern part of the North had gone radio silent.When he added their populations together, they totaled a staggering sum of 3.8 million people.Add in the Reef's population and you easily have a total surpassing 6 millionCan the combined forces of Four Empires handle this? This is NOT what I had expected."Had we waited a couple more hours, they would have probably taken the entire eastern half of the North for themselves."Haydn sighed and said, "I've received a report from the West that they encountered an Infested horde near their border when their fleets set out. They're working fast to take care of the situation, but it seems that they get delayed because of it."Violett stared at the map and said, "The East and South are reporting that they're on their way and will arrive on time, so we'll have to make do with them for the beginning. Our scouts have also sent word that they cannot observe the Reef at the moment.""Why not?" said Reed."They say that an enormous Anima storm has covered the entire region around the Reef. The Infested have sealed themselves inside of it. We don't know what we'll find once we get inside"
