Chapter 2163

The malice seemed to have appeared out of thin air, yet it seemed as though they'd long been lurking beneath the royal city. Only when they'd amassed enough strength would they suddenly erupt, even summoning the Doomscourges to serve their will. "This is the true calamity of Celestria…" Lucan's heart sank. His murderous intent directed at Hundar grew sharp. Though Hundar was not adept at direct battle, it excelled in concealment. With every disappearance it made, it absorbed more of the malice festering in the city. Its body burned with muddled energy, growing so much that Lucan found himself unable to counter it. If Shannon were present, she might have noticed the golden light around Lucan visibly dimming. The golden light of his true form wasn't just his; it was a manifestation of Celestria's fortune. With Celestria in turmoil, the nation's fortune had waned. If they could not hold the line, Celestria would cease to exist… As the golden light of fortune dimmed, ambitions and malice harbored by the rebels grew stronger. Just as the city gates were about to fall, a shout rang out. "Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived!" Exhausted soldiers and courtiers on the rampart turned to look. A storm of dust rose on the horizon as thousands of troops thundered forth. Lucan looked too. In an instant, he caught sight of a single spark of golden light at the front of the army. As it drew near, the golden light blazed brighter and resonated faintly with its own. Lucan's heart stirred as he knew who it was. "His Majesty! His Majesty has returned!" A soldier on the wall cried out in a voice choked with emotion. Soldiers on the brink of collapse suddenly found new strength as though the cry rekindled the fire in their limbs. At the head of the traitorous army, Lucius felt a tremor in his heart after hearing the shout. Looking far into the distance, he noticed a figure in obsidian armor at the front of the approaching troops, wearing a calm expression. His eyes turned crimson. Instead of wanting to retreat in fear, his heart burned with madness. He'd stepped onto this path, so there was no turning back. So what if Benemir had returned? It wasn't like he could bring many soldiers either. If he killed Benemir and took over the capital, he would become the next king. They hailed from the same lineage, so why should he forever remain beneath some young fellow? Two armies collided, and neither was willing to yield. The battlefield ignited once more. Inside the city and out, the clamor of war raged for three whole days. … On the western lands, the ground lay strewn with bodies being gathered one by one. The military camp was in utter disarray, but at least half the army had survived. These were the ten thousand soldiers rescued from Goravoth. The leading soldier of the western garrison and his men began the tedious task of verifying every soldier's identity, but they couldn't find their commander, Shannon. It wasn't until the fourth day, deep in the mountains nearly a hundred miles away from the map, that Elowen's domain was torn apart. Three Doomscourges were thrown out and were barely clinging to life. Following them, Elowen and Shannon staggered out in disarray. Elowen had lost three of her tails. With a damaged divine soul, Shannon clutched Trevaris and struggled to remain conscious. Despite her miserable state, Elowen still found the strength to mock Shannon. But just as the mockery left her lips, she sensed something deeply wrong. Sensing carefully, Elowen first froze in confusion. Then, a rare trace of fear crept onto her face. She'd never shown such panic even when facing the Doomscourges. It made Shannon's heart clench. Just as she opened her mouth to ask, Elowen turned to her. There was a childlike confusion and helplessness in Elowen's eyes as she said, "I-I can't sense Lucan's presence anymore."