A day before Lux had fought against General Revon…
"So… this is my true power," Nero muttered to himself as he looked down upon the mountain that was blown in half.
Several dead bodies that belonged to the Yelan Soldiers that guarded it were torn to bits, and all of them had died a very painful death.
A man with silver hair, crimson eyes, and horns protruding on his head hovered beside him with a smile.
"That's right," the silver-haired man commented. "Wonderful, isn't it?"
Nero smirked as the wings behind his back flapped lightly. Just like the silver-haired man, there were two crimson horns protruding on top of his head, and his eyes that were as red as blood glowed faintly.
"With this… I will be able to kill him," Nero stated. "I will finally put an end to the person that denied me my true destiny."
The silver-haired man chuckled before pointing at the Yelan General, who had just arrived with the rest of his army to defend their territory.
"Well, the big fish has finally arrived." the silver-haired man smirked. "What are you planning to do?"
Nero snorted. "Nothing. I have already done my part. It is now their turn to earn their keep."
On the ground behind him, tens of thousands of Ammarian Soldiers rushed up to meet the Yelan Army in order to take advantage of the opening that Nero created.
General Herodes, the Ammarian General in charge of the Mountain Campaign, led his men to fight against General Hubert of the Yelan Army.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtNero watched this battle with a sneer as he crossed his arms over his chest. Now that he had eliminated nearly a third of the Yelan Army, he no longer needed to do anything. The Ammarian Forces could brute force their way using the momentum he created for them and their numbers.
On that day, General Herodes took General Hubert's head and raised it up high, marking their victory in the Mountain Campaign. Now that the Western Flank of the Yelan Defenses were open, it was now time for them to advance, and finally put an end to this war.
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Glouswell Forest…
After receiving the emergency report, General Fahad from the Marshlands traveled a whole day without rest in order to reach the Glouswell Forest.
He only brought four men with him, and left his right-hand man to defend the Marshlands while he was away.
There was still a possibility that the Ammarian Army might send another army to break through their Eastern Flank, so the Yelan General decided to leave the bulk of his army behind.
When he arrived at the Glouswell Forest, he immediately went to see General Carran, who was also making preparations to move a third of his army to reinforce the Great Plains, where the most important battle would be fought.
They knew that time was crucial, so they were making preparations in haste. While this was happening, Lux gathered his team and discussed with them the next course of action they'd take.
"Einar, you will be the temporary leader of our team," Lux said. "I have sent Cai on a secret mission, and I am still waiting for it to return. Xander will remain with me, for the time being. All of you will travel with General Carran and reinforce the main camp at the Great Plains.
"Diablo and Asmodeus are there, and you can talk to them if you want to pass a message to me directly. Do you have any questions?"
Henrietta was the first to voice out her opinion, and her words were something that didn't surprise Lux.
"I'm staying with you," Henrietta replied. "I was tasked to follow you around, so you're not getting away this time. The battle that just ended was an exception. Please, don't make things difficult for me, okay?"
Lux was about to turn her down, but he then suddenly remembered that since Henrietta was a girl, it would be best if she could be the one that took care of Cai while the latter was unconscious.
Henrietta had already told him that the only person who could see what she was doing was the Headmaster of Barbatos Academy, Alexander.
Lux knew that the other people, who might see the world through Henrietta's eyes, were none other than Iris and Alicia, who were also at Barbatos Academy.
They were the three people that the Half-Elf trusted the most, aside from his Grandma, and he had a feeling that all of them had already been aware of Cai's true identity from the start. As for Henrietta, he would force her to make an oath that she would not divulge Cai's secret to anyone.
Since there were people around, he decided to put this matter aside and simply nodded his head to agree to Henrietta's proposal.
"Okay, you can stay with me," Lux stated. "But, you will follow my orders, okay?"
Henrietta nodded her head in acknowledgement, which made Lux sigh in his heart.
"We will meet up with you guys as soon as Cai has returned," Lux said as he looked at his comrades. "Until then, do your best to not kick the bucket. We are almost finished with this mission. We just need one last push."
Keane reluctantly nodded his head. In truth, he was more comfortable staying with Lux or Cai.
Although he had already considered Einar, Val, and Xander his friends, he had always been with the Half-Elf and the annoying, and thick-skinned, Boar. Without them around, he felt a bit uncomfortable.
It was as if he had forgotten his mission of pursuing the true meaning of peace. Even so, he believed that Lux and Cai would not miss this opportunity, and would be there when the battle was in full swing.
Einar, Val, and Malcolm acknowledged Lux's orders and promised to do their best while he was away.
After their talks ended, Lux took Henrietta with him, while the others prepared for their trip toward the Great Plains.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAlong the way, he told Henrietta of what had happened, and the true reason why Cai and Xander were absent in their meeting.
Naturally, the Guildmaster of Serenity, which was the main guild of Barbatos Academy, was surprised by Lux's confession.
Iris, who was listening to their conversation from inside the Headmaster's office, almost dropped the tea cup in her hand after hearing that her best friend had almost died after protecting Lux from General Revon's killing blow.
'Cai, I hope that you are safe.' Iris pressed her hands together as she prayed in her heart.
Cai was one of the people she trusted the most in her life. Knowing that she had almost suffered a fatal injury in order to save the man she loved was enough to make her worry.
Alicia was just as shocked after hearing the news. The Rowan Tribe was the Barbatos Academy's most staunch ally, and Cai and Xander were their two representatives in the expedition.
Alexander, on the other hand, still wore a calm expression on his face, but deep inside, he was already thinking about how serious Cai's injury was.
Even if someone didn't die in the dungeon, the injuries they received from it could remain even after they left it.
The only time they would be ejected from the Dungeon was after they had been dealt the killing blow.
If one of their arms or legs were cut off before they died, there was a high possibility that they would return to the real world without their arm and leg intact.
Iris, Alexander, and Alicia knew how high Cai's position was in the Rowan Tribe. If something really bad happened to her, the relationships between their two factions could become strained in the future.
The Chieftain of the Rowan Tribe was a Saint. Cai's Grandpa, Maximilian, was a ticking time bomb. Alexander was sure that if Maximilian found out that Cai returned to Solais with a permanent injury because of Lux, the chances that the Black Boar going on a rampage to hunt the Half-Elf were high.
'I just hope that her injuries can be treated,' Alexander thought. 'If not, I might need to find other ways to pacify Maximilian and prevent him from hurting Lux in his anger.'
Alexander knew full well that if Iris were in a similar situation as Cai, he would certainly start killing people. And the first one he would kill would be none other than the cause of her injuries.
Although they still hadn't seen Cai's condition, the Half-Elf's expression was telling them that it was very serious, which made Iris feel as if a rock was weighing on her heart.