landbeastnovel Chapter 132 The Power of the Empire
Chapter 132 The Power of the Empire
Chapter 132 The Power of the Empire
Wizard Horn's gaze swept over the ruined City of Radiant Rock below, his brow furrowed. He then looked at the imposing Garrosa in the sky, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Shadowraven Tower, handle matters related to the fragments of the Scorching Hell."
"The one making the sacrifice below is our enemy organization, the Ash Ring."
"Please, Imperial side, refrain from your wrath to avoid collateral damage."
His words, amplified by a spell, were clear and powerful, stating his position but also carrying an implicit warning:
We're not here to fight, we're here to deal with a common enemy, so don't cause any trouble.
Garrosa's golden, fiery eyes swept over Horn and his companions, scrutinizing them for a moment before letting out a cold snort: "Outland wizards, they're all birds of a feather!"
"I'll clear the city of its filth before I explain everything to you!"
Having said that, he ignored Horn and the others, pointed his golden spear forward, and shouted, "Royal warriors, follow me to vanquish evil!"
He transformed into a golden streak of light, like a spear of dawn tearing through the darkness, piercing straight into the dark purple pillar of light that shot into the sky in the city!
Behind him, four powerful imperial warriors roared and followed, each using their own methods to attack the Ash Ring's position and the Ash Spirit that was gathering!
"Take action! Prevent the Ring of Ashes from completing its sacrifice, minimize the damage as much as possible, but—avoid the Empire's powerful figures, and provide limited assistance if necessary."
Horn quickly gave orders to his companions.
Their goal is clear:
The ritual to destroy the Ring of Ashes weakens its power, while avoiding a full-scale conflict with the Indigenous Empire as much as possible.
The four Shadow Ravens at the second ring also sprang into action, entering the battlefield from different directions. Their spells blazed, their targets being Sares, Lisdra, and the Ash Ring members who were maintaining the sacrificial array.
In an instant, three powerful forces collided violently in the sky above and inside Yaoyan City!
Garrosa's golden spear light, like the punishment of the sun god, pierced fiercely into the dark purple pillar of light, clashing head-on with the twisted fire giant Ash Spirit, which was taking shape within it and was tens of meters tall!
The golden and dark purple energies annihilated and exploded wildly, leveling large areas of the surrounding buildings!
The other four powerful figures from the Empire, along with Sares, Lisdra, and several others who suddenly emerged from the shadows, were clearly a contingency plan left by the Ring of Ashes.
Also second-circle wizards! There are four of them in total!
They fought fiercely!
Fire, lightning, rock spikes, acid—a variety of powerful second-circle spells crisscrossed, turning the city center into a vortex of destruction.
The four second-ring members of the Shadow Raven Tower roamed the edge of the battlefield, focusing their attacks on the low- and mid-level wizards of the Ash Ring who maintained the nodes of the sacrificial array, disrupting their energy supply. They also occasionally interfered with the formation of Ash Spirits, but cleverly avoided direct conflict with the Empire's powerful figures.
The intensity of the battle far exceeded expectations!
The destructive power of a second-circle wizard at full strength is terrifying. Under the battle of several second-circle experts, the important frontier town of Yaoyan City collapsed, burned, and turned into ruins at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The wails were gradually drowned out by the roar of spells and the sound of buildings collapsing.
Even though they were hiding in a lava fissure in the distance, Rolin and his two companions could feel the violent tremors from the ground and the chaotic energy turbulence in the air.
They clung tightly to the cold rock wall, barely daring to breathe.
"This is—the battle at the second-ring level—"
Flame Shield's voice was dry and longing, but mostly filled with relief.
If they had been a step slower and been caught up in this battlefield, the three of them, all at the first level, probably wouldn't have been able to withstand even the aftershocks.
"Lord Horn and his men have arrived, but the situation is even more chaotic," Nightingale whispered. "The Empire and the Ash Ring are locked in a fierce battle, while Shadow Raven is taking advantage of the confusion."
"What should we do? Find a chance to reunite with Lord Horn?"
Luo Lin slowly shook his head: "It's too dangerous to go out now."
"Any slight movement could be targeted."
"And given our appearance—" he pointed to his disguise, "Lord Horn might not recognize us immediately, and it could cause misunderstandings on the part of the Empire."
"Wait! Wait for the battle to reach a stage of resolution, or—wait for an absolutely safe opportunity." Roland made his decision.
"Our most important task now is to protect ourselves."
The battle lasted for nearly half an hour.
Despite being well-prepared, with four second-ring wizards—Sares, Lysdra, and two hidden ones—the Ash Ring gradually fell into a disadvantageous position under the fierce attack of Garrosa, the Imperial Sunblade, a powerful figure who seemed to have touched the threshold of the third ring, and the four Imperial second-ring wizards.
The condensing ash spirit was also suppressed by Garrosa's golden flames, preventing it from fully taking shape.
The four members of the Shadow Raven Tower continuously weakened the Ash Ring's support power from the outside, making the sacrificial ritual unsustainable.
Finally, after a tremendous clash, Garrosa pierced the chest of the Twisted Ash Spirit with a single spear thrust, golden flames exploding within its body and blasting it into countless dark purple sparks!
Sares and Lisdra were also seriously injured. Under the desperate cover of their companions, they led the remaining members of the Ash Ring and fled the Obsidian City area in a panic using pre-prepared spatial escape scrolls or escape techniques, disappearing into the depths of the Burning Mountains.
The Empire also paid a price: one of its powerful warriors was seriously injured, and Garrosa's golden flames dimmed considerably.
Horn's Shadow Raven squad was mostly intact, having only expended a large amount of mana.
The dilapidated and almost completely destroyed city of Yaoyan has temporarily returned to silence, with only the crackling of flames and the muffled thuds of scattered buildings collapsing.
Thick smoke and dust filled the air, turning the once prosperous frontier town into a desolate wasteland.
Garrosa hovered above the city, golden flames still burning, but his eyes were filled with anger and exhaustion.
He swept his gaze across the ruins below, then looked at Horn and his three companions who hadn't left in the distance. He spoke in a deep voice, his tone filled with suppressed anger and an undeniable authority: "Outland wizards, now it's time to give our Molten Empire an explanation!"
Wizard Horn stepped forward calmly, facing Garrosa across the distance: "Your Excellency Blade of the Sun, the Ash Ring is the mortal enemy of my Shadow Raven Tower, and we also deeply abhor its brutal acts."
"Their invasion of your country has caused such a tragedy. We are willing to share intelligence about this organization with your country and assist in the pursuit and elimination of its remnants."
"But regarding the ownership and exploration rights of the fragments of the Scorching Hell and its ancient relics—"
The time for negotiation, or rather, for dividing up the spoils and drawing boundaries, has come.
The conversation between Garrosa and Horn, carried faintly through the gradually subsiding violent energy, reached the rift where Rolin was hiding.
The negotiations did not go smoothly. The Empire suffered heavy losses, a major town was reduced to ruins, the lord was killed in battle, and his people were sacrificed. Their anger needed an outlet.
While Shadowraven Tower has declared its hostile stance towards the Ash Ring, its identity as an "Outlander" itself fills Garrosa with vigilance and distrust.
The two sides are mostly drawing up temporary boundaries and exchanging basic intelligence. Core issues such as the right to explore the deeper parts of the Scorching Hell fragments and the ownership of ancient relics clearly require higher-level consultations, and may even lead to new conflicts.
These are temporarily unrelated to Rowling.
He, Flame Shield, and Nightingale, like the most patient hunters, waited for a whole day and night in the dark and sweltering rift, until the large-scale energy fluctuations and the aura of powerful figures outside were completely gone, leaving only the dull sounds of the Imperial follow-up troops clearing the ruins and collecting the corpses, and the crackling of wildfires burning in the distance.
"That's about it."
Nightingale was the first to move her somewhat stiff body; her stealth skills made her most sensitive to subtle changes in her environment.
"It appears that the main force of the empire has withdrawn, leaving only a small number of troops and laborers."
"The Shadow Ravens—their exact location can't be detected; they've probably retreated to a nearby temporary camp."
"Let's split up and act separately."
Flame Shield lowered his voice.
"Nightingale, go find the Shadow Ravens' temporary base, confirm Lord Horn's exact location and the surrounding area, and be careful to stay hidden."
"Rolin and I will wait here for your signal. If there is any danger, retreat immediately."
The nightingale nodded, her figure gliding silently out of the crevice like water flowing into the shadows, disappearing into the rugged lava landscape.