Chapter 1334 Exterminate Them!

Chapter 1334 Exterminate Them!

The Marshlands of Hell became the site of the largest battle in recent history. Two hundred thousand awakeners fought in this war between Dragonir and Ascent. The casualties reached five thousand on both sides before it ended.

Almost every guild, noble, and ruler released a statement calling for a ceasefire. The level of destruction rendered a strip of the continent uninhabitable. Although Ascent was criminalized in almost every major nation, they had to implore it to take a step back from this war. Inside the Runic Dome near Mountain Range Rovero, the atmosphere was bleak. The guild masters sat in the hall, frustrated by their inability to join their members in battle. Most of them felt that they had failed their subordinates, and everyone wanted to seek out Julia to change her mind.

"Miss Julia made the right call," defended Yuran before the eighteen guild masters, but no one agreed with him. "If we had participated in the war, the casualties would have risen considerably."

"Our guild members believe we chickened out!" rebuked another guild master, a middle-aged man with tanned skin and long brown hair. "Is that how we carry ourselves? Let our weaker members fight while we watch?"

"If we got involved, then the empyrean would not have stood idle," said Yuran with a frown. "He would have come to rescue his son, and we would have been exterminated."

"That just proves his point," added Rae with a frown. "We did chicken out. Even if it was an empyrean, nineteen of us should be able to fight him. I have to agree with Ron on this one."

"A sensible mind at last!" shouted Ron as he glared at Yuran. "If you believe that we should have sat around while—"

Ron was still talking when the doors opened. Julia walked into the hall with Oriole following behind. Their expressions were stoic as they strode toward the central chair at the table. The guild masters rose in respect as their Vice-Master sat down and gestured for them to do the same. Oriole stood behind her, acting as her assistant for now since he had no real role in the guild. Julia had offered him the position of lead runemaster, but he refused.

"Reports," demanded Julia in a single word. Everyone looked at each other, and then to Ron. The middle-aged man rose, letting his fur coat fall to the ground. Julia turned toward him, her eyes questioning his actions.

"Miss Julia," said Ron with a grave expression, "the recent battle has been a catastrophe. We lost five thousand men from every participating guild, while we did not sustain a scratch. There is already infighting and doubt spreading among our ranks because no one led the battle."

"Cut to the chase, Guild Master Ron," said Julia with a cold expression. "What do you wish to say?"

"You ordered us to stay here and watch the battle unfold, and I, among others, believe that decision to be a mistake."

No one else objected to his words, and Ron stood determined under Julia's gaze. Some expected another Garrick Bloodclaw incident, but to their surprise, Julia smiled.

"Impossible," said the guild master with curly hair as she began using her analysis ability. After a few moments, her face paled. "I just calculated our chances of winning in a direct confrontation. Less than ten percent."

"And if we factor in astra-rankers that we could not identify, then the chances drop to a staggering zero. We also have astra-rankers on our side, but do we have the same number of deme-rankers?" asked Oriole.

"And based on these findings, I made the decision to avoid an all-out war," muttered Julia with a grave expression. "I believe that the enemy feared our Guild Master getting involved if the main force of Dragonir made a move. Another possibility is their lack of knowledge about our forces, but since Garrick has confessed to being a spy, I doubt that."

Julia had ensured that no one knew about Arthur's vacation. As far as they were concerned, Arthur was training to become stronger in the meantime. If their enemies learned about Arthur taking a vacation, they would tear them apart.

She also couldn't call him back, knowing his plan to propose to Diana at this time. To be honest, she couldn't care less who their opponent was as long as Arthur achieved a little bit of happiness.

Arthur deserved it.

"We are weaker," muttered Ron while gritting his teeth. "But is there nothing we can do?"

"And would I have called you if there wasn't?" asked Julia with a frosty expression as she rose. "We cannot fight an all-out war, but we have things they don't: runes and information. We know their strongest members, and we can strike them before retreating."

"A guerrilla tactic?" muttered Rae with a grin. "This is going to piss Dragonir off."

"Our plan is more than just annoying them," replied Julia while gritting her teeth. "Offer the weaker members a chance to surrender and imprison them using the shadow army. As for the guild itself and the members who fight until the end—" Julia paused, "exterminate them!"

The guild masters rose and cheered because this is what they had wished for: retaliation. The reason they joined Ascent was that it became a symbol of resistance against injustice, so they did not want to stand around and get bullied.

The guild masters began their plans and shared their tactics around the table. Julia and Oriole left afterward, and Yuran slipped from the crowd to follow them. Once away from the rest, he stopped the two.

"Are you sure about this decision?" asked Yuran while standing behind them in the corridor. "Does Arthur know about this?"

Julia stopped and turned toward him. "Arthur knew that Dragonir would declare war against us at some point. He asked that when it happens, we minimize the lives lost. We are past that point. Kaius will not rest until he takes his revenge against Li, and I won't allow that."