Chapter 3244 Waging War (Part 1)

Chapter 3244 Waging War (Part 1)

Lith Warped through the three great countries, keeping the Salaark's palace as his base of operations.

'There was no chance the World Tree anywhere near the Blood Desert. Not with Grandma's iron fist. Now I'm sure it's either past the Kingdom's or the Empire's borders.'

"Son of a weed!" Lith had reached a place so close to the World Tree's Fringe that he could see Solus' light shining at the horizon.

It was located in the Gorgon Empire, at the border with the Free Country of Chalal and just a few hundreds of kilometers away from the only point on Garlen where the three great countries touched. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"The access point is at the fringes of Leegaain's turf, far away from Manaron where he currently resides, yet perfect to reach any city in Garlen through the local Gate Network." Upon his signal, all the Warp Gates in the central plaza of Salaark's palace locked on Lith's coordinates while he walked towards the borders.

The mage soldiers of the Empire stepped aside and opened the gates of their fortress, but the armed forces of Chalal had no reason to comply with the request of a foreign Magus.

"Stop right there!" The commander of the border guards yelled. "I don't care if you are the Blood Magus, the Never Magus, or the Supreme Magus. Take one step out of the Empire and you'll be an enemy of Chalal. Your actions will be interpreted as an act of war and we will respond accordingly."

"So what?" Lith stood in front of the closed gate, a tall structure over twenty meters (66') tall of stone and enchanted metal.

Countless arrays and alchemical tools were aimed at him, ready to be unleashed on the commander's signal.

"So you are one step away from having your sorry ass blasted into smithereens, boy." The commander was a battle-hardened veteran who had secured his homeland from the constant raids of the Empire for decades.

Seeing a runt wearing a Magus robe was an insult to his pride as a mage just as Lith moving like he owned the place was an insult to his pride as a soldier.

"You and what army?" The arrays were still powering up when Lith shapeshifted into his Tiamat form, reaching 30 meters (100') of height.

The Origin Flames that Dragons and Phoenixes exuded naturally when angered were burning down the protective arrays of Chahal's stronghold, spreading through the magic runes like wildfire on dry grass.

"There's no reason for bloodshed." The commander changed his tune swiftly.

'The Divine Beasts outnumber us. We might be able to kill one or two, but my garrison would be wiped out and the Empire would have free access to Chalal!' He actually thought.

"Whatever your reason for coming here is, as long as you promise not to attack my people, I'll let you in. Swear it on your Brood."

Lith's answer came in the form of a bellowing laughter that shook the border walls.

"Compromise happens when two forces are comparable in strength or I'm in a good mood." Lith replied. "How can I believe the word of someone who was ready to attack me until a moment ago?

"How can I trust you not to shoot us in the back the moment we turn around? No, you've shown me who you are and I believe you. You've threatened me first without asking a single question and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

"You have the span of one deep breath to run away. Anything else and I'll consider you my enemy and your actions will be interpreted as an act of war."

The commander could almost feel his own words slapping him in the face as Lith drew a deep breath and so did the sea of burning creatures behind him.

"Run! Run for your lives!" There was no time for complex strategies, no chance for an army of men to stand in the way of monsters.

The best the commander could hope for was that a few soldiers would survive and alert the parliament of the invasion. Because even at death's door the old veteran feared for his country the most.

The Divine Beasts were unlikely to care for lands and politics, but the Empire would. All it had to do was to march in the wake of the Brood and collect the prizes the Divine Beasts left behind like trash.

The roar of the commander's voice was eclipsed by a tidal wave of Origin Flames that swept past the arrays before rushing against and past the walls.