Chapter 532: State of Peril

Chapter 532: State of Peril

State of Peril

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On Astarat...

While Apollo amassed power, a completely different situation unfolded within Astarat. As he spent over a year consolidating his influence over the Nihilistic Rings, over ten years had passed on Astarat. Those who were once his peers were no longer in their adolescence; time had already shown its inevitable effects.

More importantly, the catastrophe that all of the War Academies, Great Families, and Supreme Families feared took place―over these ten years, the Terror's power swelled to new heights. Compared to the first coming of this catastrophe, most felt this one far surpassed its lethality.

As such, the War Academies entered warfare preparation mode, resulting in a severe change in their teaching style and content.

Meanwhile, those who attended the academies with Apollo had long since graduated and migrated to the frontlines.]

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Within the Catastrophe Lines...

A scene of utter bloodshed and mutilated bodies, both human and overgrown grotesque beings with toxic-looking green skin, spanned farther than one cared to look. Amid this devastation, a few camps and structured outposts guarded by thick ramparts defended the thin separation between humanity and the Terrors.

However, the post wasn't the most eye-catching presence in this area. The most notable sight on the field was a young lady, seeming to be at least 25 years of age. Her silver eyes seemed filled with a budding mercilessness as she gazed at an extensive collection of people with her pale white yet luxurious hair flowing in the wind.

From the compliant posture of the people kneeling before her, it was evident that her status within this sector's outpost was high, if not the highest. Despite the respectful mannerisms of the kneeled soldiers, her gaze seemed unfazed as she glanced to her side.

Like her, another young lady appearing to be around the same age stood this woman. While their appearance was on par with each other, causing awe within any male blessed to learn of their valor and beauty, she possessed a different feeling.

Whereas the soldiers respected the white-haired beauty, their eyes portrayed their fear towards the scarlet-haired beauty with her cold golden eyes.

Soon enough, the atmosphere grew heavy as the white-haired beauty made a gesture. "Nadida, these are the new batch of soldiers recently dispatched from the War Academies. How do you suppose we deal with them to get them up to speed?"

Needless to say, the scarlet-haired beauty in which this question was aimed at was indeed Nadida, one of the people closely related to Apollo before he left to take hold of his true identity. Nevertheless, a deep frown appeared across Nadida's lips instead of answering the question.

Meanwhile, Nadida continued. "You are all versed in military knowledge. So, I'll tell you now; we stick to the basics, but we perform them swiftly and effectively. Every new member will be split into pairs and added to all existing teams and squadrons. Is that understood?"

"YES!"

"Understood!"

"Roger!"

A wave of remarks sounded as Nadida gave a faint nod before passing off the task to a lower-ranked member. In the meantime, both she and Odessa walked into a luxurious tent outfitted with lavish furnishing.

Although they were on the frontlines, Odessa's status as the Paragon of the Crux Family was not to be overlooked. All of her needs were taken care of as well as having the family's arsenal at her complete disposal in times of need.

Fortunately, the situation had yet to deteriorate that far. Within these ten years, there had yet to be sighting or even rumors of a Disaster-Grade Terror being born.

"Is there something you need to talk about?" Odessa questioned while taking a seat in a comfortable chair. All signs of her prior ruthlessness vanished as she ruefully massaged her temples.

"The older generation, your father and the others, they've begun to suffer casualties. We've kept the information related to the depths of that zone hidden for long enough, but it's only a matter of time until that Terror truly reaches the level of a Disaster. Either you or Alistair will be forced to make a move," Nadida said with a grim expression.

"Hah... so it's that bad? What about him? Has he been active?" Odessa asked. Her expression was strange as her tone seemed to contain hints of apprehension.

"Him? No, he's grown inactive once again. Actually, no one has heard from him since stepping beyond the Catastrophe Line. However, his Vitality Stone is intact and more vibrant than ever, so we know he hasn't perished," Nadida replied.

"Mm," Odessa nodded while taking a sip from a small cup. The one mentioned wasn't the other Paragon, but an anomaly that appeared shortly after the calamity's beginning. In a short time, they rose to the height of being on par with a Paragon while administering zero signs of doing so.

"It won't be long before the next wave of Terrors assault the Catastrophe Line. What has it been? Seven days? They must have spent this time amassing their forces," Odessa remarked.

"That's another thing, I came to alert you that is it time. The scouts have confirmed that their next siege has already begun."

"Then... it is time to mobilize everyone," Odessa responded. She stopped massaging her temple and recovered her earlier expression as she rose to her feet.