Almost 1 month later...

In the battlefield, that had been stained with the blood and flesh of innumerable human seekers, left with the remnant bones and dark nectar of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of ghost race beings killed by human seekers.

The unified army and the affiliated army stood against each other once more. And this time, the stakes were higher than ever; the tension reached an all-time high, and the air had grown rigid under the overwhelming pressure of the two malevolent armies determined to destroy one another.

After all, the vanguard of both of the armadas was now filled with mostly third-phase seekers.

The size of the three great kingdoms’ unified army had shrunk by almost 10 times compared to the number of seekers allotted in the last clash against the Affiliated army.

The three thousand-strong army of third phase existences suddenly parted in two, making a pathway through the middle, and a golden-haired, six-foot-tall, majestic man, wearing a silver armor enshrouded with golden runes and a mighty silver sword in hand, walked through that path with royal grace, by his supreme authority as the Commander-in-Chief of this war.

He wore an easygoing smile, his slightly long golden hair fluttering in the heaving waves of mana oozing from the countless powerful soldiers, his eyes filled with unbridled arrogance, his posture completely relaxed, as if he had already won this war, for he would be the one leading this clash himself.

A golden pressure radiated out of him, making all the third-phase soldiers feel a great sense of pressure, forcefully pressing upon their spirit, despite the prince being just a peak 2nd-phase Seeker. As the potency of his golden aura remained outmatched throughout the army, something that none were able to contend with.

Like a shining beacon of unmistakable presence, he exuded the royal authority of his Suncrest lineage, which had been the strongest human dynasty for thousands upon thousands of years.

The bloodline that contained the very potential of the Valkyries through it. But the golden prince was far more than that; as the vessel of the Golden Elder Dragon, he who contained the will and bloodline of Gilderon the Glorious, his true prowess could not be categorized by mere human standards.

After all, without such qualifications, how could an entire armada made of nothing but third-phase existences accept him as the vanguard leader worthy of leading them into a life-and-death war?

The Suncrest prince looked to his left. He saw the Gallant princess, Yasmin Samartan, standing at the vanguard, in charge of the left flank. She had advanced to the third phase after facing countless life and death moments in the last clash under the lead of Heinz.

The princess also looked back at him and smiled, giving a polite nod to the prince.

To Lucien’s right flank. It was the same with brave Prince Nox Blackvale, now a third-phase seeker. He was also oozing with confidence and anticipation for the impending clash.

And both of them were very strong; no initial third-phase seeker could stand toe to toe with these two, despite them having just advanced for a few weeks at most, barely stabilizing their foundation at the third phase.

The normal denizens of humanity may think that the heirs of the prestigious households or the royal princes and princesses are given everything on a silver platter, on every Occasion, but that is not the entire story, in a battlefield like this, in a war like this.

Once two armies clash, there is no guarantee of any life, whether they are a commoner or a crown prince—only your personal strength, cunning, and instinct matter in the midst of that slaughtering mayhem. If you don’t have what it takes, there is not even a 1% chance of survival.

That is precisely why the higher the phase of a seeker is, no matter their origin, the more capable and worthy they are of their status. If one does not have absolute conviction in themselves, it is fundamentally impossible for Prime Nexus and the World will to allow any existence to advance.

And yet...

Princess Yasmin and Prince Nox had no trace of contempt towards the golden prince. After all, he was the one and only Lucien Suncrest. Even without anyone seeing him in battle, they could feel it instinctively. His foundation was exceptionally strong, evident in the golden, serene aura he always radiated.

Lucien chuckled to himself, more arrogance nestling in his heart, as if he were the only 2nd phase seeker within the entire army of third-phase existences. However....

When he remembered that was not actually the case, his mood slightly soured. The prince looked backward and noticed the Dark Trio a line behind the frontmost army. Noticing his gaze, Enrick gave him a cold look.

But the other two, Thorian and Jaden, remained expressionless. All three were stripped of their positions; instead, Yasmin and Nox now held the title of vice-commander of this war and were in the vanguard, in charge of their own specialized units.

While the Dark Trio could fight for themselves as individuals. And yet, seeing Jaden Redmar, that cunning bastard, so calm, without any hint of worry, filled Lucien with unease; he thought suspiciously, ’What the hell are you three scheming this time?’

He knew that they would not sit still; they would try something. Unfortunately, Heinz still had not recovered from the injuries he sustained in the last clash of the war, which had left him overextended to a dangerous degree. If that guy were here, Lucien could order him to keep an eye on these three.

So, he could only turn to his next best options, Vyra Vanelis in the back, the leader of the long-range attackers’ unit, and Ken Dusker, both of whom had also advanced to the third phase. While the Alchemy genius did not really need to face life-or-death situations to advance, Lucien’s cousin was not the same.

So, the Suncrest Prince was a bit suspicious because this was the first time Ken had joined the war directly. How did this guy advance to the third phase? Not to mention, he had been strangely too quiet ever since the academy incident.

Apart from that, Lucien was actually happy to see his cousin progressing so smoothly. It reassured him that Ken was less likely to die, so he wouldn’t have to babysit the guy, allowing him to focus on killing as many undead as possible and efficiently leading the entire army.

The prince could shake his head and push those matters to the back of his mind; he would deal with those things later.

So, Lucien focused on the matter at hand, sending a mana transmission to both Vyra and Ken at the same time: ’Could you keep an eye on Thorian, Jaden, and Enrick?’