Rising god-Chapter 122: Desperate help

In the imperial palace, a tense meeting unfolded within the emperor’s opulent chambers, its walls adorned with glowing runes and tapestries of conquests. The emperor sat at the head of a polished obsidian table, his presence commanding despite the faint pallor of illness. Flanking him were his successors alongside the Third Imperial Commander, Kiol Malakar, and the head of the Darkan family. Their faces were grim, the air thick with unease.

For months, after hearing of the storm’s movements, the Vodal Kingdom had demanded answers for the disappearance of one of their family’s gods. Due to the immense pressure they put up, the emperor had summoned the Darkan head to recount the war’s details—what happened and what didn’t—to craft a response.

Normally, Solaris would have dismissed such accusations with a sneer, blaming the Vodal’s defeat. But with the storms’ presence, they had to be careful, lest a full-blown war occur. And the storms’ sudden silence wasn’t a good omen.

The only plausible theory was chilling: the storms had allied with the Vodal Kingdom. Given the Astras’ abilities, it wasn’t far-fetched to imagine their army had already begun infiltrating the empire. And that exact reason was what worried them.

Kael, the First Prince, broke the silence, his voice steady but sharp. "They haven’t attacked yet because they’re cautious of the possibility that we have such means."

Heads nodded, including Kiol Malakar’s. "Yes, they’re probably holding back for that reason," he agreed, his fingers tapping the table.

A new voice cut in, soft but piercing. "It’s strange, isn’t it? Only an apostle can summon a god’s descent, yet you say one did. How are the Darkan still alive?" All eyes turned to him.

Argon Sol’aris, the Third Prince of the empire. He was the only successor who didn’t meet or speak to Baines that day. With the signature look, he had a lean frame, relaxed, but his eyes glinted with calculation.

The emperor’s gaze lingered on his youngest son. ’So, you’re interested in this too, huh,’ he thought. Among the successors, he was the one he saw the least, and surprisingly, he rarely knew where he was and what he did.

"What are you implying?" the emperor asked, his tone measured.

Argon’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Unless the wind god saw something worth sparing or that interested him, there’s no reason the Darkan army survived a divine descent."

Eyes narrowed around the table. The Darkan head leaned forward, his voice low. "What could it be? I’m certain it’s about our transformation." He, too, craved answers.

"True, not your transformation," Argon said. "But what did Darkan bring to that war that was desirable? It could’ve been a treasure, a weapon... or a person?"

’I see, so that’s where you’re going, huh?’ The emperor’s mind clicked.

"Treasure, weapon, or—" The Darkan head’s words caught as a face flashed in his mind.

Argon’s smile widened. "Oh, you’ve thought of someone, haven’t you? He was on that battlefield, yes."

"No," the Darkan head protested, shaking his head. "We don’t know his origins, yes, and his brains for battle are unmatched, but he’s shown no sign of such power."

"Hmm." Argon mused. "Apparently, he always went to a place called Harper’s Hawks, didn’t he?"

"Yes, we searched that place, and found nothing-"

"Orion assembly." Argon’s voice cut the Darkan’s head, as his gaze flicked to Kiol. "I’m sure the Third Imperial Commander knows of them."

The emperor’s eyes sharpened. "What’s he talking about, Kiol?" Now he was getting lost in the conversation, and that couldn’t be allowed. He needed to know everything.

Kiol straightened, his voice steady. "Father, Harper’s Hawks is a branch of the Orion Assembly."

The emperor’s breath hitched. He knew of the Orion assembly, but why was he just learning of this?

"Argon Sol’aris, this isn’t the meeting’s purpose," Kael said calmly.

"If this isn’t the purpose, then I see no point in the first place." Argon countered, undeterred. novelbuddy-cσ๓

"For eight months, what have we heard from Darkan?"

"Nothing," Kael admitted.

"Exactly, nothing." Argon continued, "It’s as if the reason for their sudden rise had left, and everything returned to normal." Argon’s words cut, unapologetic even in the Darkan head’s presence. "Think of his feats before arriving at the capital. Were any of them normal? Doesn’t a god’s disappearance fit that scale?"

The emperor coughed, blood staining his handkerchief. He wiped it away, his voice hoarse. "I understand, but what if it’s not him? The way I see it, he is still here because he needs something from us. Now I don’t want to believe he has such a means and still remains here." The emperor reasoned, and the rest nodded.

Argon’s eyes flickered with dissatisfaction, but he nodded. Such power in one person was unthinkable. No, it wasn’t allowed.

"Keep searching," the emperor ordered. "Dispatch search teams." No resolution was reached, but answers would come.

How much does Argon know?

The successors wondered, their glances uneasy.

The emperor, reading their thoughts, shook his head and moved to the next agenda.

...

Far north, in a snow-swept stronghold at the Last Front, chaos reigned.

In the past year, the last front had seen an unprecedented surge in the outliers’ attacks. The number of men geared to hold off the outliers had seen an increase; however, most didn’t have experience.

Each legion numbered over two hundred thousand, bringing their total number above six hundred thousand, and each month, almost a hundred thousand deaths were recorded.

The situation was dire.

It was now a situation where a friend could die in the next fight. The rate at which recruits fell was disturbing. New outlier tribes, unrecorded and more dangerous, attacked with relentless ferocity, their numbers swelling into the millions. Even now, the legions battled across a frozen plain, the snow churned into a mire of blood and bodies.

As usual, the most brutal part of the battle was at the forefront, while those who flanked took care of the rest.

In this particular part of the rear battle, a brutal battle was ongoing.

"Battlefield commander!" Five soldiers hacked through a swarm of outliers to reach a man coated in gore.

He was the boy who always ate with Baines at the Last Front. His name was Damen. He had risen to the 5th star and was now a fifth-star battalion commander. He cleaved another beast, his breath ragged but unyielding, and turned to face the source of the voice.

"Yes?" he growled, dispatching another outlier that charged at him.

One soldier, eyes wide with fear, stammered, "I-I think w-we should run."

"Why?" Damen’s voice lowered to a frightening degree, his sword now leveled at the group who had just spoken, his gaze fierce.

"W-We heard that 8th star outliers have appeared on the frontlines."

Damen’s heart sank at those words.

The grand commanders are only seventh-stars.

They remembered the imperial commander’s power from a year ago, and someone was saying, their enemies of such a caliber had appeared.

They were finished.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

An explosion ripped through the battlefield, obliterating the legion members and outliers alike in a wave of destruction. No warning was needed, and no one needed to tell them. The eighth-star outliers had arrived.

It was true. They were truly finished.

"Shit, FORM A BARRIER!" Damen roared. He summoned his mana, a shimmering shield flaring around him. Those who heard followed, their barriers merging to push back the outlier tide.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Another blast shattered the line, bodies vaporizing in its wake. ’At this rate, we’ll lose two hundred thousand,’ Damen thought, despair clawing at him. ’Isn’t there anyone to help? We desperately need it.’

Coincidentally, at that moment, a massive shadow fell over the battlefield, silencing the chaos.

Nervous eyes looked up, beholding a colossal vessel, its hull rune-etched, dwarfing anything they’d seen. Its presence was a monolith, radiating power and fear alike.

A voice thundered from above: "By the emperor’s decree, the Fifth Imperial Commander has arrived to aid the Last Front in all future wars, effective immediately."

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