Chapter 1067: Report, A New Rising Sun
"The aura that vanished just now... Was I mistaken?" Solomon thought to himself as he joined the 1st Legion in their retreat.
...
Not long after the underground earthquake, Solomon, Aurie, and the other members of the 1st Legion had successfully retreated above ground without any serious injuries.
"Haa... We made it out." One of the 1st Legion soldiers said as they breathed a sigh of relief.
Just now, they were almost crushed under the weight of the earth due to an unexpected earthquake. At least, that's what most of the members of the 1st Legion thought.
"General, did you feel it, too?" Aurie asked as she appeared next to Solomon with a serious frown on her face.
"Yes, though, it is still necessary to confirm it before we get too ahead of ourselves. For now, we'll have Captain Edgar and Captain Zas remain here to aid Commander Ezra in facing the specter. In the meantime, have Captain Ward lead a scouting party to search for another way into the Night Lord's Crypt." Solomon stated.
"At once, General-"
Zeeeut!
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a group of more than seventy individuals abruptly appeared above where the now collapsed underground staircase was located.
"Enemy ambush!" One of the soldiers of the 1st Legion alerted.
When the soldier sounded the alarm, the members of the 1st Legion wasted no time falling into formation and surrounding the newcomers.
"That's...!" Aurie immediately recognized a few familiar faces among those who had just seemingly appeared out of thin air.
"Hold! Can you not recognize your own allies?!" Aurie said as she stepped forward.
Aurie inwardly sighed. Everyone was on edge due to the pressure that encompassed raiding a place like the Night Lord's Crypt. Therefore, she was not too harsh on the soldier for making such an obvious blunder. Besides, the soldier's actions were not entirely wrong.
A strange group had randomly found their way in the midst of their forces. How could they not sound the alarms?
That being said, upon a closer look, one could see that many of those who appeared wore the insignia of the War Brigade.
"I am the 5th Unit Commander of the 21st Legion Lances Pride! I must speak to General Solomon at once!" Lances announced as he stepped forward to the front of the group.
Those who accompanied Lances and suddenly emerged above the collapsed underground staircase fought by his side in the Night Lord's Crypt. This included the members of his 5th Unit and, of course, the 9th Division under Izroth, along with Jol'Kil and Zel'Kan, the two members of the Seventh Demon Clan.
"You will have to excuse me for skipping proper introductions, Commander. But, I must know -what is a 21st Legion Commander under General Rovanna doing here with the 9th Division of the General Support Unit?" Aurie inquired with an inquisitive gaze as she swept her eyes over the group.
A slightly visible frown formed on Aurie's face when she realized that the person she was looking for was not there.
"Did Captain Izroth act separately from the 9th Division?" Aurie questioned internally. When the group first appeared, it did not take Aurie long to realize that half of them belonged to the 9th Division under Izroth.
The 9th Division had spent some time together with the 2nd Unit under her command; therefore, she was quite familiar with the appearance of its members.
Lances put his right hand to his chest and said, "I have an urgent message for the General. As for my presence here we just returned from the heart of the Night Lord's Crypt."
Lances had a meaningful look in his eyes as he said those last few words.
?!
When the nearby soldiers heard Lances, they could not hide the surprise and shock on their faces.
The heart of the Night Lord's Crypt? Wasn't that the place where the Night Lord Zarolas was said to be resting and awaiting his resurrection?
Not to mention, the path to get to that location must have been swarming with powerful enemies, traps, and defenses that could not be easily overcome without a great deal of sacrifice.
If a group was returning from that deep inside of the Night Lord's Crypt, that could only mean one thing-something unexpected had occurred. This caused the atmosphere to turn gloomy and the facial expressions of the soldiers to darken. If they were talking about something unexpected, then it had to be that-the revival of the Night Lord Zarolas.
Could it be that they were a step too late?
The soldiers of the 1st Legion could not help but assume the worst-case scenario. After all, a group led by a Commander of the War Brigade and a Division of the General Support Unit would not be able to accomplish much outside of scouting and maybe disabling a few traps in the process. Still, to make it to the very heart of the Night Lord's Crypt left the 1st Legion soldiers with a great deal of respect for their newly arrived allies.
"You journeyed that far into the Night Lord's Crypt...?!" Aurie was unable to conceal the surprise on her face.
The center forces led by General Solomon and spear-headed by the 1st Legion of the War Brigade had just reached the entrance of Night Lord's Crypt not that long ago. However, according to Lances, not only did their group already enter the Night Lord's Crypt, but they even made it to the inner most part of it. Not only that, but they even returned successfully before the 1st Legion could set foot into the Night Lord's Crypt. It sounded completely outrageous and inconceivable!
If it were anyone else, Aurie would have had a few more reservations; however, it was a person of the Pride Clan, who held close ties to Amaharpe accompanied by the General Support Unit's 9th Division.
"If he is related to this, then... Can it be that what General Solomon and I sensed earlier was not false?" Aurie silently pondered.
Aurie still had numerous questions, but her instincts and years of experience told her that she had to let Lances meet with General Solomon as soon as possible.
"Make way for the Commander!" Aurie ordered.
...
Not too long after Lances requested to meet with General Solomon, Aurie led the way. However, Lances did not meet the General alone. He decided to take Niflheim with him as a representative of the 9th Division.
"Who would've thought that I'd be having a face-to-face conversation with a General of the war brigade in the middle of the battlefield? That guy sure knows how to leave the troublesome parts to others." Niflheim thought to himself as he maintained his composure.
"War Brigade 5th Unit Commander of the 21st Legion Lances Pride, reporting to General Solomon!" Lances stated respectfully.
"General Support Unit 1st Squadron Lieutenant of the 9th Division Niflheim, reporting to General Solomon!" Niflheim said as he followed Lances' lead.
"Let's cut the pleasantries short, gentlemen. If you have something to report, make it quick. The collapse of the Night Lord's Crypt-I assume you're aware of the reason behind it?" Solomon remarked as he carefully observed Lances and Niflheim. "Reporting! Captain Izroth of the General Support Unit's 9th Division has successfully stopped the resurrection of the Antumbra of Decay, Night Lord Zarolas! General-we are victorious!" Lances reported as he could barely restrain his eagerness to deliver the news. Solomon's eyes widened in disbelief. Earlier, when the portal began to rupture and the tremors started, Solomon sensed that the Night Lord's aura had seemingly vanished without a trace. But, since there was no evidence outside of the Night Lord's aura disappearing that the resurrection had been stopped, naturally, Solomon remained on the side of caution. "Your words do you have any proof to support them?" Solomon inquired with haste. Lances glanced over at Niflheim, giving him the signal to proceed.
The moment Niflheim received the signal from Lances, a pitch-black shard roughly thirty centimeters in length materialized in the palm of his hands.
The instant the shard appeared, a thick aura of death leaked into the surroundings, causing some of the nearby soldiers of the 1st Legion to almost instinctively retreat a step back. "This fragment...!" Solomon carefully inspected the shard Niflheim held out. "This is one of the fragments we collected after destroying the coffin that housed Night Lord Zarolas. As far as proof goes-I'm sure this should be enough." Lances stated.
Not everyone was aware, but Solomon knew that a powerful barrier protected a fallen Night
Lord's coffin. This barrier was not normal by any means and required a massive effort to disable. Also, even if one got past the barrier, the coffin itself was no different than a high- tier defensive magic item. Destroying it required no less effort than disabling the barrier that
protected it.
Initially, Solomon planned on using Celebrexa to get past the barrier before dealing with the coffin. However, for a captain of the General Support Unit to accomplish such a feat...
"...A genius. No, the word genius is an insult for that kind of monstrous talent. The one called Izroth-he is a new Rising Sun." Solomon muttered to himself.