Chapter 238 - Interspatial Artifacts
As the sun began to set, the battle at the Eastern Borders suddenly erupted in full motion and without warning.
Without the powerful deterring force of a Transcendent on the Crawford Kingdom's side, the border defense easily collapsed under the might of the Grand Elder of the Bloodfiend Sect.
A simple charge had torn the stone wall apart and all hell began to break loose under the diabolic means of the Blood Transcendent.
The Deputy Chief in command of the Crawford Kingdom's army knew things were not looking good without her Majesty's deterrence and ordered the troop's retreat immediately.
This was not a battle they could win. Being stubborn would only incur unnecessary losses of human lives to the blood fiend.
But despite the swift order for retreat, not everyone could escape the vicious claws of the Blood Transcendent.
Those caught by the bloody claws had their entire being rung dry of their blood and turned into empty husks of bones and flesh in an instant as a squirming Blood Pool began to float and grow above the Blood Transcendent.
The scene was enough to make anyone's heart run cold like they had been thrown into an icy cavern of hell. The enemy's army was no exception as they began to doubt their purpose.
Were they doing the right thing? Were they on the right side?
"Ahhhh!"
"Nooo!"
One victim after another fell to the vicious claws that reaped lives like cutting weeds on the field. They were utterly helpless and unable to put up a shred of resistance as their blood was added to the blood pool.
Not only their blood reaped, but even their soul also seemed to have been captured as the ever-growing Blood Pool had countless squirming faces filled with agony and despair.
Even without the order for retreat, the army's morale had already collapsed to fear as everyone fled for their lives. No amount of training could have prepared them for something like this.
What they were facing was no Transcendent, but a demon!
"Ahh! Run for your lives!"
"It's a demon!"
The formation of the retreating troops was thrown into disarray as they scattered any and all directions that would get them away from the blood fiend.
Command became useless and the Deputy Chief in command felt he had failed her Majesty but this was not something he could control.
With the mental state of the troops, it was impossible to even rally them.
As the enemy troops made their way through the open path carved out by the Blood Transcendent, they all felt sick in the stomach as they looked at the dry corpses scattered amongst the broken rubbles and dirt.
The Blood Transcendent had struck with lightning speed. The retreating army did not even have the time to escape in their military vehicles and ran on foot.
Only the Deputy Chief in command had made it on the back of a moving military truck along with a few other accompanying military trucks and vehicles.
Their small group did not even amount to 500 troops from the original 15000 garrison troops that were left to defend.
"What a disaster… these people are simply inhumane, treating human lives like dirt."
"What do you expect? This is war! There is no room for compassion on the battlefield."
"But this is not a battle between men! That was the work of a devil!"
A few soldiers on the back of a moving truck said with lingering trepidation as they watched the receding view of the Eastern Borders.
With the skies gradually darkening with the setting sun that was about to disappear over the horizon, the chain explosion of gunpowder in the distance was like the final spark of daylight.
The enemy troops suffered great casualties amidst the exploding gunpowder, but this was not a pre-emptive plan the Crawford Kingdom had set after their retreat but a pure coincidence of one of the gunpowder barrels catching fire amidst the chaos of their retreat from the demon.
Elizabeth saw the sudden glow in the distance and knew she was too late as her expression quickly turned ugly.
It was impossible to defend what had already fallen. The Azure Verdant Plain region was lost but they can still defend the other regions.
Elizabeth turned to the few commanders among her 2000 troops and said, "Go recover all the scattered soldiers you can find and regroup back at the Grassland Region to prepare our next line of defenses. I will head over to delay the enemy's advances."
"Alone, your Majesty? Please allow some of us to accompany you at least!"
The soldiers were shocked. How could they let their own Queen charge into enemy lines alone? Some immediately began voicing their concerns and loyalty.
"There is no time. You will only slow me down. Just do as I say."
Elizabeth immediately frowned, but her decision was firm. After saying her piece, she immediately took flight in the direction of the Eastern Borders.
The earlier she arrives and delays the enemy, the more lives they would be able to save.
Some soldiers sighed with disappointment. Their blood was all pumping with vigor and ready to lay down their lives to defend their country.
If there had been nobles that said this instead, they would have been sighing with relief that the Queen did not take their words seriously.
This is just how it is among nobles. They can show a display of valor and loyalty, but it would just be all talk and no real commitment.
The commanders soon snapped out of the stupor when the Queen disappeared into the distance without waiting for their replies.
"Well, you all heard her Majesty. We depart for our scattered brothers immediately!"
"Yes, Commander!"
…
Back at the Grassland Region, Lilith, the few palace guards and Elder Evergreen's group did not know what happened.
The Queen's group had suddenly left without a word after a messenger came and died. Lilith had briefly overheard the messenger's news and thought the situation was quite precarious for the Crawford Kingdom.
'Where there are people, there are bound to be conflicts, huh?' She silently thought but found it strange that no one was sent to inform Leon nor request more reinforcement from the Capital.
'Although the affairs of the Human Domain have nothing to me, Leon had been quite hospitable to me. I should at least let him know what is going.'
Aria and Lynne know about the war, but they would not know about the news that just arrived.
Lilith also felt compelled by the alliance between her and Leon and prepared to leave to deliver the news. Surprisingly, the palace guards did not stop her when she did so.
They had viewed her with prejudice for her race in the beginning, but that was no longer the case.
Perhaps, it was due to her current appearance, but regardless of the case, she no longer feels like a fugitive and more like a guest.
…
Meanwhile, Leon was trying to start a fire through primitive means of rubbing the dry branches to create heat friction.
For the success of his upcoming pill refining, he had already reserved a few strands of pseudo-Grandmist energy to control the earthly fire, but no matter hard he tried, he had yet to light the fire.
"Are you sure this will work?"
Lynne muttered on the side with skepticism and bored that Leon was such an unromantic person for paying more attention to the branches than them.
However, she did not complain since it seemed to be something important.
Leon's mouth twitched at the question. He was confident that his method would surely work, but seeing how his efforts had not event produced the slightest bit of smoke, his confidence has diminished over time.
"It should…"
Hearing the unconfident tone in Leon's voice, Aria carefully suggested, "How about… I help you with my lightning element?"
She was not sure if her help would hurt his pride, thus she refrained from asking until now, but when Leon heard it, he stared into space dumbly for a moment before smacking his own head.
"Aiya, silly me. How could I forget we have such a genius lightning-user among us here? Ehehe… please." Leon gestured with both hands to the little incomplete campfire.
Aria smiled sweetly, thinking Leon also had his cute sides.
With a single finger pointed at the incomplete campfire, a ray of lightning was shot out…
Bang!
The power of the lightning was too potent and all the gathered branches within the little incomplete campfire exploded into scattered splinters.
Leon and Aria just stared blankly at the now… empty incomplete campfire?
No, it was not even considered incomplete anymore. It was just a ring of rocks. The firewood was all gone.
"What the—!" Lynne jumped in startlement with wide eyes before asking jokingly, "What kind of enmity did you have with the tree branches for it to deserve such treatment?"
"Umm… sorry."
Aria covered her flushed face with guilt as she heard Lynne's jabbing remark.
"Erm, it's fine, it's fine… I just need to gather some more branches. Don't sweat it. Maybe… JUST maybe tone down on the power a bit next time, hahaha..." Leon laughed dryly and waved it off like it was just some trivial matters.
He could not see Aria's hidden face, but he did receive a resolute nod of affirmation.
After he regathered the branches again, nothing unexpected happened and proceeded according to plan.
The fire was lit nicely before Leon began pulling out the pill cauldron and spirit herbs to concoct the Realm Reversal Pill.
"How did you…"
Like everyone else, Aria and Lynne were startled by him pulling stuff out of thin air, but fortunately this time, he had prepared a nice excuse.
"I have an interspatial artifact." Leon smiled and confidently said, "Don't worry. When we get back to the Capital, I'll also make another two for the both of you."
With his current knowledge of spatial runes, it should not be too difficult for him to come up with the designs for one.
Aria and Lynne opened their mouths, but they reclosed it and nodded compliantly.
"Mmm."
They were just surprised and had no other thoughts. They would be happy with anything Leon gift them, not to mention such a convenient tool like an interspatial artifact.
They had not even known something like that was possible. Thus, it should be especially important and difficult to make.
For Leon to say he was going to make one for them each showed their great importance to him. Their hearts were filled with warm and fuzzy feelings as they smiled sweetly.
At the side, the more knowledgeable palace guards were filled with envious gazes and enlightenment. So, it was an interspatial artifact…
They thought it just something they have heard in the legends, but seeing was believing.
"Ahem, your Highness, we would also like—"
"Hm?"
"No… never mind…"
The palace guards changed their minds with awkward and wry smiles.
What kind of relationship do they share with the prince anyway? Would the prince also craft such an imaginably valuable interspatial artifact for each of them too?
Even if they were willing to suck his d*** for one, the prince had to be willing to accept first.
In the end, they could only continue to look at Leon sneakily with envious gazes and burning desires.
Leon suddenly shivered for unknown reasons.