Chapter 490: Rushing to the Front Line

"Whoosh!"

The massive shadow cast from the sky and the boom that tore through the air brought Damian’s thoughts and the movements of the other chamber of commerce members—busy hauling goods and chatting—to a sudden halt. Above them, a colossal blue dragon streaked past.

The dragon’s natural aura, though deliberately suppressed, still caused the townspeople to shudder involuntarily; it was not out of fear, but an instinctive sense of awe.

These dragons were the current guardians of Alastair, patrolling the kingdom’s skies to ensure the safety of every town. Aside from the newcomers, most inhabitants had grown accustomed to the sight of a dragon flying overhead. Truth be told, once they realized these powerful creatures meant them no harm, it actually provided a sense of security.

"Incredible! This is my first time seeing a dragon. I can feel how powerful they are. If it swiped at me, it would surely flatten me and my best set of armor into a pancake."

The dwarf seemed excited, though it was hard to tell why; looking at him, one might think being flattened was something a dwarf would consider a joyous occasion.

"Stop standing around and get back to helping the caravan. You’ll have plenty of time to gawk at this place later; whatever you haven't seen, you can learn about in due time."

Damian patted the dwarf’s shoulder, taking his turn to urge him on. The rest of the chamber was working hard, and it wouldn't do for him and this particularly boisterous dwarf to spend all day chatting.

Damian had gradually grown accustomed to that faint, burning pain. The mark sealing the "God-Slayer" was not a physical sensation that caused bodily reactions, but a special guide, signaling the potential impact of the strike he might one day deliver.

"Hey, it’s only because you’re you—you understand things about Alastair earlier than the rest of us, so you can stay so calm."

The dwarf grumbled with dissatisfaction, though his tone held more envy than anything else. Still, he went back to work naturally; regardless of anything else, dwarves were masters of such manual labor.

"Seeing is believing, and I’m just as surprised as you are..."

Damian replied with a helpless shrug. He stepped forward to catch up, watching the dwarf effortlessly hoist three heavy crates. Damian rubbed his own palms together, then honestly picked up a single crate in his arms and trudged toward the warehouse.

The chamber of commerce was just finding its footing in this frontier town of Alastair. Above them, far beyond the reach of the naked eye, a squadron of dragons was cutting through the wind in formation.

With their innate mastery of magic, they didn't need to exert any effort; their mana naturally minimized air resistance. Even with their massive size, their flight speed far surpassed that of any ordinary spellcaster.

Leading the formation was the White Dragon Patriarch, Mistrix. Following behind were just over a hundred dragons, all the most powerful members of the current dragon kin. These dragons would join the Archbishop of the Church of Night at the front lines, serving as a spearhead to pierce the heart of the Utopia organization.

"Approaching target location.

Preparing to rendezvous with Lord Wang Yu."

Mistrix spoke through the prayer communication network, reporting their current position. At their speed, they would reach their destination, the Spellbinder Wizard Tower, very soon.

"Understood. We are ready on this end and can depart at any moment."

The response came from Erielian.

"Mom, I’m heading out."

On the grasslands before the Spellbinder Wizard Tower, Avia embraced her mother, Mira, in farewell.

Mira stroked the girl’s hair with a mixture of love and worry. The girl was, in truth, far too young; at this age, Mira had still been studying at the magic academy, yet now her daughter was going to face an enemy so powerful it was hard to fathom. How could a mother not be worried?

"Go on, do your best."

She patted the girl’s shoulder and gave her a gentle push. Worry was worry, but since her own abilities were no longer a match for Avia’s, and she understood that there were things her daughter could perceive that she could not, all she could do was respect her daughter’s decision. Being sentimental now would only burden the girl; it was better to encourage her to give it her all.

Mira looked up. Not far away, Wang Yu stood beside Erielian, who had taken human form, waiting for the farewell to conclude. His gaze met Mira’s, who had been watching him.

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

Wang Yu gave Mira a thumbs-up, his tone earnest yet relaxed. When others asked if he could handle it, Wang Yu usually replied with "I think I can," but facing his mother-in-law, this promise had to be absolute.

"Mm."

Mira nodded, standing still as she watched Avia run toward them. Regardless of anything else, the sense of security Wang Yu provided was irreplaceable. Time and again, facts had proven that when it came to reliability, Wang Yu was beyond reproach.

Finally, waving to her friends inside the Spellbinder Wizard Tower, Avia stepped into an opened void rift. Wang Yu mounted the back of Erielian, who had shifted into her dragon form, and she took to the skies, soaring upward and heading toward the Ash Wasteland.

Erielian’s flight speed was much faster than Wang Yu traveling on his own. While not as exaggerated as being launched like a human cannonball by the "Harmony," this was a coordinated operation, and Wang Yu wasn't just trying to get Avia there.

"Mr. Wang Yu, aside from the dragons guarding Alastair, all other adult dragons capable of participating in this battle are here."

Erielian did not fly at full speed. Behind her, the dragon contingent led by Mistrix arrived just in time to rendezvous with them. Mistrix’s voice reached Wang Yu through the prayer network.

"My thanks to the dragons for their help. When the battle begins, remember to stay by my side. I will use the power of the Lady of Night to cover the surrounding area, preventing the Utopia organization from using psychic attacks to harm you."

Wang Yu responded. Standing on the silver dragon’s back, he raised a hand, and the powerful force of the Chariot erupted. It surged outward, spreading continuously until it formed a massive sphere—larger than any Chariot force he had ever used before—completely enveloping all the dragons nearby.

In the void, Avia patted the Lady of Night, who was sitting in a recliner.

"Lady Darkness, I’m counting on you."

The Lady of Night set down her notebook. She did not rise, but simply nodded.

"Mm, very well."

As she spoke, the massive Tree of Night, located outside Wang Yu’s domain, began to move. Its tangled roots wound and twisted, wrapping around Wang Yu’s cubic space. The fluid darkness representing the Lady of Night’s power poured down, irrigating the area, only to be received and commanded by the Chariot force.

"Hum..."

With a faint vibration, in the material world, Wang Yu—having gained the rights to use this divine power of the Night—projected it outward using the Chariot force. Dense, pitch-black filaments stretched through the air, gradually connecting to the dragons flying around him.

With no intention of resisting this power, the divine energy naturally seeped into the dragons' bodies, reaching the seat of their souls and consciousness, wrapping around them to provide sanctuary.

This ability was not unique to the divine power of Light; any deity possessed it. The only difference was that the nature of the god brought different sensations to those being protected.

The divine power of Light brought a slight warmth—seemingly small, yet providing a reliable sense of peace. The divine power of Night, however, brought something that was almost impossible to notice unless one looked closely. It was like wearing a thin veil, following like a shadow; it was hard to perceive, yet it was always there.

These divine powers of the Night, projected by Wang Yu, would ensure that the dragons here would not be affected by the psychic attacks of the Utopia organization. In Wang Yu’s view, the psychic attacks mastered by Utopia were the most troublesome; he had ways to block other forms of attack, but this was something he could only protect one person from, or those who entered his domain in the void.

A message came through the prayer network from Shale. This guy was currently staying in the capital of Alastair, working with the newly formed Alastair Council to handle the kingdom's affairs.

"Alastair is ready to deal with any incoming attacks at any time. You just focus on taking them down, Wang Yu."

"By the way, Little One sensed the presence of 'Six' and 'Two.' You might want to be a bit careful. We never knew where these two devils were hiding, but it seems they might be in the Utopia organization’s camp."

Shale confirmed that Alastair was prepared for any assault and mentioned the two devils who had never appeared in Wang Yu’s field of vision.

"Devil 'Two' and Devil 'Six,' huh? Understood. If I can take care of those two as well, that would be a good thing."

This news from Shale surprised Wang Yu slightly. Was there a devil in the Utopia organization? As the girl’s research into the void deepened, their understanding of these "devils" had improved significantly. The next time they met, those "authorities" of theirs would be useless against Wang Yu.

"In any case, don't worry about the situation in Alastair. We have the 'Captain of Alastair' here, hahahaha! Hey, get away, don't get so close to me!"

Shale started shouting after a few words; judging by the content, Edward must have been right next to him.

"Ignore Shale’s nonsense. Alastair has strong self-defense capabilities when in full lockdown, so the decisive battle rests on you."

Edward’s voice came through the prayer network, echoing the same sentiment: don't let Wang Yu be distracted by Alastair. They had the ability to hold the line; given their strength, it was hard for them to participate in a head-on battle with Utopia, so guarding the Kingdom of Alastair was the responsibility they bore.

"Received."

A simple answer, filled with trust for his two friends. Afterward, messages continued to arrive in the prayer network.

"The Sky Mechanical City is receiving war machines and resources from the Elven Kingdom. There is something they asked us to bring to you."

"Mr. Wang Yu, Elder Gwen and the other elders of Liahim have discussed it and decided to bring you the Holy Spear, Casimir, hoping it will be of some help. We apologize that we cannot lend you the Holy Shield and the Crown of Life."

These were messages from the Sky Mechanical City’s communicator and the elf Sif.

"Brother Wang Yu, the recalibrated Archangel is ready. All the firing mechanisms have been replaced with Dragon-language magic arrays. It can be activated at any time as long as there is enough mana."

This was from the red dragon girl, Noel. As Zig’s younger sister, she possessed extraordinary talent, had been taught by both Zig and Avia, and had the advantage of being the first to embark on the path of super-magic, making her a powerful spellcaster and alchemist highly specialized in fire.

The alchemist, it was he who had been entrusted with the reconstruction of the Archangel.

"..."

Communications continued to arrive in a steady stream, while ahead, the heavens and earth began to fill with swirling grey-black shards, blurring into a haze; the rolling hills and mountains below vanished entirely, dissolving into an endless, flat, ash-white expanse as the armies of other kingdoms gradually emerged.

This was their destination, the front line of the war: the Ashen Plains.