novelraw Chapter 633 - 632 - Perot Defiance
Chapter 633 - 632 - Perot Defiance
The villages and towns fell with ease since they had no defense against the fleet. There were no Soulmancers or soldiers left in them either. Also, there were mostly children and elderly.
Some of the captured soldiers wept as their families were allowed to see them. Many wept to know their loved ones were killed not by the enemy but by the Soulmancers themselves.
Lind carved out 100,000 soldiers to simply combine the prisoners into a camp that 3 ships oversaw. It prevented any issues but honestly the conscripts were broken by their own force's actions.
There were only 2 major cities in Perot but rather than a fierce defense, the cultivators had been arranged to self-destruct by weaving!
The first city had bloomed like a horrific nuclear explosion that claimed ten of the ships but the crews barely survived. The crash systems still worked enough to keep them alive. They had severe injuries and had to fall back but the lesson had been learned.
Lind went out alone and simply flew so high nothing could detect him. He had to then fly straight down until he was at the limit of his Moon Tier aura.
With that, he used his weaving to carefully disarm the sigils as he saw children, elderly, and other cultivators that could not fight were all that made up the destructive weaving.
Once that was done, he examined the city and found more nasty traps. He was able to take care of most but a few were much more powerful than him.
They were in grade 7!
Still, that gave him hope they were more standard. Sure enough, a defense screen appeared but when the citizens realized they were not blowing up, they quickly shut it down. His forces were actually welcomed warmly.
It took them a month to settle the city but it made a good launching point. The first carriers caught up at that point with some fresh supplies and a few support divisions. As expected, Xing could not see them still.
A gap would form once they moved deeper but the aether beasts reported they were engaging Karridan forces by then. There were more than one front and Xing had limited resources.
"Majesty, you should fall back. The fleet can take the battle from here." Gravis appealed to Lind at the current meeting inside the city's capitol. It was a massive structure that was just short of a palace.
Massive courtyards and a luxurious pond venue made it clear the former residents had enjoyed an easy life.
The treasury was completely empty so Lind had to make due with what they had.
"As you are aware, we are still hunting out the Core Hall. Xing cut us off but she can't do that here so easily. She is likely moving things around even as we speak. If I can get to that teleportation array, we have a chance." Lind was not lying but Shi was key.
Despite being 'dead' she still had access. If Lind was not 100% sure they were surrounded by Fiend forces outside the Law Binding, he would be more conservative, but if he took Perot, Xing might feel backed into a corner.
Her life was more important than the Law Binding benefits. Handing him over, despite not knowing who he was, would earn her a lot of clout as well as the massive influx of quality resources.
He needed the bridgehead and could hide his true intent behind it.
Gravis bowed but all showed their concern. In the century since the Two Rivers Alliance was founded, Lind had become only more revered as time passed.
His elemental theories for demons and cultivators were instrumental.
"The ascension pool is in the Core Hall so surely we could find it that way?" Keera spoke up from her seat. She would be taking over the city so she was next to Lind.
"I can't find it and Lanbao never knew where it was. It was not essential for her to know back then." Lind was frustrated that such a thing was taken for granted in the Heaven Realm. Those powers that wanted to administer the pools did but few others cared aside from special cultivators coming up.
Lind did not know what to look for on the Heaven Realm side but anyone with even small brains would hide that fluctuation from the world to keep the Core Hall safe.
No matter how he examined the 3 arrays in Hope, Peace, and War Wards only revealed they were cut off.
"We have no time, the army must move on now." Lind had to hope he was in time now that they had support divisions and plans in place. "Have the Behemoths continue to come to this city until the capital is confirmed as ours."
All bowed and he returned to his ship to lead the fleet out.
⬧⬧⬧⬧
The capital of Perot was nestled deep into a mountain side. It left only one side to approach with profound formations glittering in the air. The founders had made it so they could protect themselves economically as well as be imposing to approach.
The towers rising out of the side of the mountain lorded over the city sprawling below while a massive wall encircled it all. The formations around each tower were grade 7 on each.
It was a nightmare to assault.
Still, the issue was keeping the formations working against an assault they could not strike back at!
Lind looked on as lighting, meteors, and other long range attacks flew from his fleet in succession of waves. It was 250 ships rotating. The few they lost were still being salvaged for parts and those left behind to guard still left him with close to 900 ships.
The 3 rows simply fell below or flew above the next row so they could conserve Qi. The glowing barriers were impressive but Lind was looking for cracks.
He was not willing to wait, yet his skin tingled of danger out of the ground below.
"RISE!" His order halted attacks as all the ships seemed to jump up. Just as they seemed fine, a massive explosion of Qi roared from below as spirit Qi channeled it right at them!
Lind raged as he knew it was more self destructing dantians but now the Soulmancers were extruding the effect to reach them in the sky!
Still, it gave him an opening!
The Nautilus II dove into it! His harmonic Qi danced on the skin of the narrow end of the ship to the fat end at the back as he began to twirl it around. The artificial gravity tried to keep up but he began to feel the pull on his body as they went faster and faster.
It looked like a suicide run but Lind sneered at such thoughts.
"Protean." He only spoke the name of his spirit weapon before it slotted itself into a large opening in the floor. Emerald harmonic Qi flared as a massive set of blades appeared at the tip of the Nautilus II.
It acted like a fan as the explosive energy was cut open like a 4 pronged fan blade. The once dangerous attack was detected but cracks quickly formed on each emerald blade. They were still too far up.
Lind infused his own Qi into it and the blades healed but he felt the strain yanking his Qi out like a waterfall! He was going to run out nearly instantly!
"Like I will stop!" His eyes turned to vertical slits as a massive dragon appeared around him and the Nautilus II! Its ephemeral scales were far more solid but began to burn as Lind roared.
His soul was burning but he endured it as they finally broke through! To let that attack out, they had to make an opening in the barriers. Lind was inside as it closed!
His manifested soul quickly pulled back as burns appeared on his body!
"Master!" Shi screamed as she quickly produced several elixirs with sigils floating inside. He took them from her and nodded his thanks. His senses came back but Lian beat him to what he sought.
"Spatial distortions detected! They are teleporting right now!" Lind waved and Shi took over flying as she knew the way. Despite being inside the barriers, no one could stop them as the Nautilus quickly flew up to the uppermost tower.
The defenses would normally keep them out but a wave of Qi washed over that the defenses recognized as an ally!
"It worked, Master!" Shi had used her token. She had refrained all that time but now the wait was worth it! The Nautilus II easily breached the Imperial Tower!
Lind smiled as they literally crashed into the topmost floor. He saw stunned cultivators and black robed Soulmancers loading resources onto the teleportation array.
He popped the hatch and did not even give a chance! Emerald dragon flame seared them all to death! They had no chance to use artifacts and even those that had life saving treasures found them unresponsive far too late.
Lind stumbled as he had barely recovered before using so much Qi again. His moon was actually looking smaller! He could not stop as he downed even more elixirs. Violet, crimson, and azure flooded his body.
"Do it quickly." She slowed as she wondered what they would do. They had not brought their fleet but she saw him smash a few arrays with his fists which brought the barriers crashing down. "NOW!"
She jumped before reaching the control pedestal and pushing her medallion into it. It glowed briefly before she saw the positive response!
"I am in! We have to go!" Lind nodded but then grimaced. He was not doing as well as he hoped but they had no time! He could not let Xing bring the Law Binding down.
"This is my last order. Take Perot and move on to phase 2. Everyone, do not wait for me. Stay alive and do not give up!" Lind stepped onto the platform before Shi joined him.
The space distorted before both vanished from Perot. The battle raged but the hope of the war moved to the place all their fate's hung on.
The Core Hall awaited.