Chapter 52

By the time Torg arrived at the gateway, most of the legions had already passed through. Rammy, Flynn, and Isabel were hovering in the air. Rammy had an unsightly expression as Torg flew over to them. “Where’s Tyranus?”

“I scared it off, but it's surely lurking nearby,” Torg grunted, his fatigue catching up.

Flynn and Isabel looked around warily as Rammy continued, “What do we do now?”

Torg rubbed his forehead, thinking briefly. “We’ll hold the gateway from the Grandsky Realm’s side. It’s too good of a foothold to give up.”

Rammy agreed. “Just as well. We were so close…”

“It’s not over yet,” Isabel scoffed. “Do you think Wrath will sit still after our assault?”

Torg glanced at Isabel. “He won’t. That’s why I need to borrow your transcendent grade necklace.”

“Absolutely not,” Isabel denied, her tone firm.

Each of them had transcendent grade gear, with Torg having three, the most among them. His specialized in attack power, while Isabel had an invaluable mana recovery focused necklace.

“Oh?” Torg raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to hold back Wrath then?”

Flynn placed a hand on Isabel’s shoulder. When she looked over, he shook his head, saying, “Give it to him.”

Isabel felt betrayed.

Flynn’s tone softened, “Torg chose to save my life over killing Wrath. He’s proven his character.”

Torg gave Flynn a deep glance as Isabel fell silent.

After a few moments, Isabel clenched her teeth and lifted the necklace off her neck before tossing it to Torg. Without saying a word, she turned and flew through the gateway below.

“Thank you,” Flynn said, then followed after her.

Torg put on the jeweled necklace, immediately feeling its effects. If before it would take him a week or longer to recover his mana to full, then now it would take merely a few days.

With a relieved sigh, he turned to Rammy, “Can you take command? I need to rest.”

“No problem,” Rammy’s eyes lit up.

As Torg went to leave, Rammy spoke up, “I’m surprised you saved Flynn.”

“Me too,” Torg replied, disappearing in the gateway shortly after.

Over the following hours, Rammy and her Warden Legion built simple fortifications around the gateway using their earth manipulation abilities, which the Solar Flare Legion then smelted using fire. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but it got the job done. They had to wait for their craftsmen to arrive to build a real defense.

During that time, the Stormsea Legion washed away the debris of the destroyed demon city to make room for everyone to rest. Countless tents now occupied the surrounding area. Earlier, the legions had decimated the unprepared demon army, and with barely any casualties, they were in high spirits. Many gathered around campfires, drinking and celebrating.

A common topic among them was Torg.

“Wrath was no match for Lord Igneo,” a youth exclaimed, his eyes burning with reverence.

“Indeed,” an older man grinned. “His Incineration Domain was quite the sight.”

The youth sighed. “I wonder how long it’ll take me to reach his height. My Fire Manipulation skill just passed level 650.”

While the legions also discussed Flynn, Isabel, and Rammy, Torg had a special position in their hearts. The strongest were always respected.

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Soon, night fell, and the clamor died down.

The night passed without any movement from the gateway.

Sometime in the morning, the teleportation array leading to the Elemental Dimension lit up, and a group of Solar Flare legion members appeared. The one in the lead was visibly anxious, and upon surveying their surroundings, they shouted, “Where’s a commanding officer?! I have an urgent report!”

A Warden general who happened to be nearby flew over.

Wearing a frown, they asked, “What is it?”

“Ma’am,” The soldier stepped closer and lowered his voice, “I’m in the communications division. Every morning, I make contact with thirty-six outposts spread out across nine of our border zones, ensuring that nothing’s wrong. About an hour ago, I wasn’t able to reach outpost Clover, so I sent out a team to check things out.”

Taking a breath, the soldier continued, “It’s gone.”

“What?” The general blinked.

“It’s been razed to the ground,” the soldier struggled to stay calm. “All 266 personnel stationed there are dead. And that’s not the end of it. After I received the report, I attempted to make contact with the other thirty-five outposts under my jurisdiction. None of them responded. Fearing the worst, I rushed over here immediately.”

The general’s expression was downcast. “I’ll report to my lord.”

Moments later, the general found Rammy and recounted what she heard.

“Slimeballs!” Rammy stood up from her seat and slammed the table in front of her, shattering it into pieces.

“It’s surely the work of demons,” the general revealed her thoughts. “I didn’t expect the ones harassing our borders to launch a counter-attack so quickly, especially one so coordinated.”

Rammy paced around the tent, struggling to remain calm.

At that moment, Flynn and Isabel entered the tent upon hearing the commotion. “What’s going on?”

The general respectfully repeated what she heard.

Isabel was worried. “We should lead a legion to wipe them out as soon as possible.”

“No,” Rammy denied. “According to our scouts, the demons inside the Sin Dimension are gathering their forces. We can’t afford to split up our troops.”

“Then what should we do? We can’t let demons push into our heartlands. Who knows how many people will die?” Isabel responded, deeply regretting their recent actions. If they hadn’t attacked Wrath, none of this would have happened.

“I don’t know!” Rammy had no answers.

Flynn suddenly spoke up. “What about the Innate Nation?”

Isabel and Rammy looked to Flynn as he continued, “We can ask them for assistance. I once observed them defending the Blockade. They have troops to spare.”

Rammy’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea.”

Turning to her general, Rammy ordered, “Linda, go to that High Commander of the Innate Nation post haste. Accept whatever demands he has, as long as it isn’t unreasonable.”

“As you command,” The general saluted before rushing out of the tent.

After a moment of silence, Isabel asked, “Should we inform Torg?”

Rammy paused, then shook her head. “Don’t disturb his rest.”

Meanwhile, Warden General Linda took one teleportation array after another, crossing a third of the Grandsky Realm in minutes. In no time, she was back in the Elemental Nation’s capital. From there, she took three more teleportation arrays and arrived at the Blockade.

With her authority, none from the Innate Nation’s army gave her any trouble.

Soon, she stood before High Commander Markus, who looked at her with a slight smile. “What can I do for you?”

Warden General Linda briefly explained the situation, then said, “As Lord Rammy’s representative, I formally request assistance from the Innate Nation to push back the demons invading our heartlands and defend our border zones.”

Markus rubbed his chin. “It isn’t impossible…”

“What do you want?” Warden General Linda remained patient, knowing that getting the Innate Nation’s help wouldn’t come without a price.

“For starters…” Markus promptly listed off a bunch of items, which caused Warden General Linda to clench her hands.

“That’s too much!” Warden General Linda shook her head.

Markus smiled. “Are you sure? Why don’t you tell me how long it’ll take you to resolve the war you started with the Sin Dimension?”

Warden General Linda was speechless.

“Taking over half of the Blockade is already pushing the limits of what my army can do, and now you want me to send troops to defend your borders for an indeterminable amount of time,” Markus spread his hands. “We aren’t that capable.”

“But if I accept your demands, you are?” Warden General Linda sneered.

“Of course,” Markus nodded without any shame.

“Fine!” Warden General Linda relented, knowing that the situation outside the Sin Dimension’s gateway was critical. “How long will it take you to mobilize?”

“Not long,” Markus counted with his fingers. “A few hours.”

“You said it,” Warden General Linda was relieved to hear that. With every passing moment, the demons pushed deeper into their territory, pillaging whatever they came across. The fact the Innate Nation’s military could move out so quickly left her surprised, almost as if they were expecting her. But that wasn’t possible.

“I need to report the news to Lord Rammy. Farewell,” Warden General Linda saluted and made her way out of the command center.

Shortly after she left, Yara emerged from a side room, a pleased expression plastered across her face. Markus sighed at the sight. “Are you always this smug when your divinations come to fruition?”

“Can’t I be?” Yara tilted her head.

Markus shrugged. “I must admit, I didn’t expect you to know this would happen as far as a week ago.”

Yara chuckled. “Nobody knows that with every decision they make, they leave behind traces of Karma. All I have to do is listen.”

“Is it that simple?” Markus grew thoughtful.

“Of course not,” Yara raised her chin.