Chapter 88: At the Dawn 3
Elania stood on the roof of the city’s tallest spire, her hand gripping the point for balance as she surveyed the city below.
The usual chaos and bustle of Contia had slowed to a crawl, leaving the streets mostly deserted save for small groups of soldiers moving about with purpose.
In the distance, even without a telescope, she could see the incoming Monevoian fleet, their ships like a swarm of angry wasps on the horizon.
Her communicator device buzzed uselessly, the interference rendering it ineffective. All around the city, shimmering blue and purple fields snapped into existence, the magical barriers the final preparation made for the impending battle.
The Monevoians approached from the north, and with the afternoon already well underway, they would likely be fighting at dusk. She stretched her wings reflexively, her feathers rustling with the movement.
She wasn’t sure how fighting at night would change things, or even that they would fight that long…
Everything that could be done had been done; now, all that remained was to wait.
Elania checked her [Status]. It was likely that she would get enough levels to hit level three hundred. That would mean another perk point. She’d have to figure that out on the fly.
Hopefully, things weren’t so intense that she’d have to decide in the heat of battle.
Yeah, fat chance of that, right? Somehow, she knew that was exactly what would end up happening.
Her [Divine Power] hovered just below full, so there was no need to worry about that. Unless she was overpowered, that was probably enough to fight for days.
The waiting seemed to stretch forever, the minutes turning to hours. Annoyed anticipation clung to her sides, wishing things would just get started already.
Elania impatiently scanned the sky for any surprise attacks by demi-divine but saw nothing. The air was clear save for the unnatural clouds that clung to Contia’s islands. The wind was light, and the cloud wisps had mostly lifted high into the sky.
It was a stark contrast to the violence that was about to unfold.
Elania took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. Arlois’ suggestion to flee with Yolani echoed in the back of her head, but she didn’t think her choice to stay and fight was wrong.
She stretched her wings out behind her as she surveyed the approaching Monevoian fleet.
A sense of belonging settled over her. Neftasu had been a nightmare, a place where she and Yolani had been forced to fight for survival at every turn.
But Contia felt different, like a place where they could build a future. That was worth defending.
The Towers had welcomed them, making space for the refugees and listening to Elania’s arguments and concerns.
It was a stark contrast to the chaos and desperation of Neftasu and the troublesome Magistry.
Contia was far from safe, but… wasn’t that part of her job as demi-divine now? To make it safer for herself and others?
She hadn’t asked for the power, but she didn’t resent it either. It gave her a measure of control over her own destiny, even if it created a target on her back.
And Yolani seemed to thrive as well, her Priestess of Artifice powers allowing her to shape the world around her with magic.
Elania squinted into the distance, a glint of gold caught her eye. She pulled out her telescope and raised it to her face, her eyes widening slightly.
Countless tiny figures were moving out from the enemy airships: small flying contraptions armored in polished bronze, the same material Yolani favored for her artifice creations.
Golds, Arlois had warned—the counterpart to Contia’s Silvers. The best guess was that they were about as strong as a Lightbringer paladin.
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There were far too many of them.
They spread out above and below the airships, forming a massive cloud of metal that glinted in the sun.
Elania bit her lip. The cloudburst artillery Yolani had designed would be perfect for this, she realized. Even if the Golds were armored, the shrapnel would likely tear through their flyers.
Elania put the telescope away and then leaped into the air, scanning the city as she made a circular patrol.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, that the Monevoians were too confident in their approach.
She dove below the islands and cloud cover. Spinning around, she searched for anything coming from below underneath Contia’s shadow, but there was nothing—no flanking maneuvers, no surprise attacks.
Just the airship fleet on the horizon.
Elania shot upward, her wings carrying her back to the central spire.
As she neared her perch, a thunderous boom echoed through the air, the sound of Contia’s new long-range artillery. She pulled out her telescope, her hands shaking slightly as she focused on the enemy fleet.
The shell exploded early, a burst of black smoke and fire in the distance. Elania squinted, trying to make out the damage, but it was too far away to tell.
It would be nice if the shrapnel found its mark, tearing through the enemy ships.
Minutes passed, and there was no response from the Monevoians.
Elania felt the tension building in her gut, her muscles coiled like springs, ready to snap.
A half-dozen massive artillery cannons fired in a single volley, their shells detonating amidst the enemy ships in expanding black clouds.
Elania scanned the islands, checking each one for any signs of trouble. But they all seemed secure. Nothing for her to do.
Yet.
She turned her attention back to the fleet, watching the heavy artillery blast out explosive shells at regular intervals.
After a dozen more volleys, the sound of the artillery changed, and Elania leaned forward.
Instead of the black powder shells, blue lances of energy lashed out from the cannons, homing in on several ships—three of the beams aimed at the enemy flagship.
A massive golden sphere appeared in the air before it, absorbing the impact of the elemental strikes.
Elania frowned. She had expected more from the direct fire mode, hoping it would turn the tide of the battle.
The enemy fleet continued to advance, seemingly unfazed by the barrage.
A sinking certainty filled her.
The long-range weapons weren’t going to be enough. Deep down, she had known that was the case. But part of her had still been hoping their weapons would fend the enemy off, make them reassess.
The battle was going to have to get personal.
The sound of artillery fire continued to echo through the air.
The enemy drew closer.
More details became visible, but her attention was drawn to the flagship at the center of their vanguard.
Its bow began to glow, a bright yellow energy coalescing at its prow.
Elania swallowed. Surely it wasn’t doing its best to mimic a Super-Yamato Beam Cannon?
Of course it was.
Time seemed to slow as the energy flashed forward, the air scintillating with lightning as it crossed the distance toward Contia.
The Sun Emperor. This had to be his attack.
She drew a blank as the beam hurtled forward.
Thankfully, she wasn’t defending the city alone.
A thin line of purple light erupted from the ground, reaching skyward before expanding into a thick pillar. The pillar formed into a wedge, its surface shimmering with energy.
It had to be from Arlois.
Elania held her breath as the yellow beam slammed into the purple barrier, the impact sending shockwaves through the air. The beam split in half, its energy diverted around Contia instead of tearing through the city’s heart.
It wasn’t over, though.
The split beams curved back towards the city, their destructive intent undiminished.
On the left, a giant blue plate materialized, its surface gleaming like polished sapphire. To the right, a green funnel took shape, its swirling vortex bending the very fabric of reality. Elania recognized the handiwork of Lyra and Elysia, their [Divine Power] manifesting in ways she had never seen before.
The yellow beam on the left ricocheted off the blue plate, its energy dispersed into the sky. The beam on the right plunged into the green funnel, channeled downward to impale itself into the surface below.
Elania blinked. The Towers had manipulated their [Divine Power] in ways she had never thought possible, their mastery over the arcane arts far surpassing her own abilities.
Her [Demonic Aura] control seemed paltry in comparison. She needed something stronger.
Looking back to the enemy fleet, the damage inflicted by Contia’s artillery was visible.
Several ships burned, their hulls scorched and battered, while others limped forward with punctured balloons.
The fleet was nearly within range of the city’s standard artillery, and Elania knew that the true battle was about to begin.
And Elania needed to do something to help.
Leaping into the air, her wings beat heavily as she gained altitude. The wind whipped at her as she soared higher, her eyes scanning for the Contian air fleet.
They’d be approaching the enemy from high up and from the west, attacking from the sun.
The glare forced her to squint, but she made out the silhouettes of the Contia airships.
A frown traced Elania’s lips as part of the enemy fleet broke away from the main formation and began to rise. Her heart sank. The Monevoians had somehow detected the Contia ships.
The element of surprise was lost.
Her best course of action would be to support their airships, Elania judged. They’d need all the help they could get, being outnumbered, even facing a small portion of the enemy.
Gritting her teeth, Elania pushed herself to fly faster, her wings straining with the effort.
The Heart was somewhere among the Contia airships.
As she closed the distance, the sounds of the approaching conflict grew louder, the roar of cannon fire and the crackle of arcane energy filling the air as the fleets closed to combat distance.
It was time to join the fray.