Fortifying The South

“Fine! We surrender. Is that enough? You win, black monster. Will you accept? Or does no bloodshed not suit you?” Orwen spoke each word confidently, looking directly at the black monster's darkest eyes. But Heian Ciemnosc didn't say anything for a little while. Then, his mouth's left corner was pulled, forming a little grin before shaking his head. Heian Ciemnosc calmly expressed, “Surrender? No. What for? Why should I let others surrender? When they don't deserve it? No… The Turtle Hiding Region isn't a place for thinking and agreements.”

“?” Orwen was taken aback, but Heian Ciemnosc continued. “That representative from the Heraxle Clan was indeed killed by me. As soon as we arrived, his life was mine. But why wouldn’t I have done that? When he’s so weak to allow a trifling half a Region take control from the Clan’s hands?”

Heian Ciemnosc grinned slightly. Orwen’s mouth twitched, and he felt his wrists growing hot, but Heian Ciemnosc continued still. “This is the Heraxle Clan’s territory. Although it is nice you inhabitants seem to remember that, maybe you forgot who we are.”

Heian Ciemnosc walked around the tower’s leader, pacing back and forth before him, as Orwen could only look with Tania here. Finally, Heian Ciemnosc stepped backwards near Tania and spread his arms. “Unfortunately for you, my Spirit Sense is a little more advanced than those in my realm, or even the Planet Gate realm. It just so happened that your cultivation base has barely reached the Universal realm.”

“And you’re also the strongest cultivator in the south, above all the other few thousand Planet Gate realm experts…” Heian Ciemnosc stood before Tania and the Fairies, who were now looked at as if they had betrayed everyone.

“You… don’t really think of doing this, right?” Orwen narrowed his eyes, cautiously speaking. But Heian Ciemnosc tilted his head backwards a little and looked at Orwen like the latter was a little too dumb. Thus, he decided to explain further. His voice was calm still, “There’s nothing a bunch of rebels trapped between mountains and a path to treason can offer me.”

“W- we- we are not rebels!” Orwen shouted, indignant. His scrunched up face showed his dissatisfaction as Heian Ciemnosc remained calm. “This place, this rule, this seat was conferred to me by the Clan! Nobody can take it away from me! Not even their lapdog! I am a professional, official leading figure picked by the Heraxle Clan.”

“And you, black monster, cannot change that anyhow!” Orwen looked at Heian Ciemnosc with a sure for, confident expression. Aiming at his seat with his left hand, Orwen’s countenance turned uglier as an aura emanated from his body, and the situation became more adverse.

“There’s no need for that,” Heian Ciemnosc placed his hands behind his back. He looked at Orwen who had stepped down the last step leading to his seat, and voiced, “It never mattered what you thought. Take this as a warning. Submit, or I will have my troops find and exterminate you.”

“…”

Everything went still, Orwen no longer doubted whether Heian Ciemnosc really knew he activated his Universal Conveyance’s recording and streaming features. His chest rose and fell. He felt completely defeated and unwilling. He was a Universal realm cultivator, one that has long stepped into the last realm before the unattainable Godhood.

Orwen wasn’t willing! He couldn’t control his thoughts as he wished to burst Heian Ciemnosc’s head into bits with his own 2 hands. The other leading figures slowly stood up. Most were too startled to move their bodies, but others, who stood up, seemed conflicted between mediating and joining Orwen.

PSHIFT~~-! POOOM- SWIISHH~!! WHIIISTLEE- … puh, puh, puh, poh, poh, poh…

“!” Suddenly, Tania’s Vigor Energy covered Heian Ciemnosc’s body, while his dark whip coiled around the Fairies. Tania shocked everyone only after she made a set of movements, while Orwen was the only person to see blurs as it all happened.

After grabbing Heian Ciemnosc, she blasted open the walls behind her before shooting into the air, directly mangling the green protective barriers and zooming into the distance. The Fairies were safely brought away by Heian Ciemnosc, protected in a small, dark sphere made of his Vocón Link. The others noticed only after they disappeared into the sky.

A brief, deathly silent quietness engulfed the grand hall, with a wide hole in one of its walls. But within that silence, the sound of firing artillery shells and missiles sounded, followed by the imminent noise of already airborne projectiles rushing towards their tower.

What was it like to get hurled, bombarded, and riddled by 400 million soldier units using energy attacks? What about nearly a billion soldier units’ army firing every arsenal they got? This would be it.

BOOOOOOOOOM!!! BOOOOOOOM!!! BOOOOOOOOOM!!! SPLAAAAASSSHHH~~~~~!!!

The protective barriers didn’t hold. The few Bright/Silhouette realm cultivators, and even Orwen, who wished to burn blood essence and save himself, were reached by the explosive shockwaves from an unknown number of projectiles.

CRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSHHH- BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!- BAAAAAAANNNGG~~!!!…

The tower didn’t last. It fell as soon as the green protective barriers were broken apart. Orwen, who managed to fly near the protective barriers in the direction Tania and Heian Ciemnosc left, was forced back with the explosive waves landing everywhere, not just from the east and west.

Just as he was blasted back into the middle, with his back breaking down a few levels. Orwen opened his eyes to see only fire, flying projectiles, warheads, and mangled corpses as those leading figures he’s worked for several decades all left the world one after another. Hundreds of Bright/Silhouette realm cultivators who were just waiting their turn to break into the Planet Gate realm to venture into the world fell. And soon, his end also came.

From outside, the once gargantuan tower was first engulfed with a plethora of smoke and dust drifting downwards after breaking out, decimating all green array formation protective barriers. It was followed by the tower’s center smoked as its lower half was kicked to the side with abandon by the explosions, and the upper half crumbled down within a few seconds.

As more and more missiles made their way into the center, the tower became debris and dust, leaving smallish particles everywhere from what was once the south’s highest level of power. The Turtle Hiding Region had never seen an outcome like this for nearly 100 years. Now that it happened again, the world was still shocked to see it happen. Especially since the Universal Conveyances still weren’t prohibited.

The world had a first-seat view of the tremendous explosions, and the fall of a border Kingdom’s inhabitants. Or at least the beginning of it.

“…” From the outside, several tens of thousands of kilometers away, Heian Ciemnosc watched as the Fairies looked at the tower with complicated expressions on their faces. However, the glint in their eyes showed the terror they felt. Heian Ciemnosc’s hands remained behind his back as his Vocón Link kept holding onto the Fairies’ waists, who hung limply and observed the fireworks.

“They’re all moving,” Tania, whose Spirit Sense already reached its maximum at a Minor Kingdom’s size, could see everything happening in the Turtle Hiding Region. What’s more, Heian Ciemnosc, whose Spirit Sense long surpassed that of Kingdoms’ sizes?

“It is in motion,” Heian Ciemnosc slightly nodded, looking at the four smaller towers within a hundred thousand kilometers radius from the gargantuan tower fall, targeted by the concentrated firepower of the army after decimating the latter. “Go to Anastasia, I’ll remain with Ramirez while the auxiliary units come here. Feel free to visit me after securing the order.”

“Mwah,” Tania gripped his chin and turned his head. She smooched his left cheek and said with her lips close to his skin, “Just wait for the good news, Heian Ciemnosc. It won’t take long, so don’t play too much without me.”

Heian Ciemnosc lifted his left eyebrow as Tania smirked before disappearing from his view. Evans popped from his right shoulder, having hidden in Heian Ciemnosc’s back after entering the tower. Alejandro, on the other hand, was busy eating the remaining debris and corpses around the towers while the armies prepared to head back to their respective sides.

“She’s a nice lady. It’s unfortunate you aren’t compatible for anything other than to fuck,” Sara’s energized voice sounded in Heian Ciemnosc’s head. He shook his head and opened his right palm. Immediately, Halonso appeared, munching on some Red Demon’s skin before lifting its empty, dark eyes to Heian Ciemnosc’s face.

“Want some, Father?” Halonso excitedly invited Heian Ciemnosc. The latter shook his head and sent information to his Universal Conveyance, where Alyona responded with a few coordinates. Meanwhile, Halonso and Evans greeted each other like bros. Finally, Heian Ciemnosc transmitted the coordinates to Halonso, who looked at Heian Ciemnosc as if saluting and shouted. “Don’t worry, Father. I will bring them to you in a second!”

WVOMP!! Pfwuop!!

The instant Halonso disappeared, Heian Ciemnosc moved downwards, bringing the Fairy stalk with him to the ground. A second later, Halonso appeared again, but on the ground where he was heading. Several thousands of containers, each rectangular-shaped and 200 meters long with a diameter of 40 square meters, littered the grass and kicked off the dirt.

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The Fairies were limply pulled through the air before Heian Ciemnosc arrived in the center of the containers. They couldn’t process things quite yet. Heian Ciemnosc stood before Halonso, who jumped and landed on his right wrist. Heian Ciemnosc’s darkest eyes jumped slightly as he saw a crimson scarf left on Halonso’s back, and his nature reading detected the scent of Alyona’s caressing hand on Halonso’s back.

“Hmm,” in a good mood, Heian Ciemnosc took the scarf with his left hand and put it on. It was small and contrasted with the rest of his skin and clothing. After putting it around his neck, he looked at Halonso and caressed the little shit’s head. Contented, Halonso looked at the Fairies.

“Father, can I have one?” Halonso cautiously asked. Heian Ciemnosc casually looked down at him before calmly saying, “No. But if any of them aren’t satisfied with their new living conditions, you can have those.”

“Mn!” Halonso contentedly nodded before gazing at the beauties. He specifically targeted those with half a torso height who looked perplexed. Any thoughts inside their little heads immediately went in one direction. Heian Ciemnosc ignored them and brought them to the cottage he built a month ago and continued cultivating.

He unceremoniously placed the Fairies around him and began cultivation with his group cultivation method. These Fairies were long trained for sexual activity and partners, but the first thing he did with them when alone was help them cultivate. This caused an extra ounce of confusion in their brains, but they wouldn’t refuse it for fake honor. They knew their place.

When they felt their cultivation efficiency overwhelmingly increase, with their foundation tickling their inner selves like a wound drying up, they were marveled. From then on, all the Fairies took their natural form as a half or third of Heian Ciemnosc’s hand in stature and cultivated around him.

The sight of many little Fairies around Heian Ciemnosc, sitting cross-legged and diligently cultivating amused Sara. Who planned to physically assault Heian Ciemnosc during his waiting stay here. Meanwhile, the flames of battle erupted in the south…

. . .

After the south’s leading figures were cut off of their heads, leaving the entire south headless, many figures from the inhabitants' ranks rose to the ‘crown’ and led their organization, settlement, or town. They were, however, unsuccessful in consolidating their power.

At first, it seemed fine. The people they had been working with for decades were glad to have a leader so close to their age and mindset. However, the first targets to fall during the second march of the Crimson armies were the cities in the north, east, and west of the center, where the gargantuan tower once held strong.

After occupying the cities, the second-tallest towers in the east and west were destroyed with the full bombardment from the armies. By then, the organizations and settlements were already hesitant to act. None of them could fight the enemy head-on and expect to at least make the Crimsons have some losses.

Since that was the case, much less could be said about winning a battle, or forcing a stalemate. The cultivator army returned to the west, and the citizen army marched back to the east.

After taking all the cities around the northernmost organizations’ individual territories, and closer to the center, with the towers there crumbled down. The Crimson armies besieged the inhabitants’ organizations’ individual territories!

There was no fear! The Crimsonbreaking Faction forces moved to the individual territories. Now, not even the Third Step organizations in the upper levels weren’t safe. The cultivator army broke the enemy’s protective array formations on the first day, but the grand array formation was activated then. That would ensure the enemy many days to ensure a plan to either flee or fight back.

However, just as the grand array formation formed, the Crimson Captains leading the siege requested 3,000 Bright/Silhouette realm cultivators and 10 Planet Gate realm cultivators. After Heian Ciemnosc approved it within his cottage, the cultivators in question flew from the west and east where they last occupied a town and encampment respectively to their aid. Because the citizen army requested 40 Planet Gate realm cultivators to aid in their siege.

The citizens couldn’t wait for the grand array formation to fall after dealing with the protective array formations’ barriers. Thus, they opted for a different approach. A group of citizens would fly at maximum speed inside a Frigate before taking off and rush into the enemy territory with Fighters. They would sacrifice themselves, carrying the dark array formations to send the pure energy in the surroundings into dissonance.

It was gruesome, but they had to do it this way. If they didn’t, the enemy would gain confidence or grow bold enough to come out and cause casualties amidst the siege. That was very possible, and too passive for the Crimsonbreaking Faction.

When the Fighters exploded near the green barriers, or directly on top of them, they immediately fell apart. The enemy arsenal was also neutralized. The citizen army’s arsenal, more than a hundred thousand kilometers away, wasn’t affected.

However, the enemy wasn’t headless chickens to deal with this situation. They had nearly 20 years to devise a counter to the methods the black monster showed during the Dragoon Ore Kingdom’s Calatida Region’s war. Its records were massively requested a few years after the war ended. How could there not be product when there was such demand?

Either way, as soon as the dark array formations were employed, the enemy sent Craftspeople and their remaining Bright/Silhouette realm cultivators to protect them from the incoming firepower. Because, indeed. The citizen army immediately barraged the individual territory’s walls with so many machine guns that their bullets rapidly pierced through and killed nearly a million enemy soldier units.

The grand array formation’s activation was delayed due to the dark array formations, but only for a few seconds. However, that was enough for the 40 Planet Gate realm cultivators and the citizen army to prepare a strategic, all-out bombardment with a 3 pronged lining fire, focusing on one sole point.

It needed a lot of coordination, timing, and opportunity. Thus, they started the siege a few days after the cultivator army had, but they ended the siege earlier.

After the enemy grand array formation protected their organization’s individual territory, the citizen army fired an infinitude of bullets, shells, and missiles. Amidst reloading and every firing order, they stepped sideways and fired their specialized rifles, sometimes penetrating the grand array formation where they were firing and instantly killing Mythical to Life-Long realm cultivators.

The Craftspeople the enemy sent restored the peace within the pure energy and Elements, but it wasn’t an instantaneous restoration. After completing the array formations to ‘heal’ them, it took a day for the arsenal and array formations to reactivate. But the damage to their grand array formation had already been done.

After 2 days, with the citizens’ Souls growing tired, the enemy grand array formation faltered, and the Frigates finally acted. They flew from the distance, sending a raining doom of missiles they prepared beforehand, managed by the citizens operating them. The enemy was left helpless.

During those 2 days, both sides fired and attacked with everything they got to the other. The reactivating protective array formations didn’t even last an hour, immediately destroyed by the readied Planet Gate realm cultivators, who had enough time to gather Elemental energy and use Elemental array formations to explode them apart.

Meanwhile, the Fighters used Elemental Earth Eye barriers to protect the citizen army. They had to always be piloted by a team of citizens, but since they only had to remain in a stationed position, only 1 was needed. What’s more, the machine guns only needed to be instructed for them to follow the army’s firing line with the guiding systems, and these would rapidly finish the enemy walls and some cultivators.

On the other hand, the few enemy Bright/Silhouette realm cultivators were taken down by the Planet Gate realm cultivators. The enemy could have changed aim and killed a few of the latter, but it would have left an immense gap in their defense against the citizen army outside. Planet Gate realm cultivators were only less scary than Universal realm ones.

In the end, the citizens couldn’t fight the enemy off full-fledged. At least not alone. But that didn’t matter, because with the Planet Gate realm cultivators and the Frigates overflying the enemy individual territory, the siege finished 3 days after the first gap in the enemy grand array formation was popped opened.

In the end, the grand array formation held strong, but it had several holes on its lateral sides and a few on its rooftop. The cultivators within were surrendered from getting the scare of their lives. After days of defending against the siege, against mere citizens, they chose to bend their knees and beg for survival.

Everyone saw Heian Ciemnosc’s notice and last words before the transmission showed only destruction a few weeks ago. Nobody took it too much to heart, at least not until they were beaten half to death, it seemed.

The citizen army lost hundreds of Fighters, of which more than half didn’t react in time or weren’t lucky enough to survive a well-planned, sniped energy attack against them, rather than the troops below or behind it. Dozens of tanks and helicopters were also destroyed, but these were many more than Fighters, and they also had an Elemental Earth Eye protecting the most vital parts and weak points.

Unfortunately, over a million soldier units perished due to the initial incessant attacks from enemy cultivators. But the Planet Gate realm cultivators couldn’t help them, not even to defend. Those that killed the most citizens were Farsighted realm cultivators, not Bright/Silhouette realm cultivators.

After the siege, a week-long break was due, to recompose and recuperate after the loss. They must process their victory, gains, and lacking skillset.

On the other half of the Turtle Hiding Region’s south, the cultivator army wasn’t as detrimental. After taking the protective barriers down, the enemy grand array formation was struck after a couple of days of silence from the Crimsonbreaking Faction’s part. The Planet Gate realm cultivators and Bright/Silhouette realm cultivators employed a grand battle array formation.

A torrent of bloody energy, signifying the high quality of the grand battle array formation, was shot towards the enemy grand array formation. The strike was handled by 3,000 Bright/Silhouette realm and guided by 10 Planet Gate realm cultivators. It was also empowered by them, for days in pre-preparation, and during battle.

At that time, the land was twisted. The individual territory’s walls and cities within; the streets, buildings, and zones near the affected area were lifted in the air before crashing on the ground to the rest of the individual territory. Needless to say, the enemy grand array formation gained a full hole on its eastern side from south to north, allowing hundreds of Frigates to sneak in, protected by Elemental Earth Eye barriers.

They were like an undefeatable wall from the sky, towering over them and shadowing their faces, even in the brightest sunlight, just before missiles initiated the bombardment. This time, the enemy wasn’t spared, and every single living Soul within the individual territory was decimated soon after their grand array formation was opened.

The citizen army could’ve done the same, it wasn’t that they were weak or didn’t have the guts. However, the cultivator army had a reason to do this, as it was the neighboring individual territory that dispatched 50,000,000 soldier units before. Furthermore, the latter knew they were next.

A week-long break ensued. But before that, that individual territory, fearing the Crimsons’ revenge, sent a delegation to offer their surrender. However, the cultivator army, under Etherea’s words and leading, denied that futile attempt and let the enemy’s delegation safely return to their soon-to-be-hell home.

Meanwhile, if the inhabitants at the center and northern zones in the Region’s south weren’t so intensely focused on the ongoing sieges and afterwards, and worried about their future. They would’ve noticed that the southernmost, western corner looked totally different from what it looked like a couple of months ago.

… 1 month and a half have passed since the destruction of the inhabitants’ central headquarters. A week after the citizen army had destroyed the first of 10 enemy Third Step leading organizations in the south.

…