Chapter 1231: Walk (Part 2)

Every Phantom strong enough knew that at some point, the Citadel and the entire world would be destroyed once every 250 years during the World Wipe.

Also, all Phantoms understood that they had to thank Queen Elisa for giving them the opportunity to survive the World Wipe. Well, only if they were strong enough, but weak Phantoms did not know this terrible secret about their world.

However, even though Queen Elisa held a specific and crucial position in humanity, she was not a unique being. She was still a human and a Phantom, a very powerful one.

Her ability to create a protective barrier was not one of a kind, well. Every Lord was capable of doing the same, and therefore every Second Rank Phantom.

Unfortunately, Queen Elisa could not join forces with Phantoms such as Damien and Frida to expand her barrier and cover the entire Citadel. Each barrier worked separately, so the area covered depended on the power of one particular Phantom or Lord.

Sure, if all the Second Rank Phantoms had united, then together with Queen Elisa, they could have covered the Second Ring as well and important parts of the Third Ring, but… then the Phantoms and humanity would have faced a serious problem.

Who would defend the Bastions?

For people like Adam, who were born in the Citadel, even if it was in the slums, the existence of the Bastions had long been a secret. He simply did not know that, apart from the Citadel, humanity had other similar fortresses, albeit smaller ones.

However, for ordinary people, especially those who were more educated and well-off, this was no secret.

The first Bastion for Adam was the Bastion Radon. The Bastion Opard was the second, although Adam and Fromund did not linger there; they used the Bastion Opard as a way to quickly and safely reach the Corrupted Volcano.

A few minutes later, Adam nodded deeply, while Fromund thoughtfully scratched his chin.

“I see.” Adam glanced at Arayna. “So humans had a choice between protecting most of the Citadel or preserving the Bastions, right?”

Arayna nodded in confirmation.

“Bastions are smaller than the Citadel, so the power of one of the strongest Second Rank Phantoms is enough to protect their central part, just as Queen Elisa protects the center of the Citadel.”

“So Queen Elisa has the most powerful barrier, and even Damien or Frida can’t compete with her?”

Arayna nodded again.

“That’s right. It’s hard for me to give you exact answers, as there are hardly any people among the living who know exactly how strong Damien or Queen Elisa are. But that’s what I know for sure.”

It all sounded logical. Adam knew that the Lords created protective barriers to save their monsters, their subordinates.

Seven years later, when the World Wipe came, Saegar would do just that because, unlike Kenward, who had gone his way alone, Saegar was followed by many monsters for his strength and protection.

Obviously, the stronger the Lord was, the stronger and larger his barrier was. The same was true for the Second Rank Phantoms, as they were all creatures of the Second Circle.

Queen Elisa defended the Citadel, while the strongest Second Rank Phantoms defended the Bastions.

Sure, they only protected the central areas, but the government, together with the Gamma Division, had long prepared for this and kept all the most valuable resources under the central zones.

“Arayna, are all the Second Rank Phantoms going to defend the Bastions, or are there any exceptions?”

“Hmm…” Arayna frowned, trying to process all the information available to her. “The World Wipe is dangerous. Many desperate monsters are currently trying to attack the Citadel and Bastions in hopes of hiding behind the barriers. Also, don’t forget that the World Wipe doesn’t pose much of a threat to the Lords, especially the strongest ones.”

That was enough for Adam to understand what Arayna was talking about.

“Got it. Some of the Second Rank Phantoms are sent to defend and create barriers, but others make sure the Lords don’t take advantage of this.”

“Yes. The Second Rank Phantoms are much fewer than the Lords. You saw that for yourself when you were at the Dark Shore. Even if ten Lords die, not counting the strongest ones, for one Second Rank Phantom, it’s still incredibly profitable for the monsters.”

Naturally, neutral monsters like Saegar and the followers of the Free End did not engage in such activities. Perhaps some of the Renegades, sure, but most of the plans and attacks at such vulnerable moments belonged to the Befallen Crown.

Step. Step. Step.

Adam and Fromund continued their leisurely journey forward, while Arayna told them the details and answered their questions.

Mostly, Adam asked questions while Fromund listened.

“Damn, that was a lot to take in…” Adam scratched the back of his head.

Arayna spread her arms wide.

“You asked for it. All I can do is help you understand the situation better.”

“Yeah, I understand that. But I have one more question.”

“Hmm?” Arayna tilted her head. “Sure, go ahead, no need to make such a dramatic pause.”

Adam smiled bitterly as he looked around.

“The Citadel, the Bastion Radon, and the Bastion Opard. These are all places I’ve been, places that belong to humanity. But… how many Bastions are there?”

Suddenly, Arayna’s eyes darted to the side. It was unclear why.

Was it because everyone knew the answer, or because it was something secret?

“Khm.” Arayna coughed as she came to her senses. “Besides the Citadel and the spires at the edges of the territories, humanity controls eight Bastions. Each of them has its own guardian, a Second Rank Phantom who is responsible for watching over it and defending it if necessary.”

Her response brought a slight smile to Adam’s face.

‘Eight, you say? And Damien and Frida are watching over the Citadel, right? As well as the head of the Crimson Path, presumably. I see, that’s not bad.

If I become a Second Rank Phantom and someone like Fromund or Katrin joins me, then we have a chance of stopping the stars!’