CHAPTER 67: SIEGE

Rhys sat inside a ruined building, its crystalline walls casting fractured, starlit patterns on the floor.

He was deep in concentration, his mind a whirlwind of concepts and principles. He was developing a structure for a new skill.

Outside, his army moved with the purpose he gave them.

He had allowed them to hunt on their own, dividing his hundreds of Vanguards into small, efficient squads of twenty-one.

Twenty to attack, and one designated collector, tasked with gathering the ashes of slain enemies so he could endlessly replenish his forces.

The hunt proved to be a massive success. The number of his Vanguards swelled, their ranks growing with every fallen Sentinel.

The floating island was being systematically cleansed, its guardians reduced to fuel for his burgeoning legion.

[Your summons have been killed...]

Rhys paused, his mental blueprint for the new skill shattering. The connection he shared with his marionettes was absolute.

He could feel their death instantly.

It wasn’t rare for a group to lose one or two in a battle, but what piqued his interest was that a whole group had fallen. That too, in seconds.

’Interesting...’

The final distress signal from the squad’s collector was a single image: a towering figure of radiant, golden crystal, moving with a speed and grace that belied its size.

An Elite.

He popped his knuckles, a slow, predatory grin spreading across his face as he looked towards the east.

His army now included a few Feral-grade Vanguards, resurrected from the more powerful Sentinels Sera had slain.

But no Elites.

This was the first time he had even neared the presence of one. Rhys was curious to feel the strength of such a monster, a creature of the same calibre that was rumoured to have killed his father.

He got up, his movements fluid and silent.

Sera was somewhere in the north, hunting with her own Vanguard escort. He didn’t have to worry about her.

The System had confirmed that her raw power, though untamed, was no less than his own.

She was also armed to the teeth with a small arsenal of high-grade escape and defence formations he had crafted in the desert camp.

She was safer than he was. Also, because he and her were now bonded by soul, the System could watch her closely.

[As if I’d rather choose to watch those idiotic Vanguards...]

He snickered. He could imagine what kind of chaos she was making for the System to be this distressed. Anyway, he was happy to see it in distress.

Rhys reached the intersection in minutes. The ashes of his twenty Vanguards were scattered across the ground, a testament to the swift, overwhelming power of their killer.

Whoever, or whatever, had killed them had done so without an ounce of struggle. He licked his lips, the thrill of a true challenge igniting a fire in his veins.

’An Elite in the army is a good idea.’

He followed the faint trail of energy left by the creature. It led him to a large, open plaza, similar to the one where he had first summoned his army.

In the centre of the plaza stood not one, but five figures.

They were magnificent and terrifying.

They were shaped like the Sanctum Sentinels but were easily twice the size, their bodies forged not from blue or grey crystal, but from a brilliant, sun-gold material that pulsed with an intense, holy light.

They wielded massive, two-handed greatswords made of pure, solidified light, and on their backs, six crystalline wings, like those of an archangel, were folded neatly.

They stood perfectly still, like statues of vengeful gods, their presence alone warping the air around them.

[Sanctum Archon detected.]

[Bloodline: Elite]

[Cultivation: Fake Stage 2 (Low)]

[Description: The elite royal guards of the Sanctum of Aethel. Each Archon is a masterpiece of magical engineering, possessing a fraction of the Labyrinth master’s own combat knowledge. Their light-based attacks are incredibly destructive, and their golden crystal bodies are nearly impervious to physical damage.]

’Fake Stage 2...’ Rhys murmured.

When someone had enough Qi to break through but not the knowledge, they would be in a state which was called a fake realm.

They wouldn’t be as strong as those in the real realm, but their destructive power would be ten times more potent than the previous realm.

This was a perfect opponent for him to fight.

He took a step into the plaza, and the five Archons turned their heads in perfect unison. Their featureless faces fixed on him, their glowing golden eyes burning with a cold, analytical light.

They recognised him as a threat.

But before they moved, the ground began to tremble. A low, humming sound rose from all around the plaza, echoing from the countless ruined buildings.

The sound grew louder, a wave of noise that became a deafening roar. From every shadow, every alleyway, every shattered window, they came.

A tide of monsters.

[Celestial Remnant detected.]

[Bloodline: Ordinary]

[Cultivation: Stage 1 (Mid)]

[Description: Echoes of fallen celestial warriors. Composed of unstable starlight, they are weak individually but dangerous in large numbers. Their attacks dissipate non-physical defences.]

They were humanoid shapes woven from pure starlight, their forms indistinct and shimmering. Behind them, larger, more defined beings of light took shape.

[Radiant Phantom detected.]

[Bloodline: Feral]

[Cultivation: Stage 1 (High)]

[Description: Vengeful spirits of elite Sanctum guards. They wield lances of condensed starlight that can pierce through most physical armour. They possess rudimentary tactical awareness and coordinate their attacks.]

From the very air, swarms of monsters materialised, their moth-like wings of pure energy beating silently, creating a blizzard of blinding light.

[Luminous Sprite detected.]

[Bloodline:

Ordinary]

[Cultivation: Stage 1 (Low)]

[Description: Swarming creatures of pure light. They do not attack directly but emit blinding flashes of energy that disorient and stun their enemies, leaving them vulnerable to other attackers.]

Heavy, thudding footsteps announced the arrival of another group of monsters: slow-moving but incredibly durable constructs of solidified starlight, acting as living siege engines.

[Starlight Golem detected.]

[Bloodline: Feral]

[Cultivation: Stage 1 (Peak)]

[Description: Slow-moving but incredibly durable constructs of solidified starlight. They act as living siege engines, capable of absorbing immense damage and shattering defences with their heavy, crushing blows.]

And skittering between the larger monsters were spider-like beings that cast sticky nets.

[Aetherial Weaver detected.]

[Bloodline: Ordinary]

[Cultivation: Stage 1 (Mid)]

[Description: Spider-like beings that weave nets of sticky, ethereal energy. These webs do not cause damage but drain the Qi of anyone caught within them, slowing them down and weakening them over time.]

The entire island’s remaining monster population, agitated and drawn by the potent aura of the five Archons, had converged on this single point.

It was an army of countless Ferals and Ordinary monsters, a chaotic force of nature united by a single, primal instinct: to destroy the intruders in their sacred land.

The five Archons ignored the swarm. Their sole focus was on Rhys. They raised their greatswords of light, their golden wings unfurling with a sound like shattering glass.

Rhys watched the approaching apocalypse, the tide of monsters, and the five glowing gods of war.

His lips curled up as every hair on his body stood up in excitement and adrenaline.

"Do you guys think only you have an army?"

His voice, combined with Sonic Burst, instantly killed a few dozen of the ordinary monsters.

"Then let’s face reality. Come forth, my Ashen warriors... let’s make them all one of us."

Following his voice, which sounded more domineering and zoomed in, an army of Vanguards rushed past from his two sides...