The Chronicles Of New Havens

"Are you okay?" Ludin asked concernedly.

Wiping her mouth with her wings, she replied solemnly, "I'm fine. My injuries from the Featherwind Sect still aren't fully healed. I guess forcing my Bloodline Ability to use my technique was too much. I temporarily lost control."​​

"Should we retreat then?"

Crus gritted her teeth. "Let me try again," she said as she concentrated again.

Down below, the birds once again divided from sixteen to thirty-two! Their size and power decreased, but their range increased dramatically. They flew across the battlefield unfettered, bringing the total to fifteen sinking sh.i.p.s. Ludin also did his part with his Seven Encloses Heaven barrier. Five sh.i.p.s slammed into the shrinking barrier and the impact was enough to drop them. How long had it been since the battle started? It was one or two minutes, at best. That meant more than two thousand soldiers were taken out by Ludin and Crus alone! That was one-tenth of the total fleet! One could imagine how fearsome and one-sided the battle would be if Ludin and Crus retained their original strength!

Sir Winstin and the Royal Guards wiped their sweat. Using their Perception Realm, they saw where the birds were aiming and grabbed everyone out of harm's way. The timing was too close for comfort… because if Crus maintained control, then she could have nudged her birds over a hair and killed everyone! No one would have any way of resisting something that could pierce through an entire ship. Thanks to the Royal Guards, there were no major casualties. As for the gaping holes, Ten Dawn Krogan was maintaining a spell that prevented water from gushing in. With this pseudo-state of safety, the sailors rushed to repair the holes before the spell wore off.

(Where are they, Rena?) Elizabeth asked telepathically.

(I can't tell.)

Elizabeth made an ugly expression. (How could you not? You sensed them before, didn't you?)

(I didn't sense them per say. If I had to explain it, it was more like 'sensing something was there'. My perception capabilities are the same as yours, only I can use it more effectively.)

(Then you can't sense anything anymore?) she snapped.

(When they erected their barrier, I lost sight of them,) Rena replied emotionlessly. (Judging from the size, skill, and coordination from these attacks, I believe they're not from the human world.)

Instinctively recalling her traumatic experiences, she asked, (Lord Wenmord?)

(These attacks are too weak to be considered at the Rank 3 King standard. At most, they are Grand Rank 2. I doubt this is related to 'Lord Wenmord'.)

(Can you figure out who they are?)

While the two were chatting, Admiral Aura shouted, "Ten Dawns!"

"I'm on it!" Ten Dawn Iris yelled before pointing her wand forward.

Who was she? She was titled the 'White Healer' as the world's foremost specialist in treating Arcania-related injuries. Since the Channels and Core were intangible constructs, requiring an advanced Magic Perception to detect and analyse, that meant that Ten Dawn Iris had a nearly unparalleled Magic Perception, strongest amongst the Ten Dawns! And when her spell activated, her senses took a qualitative leap forward. But that was not all! The woman strained herself to activate the Cisvernia Family's Bloodline Ability! The second she did so, a large eyeball emerged above the ship. The grotesque thing scared everyone, but her perception grew immensely and covered the entire fleet. Her 'sight' went everywhere! The eyeball then locked onto Ludin and Crus in the sky above.

"There!"

Ten Dawn Rosemary and Yvonne nodded. Taking a deep breath to concentrate, the two women decided to use their strongest collaborative spell: Yin-Yang Arrow! A large Magic Circle was projected in front of them as water, light, and darkness-type magic formed. Rosemary wove her water skillfully into the shape of a massive arrow. Yvonne covered the arrow with spiraling light and darkness magic. As they did so, their auras began building strength, as if preparing to explode! Condensed droplets of World Energy formed around the two women as their spell drew to completion. The disturbance was great enough that dozens of the surrounding sh.i.p.s noticed it. Naturally, the same went for their enemies.

Ludin squinted his eyes and grew alert as did Crus. The fact that the humans could break through their concealment spell was a problem. It was not too surprising, accounting for Ludin's currently weakened state and the Cisvernia Family's Bloodline Ability. However, at the same time, the two birds remained calm. How many battles and tribulations have they encountered to reach this point? If they panicked at this level, how would they have survived the Luminous Central Origin's extermination? Ludin released his concealment spell. Since they were exposed already, there was no point in continuing the charade. The bird then focused on casting a new counter spell. He waved his wings and threw out another ten talismans. They floated in the sky as he finished casting.

The huge eyeball in the sky quivered and Ten Dawn Iris made a look of befuddlement. Her Magic Perception had clearly detected the source of the barrier magic, Ludin, but when his new magic activated, ten Ludins appeared. It was like the bird divided himself into ten equal birds, completely indistinguishable from the rest! Ten Dawn Iris was amazed. Ludin capitalized on the greatest weakness of a Magic Perception: its one-dimensionality! She could 'sense' their presence, but it was impossible for her to tell them apart! This was the first time she saw anything like this. It was a genius defense! Still, she took it in stride. Their goal was to destroy the barrier. Attacking the casters was just a bonus. The problem was Crus sending every one of her thirty-two doppelgangers to kill them!

Letting their enemies do as they pleased, especially as they were preparing a trump card… Only hotheaded youths would allow that to happen. Crus was neither hotheaded nor a youth, having gained decades of experience as one of the strongest fighters in her sect. Her battle instincts were warning her that she could not allow them to finish casting Yin-Yang Arrow! She decided to focus her martial technique entirely on this flagship! To prevent losing control again, she would forgo any fancy tricks. Overwhelming them with numbers was enough! The thirty-two cranes sped across the waters and skies, painting a beautifully oppressive scene. Everyone aboard the ship felt bathed in Crus's dense murderous intent. It was like the sky was drenched in blood and death.

"Protect Her Highness and the Arcanists!" Sir Winstin roared.

The soldiers immediately jumped to attention. While Admiral Aura and General Dennis were responsible for the overall situation, when it came to actual battle experience, Sir Winstin was leagues above them. Everyone naturally listened to his orders! But as they started to coalesce, Sir Winstin snapped at them again.

"Spread out and don't let the birds touch you! If you try to block it, you'll die!"

Crus raised an eyebrow, surprised. It was rare to find someone who had such strong battle instincts, even in their sect. She had to look at him in a new light. Of course, that did not dissuade Crus from attacking, but rather intensified her killing urges more! She curled her wings and claws, bringing her combat power to its limit. Her Martial Energy and Bloodline Ability erupted with unbelievable force as her aura began intensifying once more. In response, the thirty-two birds sped up two-fold, close to breaking the sound barrier!

The soldiers split into three rough groups. Sir Winstin and the Royal Guards huddled around Elizabeth and her friends, while the Ten Dawns, Admiral Aura, and General Dennis were elsewhere. Sir Winstin wielded his glaive and entered a battle stance. Together with the Royal Guards, their group radiated a terrifying level of oppression. These were the strongest knights in the kingdom! Benedict channeled the Martial Energy in his body and used one of the Hawken Style's stances. Shirley twirled her halberd in the air and prepared to use Mock Perception when necessary. Similarly, Elizabeth and Freon pulled back their offense and weakened their offense. They had to remain mobile and conserve the b.a.r.e minimum Magic Energy to fight!