Defiance of the Fall

Chapter 838: Impossible Choice

Today's mission was one of diplomacy, but the biggest risk to the proceedings was neither the golden-scaled demons nor the dour wraiths. It was the System, and the quests it imparted to all citizens of the world when the tremors began.For the natives, it was quite straightforward – emerge victorious against the other planet and the foreigners, and the whole planet would be attuned to your element. From what they’d gathered, the other incursions had gotten similar quests, where the most fitting element for them would stay on if they conquered the world.

It was the same for Port Atwood, until the moment they ousted all the other Incursions, including the very same Undead Empire that had plagued Earth. The moment Port Atwood conquered the Ensolus Continent, thus controlling half of this newly formed world, their quest had changed.

With their performance their quest got upgraded, adding new reward options. Suddenly, Port Atwood had three options to choose from in case they managed to subjugate or eradicate the natives. The first option was the same as before – remove one of the two attunements, leaving only life or death.

Second, and the option they were trying to propose today, was to allow the System to stabilize this planet for another ten years, giving themselves and the natives a chance to find a method dealing with the clashing elements in the center of this world. Since Earth showed no indications of collapse, there had to be a solution. This way, everyone would win without needless bloodshed, though the native forces would be officially subordinate to Port Atwood.

However, with the third option, the System had all but closed the door to peace. Worse yet, the Ruthless Heavens had made sure to share these options with the natives, fomenting the winds of war even further.

“If Hanuk declines, do you think he will just duel for control, or will it be an all-out assault?” Vilari asked Ilvere, who had been responsible for most of the diplomatic endeavors with the Malai tribes.

“If we were all Demons, he might have followed the rites and requested a duel. But with our mottled composition, I doubt he’d consider us worthy of following their traditions,” Ilvere said.

“Will we really move back if it comes to an all-out war?” Rhuger frowned. “Losing the resources is fine, but the implications for the Lord are massive.”

“I think we all know the Lord well enough to realize his priorities. If we back down, he might lose the qualifications to become a Baron, but our lives are more important. I refuse to believe he’d choose a title over us,” Vilari said.

“In a sense, we have accomplished what we came here for. With the opportunities of the Ensolus Continent, our power has skyrocketed. What other force has this high a degree of elites?” Joanna agreed.

“Still, we must do our utmost to net let it come to that,” Vilari added. “It’s bad enough if we are unable to help Lord Atwood accomplish his goals. If we actively hobble his progress due to our ineptitude, I don’t know how we will make it up to him. For example, if we can bring just one of the two factions into the fold, we can easily overpower the third with minimal loss of life. The biggest risk is if the two join hands against us before turning against each other."

“If only the boss was back,” Joanna sighed. “He’d solve this with either a few words or a few chops.”

Vilari only smiled in response, though she couldn’t help but once more wonder just what had happened in Twilight Harbor. Even if he stayed behind for a while, Lord Atwood should have been back years ago by now. And if he found some opportunity and got delayed, he would no doubt have sent back a message through the teleporter.

Only the core members of the force knew the truth – that their leader was missing rather than training. Still, they could only keep improving, waiting for his return.

Hours passed as the final touches to the summit were dealt with, while thousands of scouts and monoliths scoured the Ensolus Continent for any signs of foul play. Most of the elites were mentally preparing as well. If it really came to blows, they would be pushed to the limits against the very best the natives had to offer.

In this way, the night passed in muted suspension until the guards at the edge of Fort Atwood reported that the first of the two processions were on their way.

“Hanuk isn’t with them?” Vilari muttered as they walked toward the gates, feeling something was amiss. “Increase the frequency of reports from our strongholds and sweep the area with the All-seeing Monoliths.”

One of her subordinates nodded and walked off, and she stepped out onto the courtyard of Fort Atwood. In the distance, a towering wall rose over fifty meters into the air, every inch of it covered with inscriptions. Hundreds of towers buzzed with forbidding power, their offensive arrays always ready to strike.

Behind her, the incursion pillar still shone from within the inner courtyard which was surrounded by the actual star-shaped fort, showering the area in emerald and grey, its color mirroring the hundreds of banners hanging along the walls. It had cost almost 1,250 D-grade Nexus Coins to erect this fort alone, an exorbitant sum for most forces.

According to Ilvere, Clan Azh’Rezak had spent less than 50 D-grade Nexus Coins altogether on their Incursion. From the native’s perspective, they were cheating, but it was part of the rules. The natives had been better prepared compared to the Earthlings, who only survived thanks to Lord Atwood, but they ultimately made the same mistake.

Both the Mavai and the Kingdom of Raun were too cautious, only closing four Incursions on their own. They were too leery of entering the Ensolus Continent and joining the struggle against the invaders and the odd beasts unique to whatever cursed planet had been the source of this war-torn continent.

A few scattered factions understood the grave threat that brewed on the central continent of this world, but they didn’t manage to bring the bulk of their people on their crusades. Too many natives were busy enjoying the improved atmosphere and relative safety of their own continents. Why should they risk their lives by heading to Ensolus which was ten times more dangerous?

In the end, it was the Atwood Empire who routed the 20-odd Incursions spread across the Ensolus Continent, taking control of the whole thing while the natives sat on the sidelines. The unique treasures and opportunities that should have gone to the Mavai and Raun Spectrals had mostly fallen into the hands of her subordinates.

Apart from the Neutral Zones with the System-controlled Teleportation Arrays leading to the two other continents, there were also twenty-one lesser battlements surrounding Fort Atwood by now. Together, they formed a grand array of nigh-impenetrable defenses. If the natives wanted to attack, they would have to bear a shocking price in both resources and lives.

Still, with the world at the brink of collapse, it wasn’t unthinkable they’d take the risk.

“What do you think?” Vilari asked as she turned to Ilvere.

“It's too hard to tell. Hanuk might be preparing an assault while using these people as a decoy, as you fear,” the demon general hesitated. “However, it might not necessarily be a bad thing.”

“We'll find out soon enough," Vilari nodded. "What will be, will be."

Eventually, the Demon Contingent arrived, a squad of fifty seasoned warriors covered in golden scales, some of which had runes engraved - a sign they were all elites among elites of the Mavai. The rest of the small army, a thousand elites atop ferocious beasts, stayed outside the walls, but their bloody auras could be felt all the way to where they stood.

Five of the warriors who had entered, in particular, emitted extremely condensed auras, and Vilari sensed three of them were Half-Step Hegemons, while the other two were extremely talented E-gade Cultivators at the peak of the rank. Thankfully, it was a few years too early for scores of Hegemons to appear, even if these natives had a small head-start on Earthlings.

The natives who had already reached E-grade before the integration mostly suffered from the same issues as the prisoners of the re

"Still not here," Eomid slowly said before his aura suddenly exploded. "In that case... We choose war.”