Chapter 216: The Kingdom's Assault

A torrential rain poured from the sky, soaking the tall, upright jaguar banner that fell upon the solid, azure‑stone fortress. The stone slabs had long become slick and hard to climb, so the raindrops wound their way down, then merged into the rushing Weiman River.

Between the northern Kurtaka Kingdom and the Alliance lies a winding great river; each summer the Weiman River swells, its currents fierce, making Kurtaka's supplies hard to cross this river that cuts across the north‑central Niksalan.

But Kurtaka's army had already delivered supplies last winter and erected an indestructible stronghold on the opposite bank—the Weiman River Mouth Fortress.

The mouth fortress is enormous; its walls reach an astonishing eight meters, a level of craftsmanship that even in Maztek would be considered advanced for a hastily built fort.

Amid the pouring rain, the kingdom's main force drills its weapons inside the camp outside the fortress.

"Esteemed General Kunade."

In the downpour, a man in uniform stands on the wall watching the troops' exercises beyond the fortress, when a voice suddenly calls from behind.

He turns his head and quietly watches the pale‑skinned man from another continent before him, wearing gold‑rimmed glasses; the man is cloaked in an odd black robe, his ten fingers adorned with gemstone rings of various colors.

"Is there something, Mr Varius?"

The black‑robed man lowers his head slightly and, in a humble tone, says: "General, I employed a prophetic spell to probe; everything in Duzula City is shrouded by some mysterious entity, but the spell confirms that Pankulu's pyramid has lost its controller and has fallen into silence."

General Kunade nods lightly at the news, gazing toward the distant, hazy canyon and the culprit that blocked His Majesty's army for three years—the city of Pankulu.

"Finally giving way? It seems His Majesty was right after all—so long as enough lives are sacrificed, even the Sun God's palace cannot stop His Majesty's forces."

Varius lowers his head slightly, masking a trace of sarcasm in his eyes.

"Foolish natives, they rejected my proposal, trying to erase a Divine Spell tower's power with human lives; the loss is so severe, yet they still gloat."

"I recall when I first arrived, offering my proud prophetic art to that native emperor to aid his conquest of the world, only to still be undervalued today."

Varius feels a surge of anger within.

The rain soaks his robe; he gives the black cloak a gentle shake, revealing a corner of the inner garment, where a symbol of a flame with eyes burning on a dragon's claw is etched on the inside.

"Soon, it won't be long."

"Once we find that child, everything the Dragon Mother ordered will be concluded."

"Gentlemen," Kunade calls softly to the troops, his voice drifting between heaven and earth, both minuscule and resonant.

The troops halt their drills and look toward their revered general.

"Offer your flesh, your lives, everything, to our supreme Majesty in a spectacular, unparalleled war!"

"All forces, advance!"

——

Within Duzula City, the core area where the original pyramid once stood is now occupied by a massive interdimensional portal.

It is a portal summoned by Naimi Xisi using a Seven‑Ring Conjuration spell called "Mage Mansion Spell"; stepping through, the Spellcaster can reside in an exceedingly spacious luxury manor that exists in the other dimension.

Enhanced by power gems, the mansion Naimi Xisi summoned is frighteningly large, covering nearly ten acres.

"Hmm, be careful, even more careful."

Naimi Xisi painstakingly carves the White Magic Staff on a laboratory table. To strengthen the staff, he must adjust the Rune; simply infusing divinity will not suffice, and would waste such precious material.

But there is only one White Magic Staff, so each day he carefully carves for an hour in optimal condition, taking frequent breaks to ensure flawless results.

This has caused a week to pass without completing the repair.

But now, the end is near.

He estimates the final portion will take only ten hours to finish.

Yet this stage is the most perilous; the Rune is fully carved, and he must cover the fresh patterns with magical gem powder for a sacrifice.

The work cannot pause; it must be completed in one flow, meaning for the next several hours Naimi Xisi cannot relent.

He wishes to finish peacefully, but someone denies him that chance.

Just as he carefully takes out the powder to fill the patterns, a soldier suddenly bursts in.

It is Grello; upon learning that his most revered general has pledged allegiance to the dragon, he immediately declares his loyalty.

"Lord, the general seeks your aid! The kingdom's forces are swift as wind; a hundred and fifty thousand troops launched a night raid, encircling Pankulu City. The vanguard and our army jointly defended the city, sealing the gates, but the few cannot match the many—dangerous and precarious. The kingdom's army used some method to trigger a landslide in the canyon, blocking the road from Duzula City to Pankulu City; supplies cannot enter the city."

!

Hearing this, Naimi Xisi furrowed his brows; he had been concentrating on crafting the Artifact, and this vexing news made him irritable, so he barked,

"I have already sent my Dependents, Di Luonaou, to Pankulu, and with the strength of Anlesi Tong, yet we still cannot match the kingdom's army?"

Since the rebellion ended, Naimi Xisi summoned the red dragon Di Luonaou, letting him and the troops guard Pankulu in his stead, so he could peacefully forge the Artifact.

"Lord, the enemy general is formidable, and they have a staff officer using strange witchcraft; Lord Di Luonaou and the general barely match them, but the kingdom's massive army is too powerful—we truly cannot resist," Grello says bitterly.

"They didn't come early or later, yet they show up right now!"

Naimi Xisi's body tensed, but he didn't halt his motions; he sighed, wondering if the trump card he had just prepared must now be used.

But that's fine; the Artifact's forging tolerates no mistake—it's a strand of divinity, and wasting it here would drive him mad.

"Come forth," Naimi Xisi calls.

Soon, two bodies emerged from the shadows; Grello flinched, for on closer look he saw that the two figures resembled Naimi Xisi's own form exactly.

"They each possess decent strength; with their aid, it should buy us some time, and I still need a bit more to finish," Naimi Xisi says calmly, a faint pang of pain in his heart.

These two bodies were created using the extremely precious spell he learned from Saifal, a Seven‑Ring Illusion Conjuration spell—"Mimicry"!

Beyond their high cost, each body required twelve hours of casting, truly a dedication of his effort.

Grello asks blankly, "These are dolls you made? What can they do?"

(End of Chapter)