Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

At the same time, while Atlas had decided to interfere in the battle between Velmira and the transformed Azarion, the other Continents remained completely unaware that something far more dangerous had already begun moving toward them.

In Solara, the atmosphere was considerably calmer than it had been on the Human Continent. The strange beam that had suddenly appeared in the distance had caused some uncertainty among the citizens, especially after the sky across the entire World began growing dark, but they were quickly reassured by the strongest Revenant in Celestara, Mordret Vincent. He had received a message directly from Her Majesty Solaris and was now responsible for relaying it to the people across the Continent.

”Do not worry, citizens. That beam of energy is certainly a dangerous sign, but I, the Queen of Celestara, will personally take care of it, so there is no need to panic. As for the Oath of Treaty between all the Continents, it has been severed during the meeting with the Ancients, which is why I have already taken precautions and ordered all the Revenants to remain vigilant around our borders. It is highly unlikely that any Continent will attempt to wage war against us this instant.”

Mordret paused briefly before continuing with the second part of Solaris’s message.

”In the meantime, while they do not, we will prepare as thoroughly as possible. We will strengthen our military forces to the point where no other Continent would even dare to consider attacking us. So wash away your worries. Her Majesty Solaris herself will take care of the situation with the assistance of the Revenants.”

The message was not limited to the citizens of Solara. Mordret relayed the same words across the other cities throughout Celestara, ensuring that everyone on the Angelic Continent received the Queen’s message. Solaris had no intention of hiding the severance of the Treaty from the common people, because she knew they would eventually learn about it regardless of whether the Royal Family announced it openly or allowed rumors to spread.

It was better for the citizens to understand the situation and remain alert rather than continue believing that the Oath would always guarantee their safety.

Once Mordret’s broadcast ended across the cities, the initial sense of relief among the citizens was quickly replaced by nervousness. The news that the Treaty had been severed naturally made people think about the political consequences that could follow, and although Solaris had assured them that it was highly unlikely for another Continent to immediately declare war, the strange beam remained a much greater concern.

The phenomenon had appeared on the same day that the Treaty was severed, and that coincidence was difficult for anyone to ignore.

Many intelligent individuals couldn’t help but connect the two incidents and develop a bad premonition about what might happen next. While the citizens were discussing the situation, however, the Revenants and the military forces throughout Celestara had already begun carrying out Solaris’s orders.

Watchtowers were constructed along the borders using Individuals with Unique Abilities such as Building, while others with abilities like Spirit Synthesis and Spirit Construction assisted in creating the structures at a much faster pace than ordinary construction methods could have achieved.

Within only a few hours, thousands of watchtowers had already been constructed across the borders. The military didn’t stop there, as massive defensive walls were also raised around strategic locations before being reinforced with Relics and Runes. Everything was being done according to the commands of Her Majesty Solaris and Mordret, and as the commoners and Nobles watched the military working continuously to strengthen their defenses, the fear that had begun spreading through the Continent gradually weakened.

The sight of the enormous walls and countless watchtowers gave the people something tangible to rely on. They could see the military preparing for the worst, and they knew that the Revenants were also stationed around the borders. For many citizens, that was enough to make them feel considerably safer than they had before. They still understood that the Treaty had been severed and that something strange had happened in the distance, but they no longer felt as though they were completely helpless against whatever might come next.

On top of that, they remembered that Her Majesty Solaris herself had gone to deal with the enormous beam of energy that had caused the weather across the entire World to change. If their Queen was personally handling the source of the disturbance while the Revenants and military forces remained behind to protect Celestara, then there was little reason for ordinary citizens to believe that they were facing an immediate disaster.

A similar situation was unfolding across the other Continents, although their responses differed according to their own circumstances.

The Elven Continent had little fear of a sudden war because its military might was greater than that of any other Continent, while the World Tree itself remained stationed there to protect the Elves. Even so, the commoners couldn’t completely ignore the strange beam that had appeared in the distance. Regardless of how powerful their Continent was, the scale of that phenomenon was enough to make even the Elves wonder what had actually happened.

The Dwarven Continent, however, took a completely different approach. They didn’t construct thousands of watchtowers or massive defensive walls like the Angelic Continent had done. The Dwarves possessed far greater knowledge of crafting and Relic technology, so instead of relying on stationary structures alone, they immediately began producing small, drone-like Spirit machines.

These machines flew high above the ground and continuously observed everything around them, recording every detail they could detect before transmitting the information back to Relics connected to them.

The Dwarves had learned from the previous attack by the Monsters. Instead of simply killing the Monsters they had encountered, they had examined them through every method available to them, studying their behavior and the mechanisms they used to move and operate. They had then incorporated the same principles of observation into their own creations, which they called Spirit Sentinels.

With thousands of Spirit Sentinels deployed across their borders, the Dwarves could observe activity across thousands of kilometers and receive information about approaching enemies long before they reached their territory. This allowed them to prepare according to the situation rather than wasting resources constructing defenses everywhere they might potentially be attacked.

And as for the Dragon Continent, they didn’t do anything even after the news of the Treaty being severed reached them. Their strength alone spoke volumes. No Continent with even a basic understanding of the current balance of power would dare to consider waging war against the Dragon Continent, not even if every other Continent somehow formed an alliance against it.

Several hours later...

The beam had finally vanished, and the darkness that had covered the sky was gradually beginning to clear. Evening was approaching, and the people of Celestara had already started settling down after the chaos earlier in the day. However, the military forces stationed along the borders remained alert. On top of one of the newly constructed watchtowers, three soldiers had been assigned to monitor the surrounding area and report anything unusual to the Revenants.

Two of them were currently doing a terrible job of focusing on their duties, ”Hey, Lamis, do you think our chemistry could eventually turn into something more than just being a couple?... Sh-Shouldn’t we start thinking about marriage now?”

Lamis, the female soldier clad in armor, immediately turned toward the man sitting comfortably on the wooden chair provided for the guards. She then glanced toward the third soldier, Kai, who was standing several meters away and observing the distant forest with a Relic in his hand. Her cheeks turned red as she sent a telepathic message toward the man beside her.

As an SS-rank, communicating through telepathy was simple for her, and she certainly wasn’t going to say those words out loud with Kai standing right there, ’Y-You! Don’t you have any conscience? Kai is standing right there! Tch!’

The man sitting on the chair immediately looked at her with puppy-like eyes after receiving her transmission, seemingly more concerned about her reaction than the possibility of Kai hearing them, ’W-Wait, I-I just wanted to know if you were thinking the same thing. And what would even happen if he heard it? Haha, the whole Special Force already knows about us anyway, so what is your answer?’

Lamis looked at him with an expression filled with both embarrassment and nervousness. She opened her mouth slightly before sending another telepathic response, still unsure how she should answer such a direct question.

’W-Well—’

Before she could finish, Kai suddenly moved.

The Relic in his hand began glowing as he channeled Spirit Energy into it, and the casual atmosphere around the watchtower disappeared immediately. Kai’s expression became serious as he stared toward the distant forest, his attention completely focused on something the other two soldiers had yet to notice.

”Send the red alarm to Revenant Mordret directly. There is an invasion...”

His words caused Lamis and the man sitting on the chair to immediately turn toward him. The rectangular device in Kai’s hand displayed a small map of the surrounding forest, and countless red dots were appearing and disappearing across it. The number of markers continued increasing as more of the approaching forces entered the detection range.

Kai’s expression became even more serious as he looked at the two soldiers.

”And this isn’t just a few hundred members of a Royal Army or some Revenants. There are hundreds of thousands of them marching in this direction. Quickly, go and inform him!”

Lamis’s eyes widened the moment she heard those words. The man who had been joking with her only moments ago also immediately stood up, his previous relaxed expression disappearing completely. Neither of them wasted another second. Lamis vanished from the watchtower along with him, leaving Kai behind to continue monitoring the approaching army and relay every piece of information to Revenant Mordret.