Affinity: Chaos

Chapter 2052: What Is This Place?

The Gnomes were relentless in their attacks, constantly pushing back the humans. Thanks to Grey’s efforts with the teleportation arrays he set up in multiple regions, it was easier for humans to provide support in a short time. Although there used to be teleportation arrays, there were not as many as there were after Grey’s action.

A few more families had fallen since the start of the war, and even with the humans doing everything they could to stop the Gnomes from getting the upper hand, Necromancers were making things difficult. No one knows when someone might betray their families or factions. Even the most trusted people in some forces have defected,. betraying their leaders without a second thought.

The Aurora Continent was in a state of chaos, the same could be said for the Azure Continent as the weaker people are all gathered in specific regions that are well protected by top experts. Lucas Dawson still held the helm at Red City, occasionally sending out troops to search for survivors from attacked cities and towns.

The Human army has been forced further and further away from the Magical Beast’s forest. The only way they could stop the Gnomes was by sealing that passage, yet it was getting harder and harder to achieve as the day went by.

Red City.

The Mayor’s manor.

Lucas was standing in the open field in the manor, beside him were a few people, his wife included.

“The Gnomes are still adhering to the no Half God Plane expert rule, so there’s nothing we can do to stop them.” A middle-aged man said as the group walked toward the Manor’s hall.

“What about the people I sent you to contact, any news from them?” Lucas asked.

“They said it’ll take a few more months before they return. If what they said is correct, then as long as they’re careful, they should be in no danger.” The middle-aged man replied.

Lucas squinted his eyes and peeked at his wife’s calm expression before focusing on the middle-aged man again, “That’s good, but remind them to tell them to return as soon as they leave the small world.”

“Of course, the impact Grey has on the battlefield is irreplaceable. A few battlefields need someone like himself and his friends to cause havoc.” An older man in the group spoke up.

The others around nodded in agreement to the older man’s statement. Grey’s space element and him being able to cut off the Gnomes or Necromancers’ links with their puppets halves the overall strength of Gnomes in any battlefield he’s present in, so he was quite valuable. In fact, there had been a few generals who had sent word to Lucas over the past few months since Grey disappeared requesting for his presence. Sadly Grey went to improve himself, so there was no way for him to assist them.

The group entered the hall and after taking their seats, Lucas took a deep breath before asking the important question, “At this rate, what do you think our chances of victory are?”

When this question was asked, everyone present kept quiet, all exchanging glances. They could all see their answers in each other’s eyes, and none of them was optimistic about their chances. It could not be helped, given their opponents, as well as the potential betrayal from their fellow humans, it seemed impossible that they would be able to win. There was also the fact that the enemies could make use of the dead in this war, further increasing their already superior numbers.

“I also know our chances are limited, but don’t forget we already have a plan, it will be dangerous, but it will at least grant the future generations a chance to fight for their survival.” Lucas said with a heavy tone.

After a short silence someone spoke up, “Wasn’t that the same thing done by our predecessors?”

“And it’s the reason you and I are here today to fight for the survival of the human race.” Lucas replied.

The person who spoke up did not say anything after this, as he already understood Lucas and knew if there was anything that could be done to save the situation from getting to that stage, the top experts would surely opt for it.

“What about the Magical Beasts? I received words from the dragon clan leader that they were attacked, and even a small branch clan was wiped out. The Gnomes seem to be interested in powerful Magical Beasts, at least that is the conclusion he has come to.”

“We heard about the attacks on the dragons, but it was not that serious. A lizard clan with close ties to the dragons were the main ones attacked, and when the experts of the Magical Beast’s forest arrived, they found out that some kind of test had been taking place there. Some Magical Beasts are certainly involved in this.”

“I’ve always said we should never trust the Magical Beasts, they will surely pick their race if it comes down to it.”

“And won’t you do the same if you were in that position?” Lucas gave a look of scrutiny to the man who said this before continuing, “It’s normal for us all to put our best interest at heart. If the Magical Beasts were of no help to us, we would have never reached out to them for assistance. They too are aware of the consequences if the Gnomes defeat the humans, so they will not dare to betray us, especially when the dragon clan is leading the charge.”

“Forgive me if I spoke out of line, it was not my intention.” The man hurriedly apologized.

Lucas waved as if to say it was nothing serious, they quickly changed to a different topic, considering if they should forgo even more territory to the Gnomes. As much as they did not want to admit it, the Gnomes were gaining the overwhelming advantage, and at this rate, humans would eventually lose.

….

Grey and his friends naturally had no knowledge of what the situation was like back in their world, they were all focused on trying to get closer to the source of the cold energy. It had been almost twenty minutes since they entered the trench, and other than the rapidly dipping temperature, there was not much change.

Reynolds shivered as he looked ahead of him, all he could see was a vast expanse of white mist. He could not even see his hands properly unless it was around ten inches from his eyes.

“What is this place?” He asked with a shaky voice.

Grey spat out a cold air before replying in a somewhat shaky voice as well, “At this rate we will have to retreat if we still don’t find it soon.”

Even for someone like Grey, this place was getting too cold. Void and the bunny leader were both chilling in Grey’s spatial storage, hiding from the coldness here. Of everyone here, only Alice and Klaus looked okay. Alice has an Ice Elemental Seelie, hence it was almost impossible for her to get cold unless the environment is too extreme, even for creatures like Seelies that were born from the cold.

Klaus, on the other hand, was a top genius when it came to using ice, and after training in dangerous places over the years, he was used to the cold.

“If you guys can’t take the cold, you can wait here.” Klaus was standing not too far from them, he turned to Alice and said, “The two of us can continue ahead.”

Before they could refuse, Klaus explained, “It’ll only get colder the further we head in. It’s better you guys stop here than to still stop not far from here.”

Grey and Reynolds thought about it for some time before agreeing to Klaus’s suggestion. It was the best case scenario, and given Klaus and Alice would not actively try to provoke these creatures, they were not worried about them falling into danger.

Klaus and Alice continued deeper into the trench. Another ten minutes later, the duo stopped in their tracks, both feeling their skins slowly starting to show signs of freezing over.

“It’s up ahead. What do you think it might be?” Klaus decided it was best to have a conversation.

Alice tried to speak, only for her teeth to clatter from the cold. She was about to speak when she saw a glint ahead of them. The light was faint, but just like a bright star in the night sky, it was visible.

“There!” She exclaimed.

Klaus’s attention was drawn to the light, and his eyes flashed with excitement.

“That must be it.” He said, before approaching it.

Alice followed beside him.

Behind them, Grey and Reynolds were in a tight spot.

They did not notice when a floating Seelie-like creature entered their range, and it was only after it attacked did they sense it. They tried their best to handle it quickly, but it was too late as more of these creatures flooded the area, rushing towards the foreign energy.

Grey and Reynolds wanted to shed tears, but no tears came. They regretted not following Klaus and Alice deeper into the trench. Even if they did not go all the way, they felt at least they would not have been this unfortunate if they stopped a few hundred meters further than this place.