This was the [Black Calamity], a tide of millions of mud-born soldiers advancing with a slow, rhythmic inevitability…
But the "Boat" had already lost the surrounding territory; the ground was no longer earth, but a thick layer of suffocating Gray Ash that had smothered every forest and river in sight…
The fortress was a lone, shimmering spark of gold in a world that had already been declared dead...
Part of the army was already engaged with the outer battlements, their obsidian forms clashing against the glowing barriers of the wall…
"Mu Zhong..."
Alethia's voice drifted through the telepathic link, accompanied by the presence of Astrea and Esmae…
"We are currently the ones keeping this 'Golden Boat' from sinking, although it took a lot of attention from us but this is the best we could do after bypassing both Evil of the World and the Rules of the Planet…"
Esmae explained…
"We have been channeling a lot of resources to Keep this Fortress and similar ones from before from falling although the Assistance is small due to the Rules set in stone…
Our goal is to sustain this point, and eventually the capital of Venaria, until a definitive solution is found…
We must find a way to end this Calamity that won't just result in the destruction of the entire planet…
As of now, our intervention is the only thing preventing the ash from claiming the final souls…"
"I figured as much," I replied mentally as I could see this much…
"You're acting as the beacon of Hope continuously supplying Holy Energy as much as you can through a constrained Pipe…
Otherwise with your strength they would have won soon…
But Humanity is not Durable enough…"
'Indeed…
Due to the Lack of Decisive factor, morale will inevitably fall…
The history of [Black Calamity] already has a tremendous reputation…
If not for those hope filled priests and those Revenge filled souls still fighting the [Black Calamity] then this world would be over a Long time ago…'
I thought as I activated [Analysis and Spectate], my eyes using the Red Rank Law Level Talent…
I scanned the lines, looking for that specific, cold center that could only be him…
'Nothing…'
There was no sign of Julian…
Not even a trace of his specific mana signature among the million-strong tide…
However, the Domain was unmistakable…
It felt like the air itself was trying to settle into a permanent sleep…
The weight of the atmosphere was crushing…
'He's not here...
But his presence is absolute,'
I thought in a frown as I could still penetrate all this but I didn't want to startle the Snake for now…
Besides, I thought, my mind calculating the mana density of the air…
'If an SS-Rank domain had this much weight, the world would have ended ten years ago…
Based on the interference and the suppression of my own passive light...
Julian must have reached SSS-Rank…
He's evolved beyond the "Demon King" title into something closer to a False God…
Of course you can also call it a Lesser God if I take The Current Heaven as the Unit of Measurement…
The Goddesses can't see him because he's protected by both Mortal Rules and Evil of the World…'
"We could not gain much information on his current state," Astrea interjected sadly…
"The double interference from the Evil of the World and the heavy Mortal Rules has created a shroud…
We can support the survivors, but we cannot guide your sword to his heart…
And…"
Astrea didn't speak more and I understood why…
After all, Julian was kind of like their own child…
Clara looked out at the battle below, her expression turning somber as she swallowed a piece of chocolate…
"The [Black Calamity] is endless, Big Brother…
They don't eat, they don't sleep, and they fight twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week…
They never stop, and they never tire..."
She pointed toward the inner barracks of the fortress, which were visible from our aerial vantage point…
"Vesla only survives because of the Shift System…
We have thousands of survivors here—soldiers, mages, and even commoners who can hold a spear…
They rotate every four hours…
While one group fights until they drop, another sleeps, and a third prepares…
It's the only way to keep the walls from being overrun by the ink…
It's been like this for several months…
Every fortress the [Black Calamity] passes through turns into this state and only this system which has been tried and tested after the Fall of Many countries due to arrogance can last the longest…"
I nodded, absorbing the logistics…
It was a "Slow Death" system…
It didn't win the war; it only delayed the inevitable sinking of the golden boat…
But in a world where the enemy was immortal and tireless, it was the only logical solution…
These people had turned their entire existence into a clock, ticking away the seconds until the last man fell…
"It's a smart move," I muttered…
"But even the best clock eventually runs out of tension…"
I began my descent…
The wings of light hissed as they pushed through the ashen fog, the golden mana reacting violently with the gray air…
As we neared the inner fortress gate, the sheer scale of the despair became tangible…
The walls weren't made of pristine stone anymore; they were a patchwork of reinforced steel, bone-ash mortar, and dried blood…
The soldiers standing on the inner battlements didn't look like the proud knights of the capital…
They were gaunt, their skin the color of parchment, their eyes sunken and hollow…
They looked like ghosts who had forgotten to die…
'The Atmosphere is really bad…'
I thought with a frown…
'Actually it wasn't like this before…'
Said Alethia as I understood without her telling…
Once or twice is fine but this Calamity has been there for twenty Years without the slightest victory…
There is no sign of hope so naturally Morale will turn stale…
At that point even the Fiercest Gods will wilt inevitably…
I thought as I landed softly about ten meters from the heavy iron gate…
The impact of my feet on the cracked stone caused a small puff of dust…
I was still carrying Clara in a princess carry, her pouting face slightly obscured by the lingering chocolate stick…
Immediately, a dozen halberds were leveled at my chest…
The soldiers didn't shout…
They didn't call for a "Hero"…
They stood in a grim, practiced formation, their hands shaking not from fear, but from the sheer exhaustion of holding a weapon for a long time…
"Identify yourself," the lead guard croaked, his voice sounding like two stones grinding together…
He looked at my hoodie, my sneakers, and then at the brilliant, fading wings on my back…
His eyes narrowed with a deep, defensive suspicion…
"We don't know that light…
And we don't know you…
State your business before we signal the mages to fire…"