The magically cloaked transport carrying the Obsidian Phalanx sped toward the Eastern Territory. By the time they reached the transfer point at the border, the sun was fully up, revealing a landscape steeped in tension.
The Elven transport fleet consisted of four sleek, reinforced carriages, utilizing sophisticated anti-gravity and silencing enchantments for extreme speed. The convoy order was meticulously planned: Carriage 1—containing the Elven Envoy and five elite Elven Rangers, led by Aelion—took the lead. Carriage 2, carrying Kaelus, Vara, Zathis, and Grund, followed closely. Next was Carriage 3, with Sylva, Zane, Kaelan, and Jian. Trailing last was Carriage 4, loaded with supplies. The Phalanx was under strict orders: no fighting until the drop-off point.
Aethon's final command rang in their ears: "We observe, we travel fast, and the Phalanx does not engage until we are dropped at the final perimeter. The Rangers handle the journey."
The journey began at impossible speeds, cutting through the Kingdom's outermost territories. The air, heavy and metallic, carried the scent of monster activity already bleeding out of the Eastern Domain.
Inside Carriage 3, Sylva tracked the environment using subtle mana sensing. "The border used to be stable," she noted to Zane. "I'm already picking up monster signs heading west. This is beyond our initial assessment."
Zane, ever composed, polished his sword. "It confirms the Emperor's fears about the barrier. The physical incursions are only intensifying."
In Carriage 2, Kaelus, in his Void Scales armor, focused entirely on stabilizing his core after the previous night's intense mana depletion. He knew he needed to consume the SS+ Scaled Hydra core soon but was waiting for the evening stop.
Mid-day saw the convoy, speeding through scrubland, face its first attack. A pack of C-Rank Direwolves erupted from the cover. The Elven Rangers in the leading carriage instantly deployed. Aelion signaled the drivers to maintain speed. The Rangers, using piercing Wind arrows and blinding Fire enchantments, handled the pack with brutal, professional focus. The skirmish lasted less than ninety seconds; the carriages never slowed, leaving the defeated monsters behind. Grund gripped his axe, eager to fight, but Vara enforced the order.
The landscape rapidly shifted to scarred, rocky land. The air grew heavy, and minor gravity fluctuations signaled the approach of the Eastern Domain's influence zone. Next, airborne threats appeared: a flight of B-Rank Tempest Vultures, creatures capable of generating strong, erratic lightning bursts.
The Rangers were forced to become more aggressive. Aelion deployed a powerful Group Cloaking Field to confuse the Vultures, allowing the Elves to target them with high-precision arrows.
In Carriage 3, Sylva tracked the elemental signatures. "The Wind element in those Vultures is highly erratic. It's uncontrolled, just raw power. The environment itself is unstable." Jian placed a calming hand on Kaelan's shoulder, enforcing patience.
At evening, the convoy made its first stop in a magically shielded clearing as mandated. The Rangers established a tight perimeter while the Phalanx took rations and rested.
Inside Carriage 2, Kaelus knew the current atmosphere—heavy with raw, conflicting magic—was the ideal catalyst for the dangerous SS+ integration. "Vara, I'm doing it now," Kaelus whispered, taking the SS+ Scaled Hydra core from her. "The ambient volatility might help force the conversion."
Unseen by the Phalanx, but watched by the Elven Rangers with professional curiosity from a distance, Kaelus began the dangerous process. He closed his eyes and initiated the absorption.
The SS+ Water core was a massive reservoir of raw, chaotic Water mana. As it flooded his system, it violently resisted being incorporated into a non-Water elemental form. Kaelus's unique Wind Dragon Core acted as a powerful, hungry gravitational center, immediately initiating a process of elemental destruction and conversion.
Kaelus felt an internal, agonizing war. The Water mana fought for molecular survival, trying to force elemental mutation or explosion, but Kaelus's pure Wind core fought back, unleashing immense pressure, shattering the Water mana's integrity. It broke the powerful Water element down to its most fundamental energy components, then rapidly converted that raw, boundless energy into a pure, immense volume of Wind mana. The entire carriage subtly vibrated from the energy transfer. He spent the entire stop, until pre-dawn, in this focused, absorbing trance, refining the SS-rank core's power and pushing his core to its limit.
As the sun rose, the caravan set off again. They were now deep within the contiguous area of the Eastern Domain.
Kaelus, now fully alert, felt an almost immeasurable power. The SS+ Water core was fully gone, and the experiment was a success. His mana core had stabilized, and he instinctively knew that his Mid Tier 8-Star Dragon Core was complete. He could feel a new limit now—a faint, palpable barrier just beyond his current state. He knew that if the opportunity arose, he might be able to achieve another breakthrough into the Peak Tier 8-Star Dragon Core. The conversion had successfully pushed his Wind element to an icy, immovable density that felt vast and crushing.
The concentration of higher-ranked monsters was now staggering. They were facing structured formations and continuous patrols led by beasts approaching A-Rank power. The Rangers were pushed to their maximum, using powerful, area-of-effect spells to clear the road. The constant, high-intensity fighting was visibly wearing down their strength.
Inside Carriage 3, Sylva watched the near-disasters. "The Ranger Leader Aelion is taking too many hits. They won't make it to the perimeter at this pace."
By mid-day, they reached the desolate, heavily forested area—the agreed-upon drop-off point. The air here was so saturated with magical energy that it acted as a natural choke point, volatile and chaotic, a clear sign of the Dragon's vanished barrier.
The Rangers, battered but successful, brought the convoy to a rapid stop. Aelion opened Kaelus's carriage door, his movements stiff. "This is the line. This is the true entrance of the Eastern Territory. May your journey be swifter than our retreat."
Kaelus, now emanating an aura of cold, focused power, acknowledged the Ranger. The Obsidian Phalanx quickly disembarked, fully armored and armed. The moment they were clear, the Elven carriages executed a rapid U-turn, vanishing back toward the perimeter they had fought so hard to breach.
The Phalanx was alone. They stood at the true gateway to the Eastern Territory, facing a dense, foreboding forest that led deeper into the continent. The air here was chaotic, a volatile echo of the Dragon's vanished barrier.
"Let's move," Zane commanded, his voice holding a new, deep resonance. "The real mission starts now."