Roland Empire, Imperial Capital Magic Academy.
"Phew... phew..."
Kasa rushed in through the door, panting. Lynn, who had been chatting with Taylor, heard the commotion and turned to look at him with a smile. "Out for a morning jog so early?"
Kasa glanced at Lynn, ignoring his teasing. He hurried to the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and drained it before lowering his voice.
"It's started. Everyone's at war except the Roland Empire!"
"It's started?"
"According to the news from my family, three days ago, the Church of Darkness was the first to attack the Tianluo Empire. In less than a day, they seized Xili City, a major border city. The next day, the Church of Light attacked the Zhongyuan Empire and occupied Mobius Province."
"That fast? How many people did the two churches deploy?" Lynn frowned, sensing that something was off.
"We don't know the exact numbers, but judging by how quickly the Church of Darkness took Xili City, they must have sent at least ten thousand Level Six warriors and over a hundred Level Nine warriors. They may even have deployed a mage legion. The Church of Light probably sent just as many."
Lynn's eyes narrowed. "That's a lot. Looks like the two churches are serious this time."
"This is bad... There are five major powers on the Azeron Continent, and four of them are at war. The Roland Empire can't possibly stay out of it. If I'm not mistaken, both empires and both churches will do everything they can to drag the Roland Empire into the conflict next!"
Lynn's eyes narrowed as he quickly grasped the situation.
On the Azeron Continent, with the gods keeping out of sight, the most powerful forces were the leading Saint Domain powers: the three empires and the two churches.
The Church of Darkness was in the far south of the continent, bordering only the Tianluo Empire, while the Church of Light was in the central south, sandwiched between the Tianluo and Zhongyuan Empires.
Because of this unusual layout, when the two churches started a war, only the two empires could take the direct hit. The Roland Empire, far to the north of the Azeron Continent, could stay out of it entirely thanks to its unique location.
Anyone with eyes could see that, and it was something the two churches and two empires embroiled in the war could never accept... We're fighting for our lives while you sit back and enjoy peace and quiet. Why should you get away with that?
That was why Lynn knew the Roland Empire wouldn't be able to avoid war for long. In fact... most Saint Domain powers would end up joining the conflict, whether by force or by choice.
The three empires and two churches would do everything they could to drag every other power into the war, eliminate the weaker forces, and redistribute the spoils.
Once a war began, nothing could stop it until a new order had been established.
The Roland Empire will descend into chaos next. I need to bring Mom and Dad to the Imperial Capital! Lynn quickly considered what to do, and immediately thought of Leo and his wife, who were still in Blackstone Town.
"Big bro, I'm leaving," Kasa said quietly. "You know I'm from the Zhongyuan Empire. With the war going on, my family sent someone to summon me back. I have to leave the Roland Empire by tomorrow at the latest."
Lynn's thoughtful expression froze. He took a deep breath, his expression utterly serious.
"Be careful on the way. If you run into trouble you can't handle, come find your big brother!"
"Sure!" Kasa replied with an easy smile.
"And me!" Taylor, who had been listening quietly nearby, suddenly raised his hand.
"You can forget it. If I ever get desperate enough to ask you for help, I'll probably already be half-dead," Kasa said with a look of disdain.
"Huh???"
"Hahaha..."
Amid the laughter, Dormitory 9527 gradually grew quiet.
That day, Kasa, one of the Imperial Capital Magic Academy's famed Twin Stars, officially withdrew from the academy and left the Roland Empire with the Rivas Family's entourage.
That same afternoon, Lynn revealed that he was a Level Seven Mage, officially graduated from the Imperial Capital Magic Academy, and set off for Blackstone Town.
"Whoosh!"
The sky above Xili City.
A dark figure streaked past at incredible speed.
He finally stopped in midair above the city, revealing an old man with white hair and beard.
Graham frowned as he watched the many Church of Darkness soldiers patrolling the city. His gaze lingered on several soldiers dressed as special envoys.
"No wonder Xili City fell so quickly. They actually sent down Descending Angels."
Realizing this, a cold glint flashed in Graham's eyes. There was an unwritten rule on the Azeron Continent: Saint Domain experts weren't allowed to interfere in large-scale wars.
By using Descending Angels, the Church of Darkness had broken that rule. After all, although a Descending Angel was ordinarily only a little stronger than a Level Nine warrior, each one could serve as a temporary Saint Domain expert if they were willing to make the sacrifice.
Even the most ordinary Two-Winged Angel could unleash Saint Domain-level attacks after summoning its wings of light. On the Material Plane, attacks of that level could destroy any defense. Against Xili City, which had no Saint Domain expert, it was an overwhelming advantage.
In almost no time, several Descending Angels burned through their lives, and a breach was torn in the thick city walls. The battle instantly shifted from a siege to street fighting, completely stripping the defenders of their advantage.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a gigantic sword slash dozens of meters long formed inside Xili City. It shot toward Graham in the sky at tremendous speed and appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye.
"Boom!!"
A tremendous explosion rang out. Faced with the enormous sword slash that had appeared without warning, Graham remained expressionless. Just before it hit him, his figure flickered strangely, and he appeared several hundred meters away.
"Philip, how long are you going to keep hiding?"
Graham looked toward Xili City. Judging by the aura of the attack just now, he had already figured out who had made it.
"Graham, it's been a long time." Philip, clad in a black robe, flew out of the city.
"I never expected you'd be the one coming, old friend!" Philip sighed. "What a shame."
Among the Saint Domain experts of the Tianluo Empire, Graham wasn't the strongest, but he was the one Philip least wanted to face.
That was because Graham had comprehended the Wind Law and was incredibly fast. Across the entire Azeron Continent, only a few Saint Domain experts at the pinnacle could reliably outrun him. Philip wasn't confident he could keep Graham from escaping.
"Are you planning to attack me?" Hearing Philip's sigh, Graham frowned and grew wary.
Saint Domain experts were the foundation of any power. Generally speaking, two forces rarely targeted each other's Saint Domain experts unless they had completely fallen out. After all, even among the five major powers, Saint Domain experts were extraordinarily valuable.
"Graham, the three empires have been sitting high above everyone else for far too long. They've grown so arrogant they've forgotten this world's law: the strong prey on the weak. Without gods, you still occupy the most fertile lands on the continent."
"Since you refuse to go quietly, you can't blame me!" Philip's voice turned icy as a terrifying force of suction suddenly arose from nowhere.
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