The Empire Returns

The destruction of Casablanca City spread across the continent in just three days. The Five-Nation Alliance was not only surprised but also terrified. After the declaration of war, regardless of their initial attitude, each nation had strengthened its border defenses to ensure they received the news immediately. However, they hadn't anticipated that the enemy would launch a direct airborne attack deep into their territory.

Doesn't that mean these terrifying creatures can appear over the royal palace at any time, whenever they want to attack the capital?

The military situation is critical.

Large-scale mobilizations of troops began, and the capitals of various countries were the first to enter a state of high alert. The destruction of Casablanca City had awakened the nobles who had been indulging in comfort. Most of them stayed indoors, while the best troops were deployed throughout the city. Those soldiers who managed to escape Casablanca City (in fact, Angela had deliberately released them) were interrogated repeatedly by the leaders of one country after another, like criminals. Finally, they obtained firsthand information about Casablanca City.

"Alright, everyone."

Sitting at the table, the Speaker of the Vila Federation Council was visibly exhausted. He hadn't been sleeping well these past few days, and this news only worsened his already fragile mental state.

"Now, we finally have a general understanding and assessment of the enemy's strength... They possess cities that can float in the sky, and they have a powerful and terrifying army of undead. This army can even transform those they kill into undead creatures just as evil as themselves... Now, it's time for us to think about how to proceed."

"..."

No one spoke.

Faced with the question from the Speaker of the Federation Council, everyone stared at each other blankly. How to proceed? Deal with a city floating in the sky? Are you kidding me? We don't have wings, and we can't fly. How are we supposed to deal with such a colossal entity...? You ask us? Who are we supposed to ask? Besides, even the records of that war from a thousand years ago have been mostly lost. What everyone knows now is nothing more than five heroes bravely fighting the enemy, destroying the evil Magic Empire, and killing the wicked Arcane Mage, and so on—it seems that making up stories is always the easiest thing to do.

The most direct consequence of the destruction of the Magic Empire was the regression of civilization. Because magical civilization was almost completely wiped out, and because various nations had devoted "particular" effort to its preservation, after hundreds of years, almost no one had any recollection of what the Magic Empire had ever been like. The only things that remained were some records and documents from that era. What kind of troops, magical weapons, civilization, and cities the Magic Empire once possessed—no one was interested in paying attention to any of this anymore.

But now, they have to pay attention.

"Moreover, they possess a terrifying weapon. According to the soldiers, it appears to be something launched from the sky and then explodes. We don't know what it is, nor how many such weapons they possess. What if the Federation Council also becomes their target..."

Another member of parliament opened his mouth to speak, but seeing the ashen faces of his colleagues, he lowered his head and shut his mouth. The situation was already far from optimistic, and Raven were not welcome.

Just then, a general who had been waiting quietly spoke up.

"I don't think they'll prioritize attacking our capital."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted, and they quickly turned to the general. Although he didn't usually hold any position in the council because of his military family background, his identity in this situation seemed to reassure everyone.

"You're saying the enemy won't prioritize attacking our capital? Why is that, General?"

I know what you're thinking.

Sensing the fervent expectations of his colleagues, the general could only shake his head with a wry smile.

"I do have better reasons to conclude that they wouldn't do that... but that's based on a hopeless situation."

"Despair?"

Faced with everyone's questions, the general sighed and stood up.

"I think you all understand very well what war is for... Let's not talk about abstract concepts, let's get to something more practical. War is about defending our land and homes, or plundering the land and resources of others. In this case, if we capture the enemy's capital, it's equivalent to occupying the enemy's country. That's what you all think, isn't it?"

In response to the general's question, everyone nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with the general's assessment.

"That's right, that's how wars are generally understood... So, ladies and gentlemen, I regret to inform you that this is not a war in the true sense of the word."

Perhaps sensing the confusion in everyone's eyes, the general continued.

"We've already held a meeting like this once before. Back then, our Federation Council Speaker personally... note, personally accepted the declaration of war from the other side. It's fair to say that from that moment on, our Five-Nation Alliance and the other side were already enemies. So, as we said last time, if the other side wanted to, they could have simply killed our Federation Council Speaker back then... So, everyone, if things had turned out that way, what would we be doing here now? Would we be discussing that unknown threat, or arguing about who will become the new Federation Council Speaker?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became complicated; they had already vaguely guessed what the other party wanted to say.

"They could easily do that. Yes, they might be too proud to use such methods, but what happened at Xialuo Palace tells us that if they wanted to, they could kill anyone who stood in their way, even the central figure of the Five-Nation Alliance in broad daylight!"

At this point, the general's tone became increasingly solemn, even tinged with a faint tremor.

"But they didn't do that! They didn't do that! Instead, they chose Casablanca City... Everyone, after receiving this news, I immediately investigated the history of Casablanca City. It clearly states that during the war with the Magic Empire, Casablanca City joined forces with the Five-Nation Alliance to launch a rebellion in order to break free from the Magic Empire's rule!!"

These words shocked everyone.

"This is not a war! My friends! This is revenge!! They attacked Casablanca City to make them pay for their betrayal a thousand years ago! They don't want to conquer us; they want to utterly destroy us. My friends, think about it: the destruction of the Magic Empire... the destruction of an empire. Now, it has returned, it has returned to this continent. Do you think they will let us 'murderers' off so easily? No! They won't attack the capital first; they won't let us die so easily, because it would be too easy for us to die like this!! They will make us watch helplessly as all our land and all our people die and are destroyed... That's what they want."

Having said this, the general let out a long sigh, then looked at his stunned colleagues around him.

"At least, that's what I think."

Silence fell once more in the council hall. Each member wanted to say something, but none knew where to begin. Indeed, they understood that revenge would be far more complex than a simple war. The enemy hadn't occupied the most threatening cities, destroyed food production bases, or disrupted transportation. To put it bluntly, the Magic Empire's current actions were more like deliberately placing itself in an encirclement. After all, Casablanca City was surrounded by major cities of the Xialuo Kingdom, many of which were heavily garrisoned. With a few simple maneuvers, an encirclement could be perfectly formed—though only a genius knew what use that would be to a floating city.

This is not a situation we can handle.

The old council speaker spoke, but his confidence was clearly lacking. Ever since the Five-Nation Alliance meeting was wiped out, the Five-Nation Alliance had not dared to send any high-ranking officials to meet and exchange ideas again, in order to avoid being wiped out again.

"Our five nations must work together to overcome this crisis... Moreover, this time the enemy possesses a large number of undead soldiers, which is not a problem that ordinary armies can solve. We must also consult with the Temple."

"But sir..."

At this point, another member of parliament frowned.

"The Temple has been busy fighting the Mages' Association these days, and their relationship with Dideyasi hasn't been very good lately either..."

During this period, the conflict between the Temple and the Mages' Association became increasingly overt. The Mages' Association headquarters, however, kept its doors closed, pretending to know nothing. Elsewhere, the conflict between mages and the Temple had spread to most cities and regions. After all, regardless of whether the mages or the Temple won, both sides favored the use of large-scale, indiscriminate magic, especially the mages who had long been oppressed. They seemed to be deliberately venting their anger, recklessly using various large-scale spells. Over the past few days, various cities had suffered minor damage, though not major ones. Naturally, their hatred for mages grew stronger, but this was no longer relevant to the mages. They had always been discriminated against and hated; the more they were hated, the less bothered they became. Since the mages had always claimed to be symbols of evil to suppress them, wouldn't it be pointless to not be evil at all, given all these years of resentment?

In some places, the mages even began to rebel and attempt to take control of the cities.

Now everyone knows that this was probably all the work of the Magic Empire, but... what's done is done.

Since both sides have already torn off all pretense of civility, it's impossible for them to lower themselves to cooperate again.

The current situation is that the Five-Nation Alliance already knows that the enemy is the Magic Empire, but they do not know what methods the Magic Empire will use to attack. The only Mages' Association that might know this has been completely pushed to the opposite side by the Magic Empire.

Everything is in chaos.

"It seems we have no other choice at the moment."

Seeing everyone's worried expressions, the old council speaker sighed helplessly.

"The only thing we can do right now is continue to monitor their floating city... Let's hope they only have one..."

At this point, the meeting was clearly about to end when a messenger suddenly entered. Ignoring the surprised looks of the crowd, he quickly walked up to the old council president and handed him a letter. The old council president immediately opened the letter, examined it carefully for a few moments, and then his expression changed drastically.

The Xialuo Kingdom has sent troops!!

Whether out of anger at the other party's blatant presence in their territory, or driven by a sense of urgency, the Xialuo Kingdom mobilized its army almost overnight after the Casablanca City tragedy and began its advance towards Casablanca. Simultaneously, they dispatched sentries to constantly monitor the floating city hovering above Casablanca, fearing its escape. However, in the past few days, the floating city clearly showed no signs of leaving, continuing to drift leisurely there, seemingly without any ambition.

From the perspective of the Xialuo Kingdom, regardless of whether the other party is Magic Empire or something else, their audacity in entering their country to launch an attack is clearly a resounding slap in the face! Currently, everyone around is watching the actions of the Xialuo Kingdom family; if they don't do something, even the surrounding cities might be shaken.

Although Xialuo and the Vila Federation had previously expressed similar thoughts, the Vila Federation believed the matter was complicated and advised against taking action without authorization.

But now it seems the Xialuo royal family has succumbed to the pressure and taken action!

Darkness and heavy shadows enveloped Casablanca City, as if it were night.

Stepping out of the portal, Li Lin's first sensation was an overwhelming sense of bloodshed and death.

Not everyone was turned into Ghoul by Angela. On the contrary, only a small portion of these civilians were transformed into Ghoul, while the majority were torn apart and eaten by the Ghoul. Angela's requirement was that their heads remain intact; she hated the rest of their bodies the most!

I've seen everything you've done.

Watching Angela chuckle and fan herself, Li Lin Angela with satisfaction and reached out to stroke her head.

"Well done!"

"I will not let you down, Master."

Angela was also extremely excited by Li Lin's praise, and she grabbed Li Lin's hand.

"Master, come quickly, I've finished making it for you!"

As she spoke, Angela Li Lin and quickly ran towards the nearby square.

In the center of Casablanca's square stands a colossal tower made of human heads. Various heads are piled up to form the massive structure, each still bearing the expressions of fear, surprise, or sorrow at the moment of death. Shrouded in shadow, this terrifying tower of heads appears even more sinister and terrifying.

"Made with 53,000 human heads, it will absolutely suit your taste, Master!"

With her chest puffed out proudly, Anhe-Tu-Shujila boasted.

"I originally intended to use the pyramids of the Maya civilization, but then I thought, these inferior humans are not worthy of being the cornerstones of such an advanced civilization, so I made it this way instead. What do you think?"

"Um..."

Gazing at the towering structure before him, Li Lin unexpectedly fell silent for a moment. Then, he reached out and tightly embraced Angela's petite body.

"As expected of my familiar... I'm so glad to have met you on Earth."

"Owner..."

Feeling Li Lin's warm embrace, Angela happily closed her eyes and hugged Li Lin tightly until Nia came over, at which point the two slowly separated.

"Truly worthy of Miss Angela."

Nia's smile remained as gentle as ever; the tower of human heads before her seemed to have no effect on her.

"Everything you've done has really excited us. Kalin almost came over to challenge you."

"If they want to compete in the number and speed of killing, I welcome them to challenge me at any time."

Hearing Nia's words, Angela raised an eyebrow smugly. Then, she glanced at Li Lin and suddenly took two steps back. Nia also shut her mouth, quietly and silently watching Li Lin's back.

At this moment, Li Lin silently stared at the towering human head tower before him. After a long while, he suddenly stretched out his hands and looked up at the sky.

"A thousand years have passed... my friend, Aotenade... a thousand years!! A thousand years ago, you died here to defend our homeland, holding off the armies of the Five-Nation Alliance... Now, I have finally avenged you. Casablanca is my gift to you! Those who attempt to destroy the Magic Empire will suffer tenfold punishment! This is only the beginning, my friends! Arcane Mage! I will repay your grievances in your stead..."

At this point, Li Lin lowered his hand, coldly staring at the tower of human heads before him, and then swung his right hand.

Magical flames shot out from the center of his palm, enveloping the tower of heads. Li Lin stared at the burning tower for a moment before speaking without turning his head.

Nia.

"The army of the Xialuo Kingdom is about to arrive Casablanca City, numbering one hundred thousand... including twenty-five siege engines and catapults."

"Very good."

Li Lin nodded and let out a cold laugh. Even Angela noticed the hint of savagery in his laughter.

"One hundred thousand? Let them see what use one hundred thousand people can be in front of Arcane Mage!"

As he spoke, Li Lin turned around, and magical runes began to appear on his body.

"Let them see for themselves the power of the Magic Empire."