Chương 71: Chapter 69: Siege of Ayanor

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM! The palace shook violently. Marble pillars shattered. Glass exploded. The Grand Assembly descended into chaos. Kings rose from their seats. Generals drew weapons. Saints unleashed their Astras. Above the capital— Hundreds of Archons filled the sky. Golden wings blocked the sunlight. The heavens themselves seemed to have descended. Fear spread instantly. Not because of the numbers. Because of who led them. The woman holding the silver spear. The Archon General.

Her presence alone surpassed every Apostle Rayan had encountered. She floated above the city. Calm. Confident. As though humanity had already lost. Her cold eyes swept across the capital. Then she spoke.

"By order of Queen Seraphina." Her voice echoed throughout the kingdom.

"Submit." Silence followed. Then— King Dasrath laughed. A deep laugh. The laugh of a ruler who had survived decades of war. He slowly rose from his throne. Golden energy erupted around him. The Royal Astra awakened.

"Tell your queen." The king's eyes blazed.

"Ayanor kneels to no one." The capital erupted in cheers. The Archon General merely smiled. Then raised her spear. The attack began. Thousands of celestial spears rained from the sky. Like divine meteors. Like judgment itself. BOOM! BOOM! If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. BOOM! Explosions tore through the city. Protective barriers activated instantly. Ancient formations hidden beneath Ayanor awakened. Golden shields covered the capital.

The first wave crashed against them. The barriers trembled. But held. For now. Rayan stood atop the palace walls. Shadowbreaker appeared in his hand. Golden flames danced across the blade. His gaze remained fixed on the Archon General. The Guardian appeared beside him.

"She's strong." Rayan nodded.

"I know."

"No." The spirit's expression darkened.

"You don't." For a moment— Even the Guardian looked uneasy. That was enough to tell Rayan everything. This enemy was dangerous. Extremely dangerous. Elsewhere— Cassian grinned. His spear crackled with lightning. The Spear Saint looked happier than he had all week. An entire celestial army had appeared. To him— That sounded fun.

"Finally." Lightning exploded around his body. The ground shattered beneath his feet. Then— He launched himself skyward. BOOOOOOM! Like a living thunderbolt. Archons barely had time to react. Cassian's spear pierced the first one instantly. Golden blood sprayed across the heavens. The second Archon died moments later. Then a third. Then a fourth. The Spear Saint laughed. A battle maniac unleashed. The celestial army quickly realized their mistake. Within the city— Siena stepped onto the battlefield.

The moment she appeared— Thousands of lotus petals filled the air. White. Silver. Gold. Beautiful. Yet terrifying. Refugees stared in awe. Soldiers forgot to breathe. The Lotus Sovereign had arrived. Siena slowly raised her hand. The petals responded. Millions of them. Each carrying divine energy. Each capable of cutting steel. The battlefield froze. Then— The petals surged forward. Like a tsunami. Archons disappeared beneath the storm. Screams echoed through the sky. The petals devoured everything.

And when the attack ended— Hundreds of enemies were gone. Completely erased. Even the Archon General narrowed her eyes. For the first time— She recognized a threat. The war intensified. Every Saint joined the battle. The King fought alongside generals. Knights charged celestial warriors. Mages unleashed devastating spells. The entire capital became a battlefield. Yet despite humanity's resistance— The Archons kept coming. Wave after wave. Endless. As though Heaven possessed unlimited soldiers.

The situation slowly worsened. Then— A notification appeared before Rayan. === Threat Assessment Updated Capital Survival Probability: 43% Recommended Action: Deploy Domain === Rayan frowned. The Domain? Already? He had never used it in a battle of this scale. Even Elysion had been different. The Domain of Absolute Truth was still evolving. Still incomplete. Yet there was no choice. The capital was dying. The people were dying. And every second mattered. Rayan stepped forward. Shadowbreaker rose toward the heavens.

Golden energy exploded from his body. The battlefield shook. Everyone stopped. Humans. Archons. Saints. Kings. Even the Archon General. All eyes turned toward him. The Dharma Astra awakened. A golden circle appeared beneath the city. Massive. Ancient. Beautiful. Runes spread across the kingdom. The sky changed. The world changed. Reality itself changed. Rayan's voice echoed across the battlefield.

"Domain of Absolute Truth." Silence. Then— The Domain fully manifested. BOOOOOOOOOOOOM! Golden light consumed everything. Every lie vanished. Every illusion shattered. Every hidden thing became visible. The effect was immediate. Invisible Archons appeared. Disguised agents hidden within the city were exposed. Traitors collapsed in terror. Secrets were dragged into the light. Nothing could hide. Nothing could deceive. The entire battlefield transformed. Humanity suddenly gained the advantage. Cheers erupted.

Hope returned. The tide had begun to shift. But the Archon General smiled. Not worried. Not afraid. Smiling. That alone sent chills through Rayan. Then she slowly lowered her spear. A portal opened behind her. Black. Ancient. Wrong. Every instinct screamed danger. The Guardian's face turned pale.

"No." Rayan turned. The spirit looked horrified.

"No..." The portal expanded. And something emerged. A hand. Massive. Covered in ancient darkness. Not celestial. Not human. Something far older. Far worse. The Archon General smiled.

"The Queen anticipated this." The hand continued emerging. The sky darkened. Stars vanished. Reality trembled. Every warrior on the battlefield felt it. An existence beyond their understanding. A monster from the Origin Gate. One of the beings Arkan had sacrificed himself to stop. Its crimson eye slowly opened. And the entire continent shook. To Be continue....