Chapter 613: Activation

The magical radiance was so brilliant that, against the dimming twilight sky, it appeared like a colossal pillar connecting heaven and earth. Any creature with sight could not possibly miss it. The soldiers stationed on the walls of the Rockhold Fortress, ever vigilant for any stirrings from the north, certainly did not overlook it.

A squad of elite troops quickly departed the fortress, following the direction of the magical glow into the outskirts of the Pompey domain. Before the light faded, they located the source of this unusual surge of magical energy.

There, standing upright in the wilderness, was a “statue” composed of rock and crystal, gripping a longsword and facing east. Nearby, the soldiers discovered a massive stone slab inscribed with countless characters.

The news was swiftly relayed back to Rockhold Fortress. Sir Walder Perich, the fortress commander, arrived at the scene before darkness fully settled. The veteran knight stared in astonishment at the sight before him—he recognized the statue’s face, having seen that youthful visage in certain records.

“This statue is… Marquis Belk?” Walder Perich murmured in disbelief. “This can’t be…”

At first, he instinctively accepted it as a mere statue, but doubt soon crept in, along with terrifying implications. The likeness was so lifelike that every strand of hair and every fold in the clothing was rendered in exquisite detail. A series of translucent crystals, still faintly shimmering, were embedded in the statue’s surface, as if growing out of its “skin.” The sight was chilling.

The old knight’s mind raced to recent intelligence from the north.

The inscriptions on the nearby stone slab seemed to confirm his suspicions.

After carefully examining the carvings, the reliable old knight turned to his adjutant. “Knight Margarita, contact Duke Gawain immediately!”

The urgent message from Rockhold Fortress interrupted a routine communication between Gawain and Daniel. After hearing Knight Margarita’s report, Gawain, seated in his study, exhaled slowly.

News from the deepest reaches of the northern contamination zone… had arrived in the most unexpected way.

Belk had been turned into a statue? What had he endured? How had he come to stand before Rockhold Fortress? Why had this transformation occurred? All of it was baffling, yet Gawain sensed fragments of the truth.

On the holographic projection beside his desk, a female knight with chestnut shoulder-length hair awaited orders. “My lord, how shall we handle… this situation?”

Gawain glanced at the projection. Behind Margarita, he saw the northern wilderness beyond Rockhold Fortress. The upright “statue” stood silently among rubble and weeds, illuminated by the glow of nearby magic crystal lamps. In that face, now stone and crystal, Gawain faintly recalled the last time he had seen the man.

“Scan the statue for any residual contamination—signs of chaotic arcane energy or unstable life signs. If none are found, bring him back,” Gawain instructed, adding a cautionary note, “Be extremely careful. Not a single chip must be damaged.”

Though he didn’t know exactly what Belk had gone through, Gawain could guess this much: a brave knight should not be left exposed in the wilderness.

After ending the communication, Gawain looked up at Amber, who stood nearby, still dazed and muttering softly, “The entire Eastern Legion… is really finished?”

Gawain shook his head gently. “I’m afraid it’s not just the Eastern Legion that’s lost.”

He reactivated the magical network communication terminal and called the military district’s emergency line. “Philip, come to the lord’s manor.”

The situation at the Greatwood Pass was now clearer. The status of the Eastern Legion had been confirmed. Though further intelligence from Solderin was needed for verification, many things were ready to move forward.

He didn’t wait long. Thirty minutes later, Betty’s voice came from outside the study door. “My lord! Knight Philip has arrived!”

Philip, dressed in full knightly regalia, entered the study. After a respectful bow to Gawain, before he could speak, the magical network terminal beside Gawain’s desk suddenly lit up again, humming with urgency.

“Wait a moment,” Gawain gestured for Philip to hold on, then activated the device. The special emblem that appeared in the air indicated a high-priority emergency communication—such a line was reserved only for the most critical intelligence.

The holographic projection quickly solidified into a clear image. A figure with golden hair appeared—Solderin, his expression grave. “We have significant developments.”

Gawain nodded. “Speak.”

“We have reached the edge of the contamination zone and rescued a group of kingdom soldiers retreating from the north,” Solderin reported rapidly and clearly. “According to them, all kingdom-controlled areas at the Greatwood Pass have been corrupted by the ‘Crystal Cluster Curse.’ Rockstone City has fallen. Count Solin has died in battle. The kingdom’s main forces have been largely annihilated. Duchess Victoria Wilde and her mountain legion are trapped in the north; their status is unknown. Some remnants of the kingdom’s army are breaking out toward the northwest, but their situation is unclear. A large force of crystal cluster giants is gathering and moving toward Saint Suniel.”

“Kingdom soldiers retreating from the north?” Gawain’s mind stirred. Suddenly, he recalled another piece of intelligence—the warning from Belk. “Check the blood of those soldiers first…”

Though Solderin didn’t fully understand, he immediately followed the order. Gawain rose and moved to the Ansu map, marking and analyzing the situation based on Solderin’s report.

Soon, the senior ranger returned to the holographic projection. Fortunately, the kingdom soldiers rescued by the Iron Rangers showed no signs of infection.

“Who leads those soldiers? How did they reach the southern edge of the contamination zone?”

“A knight named Mitchell. He and his squad were part of a larger force breaking out northwest. Near the Purplewater Valley, the entire breakout group was ambushed by the ‘Crystal Cluster Legion.’ The main force was cut off, and Mitchell’s squad got separated. With no hope of breaking north, they moved south.”

“Ambushed by the Crystal Cluster Legion?”

“Yes. Those infected by the crystal clusters… though they appear monstrous, we found they retain some semblance of reason. Their thoughts and perceptions have become utterly alien, and they see normal living beings as enemies…”

Solderin and his Iron Rangers had indeed gathered a wealth of crucial intelligence.

Over the next period, Gawain asked detailed questions about the north, the “crystal cluster infected,” and the contamination zone. Solderin provided a rapid, thorough report of all the information he had collected.

Gradually, the fog surrounding the situation on the Holy Spirit Plains lifted. Gawain’s mind pieced together all the known facts. On the satellite map overlooking Ansu, many previously vague and unknown areas were filled in and clarified.

Belk had brought intelligence on the Eastern Control Zone and the Eastern Legion. Solderin had firsthand information on the kingdom’s forces. All the data corroborated and completed each other: the main contamination zones, the distribution and characteristics of the crystal cluster “monsters,” possible survivor hideouts, escape routes—all compiled together.

Gawain turned to Philip, who stood before him with a solemn expression, awaiting orders.

“The First Combat Battalion and the attached mechanized units—deploy immediately. Destination: Holy Spirit Plains.”

“Yes, sir!”

After a brief pause, Gawain continued, “This time, I’m going with you.”

“You’re going on campaign?” The first to widen her eyes was not Philip, but Amber, standing beside Gawain. “But you’re—”

The elf’s words caught in her throat. She restrained herself from blurting out, “After last time’s campaign, you nearly died and were left with psychological scars,” but her wide-eyed expression betrayed everything she was thinking.

“The situation is different now,” Gawain said, anticipating Amber’s concerns but without anger, only a faint smile. “Given the current circumstances, the only way forward is to do everything possible to secure victory. Only then do we have a future and hope.”

He paused, sighing softly.

“This kingdom has become an unsalvageable mess. It’s time for someone like me—who crawled out of the grave—to clean it up.”

Ten minutes later, Philip left the manor to head to the military district, where he would gather his adjutants and staff to review all intelligence and devise a more thorough and practical advance plan before moving north. Amber also departed to manage a series of military intelligence affairs, ensuring wartime intelligence and homefront morale were orderly.

Gawain left his study and went to Tyr’s room.

The sea witch was not soaking in her beloved large pool but instead sprawled across the western side of the room, occupying a vast space in looping coils. When the door opened, her tail tip swayed gently as she hummed an unfamiliar tune.

It was not a human sound. The melody was laced with ethereal echoes and harmonies like ocean waves. It was beautiful and mysterious, and beyond the range of human hearing, there seemed to be a richer, more complex range of tones only deep-sea folk could perceive.

Gawain had come to discuss matters with the sea witch. He hadn’t expected her to be awake, let alone singing. Honestly, it was rare to see her do something fitting of her “sea witch” nature, so he couldn’t help but ask, “You can actually sing?”

“I’m a sea witch. It’s our instinct, okay?” Tyr poked the floor with her tail tip, her voice tinged with playful reproach. Then, curious, she asked, “So, what brings you here? You look serious… this must be important.”

Gawain nodded and got straight to the point. “About what you mentioned last time—the ‘scent of food’ you sensed to the northeast—I want to know more.”

“Ah…” Tyr sighed softly, her serpentine tail sliding across the floor as she inched closer to Gawain. “Looks like this really is serious…”

…

Deep within the heart of the Rebellion Fortress, beyond the boundary of the material world, beyond the shadow realm that mirrors the real world, beside the fortress in the Shadow Realm, a massive corpse lay silent as it had for centuries past.

Towering like a small mountain, the colossal stag hung silently amidst the shattered floating islands and scattered debris. Countless twisted metal fragments crisscrossed, sealing off the space around this divine corpse. Surrounding the giant stag, a faint, sacred light—powerful and unwavering—hovered gently as if never to be extinguished. Farther away, the ancient magical devices inside and outside the Rebellious Fortress, some over a thousand years old, had mostly gone dark, leaving only faint rune glimmers flickering slowly in the darkness, keeping silent vigil over the fallen body of Amorn, the giant stag, who had lain there for three millennia.

This unchanging stillness seemed destined to last forever.

Then, suddenly, something shifted—

A soft glow began to flow across the vast divine corpse. The giant stag Amorn’s tightly shut eyes quietly opened, just a little.

(End of chapter)