SWDnovel Chapter 187 The Prelude to the Final Battle!
Chapter 187 The Prelude to the Final Battle!
Chapter 187 The Prelude to the Final Battle!
The news of the fall of "Radiant Flame" Silian was like a heavy death knell, its sound waves quickly sweeping across the entire city of Aikar!
This caused a huge uproar in every wizarding community, every human kingdom, and even in every alien force that was watching this war between black and white.
Unlike previous skilled fighters who were lost in localized conflicts or covert operations, Sillian's death was of symbolic significance.
Within the Tower of Eternity and its affiliated forces, the flames of grief and vengeance were ignited to an unprecedented degree.
Silian is no ordinary genius. She is a role model that the Tower of Eternity has been cultivating and establishing in recent years. She is a symbol of "light" and "hope" and an object of worship and emulation for countless young wizards!
Her death completely shattered the veil of "restraint" that had previously shrouded the war.
In white wizarding organizations and academies across the country, spontaneously organized mourning ceremonies quickly evolved into massive oath-taking rallies.
With red-rimmed eyes, the wizards raised their staffs and shouted slogans for revenge for Silian and for the complete purification of the shadows.
Her sacrifice was quickly symbolized, becoming a spiritual totem that inspired all white wizards to fight the Silent Forest to the bitter end, regardless of the cost.
The Tower of Eternity was immersed in immense grief and a kind of humiliating anger at being deprived of its rights!
They lost their brightest star!
This loss filled the entire Tower of Eternity with an atmosphere of sorrow and despair.
From the perspective of the Silent Forest and its allies:
This was undoubtedly a major and morale-boosting victory!
Hick's scheme successfully removed the White Wizards' carefully cultivated teeth, dealing a heavy blow to their morale.
Silence's power and tenacity are well-known. Her death proved the power and methods of the Silent Forest, and also strengthened the resolve of some previously wavering dark forces to follow the Silent Forest.
They raised their glasses in the shadows, celebrating this glorious victory from the shadows and anticipating even greater harvests to come.
For neutral observers and those small factions struggling to survive in the cracks:
Sillian's death sends an extremely dangerous and unsettling signal.
Even the "Bright Flame" has fallen—
Inside the tavern, the adventurers spoke in hushed tones, their faces filled with fear.
"This war has completely spiraled out of control; there are no more rules or safe zones."
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"The Tower of Eternity will not let this go; they will surely retaliate fiercely—"
The king of a small principality said to his ministers with great concern.
"We must immediately increase border patrols and reiterate our absolute neutrality to both sides! We must not get involved in their madness!"
"Mochamo—he's more terrifying than we imagined."
In a corner of the Underdark, an ancient consciousness whispers.
"And the Tower of Eternity's reaction—was abnormally intense. The purpose of this war is probably far deeper and—darker than we see."
Sillian's death was like a huge stone thrown into an already turbulent lake, creating not ripples, but a tsunami.
It disrupted a delicate balance, starkly revealing the cruelty and unpredictability of war to everyone.
It united the White Wizards in their hatred of the enemy, unifying their will for revenge like never before, but it could also make them more radical and reckless.
It greatly boosted the morale of the dark wizard faction, making them even more unscrupulous.
It instilled a deep fear in neutrals, who desperately wanted to stay away from this storm that seemed poised to devour everything.
Whether it was fervor, excitement, or fear, all these intense emotions ultimately became fuel that propelled the war machine to run even more frantically.
More young wizards, roused by the call for revenge, resolutely took up their staffs and went to the front lines.
More resources and wealth were poured into the bottomless drain of military spending. More conspiracies and killings unfolded at the boundary between light and shadow.
Just as Renkel had predicted—the conflict was escalating and the death toll was rising.
"Firewood" is being produced at an unprecedented speed and scale, continuously flowing into those two greedy "apples".
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Sillian, the "Flame" that once symbolized light and hope, ultimately became the best catalyst for this flame of destruction to burn even more fiercely and wildly.
The frenzy sparked by Sillian's death had an impact far beyond emotions and morale; it rapidly and profoundly altered the political landscape and balance of power in Aykar.
A radical shift in Eternal Tower!
Driven by the will of Anselm or Renrk, the Eternal Tower High Council passed a series of radical resolutions with unprecedented efficiency!
Some of the elders who originally held a conservative attitude and advocated a steady and pragmatic approach were forced to remain silent under the overwhelming calls for revenge and the subtle pressure from the old tower master.
More war resources were approved for use, and some ancient, powerful but costly war golems and forbidden spell scrolls that had been sealed away were reactivated.
The conscription order expanded its scope, no longer limited to individual wizarding academies, but also requiring the human armies of affiliated kingdoms to provide more soldiers to form mixed legions and go to the front lines.
The Tower of Eternity, like a war machine that had been thoroughly enraged, began to operate at full power without regard to cost.
Mochamo also keenly noticed the changes in his opponent.
He did not relax because of the temporary victory; on the contrary, he accelerated the pace of his encroachment and expansion.
Silence's fall was like a bloody defeat, demonstrating the power and "sincerity" of the Silent Forest to all dark creatures and fringe forces.
More dark races that had previously been observing, exiled evil beings, and even some Chaos believers who craved chaos and destruction, flocked to the Silent Forest's banner.
The area controlled by the Silent Forest is expanding at an unprecedented rate, and shadows are spreading like living things, encroaching on the border regions.
They abandoned all pretense and adopted far more brutal and efficient tactics—plague, mass curses, soul theft—
They used every means at their disposal to create more death and chaos, and to accumulate "fuel" more quickly.
Caught between two wildly expanding giants, small and medium-sized powers and neutral kingdoms are feeling unprecedented pressure.
The Tower of Eternity demands that they "choose sides" and contribute resources or even troops to prove their loyalty to the "cause of light"!
The Silent Forest, on the other hand, threatens them with shadows and death, forcing them to submit or at least remain "friendly neutral."
Many small countries are caught in a desperate dilemma, where siding with either side could immediately invite a devastating blow from the other.
Large-scale refugee waves have begun to emerge in some areas, with people fleeing their homes, which are about to become battlefields, in an attempt to find a safe haven untouched by the war!
Although such places are becoming increasingly rare in Aykar.
Meanwhile, amidst the vigorous promotion of the Eternal Tower, another voice gradually gained traction.
That is an ode to the survivor—the "Hand of Justice," Nia!
In the official narrative, he is a hero who led his companions out of the encirclement in a desperate situation and brought back crucial intelligence. He is the inheritor of the spirit of Silian and a beacon of hope in the darkness!
He was quickly promoted and given higher honors and command authority, becoming one of the commanders of the newly formed elite unit "Pure Light Blade"!
His image was used to soothe the grief-stricken crowd and inspire more people to join the battle.
"Fight like Nia!"
"Avenge Srian!"
It became the most resounding slogan!
Nia himself perfectly played this assigned role—he displayed just the right amount of sadness, resilience, and...
And a thirst for revenge.
Every public appearance he made, every tactical briefing he gave, was resolute and inspiring. No one knew what cold calculations and expectations for more "fuel" lay hidden beneath this perfect mask.
The gears of war, driven by the fall of a star, meshed with frantic speed, emitting a sickening metallic grinding sound.
More lives were fed into this giant meat grinder, transformed into energy, and flowed to two diametrically opposed yet strangely similar beings pursuing the same goal.
Silian's name resounded throughout the continent, but the truth of her death was deeply buried by carefully woven lies and the even more raging flames of war.
Her sacrifice did not bring light; instead, it plunged the world into an even deeper, more unfathomable abyss of darkness.
The sky above Aikar seemed to be stained a grayish color by the increasing smoke and dissipating magical energy.
Hope and peace are becoming distant and luxurious words.
Of course, not everyone was consumed by fanatical vengeance or fear.
The details of Silian's downfall cannot withstand the most rigorous scrutiny, especially from former classmates or observant individuals who knew her strength and Nia's character well.
"Will Nia lead the team to break through?"
In a secluded corner of Anse Academy, a wizard who was once a classmate of Nia but has now retired due to injury wipes his old staff and mutters to himself in an empty room.
"How did he manage to break through the encirclement that even Sillian couldn't break through, leading three terrified recruits?"
His voice contained no anger, only deep confusion and a hint of unspeakable doubt.
This suspicion cannot be expressed openly, but like a seed, it is quietly buried in the hearts of some people.
Similarly, not all elders within the Tower of Eternity are completely blindly obedient.
Some of the more experienced and seasoned wizards were uneasy about Renkel's prolonged absence and Anselm's increasingly radical decisions.
They vaguely sensed that the tower was deviating from its ancient guardianship mission and sliding into some dangerous and unknown abyss, but lacking evidence and fearing Ronker's absolute authority, they could only keep their doubts hidden.
"What—what does 'they' mean?"
Before a massive, highly detailed sorcerous map that reflected the flow of energy across the continent and the mobilization of legions in real time, Mochamo frowned, his voice tinged with unusual doubt.
Because the map clearly shows that all the main forces and elite squads of the White Wizard faction are breaking away from various war zones and converging at full speed on one location—Blanc City—in an almost desperate manner!
That was the bloodiest, meat grinder-like central battlefield of the entire Aikar Wizard War!
Countless renowned full-fledged wizards and powerful second-level wizards have lost their lives on that scorched earth—a place that was once an important fortress area that the Tower of Eternity had cultivated for a long time.
"Speaker, judging from their movements and the scale of their gathering, it seems that they intend to complete the final assembly of their forces there, which likely means that—"
At this point, even this well-informed and experienced level three archmage hesitated, because his own conclusion sounded too incredible and too contrary to common sense.
"This means they may have to fight our final battle in Blanc."
Mochamo's voice was cold and realistic, stating the unbelievable judgment directly.
This judgment left all the dark wizards present feeling a sense of inexplicable absurdity and confusion.
In the past, every wizard war has involved decades or even centuries of long-term struggle, back-and-forth negotiations and bargaining.
But this time, from the outbreak until now, everything seems too abnormal and too rushed!
The war has been raging for only a few months now.
Based on the experience of all past wars, this stage is usually just the initial stage of mutual probing and localized friction.
But this time, it seems that the Tower of Eternity is going to bet everything and seek the final showdown.
This is completely inconsistent with their understanding of the Tower of Eternity's operating style, and even less consistent with the normal pace of a total war!
This anomaly instilled a deep unease and a sense of unease in all seasoned wizards who were well aware of the cruelty of war.