Chapter 295: Magnus

Chapter 295: Magnus

Magnus Redclaw, Grand Elder of a family that used to dominate wars across the realm and was feared by all, had fallen to ruin during a peaceful era. Without war, his family slowly faded into the background of the Blood Lotus Sect. As the decades passed, respect toward his family sharply declined, causing others to eye his family's lands. In the following internal conflicts, many of his Star Core Elders were slain, leaving his family weak like mangled dogs.

They had needed to seek a new path to revival, but looking back now, Magnus realized he had been far too stubborn and short-sighted. He had seen professions like alchemy or blacksmithing beneath his family and solely believed that his purpose in life was upholding his title as Magnus the Inferno Sovereign.

Magnus still vividly recalled the day Elder Margret groveled at his feet, sobbing and begging him to stop seeking war in a realm that was at peace. Finally coming to his senses after locking himself away in meditation for a decade, once he emerged, he discarded his old name, Magnus Redclaw, and beseeched everyone to refer to him simply as Grand Elder Redclaw. His sole purpose, moving forward, was to lead his family in this era of peace and rise once more from the ashes.

A decision that had led to this moment.

He stood on his sword of crimson flame with a stoic expression. His hands were clasped behind his back as his dark red robes and hair flapped in the cool nightly winds. His 7th stage Star Core hummed softly in his chest as he soared under the endless sea of stars alongside his Elders.

Standing with a similar stance on a sword to his right was Elder Margret, a person he deeply respected for her intellect and alchemy skills. She had never been one for war, but having recently ascended to the second stage of the Star Core Realm, she would be a valuable fighting force. Hanging from her robes was a sword imbued with the fighting spirit of Elder Mo, who was to his left.

The old man, who had been crippled by his heart demons due to the lack of war and purpose, had been cured due to the Immortal's kindness and had taken up blacksmithing after receiving an inheritance. It was almost poetic how all of his Elders had turned their backs to fighting and picked up the skills he had looked down his nose at in the past.

But when war calls, I see hints of their past selves shine through.

Elder Mo looked enraged. His loyalty to Ashfallen was a step above the others, and he had almost jumped into the sky without a second thought after Stella informed them of the situation.

"Old friend, can you feel it?" The Grand Elder said with a hint of nostalgia as his voice was carried along the winds by his Qi. "The coming of a new age."

Elder Mo nodded thoughtfully. "As always, the cycle of war is inevitable. Peace breeds the opportunity for a new powerhouse to emerge that will challenge the old families' status quo. It just so happens that we are the aggressors this time."

The Grand Elder hummed in agreement as he looked to the distance. Dominating the night sky like a beacon of power was the Immortal of Ashfallen. His wrath bathed the heavens in a lilac hue, and the mountain trembled as its ruler went to war in a distant land. The endless forests that blanketed the land mirrored the great tree's rage as they also burned fiercely, causing streams of Qi to spiral and rise into the air.

Such a breathtaking display of power assured the Grand Elder once again that he had sworn loyalty to the right Patriarch.

If only all of us were here like the old times. Fôll0w current novÊls on n/o/(v)/3l/b((in).(co/m)

Aside from those who had died over the years, Elder Brent remained behind in Ashfallen City as he wasn't at the Star Core Realm. However, a fourth person was with them, trailing a little behind and clearly a bundle of nerves.

"Amber, calm yourself." The Grand Elder said, "Remember, unwavering confidence is a cultivator's greatest strength. When you show a hint of weakness, the enemy will realize they are your superior and will go all out. Conceal your power, keep your cards close to your chest, and the enemy will remain cautious."

"Y-Yes, Grand Elder." Amber, their family's prodigy who had only recently reached the Star Core Realm, replied as respectfully as possible. Having grown up in peaceful times when their family was at its weakest, she clearly lacked the confidence that the war veteran Elders had. Something that would need to change fast, the coming of a new age of war was upon them, and it was time for the Redclaws to reclaim their former glory.

Soaring past the moving fortress below them that trudged forward, the Grand Elder led his Elders and Amber through the most enormous rift he had ever witnessed. It was so large it seemed to bend the world toward it and drew him in the closer he got. Passing through, he noticed the air grow colder as his ears popped. Strangely, the Immortal's presence was almost as strong here despite being so far from home.

Glancing down, he saw a Bastion. A spiritual ship created by the Immortal to exert his will on the world from afar. Atop it was a demonic tree ablaze with flames shrouded by a thick lilac shield that constantly rippled as it was pounded by the fist of a lunar titan pinned below.

"That must be the Lunarshade Grand Elder," he muttered to himself, "So that is what a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator is capable of. What a fearsome man."

Even from way up here, he felt a wave of pressure threaten to knock him from his sword every time the Lunarshade Grand Elder slammed his avatar's fist onto the Bastion's shield. He was also fighting off the Immortal's constant bombardment of spatial attacks, void tendrils, and the guardian beast.

It was hard to tell who was winning as this was a battle between beings in a higher realm of power to him, but it seemed the Lunarshade Grand Elder was slowly losing. However, that would soon change. Above the fight, a dozen Star Core Elders from the Lunarshade family had arrived and were busy setting up a grand formation in the sky above their pinned Grand Elder.

Their bald heads and white robes gleamed in the moonlight overhead, and ethereal energy flowed between them as words of power flashed into existence and began rotating in rings between them and the moon. Six floated on swords in a circle, controlling the formation while the rest defended from external attacks.

Portals, likely from the Immortal, kept opening and closing all around them.

Stella whistled at his side, clearly impressed.

"This brings back old memories," Elder Mo added with a grin matching Mangus's own. "You never were one to show restraint, always arriving on a battlefield and unleashing a single attack, leaving the rest to me as you were drained of Qi."

"Some things never change, old friend," Magnus chuckled as he sheathed his sword and clasped his hands behind his back. "I will handle things back here and watch your flanks. Those who remain in the hellfire will have spent a considerable amount of Qi or perhaps a defensive artifact to survive. With their numbers reduced, the risk of getting grouped on has lessened, so you should all be able to seek out opponents of comparable strength."

Elder Mo clicked his tongue, "Show off."

"How do you think I became known by a title across the land while you remained nameless," Mangus smirked, knowing this was a sore spot for his old friend.

"Bold words coming from a man who threw away his name in shame," Elder Mo scoffed, became wreathed with blue spirit flames, and flew into the fire. Elder Margret and Amber closely followed behind Elder Mo.

Magnus felt his eye twitch at his old friend's departing words, but to his own surprise, he could contain his usually short fuse. Fire cultivators weren't known for being the most cool-headed people, as the fire Qi corrupted them. Is this because of the truffles, or perhaps my decades away from war and focusing on controlling myself?

"We should go too," Stella said with her eyes closed. "I can sense a group that managed to avoid your attack heading straight for us." Her eyes slowly opened, "They are strong."

"Jade Sentinels," Diana clicked her tongue as her nails elongated into claws. "How many?"

"At least five, maybe more." Stella's expression turned serious. "All of them are near the peak of the Star Core Realm and have varying affinities, including a metal and fire cultivator."

"Metal?" Magnus stroked his chin, "There shouldn't be any metal affinity cultivators out here unless they are from the Silverspire family."

"I don't care who or what family they are from," Stella tilted her sword and flew off in a direction, "Everyone here is an enemy. I will need your help to fight them."

"As you wish, but are you sure the Immortal won't need help with the Lunarshades?" Magnus asked as he looked back at the chaos occurring below.

"Don't worry, he has it under control!" Stella shouted over her shoulder as she continued flying toward the north of the city along the edge of the still-burning sky. "Douglas and the cult of the All-Seeing Eye will decimate them."

"Douglas and a cult will?" Magnus wondered but then felt a rush of air followed by a pop as reality knit itself back together. The portal to Red Vine Peak had closed, meaning the giant tortoise that was a moving fortress had finished waking through the portal.

Geb turned its titanic head toward the Lunarshade Elders, and its maw slowly opened. A cannon of shining metal emerged from its throat as if sticking out its tongue, and earth Qi flowed through the colossal Ent toward the mouth cannon. An immense amount of power began to gather as the Ent's throat glowed silver due to the runic formations.

What in the nine realms? Since when did Ashfallen have such a weapon?

Squinting his eyes, Magnus saw Douglas standing near the window of a tower rising from the fortress city. One hand rested upon his walking stick, while the other was raised as if ready to point at something. Elaine stood at his side and was directing him.

"Douglas is controlling this massive thing?" Magnus was impressed. He had always found the man to be a hard worker and deserving of respect, but this was on another level. "Is he going to shoot the cannon?"

The Lunarshade Elders seemed to notice the sudden threat. To Magnus's surprise, they stopped focusing on the formation to free their Grand Elder and appeared to deem the Ent a more significant threat as they all flew toward it at immense speed while wreathed in lunar flames.

Douglas frantically lowered his arm, and the cannon fired at the incoming Elders. A metal rod shot out faster than Magnus could even track with his Qi-enhanced sight and took out two elders, impaling them. However, the weight of two fat bald cultivators and the impact threw off its trajectory, and the rod continued until it slammed into the Bastion on the ground, taking out its shield.

The other Lunarshade Elders made contact with Geb, and its shield barely resisted a single combined punch as it was thrown backward and almost toppled over.

"Well, that can't be good—" Magnus shut his mouth as he watched the now defenseless Bastion being thrown off as if a sleeping titan had found it a nuisance. Slowly turning his head with a terrible feeling, he saw the Lunarshade Grand Elder's avatar stand at its full height and turn to look directly at him.