Chapter 19: The Battle That Shook the World (2)

When Komer realized that war was inevitable, his reaction was unprecedented.
This was a battle that would determine fate, and Komer understood this better than anyone else. If he failed against the orcish forces or the military provocations of the Northern Alliance, he could still escape calmly and try again. But against the powerful members of the Inquisition and the Wind Riders, failure meant no chance of escape.
Perhaps they wouldn’t destroy him physically, but he would forever become a living example for the continent—proof of what befell those who dared challenge the Church of Light.
Thus, no matter how one described its importance, this battle was of utmost significance.
Komer followed Rebril’s advice and chose Damorsk Fortress as the battlefield.
Facing the overwhelmingly powerful alliance of the Inquisition and the Wind Riders, retreating to Damorsk Fortress was not something to be ashamed of. With the fortress’s strong underground dark energy, the dark faction’s warriors could perform beyond their normal capabilities.
But was that even the most crucial factor? Umma would be the decisive force in this war.
The various kinds of charm spirits beneath the third layer of Damorsk Fortress would be Komer’s last resort for counterattack. He preferred not to reveal the fortress’s secrets unless absolutely necessary, but when everything was on the line, hiding no longer made any sense.
Komer demanded that Besarabia send three of its finest and most loyal high-ranking knights to Ugru as quickly as possible, insisting that Sobchak, known as the Eagle of Besarabia, be among them. He didn’t explain the reason to Antonio; he only asked him to send the men as requested. By then, no one could stay out of it.
The elite members of the three knight orders were also gathered for targeted training, leaving their leaders baffled. But Komer gave no explanations—obedience was the knights’ duty.
Among them, Shatima was undoubtedly the one who felt the intense fighting spirit the most. Especially when Komer spent long hours meditating in the meditation room, she sensed something strange. But to her, this was a rare opportunity—she longed for an unprecedentedly brutal battle to fully unleash her combat potential.

Ke Mo silently watched the giant bear standing in the dark corner. Its yellowish skin seemed to have more vitality and luster than before, and its eyes also appeared to have a hint of brightness. Although its occasionally moving pupils still proved it wasn’t alive, it had more vigor, and its entire body seemed to become more spiritual and agile, looking much more lively.

Ke Mo took a deep breath. The giant bear had surpassed the Golden Corpse stage and entered the Divine Corpse realm. As a Golden Corpse, it was impervious to blades and weapons, unaffected by combat energy, and immune to magic. The only things that could possibly harm it were high-level magical artifacts combined with powerful spells, or perhaps divine blades that could tear it apart.

Hmph. But with its current level of intelligence, who could do that? Caesar? Ke Mo thought coldly. Perhaps he should add a layer of anti-magic armor to it to enhance its resistance to magic and defense. If only he had more time. The giant bear had just entered the Divine Corpse stage. Although its telepathic ability was already quite sensitive, its intellectual development was still in its infancy, and its judgment of external situations remained at a relatively basic level. Often, it still needed mental suggestions to carry out complex actions, which greatly affected its combat effectiveness.

Sometimes Ke Mo felt his demands were too high. Achieving the Golden Corpse stage in just a few years was already an astonishing feat in the magical world. Ordinary necromancers might take decades to even reach that level, yet he had leaped straight from the Golden Corpse stage to the Divine Corpse realm. Such achievements could only be described as truly extraordinary.

But all of this still paled in comparison to the pressure posed by Caesar. Ke Mo considered himself confident, but that didn’t mean he could be arrogant. He still hadn’t figured out how to deal with Caesar and the Wind Riders.

Whether it was the Black Flame Knights, Umma and Shatima, or even the elite of the three major knight orders combined with the Eagles of Bithynia, they might not be able to withstand their assault. All he could do now was take advantage of the home field to maximize his strengths, weaken their advantages, and hope to gain the ability to counterattack.

Komer glanced deeply at the gloomy sky outside. Newman and the others were actively digging into the star magic array in the courtyard. This ancient magic array was extremely complex and intricate. Newman had already spent a lot of time on it; although he hadn’t fully understood its operating principles, he had still made significant progress, at least in terms of how to activate the star magic array.

Now, the challenge was to lure those proud knights of the Wind Riding Order into a trap, using the star magic array to dampen their fighting spirit and drain their strength. Even if it couldn’t defeat Caesar, it would still be quite effective against the other Wind Riding Knights.

Xu Luo still hadn’t given him a clear answer. But Komer believed he wasn’t short-sighted to that extent. Whether Xu Luo would actually come to reinforce him, however, was uncertain.

For the first time, Komer felt unsure. Ever since he had begun to seek to break free from the Dark Holy Church and take on the role of a secular ruler, his relationship with Xu Luo had become somewhat tense. Although he still accepted the title of supreme ruler of the Dark Holy Church, in reality, Komer was subtly reducing his association with darkness—a fact known to both of them, but neither willing to admit.

Everything was leading up to this inevitable battle. Caesar was truly something to look forward to, Komer thought silently. Few people on the continent, aside from Julius, could make him go to such lengths in preparation. With so many elites gathered, if it still ended in failure, then it would be fate.

Komer found himself surprisingly calm, as if anticipating that day. Whether he won or lost, he could face it with equanimity.

The fate of magic is reaching its climax—my new book has been uploaded.