boyutpedia Chapter 462: Expected.
Chapter 462: Expected.
"Ummm... hmm. Interesting," Sofia finally murmured, her lips moving slightly to one side as she stared across the transformed battlefield.Even she looked genuinely confused now.
The structures spread across the plains in every direction her eyes could reach forests of pale skeletal trees, black lightning spires, massive bone artillery, crimson blood veins pulsing beneath the ground itself. Everything radiated the same quiet, dangerous intent.
Nothing about it looked natural.
Honestly, everyone standing atop the wall had gone completely silent by now.
Not because they lacked thoughts.
But because none of them knew what expression they were supposed to wear anymore.
Shock?
Fear?
Awe?
The battlefield before them looked less like preparations for war and more like the territory of some ancient nightmare slowly waking beneath the dawn.
Lord Kael was the first to finally force himself out of the stupor.
"It seems..." He rubbed one hand roughly across his bald head before looking back toward Razeal. "It seems I underestimated your strength again, my Lord."
His voice carried genuine disbelief now.
And strangely enough.. Respect.
They still did not fully understand what any of those structures actually did. The strange trees. The dark floating domes wrapped in black lightning and hellfire. The pulsating blood-veins spreading beneath the battlefield. The giant artillery formations.
Yet instinct alone told them enough.
None of it was harmless.
Every structure standing out there radiated the same quiet certainty of death.
Before anyone could continue speaking
A figure descended rapidly from the sky.
Lady Veyra landed atop the wall beside Queen Grace with enough force to stir dust and loose stone beneath her boots. Her breathing remained controlled, though her expression immediately tightened after seeing the battlefield before her.
Shock crossed her face almost instantly.
She had been on the opposite side of the city helping move civilians and injured soldiers toward safer districts when she suddenly felt the massive magical fluctuations erupting across the battlefield. The pressure alone had been enough to force her into immediate movement toward the walls.
And now
She stared at what awaited her.
The towering Bone Wall stretching across the plains.
The forests.
The spires.
The dark structures covered in black lightning and strange hellfire.
Her eyes moved quickly between them all.
"What in the actual hell is happening here?" she asked sharply, unable to fully hide the alarm in her voice now.
Her gaze immediately moved toward the battlefield itself.
"How did the enemy advanced here this fast?"
Confusion filled her expression.
The gigantic Bone Wall alone already looked absurd enough. At first glance she almost assumed it had been built as some desperate psychological defense to keep soldiers from entering battlefield.
But the deeper she looked
The less sense any of it made.
Those floating dark domes unsettled her most.
The black lightning crackling around them looked deeply unnatural, while the strange fure pulsing inside gave off a pressure that instinctively made her uneasy.
It felt dangerous in a way she could not properly explain.
Like one mistake would cause the entire battlefield to erupt into catastrophe.
"Oh no, no..." Lord Kharvek quickly stepped forward slightly, trying to calm her down after seeing her expression. "This is not an enemy attack."
He pointed slowly toward the battlefield.
"These are actually the defenses."
A brief pause followed.
"Built by Lord Razeal."
Veyra paused completely after hearing that.
Her breathing visibly stopped for a second.
Then slowly..
Her head turned back toward the battlefield.
Then toward Kharvek.
Then again toward the battlefield.
Her mouth remained slightly open, though no words came out.
The scene itself had already overwhelmed her enough.
Now hearing that all of this had been created by one person somehow made it worse.
Honestly, no one standing there blamed her reaction.
Because they themselves had gone through the exact same disbelief moments earlier.
There was simply no normal response left for things like this anymore.
After several long seconds, Veyra finally let out the breath she had unconsciously been holding.
Then slowly she turned toward Razeal.
By now she had already regained most of her composure again, suppressing the embarrassment of her earlier reaction beneath her usual calm expression.
"It seems..." she said quietly before coughing once into her hand, "...I misunderstood the situation."
But.. Still
Despite the earlier shock, there was now something else visible within Lady Veyra’s eyes.
Interest.
Genuine interest.
Her dark pupils reflected the transformed battlefield stretching endlessly beyond the walls the forests of pale skeletal trees, the black lightning spires pulsing beneath the dawn sky, the giant bone artillery lining the plains, the crimson veins spreading beneath everything like the roots of some living organism.
It looked dangerous.
Deeply dangerous.
And she loved it.
There was brilliance in her gaze now, sharp and alive in a way it had not been earlier. Unlike many rulers, Nyssa Veyra had never feared dangerous things instinctively. She studied them. Admired them. Learned from them.
And what stood before her now was unlike anything she had ever seen.
The battlefield itself had become layered with defenses upon defenses stretching hundreds of meters deep in every direction. Every section of land looked prepared to kill.
"It is..." she said slowly while taking another measured breath, "...quita fascinating sight."
A faint smile slowly spread across her lips afterward.
The kind of smile that made one wonder exactly what calculations were already unfolding behind her eyes.
Several nearby soldiers instinctively shifted slightly after seeing it.
Even Razeal noticed.
Still, he simply nodded once in acknowledgment while continuing to observe the battlefield.
Nyssa’s gaze remained fixed upon the structures for several moments longer before finally shifting toward him fully.
"Would it be possible..." she began carefully, "...for you to teach me this kind of magic someday?"
The question caused several nearby faces to stiffen slightly.
Even Lord Kael glanced sideways toward her.
But Nyssa herself looked completely serious.
"If we survive this war," she continued calmly, "And if this kingdom still stands afterward... then I would genuinely wish to understand this power."
Her voice carried no greed.
Only fascination.
Because from her perspective, this was no longer simply "magic."
This was the birth of an entirely new magical foundation.
Razeal looked at her for several seconds before finally giving a small shrug.
"We can think about that later."
His answer came casually.
"After the war ends, there will be far more important things to deal with anyway."
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
"After all..."
His crimson eyes slowly moved across the city behind them.
"I’ll have a kingdom to manage."
No one corrected him anymore.
Not even Grace. Not even the lords.
The words settled quietly over the walls, carried away by the cold morning wind moving through Silver Shield City. A day ago, hearing someone speak so casually about ruling the kingdom would have sounded insulting. Arrogant. Completely unacceptable.
Now
None of them could deny that the situation had already moved far beyond ordinary politics.
Grace stood silently beside Lady Veyra, her hands folded lightly before her while her eyes moved slowly across the transformed battlefield below. The endless Bone Wall. The forests. The black spires wrapped in lightning and hellfire. Then finally
Her gaze returned toward Razeal.
There was still uncertainty inside her.
Still conflict.
But it no longer resembled the rejection she had felt earlier.
Because what she had witnessed tonight was undeniable.
Without him
Silver Shield City would already be half destroyed. Not to say the casualties...
Her fingers tightened faintly at the thought.
The soldiers stationed along the walls slowly began moving again as the initial shock faded from them. Orders spread through the battlements while defensive crews cautiously repositioned around the strange structures Razeal had created.
Still
Most of them kept glancing nervously toward the battlefield.
Toward the forests.
Toward the black lightning spires.
Toward the crimson veins moving faintly beneath the ground itself.
Some soldiers crossed themselves unconsciously whenever they looked too long toward the battlefield.
Others simply stared in fascination.
No one wanted to stand too close to those things.
Even from this distance they felt dangerous.
The lords themselves clearly carried the same concern despite trying to hide it.
Razeal noticed immediately.
"They won’t attack allies," he said calmly without turning around. "As long as they are properly marked."
"Properly marked?" Nyssa repeated instantly, catching the detail at once.
Razeal gave a small nod.
"You don’t need to worry," he said. "Everything here is completely under my control. No person within this kingdom will be harmed by any of these structures."
The confidence in his voice remained steady.
Absolute.
The others exchanged brief glances afterward.
None of them fully understood what "marked" meant.
None understood how such control was even possible.
But at this point, disbelief no longer changed reality.
And honestly
They had little choice except to trust him now.
Lord Kael remained silent for several moments longer before finally stepping forward again.
"There is still one concern," he said heavily.
Razeal glanced sideways toward him.
Kael folded his thick arms across his chest while staring toward the battlefield.
"I will admit these defenses are impressive," he said honestly. "More than impressive."
His gaze narrowed slightly.
"But this only secures the front before us."
He slowly pointed toward the transformed battlefield stretching beyond Silver Shield City.
"What happens if they stop attacking from here entirely?"
The others immediately understood what he meant.
"What if the enemy attacks from another direction?" Kael continued. "The eastern side of the kingdom. The western borders. Or another city entirely."
His expression remained grim.
"This wall protects Silver Shield. But a kingdom is larger than one battlefield."
That was the true concern.
The Rock Family possessed enough resources to wage war across multiple fronts if they truly wished.
And if a Supreme entered the conflict personally
Predictability itself became dangerous.
Kael slowly looked back toward Razeal.
"I apologize for even asking this," Lord Kael said after a moment, his tone noticeably more restrained now than before. "Truthfully, this should not even be your responsibility."
His eyes remained fixed toward the battlefield while speaking.
"But the reality is... our intelligence network is no longer capable of tracking movements on this scale properly." A faint frustration entered his expression. "The enemy is simply operating beyond what this kingdom was built to handle."
"So I cannot help but ask."
The old marshal looked back toward Razeal seriously.
"This is not me questioning your judgment. But in war..." His gaze shifted briefly toward the Bone Wall stretching across the battlefield. "Whenever one side builds a defense this strong... this obvious... enemies usually stop attacking it directly."
He paused briefly.
"Because the defense itself is rarely the real target."
The others silently understood his meaning.
A heavily fortified front naturally pushed attackers elsewhere.
"Do you have information we do not?" Kael asked directly. "Anything regarding other borders or possible movements?"
Then after a brief silence
"If not," he continued, "then perhaps it would be better for us to divide our forces while we still have time. At least enough to reinforce the remaining borders before the next attack comes."
Nyssa nodded slowly beside him.
Kharvek as well.
Even Grace looked toward Razeal quietly now.
Because unpleasant as it was
The concern itself was reasonable.
Razeal listened without interruption.
Then finally nodded once.
"I understand that."
His eyes moved calmly across the battlefield.
"But you do not need to worry."
The confidence in his voice remained steady.
"The next attack will come from this direction."
Several brows tightened immediately.
Kael looked at him sharply.
"How can you be so certain?"
Razeal slowly raised one hand and pointed beyond the ruined battlefield toward the distant horizon hidden beneath morning fog.
"Because the army is already approaching from there."
The words landed heavily.
Razeal’s expression did not change while speaking.
"I can sense nine peak Great Saint auras hidden within the approaching force." His eyes narrowed faintly. "Alongside hundreds of Saint Kings... and a very large army."
The atmosphere atop the wall changed instantly.
Several expressions darkened at once.
Even though they had already prepared themselves mentally for another attack, hearing it stated this plainly still struck heavily.
Nine peak Great Saints.
Hundreds of Saint Kings.
And this was only the force he sensed first.
Everyone instinctively looked toward the direction he pointed.
Nothing could yet be seen through the distance and morning mist.
Still
No one doubted him anymore.
"How bad?" Nyssa asked quietly.
Her face remained controlled, though tension lingered clearly beneath it now.
Razeal shrugged faintly.
"Nothing I cannot handle."
The answer came almost casually.
"And nothing all of you should concern yourselves too much over."
Several people visibly looked less reassured after hearing that phrasing.
"Though..." Razeal added while still staring toward the horizon, "I have not sensed any Supreme-level presence yet."
That single sentence visibly eased the atmosphere around them.
Grace quietly exhaled in relief.
Even Kael’s shoulders loosened slightly.
"Perhaps this is simply the next deployment wave they sent first," Razeal continued calmly.
Then after a brief pause
"But it will not take long before the main force arrives."
The relief vanished almost immediately afterward.
Several soldiers standing nearby lowered their eyes again.
The weight returned.
No one truly liked war.
Not real war.
Not the kind where entire kingdoms stood beneath the shadow of annihilation.
Even veteran commanders grew quiet beneath such pressure.
"So what exactly do we do now?" Lord Kael finally asked.
Razeal looked toward the battlefield once more.
Then answered simply
"We wait."
The simplicity of the answer almost felt absurd beneath the scale of what was coming.
But he said it as though there were no other reasonable option.
Honestly, Kael, Nyssa, and Kharvek all wanted to argue against it instinctively. Every military instinct they possessed screamed that they should advance first. Strike farther out. Meet the enemy before they reached the kingdom itself.
The farther from the city the battle remained
The better.
That was basic warfare.
And yet...
None of them truly knew how much influence they even possessed over this battlefield anymore.
Razeal had taken command without formally asking for it.
And somehow
Without noticing when exactly it happened
They had already begun following his lead.
And so they waited.
Nobody spoke much afterward.
The atmosphere atop the walls slowly tightened as the minutes passed beneath the pale morning sky. Soldiers moved quietly between defensive positions while distant evacuation bells still echoed faintly through Silver Shield City behind them.
Eventually, all of them left the smaller wall platform they had originally been standing upon and rose higher into the air together, positioning themselves atop the gigantic Bone Wall itself. From there, the battlefield stretched endlessly before them beneath the growing dawnlight.
The height alone was monstrous.
Standing atop the wall felt almost like standing upon a mountain ridge overlooking an entire warfront.
And from there
They waited.
Sixteen long minutes passed beneath heavy silence.
Then finally
Movement appeared at the horizon.
Several eyes sharpened immediately.
At first the approaching force looked small only because of distance. Dark shapes slowly emerging through dust and mist beneath the pale dawn sky.
Then gradually the scale became clearer.
Massive floating warships drifted through the air.
Not ordinary ships.
Gigantic constructs built from layered stone, metal, and compressed earth floated across the sky like moving fortresses. Their bodies were jagged and brutal in design, huge chains hanging beneath them while siege structures lined their upper decks.
Even from kilometers away they looked enormous.
Below them
The ground army advanced.
Huge rolling golems moved slowly across the battlefield, each one towering over the ruined plains while smaller figures stood upon their shoulders and backs. From this distance, the soldiers riding them looked no larger than ants crawling across mountains.
Dust clouds spread endlessly behind the advancing force.
The earth itself rumbled faintly beneath their movement.
Slow, Heavy and Relentless.
The signs of their approach were impossible to mistake now.
Lord Kael’s expression hardened immediately.
"They came faster than expected."
——