Roy's expression turned grave as he ended the communication.
"How is it? Is the situation serious?"
Celine, who had been waiting outside, hadn't heard the specifics of the call but could sense that something was amiss.
Roy informed her, "They mentioned the legendary spell 'Skyfall Nail'... The Arcane Empire has launched the first attack."
Atedia, who had followed them, wore a look of concern on her face.
She didn't know what "legendary" meant, nor what "Arcane" referred to.
But seeing Roy so serious, she couldn't help but feel worried as well.
"'Skyfall Nail'..."
Celine wasn't entirely clear about it either, but she understood the power of a legendary spell.
"Make the arrangements. From now on, the Tata Mountains quarry will be on wartime alert. Everyone needs to be on high alert!"
Roy instructed Atedia.
"There's not much we can do for now, but we must ensure we can react immediately if something happens."
"Yes!"
Atedia's expression turned solemn, and she immediately went to relay the orders.
Celine asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Roy glanced at her complexion. "You should rest properly.
Pushing yourself while you're sick...
If it weren't for your strong constitution, you would have collapsed already."
Her face had started to take on an unhealthy yellowish hue, and even the once-beautiful skin couldn't hide her poor condition.
Celine had no choice but to nod.
...
In the following days, Roy continued to wait while staying in contact with other Wizards.
Tinas said, "This is absolutely terrible. I thought war wouldn't break out so soon. I was hoping to train another batch of centaurs with heroic bloodlines!"
Bessan also complained, "Just a few months ago, I ordered a batch of insectoids through my mentor to strengthen my forces..."
Dony chimed in, "Roy, how much Blood Mercury do you have left? I'll take it all!"
Anticipating the war, everyone was scrambling to prepare.
In truth, they had known war was inevitable ever since they eradicated Blood Hoof.
But at the time, it was widely believed that there would still be a buffer period of at least a decade.
Moreover, it was thought that the Orc Empire from the Osis Plane would be the first to strike.
No one expected the Mages of the Arcane Empire to act so swiftly.
Roy briefly discussed the situation with them, assessed the general circumstances, and decided to designate several zones within the quarry.
In the event of an enemy attack, the stone gates would seal shut.
Relying on the impenetrable walls forged from Flesh Fossils and Enchanted Cloudstone, they might be able to hold off the enemy for a while.
In addition, they needed to prepare more items like the Blackening Potion.
...
Time quickly passed, and the next day arrived.
As soon as Roy stepped out of the Alchemy Room, he saw Atedia walking toward him with a look of surprise in the inner corridor.
"My lord, come outside and take a look!"
"Outside?"
Roy quickly understood.
"Has something unusual appeared in the sky?"
"Yes, there's something strange there!"
Roy hurried outside, where Andov and others were already standing in the square, gazing up at the sky with expressions of astonishment, murmuring among themselves.
To the naked eye, it was impossible to see, but with a high-powered alchemical telescope, one could make out a black, crack-like blemish in the otherwise clear blue sky.
A massive, golden-green nail, radiating an eerie metallic glow, seemed to pierce through the dome of the world like an arrowhead.
Roy picked up the telescope and looked through it. Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine.
It was as if his soul had left his body, and his perspective was continuously rising, ascending...
Until it reached the outer layer of the world, where he saw a massive net woven with chains, and within it, a faintly glowing yellowish-brown planet was bound and trapped.
And now, in one of the grids of this net, a golden-green object, two to three hundred meters long and twenty to thirty meters wide, with a sharp, elongated head, was deeply embedded.
Below it was a hazy white void that formed the Boundary Wall.
Dark Void Rifts continuously spread from the point where it had pierced into this world.
"Is this the 'Skyfall Nail'?"
Roy murmured softly, feeling that this vision was not ordinary.
It might be related to the fact that he had once absorbed the destiny of this world, and in some mysterious way, resonated with the World's Will.
In a daze, Roy's pupils trembled violently.
He suddenly saw a fragment of the sky break off, falling like a meteor, streaking towards a nearby area.
At the same time, more fragments began to fall.
The latest novel is first published on 69shu!
Pieces of varying sizes, but all glowing with a white radiance, burst into dazzling starlike brilliance in the air.
Watching this from afar, a faint pain began to throb in his forehead.
But soon, as the celestial fragments landed, the pain vanished abruptly.
"Roar!"
An unusual sound came from the sky again, followed by rumbling thunder.
"What was that just now?"
"I think I heard something..."
"Did anyone else see that light?"
The crowd looked around in confusion, discussing what they had just witnessed.
Roy, however, was thinking about the relationship between the World's Will and the soul, and wisdom.
All things in heaven and earth are one, and the natural spirituality is the source of wisdom and consciousness for all native beings, including the gods.
The gods of a world are also born from the "saturation of spiritual concentration" of the World's Will!
Apart from this, there are special circumstances.
"Just like a solution that is shaken, changes in external conditions might cause local changes in saturation.
High temperature and pressure could also create crystals.
This is consistent with a world's stress response, consuming natural spirituality to give birth to certain things..."
Hearing Roy's words, Andov and the others, who were in the midst of discussion, turned their heads in surprise.
"Are you saying that heroes emerge in times of crisis?"
"Exactly! The World's Will of the Netherlands is resisting in this way!"
Roy became more certain of his speculation: "The level of the World's Will here is far from enough to give birth to legends, but creating heroes and kings is more than sufficient.
This also happens to align with certain ancient legends...
In times of turmoil, heroes emerge, and fortunes change!
Rare talents and spiritual energies that are usually hard to come by are all activated!"
"I've heard similar legends, even a dying patient might experience a final surge of energy before death..."
"The energy contained in the counterattack of a World's Will is truly terrifying!"
Everyone chimed in agreement.
But Roy was thinking of more. He quickly waved his hand, calling Andov and the others over.
He pulled out a map and circled several nearby locations.
"Help me investigate these places, see if there are any abnormal phenomena..."
"Especially if there are any heavenly treasures or rare artifacts, bring them back to me!
However, given the current unstable situation, we cannot afford to be away for too long.
Let's set a limit of one week. After one week, regardless of whether we have made any discoveries, we must return promptly!"
"Yes, sir!"
Upon receiving the orders, everyone immediately sprang into action.