"No!"
"Help—!"
"Hahaha, it's useless. Just wait for death…"
As that towering tsunami descended from the heavens, the knights of the Radiant Temple were plunged into absolute despair.
For the past three years of their war against the Frostsnow Temple, the only thing keeping them going were their own two Sanctuary-level lords.
But what they never expected was that once the three-year mark passed, what awaited them was not the dawn of victory… but a summons from the Underworld.
Their two Sanctuary lords had no power to resist the Sanctuary expert from the Frostsnow Empire. From momentum alone, they had been completely suppressed.
As that lord said—if the Frostsnow Empire wasn't fully confident, how would they dare restart the war?
Those first three years of battle were simply three extra years they were allowed to live.
The spiraling tsunami falling from the sky was no less hard than refined steel.
Carrying terrifying force, it smashed into the ground and carved out massive craters.
Even ninth-rank warriors—fully unleashing their battle-qi—were turned into thin scraps beneath the crushing waves.
A hundred-meter-tall tsunami howled across the land, flattening mountains, tearing through forests—like a natural calamity made manifest.
Only after the dark vortex in the sky completely faded did the force of the tsunami gradually weaken.
Without magical control or amplification, the massive amounts of water began flowing downward, gathering into basins, forming dams, lakes, and ponds across the devastated region…
As for the remaining knights of the Radiant Temple?
Aside from a few who had been fighting deep within the Tsunami Legion's formation and happened to be spared, at least thirty thousand were wiped out by this single water-element forbidden spell unleashed by Locke.
"I surrender! I surrender!"
Seeing the devastation inflicted on their side, the surviving knights threw away their weapons and knelt, surrendering immediately.
This war, which had lasted three years—was lost.
Even ignoring the powerful figure floating in the sky, with just the few hundred of them left, they would all be slaughtered in minutes by the Tsunami Legion's soldiers if they refused to surrender.
"Lord Locke is invincible!"
"Lord Locke is invincible!"
"Lord Locke is invincible!"
As the Radiant Temple's knights surrendered, the soldiers of the Tsunami Legion erupted into thunderous cheers.
They had crushed the Radiant Temple's Knight Legion. This war—they had won.
Hovering in the sky, Locke remained in a state of unity between man and nature, extending his spiritual sense outward, enhancing his perception of the surrounding elements.
Very soon, amid the ruined battlefield, Locke sensed a faint presence.
Whoosh—
Locke's figure traced a curve through the air and stopped over a swamp dotted with shallow pools.
There, a man lay face-down, soaked in blood. Nearly every bone in his body had been shattered.
But despite such horrific injuries, he was still alive.
This man was the only survivor of Locke's forbidden spell.
And he was also the Knight Commander, one of the two Sanctuary experts of the Radiant Temple.
Under Locke's attack, the Sanctuary magus's defensive magic had been crushed instantly and the man himself reduced to ash.
But this Sanctuary warrior—through sheer battle-qi and physical resilience—had fled just before the strongest wave of the "Raging Sea Torrent," barely surviving the catastrophe.
Locke casually cast a Water Healing spell to keep the man alive, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and flew toward camp.
…
Inside the camp, Locke tossed the Sanctuary warrior aside and returned to his seat to continue cultivating.
But he hadn't trained long before he sensed five familiar auras approaching.
"Lord Locke!"
The five company captains of the Tsunami Legion entered the tent, bowed, and greeted him.
"Oh, it's you."
Locke opened his eyes, glancing at the five subordinates.
"Speak. What do you need from me?"
Although Locke was the Legion Commander, he had never interfered with the Tsunami Legion's management.
To Locke, the growth of his own strength was what truly mattered.
Authority? That was only the by-product of strength.
And these five captains had never disappointed him. Under their leadership, the Tsunami Legion achieved tremendous results.
Truthfully, Locke had spoken to them so little that he didn't even know their names.
Even though the Radiant Temple's knight legion had been annihilated, nearly a third of the battlefield was still under Radiant Temple control.
Under such circumstances, instead of having their soldiers occupy the remaining territory, these five had come here—making Locke a bit confused.
So he asked directly.
"This…"
The five captains exchanged glances. Finally, the oldest among them stepped forward.
"Lord Locke, now that this region is under our control, we came to ask… what orders does Lord Locke have regarding the development of this territory?"
"Territory development?"
Locke frowned.
"Isn't that something you should ask His Majesty Celes?"
"Now that this area has been reclaimed by the Frostsnow Empire, His Majesty Celes will send a new noble to govern it."
"In the future, the territory's development will naturally be decided by its appointed lord. Why ask me?"
"What?"
The five captains stared, wide-eyed.
What was this supposed to mean?
Why had they joined the Tsunami Legion and fought the Radiant Temple?
For the spoils of victory, of course!
And now, from Locke's words, he intended to give up the territory?
Once the new noble arrived with his own private forces, these soldiers—who were not part of the noble's household troops—would be reassigned to remote, barren villages.
Then what were these three years of bloody battle for?
"Lord Locke…"
Rage surged within the five captains.
But the difference in strength prevented them from venting it.
"What?"
Even though they suppressed their anger, Locke could clearly see the grief and resentment in their expressions.
Did he say something offensive just now?
Perplexed, Locke asked directly:
"You all seem… angry?"
(End of Chapter)
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