Chaos' Heir

Chapter 1387: Aynor

Aynor was unique among the big cities on Earth. Unlike the others, Aynor was almost entirely devoid of the usual, extensive slums that would surround those capitals’ defensive walls, and most of it had to do with its location.

The First Impact had scarred Earth beyond recognition, and the Global Army had preferred to salvage and rebuild only parts of it before focusing on space expansions, leaving everything else to its desolate, mutated, and broken state.

Those lands that humankind had left to die were prime locations for criminal activities and illegal structures, but Aynor stood proudly as an exception.

Fuming, radioactive, and scorching red rivers ran across a white desert that expanded all around Aynor’s defensive walls. The city was in the middle of a death zone that could kill any unprepared person and most weaker warriors on the spot, but great benefits existed among that deadly danger.

The red, radioactive waters and the white mist they released into the sky had incredibly healthy properties as long as they were correctly harnessed.

Upon discovering that, humankind had cleansed part of the desert and erected Aynor in the area, littering it with spas, saunas, hot springs, and similar healthcare-focused locations only accessible to wealthy people and important figures.

The most luxurious spots even featured facilities that could benefit the attunement with mana, bringing similar benefits to Baoway’s supplement, albeit on a far smaller scale.

That made Aynor so exclusive that anyone would feel blessed to get the chance and succeed at securing a habitation in the city. Yet, George didn’t feel lucky at all while inspecting the distant scenery from the terrace at the top of his building.

Usually, Aynor’s surrounding skies would have a faint white mist that partially reflected the desert and rivers’ colors, creating quite a shimmering and magical landscape, increasing the location’s value.

However, the sky in one direction had changed color. Something impossibly black had opened near the orbit, releasing a flickering dark cloud that had flown at high speed toward the surface and was now flaring on the distant desert.

Aynor’s defensive walls were relatively far away from that spot, but the fact that George could see the event without needing scanners or digital binoculars vouched for its vastness. Something huge had landed in the desert, and chances were that the city was next.

"Patriarch," One of the soldiers behind George called, his gaze darting between the distant, catastrophic scenery and his phone. "We have received word from Coravis. It seems the Scarlet Eyes are going after Nak’s remains and beings tainted by their mana."

’I thought I had sent the bad luck away,’ George cursed, his azure eyes remaining on the dark horizon. ’There must be an underground, illegal lab down there.’

George instantly connected the dots, but that did little to change his situation. He finally diverted his eyes from the flaring, seemingly expanding cloud in the distance, lowering them past the terrace’s edge, studying something that his ears had already updated him on.

The building was quite tall, but George was a fifth-level warrior with excellent eyesight. He could see Aynor’s streets as clear as day, as well as the screaming, panicked crowds overflowing them.

The Global Army had tried its best to contain the news, but basically everyone had seen Khan’s interview during the meeting with the Kros. Besides, Aynor only had high-tier inhabitants. All its citizens knew about the Scarlet Eyes’ looming threat and what that black cloud could represent, triggering mass panic.

The black cloud had yet to get anywhere near Aynor. Still, its citizens were already running away, hurrying to evacuate the city through means of ships or its two teleports, overwhelming the city’s soldiers in the process.

Ships were already setting off all around George’s building, flying in the opposite direction from the black cloud. He had completed similar preparations, and the terrace highlighted them, but those scenes ended up making him hesitate.

"Yeah, I still can’t get used to being called that," George joked, lifting his gaze to glance at the terrace behind him.

Three ships were resting on the terrace’s back, ready to set off. Two teams of armed soldiers also attended them, with another being near George.

Still, George hardly focused on the ships or his soldiers since the last team stood around the two, almost three, most important people in his life.

Anita was there, beautiful as always, and heavily pregnant. That last detail actually was the reason behind the trip to Aynor. George wanted his family to enjoy some healthy pampering before the war exploded.

A small boy stood next to Anita, clinging to her pink dress’ skirt while following her gaze toward the black cloud. He had his mother’s blonde hair, but his slim eyebrows and azure eyes came from George, making him quite the handsome kid.

Anita felt George’s gaze and matched it, her eyes widening and betraying some worry when she understood her husband’s thoughts. She felt the urge to hit him on the spot, but he looked away before she could find a good way to scold him in public.

George briefly inspected the crowded streets again before refocusing on the distant black cloud. He hated the sole fact that he was considering such reckless thoughts, but the panicked screams that reached his ears solidified his resolve with each passing second.

War was a terrifying business, something George had the terrible privilege of knowing. The mess under him told him that Aynor’s citizens would take entire hours to evacuate fully, meaning countless casualties would unfold if and when the cloud decided to move toward the city.

As expected from a luxury location, Aynor’s soldiers were experienced and capable, but what could they possibly do against an enemy that negated the very mana? The city was powerless against the Scarlet Eyes, and George knew he was the only one who could make a difference there.

’That son of a forgettable woman,’ George cursed in his mind. ’When did you even turn me into an honorable man? I knew I should have kept partying until my late forties.’

George grew slightly irritated, knowing that he didn’t believe a single word that crossed his mind. Still, he could only sigh before uttering an order that conveyed the entirety of his firm resolve. "Bring out my sword."