Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 1311: Chapter 1310: Rise

The reactivation of the control system cannot reverse the damage already suffered by the sentinel towers. As the most ferociously attacked defense node in the recent assaults, the sentinel towers in the north of the Highmountain Kingdom have suffered extensive damage and functional failures. Even if the barrier is raised again, the tower has already entered an irreversible destruction process.

Under the horrified gazes of countless soldiers on the battlefield, the towering structure that had stood for centuries and was believed by many to never collapse, finally toppled today. The collapse of the tower set off a chain reaction that ultimately led to the breakdown of the entire defensive line.

The heavy energy barrier disappeared, and aberrations surged forward like a tide. Only a forest defense line engulfed in flames stood in front of the Highmountain Kingdom, and the weary Guardian Giant Trees and mortal army began a staggered retreat.

From a high vantage point, the land had turned into a blackened purgatory. The black and red tides swept over the extinguished great walls, with colossal monsters moving effortlessly across the rugged battlefield. The forest edge was burnt, while impure energy beams and missiles whistled down on the heads of the mortal army. The towering Guardian Giant Trees uprooted themselves, bravely charging towards enemies emerging from the wasteland, yet were submerged in the "tide" ten times their number in moments. The pioneering knights tried to cut off part of the enemy forces from the flanks, but the fearless aberrations and "monstrous creatures" harder than stone were unyielding like fortress walls—

The mortal army was retreating, and the border to the north of the Highmountain Kingdom fell quickly. Although there was only one breach in the barrier, it was wider than the army could withstand. In the Brown Valley near the western side of Blue Rock Hills, the main force of the aberrations had already entered the forest interior. The path into the heartland of the Highmountain Kingdom lay before them. This human kingdom located in the southern part of the continent was still struggling to resist, but compared to the rapidly advancing monsters, the available reserves of the Highmountain Kingdom were falling behind.

"Your Majesty..." A royal temple Tutor looked at the high platform in the center of the hall in panic, at the Silver Empress with a face like calm water, "The tower has been destroyed... The ground forces can’t block the breach..."

"I can see that," Belsetia said in a deep voice. The Sacred Stars Temple trembled around her; ancient mechanical souls growled hoarsely in her nervous system. The ancient fortress was still struggling to maneuver and resist the firepower from the surface, and all of its systems were rapidly approaching critical limits, "The enemy’s main forces have all moved towards that breach... Their commanders have impressive response speeds and battlefield instincts."

"Your Majesty..." A minister approached the Sovereignty Chair hesitantly, then gritted his teeth and continued, "The Highmountain Kingdom is finished. Once the forest barrier is pierced, no one can stop the tidal wave of monsters. We must recall the surface army and retreat to the south of the Homeward Long Bridge—it’s our only chance to regroup the forces..."

Belsetia said nothing, but another minister could not help but glare at his colleague: "We are abandoning allies who have stood with us for centuries on the battlefield—something the Silver Empire has never done in its thousands of years of history!"

"I will take responsibility for my decision," the first minister said loudly, "I will go to the surface and fight with the rearguard army—but other forces and the Sacred Stars Temple must retreat to the south of the Homeward Long Bridge; this is a rational judgment!"

"That’s your decision, Lord Kronan, not mine—do not rush to say ’responsible.’" Belsetia’s voice suddenly echoed from the Sovereignty Chair, instantly silencing the arguments in the hall. She sat on the pale golden throne, slowly sweeping her gaze across everyone before her, finally resting on the massive holographic projection in front of the throne. She stared long and hard at the images of the frontline depicted there, apparently making a very difficult calculation and weighing her options. After a long while, she slightly closed her eyes, her fingers lightly tapping the armrest of the Sovereignty Chair.

The next second, the Great Astrologer Vilanya, standing beside her, suddenly heard a slightly distorted synthetic voice echo through the hall: "All subsystem control permissions have been transferred to the Elven Royal Court, each remote control subsystem is closing in succession..."

Many in the hall were momentarily confused, but the Great Astrologer, who knew the ancient fortress best, was the first to react. Vilanya looked at Belsetia in shock: "Your Majesty, what are you doing?!"

"The defense line of the Highmountain Kingdom cannot be abandoned. If we hand over the resource-rich civilized territories, those monsters will quickly grow stronger in no time, spreading rapidly across the Loren Continent, and retreating to the south of the Homeward Long Bridge is like being stranded on an isolated island. Even if we temporarily raise the Long Bridge for peace, those monsters will eventually cross the strait and set foot on our land," the Silver Empress’s gaze swept through the hall authoritatively, her voice as unyielding as steel, "We cannot allow those monsters a chance to establish strategic depth or develop a foothold—at all costs, we must block them within the wasteland!"

The elves in the hall were intimidated by the Empress’s words, and for a moment no one spoke to break the silence. Belsetia then proceeded to make further arrangements: "Lord Kronan, arrange for the combat personnel in various sanctuaries to enter escape shuttles or board Warhawks. Evacuate the Sacred Stars Temple within an hour, then proceed to the forest defense line and continue fighting on the ground. Master Vilanya, lead the non-combatant staff into the Tranquil Garden at the rear of the temple. That is the main separation module. I will launch you directly to the Elven Royal Court. Valendian will meet you there. Inform him of the frontline situation. Subsequently, use the Elven Royal Court’s backup systems to take control of the sentinel towers—swiftly mobilize reserve troops, the frontline needs your support."

Another violent explosion came from somewhere unknown, causing the entire Sacred Stars Temple to tilt violently. Everyone nearly fell to the ground, and as the temple struggled to regain balance, a royal temple Tutor finally couldn’t help shouting: "Your Majesty, are you planning to use the Sacred Stars Temple to block... Your Majesty! This is absolutely unacceptable! This... cannot be done!"

The other elves in the hall finally reacted as well, stunned by Belsetia’s shocking decision, expressing opposition and doubts immediately. The special place the Sacred Stars Temple holds in the hearts of the silver elves, its status almost as a "national symbol" for thousands of years, made the elves in the room explode. At this moment, even the ministers who usually revered and complied with the Silver Empress were frantically trying to dissuade their ruler in their overwhelming fear.

Yet in this noisy chaos, only Vilanya’s voice remained steady—although she had also been stunned earlier, she had completely calmed down by now: "Then, Your Majesty, what about yourself?"

"Of course, I will evacuate as well—I must take responsibility for myself," Belsetia said calmly. "The Sovereignty Chair has an escape structure, but if I want the temple to ’land’ accurately at a predetermined location, I must control it here until the last possible moment. Thus, you must evacuate first, so I can focus on completing the subsequent operations—then I will control the escape device to land within the Highmountain Kingdom, and the subsequent recovery work will be up to you."

Vilanya quietly regarded the Silver Empress’s eyes. Finally, the Great Astrologer slowly nodded, indicating obedience to the Empress’s arrangements. However, Minister Kronan took a step forward, eyes fixed intently on Belsetia atop the throne, his body trembling slightly. His lips moved for a long time before he finally spoke: "Your Majesty, the Sacred Stars Temple... is the foundation of the Empire..."

Belsetia looked into the eyes of the old minister, and the eyes of everyone in the hall fell upon her. The noise gradually quieted down, leaving only the roar from outside the hall and the overwhelmed mechanical sounds of the Sacred Stars Temple filling the surroundings.

After a long while, the Silver Empress’s voice finally resounded in the hall, touching the heart of everyone present: "The foundation of the Empire is not the Sacred Stars Temple; the foundation of the Empire is every single silver elf."

She heard a low hum from the depths of her nervous system, heard the faint tremors between the old, obsolescent logic units and machinery cabins, as if the soul of the Sacred Stars Temple was sighing softly. She couldn’t fully understand the noises from the ancient mechanical soul. However, amidst those deep, hoarse roars, she felt a certain part of her soul suddenly lighten.

Since she took this position hundreds of years ago, listening to the increasingly pained and profound wails of the Sacred Stars Temple day after day, this was the first time she felt such relief.

"Execute the evacuation plan; this is the order of the Silver Empress," she lifted her head, her voice as solemn and indisputable as when she addressed the court daily, "We are short on time, and the frontier army of the Highmountain Kingdom can’t hold for much longer."

There was no more questioning in the hall. All the elves began to swiftly act according to Belsetia’s orders, and evacuation directives spread to every corner of the fortress. The elves took their supplies and weapons and quickly headed to the nearest gathering point.

Those ancient relics, exquisite decorations, opulent poems, the deep chambers buried with countless secrets and memories, are all left behind, to soon meet the flames alongside this fossilized temple.

The Hall of Domination quickly became empty and quiet. Great Astrologer Vilaniya was the last to approach the throne, coming before Queen Belsetia: "Your Majesty, please..."

"I’ll take care of myself," Belsetia interrupted with a smile before the other could finish, then turned to her side. Her loyal maid Elaine, who had been by her side since childhood, stood there silently like a shadow and had not spoken a word since earlier. "Elaine, you follow..."

"Let me stay here to assist you," Elaine shook her head with a gentle smile, her tone soft, "Controlling the temple alone is challenging. You need someone beside you to help ensure everything is safe."

Belsetia immediately shook her head: "No, I don’t need..."

"You’ve never been apart from me since you were a child, so I know what you need in the most crucial moments," Elaine rarely interrupted the Empress and then glanced at the wide Sovereignty Chair, "Or is it that this escape device has a place reserved only for you?"

"...That’s not the case," Belsetia sighed helplessly, surrendering to her maid, "Alright, you stay. Master Vilaniya, you may leave."

Vilaniya took a deep look at the Empress and her maid, then turned and left the hall after a moment.

The flowing fire burned through the forest, and monsters as dark as tides surged into the defense line.

However, a buzzing sound unexpectedly emanated from the sky, so odd and peculiar that some soldiers behind the lines couldn’t resist looking up.

They were astonished and confused to see that the Sacred Stars Temple, which had accelerated to leave the battlefield just moments before, was now slowly decelerating. Countless magical airships and giant eagles emerged like swarms from the towering ancient fortress, buzzing densely, flying towards the earth, appearing like dark clouds hanging upside down.

On those airships and giant eagles departing from the temple, they were filled with fully armed, resolute silver elves.

A barrage of beams also erupted from the aberrations advancing on the ground, controlled by their rear commanders, towards the sky. Meanwhile, the airships and giant eagles from the Sacred Stars Temple began counterattacking, swiftly scattering across the forest in the process.

Soon after, a loud roar echoed behind the Sacred Stars Temple, and a structure roughly one-tenth the size of the temple itself detached from the main body, enveloped in bright magical energy, flying swiftly towards the Silver Empire.

After this series of bewildering changes, the Sacred Stars Temple finally resumed acceleration, but not along the safe evacuation route.

It turned around, slowly gaining speed at high altitude, remarkably aiming towards the distant edge of the forest defense line, towards the giant breach in the great walls, cascading with all its remaining might, unleashing fire rain from the skies, sweeping lightning across the front lines.

Like a giant dying and heading towards its demise, raising its lance and sword one last time before passing.

Inside the Hall of Domination, the piercing alarms had already been forcibly silenced by Belsetia. The sounds of devices deep within the Sacred Stars Temple overloading and self-destructing filled the air, intercepted firepower from the ground was more intense than ever, black and red beams or lightning constantly streaked across the exterior monitors, yet these terrifying attacks seemed merely laughable and petty in the eyes of the Silver Empress.

The more intense the enemy’s interception firepower, the more panicked the commanders behind them are, proving the correctness of her decision.

The Silver Empire was ancient, as was the Sacred Stars Temple. Many thought this decrepit Empire was as it appeared — luminous on the outside, frail within.

But some did not know that the forest never really decays, it only rises again, renewed after each burning and lightning strike.

The Sacred Stars Temple required a solemn and epic curtain call, and the Silver Empire needed a decisive and legendary rejuvenation.

Elaine stood silently beside the Sovereignty Chair. As the distant horizon began to tilt at the edge of the temple’s hull, corrupted wasteland appeared in view, and she bent down, softly saying: "Your Majesty, is it worth it?"

"We are a civilized ancient nation," the Silver Empress calmly replied, "bearing the weight of a great country."

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