novelDen Chapter 386 - 385: Sodon City
Chapter 386 - 385: Sodon City
Ruk shrugged.
"I’m not wrong."
"No," Varesh said. "Unfortunately, you’re not."
A few quiet chuckles spread through the room.
Alix ignored the exchange and turned his attention back to the map.
His finger tapped lightly against several marked locations.
"What’s our next target?"
Vordon immediately stepped forward.
He studied the map for a moment before placing his finger on a large city marker.
"Sodon City, my lord."
Everyone’s attention shifted toward the location.
Vordon continued, and moved another marker farther north.
"And once we secure it, the road to the capital becomes completely open."
The room grew quiet.
Everyone understood what that meant.
The capital, heart of the kingdom, seat of power.
The place where the royal family still ruled. Alix studied the map silently.
"How strong is their defense?"
Vordon answered immediately.
"Based on our intelligence, the city has roughly Five hundred thousand soldiers."
"Any notable experts?"
"Several normal Tier 6 cultivators."
He paused.
"And ten peak Tier 6."
Alix remained silent for a few moments.
"Ten peak Tier 6 cultivators?" he asked.
Vordon nodded.
"Yes, my lord. That’s the latest information from our scouts."
Ruk cracked his knuckles.
"Sounds like a proper fight."
Morgro’s massive frame shifted slightly, though as usual, he remained silent.
Alix looked at the giant.
"Morgro."
The Eternal Stone Giant immediately straightened.
"My lord."
"What do you think?"
The giant remained quiet for a few seconds.
When he finally spoke, his voice sounded like boulders grinding together.
"The walls will fall." Simple, and direct.
Exactly what everyone expected from him.
Ruk grinned.
"Sir Mogro can even conquer that city on his own."
Morgro ignored him completely.
The giant stood silently beside the table, his expression unchanged.
But everyone else in the room knew exactly what Ruk meant.
Tier 7.
Just the thought of it was enough to make people uneasy.
Even Vordon unconsciously glanced toward Morgro.
Because Morgro was a living legend.
In this region, most people spent their entire lives without ever seeing a Tier 7 cultivator.
Entire kingdoms were ruled by Quasi-Tier 7 experts.
Just like in this kingdom, other nations didn’t possess a single Tier 7 powerhouse.
Yet one was standing in this room.
Serving under Alix.
Varesh folded his arms.
"I still remember the first time I felt Sir Morgro’s aura."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I thought a mountain had fallen on me."
Ruk laughed loudly.
Alix said, "Let’s go back to the topic."
"Yes, my lord."
Vordon then pointed toward another section of the map.
"Sodon City’s greatest advantage is its location."
His finger traced the surrounding terrain.
"Mountains to the east. Forests to the west. A river running along the northern side."
Alix studied the map.
"A defensive city."
"Very defensive," Erel’na agreed.
"The royal family spent decades reinforcing it. If we attack recklessly, we’ll lose soldiers."
Ruk leaned forward.
"So we don’t attack recklessly."
Alix nodded.
"Exactly."
His gaze swept across the room.
"We have the advantage. There’s no reason to throw away soldiers."
Vordon nodded in agreement.
"We can force them into a defensive battle."
"Good."
Alix tapped the map one final time before standing.
The meeting had already lasted long enough.
The generals immediately straightened.
"We march tomorrow."
The room became quiet.
Even though everyone had expected it, hearing the order spoken aloud made it real.
Tomorrow.
Another step toward conquering the kingdom.
"As you command, my lord."
The generals bowed.
One after another, they left the war room.
Soon only Alix remained. For a moment, he stared at the map.
Sodon City, then beyond it.
The capital.
The final obstacle in this region.
After a few seconds, he turned and left.
---
Later that night, Alix returned to his private room.
The room was unusually quiet.
Zevran had already departed to begin his journey across the continent.
Only Mero remained.
The small spirit floated peacefully near the ceiling.
At first glance, he appeared to be drifting aimlessly through the air.
But Alix knew better.
Tiny streams of qi continuously flowed toward the spirit from every direction.
Mero was cultivating.
The ancient spirit had spent countless years refining his techniques. Even resting looked like cultivation for him.
Alix sat down.
"Mero."
The spirit slowly spun around.
"Hm?"
"Can you use your Tier 7 buff skill tomorrow?"
Mero immediately knew what he meant.
"Radiant Convergence?"
Alix nodded. The fluffy spirit floated lower.
"I can."
A hint of pride entered his voice.
"I’ve been cultivating all this time."
He puffed himself up slightly.
"I finally accumulated enough qi to use it again."
Alix’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Good."
-----
Morning arrived.
The first rays of sunlight spread across the horizon.
And the entire military camp erupted into activity.
War drums echoed across the plains.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The sound rolled endlessly through the morning air.
Soldiers emerged from tents, armor was tightened, weapons were inspected.
Supply wagons formed organized lines.
Mounted units gathered into formations.
The ground itself seemed to tremble beneath the movement of so many troops.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers filled the landscape.
All standing beneath the same banner.
Waiting.
At the center of the army stood the generals.
Vordon sat atop his mount while reviewing final reports.
Ruk looked more excited than a child receiving a gift.
Varesh calmly inspected his troops.
Erel’na coordinated officers and messengers moving throughout the camp.
And beside them stood Morgro.
The giant’s normal form was already intimidating enough.
Wherever he stood, soldiers unconsciously gave him extra space.
Not because they feared him.
Because they respected him.
A Tier 7.
A living legend.
Many recruits couldn’t stop stealing glances at him.
Some had never seen a Tier 7 before.
Others still weren’t entirely convinced he was real.
Alix eventually emerged from his command tent.
The moment he appeared, countless eyes turned toward him.
The conversations stopped.
The movements slowed.
Then silence spread across the army. Alix walked calmly toward the front.
His black banner fluttered behind him.
He stopped and looked across the endless sea of soldiers. Hundreds of thousands stared back.
Waiting.
Alix’s voice wasn’t loud. Yet everyone heard it clearly.
"Today, we march on Sodon City."
A wave of excitement swept through the army.
Many soldiers gripped their weapons tighter. Others straightened proudly.
Alix continued.
"The enemy believes their walls will protect them."
His gaze moved toward the distant horizon.
"They’re wrong."
The soldiers began grinning. Even the veterans looked eager.
Alix raised one hand.
"The road to the capital begins there."
The atmosphere grew heavier, more serious.
"Take the city."
No grand speech. No dramatic promises. Just an order.
But for this army, that was enough.
Thousands of weapons rose into the air.
A deafening roar erupted from the ranks.
"FOR HIS MAJESTY!"
"FOR HIS MAJESTY!"
"FOR HIS MAJESTY!"
The sound shook the plains. Birds scattered from distant forests.
Even the ground seemed to tremble. Alix looked toward the north.
Toward Sodon City. Toward the kingdom’s final line of defense.
Then he gave the order.
"March."
The war drums thundered once more.
And like a living tide of steel, hundreds of thousands of soldiers began moving toward their next conquest.
-----
Far to the north, behind walls of stone and iron, Sodon City was already preparing for war.
The city had not slept for days.
Messengers ran through the streets from dawn until midnight. Blacksmiths worked without rest. Soldiers filled every training ground, courtyard, and defensive position.
The entire city felt tense.
Like a bowstring pulled to its limit.
Atop the massive southern wall, countless soldiers stood in formation.
Five hundred thousand troops.
Every soldier from the surrounding conquered cities had been gathered here.
Rows upon rows of armored men stretched as far as the eye could see.
Ballistae lined the walls.
Heavy defensive weapons powered by Qi stones, pointed toward the distant plains.
Even the civilians could feel the pressure in the air.
Everyone knew why.
The monster army was coming.
Inside the command hall overlooking the city walls, ten figures stood around a large map.
The Ten Generals of Sodon.
All of them Peak Tier 6 cultivators.
Normally, such a force would be enough to intimidate any attacking enemies.
Today, however, none of them looked confident.
The atmosphere was heavy.
One of the generals slammed his fist onto the table.
"Damn it."
His voice echoed through the room.
"We still haven’t received reinforcements from the capital."
Another general shook his head.
"We won’t."
The room became even quieter.
Everyone knew what he meant.
A woman in silver armor sighed.
"The royal court promised support weeks ago."
"They promised many things," another general replied coldly.
"But where are they now?"
No one answered.
Because they already knew. The capital had done almost nothing.
One of the older generals rubbed his forehead.
"We should have received at least one Marshal."
His voice carried obvious frustration.
"Just one."
The Marshals.
Every single one possessed terrifying power.
If even one Marshal had arrived, the morale of the entire city would have doubled overnight.
But none had come.
A younger general laughed bitterly.
"You still expect them to care?"
Several faces darkened.
Nobody rebuked him. Because everyone knew the truth.
The Marshals no longer cared about ordinary cities.
Or ordinary people.
Their attention was focused entirely on their own power, influence, and survival.
The kingdom was falling apart around them, and they were too busy protecting themselves to notice.
"They abandoned Backwell."
"They abandoned the western provinces."
"And now they’re abandoning us."
The room fell silent again.
No one could argue against it.
A man standing near the window finally spoke.
"Even if a Marshal came..."
He paused.
"...would it matter?"
Several generals looked toward him.
His expression was grim.
"Backwell City had a Quasi Tier 7."
The room became silent once more.
Everyone remembered the reports.
The defenders of Backwell had possessed stronger experts than Sodon.