The Godsfall Chronicles

Book 7, Chapter 76 - A Sensational Feat

Beneath the city, planners had discovered a ma.s.sive underground layer of rock whose size and composition were different from its surroundings . It was transferred here a thousand years ago, during the cataclysm that broke the earth . It was also the most suitable thing they could use to exchange for the desert’s Source .

In the early morning, people began to gather .

The Shepherd G.o.d spread her enchantments to temporarily cover the entire capital . The realm’s strongest were strategically positioned and all the capital’s defensive towers were activated . The capital was on high alert and all the citizens gathered in open s.p.a.ces to avoid any possible danger .

Azura and her fellow students were helping the soldiers maintain order . By now the students were all given formal appointment as Greenland Awakened . They weren’t given posts on the front lines, but did have responsibilities around the city .

“What’s going on?”

“We’re not going to war, are we?”

“Nonsense . I heard Cloudhawk is preparing to bring a huge treasure to Greenland . If he succeeds we won’t have to worry about resources anymore . ”

“Such a treasure exists? Impossible . ”

“ . . . ”

Curiosity and rumors about what was coming were rampant .

“Quiet!”

A small figure approached, draped in a cloak that was a little too big for her . Her shoulder-length hair was tied up in a ponytail and three swords were strapped to her back . In her hands was an exorcist bow . Her face was a picture of determination and valor .

Everyone stood a little straighter . Everyone listened and respected Azura . There was every reason why they should .

With her talents she had already surpa.s.sed Greenland Inst.i.tute’s chief instructor, Claudia Lunae . She was widely accepted as the school’s best, not least because she was known to routinely defeat veteran demonhunters twice her age .

Skycloud’s most famous talents – people like Arcturus and Selene – didn’t show as much promise at her age . But more than that, the leaders.h.i.+p qualities she showed were amazing . With an innate charm and gravitas, people were drawn to her command .

She had been given the post of deputy-commander of the Goshawks . She was responsible for keeping a special unit of young soldiers numbering in the hundreds under control . Ordinarily she was responsible for giving them tasks and overseeing their training . Her team had already begun to acc.u.mulate a good reputation .

Among the young generation, she was closest to matching Cloudhawk’s potential . War was coming and they needed to be ready, but it seemed like the next generation would easily match the one before . Since Azura was also Cloudhawk’s sole disciple, it was widely a.s.sumed she would take on the mantle of alliance leaders.h.i.+p one day .

She shouted at them . “Remember your orders . ”

“Yes, ma’am!” They shouted . “Protect the citizens! Protect Greenland!” Her soldiers stared straight ahead with firm expressions .

Overhead, several airs.h.i.+ps floated like clouds .

They came from the Elysian realms, the wastelands, Woodland Vale and Meadow . Armies from everywhere . Dawn stood within the bridge of the flags.h.i.+p staring out across the horizon . Everyone was gathered to witness the scene .

She cast her eyes down to the ground . Her voice rang out, amplified by a loudspeaker . “I am Dawn Polaris, Governor of the Southern Capital . Everyone, evacuate the area immediately . Again, clear the area!”

“I know you are curious to see what follows . Remember, what you are about to witness is proof of the crimes the G.o.ds have committed against our species . Remember what our leader, Cloudhawk, has done to protect us . What we are about to accomplish will affect us all . ”

“Today is another miracle on our path to freedom . ”

Azura’s eyes were fixed on the horizon . She could feel the hum of relics growing stronger . Straight ahead was a group of mighty warriors, all of which she looked up to . Every one of them was a hero in their own right .  

Azura wasn’t ready to join their ranks yet, but she was confident that she would one day . Sometime in the not too distant future she could become an important pillar of this world they were building . She was sure of it .

Behind her were scores of troops and civilians who had been evacuated from the site .

Times had changed dramatically in a very short time . Everyone was less sensitive to the news of the times . Citizens and soldiers alike only understood fragments of what was going on, but they were ready to face the future all the same .

Cloudhawk’s defeat of the four Supremes already seemed like a distant legend . Word of the encroaching divine army had spread, but they didn’t realize how serious that was . They were confident that Cloudhawk would see them through .

In times of peace and times of war, citizens lived different lives from their leaders . Ordinary folk were like little fish, swept along with the tides . Only the mighty among them had the power to change how the current flowed .

That was why the life of a commoner was peaceful and satisfying . Although they weren’t in complete control of their lives and couldn’t change the future, at least they could accept it as it was . Without this responsibility they could live in peace . It was the sort of life Cloudhawk had always wished to live .

Unfortunately for him, Cloudhawk could never outrun his destiny . There was no such thing as peaceful seclusion, not for him . Instead he had created a peaceful land for thousands of others . He had to sigh at the machinations of fate .

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

“Everyone at the ready!” Azura felt the ground tremble beneath her feet . She raised her hand high in preparation . “We’re about to start!”

As soon as the shaking began, it quickly picked up in intensity .

Azura felt a pressure descend . A strong wind was blowing that struck her like a wall . She teetered back but kept her footing . At this moment, out beyond the border of the Southern Capital, a bubble expanded into view . In no time at all it had spread across several kilometers .

Most of the bubble was below the surface, so vision alone couldn’t reveal the scale . All they could see was the air within the bubble s.h.i.+fting strangely . Bolts of lightning crashed together inside, spewing waterfalls of sparks .

Even from this distance Azura was struck by how much power was within it .  

Suddenly there was a light as bright as the sun . Through squinting eyes Azura saw the desert undulating like the surface of a lake . All the area around the bubble collapsed and others heaved upwards a thousand meters .

A huge burst of energy spread through the ground, sp.a.w.ning waves of seismic activity . Like a stone dropped into a puddle, people watched in awe as the landscape was fundamentally altered . Huge plumes of sand were spat into the sky, temporarily turning day into night .

The violent earthquakes continued for a time before eventually subsiding .

Greenland was protected by the G.o.d Tree’s enchantment, further supported by the power of several powerful demonhunters and Awakened . No one was in danger of being injured by the dramatic display .

Citizens and soldiers alike stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed . Azura, Gabriel, Barb and others watched in utter disbelief . They could hardly imagine the breadth of power needed to accomplish such a thing!

But Cloudhawk had done it . He’d really done it .

Over the distance of thousands of kilometers he brought a grand treasure right to their doorstep . With the Source they could power their war against the G.o.ds and catapult their species to prosperity .

The sky was dark .

Like the explosion of a nuclear bomb or a ma.s.sive meteor impact, huge plumes of dust and sand were thrown into the air . For a long time they spread out like a blanket, concealing the sun and covering the city in darkness .

But that wasn’t a bad omen, it was a grand sign . Cloudhawk had brought the Source to them . With this wealth of power people could create whatever they wished . There would never be a shortage of resources ever again .

Just as the southern wastes were being transformed, a ma.s.sive pit appeared in the Cursed Desert as well . Kesjir vanished entirely, tumbling into the sandy depths . The surrounding dunes poured in like waterfalls . From this point forward, the Cursed Desert would be nothing but a huge, dead expanse .

The world’s landscape was changed . Earthquakes shuddering through the area were felt as far away as Stormford .

Overhead were hundreds of airs.h.i.+ps, watching the display . Those aboard were astounded by Cloudhawk’s power . Who would believe that a single man could transport something the size of a city, practically across the entire world! But that is exactly what had happened .

It was an act that was bound to be remembered forever . The witnesses stared at the silent, sandy basin where an oasis once stood . It was all that remained of the miracle .

This was bound to mark a turning point . What happened here was vitally important to humanity, and to the survival of their planet .

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