Chapter 1074 Final Valley

"This makes sense because arts are similar to spiritual artifacts, like imprints in your mind. Therefore, although the legacy has it since your soul itself transmigrated, the art itself is dormant. Whatever method you shall use, the important thing is to control this wrath."

Arthur grasped the concept but found it hard to implement. This might be the first time in his journey that he had to retrieve something he knows exists but cannot access. Unlike the Art of Creation, Submission was an ability rather than a transcript.

To put it simply, Arthur found it easier to manipulate people. This made him remember where the "Art of Creator – Submission" originated from. During his battle against the Sin of Pride, Ca.s.sius, the calamity mentioned that King Arthur was inspired by him to use the art.

Arthur closed his eyes to recall the feeling of using the art. It was similar to using telekinesis to move things, but in this case, those things were souls. The principle was the same, but the execution was anything but.

"In principle, my will intensifies enough to force others into following it," Arthur said as he opened his eyes and watched the kingdom of wrathful voices glaring at him with a thousand eyes. "This might be similar to the "Will of Kings" that you mentioned."

"It can be. You must find a way without relying on your golden mana; otherwise, everything will be for naught," said Nova as it started to fade. "I cannot exist for long in this realm, as everything is negated when meeting wrath."

"Visit me every once in a while. I will find a way, certainly," said Arthur as he patted the small dragon before it disappeared. Then, his brows furrowed as he turned to the kingdom of wrath. "However, I prefer a third option instead of relying on others. I want... to create my own art."

Dorian wrapped the bandage around his neck and the rest of his body. The battle against Westcoast was over, and Ascent had managed to emerge victorious. However, neither side could call it a victory due to the immense losses.

His body was covered in wounds, but none of them were inflicted by his enemies. Instead, his own body seemed to react to the wounds he had inflicted. Although he did not want to admit it, Dorian knew that the demon might be right.

"You must stop fighting."

As if thinking about her summoned the demon, she appeared before him with long horns on her forehead. Dorian stared at her with a strange gaze as the corpses on the battlefield were her doing. Everyone revived except those killed by a demon.

In a way, demons were the common enemy of the tower residents. Revival gave them peace of mind, and demons shattered it. However, seeing her beautiful face and cold expression, Dorian found it hard to hate her given her concern about him.

"These wounds are nothing," said Dorian as he ignored her warning. There was no such thing as stopping fighting. "I will be fine even with such wounds."

"This curse will not be resolved; it will only get worse," said the demon as she grabbed his arm that was wrapped in bandages. "Taking a life is different than sustaining a wound. Once this tower is conquered, killing a single person will kill you."

"What is this strange illness?" muttered Dorian as he stared into her eyes. "It started after I experienced the wrath Alexie felt. How is he still alive if he experiences this wrath all the time?"

"A normal human would have a similar reaction to yours, if not instant death," said the demon as she traced her fingers over his wounds, healing them. "Alexie has the capacity to feel things more than a normal human without letting them affect him. It might be an acquired skill, but I believe it"s because of his overflowing spiritual energy."

"Spiritual energy?"

"Do you remember when half the city of Xeloria lost their consciousness for a brief second?" asked the demon with a smile as she let go of him and sat beside him. "That was Alexie releasing his spiritual energy for a brief moment. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced."

"Hard to believe a demon would say that, given their spiritual apt.i.tude," said Dorian with a smile as he turned toward her. "What"s your name?"

"There is no need to exchange names, given that our acquaintanceship will not be long," said the demon without looking at him. Dorian did not say anything and watched her for a few seconds until she turned toward him. "I cannot sense fear from you toward me."

"This curse of mine allows me to have some insight into others," Dorian said with a smile as he gazed into the demon"s eyes. "I know that you can be ruthless to your enemies and kind to your friends."

"That monkey would disagree," the demon said, snorting and gesturing towards the tall Waiga laughing with his feline friend. "I"m not their friend, and I won"t be yours."

"They consider you as theirs, and you consider them as yours," Dorian replied with a laugh as he shook his head. "If you don"t want to tell me your name, so be it."

"My name is Seraphine," the demon said after a moment of silence. "I already know yours."

"Seraphine," Dorian muttered, giving her a nod. "I thank you for saving us. Let me introduce you to the man who entered this tower together with Alexie."

Dorian then rose from his seat and guided the demon to the man leading a meeting in a large tent. The two warriors stared at each other for a few moments before the general dismissed the others, leaving no one but Dorian, Seraphine, and himself.

"I heard about a demon, but I never thought my lord would travel with one," the man with a thin mustache said as he rose. "Any comrade of my lord is a comrade of mine as well. Thank you for helping us in this war. We would have lost more men if not for you."

"And you are?"

"My name is Ilia Perli, the Fifth Commander in Alexie"s army," the man replied, standing with a straight back. "We can talk over a drink later, but we have a more pressing issue at the moment. Xeloria has defeated Elvenheim, conquering two zones in one swift attack."

"As you would expect from the second strongest city with two artifacts under its belt," Seraphine remarked with a nod. "What about the other cities?"

"At the moment, each of the other cities has a zone except Elvenheim and Westcoast. This is the risk of waging instead of conquering land."

"Westcoast also had two artifacts, but they retreated after seeing that we had a demon with us," Dorian noted as he nodded toward Seraphine. "As we suspected, Crestview might have none. This makes them a weaker target."

"Are you suggesting that we should attack the strongest among the ten cities?" Ilia Perli asked with a frown. "That could be a suicide mission, Dorian."

"After obtaining this zone, I noticed that our stats have been amplified. This means that each city would be stronger at its base. However, that also means if Xeloria obtains a third zone, we will lose this war."

"Our goal is not to win," Seraphine reminded them. "We have to gather all lords in a single place for Alexie to kill them. Once he becomes the lord of every city other than ours, we can end the war and distribute resources among them equally."

"How would we achieve such a feat?"

"Since the strongest fighters in every city are the lords, there is no one better to claim artifacts. These artifacts will be the key to gather all the lords, but everything relies on timing."

"I have an idea, then," Ilia Perli said as he walked toward the war table. "There is a zone that connects to all others, right here," the general pointed to the middle of the island. "This one has yet to be conquered because it"s surrounded by mountains."

"Final Valley," Seraphine read the name as she stared at it. "How would we make use of such a natural fortress, Ilia?"

"We will divide our forces among the four cardinal gates and allow no one to enter except for lords," Ilia explained with a smile. "However, the way to ensure they enter the valley is to s.n.a.t.c.h something important from them."

"Their artifacts," Seraphine mused with a grin. "Jonathan is on our side, so he will s.n.a.t.c.h the two artifacts Xeloria has. You have one, and we have one, which makes it four. We still have six artifacts to find."

"Westcoast has two, while Rosewood has one," Dorian said with a nod. "This will leave three artifacts with Elvenheim, Ironspire, and Blood Keep. If we can s.n.a.t.c.h their artifact and create an all-out war in Final Valley, we can end this war in a single sweep."

"As for timing, it couldn"t be any easier," Seraphine said with a smile. "The entire world will know once our demon king emerges from the dungeon. We shall strike then."