The people who had remained in the city were, according to their mana signature, bronze-level civilians and below, so there was no reason to attack the city if all the soldiers were outside it.
Even in war, some lines remained uncrossed for him.
Dragarion smiled.
"So that was the strange mana signature I was sensing," he murmured, analyzing the war formation from his privileged position. "Such a large mobilization in the outskirts..."
His enhanced perception could read the situation like an open book. Numbers, positions, power levels, everything was visible to his dragon-enhanced awareness.
Easily 200,000 troops extended across the landscape like a purple stain covering kilometers.
For any other commander, it would have been a daunting sight, a force that would require months of siege and thousands of casualties to overcome.
The sheer scale was breathtaking. An entire nation mobilized, every able-bodied warrior gathered in a single desperate gamble to protect their most crucial ’asset’.
But for Dragarion, enhanced with the power of seven ancient dragons, they weren’t important.
The distinction was harsh but accurate. Normal soldiers, no matter how numerous or brave, simply couldn’t threaten someone operating on different scales of power.
The only important ones were the few dozen energy signatures that shone like stars among the mass of common soldiers.
Power signatures that stood out from the rest like beacons in darkness. These were the individuals who might actually pose a threat, the enhanced warriors who could channel forces beyond normal human limits.
Yino also hadn’t been wasting time, he realized.
The sacrifices to create potions had continued in secret, and now more tamers had joined the exclusive club of six beasts.
The process for the last days had been horrific. Creating sextuples required resources measured in lives, not crystals. Yet they had done it, driven by the same desperation that now motivated his own impossible assault.
They were the only ones truly capable of stopping the King enhanced with draconic power.
♢♢♢♢
In the depths of Yino’s bronze territory, Coleoran Hexenmane felt the exact moment when his counterpart crossed their borders.
The presence was unmistakable: pure, concentrated power, moving directly toward the heart of everything he had built over decades.
The sensation was like feeling a small sun approach the earth. Raw power that warped reality around it, leaving signatures that could be detected across vast distances.
"So he has dared to invade us as brazenly as the crystal predicted," he murmured, his own corrupt beasts stirring restlessly beneath his skin.
The prediction had been accurate, but intellectual knowledge was different from feeling that overwhelming presence approach his domain.
The question that had been tormenting him for days finally found its answer: yes, Yano had sufficient power to justify such a direct and aggressive attack.
’Perhaps it would have been better if we ourselves had launched the attack before he used that power?’ The doubt gnawed at him, but it was too late to change strategies.
The regret was bitter but pointless. Every choice in war carried consequences, and second-guessing past decisions was a luxury he hadn’t.
The crystal had been clear in its instructions: attacking the King prematurely would, in the worst case, force him to advance his use of draconic power to that same moment.
It was better to let him take all the time he wanted while they prepared with more and more potions and corrupt people.
The logic had been sound, but logic offered cold comfort when facing extinction.
The crystal wanted first and foremost... to finish its objective of connecting with all possible people before attacking first.
The entity’s priorities were wider. It thought in terms of species transformation rather than individual battles.
They had waited, accumulating power while Dragarion apparently took a few days preparing his assault.
And thanks to that they now had dozens of tamers with six beasts, which hadn’t been a bad result considering the limited time.
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