Without shouting, without anger, and without hatred, the man slowly reached into his inventory and took out the core crystal.
His movents were calm, almost resigned, as if he had already accepted the outco.
He stepped forward and placed the crystal into Ethan’s hand.
At the sa mont, a translucent notification panel appeared in front of Ethan’s vision.
[Congratulations, you have obtained a Core Crystal!]
[Total Core Crystals: 13]
[City Ranking: 3rd]
Ethan stared at the panel for a mont longer than necessary.
I wonder... who’s sitting at second place and first place right now?
The thought lingered briefly in his mind before fading.
As soon as the ownership of the core crystal was transferred, the enemy guild leader and every remaining mber of his team began to glow.
One by one, they were teleported out of the event world.
Even the bodies of their fallen comrades vanished along with them, pulled back to the real world as the system reset the battlefield.
The burning city behind them trembled.
Cracks spread across the ground, structures collapsed inward, and within seconds the entire city crumbled into nothingness.
Flas disappeared, buildings fell apart, and all that remained was empty land.
Only one enemy city was left standing.
Cheers erupted across the battlefield.
mbers of Guild Avalon raised their weapons and shouted in triumph.
So dropped to their knees in exhaustion, others laughed loudly, overwheld by relief.
A war that had dragged on relentlessly for days—filled with tension, fear, and constant bloodshed—had finally co to an end.
Ethan hadn’t just gained another core crystal and the city’s resources.
All surviving city soldiers were imdiately transferred under his command.
When the numbers were finalized, Ethan had gained a total of 110 soldiers from this war alone.
He turned his gaze toward the distance.
Kevin was still fighting, leading his team against the last remaining enemy guild. From Ethan’s perspective, the outco was already clear.
Kevin’s forces had the advantage in both numbers and overall combat ability. The enemy was struggling just to hold their ground.
Seeing that, Ethan made a quick decision.
He ordered the newly acquired 110 soldiers to be sent to Lion City, located deep within the desert region.
Based on current conditions, the journey would take roughly one full day without rest.
Not long after, Kevin and his team crushed the remaining enemy city soldiers. The battle shifted into a direct confrontation between guild mbers.
It was completely one-sided.
Avalon dominated the battlefield. The enemy guild had no room to recover, no strategy left to turn the situation around.
One by one, their mbers fell, injured or defeated beyond the ability to continue.
The battle ended decisively.
Kevin obtained their core crystal and resources. Monts later, the defeated guild was forcibly teleported away, and their city disintegrated into ash.
Sera’s task was complete.
She flew toward Ethan, landing beside him and calmly reporting her remaining cooldown ti. Ten hours.
Ethan nodded in acknowledgnt.
He planned to make full use of that cooldown window to locate the city belonging to Guild Star Shield.
Kevin stored the newly acquired core crystal and walked over to Ethan, his expression noticeably lighter now that the war had ended.
"How are you holding up?" Kevin asked.
Ethan smiled faintly.
"I’m fine. Just tired."
"Co inside," Kevin said. "You can rest in my city."
Ethan agreed.
The two of them headed into Ascalon City, while Avalon’s mbers remained outside, busy managing the aftermath of the battle and dealing with fallen city soldiers.
Inside the city, Ethan observed his surroundings carefully. Ascalon was prosperous and well-organized.
Streets were clean, buildings intact, and recruitnt was still ongoing, evident from the glowing lights in the military barracks.
"It looks like being in the middle of the Tropical Region hasn’t been easy for you," Ethan comnted.
"For resources, it’s manageable," Kevin replied. "But fighting off enemy guilds nonstop? That’s what’s been driving insane."
Ethan nodded in understanding.
They stopped in front of a tavern filled with city residents, most of whom were NPCs. The atmosphere was lively but calm, a stark contrast to the battlefield outside the walls.
They sat at a balcony table, enjoying drinks that tasted noticeably better than the ones in Lion City.
From there, they had a clear view of Ascalon’s landscape.
"So," Kevin asked casually, "where exactly is your city, Sir Ethan?"
"Lion City is in the desert region."
Kevin nearly choked on his drink.
"Whoa. That’s far from here. How did you even know we were here?"
"One of the Eastern Alliance guild mbers told ," Ethan replied. "Not just you—Star Shield was here too, right?"
Kevin froze.
He fell silent, staring at the cityscape below them. After a long pause, he let out a slow breath.
"About Star Shield..."
Ethan frowned. "What about them?"
Kevin didn’t look at him.
"They... were destroyed."
"What?!" Ethan shouted, standing up abruptly.
Kevin lowered his head.
The distance between Ascalon and Talon City was massive. With the constant wars Ascalon had been dealing with, there was no way Kevin could have intervened in ti.
Ethan’s disappointnt was impossible to hide.
"Scavenger launched a full-scale assault," Kevin continued quietly. "Gregor defended the core crystal with his life."
Rage ignited inside Ethan.
His fists clenched tightly, and a powerful aura surged from his body, startling nearby NPCs and players alike.
"I was careless," Ethan said through gritted teeth. "I should have sent reinforcents—"
"No!" Kevin interrupted sharply.
Ethan closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down.
"Sending your mbers wouldn’t have saved them," Kevin said firmly. "Scavenger’s strength is far beyond what you imagine."
Ethan didn’t touch his drink.
He stood silently, eyes fixed on the peaceful cityscape below. The calm only made the weight in his chest heavier. Sadness and frustration gnawed at him.
The distance between the desert region and the tropical region was enormous. Mobilizing forces wasn’t easy.
Ascalon’s situation wasn’t stable either. If Kevin split his forces, Ethan risked losing two permanent Eastern Alliance mbers.
"So," Kevin asked carefully, "what are you going to do, Sir Ethan?"
Ethan turned to him.
"Tell ," Ethan said, "what distinguishes cities allied with Redemption Sword from those that aren’t?"
Kevin hesitated.
If Ethan ant visible symbols, then yes—there was a clear distinction. Redemption Sword had made it easy to identify allied cities.
"They use red-and-black flags," Kevin answered. "That’s the symbol of their alliance."
"What alliance?"
"The Blood Ink River Alliance."
Ethan’s eyes sharpened.
"Blood Ink River Alliance?" He smiled coldly. "Good."
Kevin stood up in alarm.
"Wait. You’re not thinking of attacking Scavenger directly, are you?"
Ethan had ten hours left before Sera’s cooldown ended. He intended to make every second count.
He wouldn’t attack Scavenger or Redemption Sword head-on.
Instead, he would target their allies.
"Let them watch," Ethan said calmly, "as I burn down the cities of their friends."
Kevin swallowed hard.
"This green land," Ethan continued, voice cold and unwavering, "will turn red today."
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