At the Cathedral of Manus Metyr, Ymir, the High Priest of the Nox, had thoughtfully cleared a large encampment for the Legion of Demigods.
"Is this... the gift you prepared for me? A Fallingstar Beast, a beast from the starry skies. How considerate of you." Nolan nodded to Messmer.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze passing through the crowd before settling on two figures in the distance.
They were two Carian Troll Knights, straining as they dragged a massive creature toward him.
The beast was enormous, like a small mountain on the move.
It somewhat resembled a giant antlion, its body covered in translucent crystal armor that shimmered faintly, as though it were a meteor fallen from the night sky.
A Fallingstar Beast, the juvenile form of a creature favored by the Greater Will.
After a long process of growth and transformation, it would eventually become Astel, a terrifying beast capable of destroying an entire Dynasty.
Now, the huge creature struggled violently, but its crippled body was still dragged forward by the two Carian Knights.
Both Troll Knights were elites who served the Queen of the Full Moon. The vicious beast, gravely wounded by a Demigod, had no strength left to resist.
When they reached Nolan, the two Carian Knights stopped and gave him a formal knightly salute.
That respect was offered to the Carian Royal Family. They tossed the great beast at Nolan's feet like a dead dog, then took their places on either side of the young man who seemed to be Caria's Lord Consort.
Messmer bowed slightly to Nolan. "Indeed. With my abilities, I could not subdue Bayle, and the Sacred Tower has already fallen. This is the best gift I could think of."
His voice was low and respectful, carrying unconcealed awe toward Nolan.
There were too few powerful figures in the Land of Shadow. After learning what Nolan was capable of, Messmer realized there was very little he could offer this father of his.
The Nox people had ties to the Caria family, and in this land, aside from the Corrupted Lands to the west that were hardly friendly to a large army, the finest prey was naturally this beast.
Nolan lightly raised a hand. With a snap of his fingers, a bolt of golden lightning pierced straight through the beast's body.
After all, it was only a juvenile. Terrifying race or not, it still lost all life beneath that flash of lightning.
Nolan briefly sensed the changes within himself.
The gain from the beast was comparable to that of a top-tier first-rate champion. A fully grown Fallingstar Beast would likely be no weaker than a Demigod, and as for the legendary Astel, it might even rival a Lord-class being.
Just then, Nolan extended a finger. It moved lightly through the air, as graceful as a nimble spirit.
As his finger stirred, a wisp of purple light coiled around his fingertip, as though drawn to it.
In his palm, several tiny pebbles seemed to come alive, drifting and tumbling back and forth as if dancing merrily.
The sight left Messmer stunned.
That power looked like the gravity manipulation the beast had used while hunting, a talent possessed by a race beloved by the stars.
Unlike Gravity Sorcery, which sorcerers had to painstakingly study, certain strange beings from the starry skies were born with the power to manipulate the stars.
The little stones moved in a wondrous pattern.
They carried out all kinds of complex motions on their own, sometimes leaping, sometimes spinning, sometimes colliding with one another.
Messmer knew an invisible force was controlling them.
But when he thought of how even the evil serpent had been turned to his father's use, the Fallingstar Beast being fully digested no longer seemed so surprising. This was truly a great power.
"The Noxian envoy has come again. The High Priest seems very eager to meet you, though I cannot say what his purpose is."
Messmer's eyes widened. Those eyes had come from a beautiful flame of life.
That flame burned even more intensely in his gaze, revealing a look of obedience, as if his father were truly standing before him.
"It is said that he has long been plotting against a dangerous entity. Although the gift he promised is certainly sincere, this son fears he may have other intentions."
There was a trace of worry in Messmer's voice.
"A dangerous entity?" Nolan gave his son a brief glance, then asked calmly, "Do you mean the Mother of the Fingers?"
"Yes." Messmer's voice was as light as a falling feather. He sighed softly, as though he could not set aside the worry in his heart.
"Rumor says he longs to take that mother's place. For that purpose, he has been searching for powerful champions, hoping to hunt the daughter of a Great God."
Although, aside from the Hornsent, the other factions were not enemies he absolutely had to exterminate, the forces around Shadow Keep were still far from weak. It was impossible for him not to understand them and guard against them.
Messmer knew of Ymir's ambitions and schemes, but in truth, he did not care much.
In fact, if not for the mission he bore, he might even have supported Ymir's plan to some extent.
The Mother of Fingers was his mother's political enemy. Even with the great risks involved, Messmer was still willing to gamble on removing that enemy.
Even if the other party was an existence of unimaginable greatness.
"You need not worry. No matter what he intends to do, the initiative is in our hands."
The corners of Nolan's mouth lifted into a faint smile. "We are not the ones asking for help, are we?"
"What about those girls? Why haven't I seen them? And Moonrithyll is gone too."
Nolan looked around and suddenly realized that neither the Carian female knights nor the Numen were anywhere to be seen.
"Knight Moonrithyll is leading them in a sweep against the remaining Hornsent forces to the west."
As if perfectly attuned to his father's thoughts, Messmer immediately understood whom he was asking about and presented the battle report sent from afar.
"They went to suppress the Hornsent?" Nolan blinked at that, suspicion crossing his face.
It was not that he doubted the Numen's talent. They had simply taken up weapons only recently, and sending them against those madmen still seemed too soon.
Messmer explained, "They are only fighting with the army. The main forces are still the Fire Knights and the Black Knights."
His tone made his confidence in his knights obvious, and his words carried an unmistakable trace of pride.
The gap in strength between the Hornsent and the Impaler's Army had always been vast. Half the force would be enough to wipe out the remaining Hornsent.
Had the issue with The Scadutree not dragged on for so long, this war should have ended long ago.
Nolan was silent for a long while before finally speaking slowly. "That may be for the best. Let it be their final settling of accounts before we leave."
From the moment they chose to take up arms, they were destined to walk with blood and steel.
"Since I accepted the invitation, I must not be late. It is time to go," Nolan said, his voice echoing through the air.
There were no dragon wings, no storm. He simply rose to his feet and flew into the air.
Following him were Demigods, knights, and Flying Dragons.