Chapter 179: The Sky Full of Titans
"H-How..."
"A watchtower."
"Instantly?"
One Bronze-ranked mercenary slowly swallowed.
"This-this isn’t ordinary Earth Magic."
As he had never witnessed construction on such a scale in his life.
The merchants were even more shocked. Their expressions completely changed.
Their merchant instincts immediately calculated its value.
’Such a tower.’
’How many months would it normally take to build?’
’How much would it cost?’
’Hundreds? No... thousands of gold coins.’
One merchant’s lips trembled.
Luke simply kept a calm smile.
He then turned toward the gate guards.
"You."
"Take your position."
"Yes, My Lord!"
One of the guards immediately saluted before rushing toward the tower.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
His footsteps echoed through the spiral staircase.
A few moments later. He appeared atop the battlements.
The guard looked around. Then his eyes widened. "Amazing."
He could see the trade road stretching far into the distance.
The nearby forests. The mountain paths.
Even approaching caravans that appeared as tiny dots on the horizon.
"My Lord!"
His excited voice echoed from above.
"The visibility is incredible!"
"I can monitor almost the entire eastern road!"
The nearby guards couldn’t help smiling proudly.
Meanwhile...
The citizens became even more excited.
"Wow!"
"We finally have a watchtower!"
"Our territory’s security just became much stronger!"
"If monsters come."
"We’ll know immediately!"
"And if bandits appear."
"The guards can prepare before they even reach us!"
Excited discussions spread throughout the crowd.
The merchants, however thought about something entirely different.
Especially those who had attended Luke’s meeting earlier.
A smile gradually spread across their faces.
"So Baron Luke wasn’t exaggerating."
"He really meant it."
"If one watchtower can appear instantly."
"Then the others won’t take long either."
Thinking about that their hearts became lighter.
Once the entire trade route was protected by these towers. Travel would become far safer.
However another thought quietly surfaced in everyone’s minds.
’Wait...’
’Exactly how many Earth Magic Scrolls does Baron Luke possess?’
Luke, naturally. Didn’t hear a single one of their thoughts.
His silver wings slowly unfolded once more.
This time he deliberately flapped them far more gently.
Fwoosh only a mild breeze spread across the surroundings.
With another smooth flap, he gracefully ascended into the sky.
Whoosh!
Soon he hovered high above the eastern road.
The newly completed watchtower gradually shrank beneath him.
Luke silently counted in his mind.
"One completed."
"But I still have, Nine hundred and ninety-nine Watchtower."
Stopping in midair he slowly turned around.
Behind him the entire Blackstone Highlands stood proudly upon the mountains.
Then he turned his face and silently looked toward the horizon.
From this altitude the geography of the Blackstone Highlands became much clearer.
The territory had been established near the eastern side of the Stormhowl Mountains.
More precisely along the lower mountain slopes that connected directly to the Human Kingdom.
To the north a single trade road stretched endlessly through the mountains.
It wound across cliffs, valleys, and narrow passes.
A road nearly one thousand kilometers long.
Blackstone itself was located roughly one hundred kilometers from its eastern entrance.
Although both the Human Kingdom and the neighboring races claimed the mountain ranges on their respective sides. The mountains themselves remained largely untouched.
As not a single city stood anywhere within the mountains forest of edges.
Only nature and countless magical beasts.
Luke quietly observed the magnificent landscape.
Then he slowly shook his head. "Enough sightseeing."
So with a thought he deactivated the first form of the Faceless Titan.
The majestic wings behind his back gradually dissolved.
For one brief moment. Luke simply floated in the sky.
Then—
Gravity reclaimed him.
WHOOSH!!
His body immediately began plummeting toward the earth.
The roaring wind exploded past his ears. His clothes fluttered violently.
The clouds above rapidly disappeared.
The mountains below rushed closer at astonishing speed.
He was falling from nearly, five thousand meters.
Any ordinary person would have already screamed in terror.
Luke merely smiled. His expression remained perfectly calm.
Then he quietly spoke.
"Nyx Ascension." The moment those words left his lips—
BOOOOOOM!!
An overwhelming wave of darkness erupted from his body.
The surrounding air visibly distorted.
Void energy burst outward like an endless black ocean.
The sunlight itself seemed to dim. The roaring wind suddenly fell silent.
As if even nature held its breath. Within the storm of darkness.
Luke’s body began to change. His physique rapidly expanded.
In only a heartbeat. He transformed into the Void Titan—Nyx.
Standing nearly fourteen feet tall.
His shoulder-length dark-blue hair danced gracefully in the violent air currents.
Then above his head. Space itself distorted.
A circle of absolute darkness slowly condensed. Void energy continuously flowed toward it.
Until—
A black halo silently formed.
Not made of light. But of condensed Void itself.
It floated serenely above his head. While rotating slowly.
The next instant. Luke raised his hand. Space beside him silently distorted.
Vmmmm.
"Valzareth." His calm voice echoed through the sky.
Immediately liquid-like black-blue energy surged from the void.
It wrapped around his gigantic body layer after layer.
Within only a heartbeat.
The towering Void Titan stood completely encased in the majestic Valzareth Armor.
The dark armor reflected faint azure light. While ancient runes pulsed softly across its surface.
Then he slowly spoke again.
"Shadow of Nyx." His quiet voice carried across the sky.
The space behind him suddenly rippled.
Ripple. Ripple. Ripple.
Ten separate distortions appeared one after another.
Then—
WHOOM!
One figure stepped out.
Then another.
And another.
Until...
Ten identical figures silently dropping behind him.
Every single one was the Void Titan Nyx. Every single one wore the complete Valzareth Armor.
Even the black halo floated above each of their heads.
From a distance it looked as though eleven Void beings had appeared simultaneously.
Luke looked back at them. A faint smile appeared beneath his helmet.
"Just as I thought."
The name of the skill was Shadow of Nyx.
Yet high above the grounds. There wasn’t a single shadow beneath him.
And still the dopplegängers had appeared without the slightest difficulty.
That confirmed his earlier suspicion.
The skill didn’t actually require shadows.