Chapter 42: A Million Aether—and the Legendary Hero Arrives
"Recruit."
The moment Cassian gave the command, the locked High Realm Call unfolded between the two armies.
A pillar of gold shot into the sky above the mountain road.
The Dwarf formation in front of the Royal Hall changed at once. Ridgewardens lowered their shields. Ironhorn Ram Cavalry spread toward both flanks. Farther back, Dwarf Gunners raised their weapons again.
Haldor Stormhammer slammed his warhammer into the ground.
"Human Lord."
"What are you doing?"
Cassian did not answer.
He watched the gate of light.
He had already spent one million Aether.
Whether this Hero was worth changing his earlier decision not to fight would become clear soon enough.
A silver-white longsword emerged first.
Then a tall woman stepped through.
Silver light armor fitted close over her shoulders and back. Two folded wings of white light rested behind her. The sight of nearly a thousand Dwarves did not make her flinch.
Instead, she looked down at her own hand, then raised her eyes toward the unfamiliar sky as though confirming something more important than the enemy in front of her.
System information appeared.
[Aurelia Dawnwing]
[Quality: Legendary]
[Level: 1]
[Type: Martial Hero]
[Origin Trace: Extra-Realm]
[Former Allegiance: Dawnwing Host]
[Combat Profile: Aerial Assault / Lightning / Barrier]
[Skills: Thunder Crown / Skyblade Descent / Folded Sky Ward]
[standard Hero Contract: 1 / 2]
Aurelia studied the `Extra-Realm` line for a moment.
"This isn’t my old sky."
She closed her eyes.
For several seconds, she seemed to listen—not only to the contract, but to the new body carrying her power and the unfamiliar world around it.
When she opened her eyes again, they were clear.
"My memories are intact. So is my name. So is my judgment."
"This is not a shadow left behind after death. Your call brought me into another real Realm."
Eira said nothing.
Cassian did not rush her.
Aurelia continued on her own.
"I came from the Dawnwing Host. The ruler of the age I came from has already fallen, and a successor is ready to inherit the order we protected."
"If I remained there, an age that should have learned to stand without me would keep leaning on someone who was already meant to leave."
Her gaze passed over the Royal Hall, Haldor, and the unfamiliar mountain range beyond.
"But this place is different."
"Powers from different worlds are recognized by the same rules. Strange races and Lords fight for their place in the same Realm."
"If that is the answer your High Realm Call gave me..."
She looked back at Cassian.
"Then I’ll stay and see what kind of people end up shaping the order of this Realm."
Aurelia raised the silver-white sword before her, but she did not kneel.
"One more thing."
"The creed I followed was never obedience to strength. Power protects order and choice first. Conquest comes after."
Her eyes flicked to the contract already binding them.
"A contract can carry a sword across worlds. It cannot decide what that sword believes."
Cassian met her gaze.
"Good."
"I didn’t spend a million to buy a sword that can’t think for itself."
For the first time, Aurelia studied him properly.
"At least you know the difference between giving an order and owning someone."
She inclined her head.
"Aurelia Dawnwing. Former Crownblade of the Dawnwing Host."
"I accept your call."
Cassian raised one hand and pointed toward Haldor, nearly a kilometer away.
"See that Dwarf?"
Aurelia followed his finger.
Level 18.
Legendary.
The Hill King’s warhammer was still planted against the ground, while the wind around its shaft had already begun to turn.
Aurelia watched him for several seconds.
"I can’t beat him as I am now."
She paused.
"If you insist, I’ll go."
Eira glanced at her.
Cassian smiled slightly instead.
At least the new Hero had not stepped through the gate and immediately started lying about what she could do.
"I didn’t spend a million to buy your death."
"How far are you from being able to fight him?"
Aurelia closed her eyes again and tested the Level-1 body the High Realm Call had given her.
"Get me back to Level 10."
"Then I can fight him."
Cassian opened the growth interface.
The system price appeared immediately.
[Aurelia Dawnwing]
[Level 1 → Level 10]
[Cost: Battle Essence ×90,000]
Ninety thousand.
Cassian did not hesitate.
"Do it."
Layers of golden light descended over Aurelia.
The two light-wings behind her spread fully first. Fine lightning patterns crawled between the silver-white feathers. The sword in her hand did not grow, but the pressure around its edge deepened with every level.
When the final layer of light faded—
[Aurelia Dawnwing: Level 10]
She looked toward Haldor again.
This time, she needed less than a second.
"I can fight him."
Cassian nodded.
But that only solved the strongest point on the field.
Nearly a thousand Dwarves still stood behind the Hill King.
He opened the growth panels for the six Stormlance Valkyries with him.
The last time all twelve Stormlance had gone from Level 1 to Level 5, the total cost had been 60,000 Battle Essence.
Now the system priced six of them going from Level 5 to Level 7 at 36,000.
[Stormlance Valkyrie ×6]
[Level 5 → Level 7]
[Battle Essence ×36,000]
"Upgrade."
Lightning swept across six sets of silver-black armor.
Eira looked down and tightened her grip around her short spear.
The other five Stormlance watched arcs of electricity run from their spearheads all the way back over their arms.
[Stormlance Valkyrie ×6]
[Current Level: 7]
The moment the upgrade finished, another system notice appeared over Aurelia.
[Level 10 milestone reached.]
[Skill Unlocked: Life-Echo Brand]
Cassian opened it.
[Life-Echo Brand]
[Records the current life-state of up to 6 allied units as a Life Echo.]
[When a branded unit suffers fatal damage, Aurelia may consume a large amount of her own power to restore 1 unit to its recorded life-state.]
[Current Limit: Up to 6 recorded units / 1 restoration per day.]
[Cannot trigger if Aurelia lacks sufficient power.]
Eira finished reading.
"A life-saving skill?"
"Once a day," Aurelia said. "And if I fall first, I can’t save anyone."
It was not unlimited resurrection.
It did not make casualties meaningless.
But for the fight ahead, it was enough.
Cassian looked at the six Stormlance.
"Brand all of them."
Aurelia did not ask why.
She raised her left hand.
Six thin strands of silver light fell onto the center of Eira’s breastplate and the other five Stormlance armors, then vanished beneath the metal.
[Life-Echo Brand: 6 / 6]
Eira looked down at the place where the mark had disappeared.
"So if one of us takes a fatal hit today, we can still be pulled back."
"Better if we never use it," Cassian said.
He had not paid for permission to die once.
He had paid to reduce a fight that had not been worth taking into a risk he could actually accept.
Ahead of them, Haldor’s patience finally ran out.
"Human Lord!"
"I gave you the chance to leave."
"Answer me."
"What do you intend to do?"
Cassian looked up.
"You said the blood already spilled could be treated as a border misunderstanding."
Haldor said nothing.
Cassian closed the last growth panel.
"I thought about it."
"I don’t want to leave anymore."
For one brief moment, even the mountain wind seemed to stop.
Haldor slowly raised his warhammer.
"Then you choose war."
"Yeah."
Cassian did not deny it.
Now there was only one question left: how to fight it.
The ground in front of the Royal Hall was much wider than the mountain road behind them.
The Dwarf Gunners had a clear firing lane from the rear. Ridgewardens and Ironhorn Ram Cavalry could lock anyone who entered the front. As long as the Hill King remained free to move, he could hammer any forming breakthrough back into the ground.
Cassian looked at Aurelia first.
"You take Haldor."
"Understood."
"The first ranged volley is yours too."
Aurelia glanced toward the Dwarf Gunners already raising their weapons.
"Folded Sky Ward?"
"Yes."
Then Cassian looked at the other five Stormlance.
"After the first volley, don’t waste time on the shields in front."
"Go straight for the back line."
All five looked toward the Dwarf Gunners.
"Understood."
Eira did not wait for Cassian to assign her.
"I’m staying with you."
"Yeah."
The five Gloomhoof would control both flanks at range.
The four Blackfang would stay out of the frontal clash and watch for anything trying to circle through the side gates or slopes.
Aurelia, the new Legendary Hero, would take the strongest enemy.
The upgraded five Stormlance would tear out the most dangerous ranged line.
Eira would remain beside Cassian.
Everyone had a place.
Haldor lifted the warhammer over one shoulder.
A horn sounded again from deep inside the Royal Hall.
Rows of gun barrels rose.
Aurelia’s wings opened fully.
Cassian gave one order.
"Begin."
The next second, his new Legendary Hero moved first.