Chapter 1053: Sacrifices Must Be Made [Part 1]

Published Mar 17, 2026, 08:03 AM

Chapter 1053: Sacrifices Must Be Made [Part 1] Far from the center of the continent, Lucan sat atop an abandoned skyscraper, eyes closed in meditation. Then, he felt it. His eyes opened, looking in the direction of where he felt the powerful, threatening presence that had come out of nowhere. His eyes couldn’t confirm it, but his other senses couldn’t have been mistaken. Just as he wondered what had just happened, he felt it—again. And again. His expression immediately turned solemn. It’s some kind of energy-based attack similar to our weapons in Artem,’ Lucan thought. ’But this one is more powerful than the weapons we have developed over the years.’ Such overwhelming force reminded him of the Judicator Cannons of Artem. They were ancient siege weapons that required the entire energy of a few entire cities to activate. These were the weapons they had used against the Chandreans, and they had helped tilt the war in their favor. But unlike theirs, this unknown weapon he sensed had no visible preparation, no grand artillery, no telltale buildup. Just obliteration. He already knew that the world of Wanderers had advanced technology similar to their own. However, it didn’t cross his mind that such a weapon would exist in their hands. Since the Moon Princess had absorbed the power and memories of her previous sacrifices, the Artemians had been able to see the world of Pangea in her eyes. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖 However, they had only seen weapons that could work in Solterra, like Plasma Guns and other energy-based weapons. Confident that their technology was unmatched, they had planned to find a way to cross over to that world and conquer it. Then, just like what they had done to the world of Chandrea, he would put that world under their control. But given the many restrictions, they were only able to let one Archon cross over. The King had deemed Lucan the best candidate for the job, so he gave the latter full command of the Artemian Army, which would accompany him in his conquest alongside the Azothralls. Just like Prince Aurelion, Lucan thought the conquest of Pangea was going to be easy. However, knowing the Jinns had an army that surpassed the headcount of the Artemians, Lucan decided to first observe the situation in the continent before making his move. ’Fortunately, we have raised a barrier to protect this city,’ Lucan thought. ’Even that weapon will not be able to easily break past our defenses.’ The Archon of the Artemian army sent a telepathic message to one of his generals and asked him to investigate the source of the destructive power that they felt earlier. "Sir, we have lost contact with the Rank 5 Azothrall Scouts that we have sent to the northwest," the General replied. "None of them were able to escape. Should I send a stronger force to investigate?" Lucan pondered a bit before giving out an order. "Send one of the Rank 8 Azothralls as the leader of the scouting party. I’m sure we will get better results with that setup." "As you wish, Your Excellency," the General replied. Lucan then cut off his mental connection with the general before standing up. He then opened his wings and flew high up in the air, looking over at the horizon where he felt the destructive power originated from. But no matter how hard he tried, he could no longer sense that powerful force that made him feel a little anxious. ——— Two days after Zion’s show of force ended... Countless battleships had gathered hundreds of miles away from the Cygni Continent. The evacuation was a success. All the Wanderers, including their important weapons and equipment, had been safely taken out from their city fortresses. Within Casimir City, eleven people remained, excluding Princess Laventia and her four succubus guards. Thirteen, Cristopher, Colbert, Roland, Vincent, Sherry, Char, Clark, Joshua, Mildred, and Derek sat in the conference room. There were two other individuals present, and it was none other than the two Majin Princes, Camazotz and Zapar. The members of the Apoc Rangers were already familiar with Camazotz. However, this was the first time they had ever seen Zapar. Thirteen had already explained that he was a Majin Prince who belonged to a different faction, and left it at that. Since Roland wasn’t aware of the existence of the Order of the Apocalypse, they refrained from talking about it in his presence. "Congratulations for the successful evacuation of your Wanderers, Zion," Zapar said. "Now then, let’s talk about how we can turn this situation around." Zapar wasn’t the smartest within the order of the Apocalypse, but he was still a ruler of his own domain in Solterra. This meant that he had clawed his way up in the hierarchy, proving he had what it takes to become a King of a region. Thirteen had no choice but to share some details about his Trump Card, Nautilus, to the two Majin Princes, allowing them to better understand its strengths and weaknesses. Only by doing so would Camazotz and Zapar understand that the beam strike they saw couldn’t be used consecutively and had its limitations. At the center of their conference table was a video image of the forces that belonged to the Artemian Army. "It’s quite unfortunate that you can’t use that attack many times." Zapar sighed. "The next time you can use it is after a week, right?" "Yes, but only once or twice," Thirteen replied. "I can’t afford to let Nautilus overheat, especially at this critical time." The Wanderers were now transporting the materials needed to create their naval base, which they would use as their headquarters during the war in the Cygni Continent. "So, what do you think we should do?’ Zapar asked. "Targeting them once a week doesn’t seem like a bad plan. But I’m pretty sure that our enemies will not wait and let you shoot them to oblivion, right?" Thirteen nodded. "Right now, Prince Aurelion and the Dragonkin have sent a messenger to the Azothralls. I’m sure they would discuss some sort of collaboration against me. "Also, that prince is applying pressure to the Jinns to ally themselves with him, or face the consequences of their rejection. Although I put him in his place and made the leaders of the various Jinn Factions happy, their situation didn’t change much. "They are still at the mercy of the Dragonkin Empire, which had enough might to subjugate them by force." Roland subconsciously clenched his fists under the table. He understood that Princess Laventia’s faction would have no choice but to obey even if they wished to remain as a neutral party in this conflict. "So, what are your plans?" Zapar inquired. "With the Wanderers on standby, and the armies under me, and Camazotz, the most we can do is guerrilla tactics." "I think there’s nothing wrong with that plan," Thirteen commented. "Strike them fast, and strike them hard. If we do it repeatedly, they will always be in a constant state of alert, which will stress them out." "That also means that our armies must always be on the move." Zapar frowned. ’It will be very difficult, especially since we can’t leave this land like the Wanderers." The Majin Prince then eyed the teenage boy before smiling faintly. "You’re a miracle worker, right, Zion?’ Zapar asked. "I’m sure you have already thought of other options aside from guerrilla tactics." "Of course, I did," Thirteen answered. "But it will require that you... make some sacrifices." "Huh? What are you talking about?" "Just like I said. You need to make some sacrifices." Thirteen knew about Zapar’s ability was to charm and dominate any lady who came within his certain range. Of course, this power wasn’t absolute. He couldn’t put them completely under his control. It was more like planting suggestions inside their subconscious mind, making them believe that what they were doing was something that they really wished to do. This made the charm undetectable, and more deadly because it couldn’t be dispelled using ordinary means.

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