Void Evolution System

Damien made sure to avoid contact with August's people so that he wouldn't cause any anomalies, but when he made such a big move, he had to inform someone about it.

For the Holy Clans to disappear entirely was something nobody could have ever expected. And, when it happened when the Holy Dragons themselves were gone, it became even more of an unexpected boon.

Those six dragons weren't even in Arulion anymore. They were in the Heavenly World, prioritizing the artifacts Rose stole over everything else in the kingdom.

After all, if they regained those artifacts, then the kingdom's destruction wouldn't matter anymore. They could just create a new one.

Nevertheless, their presence being nonexistent in the realm gave August's forces more room to move freely. Now that they were only dealing with nobles and forsaken dragons, they didn't have to keep being cautious about the movements of other uninvolved parties.

Damien contacted Alcharist with a short message to let him know.

"The Holy Clans are no longer a problem. Act without caution."

That message alone found its way into the former Holy Dragon's ears, causing him to stumble a bit in surprise.

"Sorry? All of them?"

He tried to communicate back, but that seemed to be an impossibility. Damien's presence was already gone from his mind.

'As expected, great beings are hard to talk to.'

Alcharist smiled wryly. He thought he was someone great until he met that person, but since his horizons had been broadened, there wasn't much for him to say.

That person would not lie about such important matters.

Rather, that person saw no point in lying from his position above the clouds.

If he said that the Holy Clans were dealt with…

'Boy, you are lucky to have such a man as your father.'

Alcharist sent a message to August that naturally went unheard.

As Damien said, they could now act without caution. All of the more powerful members of their force had remained on the backlines for the most part so as not to provoke the powerhouses from the other side to act too early.

Originally, it was only because they believed that the Holy Clans would also get involved if they saw so many Ancient Dragons and others close to that level dying, but there was no need to hesitate anymore, was there?

There was only one force close to the level of a Holy Dragon left on the enemy side, and that was none other than Hendricks himself.

By the time Alcharist finished processing Damien's message, he was already in the air, flying towards that man's last known position.

And, when he sent the word to Yusuf, who then spread it to anyone else who needed to know, many others started moving as well.

Calling it an indiscriminate massacre wouldn't be right. There were definitely a few specific clans and people who were innocent and not drenched in the same sin as their peers. Those people had been properly listed in the information Yusuf received and were crossed off the list of targets.

It was unknown how August managed to get that information, but it was inconsequential.

None of them wanted to kill innocent people.

If they did slaughter everyone they saw without worrying about right or wrong, then how different would they be from the enemies they scorned with their righteous eyes?

Every single person fighting under August's banner was forced to keep that fact in mind as they moved.

The people who stood at the heads of the noble clans, the people who represented the forsaken dragons…

They now shared one thing in common.

Their fortresses were being encroached on by incredibly powerful enemies whose only goal was to kill them.

***

When did everything go wrong?

'Right, the moment I decided to allow their actions, fate turned against us.'

Hendricks sighed to himself.

He understood that their plans had gone awry long ago.

Rather, the moment he saw his citizens murdering children without remorse, he realized that there was no hope left.

This was not the populace he ruled. These were not the same people who lived with him and peacefully coexisted for eons.

What kind of bloodthirsty madmen had he released into the world?

Hendricks was able to justify his actions back then because he didn't realize just how bad their bloodlust was. He believed that not many would have to die in order for their clan to attain peace, so he assumed that if he apologized in his heart, he would be able to forgive himself.

He was wrong.

Everything he believed was wrong. He was blinded by the golden lens through which he viewed his people.

Because he could contain himself without blood, he thought that they would regain their senses eventually after getting it out of their system.

How was he to know that they would become addicted to the sensation of killing?

What was supposed to be a short event had become a war that threatened their extermination, and all he could do…

'...is fight.'

In the end, regardless of who they became or how he felt about them, he was their king. He was the person who was supposed to lead them and give them stability.

They had gone too far down this path to turn back now. Even if he said something, none of them would be willing to retreat.

Perhaps it was of their own doing, but hundreds of thousands of their brothers and sisters had died. They would not retreat without spilling more enemy blood.

Their chosen leader was supposed to be the one who ruled them, but in this moment, he chose to be ruled by their opinions instead.

If they wanted to fight until the last man, then he was willing to fight alongside them.

"Haa…"

He sighed to himself as he felt a presence approach.

This place was relatively far from where his people were. Out of range enough to keep them away from the damage the fight caused, but close enough for him to always remain aware of their circumstances.

Nevertheless, he didn't have much time to think about them at the moment.

A daunting foe had approached.

With glistening green scales and a domineering appearance, Alcharist Revell flew in the skies above Hendricks.

He stood up from where he sat, his body transforming.

His form was still mainly draconic, however, his scales were made of metallic material and had a dirt-like appearance. There were jagged pieces of earth sticking out of his body in many places, replacing other draconic features like his horns.

It was the appearance of a dragon who was forced to embrace the earth to survive. It may have been less regal than Alcharist's form, but it contained a far greater story.

He did not flap his wings to fly. He didn't have wings in the first place.

However, hovering his body with mana was not a problem.

Hendricks met Alcharist in the air, fully aware of the nuances behind this fight.

If he lost here, then his people would be exterminated. Worse, they would be enslaved and even their future generations would suffer the consequences of their misdeeds.

Regardless of right or wrong, he had to win for their sake.

That was his fate as king.