2181 Final Push (Part 1)

To make matters worse, Acala had acted driven by petty envy and blind ambition. Back then, he believed that the Rezars, just like the Griffon Kingdom, owed him and that he was just taking what was rightfully his.

It wasn't Acala's fault if the Rezars had tried to stop him from bonding with Dawn and forced him to slaughter them. It wasn't his fault if the Kingdom had failed to recognize his greatness, forcing him to sacrifice innocent merchants to build his reputation as the bane of the undead.

Or at least, that was what he had always repeated to himself.

After bonding with him, Dawn had fed his delusions. At first to more easily control him and then she had eased his conscience with her love. Staying together with her had taught him what real genius was and had lifted the veil of his self-serving ego.

He was now capable of understanding the gravity of what he had done and without her, there was nothing shielding his still frail mind from the truth. Acala's thoughts were now free from her presence, allowing him to distinguish how much of their actions was entirely his fault.

The pain, guilt, and regret were more than he could handle.

"Can you please bring him to the Empire, Mom?" Dawn said. "He is a wanted criminal in the Kingdom and we can't keep him here. Even if Acala stays in one of your biomes, we would be bound to meet.

"I want to give him some space in every sense of the word."

She returned Sunrise to Baba Yaga who stored it in her pocket dimension.

"Sure. What about your equipment?" The Red Mother asked.

"He can keep it. I crafted it for him and he'll need it in case he has to defend himself." The Horseman replied while Warping the Ranger in a comfortable bed.

"I'm proud of you, my child." The Maiden's eyes were veiled with tears. "You fought a battle to defend your kind and help your cousin. You recognized the limits of your bond with Acala and broke it even though it costs you a great deal.

"Whatever comes next, I'll be there for you."

She held the crystal to her bosom as if it was a small baby, uncaring for the many witnesses.

The undead from the Eclipsed Lands were still terrified by the fight with Thrud when they had found themselves in the home of the legendary Red Mother. They refused to take a single step or say a word, afraid that ruining that moment would cost them their lives.

"Mom, I noticed something weird while battling with the Mad Queen. She was in no way inferior to me with my steed. The only thing that gave me an upper hand was my bond with Acala." Dawn said.

"What's weird about it?"

"That it doesn't make any sense. I was the one with a mage tower. I was supposed to be much stronger." The Horseman replied.

"Do you really think you can take me on if I'm outside my hut?" The Maiden asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

"No, but you are my mother. You gave me life and know me better than anyone else. Correct?"

"Wrong." Baba Yaga shook her head. "Child, I'm not going to share the secret of the white core with you, but know this. Those who achieve it barely need their breathing technique.

"Their bodies constantly draw in all the world energy necessary to refill their mana core and heal even the gravest injuries without putting any strain on their vitality. Also, they gain several unique powers that cannot be replicated or inherited by their descendants."

"Are you telling me that-"

"Correct. A mage tower is akin to an artificial white core that is crafted instead of achieved and whose abilities are chosen by its maker rather than determined by their nature. On top of that, a tower's strength is added to that of its master.

"After spending many years with the Guardians, I understood how similar they are to a white-cored Awakened and crafted myself a tower to reduce the power gap between us." The Maiden said.

"But, Menadion wasn't a white core yet she managed to craft her tower nonetheless." Dawn objected.

"True, but that just makes her achievement much more amazing." Baba Yaga nodded. "Why do you think mages are considered invincible inside their towers and every Awakened would kill their mother to get one?

"Having a tower is like having a white core and offers the opportunity to glimpse at the secrets to achieve one."

"Why do you think Ripha managed to Forgemaster relics beyond the powers of any violet cored mage? It was only thanks to her tower and to the enchantments that she had chosen for it, making her tower the perfect Forgemastering tool."

"How the heck did Menadion die then?" The Horseman asked.

"That's a secret forever lost to time, just like her tower." The Maiden lied through her teeth, hoping that Solus would be fine and Lith with her.

***

Kellar Region, City of Belius, right now.

Thrud descended in the army's Headquarters panting like a bellow. She had given everything she had in the fight with Dawn and the power cores of her equipment needed time to recharge.

She tried to remove the stopper from a nutrients potion, but her hand trembled too much and Iata had to help her.

"Great victory, Your Majesty. You can now sit back and leave the rest to us." The Sekhmet said.

"Are you kidding me? This was a hollow victory if I've ever seen one." Thrud gulped one potion after another. "Had Dawn killed me, she would have revealed her hand while I would have gone back to the Golden Griffon.

"There I would have quickly recovered my strength thanks to the mana geyser so that by the time the Horseman's plan unfolded, I would have been ready to counter it.

"Now instead, I am stuck in Belius with a worn-out body and my equipment is in even worse condition." She showed Iata the many cracks in the Arthan's set and how its many mana crystals had now a dim light.

Elemental crystals worked similarly to a white core, absorbing world energy at an astounding rate. Just like their master, it wouldn't take them long to go back at full power, but only if they had the time to rest.

An event that even the optimistic Sekhmet found unlikely.

The city walls had been almost pierced by Dawn's spells, her undead had stormed the first line of defense, leaving it in shambles, and she had taken her time butchering the Divine Beasts guarding the city.

To survive long enough for Thrud to arrive, they had used Invigoration so many times that it had lost a good chunk of its effectiveness. All that while the enemy side had sustained minimal losses.

To keep control of Belius it would have taken a miracle, something that only the Mad Queen could perform.

"Send a distress signal to all of our troops, including those still stationed at the Golden Griffon." Thrud said while using Regal Flow to both refill her mana core and hasten the repairs of her equipment.