Spellcasting Gods

The boy shook his head slightly: "No, I don't have any particular plans. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll probably go and meet up with my brothers first, and then think about what to do next."

"So, would you be interested in joining forces with us to reclaim supreme power in the Darrent civilization?" The leader of the Shadow Guard extended an invitation with a smile.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in this kind of power struggle. Power, to some extent, is merely an extension of knowledge and strength, a dispensable byproduct. When you invest too much time and energy in power, you gradually overlook the essence behind power and ultimately lose it. Now that the deal is done, I won't disturb your preparations for the upcoming war. You should know that Parliament is probably already holding an emergency meeting, and within a few hours at most, they will reveal their first card."

As he said this, the boy's lips curled up slightly, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

"Hmph! Now that we've lost the weapons that restrain us, I'd like to see what power the council has left to stand against us."

The leader of the Shadow Guard was clearly overconfident. Instead of showing any fear, he was extremely excited and expectant, and even gave his subordinates a wink, signaling that they could proceed with the original plan.

As everyone inside the building began to bustle with tension, the boy didn't linger for long before turning and leaving with the stone slab containing the secret.

After traveling more than a hundred kilometers along the road leading out of the city, he finally arrived at an abandoned mine and casually tossed a seed into the soft soil.

In less than a minute, the seed quickly took root and sprouted, frantically absorbing energy from the air at a speed visible to the naked eye, and eventually turned into a tree with a somewhat strange shape.

The tree trunk is hollow and arched, and its surface is not bark in the ordinary sense, but rather energy transmission lines that shimmer with a silvery glow.

As these lines rapidly charged and began to function, a portal to other worlds was slowly opened...

Chapter 1398 The Army

When the energy inside the portal reached a critical point, a beam of light tore through layer after layer of protection on Darrent's homeworld, finally establishing a stable spatial connection.

This is no easy task.

To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, the council erected a magical barrier, prohibiting almost all long-distance teleportation on the planet beneath their feet, with only a very few specific locations allowing teleportation portals to be opened without obstruction.

But now, the boy breaks these limitations with ease.

Less than a minute after the portal was completed, a large number of intelligent beings of various shapes, all carrying heavy weapons, armor, and ferocious war machines, surged out from the other side of the portal like a tide.

Although these intelligent life forms are clearly distinguishable from their appearance and come from completely different environments and worlds, they do not have any friction with each other.

Upon arriving at their destination, they set up camps in nearby open areas, each group establishing its own community.

one thousand……

two thousand……

Three thousand...

Ten thousand...

100,000...

One million...

The endless stream of people continued for five days and five nights, finally stopping in the early hours of the sixth day.

As the last, slightly immature yet undeniably familiar figure passed through the portal, the boy immediately and without hesitation closed it, then smiled and asked, "My dear brother, is this all the army you've managed to gather recently, all willing to follow us in destroying the Darrent civilization?"

"Of course! So, are you satisfied with them?" Luke asked with a smile.

During the time the boy was a prisoner, he did not sit idly by. Instead, he traveled through worlds that were home to powerful tribes, negotiating and persuading them, or directly using violence to control the leaders of the tribes.

Anyway, they managed to gather this hastily assembled rabble together just in time.

From a military perspective, groups with loose alliances like this are generally unsatisfactory in terms of both coordination and combat effectiveness.

There is one!

All those chosen by Luke have a blood feud with the Darrents.

With their unparalleled hatred and obsession with revenge, they will surely inflict devastating disaster and destruction on the core area of ​​the Darrent civilization before their complete annihilation.

"The giants of Gureia, the shadow dragons of the world of Merk, the dwarfs of the plains of Lancer with their incredible magical talent... With so many powerful races gathered together, even the Darrents must be having a headache. What's more, this is their home planet, the center of their entire civilization, where many destructive weapons are unusable." The boy stared at the vast, seemingly endless army before him, grinning with schadenfreude.

After all, more than half of these races had dealt heavy blows to the expeditionary force and were formidable enemies of the Darents.

Unfortunately, they were previously isolated in their own worlds and never had the opportunity to join forces.

But now, they finally have the opportunity to vent their deepest pent-up anger in the enemy's lair.

Luke nodded thoughtfully: "You're right, they have a very good chance of winning this war. Also, how are your plans going?"

“Very smoothly! The council has lost its most important deterrent weapon, and the Shadow Guard has completely eliminated its worries. I estimate that it won't be long before they break out into a civil war. Most importantly, I got this from the Shadow Guard leader.”

As he spoke, the boy took the stone slab out of his pocket.

Luke took it, trying to decipher its contents while asking without looking up, "Just an ordinary record board? Are you sure the contents inside are real?"

"Otherwise what? Do you think they would give us an original that might carry some kind of mysterious and powerful force?" The boy shrugged with a half-smile. "This record mentions that the god who created the Darrents was not actually killed, but merely had his body and soul separated. Remember the monster in the Dark Lake that you couldn't kill no matter what you did? That was the shell left behind by the god."

"Oh? No wonder..." Luke narrowed his eyes, a thoughtful expression on his face. "What about the soul part?"

"Imprisoned, or rather sealed inside the Pillars of Creation."

As he said these words, a crazed glint appeared in the boy's eyes.

"You mean... while the Darrents are caught up in internal strife and have no time to spare, release this creator god?" Luke instantly realized what his brother was planning and was startled by his audacity.

Because nobody knows what actions this person would take if he were to be resurrected.

Even in the records of the Darents, there is no description of this god's personality or behavior.

All that is known is that he has bound his power to the bloodline of the entire Darent people.

As long as one Darrent is alive, he will never have to worry about dying; at most, he will fall into an eternal slumber.

The boy clearly sensed Luke's concern and explained meaningfully, "I understand, it's a little risky. But don't forget, the Dark Lake might be related to your and my secrets, so no matter the risk, we have to try. I can't bear to have an amazing, unsolved secret on my person, and I believe you feel the same way."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's head to the Dark Lake now. As for these temporarily recruited cannon fodder, let them do whatever they want." Luke gave an affirmative answer without hesitation.

He had a premonition that when the secret hidden beneath the dark lake was revealed, it would be the final moment for him and the other person to embrace their destiny.

“Don’t rush, my brother, be patient. We must wait until the war starts before we move. Otherwise, who knows if they might suddenly reach a peace agreement and turn against us. You must understand, this is no small matter, nor is it a conspiracy that can be fooled by trickery. Once we do anything to that pillar, every Darrent will immediately notice. Besides, I also need a little time to remove the restrictions the council has placed on me.” The boy calmly removed his robe, revealing densely packed, shimmering violet runes on his skin.

It goes without saying that under such a level of blockade, it's impossible for him to break the restrictions on his own; he needs someone he can trust to assist him...

Chapter 1399 The Final Choice

The war horns sounded sooner than expected!

In less than ten days, the council, having completed its preparations, launched the first attack. It not only exposed all the dirty tricks of the Shadow Guard, but also issued an ultimatum, demanding that the other side lay down its arms and surrender within ten days, or it would use super weapons to kill all the rebels who tried to resist.

On the other side, the Shadow Guard leader, who already wielded considerable influence, was not to be outdone. He quickly refuted all the accusations against him and even claimed that these were all conspiracies by the Parliament to betray them after they had served their purpose, and that they were the ones who threatened the Parliament's supreme authority.

In addition, other members of the Shadow Guard took the opportunity to spread rumors among the common people, claiming that the council did this to protect its own position and interests and to erase this powerful force rooted in the blood of every Darrentite.

As the saying goes, cutting off someone's source of income is like killing their parents, let alone something more important than money.

Despite the absolute and unquestionable authority that parliament has built up over thousands of years, no one would choose to back down in this situation.

In an instant, an irreconcilable and intense conflict quickly formed between the spellcasters, who had long enjoyed privileges and led by the parliament, and the warriors and ordinary people, who were mostly living at the bottom of society and led by the Shadow Guard. The whole society was divided into two irreconcilable camps to fight each other.

At first, the confrontation was limited to verbal debates in the streets and alleys, but it quickly escalated into naked violence.

Warriors, especially those who had been suppressed for a long time, resorted to the most extreme method—duel—to respond to the provocations of the spellcasters who were usually high and mighty.

As expected, Shadow lived up to its reputation as a power rooted in the blood of the Darents. Even novices who had just awakened their powers could quickly learn and master a large number of skills. In addition, the long-term concealment and cover-up meant that most magic users did not understand the characteristics of this power. Almost 60% of the unlucky ones died on the spot, and the rest, even if they won, were Pyrrhic victories.

Like all conflicts and rivalries, accompanied by the acrid smell of blood, every Darrentian realized that this civil war was inevitable.

Therefore, they either chose to take sides, hoping to change their fate through this opportunity; or they used the pretext of reinforcing the expeditionary force to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible, to avoid being accidentally drawn into it and becoming cannon fodder, and to consider whether to come back after the chaos and conflicts subsided.

Time flew by, and as the last second of the deadline passed, the council launched a powerful attack spell without hesitation.

The entire building was ravaged by different types of energy, including fire, frost, nature, and arcane, and was completely destroyed in the blink of an eye, leaving not even a trace behind.

After the violent tremors, explosions, and loud noises, a black, unidentified substance appeared, forming a semi-circle, which firmly blocked all the attacks from the outside, preventing any harm to the people inside.

Before the spellcaster legion gathered in the distance could react to what was happening, the black, unidentified substance suddenly came to life, soaring into the air and enveloping them.

Through the marks left by the constant struggle on the surface of the black substance, it is not hard to imagine the kind of pain the person inside is enduring.

When everything had completely calmed down, the mysterious black substance slowly faded away, leaving only incomplete skeletons scattered everywhere.

Without a doubt, an entire organized legion of spellcasters was wiped out without a sound.

Just as the council and the Shadow Guard began to probe each other's strength and trump cards, Luke, hiding deep in the forest, was communicating with the leaders of various races in the camp who had a blood feud with the Darents, and learned that they all agreed to launch the attack three days later.

……

"So, is everything settled?" the boy asked meaningfully, pursing his lips.

Luke nodded without hesitation: "Yes, it's all taken care of. No matter what happens next, the Darrents won't have the time or energy to deal with us."

“Very good! So, my dear brother, are you ready to come with me to uncover all the secrets and embrace our destiny?” With that, the boy turned his gaze toward the dark lake in the distance.

“Running away isn’t in my nature. Besides, I’ve always wanted to figure out if, since we are two parts split from a single consciousness and soul, we will reunite when the mystery is solved?” Luke licked his lips and posed a hypothesis.

For some reason, the closer the moment of revealing the mystery got, the more nervous he felt.

"Are you afraid?" The boy turned around and stared into the other person's eyes.

Luke hesitated for a moment, then quickly replied with a smile, "No, it's not fear, but an anxiety that can't be expressed in words. Haven't you ever wondered what the point of all this is? If in the end you and I really have to give up our independent identities and consciousness, what will you choose?"

"Fear stems from the unknown, and to some extent, anxiety is also a form of fear. I understand that when faced with a potential ultimate choice, both you and I have many concerns. Personality, consciousness, and memory are the most fundamental things in a life. Once these are lost, one is no longer the original self, but a completely new life. But sometimes, evolution comes at a price, and that price might be abandoning the past and embracing the future with a completely new attitude. If it were me, I wouldn't feel any confusion or hesitation."

As the boy spoke, his tone remained as calm as ever, as if abandoning himself was as simple and easy for him as eating and drinking.

"So... you've made your decision!" Luke raised an eyebrow, his face full of surprise.

"Yes! I've made my decision. Also, I advise you to hurry up, because we don't have much time left. If you make the opposite choice to me at the last minute, we might become true enemies to the death."

"Heh, I don't want to be your enemy."

"I don't want to either. But often, individual will is insignificant and powerless, unable to influence other people's choices, isn't it?"

"That's true! In any case, this is between you and me, and it's up to you and me to bring it to a close, whether it's perfect or not."

"That's enough small talk. Let's go. It's a long way to the Dark Lake. You can think about it along the way."

With the last word uttered, the two boys finally ended what was likely their last in-depth face-to-face conversation.

Chapter 1400 Attack

Milot, a city founded by the Darents, is also their capital on their home planet and their political, economic, and military center.

Throughout its long history, this place has hardly suffered any invasions from foreign enemies, nor has it been attacked by weapons of mass destruction or magic. As a result, ancient palaces and iconic buildings dating back thousands of years can be seen everywhere.