The enormous floating fortress that was Ark City grew larger and larger over the next few minutes, and the Paragons that were floating around the upper airzone fell silent with its approach. From afar, the enormous figure that reminded him of a spinning top and the innumerable cannons that pointed outwards was incredibly visible in the noon sun, a sight that made everyone who saw it speechless.

In fact, even the Demigods that had been battering at the volcano had ceased their efforts; like everyone else, the demons had also been stunned into inaction.

“That’s…Ark City,” Paragon Ying Xin muttered. “I’ve heard reports of it, but up close…I can only describe it as incredible. What is that thing?”

She turned her eyes to the satellite fortresses that had taken up station around the Heaven-Cleaving Fortress, and then shook her head. Gaius could understand where she came from — he too had been shocked when he and Isabelle visited the city not too long ago. Ark City was still tens of kilometres away from the main battle lines, but its size was already evident.

Heavy tremors shook the entire battlefield as the demon Demigods resumed their demolition work with redoubled fervour. Gaius didn’t know what they were thinking, but he could tell that their efforts now had a hint of desperation and urgency. Clearly, the demons were under the impression that if Ark City were to arrive before they took down the God of Earth’s tombstone, the demons would never get such a chance again.

“How foolish,” Gaius muttered.

“What’s foolish?” Paragon Ying Xin asked. “At the fact that they’re speeding up the demolition of the Life-Carver’s tombstone?”

Gaius nodded. “It seems that whoever’s doing the commanding right now is under the impression that they’re still on the offensive.”

“The other generals and strategists are probably watching on with suppressed laughter too,” the Paragon replied. “And yet, for some reason, the thought of invading the Wildlands fills me with trepidation. Is it the fact that we’re going to be fighting without the protection of the Heaven-cleaving Fortress? Or is it the fact that we’re going to invade the home of others?”

Casting an even gaze at the Paragon, Gaius examined her lined face slowly. With a jolt, he realised that the Governess of the East was visibly older, compared to the last time he’d seen her. The appearance of Paragons could be altered at will, so they didn’t reflect one’s physical age.

However, they did reflect the Paragon’s mental age, as well as his or her mental state. There was nothing to it — unless a Paragon placed undue importance on the particulars of their appearance, their chosen form would reveal certain issues that were related to their mind. Paragon Ying Xin’s appearance, right now, was one that reflected her worries of the future.

Was the rest of the War Councill too belligerent? Did their seeming successes holding off the enemy carry over to the Five Lands’ confidence in not just holding off the demons, but conquering them?

Gaius could understand her concerns very well. For a moment, he wanted to find Pinnacle Kolya and give him a good shaking, but he stifled that impulse a moment later.

He didn’t understand the ins and outs of this issue, and the Mortal Light Dynasty wasn’t a short-sighted nation by any means. It was very possible that they had their own considerations in pushing for a more aggressive policy. Taking a deep breath, Gaius controlled his rampant thoughts and thought up an answer slowly.

“Fundamentally,” said Gaius, “our enemy is an immortal one. Fighting demons who are capable of reviving over and over again, in their own territory, is not something I’d call a sound decision to begin with.”

“Yes. Exactly. One slip up, and all of our expeditionary forces would be annihilated,” said the Paragon. “And since the demons do not fear death, they can make use of tactics that are normally unthinkable. Without the protection of the Heaven-cleaving Fortress and heavy fire support…”

She took a deep breath. “I have my misgivings, but I cannot afford to bring up my concerns in public. More than once, I have made my considerations known to the leaders of the other nations in private, but none of them seem particularly understanding of the issues I see.”

Given a choice, Gaius wouldn’t have wanted to talk about such a heavy subject matter, but he could tell that the Paragon was at her wits’ end. In fact, it was very possible that she had chosen to join the fight — despite her status as the ruler of a nation — in order to take her mind off such things. The knowledge that innumerable lives lay contingent on the decisions made by the War Council at large was definitely not an easy burden to bear.

“Maybe,” said Gaius, “there are other factors that the leaders of the other nations are trying to account for.”

“Other factors?”

“Yes. Right now,” said Gaius, casting around for some good ideas, “we enjoy an incredible edge in terms of equipment and organisation. The Five Lands’ forces are armies; the Wildlands’ troops can only be described as a disorderly mob. Is it not possible that once the gap shrinks, the tides would begin to turn against us?”

“I’ve considered that, but realistically speaking, by simply controlling the landbridge with as much firepower as possible, the Five Lands would already remain safe for the foreseeable future,” Paragon Ying Xin replied. “I…am not a fan of slaughtering every single demon, just because they’re of a different race. If we can reach a treaty, a consensus, that would be for the best. However, if we rampage in their lands and form new enmities, how can we achieve that?”

“A treaty…” Gaius took a deep breath. He hadn’t realised that there was someone else who didn’t want any more fighting too, but on hindsight, the Paragon had dropped lots of hints that went that way.

“This war is one started by the gods,” Paragon Ying Xin continued, clearly unaware that he had uttered something. “Why are we dragged into this? Look at the Soldiers, the Squires. A simple stray attack from you and me would annihilate them in the hundreds. One mistake, and families throughout the world would have lost someone dear.”

“Do you think it’s possible?” Gaius asked. “A peaceful co-existence between two worlds that have been divided by time and animosity?”

“Yes,” the Paragon replied, her words resolute. “If the Republic of Francois and Ark City place down their enmity of the Second Extermination, to cooperate with the Southern Assembly, I don’t see why the Five Lands and the Wildlands cannot coexist.”

“But you know as well as I do that this…cooperation is transient,” Gaius replied. “There will be a reckoning for the Second Extermination.”

“Yes. Exactly. You know that. So do I. And most importantly, so does the Southern Assembly. Call me optimistic, but this does lend strength to the possibility of coexistence between the Wildlands and the Five Lands.” She looked down, towards the Heaven-cleaving Fortress, and clenched her fist. “Do you know why the War Council wants to attack?”

Taken aback by the sudden change in topic, Gaius looked at the Demigods demolishing the volcano and said, “Because—”

“Not for the reasons you imagine,” Paragon Ying Xin cut him off. “I see it in their eyes, whenever we discuss our next step. There are vast tracts of land, waiting to be conquered. The logistical weaknesses within the demon troops — the lack of weapons and artefacts — are ample proof that the demons have not exploited their homeland for resources.”

Gaius froze. “What do you mean by that?”

“Some nations are inherently more in need of resources,” Paragon Ying Xin replied. “The Southern Continent has been divided into two nations, each of them insecure about the world after this war. With proof that we can hold off the demons at hand, both nations now increasingly think of each other as a threat. Old wounds have reopened.”

A wan smile appeared on her face. “It therefore stands to reason that both nations eye the unexploited resources of the Wildlands. The Republic is desirous to maintain its relative advantage over the Assembly, in preparation for the day open war breaks out once more. The Assembly, in its insecurity, sees those resources as a lifeline, a heaven-sent opportunity to strengthen their forces such that an attack by the Republic is…”

Her words caught in her throat.

“Surely,” said Gaius, “the other nations would not want that to happen, right? You have a say in the War Council too, no?”

“The Western Holdings and the Mortal Light Dynasty have their own considerations for attacking too. For the West, it’s the threat of the Oblivion Portal. By pushing into the Wildlands, the West can withdraw their troops from the combined front and return their focus to the Oblivion Portal,” said Paragon Ying Xin. “The North…”

“This is madness,” Gaius muttered.

“Isn’t it?”

“Ark City has a vendetta against the demons,” Gaius said. “That’s why their entire city has been mobilised for this war. There’s not going to be any drive for co-existence here either.”

Paragon Ying Xin breathed out slowly. “In a sense, we’ve done too well for the opening war. Confidence is rising. But when mistakes occur, it will be my nation that suffers the brunt of it, since the East is the nation with the greatest manpower at the front.”

“Can’t you…”

“Do you think that’s possible?” Paragon Ying Xin shook her head. “In this discussion of ours, we have also forgotten the most important actors.”

“The great gods, the Demon God and the Demon Sovereign. What do they want? The God of Earth has been killed. And yet…”

A huge chunk of rock fell from the volcano, the resulting impact cutting off the rest of her sentence. Instead of continuing her words, the Paragon looked around at the battlefield sadly, and then let out a small sigh. She was now giving off an aura of self-introspection; hanging a sign that said ‘Feeling down, not interested in talking right now’ would not be as effective in making others leave her alone.

What did it feel, to be placed in such a helpless position? The Paragon was not in an enviable position whatsoever, and to make things worse, her words made so much sense. Gaius could foresee a world wracked by conflict decades on, even after the war with the demons ended.

Once again, Gaius felt helpless. There was little he could do to change the hearts of people.

Three long chimes filled the air, followed three short ones, and the sudden descent of everyone else around him extinguished Gaius’ burning thoughts. Now that everyone was given the green light to return to base, he found himself looking forward to seeing Isabelle and the others once more.

Gaius had enough weighty thoughts for the day. He would love nothing more than to snuggle in his bed with Isabelle at his sight, reading a book while enjoying her company.

His desires were simple, in that sense. It was, however, probably a reflection of his nature, over anything else.

Isabelle was waiting for him as he landed on the landing zone designated for Paragons and Demigods. Running up to him, she pulled him into a close embrace, one that Gaius reciprocated.”

“Welcome back, Gaius.”

“Mm.”

Breaking the hug, Isabelle took a step back and examined him from head to toe. “Did you get injured?”

Gaius puffed out his chest. “My opponent was no match for me.”

“Good, good…but don’t do this all the time, okay?” Isabelle shuffled her feet, before reaching out to pinch his cheeks. “Remember to place yourself first at all.”

“I know, I know.”

“Good.” Isabelle abruptly squinted her eyes. “But…what’s wrong? You’re disturbed. Unsettled. What happened?”

“Was I that obvious?” Gaius asked, rubbing his forehead.

“I’ve examined every nook and cranny of your body,” Isabelle replied. “If there’s anything wrong with you, I’ll obviously know, right?”

Wishing that she had said that in a quieter voice, Gaius led her away from the many amused gazes around the landing pad, stricken by the urge to say the same thing back to her the entire time. Suppressing his instincts, Gaius let out a long breath and relayed the things he’d heard from Paragon Ying Xin to Isabelle.

High above the Heaven-cleaving Fortress, Ark City came to a stop.