Star Gate

Chapter 261: Reawakening (II)

Hong Yitang sighed without a word. He gently pushed off the ground and bounded upwards. Violet Moon followed him up only after seeing the man take the lead.

A city wall of one hundred meters was nothing to Solars when there was no flight restriction. The two quickly climbed in the air. Just when Hong Yitang was about to reach the top of the city walls... wham!

A broadsword cut down from the sky! A Silver Armor looked down with extreme fury while some Black Armors appeared over the city walls. There weren’t that many of the latter and they pulled out longbows. Humm!

A dozen arrows shot at the two Solars!

The silver broadsword slammed down in a massive collision and knocked Hong Yitang out of the sky. Violet Moon erupted with thunder and lightning, smiting the Silver Armor with a bolt of lightning.

Sizzling with electricity, the Silver Armor swayed slightly from the immense blow. Violet Moon snorted, “Hong Yitang, get rid of those soldiers!”

The archers on the walls weren’t a large threat by themselves, but they were still a certain annoyance when they fired off a volley of arrows.

Hong Yitang promptly leapt upward and condensed a longsword of yellowish-brown energy in his hand. He struck with the blade!

Bam!

The nearest Black Armor was sliced clean through—there was no room to spare for preserving the suits of armor at this stage. He just needed to eliminate them from the fight. It was highly feasible for a Solar to destroy Black Armors. Bronze Armors presented more of a challenge, and the use of an origin weapon was required for the Silver Armor.

“Lure it down here!” someone transmitted. Violet Moon and Hong Yitang weren’t able to deal with the Silver Armor by themselves. They stood a chance only if they enticed the enemy to land on the ground.

Do you think I don’t want to? Violet Moon cursed inwardly. This high ranking officer was plainly no fool—it seemed to retain a bit of consciousness and refused to move from the wall. The two exchanged a dozen blows by the edge of the city walls—she was unable to set foot on them no matter what she tried.

Hong Yitang had a much easier time of things. He slashed again and again, sweeping Black Armors off the ramparts.

Bam bam bam!

The soldiers crashed onto the ground with loud thuds, enraging the Silver Armor. It roared hoarsely and laid around with its broadsword. The frenzied rampage shook Violet Moon’s very organs. No matter how it raged, however, it wasn’t an easy task for it to defeat the flying Violet Moon.

Seeing that the Silver Armor wouldn’t be lured down from the walls, the Solars on the ground attacked as well. They couldn’t fly, but they could send decent attacks through the air. Supernatural abilities erupted with loud roars!

The Silver Armor was suppressed to the point where it couldn’t look out over the city walls.

“Hong Yitang, take a look over the walls!” cried the Solars after they kept the soldier down. What did the inner city look like?

Hong Yitang was very curious as well! He only dared act on his impulses after seeing that there was no possibility for the Silver Armor to maneuver around. Sweeping another Black Armor off the ramparts, he kicked off the city walls and made use of leverage to throw himself higher into the air. He saw inside the city!

Light!

Indeed, there was light inside the city. Everyone had thought that before, but Hong Yitang saw clearly in this moment.

It wasn’t that there was illumination in the city, but that radiance from a pagoda-like structure in the center enveloped the entire city. It was dim and soft, the intensity of street lamps at night. A turtle seemed crouched on top of the pagoda.

A turtle...

The dim and soft source of light seemed to come from that. The entire city was quiet without a sound, yet the structures remained. Hong Yitang saw numerous buildings, streets, and architecture that he didn’t recognize. It was antique, quaint, and home to some unique items.

He saw something like a plane parked in a certain area. He glimpsed many other things in this moment, but none of it was key. What was more pressing was if there were other soldiers in the city. Was the army of one thousand its only troops?

He swept a glance over the city, noting rivers, lakes, and everything but people. There was no sign of the soldiers that patrolled in the outer city—not a single one!

There was only this isolated army in the city!

Hong Yitang grasped a motion in this moment—this lone army had been left behind, tasked to defend this city called Battle Haven. Had its people met strong foes? Had the denizens migrated elsewhere? Or had they encountered natural disaster?

No matter what it was, everyone within the city had left. There might’ve been a massive army camped here in its time; only one thousand troops were left when the dust settled. And here they were, faithfully adhering to their orders millions upon millions of years later. They held fast against all comers!

Not even Hong Yitang could describe what he felt—this army was almost completely annihilated! There were only very few Black Armors left on the walls, and he was one of the butchers.

One Silver Armor and several dozen Black Armors were all that was left of the ancient city.

“Hong Yitang!”

The man landed and responded, “It’s empty inside the city! There’s nothing inside but a pagoda with a turtle crouched on top of it. Only the Silver Armor and a few dozen Black Armors guard it.”

The crowd rejoiced at his report!

Really? This was fantastic news! They were highly worried that tens of thousands of troops would be waiting in formation after they broke down the city gates. There would be no course of action but to flee if that was the case. They’d have to worry about these guys rushing out of the city too.

Elation overtook the assembly when they heard that these were all the soldiers that were left. Endless treasure awaited them inside the city!

“Violet Moon, pull it down from the wall!” yelled the Revolution King. “It’s smooth sailing after we eliminate it! Help her, Hong Yitang!”

Who was afraid of a lone Silver Armor? Even Hao Lianchuan and Hu Dingfang were moved. A defensive origin weapon! Was it the turtle? Very possibly!

Both offense and defense were at hand once they laid hands on the treasure and enveloped White Moon City with it! They could seal off the provincial capital just like these ruins and leave only a tiny opening. Defending just that opening would be the easiest task. If not, they could lob a few city annihilation missiles at the entrance. Let’s see who dares barge in then!

The Night Watchers would be impossible to defeat in Silver Moon!

There must also be something very special about this origin weapon for it to be self-sufficient millions of years later. It could still fully operate a city’s defenses—which was why they wanted it so ardently.

Many origin weapons needed to be maintained and brought back to good condition. So many were decayed to the point of ruin after being buried for so many years.

Rumble!!

Solars attacked again and again.

“Everyone who’s gone through the second passageway, get up there!” Hao Lianchuan roared. “Help them eliminate the Black Armors and find a way to mob that Silver Armor!”

Some looked at their faction leader—damned if the Night Watchers weren’t a scheming bunch! None of them had taken the second passageway. Wasn’t this making others risk their lives instead?

“Get up there!” Ding Chen echoed. The Revolution King waved a hand as well—go! It wasn’t too dangerous, and did the Night Watchers think that just because they had the most survivors at the moment, that that would still be the case when they left on the third day?

All of the other delegations were dead apart from the Solars, did Hao Lianchuan think that calm heads would prevail then? Or did he think the Night Watchers were all powerful and undying? Was the man even thinking at all?

The Revolution King was quickly losing all of his reservations. So many of his people had died, it didn’t matter if the last three did as well. He’d operate with complete impunity by himself then! Anyone who pissed them off would see the execution of every one of their people below Solar! Whichever delegation was the largest now would draw the greatest wariness.

Such were the Revolution King’s thoughts, ones possibly mirrored by others. Regardless, the powerhouses that’d passed through the second passageway were directed to go up the wall. One hundred meters wasn’t too tall for a Sunflare either. They bounded upward and charged up the wall.

The Silver Armor howled with fury on the ramparts! Its voice suddenly seemed much clearer than before. The last defenders! Perhaps Hong Yitang’s speculations were right. This was a lone army left behind to guard the city.

Wrathful bitterness filled the Silver Armor’s howls as his men died around him. Perhaps he was dead long ago; only an empty shell with some lingering consciousness propelled the armor. His bones were rotten after so many years, but it was this army that loyally defended the ancient city after their deaths and maintained their organizational system.

It must have been such a magnificent army back in the day, so the Silver Armor did not accept these circumstances! Would these ants have dared run afoul of Battle Heaven in the city’s prime, its days of glory?

This city once towered beneath the heavens and an unparalleled powerhouse broke through the void to bestow it a name—Battle Heaven!

The heavens could be marched on!

Its army raised their swords against the firmament, ruled the era, and protected the age...

The Silver Armor’s memories seem to awaken—light gleamed out of empty sockets behind the visor. The waving broadsword slowed, as if the soldier clearly saw the intruders only now.

Ants!

A bunch of weaklings had obliterated the Battle Heaven Army that he was so proud of! It didn’t matter that he was part of the most insignificant city guard division of the army, grief and fury assailed him!

He looked down over the city walls, giving pause to the expedition team. That was... a sentient look! The soldiers did not have those as they were all puppets. When they were defeated and their armor opened, the only thing that remained were bones that quickly turned to dust. But right now, they sensed a look of fury, contempt, and sorrow!

Was he alive?? That was impossible! Who could survive for so long?!

In the annals of the Skystar Dynasty, the ancient civilization wasn’t a reference to the period within the past seventeen hundred years. History existed before the Star era calendar, but that also didn’t refer to the ancient civilization. The history right before the Star era was a period of time that’d been toppled and their ruins were called ancient buildings, nothing more formal.

The ancient civilization ran far beyond three thousand years in the past, but no one could live so long if they only started counting from three thousand years ago!

“Do you... wish to enter the city?”