Chapter 980

Han and Dan remained suspended in the sky, observing the carnage below.

While Dan’s eyes refused to leave the position where he had last seen Dame and Anna fighting, Han’s gaze scanned the various pockets of resistance across the theater of war.

He was genuinely impressed.

The battle had been raging long before their arrival.

Based on Han’s estimations, the conflict had been active for at least thirty minutes, yet remarkably, none of the Supreme Magus’ primary allies had fallen.

Though they had suffered losses—their original force of one hundred thousand now dwindled to roughly eighty thousand—they had barely made a dent in the enemy’s overwhelming numbers.

They hadn’t even eliminated a fraction of the opposing horde.

With the Vice Leaders now fully committed to the fray, it was as clear as day that the Dawn faction stood no chance of a traditional victory.

Devan hadn’t even joined the struggle yet.

If he chose to descend, it would be game over instantly.

"That gargoyle is good..." Han muttered, his eyes gliding across the battlefield and picking out the key players of the Dawn forces.

"... That man with the lightning ability is also proficient. That kid too."

He looked at Rivock, who was grinning like a madman while shredding enemies as if they were mere paper.

The youth was proving to be quite the heavy hitter; by Han’s count, he had personally eliminated upwards of three hundred men.

"This faction possesses some truly impressive fighters. Without their presence, this battle would have reached its conclusion long ago."

"Tsk. Look at how our useless brother is struggling," Dan scoffed, watching as Dame was punched fiercely by a cluster of attackers.

Han briefly glanced in the direction of that fight for a fraction of a second before tearing his gaze away in apparent disgust.

"I would rather observe more competent combatants," he mumbled.

Not wanting to lose track of his siblings, Dan didn’t remove his gaze, but he continued to speak with Han regardless.

"Tell me something. Are we going to join in anytime soon?"

Han lifted a brow, though the gesture was lost on Dan.

"Join? Why would we? It doesn’t concern us; we are merely here to observe the outcome."

Dan smiled for a second—the kind of knowing smile that spoke volumes.

"Brother, you might fake this detachment for outsiders, but I know exactly what kind of man you are. We aren’t here just to watch. We are here to intervene, right? The only thing that confuses me is whose side we are going to take?"

"...!"

Han smiled a second later, his stoic facade finally cracking.

"Oh? My brother is getting smarter suddenly? Ha-ha-hah! Wonderful."

Dan scoffed, his face returning to its usual stoicism.

Han just shrugged casually.

"I’m still observing. And yes, I will join in soon. If Anna’s life is put in genuine danger, I will move."

"Oh! So, the Supreme Magus’ side then."

"... I guess so. The Behemoth Clan has been pissing me off for a while, so I suppose I will take this opportunity to teach them a lesson. With the Supreme Magus currently absent, I have to step in."

Dan lifted a brow in confusion.

"Why, though?"

Han grinned like a master strategist.

"And here I spoke too soon about you. Hm. Don’t worry, you will see soon enough."

Dan was now more than perplexed, but he chose not to prey on his confusion any longer and simply returned to his role as an observer.

___

Devan was currently frowning at the situation unfolding beneath his vantage point.

’... I thought this would be an easy takeover, but look at how they have been resisting for all these minutes. And damn! That gargoyle is incredibly strong.’

He was genuinely incensed, though he masked his irritation with a thin veil of amusement as his eyes scanned the field.

However, seeing how weary the Dawn forces were becoming—and noting the thousands of men he still held in reserve—he managed to calm himself.

’Sooner or later, they will succumb to physical exhaustion and Ki depletion. Then this will become much easier.’

His eyes flicked toward Thalos and Fenrir again.

’... My concern is that the gargoyle doesn’t seem to be utilizing Ki at all. It functions more like a beast, so I don’t think it will tire anytime soon.

As for this mage, he isn’t using Ki attacks, but his lightning ability must have a fuel source. He will hit his limit shortly.’

His smile returned as he rubbed his face in delight.

’I might not even need to join this battle personally. If the Supreme Magus were here, I would have joined and taught him a massive lesson.

But it seems he has incredible foresight; that was why he fled long before I even finalized my assault. Haha-haha-hah! What a coward.’

****

Back on the wall, Leo’s brows were furrowed in deep mental fatigue.

He hadn’t joined the battle yet; after all, what could a one-handed warrior truly accomplish in a chaos of this magnitude?

His gaze scanned across his allies with rising worry.

Looking up, he could see Lilly’s hands trembling from the sheer strain of drawing her bowstring again and again without a second of pause.

Since the start of the conflict, she had already exhausted two full quivers.

From his vantage point, he could also see Alba and the rest of the Crimson Lotus Clan members struggling under the weight of the swarm.

’If only they were fighting together, they would have managed to take down twice as many men as they have separately.’

His gaze flicked toward Thalos and Fenrir, who were currently facing off against the two vice leaders.

’They will handle themselves,’ he noted silently.

Then, his focus shifted to the three leaders of the major clans: Mada, Noelle, and Rivock.

Although Rivock was significantly more powerful than the average soldier in the army, Mada and Noelle didn’t possess that same overwhelming level of strength.

It was by sheer luck and refined skill that they hadn’t succumbed to grievous injuries by now.

As three direct descendants who had been trained from the moment they could walk, their preparation was vastly different from what these vagabonds had ever faced.

Nevertheless, the enemy forces were pushing fiercely.

It was only a matter of time before the Dawn faction would buckle.

He could feel it, the enemy could feel it, and those currently fighting could certainly feel it too.

’Damn it! If only Grey was here! This would have been much easier. Bu-But would he have even been able to take on this many men? I doubt it...’

He exhaled in exhaustion while contemplating whether he should finally join the fray or not.

What could he even do in this state?

"... Who is the enemy?"

Leo just sighed tiredly, not immediately processing the origin of the question. "The Behemoth Clan."

"....?!"

Suddenly, Leo realized something was wrong.

The last time he had checked, he was the only one on this section of the wall, save for Lilly, who was stationed a significant distance away.

And the voice he had just heard was distinctly masculine.

Snapping his head upward with his cane pointed forward in case an enemy had infiltrated their position, he froze in absolute shock at the figure before him.

"G-G-Grey? You are back?!"