Chapter 594: Patrol
The devastation of the city was far worse than I’d before restoring my sight. Evidence of the earthquakes, shockwaves, and battle were everywhere. Houses were reduced to crumbling shells, their walls listing precariously, the ground littered with shards of glass. Even the magical streetlights were dark, making it difficult to navigate the streets, which were choked with rubble from collapsed buildings. Fires flickered in the distance, casting an eerie glow on the thick plumes of smoke that rose from every corner of abandoned sections of the city.
My vision had shown nearly a third of the city evacuated, but it hardly seemed enough. The empire wasn’t as ruthless as I’d initially believed, but still... if I hadn’t intervened, tens of thousands would have perished. Were they truly so desperate that they’d gamble the lives of an entire city for a chance to defeat us and slow the demon horde?
My gaze drifted upward to the lone skyship hovering above the central keep. Its mana cannons were dark, but the souls blazing atop its decks were blinding. If Luke truly threatened their hold on the region, they wouldn’t hesitate to turn those cannons on the city and obliterate him, innocent lives be damned.
I tightened my grip on my staff and started toward the city center. My legs were unsteady after the healing and from disuse, but I quickly gained strength and confidence, and soon walked with only a slight limp. Gusts of wind buffeted the streets, generated by whatever battle raged beyond the horizon, Dragging my hair in crimson waves behind me. The light of Adaptive Resistance continued to emanate from my skin, filling the street with a flickering, golden glow.
As I neared an intersection, I froze, ears twitching. The clank of steel floated on the wind, sending shivers down my spine.
"Spread out and search the homes!" came a man’s rough voice.
I ducked into an alley, heart pounding. Footsteps drew near, sounding as thick and numerous as an army. Faint waves of mana drifted through fate, causing my soul to tingle. The sensation grew worse, and I swooned, leaning my head back against the hard stone wall behind me.
Images flickered against the back of my eyelids, giving me glimpses of a squadron of armored soldiers. There were close to thirty of them, with souls anywhere from third to fifth level. A sixth-level mage rode on a horse in the middle of it, wearing the crest of a captain.
The pictures dissipated and I slumped, panting hard. My eyes cracked open, blinking in the violet light, and I screwed them shut again. The Oracle of Eternity continued to burn, sending tingles racing through my soul, giving me an impression of the approaching souls.