On the night of May 4th, Yulan Calendar year 10009, this late hour was destined to be an extraordinary night. Many residents of the imperial capital didn't sleep—instead, they headed out to the outskirts. That night, the sky held no stars and no moon, only thick, dark clouds blanketing the heavens.
Numerous residents lit bonfires in the outskirts, gathering in small groups as they waited for the day of the great battle to arrive.
"Hey, Third Brother, where do you think Lord Olivier and Lord Hetterson will fight? When Lord Olivier issued the challenge, he never specified—just said 'outside the city.' But which gate? Outside the East Gate? The West Gate? Or perhaps the South Gate or the North Gate…"
"Who knows? We can only wait here."
This problem vexed many people. Quite a few had rushed over from other cities. Aside from a minority who were indifferent to such matters, or some Mages, more than half the capital's population had come out to watch, and with people from other cities added in, the crowd numbered in the millions.
Now, at each of the capital's four gates, people had gathered.
No one knew where the battle would actually take place.
The Baron's household naturally came out as well, though Lin Lei and the others quickly discovered the impending battle's location. After all… Rock Sword Saint "Hetterson" was deliberately radiating his aura.
The Rock Sword Saint and Olivier had not specified a battle location.
Therefore, Hetterson himself had chosen the skies above the Scarlet Flame River to the north of the capital. The Scarlet Flame River was fairly large—at its widest, it spanned several hundred meters, though its length was far inferior to the Yulan River. Moreover, the Scarlet Flame River's source was the Yulan River itself.
Saint Realm powerhouses were especially sensitive to aura.
If a Saint Realm battle erupted somewhere, powerhouses hundreds of miles away would sense it. Lin Lei had not transformed, because both Heilu and Bei Bei had clearly felt that aura.
"It's above the Scarlet Flame River to the north! Hurry over—the battle is there! Lord Hetterson is there!" This news spread like the wind, rushing swiftly to the south, east, and west gates.
The millions of people at the other three locations surged toward the north gate like a great flood.
Most people headed directly through the wilderness along the desert paths. After all, with so many people, trying to pass through the capital would have been far too congested.
"There really are a lot of people." Lin Lei, Wotton, Bark, and the rest of the group were stunned by the scene before them.
Over a million people lined both banks of the Scarlet Flame River. The eighty thousand spectators at the fighting arena had already seemed like a sea of people. A million—this was terrifying.
Both banks of the Scarlet Flame River were packed with people, dense as could be.
What made things even worse was—
Even more people from the south, west, and east gates continued pouring in, like three great floods converging into this crowd. The numbers kept growing.
"So many people. This Olivier—he just had to set the battle date three months out. If it had been half a month, people from the other provinces wouldn't have made it in time. But three months… even those in the Northwest Province who heard the news had time to come." Hillman shook his head.
Sessler let out a raspy cackle: "More people is good—what a magnificent sight!"
Sessler seemed to be thinking of his own undead army—the spectacle of over a million undead, equally awe-inspiring.
"The most important question is how we get to the front. Are we supposed to watch from way back here?" Xili the butler looked at the dense crowd ahead and didn't even have the courage to push through.
Gates said smugly: "That's simple. The five of us brothers will clear a path—we'll charge straight in."
With the five Bark brothers leading the way, they could certainly force their way to the very front.
"Don't rush—don't you see His Majesty Joel's army is arriving?" Lin Lei said with a smile. Indeed, at that moment, the military forces were marching in orderly formation.
Though the commoners numbered in the millions, the army barely reached a hundred thousand.
But the neatly formationed, armor-clad soldiers completely outmatched the civilians in terms of imposing presence.
"Roar~~" "Howl~~"
Among the millions, there were also numerous Magic Beasts—tamed by various experts. The beasts' cries occasionally sounded out, mingling with the ceaseless chatter of the crowd.
Absolute chaos.
"Silence!"
A thunderous shout echoed between heaven and earth. "Those of you on boats upon the Scarlet Flame River—get to shore! Now! If you remain on the river during the battle between Lord Hetterson and Lord Olivier, you'll be caught in the crossfire in an instant. People on both banks of the Scarlet Flame River—retreat ten meters each. No one is permitted to approach the riverbank… The City Guard will maintain order."
The imperial army swiftly and methodically began restoring order.
The empire's leadership dared not be careless. With millions gathered here, any riot would be a catastrophe. The battle between two Saint Realm powerhouses was a momentous occasion—it must not be turned into a disaster.
"Lord Wotton, Lord Lin Lei—please come with us." Two soldiers approached.
Lin Lei and Wotton exchanged a smile.
His Majesty Joel had prepared this in advance—having everyone retreat ten meters while the empire's nobles moved to the very front. As long as no one set foot on the river itself, the Scarlet Flame River's width of several hundred meters was more than enough for the two Saint Realm powerhouses to battle.
Moreover, both fighters would be engaging high in the air.
The nobles followed the arrangements and took their places along both banks of the Scarlet Flame River, in prime positions to witness this epoch-making battle. The commoners, seeing this, felt no resentment.
The divide between nobles and commoners was vast.
To become a noble required great merit or exceptional talent. As long as you had the ability, you could become one. The capital's residents actually revered the nobility and dreamed of becoming nobles themselves.
The nighttime wind was cool, especially by the riverbank—the night breeze caused many nobles to don their cloaks.
Both banks were lined with torches, their flames reflecting upon the Scarlet Flame River's surface and brightly illuminating the scene. Yet above the river, only the Rock Sword Saint "Hetterson" stood hovering in midair. Olivier still had not appeared.
"Master Lin Lei, why hasn't this Olivier shown up yet?" His Majesty Joel said to Lin Lei beside him.
Having Lin Lei sit next to him had been Joel's own idea. First, to curry favor with Lin Lei, and second, having a Saint Realm powerhouse nearby meant at least a bit more safety.
"Your Majesty needn't worry," Lin Lei said with a smile. "Mr. Hetterson isn't worried either. Your Majesty need only wait patiently."
"True enough." His Majesty Joel nodded with a smile.